EDMONTON — Alberta reported 263 new cases on Monday as the province readied to enter Stage 1 of its reopening plan the next day. 

There are now 7,646 active cases in the province. 

The number of COVID-19 patients in Alberta hospitals continued a downward trend with 439 receiving care, including 133 in intensive care units. 

More than 62 per cent of Albertans aged 12 and up have had at least a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. 

Eight more deaths, including three people in their 50s, were reported Monday, bringing the province’s death toll to 2,227.

The province reported a 5.92 test positivity on Monday on about 4,400 tests.

Alberta is set to enter Stage 1 of its reopening plan on Tuesday with a gradual lifting of some public health restrictions.

The province’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, is expected to return for an in-person update on Tuesday.

EDMONTON — The Edmonton man who pushed his four young kids out a Millwoods basement window to escape a house fire remains on life support with burns to much of his upper body. But the family of 53-year-old Roger Jemmott has been told by doctors that the man those kids now liken to a superhero appears to be a fighter.

“He is expected to survive, for sure.” 

That’s what Raymond Hurrel – one of Jemmott’s adult children – told CTV News Edmonton outside the University of Alberta Hospital on the first day he was able to visit his father.

“He sustained a lot of burns to the back of his head, his neck. He’s got two big strips on his back that are heavily burned. His arms, all the skin is gone and same thing with his hands,” Hurrel said on Monday.

“He did have a lot of inhalation damage, so right now they’ve got him on a breathing tube.” 

Jemmott is in the U of A Hospital’s burn unit for treatment on the injuries he was left with after saving his four kids from their burning home on May 19. 

“He’s facing a long road to recovery,” said Hurrel.

According to Hurrel, doctors expect Jemmott to remain at the U of A Hospital for three months before he’s moved to Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital.  

“He can’t talk,” said Hurrel. “He’s been sedated… Yesterday was the first day that they were able to turn the sedation down.”

Hurrel says his father has already received skin grafts on his arms. Up next will be his back.

“(Doctors) said he was very responsive prior to the surgery,” he said, “trying to talk and so there’s a lot of good signs.” 

‘THEY’RE ALL CALLING HIM HERO’

Jemmott’s four children – aged eight, seven, three and nine months – sustained only minor injuries from the blaze – thanks largely to their father.

During the inferno, he lifted them up and out through a basement window and passed them to a neighbour who was standing outside.

The neighbour was unable to help Jemmott out through the window. Firefighters were eventually able to reach him.

“The oldest of them,” Hurrel said about his younger brother. “He was the one that saw my dad come out. So you can see he’s a little hurt, but they seem, given what happened, they seem alright.”

Jemmott’s adult son says the older of his four siblings recognize what their father did for them that day.

“They’re all calling him ‘hero’ and ‘super dad’ and ‘Superman,'” said Hurrel, referring to a phone call he had with them on Sunday. “It was good to hear that they’re in good spirits and that they realize what their dad had done for them.  

“I went into the house yesterday and to see that he had ripped the burglar bars right out of the wall… he had ripped them right out.” 

Hurrel’s four younger siblings will be staying with him and his family while Jemmott recovers.

“We’re going to take all four kids in with my wife and my three kids,” Hurrel said.

HOW TO HELP

Before the fire, Jemmott had worked as a rig welder. Now, with the next few months being dedicated to recovery, his family hopes a GoFundMe page they’ve set up will help mitigate any financial burden for Jemmott and his wife Vanessa.  

“Emotionally I think the biggest thing right now is we’re trying to stay positive,” said Hurrel. “The biggest thing is that he’s going to recover, and I mean everything else we can deal with day-by-day.”

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s David Ewasuk

EDMONTON — During a time where community interactions have been limited, a family of ducklings who fell through a storm drain brought Brookview neighbours together to accomplish the feat.

Bobbi Stobbart, a Brookview resident, came home Sunday evening to an anxious mother duck on her lawn while her ducklings cried out for help.

Stobbart contacted Wildnorth, a non-profit organization in Edmonton dedicated to wildlife rescue and rehabilitation. Two volunteers from the organization, Paige and Taylor, arrived instantly and began working with the neighbors to start the rescue.

“I said not to worry, our neighbors are wonderful and I am sure we can put something together – and indeed we did. People brought nets and we started the rescue,” said Stobbart.

The volunteers used their skills alongside concerned neighbors and curious children. The rescue took approximately two hours before the ducklings made their way from the pipes to the opening of the drain. The first duckling rescued called out for his brothers and sisters making the journey a little easier.

The crew was able to reunite a total of four ducklings out of seven, where the family was safely escorted back to the river valley.

For Stobbart, the act displayed a sense of kindness.

“I had a heartfelt sense about the community. Here it is, we are all in our moment of vulnerability and it seems like there is no end to what is going on with COVID. Here is this little microcosm, this little event that brought our neighbors together,” she said.

EDMONTON — After completing approximately 6,586 tests, Alberta has reported another 391 cases of COVID-19 on Sunday.

The government reported the new numbers Sunday on its COVID-19 information website.

There are now 8,073 active infections in the province – down by 401 since Saturday.

Active cases have been decreasing significantly throughout the week. Last Sunday, Alberta had 14,533 active cases.

The seven-day average of new infections is 449.

The Calgary zone has 3,301 active cases while Edmonton has 2,126. The North zone and Central zone have 1,172 and 974 cases, respectively. The South zone has 496 cases while four have an unknown zone of origin.

Every zone decreased their number of active cases reported since Saturday, with the Calgary zone leading the province with 158 fewer cases. The Edmonton zone had 113 fewer, while the North and Central zone had decreases of 82 and 28 cases, respectively. The South zone had 22 fewer cases.

There were five new deaths reported Sunday raising Alberta’s total to 2,219.

On Sunday, it was reported that 446 people were in hospital with COVID-19, including 138 in ICU – a decrease of 32 hospitalizations and two ICU patients since Saturday. It was only two weeks ago that the province shattered pandemic records for total number of patients in the ICU.

Approximately 62.3 per cent of Alberta’s population aged 12 or older has received their first dose of vaccine. Approximately 31,857 first doses and 7,185 second doses were administered on Sunday. Just over 10 per cent of the province’s population over 12-years-of-age have received their second dose.

Over 216,900 Albertans have recovered from COVID-19.

Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, is expected to give a live update this week.

Alberta’s second dose strategy for vaccinations is also expected to be unveiled this week.

Last Thursday, Premier Jason Kenney said there were over 433,000 bookings for first dose appointments for the next two weeks.

“Those folks need to show up,” Kenney said.

If those doses are administered, the premier said the province would be able to transition from prioritizing first dose delivery to protective second doses.

READ MORE: ‘We are at a crucial point’: Hospitalizations, cases decline in Alberta as the focus turns to reopening 

EDMONTON — Two people have died in an avalanche on an Alberta mountain near the Columbia Icefield.

Steve Young, communications officer for Parks Canada, told CTV News Edmonton that a mountain-side avalanche occurred at Mount Andromeda.

There is no information about how the avalanche started.

No information about the victims has been released.

RCMP said they were informed of the avalanche by Parks Canada at 7:45 a.m. Sunday

Parks Canada and emergency crews commenced rescue efforts and ultimately extracted the two victims of the avalanche.

Mounties say it appears the victims were involved in recreational activities on the mountain before the avalanche occurred.

The bodies will be transferred to medical examiners to confirm identities.

No further details will be released as the investigation into the incident continues, RCMP say.  

Deborah Tetley, a communications officer with STARS, said a helicopter from Edmonton and two from Grande Prairie, Alta. were dispatched to the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre for reports of casualties from an avalanche.

Two helicopters deployed around 9 a.m. while the third was called out after 11 a.m.

Tetley told CTV News Edmonton that the helicopters were “not medically necessary” once they arrived on scene.

Young said while there is no indication of further avalanches, spring melting can rapidly change conditions.

Mount Andromeda is located within the Columbia Icefield on the boundary of Jasper and Banff National Parks. The mountain is located alongside Highway 93 near the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre.

Highway 93 was not affected by the avalanche and no buildings were damaged, Young said.

Sgt. Rick Bidaisee with Jasper RCMP told CTV News in an interview that Mounties initially asked for the assistance of multiple ground ambulances from nearby communities, Parks Canada visitor safety personnel, fixed wing medical aircraft from across the province, and STARS air ambulance.

While there were reports of other people on the mountain, crews determined there were two people unaccounted for.

“Initially, the thought process was that (there were) multiple patients and casualties,” Bidaisee said.

“We attended the location and determined that two persons using the area for recreational activities got caught up in an avalanche,” Bidaisee said. “Rescue efforts were undertaken.”

Bidaisee said that once officials located the two people they were pronounced dead on scene.

According to Bidaisee, Mount Andromeda is a popular destination for several recreation activities including skiing, climbing, and sightseeing.

“It’s a very popular area in Jasper National Park,” he said.

“Our hearts go out to the families,” Bidaisee added. “The people were out doing things that they loved and enjoyed. Unfortunately, tragic circumstances led to this end result.” 

More to come.

With files from CTV News Calgary’s Teri Fikowski