Happy Holidays to all my partners in AB Resistance!

This will be our final update prior to bringing in the New Year. 

We have continued to build our membership and we should all celebrate an important milestone: We are now 1000 strong! 

Our recruitment thus far has focused primarily on X. As mentioned previously, we anticipate an influx of members when our movement formally launches in late January/early February. As we said In our last update, we have been invited to do the Breakdown podcast when we launch, and we anticipate that there will be more opportunities such as this to follow.

We have been approached by a third party advertiser which is registered with Elections Alberta suggesting we collaborate with fundraising. We’ve also had some communication with members who wish to contribute product and ideas towards the advertising aspect of our project. With that in mind, we’ve asked Jim, our member and volunteer who is a labour lawyer to break down the advertising parameters of specific legilsation. As we’ve said before, the rules dictating what can and cannot be done are stringent and it is imperative that we stay within them. To that end, Jim has offered to review the act and present us with the advertising specifications at our first meeting of the core group in January.

January will be when the real work begins, when our explicit direction and strategies are more clearly defined. And just as importantly, when we reach out to members who have been specific about the skill sets they have to offer that will contribute to our success. If any member would like to put their name forward to assist us in a specific area, we look forward to hearing from you. This an exciting time, members of AB Resistance! It's the time when it is so important that we stand up to contribute to the process, and ultimately, the success of our endeavour. The more people we have step forward, the lighter the workload and time commitment for all of us. This is the real beginning of working together to
achieve our goal, the nullifying of the incompetent UCP! We are going to do this!

Public Healthcare Update
Our hospitals continue to be overwhelmed, with a deluge of preventable viruses, according to the AMA. At 175% capacity, there seems to be no end in sight. COVID, Influenza and RSV patients are flooding the ED as well as acute care and ICU beds. Contributing to this disaster is the fact that the premier, Danielle Smith, and the Health Minster, Adriana Lagrange, have refused to warn the public about the rapidly rising cases, nor have they informed us about the undue strain it is putting on our HC system. Not one word from either of them. And the CMOH, Dr Joffe has not been heard from since a social media tweet from last February. 

On Wednesday this past week, a reporter broke a story that indicated that not only had this govt been silent regarding the disaster caused by these viruses, but that an order had been given to actively remove the words COVID and Influenza from the fall campaign. Not only that, but also removed was any messaging regarding getting vaccinated or the efficacy of the vaccines. In short, the UCP are responsible for the influx of patients with viral infections. There can be no other way by which to define their active incompetence.

During a press conference on Thursday, which was attended by Smith, Lagrange, neither would admit to who it was that issued those orders. Lagrange stated that the overflowing ERs were a result of 700,000 Albertans being without family doctors. When Smith was asked why she refused to encourage the public to get vaccinated, she stated that she was not a doctor and would not give medical advice, and that people should consult their family doctor (this after Lagrange had already stated that 700,000 Albertans had no family doctors.) Smith’s response that she was not a doctor and would not give advice directly contradicts the fact that the UCP removed all power from the CMOH when they adopted Bill 6, and put all public medical decisions in the hands of the cabinet. I might add that there is not one medical degree among the entire UCP caucus.

Alberta also is experiencing the lowest influenza vaccination rate in a decade. When asked if she knew why, Smith simply responded, “No”. The disconnect is alarming. A reporter gave an opening to Dr. Parks, president of the Alberta Medical Associationm and he didn’t waste it. He encouraged Albertans to get vaccinated. He related that a 2-year-old Influenza patient was suffering from encephalitis and the outcome could be dubious. He confirmed that COVID patients were suffering serious heart damage and that the continuous influx of patients was not sustainable. He emphasized that the disease overcoming patients and the healthc are system system, was preventable - if we vaccinate!

Lagrange posted today, and again, the words COVID, influenza and vaccinate were nowhere in her post. Rather, she spoke of the $200 million that was to be put into front line doctors, and family MDs. Nowhere did she mention that this funding was coming from the federal government, part of a $1 Billion healthcare transfer.

The UCP Just Keep Giving…To Themselves
The previous amount that members of the gov could accept as gifts, $200, is out the window. As a Christmas gift to all members, they are now able to accept gifts up to $500. But wait…a caveat. If offered a gift exceeding $500 it must only be approved by the Chief of Staff. So seriously… what is the limit? IS there a limit?

CPP & FOIP - Keeping Secrets
In the past three weeks, the Breakdown has FOIPed (Freedom of Information $ Protection of Privacy Act) the provincial govt twice for information regarding the APP. As a result of the first one, they found that the Lifeworks had actually prepared and revised the CPP report THREE times before the government accepted it and the data contained therein.

Curious about why this was, and what the additional costs of the revisions were, the Breakdown submitted an additional FOIP, requesting all communication between the Premiers office, the Finance office, and the offices of the Treasury Board and Lifeworks. The response? "A thorough search conducted by Executive Council staff did not yield any records
responsive to your request." PERIOD.

This govt would have us believe that over time and 3 revisions, there was zero communications between these offices. Not a mention of additional costing incurred, nor why revisions were requested. There is no rational explanation for this, but that the government is hiding something. If a government search was unable to locate one single communication over years of revisions, how are Albertans to have any faith in the search that vindicated Smith’s office from influencing prosecutors? It defies logic.

Nurse Practitioners Clinics
It would seem that the instant nurse practitioner clinics were approved by the UCP, they were advertising. The backstory to this involved a nurse practitioner as part of Danielle Smith’s campaign team, while simultaneously lobbying the UCP for said clinics. It would seem that when you attend one particular new NP clinic, it’s a one stop shop. Also advertised on offer is Reiki healing, a tarot card reader, and a medium, to contact the dead. I guess that’s in case the Reiki healing isn’t successful. It has to make any Albertan wonder if our tax dollars will, at some point be spent on such “alternatives”. Yes, just like your family doctor’s office!

We want to wish you all the most peaceful, happy holidays, and may we all come back in January, rested, relaxed, and ready to take up our crusade!

AB Resistance
Marg Tokar