Alberta has the highest COVID cases in Canada, and it's not even really a contest. Ontario is the next worst off. Alberta's rate this week was 70 per cent higher. @dougquan and I attempt to figure out how we got here. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
In the north, Fort Chip is the canary in the oilsands mine. The tiny fly in town has its first serious outbreak; they believe it was spread from nearby oil hub Fort McMurray. They have no hospital so they're debating adding ventilators to isolation rooms. thestar.com/news/canada/20… 
Fort Mac itself is suffering. There are multiple outbreaks in oilsands camps, but a dependence on fly in, fly out workers makes containment hard. The regional rate is a staggering 1,655 per 100k. (To put that in national context, that's 4x the Peel rate.) thestar.com/news/canada/20…
Alberta faces some unique challenges here: An oil-dependent economy that was struggling even pre-pandemic has made lockdowns a hard sell. Urban centers scattered around the province. An independent streak that makes government rules chafe. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
Many point a finger at Jason Kenney. People like to compare him and Ford, but experts say he faces a way different landscape than Ford and you can tell. The NDP won a surprise victory when the political right fragmented so Kenney must keep them united. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
The result? Kenney is playing whack a mole with people in his own party even. The multiple MLAs who went to the beach at the holidays. Who wrote a public letter criticizing him. Who throw shade at vaccines. Critics say rules are weak and poorly enforced.
thestar.com/news/canada/20…
thestar.com/news/canada/20…
If there's a positive here, it's that Alberta's hospitals aren't underwater like Ontario's yet. But doctors worry it's coming. Yesterday, Alberta shattered its own daily record by almost 20 per cent. There is no sign of slowing. thestar.com/news/canada/20…
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