A cell phone video leaked to Alberta’s NDP reveals the true extent of Danielle Smith’s coordinated political interference in the justice system on behalf of those charged following the Coutts blockade. 🧵

#cdnpoli #alberta #ableg #ucp The video appears to capture a January 2023 video call between Danielle Smith and street pastor Artur Pawlowski, who faces charges of breaching a release order and mischief for inciting people to block public property at the border crossing at Coutts in January 2022.

Over four years in government, the UCP have failed to lower surgery wait times and they’ve actually increased, according to data available from the Government of Alberta. 🧵

#ableg #abhealth #abvote #abelxn23 #cdnhealth According to the Government’s own data:

More than 70,000 Albertans were waiting for surgeries in May 2019. That number has increased to 74,000 as of February 2023.

Pharmacist Juliet Franklin will be the Alberta NDP candidate for #Drumheller-#Stettler in the next Alberta provincial election. 🧵

#ableg #abndp #abpoli #abelxn23 Franklin is a full-time pharmacist in Stettler, and the first-generation Canadian in her family who immigrated to Alberta from India.

Environment Minister Sonya Savage has admitted the UCP’s $20-billion royalty giveaway is a bad idea that violates the polluter-pay principle. 🧵

#cdnpoli #ableg #ucp On Monday, Savage was asked about a letter Danielle Smith wrote during her time as a corporate lobbyist advocating for the RStar program. In response, Savage said the program “didn’t align with Alberta’s polluter-pay principle and the royalty framework.”

An Edmonton woman’s name was added to the list of thousands of Albertans who can’t find a family doctor after she was notified she lost hers through a lottery. 🧵

#ableg #abhealth #cdnhealth #yeg Mona Koch has had the same family doctor for eight years, but in November she received an email informing her that due to changes in her practice, Koch’s doctor would no longer be able to continue providing medical care to her.

A new report shows the UCP government’s plan to withdraw Albertans from the Canada Pension Plan will cost Albertans more in the long term while increasing the risk to their retirement savings. 🧵

#ableg #abpoli #cdnpoli #yyc #yeg #yql #ymm According to documents acquired by Postmedia from Employment and Social Development Canada, the federal government anticipates that any provincial withdrawal from the CPP will lead to “duplicate administration, limited risk pooling, and greater risk on investment returns”.

Alberta’s Auditor General will not be allowed to present six performance audits of the UCP’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, after UCP MLAs voted down his request to bring his findings to a committee of the legislature.

#ableg #abpoli #abhealth #covid19ab “After two years of deadly COVID mismanagement and secrecy, the UCP are trying to bury the findings of the Auditor General.” - NDP MLA Marlin Schmidt

Alberta could have had 25 million more rapid tests for public distribution during the current Omicron-driven fifth wave had the UCP responded to federal procurement offers last fall. 🧵

#ableg #abhealth #covid19ab #cdnhealth When Ottawa offered provinces a chance to purchase additional rapid tests last fall—when COVID-19 rapid-antigen tests were readily available—no additional tests were ordered for Albertans.

A new study by the Alberta Teachers’ Association confirms what many Albertans have been hearing anecdotally for some time - teachers are exhausted, burned out and many of them are planning to leave.
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#abed #ableg In its sixth pandemic pulse study, conducted at the end of November by ATA researcher Dr. Philip McRae, more than 37 per cent of respondents reported they probably won’t be teaching in Alberta next year.

EMS red alerts spiked in Alberta last year with both major cities running out of ambulances to respond to emergencies roughly every 90 minutes, documents show. 🧵

#ableg #abhealth #yeg #yyc According to a Freedom of Information request obtained by Alberta’s NDP, Calgary and Edmonton saw 2,276 EMS Red Alerts between August 1, 2021 and December 6, 2021, an average of over 17 Red Alerts per day.

We are demanding action to keep schools safe amid the surging fifth wave of COVID being spurred by the Omicron variant. 🧵

#ableg #abpoli #abed #covid19ab On Tuesday, it was confirmed that Alberta set a single-day record of 2,775 new COVID cases and that number is likely underreported as most are being discouraged from seeking PCR tests to confirm infection.

Earlier today, the UCP announced that they have received the report from the Coal Policy Committee but will not be releasing it publicly at this time. 🧵

#ableg #abpoli #abparks #rockymountains #explorealberta #coalhardfacts This report has been delayed three times now, and the Minister of Energy ensured that Albertans would know its contents on New Year's Eve.

We heard nothing today about how our overburdened healthcare system is going to deal with a potential surge of Omicron cases in hospital. 🧵

#ableg #abpoli #cdnhealth #covid19ab Our hospitals are far from recovered from the Premier’s massive failures in the fourth wave. There are tens of thousands of Albertans still waiting on delayed surgeries.

New documents released through a Freedom of Information Act request show that Premier Jason Kenney and Health Minister Tyler Shandro were both on holiday as the deadly fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic crashed into Alberta. 🧵

#ableg #abpoli #abhealth #covid19ab #cdnhealth Kenney was away, presumably in Europe, from August 11 through August 30, and no-one in the UCP cabinet will admit to having been given executive authority in his absence.

An Airdrie man has suffered severe complications after his surgery was delayed and his follow-up care cancelled due to the UCP’s mishandling of the COVID pandemic and its impact on the Alberta healthcare system.

#ableg #abhealth #cdnhealth #covid19ab Scott Whynott, 56, required heart bypass surgery in 2020, but his operation was repeatedly delayed by the second wave of the pandemic.

“Three times I was scheduled and three times my surgery was postponed because we were in the second wave of COVID,” Whynott said.

Sean Chu was given the opportunity to do the right thing, but he refused.

#ableg #yyccc #yyc #ResignChu He couldn’t even bring himself to apologize to the victim for what he did. Instead, he only apologized that this issue has come up now that his job is on the line.

It is distressing but not surprising that disgraced former health minister Tyler Shandro's first act in his new role is to proudly weaken job safety laws.

#ableg #abpoli #canlab #yycacadia The Occupational Health and Safety Code changes announced today explicitly create loopholes around the requirements for workplace safety committees, as well as weaken the standards around the kind of safety training required.

We are calling on the UCP government to immediately work with post-secondary institutions across the province to create clear guidelines on how to safely and effectively implement a vaccine passport system on campus.

#ableg #abpse The UCP promised to have guidelines for the implementation of the vaccine passport system for publicly funded institutions in place almost three weeks ago, but have failed to deliver.

UCP members voted against an NDP motion that would require anyone entering #ableg, including MLAs, to show proof of vaccination.

Thomas Dang, NDP MLA for Edmonton-South, introduced the motion at a meeting of the Special Standing Committee on Members Service.

#abpoli #covid19ab Dang’s motion asked the Committee to recommend that the Government introduce a motion in the Assembly on the first day of the Fall 2021 sitting that states anyone, including a Member, may not physically access the Legislature Building unless they provide proof of vaccination.

Rachel Notley will re-introduce the Eastern Slopes Protection Act as the very first private members bill to be debated in the fall.

#ableg #saveourmountains #cdnpoli #rockymountains
defendourmountains.ca "I encourage every Albertan who has a UCP MLA to reach out to them and tell them to support this bill.”
- @RachelNotley

Jason Kenney’s vaccine lottery prizes now include free access to enjoy and explore Kananaskis Country, an area that used to be free to access before the UCP formed government.

#abparks #ableg #explorealberta #defendabparks #yyc In a news release Wednesday, the Government of Alberta added 10 free $90 Kananaskis Conservation Passes to a second vaccine lottery prize pool, requiring Albertans to re-submit their entry.