March 26, 2020

AB Today – Daily Report March 25, 2020 Quotation of the day “This is not a hint. This is not a suggestion. It is an absolute legal requirement.” Premier Jason Kenney announces new measures to legally enforce self-isolation. Today in AB On the schedule The house is adjourned but could be recalled for emergency legislation as needed. Province to fine COVID-19 isolation delinquents up to $1,000 Law enforcement in Alberta will be given the authority to enforce the province’s public health orders and fine those who defy them, Premier Jason Kenney announced Wednesday. “Self-isolation orders are not suggestions or guidelines — they are now the law and they must be followed,” he said at a press conference. Police and peace officers, as a result of regulatory amendment to the Provincial Offences Procedures Act, will be able to issue tickets to enforce the province’s public health orders, including those it has rolled out to address the coronavirus pandemic. Fines for violating a provincial health order have also been increased tenfold, from $100 to $1,000 per occurrence. For the most serious violations, courts will be empowered to lay fines as high as $100,000 for a first offence and up to $500,000 for a subsequent offence. Violations that warrant a ticket include: defying post-travel 14-day self-isolation orders; gathering in a group of 50 or more; not self-isolating after being in close contact with someone who is COVID-19 positive; visiting a long-term care home without an “essential visitor” designation; and accessing a public recreation facility, bar or nightclub. Kenney said it’s unlikely officers will interrogate people about their recent travel history. “I think the more likely scenario where these powers would be used is if a group of more than 50 people springs up in a park,” he said. “This is not an effort to start interrogating people based on how long they've been in the country, but it does hopefully send a message.” Health Minister Tyler Shandro hinted the province could also extend peace officers’ authority to levy public health fines beyond the COVID-19 emergency, something that only public health officers could do previously. That move would require the house reconvening to amend the law. On Wednesday, the federal government also introduced mandatory quarantine measures for people returning to Canada. Penalties will be issued under the Quarantine Act and could include jail time. Virus spreads to more care facilities, group home for people with developmental disabilities Chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw confirmed 61 new cases of COVID-19 in the province Wednesday, bringing the Alberta total to 419. There are 20 people currently hospitalized with the virus, eight of them in intensive care units. Positive cases have now been confirmed in three long-term or continuing care facilities, as well as a group home for people with developmental disabilities. There have been two additional cases at the McKenzie Towne facility in Calgary, one case in the Rosedale on the Park retirement home in Edmonton and two at Shepherd’s Care Kensington Village in Edmonton. Visitation restrictions have been expanded to beyond long-term care and retirement facilities to include addictions treatment centres, among others. Dr. Hinshaw said up to 33 of the province’s cases likely came from community transmission, a figure that prompted her to urge people to change their habits around food. For instance, she said, families should not share popcorn bowls or have communal bowls of fruit. Dr. Hinshaw also recommended having a designated person in a family or household to handle serving utensils for meals. She also said two households, such as those where there is joint custody of children, may make a mutual agreement to continue meeting with each other as long as they follow strict guidelines and limit contact with all others. Topics of conversation ● The government will deem oil and gas workers essential in Alberta, the Globe and Mail reports. ○ Following in the footsteps of Ontario and Quebec, the province will be releasing a list of businesses that it considers essential, and are therefore allowed to remain open and active during the coronavirus outbreak. ○ Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, Premier Jason Kenney said an announcement on critical infrastructure and essential employees will be brought forward next week. ● Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau told reporters on Wednesday that his government is in hourly contact with the energy industry and that he is days — if not hours — away from making credit available to small and medium-size oil and gas facilities. ● Canadians who were struggling financially before COVID-19 hit are the most likely to be hardest hit by layoffs and shutdowns due to the pandemic, according to an Angus Reid poll released Wednesday. ○ When the survey was conducted, 44 per cent of Canadians said that either they or someone in their household had lost work hours due to the economic downturn, with a majority saying their employer is not covering lost wages. ○ A third of Canadians said they’re worried their household may miss a rent or mortgage payment. A third also said they may have to start borrowing money, or that they have already done so. ● Medical students from the University of Calgary and University of Alberta have been tapped to conduct contact-tracing efforts in the province, CBC reports. ● Roland Schmidt, Edmonton president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, told CBC that Canada Post is failing to provide a safe workplace for postal workers. ○ Only two of the nine depots in Edmonton have implemented proper social distancing measures, according to Schimdt. He is calling for staggered shifts, increased hand sanitizer and personal protective equipment availability, and a clipboard for attendance rather than a swipe-pass system. ○ He said the union would probably have taken job action had it not been for the crisis. ● A downtown Edmonton Tim Hortons posted a note telling employees they cannot call in sick, the Star reports. ○ “For team members who call in sick, I have you scheduled for a reason. Therefore, I expect you to show up,” the note reads. The coffee firm’s communications manager called the missive “unfortunate.” ● In a sign of the times, Cenovus announced it will conduct its annual shareholder meeting virtually next month. ● Multiple Alberta communities received emergency alerts on Wednesday to inform them that 911 was temporarily unavailable for mobile Telus customers. ○ Service was restored by early afternoon. News briefs Applications open for Alberta’s bridge funding for people affected by COVID-19 ● The province announced applications for Emergency Isolation Support funding are now available. The program is designed to bridge the gap until federal EI payments start rolling out. ○ The bridge funding is a one-time payment of $1,146 applicable only to those who have been ordered to self-isolate under the guidance of the chief medical officer of health. ○ It does not apply to people who can work from home; people not experiencing a significant loss of income as a result of self-isolation; people collecting other income supports; or those who were not working before they were able to self-isolate. ○ Quebec is offering its residents the same funding package. ○ Once confirmed, the payment will be sent through an e-transfer within 24 to 48 hours. Appointments and Employments Economic Development, Trade and Tourism ● Katherine White is appointed the new deputy minister of Economic Development, Trade and Tourism. ○ White previously served as a DM in the Yukon government and was Alberta’s ADM for Treasury Board and Finance in 2014-15. Before that she served as the province’s chief economist, according to LinkedIn. ○ She replaces Jason Krips, who was appointed on April 30, 2019. Communications and Public Engagement Office ● Kimberley Capstick was appointed as managing director of the Communications and Public Engagement Office. Capstick replaces Corey Hogan, who was appointed on September 14, 2017. .

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