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Ziad 😷 Fazel 🇨🇦🇺🇦 Profile picture
@ZiadFazel
Apr 15, 2022 • 13 tweets • 12 min read • Read on X
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On Wednesday, Health Min Copping "addressed the speculation" about funding cuts to Rapid Test distribution. He said compensation was "changed" from $5/test to $60/case.

Suspicious of the change in units, I looked into it.

Compensation has been cut from $5/test to $0.093/test.
If you're going to lead off weekly #COVID19AB theatre to say "rumours are not correct", then your clarification had better not be deceptive.

This would be the Labour Min saying Alberta's minimum wage has been "changed" from $15/hr to $500/month.

This compensation cut to pharmacists was announced in a PDF dated 3 March 2022, effective 7 March.

Goodbye $5/test dispensing fee.

Hello flat $60/case (for eg. 650 BTNX) the pharmacist has to apply for, to cover shipping directly billed by distributor.

ab.bluecross.ca/pdfs/pharmacy-…
Dispensing fees are max $12.15 until 31 March 2022 (watch for that to get cut) so $5/test *might* have been OK given there's no pill bottle to provide, label or receipt to print.

But the pharmacist still has to give you advice on how to use the test.

alberta.ca/pharmacy-servi…
Here's the Product Insert for BTNX COV-19C25 Rapid Antigen Test - the most prevalent in Alberta.

Piece of cake, eh?

btnx.com/files/COV-19C2…

This is why people rely on their pharmacists to explain how to use the test.

What dispensing fees are for.

rxa.ca/for-the-public…
I showed BTNX because it is most prevalent in Alberta.

36m of the 55m rapid tests shipped free by the feds.

canada.ca/en/public-heal…

• BTNX 650/case = 9.3 cents each
• Panbio 800/case = 7.5 cents each
• BD Veritor 2880/*pallet* = 2.1 cents each?

ontariohealth.ca/sites/ontarioh…
Min Copping claims AB Health "eliminated almost all administrative work for pharmacists who are providing.."

In reality they eliminated the way for pharmacists to bill for their advice on how to use the test.

They won't even let the distributor bill the province for shipping.
One would expect a conservative gov to know when you stop paying private sector to do something, they likely stop.

Rapid tests are key to Alberta "learning to live with Covid-19".

Looks like AB Health is cutting off pharmacies to push business to high-$$ mail-order cronies.
Wish I'd seen @Adam_Toy spotless reporting before my 🧵

Turns out AB Health cut compensation to pharmacies 93%, to not even 7 cents per Rapid Test, putting pharmacies at a loss for distributing them.

Which of course is discouraging pharmacy orders.

globalnews.ca/news/8755532/r…
@Adam_Toy @Howl_it @GosiaGasperoPhD @jvipondmd @LeylaDAsadi @kasza_leslie @demandsbetter @littlepoteets @TheBreakdownAB @TehseenLadha @sameo416 When Rapid Test distro started in mid-Dec, pharmacies had to do TONS of work for $5 per kit:
• advising people carefully, especially to avoid false negatives
• unpredictable deliveries of tests and vax
• on top of 3rd-dose crush/panic from Omicron

ab.bluecross.ca/pdfs/Reference…
Looks like AB Health never wanted pharmacies to be compensated fairly for distributing Rapid Tests.

Another choking of publicly-funded supply to drive business to private-sector cronies.

Now, they can't even bill for 2 cases at a time. 1 Case per bill.

ab.bluecross.ca/pdfs/pharmacy-…
In Jan, Premier & Health Min repeatedly lied the holdup in Rapid Tests (👇 expensive failure to beat free tests from the feds) was due to Health Canada not approving enough.

In reality, they tied AHS hands by forcing it to bid against federal contracts.

Ugh. This gets worse every time I look at it.

The 7 March 2022 "change" shifted the shipping cost from directly billed to the province..

..to now billed to the pharmacy, which the pharmacy then has to claim from Blue Cross, ONE CASE AT A TIME. 😠

ab.bluecross.ca/pdfs/pharmacy-…

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More from @ZiadFazel

Ziad 😷 Fazel 🇨🇦🇺🇦 Profile picture
Dec 2
🧵
On #GivingTuesday, my surprisingly bushy #Movember broom and I would like you to support @YYC_counselling. Here's why.

Today, 2 Dec 2025, is the LAST day for donations from you to be matched by an anonymous donor, thereby 2X your money.

1/
In August 2011, @BalBrach @CBCCalgary was assigned to the story, because IIRC 18% of victims that @CalgaryPolice encountered were men, but there was no gov program to support them/us.

@YYC_counselling offered a donation-funded program, and they recommended me to interview.

2/
@BalBrach @CBCCalgary @CalgaryPolice @YYC_counselling I'd recently completed a 14-week group therapy program for Male Victims of Domestic Violence.

CCC continually improves, so you can see its successor here "Turn for the Better" in its list of Group Counselling Programs, but only "On Demand" due to $$.

3/
calgarycounselling.com/counselling/gr…
Read 8 tweets
Ziad 😷 Fazel 🇨🇦🇺🇦 Profile picture
Sep 21
The drummer in this video is my favourite person this weekend. Everything about her is energetic performance:
• drumming of course
• hair
• silver jumpsuit
• attitude.

I want to power into EVERY Monday morning with that energy.

@FionaMattatall

@FionaMattatall Here is the same band performing:

Simple Minds - Someone Somewhere In Summertime (Live from Paisley Abbey)

They're all having a great time, but she is a combination of Determined and Delighted.

I just found my wake-up with or without caffeine videos.

@FionaMattatall Found her! Thanks to @YouTube always working to make lists + mixes for me, her name is Cherisse Osei @Cherissedrums and she is deservedly a @ZildjianCompany artist.

This is a technical showcase. Watch her light up in front of a big live audience.

Read 4 tweets
Ziad 😷 Fazel 🇨🇦🇺🇦 Profile picture
Jul 9
Yesterday @Rogers @RogersHelps [sic] "Terry in Charlottetown, PEI" cancelled my home office internet service AGAINST MY EXPRESS INSTRUCTIONS in order to upsell me to new plan.

Can @TELUSsupport move up my install date from 16 July to add @TELUS TV & Internet to my mobile plan? Page 1 of 3-page chat transcript between me and Rogers
Page 2 of 3-page chat transcript between me and Rogers
Page 3 of 3-page chat transcript between me and Rogers
Rogers INSISTS that they have not outsourced their support to India, or anyone. Given that my phone call of two (2) hours on Saturday was with 2 Indians with insufficient authority or account access, including "Jaz the tech support supervisor in Calgary" [what a coincidence!]...
I say that is BS. I was a loyal Shaw customer for years because they were based in Calgary. The transition to Rogers was a mess: passwords + challenge questions/answers got lost in the shift.

Rogers does not empower their "support" to support. Only to stall, obstruct or upsell.
Read 9 tweets
Ziad 😷 Fazel 🇨🇦🇺🇦 Profile picture
Jun 16
If you come to Palomino early enough on a weekday, the soup of the day may still be available.

Having lunch here now at 1.30pm and first time for me, and it is heaven.

Clam chowder with a delicacy in the spices and herbs you wouldn’t expect from a “BBQ Joint”.

Thank you Chef. My photo of my clam chowder with unexpected cornbread loaf on the side.
My mistake. CORN chowder, not clam chowder as I said above.

First bite blew me away, so I tweeted right away. They have a similar classic base, IIRC.

I can’t eat pork, so I got it without bacon garnish (therefore also vegetarian).

For those who do 🐖, party on people. My photo of chalkboard sidewalk sign.
For “main course” you need video, not photo.

This is Elote Taco Salad, with the smoked turkey I added, to the music of Talking Heads “Burning Down the House” which Palomino provides with your meal.

After the soup, at least half of this will go home for dinner/midnight snack.
My screenshot of “Greens” section of menu.
Read 5 tweets
Ziad 😷 Fazel 🇨🇦🇺🇦 Profile picture
Jun 7
I was going to tweet about my early dinner tonight at Palomino (cliché food pics) but just got hit with wall of SWEET sound when I went downstairs to use the washroom, and opened the steel door to basement concert hall.

WOW.

This is "Olde Ghosts" warming up - in this program. My photo with permission of Olde Ghosts 4-piece band warming up (I'd say they're already on fire) as I went to basement washroom at Palomino (shared with underground concert hall).
In the program they are listed as "Old Ghost" which may just be a miscommunication between Palomino mgmt and Band mgmt. Still gets the message across.
I am a nerdy 58-yr-old engineer who surprises people with 2 unexpected traits: a love for good metal, and endless jokes.

On the latter, I am like Leslie Nielsen who could easily get even people braced for his hidden fart accordion to crack up. But I'm not using one....yet.👺
With metal, I was raised with Indian music my parents played, like the Pakeezah soundtrack, until the cassette literally broke.

This is one of the songs from that movie. It builds until Meena Kumari (Indian's Marilyn) dances with those 2 😍 backups.

Read 9 tweets
Ziad 😷 Fazel 🇨🇦🇺🇦 Profile picture
May 30
Kinda proud of myself. Also.. life is hilarious.

I’ve been eating a lot of rich, flavourful food recently, and I went from a salmon/capers omelet at OEB to the passcode protected washroom in food court at Fifth Avenue Place. Took a massive, relaxed dump.

Laughing as I type.
So I’m washing my hands - even had the foresight to take a restaurant napkin to dry my hands and use on the door lever to exit (trust me on this) and a distinguished gentlemen t about 60 walks in.

And visibly buckles, and groans.

I’m trying not to laugh out loud.
I step out of washroom and all of this is hitting me as I walk slowly to exit escalator, down to a bench on 5 Ave, where I am typing this now.

I’m almost crying not to burst out laughing.

And the Punjabi woman security guard sweetly asks me “Are you OK?”

No, Bhenji. I’m not.
Read 4 tweets

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