Rally against lifting of COVID-19 restrictions hosted outside Alberta legislature Saturday
Approximately 200 people attended a rally at the Alberta legislature grounds Saturday as many continued to voice frustration and fear at the province’s plan to lift remaining COVID-19 restrictions next month.
On Wednesday, the province announced it was shifting its public health response and lifting a number of measures related to quarantine, isolation, testing, and masks.
Health Minister Tyler Shandro said the changes in pandemic posture follow a rise in vaccination numbers.
"The data shows that what the vaccines are doing is making it less infectious and less deadly. That's a good thing that allows us to move to that endemic response."
- 'Throwing caution to the wind': Experts react to Alberta’s changing quarantine policy
- 'The inevitable next step': Alberta health minister defends COVID-19 policy changes
- Alberta to eliminate COVID-19 quarantine rules as cases rise among the unvaccinated
Albert Nobbes, event organizer and Alberta Activist Collective member, told CTV News Edmonton the rally was focused on giving people a way to channel their frustration.
The organizer hoped the rally would bring people together and exchange concerns about how the shift in provincial policy will affect their pandemic experience.
“There’s enough misinformation in the air that the only thing we can really do is talk to each other,” Nobbes said.
“We need to get this message out,” he added. “We can’t let this government proceed with dropping the ball in every angle.
“We need them to step up their game.”
The group plans to host more protests on Sunday and Monday.
“We have no intention of stopping,” Nobbes said.
Similar rallies were hosted in Calgary on Saturday and across the province on Friday as well.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
U.S. vetoes a widely supported UN resolution backing full membership for Palestine
The United States has vetoed a widely backed UN resolution that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
B.C.'s short-term rental regulations include $10K daily penalties for Airbnb, other platforms
Short-term rental platforms that violate B.C.'s pending regulations can face administrative penalties of up to $10,000 per day, officials announced Thursday.