Calgary to take own measures to act on COVID-19 crisis, saying province 'doesn't care'

Calgary's mayor says the city will explore measuresit can take to protect residentsfrom the flood of COVID-19 cases overwhelming the province'shealth-care system.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi made the comments just hours afterPremier Jason Kenney announced the province was days away from running out of ICU staff to treat patients. Thenumber of patientsin intensive care units wasat an all-time high, and Alberta was asking other provinces for health-care workers or ICU staff.

As well, doctors were being told to prepare to make life-or-death decisions as to which patients will be able to access interventions like ventilators.

"Regardless of the politics and the ideology and the endless lurching back and forth like a Stampede ride that we're hearing from the province, your city government is here for youand we'll continue to do what it takes to get us out of this,"Nenshi said, following city council's last meeting of the session late Wednesday evening.

One action the mayor suggested was for the city topartner with local pharmacies to bring mobile vaccination buses to locations like train stations to lower barriers to access.He added that Alberta Health leadership previously mocked him for suggesting a pop-up vaccine clinic be set up during the Calgary Stampede in July.

Watch:Emergency room physician Dr. Joe Vipondworries about triage amid COVID-19 surge:

Calgary doctor worries about triage amid COVID-19 surge

3 years ago

Duration 1:09

Emergency room physician Dr. Joe Vipond says the crush of seriously ill people from COVID-19 may force doctors to make life or death decisions for patients.'We never wanted to be in this position,' he said. (Nancy Walters/CBC)

"It's clear that Alberta Health and Alberta Health Services have abandoned targeted vaccination efforts except for one bus in all of Alberta," Nenshi said in a scrum following the meeting.

'Dumpster fire' press conference

Earlier, Kenney's government announced a swathof new restrictions and a state of emergency.

But beyond apologizing for prematurely treating the pandemic as endemic,the premier largely stood by decisions his government made in July to drop public health measures for the summer and not reintroduce them until after cases, hospitalizations and deaths were snowballing.

"I'm having a hard time articulating what I just heard from a dumpster fire of a press conference," Coun. Druh Farrell said when Calgary city council's meeting resumed after the provincial announcement. "I'm tired of asking for permission from a province that truly doesn't care."

Calgary's Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) Chief Sue Henry told council that 105 people have died since the last city COVID-19 update on Sept. 3 less than two weeks ago.

The city's case counts had grown by more than 1,700 and the rate at which cases were spreading was also growing.

'Vibrating with anger'

Farrell said she was "vibrating with anger" because the situation the province is in now was so predictable. She asked if the city or CEMA can take any action, even though health care falls under the province's mandate.

Nenshi added that it's time for the city to stop asking for permission."I'm tired of being told everything's OK it's not good enough."

Council voted unanimously in favour of a motion that will allow the mayor to recall council to meet again before the October municipal election in order to act on the public health emergency, if needed.

The city will also consider whether tocraft a bylaw to make the new proof-of-vaccination program, which the province said businesses can choose to opt in to, mandatory for non-essential businesses. Proof of vaccination will already be required to access some city services.

"It all depends on the quality of the provincial regulations. If they're poor, then we may have to pass our own bylaw to clarify them and that would require a council meeting," the mayor said.

Businesses that opt out of the provincial program will be subject to additional health restrictions, but the mayor suggested that some of the restrictions like relatively high capacity limits lack teeth.

"The 'restrictions exemption' program is a vaccine passport, but the government tied themselves into knots because they had said there would be no vaccine passport," said Nenshi. "As a result, there's some really unfair and unfortunate pressure on businesses to decide what to do."

Poor communication

Coun. Ward Sutherland said he willcall a meeting of the Business Advisory Committee on Friday to discuss the idea.

Coun. Diane Colley-Urquhart suggested the city and CEMA step up messagingto help people navigate the new restrictions and access vaccination information.

"The way [the province has]been communicating and the lack thereof is not going to serve our purposes for our city," Colley-Urquhart said.

Wednesday marked what will likely be Nenshi's last council meeting as mayor. He concluded the night on a hopeful note, pointingto the fact that more than 80 per cent of eligible Calgariansare vaccinated.

He said the city will continue to work to protect residents.

"We'll do what it takes," Nenshi said.