AB Today – Daily Report July 21, 2020

AB Today – Daily Report July 21, 2020 Quotation of the day “I think that government spokesperson is dreaming in Technicolor.” NDP Education critic S arah Hoffman responds to UCP press secretary C olin Aitchison’s claim that schools have been operating safely this summer and will be able to do so in September. Aitchison later told reporters he is colour blind. Today in AB On the schedule The house reconvenes at 1:30 p.m. today. There are six government bills and two government motions slated for debate on Tuesday, per the order paper. The following bills are scheduled for second-reading debate in the morning: ● Bill 30, Health Statutes Amendment Act; and ● Bill 32, Restoring Balance in Alberta’s Workplaces Act. In the afternoon and evening the following bills could be debated at committee stage: ● Bill 31, Environmental Protection Statutes Amendment Act; and ● Bill 33, Alberta Investment Attraction Act. The following are at third reading: ● Bill 21, Provincial Administrative Penalties Act; and ● Bill 29, Local Authorities Election Amendment Act. Monday’s debates and proceedings Bill 23, Commercial Tenancies Protection Act, passed third reading Monday. The legislation protects businesses hard hit by the pandemic from eviction until the end of summer. Two government omnibus bills, Bill 30, Health Statutes Amendment Act, and Bill 32, Restoring Balance in Alberta’s Workplaces Act, were debated at second reading. The NDP filed amendments that would have both bills sent to legislative committees for further consideration before passing. So far the amendments have not passed. Bill 29, Local Authorities Election Amendment Act, cleared committee stage. UCP MLA Tany Yao’s Bill 204, Voluntary Blood Donations Repeal Act, got approval from the private members’ committee to be debated in the legislature. MLAs also unanimously passed NDP MLA David Shepherd’s motion that urged the government to “partner with municipalities across Alberta to invest in the supportive housing required to end chronic homelessness in all communities.” Schools expected to use maintenance budget for COVID-19 safety School boards will be expected to draw from their existing maintenance budgets to pay for safety upgrades to keep schools compliant with new COVID-19 measures this fall. “School authorities have the flexibility within their budget to cover, as needed, the cost of hand sanitizers, cleaning supplies, and non-medical masks,” Education Minister Adriana LaGrange wrote in a July 14 letter to Alberta Teachers’ Association president Jason Schilling. NDP Education critic Sarah Hoffman argued restarting in-class instruction requires additional funding and slammed the government for downloading costs onto school boards. “Anxieties are high,” Hoffman said. “Parents and teachers are desperately looking for support from this government so they can keep these kids safe when they go back to school.” LaGrange is expected to make an announcement today “outlining a comprehensive plan for the safe reopening of Alberta schools this September based on extensive consultations,” according to Premier Jason Kenney. That announcement had previously been anticipated for August 1. In June, the education minister laid out three scenarios for a return to school and is leaning towards Scenario 1 — a return to near-normal operations, but with increased cleaning, optional mask wearing and guided traffic flows in schools. Scenario 2 would include stricter measures, including capping classrooms at 15 people, requiring less frequent attendance and keeping students two metres apart. Scenario 3 would mean a continuation of at-home learning. LaGrange’s press secretary Colin Aitchison pointed to the fact that schools have been operating safely all summer. However, summer school has been operating under Scenario 2 guidelines. Today’s events July 21 at 9 a.m. – Edmonton The UCP cabinet will meet in the Windsor Room of the Federal Building. July 21 at 9 a.m. – Virtual Environment Minister Jason Nixon and Associate Natural Gas Minister Dale Nally will announce funding for Emissions Reduction Alberta that will help the natural gas sector reduce emissions during a “Maximizing Funding Potential Webinar Series.” Topics of conversation ● Alberta now has the highest number of active Covid cases per capita in Canada. Alberta is clocking 251.3 active cases per one million people. The second highest province, Quebec, has 182.3 cases per one million people. ○ The number of active cases soared to 1,109 on Monday afternoon, up from 859 on Friday. ○ There were 165 new cases identified on Friday, 106 identified on Saturday and 97 new cases on Sunday. ○ The number of hospitalized patients jumped from 68 to 86 as of Monday. There are now 17 people in the ICU, up from 13 on Friday. ○ Three more deaths were reported since the last update, for a total of 170. ● Ophthalmologists are breaking away from the Alberta Medical Association and appealing to the health minister to allow them to negotiate an independent agreement. ○ The Eye Physicians and Surgeons Association of Alberta (EPSAA) said its members are “ready to do [their] part to ensure fiscal responsibility” and asked Health Minister Tyler Shandro to amend the 2018 legislation that appointed AMA as the sole representative of physicians in negotiation. ○ Shandro said he’s open to the discussion and looks forward to meeting with the EPSAA in the coming days. ○ NDP Health critic David Shepherd said he was supportive of the ophthalmologists’ rights and recognized that the group is specialized and has different concerns from family doctors and other physicians. ○ AMA president Christine Molnar said she is “disappointed” the ESPAA thinks its concerns are “divergent” from the rest of the province’s doctors and contended the eye doctors’ association has previously threatened legal action against the AMA for its equity initiatives. ● University of Alberta law professor Ubaka Ogbogu resigned from the Health Quality Council of Alberta over changes made under Bill 30, Health Statutes Amendment Act. ○ Ogbogu says the UCP’s bill would remove the health council’s independence and objectivity and give the health minister “carte blanche to control, direct and interfere” with its work. ○ “The HQCA is a leader and exemplar among health quality councils worldwide and is lauded for rigor, objectivity, and the quality of its outputs,” Ogbogu wrote. “I believe the proposed amendments will irretrievably damage all these positive attributes.” ○ Health Minister Tyler Shandro told reporters the changes align Alberta with other provinces’ health quality councils. ● Former Alberta Party leadership candidate, Troy Millington, who was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison for distributing child pornography, had his appeal dismissed by the Alberta Court of Appeal. ○ Millington had appealed his convictions and sentence in February, arguing there were errors made by the trial judge, and the dismissal was filed on Monday. ○ Millington ran for the Alberta Party in the Calgary Northwest Riding in 2012, for leadership in 2013 and in the 2014 Calgary West byelection. His party membership was revoked when the original charges were laid. ● BJ Services, a Texas-based oil and gas company with a large footprint in Alberta, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. ○ The company owns fracking operations in Canada, and its Canadian arm will also be filing for insolvency. ● RBC Economics reports economic participation among women has dropped to 55 per cent in April 2020, the lowest level since the 1980s recession. ○ Countrywide, half of the women who lost their jobs between February and May stopped actively seeking work, likely because of child care duties amid the pandemic. ● The Globe and Mail’s editorial board argues the case of Lethbridge police stalking NDP MLA Shannon Phillips highlights the need for police reform nationwide. ○ Phillips was unlawfully surveilled by police who were opposed to the NDP government’s plan for the Castle Provincial Park. ○ The Globe argues the lenient penalties for the officers shines a light on the difficulty in firing a police officer and the need for civilian oversight. Funding Announcements Alberta Health ● Health Minister Tyler Shandro gave further details on the $15-million, two-year capital plan for laboratory infrastructure announced in the 2020 budget — which includes $9 million in 2020-21 and $6 million in 2021-22. ○ The province announced that Edmonton’s Cross Cancer Institute, Misericordia Hospital and University of Alberta hospitals will install new lab equipment. ○ Lab equipment will also be installed in health-care facilities in Bonnyville, Grande Prairie, Peace River, Tofield, Westlock, Leduc and Boyle. ○ The UCP government cancelled the NDP’s planned $595-million public “superlab” in Edmonton last June. Northern Alberta Institute of Technology ● The government announced $8.13 million to upgrade the heating, ventilation and cooling systems in NAIT’s O building. The government estimates the upgrade will create 46 jobs. Question period NDP MLAs continued to ask about the government’s rocky relationship with doctors during question period. ● NDP Leader Rachel Notley read the names of physicians who indicated they are leaving the province, following up on a comment last week by Premier Jason Kenney, who said only one doctor has indicated they are planning an exit. ○ “Maybe he’s talking about Dr. Nelini

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