Hinshaw will not 'judge' UCP for having Christmas party despite recommendations
Dr. Deena Hinshaw said she would not "sit in judgement" after the United Conservative Party held a Christmas gathering just hours after she and other officials asked Albertans not to.
The province's chief medical officer of health was repeatedly asked Thursday by journalists if she was disappointed and frustrated by the revelation.
"My job is to provide recommendations, to provide the public specific details on what we know about variants," she said.
"If I were to sit in judgement of everyone who perhaps caused increased risk, I would not have enough hours in the day."
Hinshaw pointed out that many gatherings are still allowed, but again told Albertans that "it's very important right now to make choices that minimize the spread."
As she has throughout the pandemic, Hinshaw also refused to say what restrictions she recommended to the government, as COVID-19 case numbers continued to rise with the arrival of the highly-transmissible Omicron variant.
Premier Jason Kenney and Health Minister Jason Copping were not at Thursday's media briefing.
"We are appealing to Albertans to reduce their number of daily in-person contacts by half over the coming weeks. We also need Albertans to make personal choices in their daily lives that will slow transmission," Kenney said at approximately 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
"We strongly encourage workplaces to cancel any social gatherings," Copping added.
At 6:30 p.m., the doors opened to the UCP's capital region reception at Parlour Italian Kitchen and Bar just a few blocks from the Alberta legislature.
'ALBERTANS ARE FRUSTRATED'
"To have the health minister yesterday tell all Albertans, and all Alberta workplaces, 'we think you should be cancelling your holiday parties,' and the UCP to still hold those shows that Jason Kenney lacks all leadership," NDP MLA Christina Gray said.
A UCP spokesperson defended the decision to go ahead with the party. Dave Prisco said the gathering didn't break any rules, but a similar party in Calgary the night after was cancelled "in accordance with the premier's advice."
Kenney apologized in January for an international travel scandal involving several MLAs and staff members. He also apologized in June for not following COVID-19 rules during a rooftop dinner.
"Albertans are frustrated. The hypocrisy we continue to see from this government undermines our public health response and exhausts Albertans,” said Gray.
Justice Minister Kayce Madu confirmed he went to the party, but said he didn't know how many people were there.
"Absolutely, I was there. The timeframe was too close for that event to be cancelled," he claimed, adding that the business had already spent money and the party made a commitment to be there.
Madu said "as far as I know" the event complied with provincial rules.
"Whilst I understand the concerns that some people have, what is expected of everyone is to understand what the rules are, comply with the rules. We will always have debate about the optics of particular course of action by some group, including myself," he said.
A source confirmed to CTV News Edmonton that Associate Minister Dale Nally was also at the party, but his spokesperson did not respond to questions about that on Thursday.
Party officials also would not say how many people attended, but the premier's spokesperson confirmed that neither Kenney nor Copping were there.
NDP Leader Rachel Notley said her team will not have a Christmas party.
"When we saw case counts rising, and other provinces impose restrictions, we cancelled this month's holiday staff party to reduce in-person contacts. It was the responsible thing to do," Notley tweeted on Wednesday.
Bars and restaurants were allowed to be open on Wednesday, with masking, vaccine and distancing rules in place.
Alberta reported 1,625 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday after completing around 11,800 tests.
"I will just say that all of us, everyone across this province, we have an opportunity right now…the choices that we make will have significant consequences not just for us, but for those around us," Hinshaw said.
A complete list of the province's health measures is available online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
W5 Investigates A 'ticking time bomb': Inside Syria's toughest prison holding accused high-ranking ISIS members
In the last of a three-part investigation, W5's Avery Haines was given rare access to a Syrian prison, where thousands of accused high-ranking ISIS members are being held.
'Mayday!': New details emerge after Boeing plane makes emergency landing at Mirabel airport
New details suggest that there were communication issues between the pilots of a charter flight and the control tower at Montreal's Mirabel airport when a Boeing 737 made an emergency landing on Wednesday.
Class-action lawsuit on 'opioid-related wrongs': Court to rule on drug companies' appeal
Canada's top court will rule Friday on the appeal of a class-action lawsuit meant to recoup some of the costs associated with British Columbia's opioid crisis from major drug makers and distributors.
Real GDP per capita declines for 6th consecutive quarter, household savings rise
Statistics Canada says the economy grew at an annualized pace of one per cent during the third quarter, in line with economists' expectations.
Irregular sleep patterns may raise risk of heart attack and stroke, study suggests
Sleeping and waking up at different times is associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, even for people who get the recommended amount of sleep, according to new research.
Nick Cannon says he's seeking help for narcissistic personality disorder
Nick Cannon has spoken out about his recent diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder, saying 'I need help.'
California man who went missing for 25 years found after sister sees his picture in the news
It’s a Thanksgiving miracle for one California family after a man who went missing in 1999 was found 25 years later when his sister saw a photo of him in an online article, authorities said.
As Australia bans social media for children, Quebec is paying close attention
As Australia moves to ban social media for children under 16, Quebec is debating whether to follow suit.
Trudeau Liberals' two-month GST holiday bill passes the House, off to the Senate
The federal government's five-page piece of legislation to enact Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's promised two-month tax break on a range of consumer goods over the holidays passed in the House of Commons late Thursday.