'People are furious': Criticism over new Alberta public health measures mounts
As COVID-19 cases in Alberta surge and health-care leaders call for military aid to help beleaguered hospital staff, some are worried the latest public health measures may not help curb the fourth wave.
On Friday, Alberta reported more than 2,000 daily COVID-19 cases for the first time since May. While the next data update is expected Monday, the province has 19,201 active cases and 911 hospitalizations – including 215 ICU admissions.
The province released triage protocols to guide workers on how life-and-death decisions should be made if the province’s healthcare system is overwhelmed, and field hospitals were prepared in Calgary and Edmonton.
Other provinces pledged support to help Alberta deal with the fourth wave of the pandemic, including offers of pharmaceutical aid from Manitoba and the ability to send patients for care to Ontario.
- Time for military support in 'overwhelmed' hospitals: Alberta health-care union leaders
- Ontario confirms the province will help Alberta with overwhelmed ICUs
- Triage protocols made public by Alberta Health Services
Don Iveson, Edmonton’s mayor, told CTV News that the province should have taken the word of public health experts who were sounding alarm over the open for summer plan back in June.
“What we were promised in Alberta with open for summer,” Iveson said, “was a false promise because not enough people were vaccinated and our doctors and epidemiologists here in Edmonton were saying that at the time.
“We should have listened to them, or our decision-maker should have listened to them,” Iveson added.
That is why the City of Edmonton erred on the side of caution when it came to measures like mask mandates, Iveson said.
“Edmonton City Council takes very seriously what our healthcare leaders in the city say,” he said. “Notwithstanding the signals that everything’s fine coming out of the legislature, which were wrong.”
Iveson shared that he has heard large amounts of frustration from Albertans reacting to the newest public health measures.
“I’ve never seen Albertans this mad across the political spectrum about the situation we find ourselves in,” he said. “People are furious.
“Just call it a vaccine passport if you’re going to reverse course,” Iveson added. “Make it straightforward rather than a proof of vaccination restriction exemption program, which is an un-passport, which downloads the onus onto small businesses and municipalities like mine to have to make venue by venue decisions about whether we’re going to opt into this and that."
- Lack of worker vaccine requirement in Alberta a 'loophole,' says health law expert
- Bars and restaurants scramble to prepare for Alberta’s vaccine exemption program
- 'We're tired of being tired': Nurses rally in support of healthcare workers
The mayor said he and other colleagues in municipal governance are concerned that the program could create potential for inconsistencies across the province.
“That lack of clarity,” he said,” leads to potential for misinterpretation and potential for conflict on a store-by-storefront basis.”
- Retailers cut out of Alberta's vaccine program just days before changes take hold
- Olds, Alta. restaurant backs down, removes anti-restrictions sign
Dr. Joe Vipond, a Calgary emergency room doctor and outspoken activist about the need for COVID-19 restrictions, told CTV News that the measures introduced last week by the premier “will not be enough.”
“I can tell you that the measures that were introduced on Wednesday, in my mind, won’t be enough to curb the exponential growth of cases,” Vipond said.
“And as such, we should be continuing to see growth of hospitalizations and ICU (admissions),” Vipond added. “If that’s the case, if we continue to have not just tens of people needing ICUs that we don’t have room for but dozens or hundreds, I don’t know what we can except maybe implement these (triage) protocols and that is deeply concerning.”
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Diego Romero
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Poilievre will do 'anything to win,' must condemn Alex Jones endorsement: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is ramping up his attacks on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre as he promotes his government's federal budget.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Ottawa injects another $36M into fund for those seriously injured or killed by vaccines
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Video shows suspects waving weapons, smashing glass in Toronto jewelry store robbery
Arrests have been made after five men were captured on video rampaging through a jewelry store in Toronto, waving weapons and smashing glass display cases.
Ex-SNC executive sentenced to prison term in bridge bribery case
The RCMP says a former SNC-Lavalin executive has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison in connection with a bribery scheme for a bridge repair contract in Montreal.
What Canadians think of the latest Liberal budget
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.