A Fired Health Leader’s Open Letter Blasting Danielle Smith

The premier has conveniently forgotten that COVID “capsized” all of our lives, and sparked profound turmoil in all workplaces. We all experienced the sheer drudgery of COVID, while health-care providers of all vocations stood up and stood tall under the most challenging circumstances.

Sadly, the premier ignores the gruelling 30-month “best efforts” made by the AHS board, management, clinical leaders, staff and trainees for managing through the tragic COVID calamity. All deserve our respect and gratitude. However, the premier chooses instead to vilify those who are saving Albertans.

As a board member, I witnessed the extraordinary collective will of our health-care providers confronting the unimaginable COVID pandemic. Their tenacity represents a hallmark signature of all health-care vocations.

It is with scientific certainty that COVID will rear its ugly head again, and now a respiratory virus is currently causing distress and disruption. If the current premier persists in vocalizing false, conspiratorial and unfounded claims, she will be responsible for putting health-care providers and Albertans needlessly in harm’s way. Her loose and corrosive words appear to satisfy her need for bizarre musings that can and will ultimately impact people’s lives. People will die.

Now, the premier is taking her nonsense to a new level by inviting a former Trump advisor, who has been universally scorned for promoting medical quackery, to speak to her “health advisory group.” This is another sign of her noxious grudge against Alberta’s medical professionals. When will cabinet confront and challenge their premier’s misguided thinking? |[Read more](A Fired Health Leader’s Open Letter Blasting Danielle Smith | The Tyee https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2022/11/21/Letter-Blasting-Danielle-Smith/)|

#abpoli #ableg #DanielleSmith #trump #covid #healhcare #ucp

Alberta chiefs say First Nations people, all Albertans should be concerned with Sovereignty Act

Words like “unconstitutional,” “illegal,” and “unethical” peppered statements read by Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation Chief Tony Alexis, who served as spokesperson for the Confederacy of Treaty 6; Bearspaw Nation Chief Darcy Dixon, of Treaty 7; and Treaty 8 Grand Chief Arthur Noskey.

Smith is setting out, said Alexis, to provoke Indigenous peoples and the majority of Albertans, in order “to appease a small minority of Albertans who are unhappy with a Liberal federal government.”

“We have never ceded this territory…nor do we ever plan to,” said Alexis. “We will not stand by quietly…and allow colonial governing structures and people to ignore our inherent rights as Treaty people.”

He also pointed out that there had been “zero consultation” undertaken by Smith or her government.

Chiefs stressed that Treaty was the highest law to govern the land, its resources and First Nations people.

“We have never ceded this territory…nor do we ever plan to,” said Alexis. “We will not stand by quietly…and allow colonial governing structures and people to ignore our inherent rights as Treaty people.”

He also pointed out that there had been “zero consultation” undertaken by Smith or her government. |Read more https://windspeaker.com/news/windspeaker-news/alberta-chiefs-say-first-nations-people-all-albertans-should-be-concerned|
#abpoli #windspeaker #indigenous #treaties #smith #SovereigntyAct

Draft COP27 agreement fails to call for ‘phase-down’ of all fossil fuels

The United Nations climate agency published a first draft on Thursday https://href.li/?https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/Presidency%20non-paper2%20on%20cover%20decisions.pdf of what could be the overarching agreement from the COP27 climate summit https://href.li/?https://grist.org/cop27/ in Egypt. However, much of the text is likely to be reworked in the coming days.

The reaction from some nonprofits has been swift and frustrated, with one Greenpeace representative saying it https://href.li/?https://www.theguardian.com/environment/live/2022/nov/17/cop27-draft-cover-text-published-fears-lack-ambition-live?filterKeyEvents=false&page=with:block-6375e26b8f08341844537bae#block-6375e26b8f08341844537bae paved the way for “climate hell.”

The document, labeled a “non-paper,” indicating it is still far from the final version, repeats the goal from last year’s Glasgow climate pact “to accelerate measures towards the phase-down of unabated coal power and phase out and rationalize inefficient fossil fuel subsidies.”

Last year was the first time a decision agreed by all parties even mentioned fossil fuels and coal as part of the climate.

But it does not call for a phase-down of all fossil fuels, as India and the European Union had requested. The text does not include details for launching a fund for loss and damage https://href.li/?https://grist.org/international/cop27-loss-and-damage-climate-reparations/, a key demand from the most climate vulnerable countries https://href.li/?https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/05/climate-loss-and-damage-why-its-such-a-big-deal-at-cop27 such as island nations. Rather, it “welcomes” the fact that parties have agreed for the first time to include “matters related to funding arrangements responding to loss and damage” on the summit agenda.

It does not include a timeline for deciding on whether a separate fund should be created or what it should look like, giving time for negotiators to continue to work on the contentious topic. |[Read more](Draft COP27 agreement fails to call for ‘phase-down’ of all fossil fuels | Grist https://grist.org/cop27/draft-cop27-agreement-fails-to-call-for-phase-down-of-all-fossil-fuels/)|

#environment #cop27 #world #climate crisis #greenwashing #no commitment

Unsure about UCP or NDP, Alberta’s ‘orphan’ voters are looking for a home

In other words, orphans know they don’t want to vote UCP and/or NDP, but they aren’t sure whom to support. They’re homeless.

It’s a hard-knock life for UCP (and NDP)

It’s important to distinguish between orphans and undecided voters. Orphans are more engaged and more likely to vote than the truly undecided, who often are not paying attention to politics or have no preference.

Our latest <u>poll </u> https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/danielle-smith-rachel-notley-ucp-ndp-alberta-janet-brown-1.6638402 for CBC News shows the NDP with 47 per cent and UCP 38 per cent. It also shows eight per cent of the sample are “orphans”.

A nine-point lead may seem commanding, until you realize the margin of error for the poll is plus or minus 2.8 per cent (19 times out of 20), and an additional eight per cent of voters are essentially up for grabs. This eight per cent could ultimately determine the outcome of the next election.

So who are these orphans?

#orphans #abpoli #ndp #ucp #SomethingElse #MiddleGround