EDMONTON -- A third-party review of the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic which was expected to be completed in the fall is now no longer expected until the new year.
The government commissioned KPMG to do the review after a request for proposals.
The review was supposed to look into elements like health system response, economic response, governance and decision making, and procurement, and was to be used to enhance response during the second wave of the pandemic.
The province now says the review will be shared with the government in early 2021, although an exact timeline has not been determined.
The provincial NDP says the delay is just a way for the UCP to hide information about the pandemic from Albertans.
“We all expected that the government would review their handling of the first wave so that they could make better choices leading up to the second wave,” said Alberta NDP Deputy Leader, Sarah Hoffman in a written release. “The fact that they haven’t released the report yet while we are well into the second wave already is not surprising given their poor handling of the pandemic so far.
“We are 10 months into this pandemic and not having this review ready is very disrespectful to Albertans that are counting on the government to act in ways that will save lives.”
The review will be similar to those conducted after past natural disasters, including the Fort McMurray fire and the 2013 floods in southern Alberta.
