Alberta

[Randall T]

I don't know, but I do know there are a lot who miss Rachel.

Having worked in Alberta until three months ago I can confirm that.

I think they are going to get her back. Just a hunch.

[fluffy]

Are these posts supposed to be some kind of lame attempt of humor?

After a certain amount of time you can't delete your own post, editing them is the only option.

[fluffy]

I think they are going to get her back. Just a hunch.

The next election will be interesting to say the least. Lately it looks like Kenney has become aware that he doesn't have as many friends as he thought he did and is taking a much more moderate stance in his decisions. The province is still feeling the pain from his gutting of the healthcare system, that will be a big hurdle for him. But Alberta is serious conservative territory, and they have shown that they can be swayed just by being given a target for their frustrations.

[Rejigger]

What a small man. Unfortunately, this seems to be typical of conservative males these days. All hat, no cattle.
https://www.castanet.net/news/Canada/34 ... 9-response

Are you seriously falling for this? It's all in the wording...

This is bad?...
Premier Jason Kenney offloaded responsibility on Alberta's top doctor for lifting all COVID-19 public health orders,...

But this is good?...
If there were ever questions whether Horgan was influencing Henry’s public health orders for political or economic reasons, the premier put uncertainty to rest at his media availability following his new cabinet’s swearing-in ceremony.

“I’ve never interfered. That’s not how [we] operate,” he said. “We come to conclusions based on the best advice we get.”

They're saying the exact same thing. [sarcasm]You must really hate John Horgan for "offloading responsibility" to Bonnie Henry, yes? What a small man Horgan is. [/sarcasm]

You're obviously a victim of media bias.
~

[Rejigger]

Kenney talks about his taking a break to prevent burnout, nurses facing mandatory overtime and cancelled vacations take it as a slap in the face:

https://globalnews.ca/video/rd/1e23afb8 ... wsource=cl

BC is facing the exact same covid/healthcare system issues that Alberta (and every other province, territory, country) is facing. Where are the headlines saying that 'Horgan took vacation while nursing staff struggle with their own physical and mental health'...? Hmm?

Horgan continuously told tourists to stay away, ""My advice to non-British Columbians: If you don't have business here that's essential … then please stay where you are," said Premier John Horgan." Yet he went to the East Coast for his own vacation in August. Covid cases were/are higher in BC than on the East Coast. What a hypocrite he is!

Who else here is falling for this obvious bias in media reporting? Don't be shy, put your hands up...
~

[Hurtlander]

Kenney talks about his taking a break to prevent burnout, nurses facing mandatory overtime and cancelled vacations take it as a slap in the face:

https://globalnews.ca/video/rd/1e23afb8 ... wsource=cl

BC is facing the exact same covid/healthcare system issues that Alberta (and every other province, territory, country) is facing. Where are the headlines saying that 'Horgan took vacation while nursing staff struggle with their own physical and mental health'...? Hmm?

Horgan continuously told tourists to stay away, ""My advice to non-British Columbians: If you don't have business here that's essential … then please stay where you are," said Premier John Horgan." Yet he went to the East Coast for his own vacation in August. Covid cases were/are higher in BC than on the East Coast. What a hypocrite he is!

Who else here is falling for this obvious bias in media reporting? Don't be shy, put your hands up...
~

[fluffy]

BC is facing the exact same covid/healthcare system issues that Alberta (and every other province, territory, country) is facing. Where are the headlines saying that 'Horgan took vacation while nursing staff struggle with their own physical and mental health'...? Hmm?

Horgan didn't gut the provincial healthcare system. Horgan hasn't disappeared for two weeks whining about burnout while asking our healthcare staff to give a 120%.

Don't fool yourself, Kenney wasn't burnt out, he was hiding. He has dropped the ball again and again with pandemic management and now they wear the crown for most new cases in the country, despite being a few notches down the list in population, and boast the lowest vaccination rate in the country to boot. The numbers don't lie.

[Rejigger]

BC is facing the exact same covid/healthcare system issues that Alberta (and every other province, territory, country) is facing. Where are the headlines saying that 'Horgan took vacation while nursing staff struggle with their own physical and mental health'...? Hmm?

Horgan didn't gut the provincial healthcare system. Horgan hasn't disappeared for two weeks whining about burnout while asking our healthcare staff to give a 120%.

Don't fool yourself, Kenney wasn't burnt out, he was hiding. He has dropped the ball again and again with pandemic management and now they wear the crown for most new cases in the country, despite being a few notches down the list in population, and boast the lowest vaccination rate in the country to boot. The numbers don't lie.

You didn't refute that Horgan is a hypocrite. He took a summer holiday - so what if he didn't explicitly say that it was to avoid burn-out. He travelled to another province from heavily-infected BC, after telling other travelers to stay away from BC. So, fine, we can agree that Horgan is an entitled (fav word of the day for lefties) hypocrtie.

Below is a very interesting and easy to follow article, complete with graph from the CBC website. It's only somewhat unfortunate that it's from September 2019 because some here will complain that it's not current enough, even though it paints a very clear picture. Never fear, I have provided a link to current data below.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/ ... -1.5289747 ...

"What typically happens in Alberta is that, when natural resource revenues go up, so does spending," the report reads. "But the reverse doesn't happen. When there are sharp declines in natural resource revenues, governments don't reduce spending to match the decline."
Health spending kept rising — faster than inflation and population growth, combined — until about 2010. Since then, spending as a whole has been relatively flat, when considered on an inflation-adjusted, per-capita basis. But it remains SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER than the national average.

If we want to talk about "gutting" a system, we need a baseline, right? Something to compare to, yes? In this post, we won't simply use Alberta's historical numbers, but we'll also use the rest of Canada as a comparison.

From the latest Financial Report...
https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/ab ... e2220.aspx ...

39% of Nursing Units at AHS's 16 largest sites were achieving Best Practice Efficiency Targets. The target to be reached was only 45%, yet nurses still fell short. This is a serious problem. Would you throw more money at something without first increasing its efficiency?

Maybe the nursing staff to step-up their efficiency?

Page 12 of the report shows some really interesting statistics about the number of Ambulatory care visits, EMS events, ER visits, Births, Average hospital stay, Surgeries, etc.

Page 64 of the report shows the Consolidated Statement of operations comparing the March 2020 year end to the March 2019 year end (it appears the March 2021 financials are not yet available).

Also, see the wage chart below from the Canadian government Jobbank website.
Alberta nurses earn the most pay of the 10 provinces.

Now you'll have a more COMPLETE picture when judging the amount of funding the Alberta Health Care System should receive. Facts matter because they offer perspective.

[fluffy]

Accepting Alberta Health Services' assessment of the performance of Alberta Health Services ? Those working within the system will tell a different story.

https://www.660citynews.com/2021/07/23/ ... shortages/

https://globalnews.ca/news/8135193/albe ... urth-wave/

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/ ... -1.6114721

https://calgaryherald.com/opinion/colum ... d-closures

https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local- ... -shortages

https://globalnews.ca/news/8130466/albe ... tal-covid/

[Rejigger]

Accepting Alberta Health Services' assessment of the performance of Alberta Health Services ? Those working within the system will tell a different story.

Is that all you've got for a response? Out of all the data, actual numbers that I posted links to, your 'best' response is to post a bunch of links to media outlets?

"Alberta to bring in out-of-province contract nurses as COVID-19 patients fill hospitals"

Alberta nurses are paid the highest of the 10 provinces. The cost of living in Alberta is low. Other provinces should take note of the above because they'll lose nurses to Alberta if they don't step up their game.
~

[ferri]

*Keep it civil please. Thank you.

[fluffy]

"Alberta to bring in out-of-province contract nurses as COVID-19 patients fill hospitals"

Alberta nurses are paid the highest of the 10 provinces. The cost of living in Alberta is low. Other provinces should take note of the above because they'll lose nurses to Alberta if they don't step up their game.
~

My point is that none of this had to happen if Kenney's ongoing response to the pandemic wasn't a failure of Trumpian magnitude. You rush to his defense just as he rushes to save his own butt with last minute flip flops on his disastrous policy decisions to date. Two tier healthcare, education cuts, handouts to the oil & gas sector as they run for the border, he's not winning a lot of popularity contests among regular folk.

[Rejigger]

"Alberta to bring in out-of-province contract nurses as COVID-19 patients fill hospitals"

Alberta nurses are paid the highest of the 10 provinces. The cost of living in Alberta is low. Other provinces should take note of the above because they'll lose nurses to Alberta if they don't step up their game.
~

My point is that none of this had to happen if Kenney's ongoing response to the pandemic wasn't a failure of Trumpian magnitude. You rush to his defense just as he rushes to save his own butt with last minute flip flops on his disastrous policy decisions to date. Two tier healthcare, education cuts, handouts to the oil & gas sector as they run for the border, he's not winning a lot of popularity contests among regular folk.

Nope, I did not rush to Kenney's defense. In fact, I didn't defend Kenney at all.

My first post here was to point out the blatant bias between media coverage of Kenney's vacation vs. media coverage of Horgan's vacation (people should not fall for this spin). My next post pointed out the hypocrisy of Horgan going to the East Coast after telling people to stay away from BC (at the peril of the BC tourist industry, btw).

You focused your response post on 'nurses'. To which I responded with facts - stats and financial reports.

You posted your misinterpretation as if it's the truth rather than addressing my points - again, those points being media bias, Horgan's hypocrisy and the data regarding the Alberta health care system. I welcome an honest discussion about these points.
~

[fluffy]

How much time did Horgan take off ? Kenney was MIA for over three weeks. Did Horgan call for mandatory overtime and cancel vacation time for healthcare workers while taking time off himself ?

There is talk now that Kenney was asked to "lay low" during the federal campaign as he is so controversial and unpopular that he could affect the CPC's chances of success in Alberta on the 20th.

[bob vernon]

I have a cousin who is a nurse in Alberta. She retired and has come back during Covid. Her prediction: the Alberta health care system is going to collapse in the next few months. COLLAPSE. Doctors and nurses are burned out and quitting at a time when Covid cases are climbing rapidly. And the Kenney government has eliminated tracing and has generally failed in getting the people vaccinated.
This is going to be a disaster in Alberta. The Feds will have to step in and send in the military to care for the hospitals as best they can.