EDMONTON — One Leduc man has recreated Mexico in his own backyard, complete with a salt water pool, sand beach and cabana.

Dwayne Barabe, has a profound love for the country. Having travelled to Mexico 25 times, he wanted to bring the tropical paradise home as travel restrictions prevented him from visiting last winter. Barabe invested two years creating his dream backyard complete with palm trees, a waterfall, and the Mexican flag.

“I just sat there one night and thought of this and worked at it,” he said.

Barabe had the idea of sharing the oasis with others. He created a Facebook post and said the response was overwhelming. He is now renting the backyard for families and couples to relax and cool. The pool can be rented per day or at an hourly rate. He laughs while stating food and margaritas will not be provided.

“I am glad people enjoy it and love it,” he said.

Barabe is currently working on obtaining insurance and a business permit. Guests who attend must sign a waiver upon arrival.

Arturo Contreras came across the Facebook post, prompting him to visit the Mexico replica. He was amazed at the details including the cactus and Mayan calendar on display.

“It makes me feel like home now that I am here,” he said, explaining the backyard will be popular among the Latin American community.

EDMONTON — A man is under arrest and police are searching for a second attacker after a man was assaulted in southwest Edmonton last week.

An alarm company employee sent police to a high-rise complex near 106A Street and 46 Avenue at approximately 4:20 a.m. on Wednesday, May 26, as they watched an assault via surveillance cameras, the Edmonton Police Service said.

A 61-year-old man was leaving for work when two men approached and attacked him, police said.

Police said the attackers repeatedly punched, kicked and stomped the man before robbing him, leaving, and then coming back to steal more things from the “semi-conscious” man.

When officers arrived, they spotted a man who matched the description of one of the attackers and chased him.  They caught him hiding in a dumpster, EPS said.

James Dennis Winterburn, 37, was charged with aggravated assault, robbery and obstructing a peace officer.

The second attacker is on the loose. Police describe him as 25-35 years old, Indigenous, approximately six feet tall and clean shaven. He was wearing glasses, police added.

The victim is in hospital with serious, non-life threatening injuries.

Anyone with information about him or the attack is asked to call police at 780-423-4567 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

EDMONTON — Some Albertans can begin to book their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine starting on Tuesday, Premier Jason Kenney announced.

People vaccinated in March can book their second dose appointment starting this afternoon. Albertans who got their first dose in April can start booking on June 14 and people vaccinated in May can do so on June 28.

“This is the start of opening Alberta for summer and getting Alberta back to normal,” said Kenney.

Bookings for second doses will not be first come, first served; they will be sequenced in the order first doses were administered, the premier said.

“To ensure that everybody receives them at significantly less than the maximum 16-week interval,” said Kenney.

He added people who have received a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine should have their second dose by the end of the summer.

“We’ll continue to prioritize first doses for anybody who wants to be vaccinated,” said Kenney.

The province has administered 2,811,168 first doses — 63.4 per cent of Albertans. Kenney added that 10.4 per cent of Albertans have been fully vaccinated.

“Going forward, we expect to be able to shorten the window between first and second doses even further for those who are still booking their first shot,” said Health Minister Tyler Shandro. “As long as the supply allows, the interval for Pfizer and Moderna… will be lowered over time to a minimum of three to four weeks.”

Shandro asked Albertans to wait their turn when it comes to booking second doses, as booking before you are eligible can “cause delays” for AHS and pharmacies. He added timelines could be moved up if the vaccine rollout goes quicker than expected.

Alberta also reported 209 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. There are now 6,771 active cases and 438 Albertans in hospital, including 127 patients in ICU.

The province also said there had been one new death due to COVID-19 since Monday.

Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, added there are active alerts or outbreaks of COVID-19 in 417 schools, amounting to 17 per cent of schools in the province. 

“This includes outbreaks and alerts that were opened before the two-week online school shift and these are closing gradually,” said Hinshaw.

Preliminary data on the effects vaccines have had on active case counts and hospitalization numbers would be released next week, according to Hinshaw.

ANXIETY OVER ASTRAZENECA

The timeline for receiving a second dose of AstraZeneca is being shortened to a minimum of eight weeks, according to the health minister.

“AstraZeneca remains a safe and highly effective option,” said Shandro. “That being said, we recognize that some Albertans who received AstraZeneca have concerns.

“After carefully reviewing the evidence from other jurisdictions, we will offer Albertan a choice: they can get another shot of AstraZeneca as a second dose or a mRNA vaccine instead, like Moderna of Pfizer.”

The decision to allow vaccine mixing is in line with the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommendations, according to Shandro.

Both options would count as having received a complete series of vaccine in Canada, Hinshaw said. She added the eight-week waiting period for AstraZeneca “gives a better overall protection than getting a second dose sooner than that.”

“Albertans who choose to receive a second dose of AstraZeneca vaccine should know that the risk of blood clots, known as VITT, after the second dose of AstraZeneca so far appears to be lower than with the first dose,” said Hinshaw.

“They remain extremely rare.”

In the United Kingdom, 9,000,000 second doses of AstraZeneca were used and only 15 VITT cases have been reported, according to Hinshaw.

Based on trials in the U.K when mixing doses of AstraZeneca and Pfizer, people tended to experience more general reactions like fever and aches, as opposed to those who received two doses of AstraZeneca, according to Hinshaw.

Hinshaw also said there has been concern over supplies of the Moderna vaccine.

“No matter what vaccine you received for your first dose, we will have a second dose available for you,” said Hinshaw.

SCREENING FOR VARIANTS

Alberta has developed a way to screen positive COVID-19 tests for the B.1.617 variant first discovered in India, according to Alberta Health spokesperson Tom McMillan.

The province screened all positive test results for variants of concern between late January and late April, but reduced it when the third wave hit the province.

“While the variants are concerning, we are also seeing cases decline sharply, which is positive and increases our ability to identify cases and act quickly to prevent broader transmission,” said McMillan.

Alberta will resume screening all positive tests for variants beginning Tuesday, according to Hinshaw.

“We know that vaccines work. Even against these variants, we know they prevent severe outcomes like hospitalizations and death,” said Kenney.

EDMONTON — The provincial government announced its intention to fund research efforts to help locate unmarked Indigenous graves in Alberta.

Rick Wilson, minister of Indigenous relations, revealed the intention in a statement released Monday evening.

The statement did not include the details of funding, including an amount or how it would be administered. Details are expected to be released “in the coming days.”

Of the 134 officially designated residential schools in Canada, at least 25 operated in Alberta between 1893 and 1996.

According to Wilson, the discovery of the remains of 215 children at a mass grave near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School spurred the government into action.

Actions 74 and 94 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission calls on the federal government, church and Indigenous community leaders to work toward finding where children are buried, as well as responding to the wishes of properly commemorating the lives lost in the residential school system.

Wilson said the provincial government of Alberta is now joining that effort.

“Today, I am announcing the Alberta government’s intention to fund research into the undocumented deaths and burials of hundreds of Indigenous children who did not make their way home,” he said.

“Finding their graves is a matter of reconciliation and another step toward closure for families,” Wilson added. “Many of the schools have been destroyed and while their general location is known, the exact coordinates are missing. It is possible that children were buried in locations such as nearby churches.”

Contact the Indian Residential School Survivors Society toll-free 1 (800) 721-0066 or 24-hour Crisis Line 1 (866) 925-4419 if you require further emotional support or assistance.

EDMONTON — Albertans are looking for guidance from their government after Manitoba and Quebec announced on Monday they would be expanding their second dose eligibility for people who have already received the AstraZeneca vaccine as their first dose.

The vaccine bulletin for Quebecers and Manitobans says recipients of AstraZeneza as a first dose can now receive a second dose of any mRNA vaccine, Pfizer or Moderna, if they meet provincial guidelines for eligibility.

Close to 250,000 Albertans got the AstraZeneca shot when the province opened up appointment bookings to Generation X at the end of April.

With the new rollout announced in other provinces, the direction for Alberta remains unclear on whether or not people can go with another brand for their second dose.

In a press conference on Monday, Health Minister Tyler Shandro said an announcement would be unveiled by the province’s top doctor very soon.

BLOOD CLOTS LESS LIKELY WITH SECOND DOSE

To date, a handful of Canadians have died from rare blood clots caused by the AstraZeneca vaccine. Because of the risks, Shandro said the province is relying on international studies for guidance on safety, and efficacy of mixing vaccines.

“There was a study that was being done in the United Kingdom that had two parts,” Shandro explained. “The first part was on safety and has been determined that at least is determined to be safe.

“We were waiting for the second part to be completed; we were hoping it would have been done last week or announced at least publicly last week. It’s not going to be released now I don’t think until the end of June.”

Health experts have been firm on their stance of how rare blood clots from AstraZeneca are, and even rarer after the second dose.

READ MORE: Manitoba says AstraZeneca vaccine recipients can get Pfizer or Moderna for second dose

‘FURTHER AHEAD THAN OTHER PROVINCES’

According to provincial numbers, Alberta is doing better on second doses than the national average. About seven per cent of Albertans are fully immunized compared to roughly five per cent nationally.

“We are much further ahead than other provinces,” Shandro said.

“As you notice there are many provinces who are just starting to make second doses available to people who are over 80, as an example.

“Many of our folks in Phase 1 have already had that second dose, but we’ll be making those announcements soon as well.”

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson