'We're tired of being tired': Nurses rally in support of healthcare workers
A convoy of vehicles decorated with flags and banners wound its way past Edmonton hospitals Friday morning to show support for healthcare workers.
Organized by United Nurses of Alberta, the drive-by rally aimed to display solidarity with healthcare staff fighting on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic's fourth wave while sending a message to the provincial government that nurses are done asking.
Nurses said that they’re "done asking" for more healthcare funding – as the province’s last contract proposal for nursing salaries saw wages frozen for the first three years of a five-year collective agreement.
“Why do you want to destroy such an important part of society, why…why?,” said Heather Smith, UNA president, when asked what questions she has for Premier Jason Kenney.
“We’re tired of being tired," said Pauline Worsfold with the Canadian Federation of Nurses Union. "We’re tired of being asked to come to work.
“We’re demanding safe patient ratios, we’re demanding more nurses, we’re demanding more help.”
Alberta’s Finance Minister Travis Toews responded to Friday’s rally with a statement expressing his respect and appreciation for the work of nurses province-wide.
“We respect the rights of all Albertans to express their opinions on matters important to them," Toews said. "Appreciation and respect for all Alberta nurses runs deep and wide throughout the province.
"Our government is truly appreciative of the hard work and dedication that health care professionals – especially nurses – have shown over the year and a half. I can’t comment on specific proposals, as negotiations are ongoing, but our hope is that AHS can reach a settlement that respects Alberta’s nurses and the fiscal reality the province is dealing with.”
Smith said many nurses are overburdened with too many patients in this fourth wave.
"We will do everything we can with our members and our colleagues in other unions and the public and our various coalitions to push back and stop the destruction of health care," Smith said.
She added that Friday’s motorcade – which looked to be made up of little more than two dozen vehicles – would have been larger if not for the fact that many nurses were either working or too exhausted to attend.
With files from CTV Edmonton’s David Ewasuk
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP want Liberals to scrap proposed election date change that could secure pensions for many MPs
The federal New Democrats want to amend the Liberal government's electoral reform legislation to scrap the proposal to push back the vote by a week and consequently secure pensions for dozens of MPs, CTV News has learned.
Supreme Court won't hear appeal in Montreal brainwashing experiments case
The Supreme Court of Canada will not review a Quebec ruling that bars people from suing the U.S. government in Canada over its role in notorious brainwashing experiments at a Montreal psychiatric hospital.
Drive one of these vehicles? You may pay 37 per cent more than average insurance costs due to thefts
As the number of auto theft incidents rises in Canada, so have insurance premiums for drivers, even the ones whose vehicles aren't stolen.
Teen pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of homeless man in downtown Toronto
One of eight teen girls charged in the death of a homeless man in downtown Toronto has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
'I'm not wealthy': Ontario senior shocked she owes $40,000 in capital gains after gifting land
An Ontario senior who wanted to help her daughter and grandson eventually own homes one day decided to give them two lots on her property as a gift—but she didn’t know it would eventually cost her tens of thousands of dollars.
National task force not lowering age for routine breast cancer screening to 40
A national task force that provides guidance for primary health-care providers is not lowering the recommended breast cancer screening age to 40, despite urging from several cancer specialists, surgeons and radiologists.
Police arrest 19-year-old suspect after Montreal triple homicide
Police have made an arrest following a deadly street fight that ended with three people killed in Montreal's Plateau-Mont-Royal borough last week.
How to save on food and drinks at your next sports game or concert
When Dianne Debarros and Tom Stitzel headed to a Toronto Blue Jays game last month, the couple figured dining at the Rogers Centre would not be cheap.
Video shows driver in Toronto frantically getting out of car being pushed by truck
A CP24 camera caught the moment a driver frantically got out of her car as it was being dragged by a truck on Avenue Road Wednesday afternoon.