No further restrictions needed, local MLAs say

By COLLIN GALLANT on September 10, 2021.

cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant

MLA Drew Barnes maintains his support for a “regional approach” to tackling worsening local COVID-19 numbers, but also says Medicine Hat and area should be spared from steeper restrictions.

For the past month, the city has seen among the highest per-capita highest case counts in the province, while Alberta leads the nation in new cases.

That led the provincial government to step up a call for vaccinations last week, impose an Alberta-wide mask mandate and force liquor sales to cease at 10 p.m.

Last year, Barnes and certain local leaders called on health officials to consider relatively low case counts here and rescind stiffer restrictions at that time on a region by region basis.

This week, he told the News the province mishandled the issue, but says stronger restrictions are not needed locally.

“No,” he said. “Rationalization is still the way to go. We have low population density here and people have the ability to take care of themselves.”

Opposing politicians called that stance “ridiculous,” while the area’s other MLA, Michaela Glasgo, of Brooks-Medicine Hat, says she fully supports the vaccine drive and is “listening to constituents” on other measures, but doesn’t see wider operating restrictions on businesses as a solution.

Independent MLA for Cypress-Medicine Hat Barnes, who was voted out of the United Conservative Party caucus after high-profile disagreements with Premier Jason Kenney, said Kenney’s “inconsistency and flip flops” are making the pandemic worse.

“Albertans and Medicine Hatters are great at taking care of each other, taking care of their families and doing what needs to be done,” said Barnes. “What we’re lacking is visionary leadership.”

Alberta New Democrat Leader Rachel Notley also criticized Kenney in a morning tele-press conference in Calgary, but said Barnes’s views are like the “ridiculous, head-in-the-sand” approach taken by the province.

“Unfortunately Drew Barnes represents a segment that still exists in the UCP caucus that have been making a series of very unfortunate recommendations,” said Notley.

“This is why, once again, we are leading the country in cases, and not by a little bit. We have nine times the infection rate of Ontario. Our health-care system is in deep crisis. So, I’d have to disagree with Drew Barnes.”

Glasgo told the News she has heard growing frustration from health-care workers, teachers and business owners, and fully supports the government’s program to get more Albertans to receive the vaccine.

“Certainly we need to do something to stop the pressure on our hospital system,” she said. “Rather than push for widespread restrictions, which in the long term, I don’t think are going to do anything but punish those who’ve done their part … what we need to do is make sure that vaccination rate goes up.”

She also says constituents appear split on the potential of vaccine passports, but would continue to consider the issue.

Notley has been calling on the province to create a verification system for non-essential businesses to use to ensure patrons can access services in a fully vaccinated environment. She argued that would boost business activity and economic recovery and called for renewed business support programs.

“It would reward businesses and patrons that are doing the right things,” she said.

Last week, fellow independent MLA Todd Loewen, with whom Barnes co-ordinates press announcements, penned a letter stating a “vaccine passport” would lead to job losses for those who declined the vaccine but worked in companies that required them.

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