At A Glance - October 3, 2023
School Trustee Will Not Apologize
The lawyer for Red Deer School Board Trustee Monique LaGrange said she will not apologize for posting a meme comparing teaching children about the 2SLGBTQ+ community in schools to Nazi brainwashing. Although she remains as a member of the RDCRS board, her sanction conditions prohibit her from participating until she completes sensitivity training.
Lawyer James Kitchen indicated in a statement on behalf of his client that "they're imposing a condition on her that they already know – or ought to know – that she cannot meet." The conditions her sanction include sensitivity training regarding 2SLGBTQ+ discrimination and the Holocaust.
University of Alberta Returns Donation
When Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the House of Commons in September, it was overshadowed by the attendance of Yaroslav Hunka who was later discovered to have served in the Waffen-SS Galicia Division during the Second World War.
Following this discovery, the University of Alberta announced that a $30,000 donation from the Hunka family in his name would be returned. Interim Provost and vice-president Verna Yiu said “the university recognizes and regrets the unintended harm caused.”
"On behalf of the university, I want to express our commitment to address anti-Semitism in any of its manifestations, including the ways in which the Holocaust continues to resonate in the present."
Canadians Flock to Alberta in Droves
According to Statistics Canada, Alberta has set a record for net-interprovincial migration between July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023. “Alberta saw 56,245 more people moving to the province than leaving it, making these not only the highest annual net interprovincial gains for Alberta, but the highest annual net interprovincial gains ever recorded for any single province or territory since comparable data are available (from 1971/1972).”
In total, the province saw an population increase of 4 per cent, or 184,000 new residents – increasing our estimated residency to 4.7 million people. According to the report, the largest migration numbers came from Ontario and British Columbia, totalling 74,000 people combined.
Reform of Alberta Health Services Expected
At the Alberta Municipalities Convention last week, Premier Danielle Smith told delegates that the province “will not delay” in moving forward with reforms to Alberta Health Services. Health Minister Adriana LaGrange is expected to present a proposal to cabinet on Wednesday.
Premier Smith suggested that "if we get the cabinet approval and the caucus approval, we would be moving on some of that direction in the fall so that we are prepared for the new budget cycle in February."
Indications suggest the province will explore the possible decentralization of Alberta Health Services 15 years after AHS was created. There are also reports indicating that Minister LaGrange will explore whether AHS is the best manger of some non-acute functions.
Fewer Doctors Accepting New Patients
The Alberta Medical Association is addressing their concerns about access to primary care in the province. In a Twitter thread, the AMA writes that “we are bleeding out. We must retain the physicians we have and restore Alberta’s reputation as a destination of choice.”
Data available on albertafindadoctor.ca indicates there were 887 family doctors accepting new patients in 2020. Since, that total has dropped by 79% to 190.
“We are encouraged by her message that government understands there is a crisis in primary care requiring action. She signalled that steps are being taken and we look forward to communicating about these soon. There’s no time to waste.”