Alberta pushes back expected COVID-19 peak; tells Newfoundland to hold off on sending help
Alberta has told Newfoundland to stand down on an offer to send extra health-care workers because the west province doesn’t think it has hit the peak of the fourth wave yet.
Newfoundland Premier Andrew Furey says he recently offered Alberta the same kind of help he offered Ontario in the spring.
“He (Premier Jason Kenney) was supportive of that and open to it and we began organizing here on the ground in Newfoundland and Labrador,” Furey recalled during a press conference on Tuesday.
Then, Furey said Kenney told him to pause the plan to send health-care workers in early October.
“Last week, Premier Kenney said that the situation had evolved to the point where their predictive modelling would suggest that they wouldn’t require our resources at this time,” Furey told media.
Kenney’s acting press secretary confirmed he “conveyed to Premier Furey that peak pressure on Alberta’s health-care system was now more likely to be experienced in late October rather than late September as earlier projected.”
Modelling released at the beginning of September suggested Alberta would see its highest number of COVID-19 ICU admissions by the end of the month: 300 in the worst-case scenario, and less than 200 in the mid-level scenario.
According to the latest data, Alberta has 265 COVID-19 patients in ICUs -- the most ever.
Furey said so long as Newfoundland’s own COVID-19 situation was under control, the province would be there to help Alberta.
“The offer still stands.”
Kenney’s press secretary, Harrison Fleming, told CTV News Edmonton Alberta was considering deploying any medical help received from the east to Fort McMurray.
Newfoundland sent more than a dozen health-care workers to Toronto and Brampton in May.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.