First and foremost, Happy New Year!

As for 2020 and 2021, I have never been so happy to stay up late and see the past year drift into the rearview mirror.  Like many, the summer of 2021 was a good one for me, and I was very optimistic.  Things were shaping up to be normal again. There were some control measures in place still, but it was starting to get back to normal.  Of course, we all know the story after that. A third wave, a delta variant, and our obvious lack of capacity in a healthcare system to deal with it, unless we as Albertans all “did our part”, again, to keep the system afloat that is supposed to take care of us when we need it most.

The Restrictions Exemption Program lead to hard feelings between Albertans, and at worst, outright discrimination.

The Restrictions Exemption Program was put in place, as well as the ability for people to disclose their healthcare information to buy a hamburger, eat it in a restaurant, or attend a sporting event. Vaccine uptake increased as people either chose to get it based on the information they read or in some cases as a requirement for employment in various industries.  Some people have now become comfortable providing this information in a QR code format, and the apps have been quick to catch up and gather all that data.  But many are also not comfortable with this new system, nor are they comfortable in the efficacy or relevance of the information in the reality we’re now in.

As many cautioned (myself included), a program of this nature would lead to, at minimum, hard feelings between Albertans, and at worst, outright discrimination.  It is indeed a slippery slope as to how normalized this could become, to be extended, or nationalized, in essence creating a major divide amongst our nation’s citizens.  Out of pure principle, I do not personally have a QR code.  I get my third-party test when I need to attend events for work.  These costs are out of my own pocket, as they are for many, but my principals are worth more than the cost.  I have heard from many people who have chosen to be vaccinated, all for their own valid reasons.  I have also heard from a number of people who have chosen not to be vaccinated, again, all for valid reasons.  What has come to pass – a grave concern of mine from the beginning – is the vilification, or mischaracterization of those who have made different choices for personal beliefs, or health reasons.  Political figures at the higher levels have now made public assertions on the education, motivations, and character of those who made up their own minds, which may have been different than the large majority.

How quickly our country has become so divided on this!

Quite honestly, I am taken back by how quickly our country has become so divided on this, and how quickly we seem to be willing to embrace what many from abroad would see as hardcore socialist ideology and policy. I have personal friends that fled socialist countries who have told me this. I am thankful to be in Alberta, and I am thankful to be able to represent our area as the MLA so I can indeed bring an alternate perspective to the table. The longer we languish in this current state, the more that people accept it as normal, and the easier it is to accept all these extraordinary measures as needed to live our day-to-day lives.  I heard from my 11-year-old that she “couldn’t remember what it was like to go into a store without having to wear a mask” the other day, and that is frightening to me.

So, what does 2022 have in store for us on the covid front, and can we put this behind us?  Based on the data that I am seeing, I believe that it will quickly go through our population, regardless of vaccination status, making us all equal again.   There really does not seem to be any substantial difference when it comes to contracting omicron if you have been vaccinated or not. That should be right around Groundhog Day in February.  We will all get it, or, enough of us will get it, that the spread will diminish very quickly as most of the hosts will have immunity.  I also believe that the “science” will catch up so that serology will be taken into account again, and that our immune systems won’t be dependent solely on a formula made in a laboratory, as many would try to have us believe.

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I believe that common sense is overdue to make a comeback, but it will need encouragement and support from all of us if we are going to be able to push back on those who would hope to have us frightened, fighting with each other, and divided.

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What to do:

• Support each other, and those that are doing their utmost to represent your best interests.
• Keep an open dialogue.
• Hear the other side of the story.
• In short, engage in meaningful communication, and when the conversation becomes too much like a rant, change to topic.  “How about your chickens, how are they making out?”

This is what a gentleman I recently met used in a conversation to change the topic around COVID – a great reminder, and a great way to bring things down on what can be a heavy topic. We are all stressed about the current events, and all are like the kids in the back asking “are we there yet?”. This trip is way too long, and it can feel like the driver is lost.

Working collaboratively with Alaska, Yukon, NWT, BC, Sask, and Manitoba, we can be an absolute powerhouse for trade and logistics!

In regards to those companies looking, again, please look at the transferable skill sets that others have to offer.  Now, economic realities have to come to play that the rates we may have been accustomed to won’t be returning for some time, but they will, so please be flexible. If anyone is looking for work, I would strongly suggest sending an updated resume to the chambers of commerce. Chambers are a collective of entrepreneurs and their administrations would be happy to pass your CV onto prospective employers.

Inflation, costs of service, and shortage of supply are major factors that we are all experiencing the effects of and will need to navigate for the next while.  Supply chains are fragile in western Canada, let alone what is taking place off the west coast of the US.  The flooding events in BC only exacerbated an already critical infrastructure deficiency. 

Redundancy, and efficiencies need to be built not only into the existing system, but into new corridors that allow greater access into north west and central ports off the pacific and into the arctic coastline. 

Our region, and our province, when working collaboratively with Alaska, Yukon, NWT, BC, Sask, and Manitoba, can be an absolute powerhouse for trade and logistics. That is what the task force that I’m chairing will present in an upcoming report.

The healthcare system had some cracks, but due to the covid pressure test, it failed to carry on with normal business and to deal with the emerging challenges. 

Healthcare reform, like the flooding events in BC that brought to our attention how fragile the supply chain is, has also had its brittle fragility revealed.  It’s not the front-line personnel – it’s the structure, the governance, and the processes that have become a calcified cash hungry monster that will not be readily changed or corrected.  Albertans and Canadians have to look past the rhetoric, with a critical eye towards other models that can be used to create something that works here for us.  The current model is not sustainable, nor does it provide the services needed by the population.  We pressure test pipe to ensure that when it is put into service, that it does not fail.  We know that the healthcare system had some cracks, but with the covid pressure test, it failed to carry on with normal business and to deal with the emerging challenges.  I’ll have more to write about in future articles, but I will be pulling together some working groups so that we can collectively offer alternate solutions to the problems encountered in a rural context, and an overall system. If you are interested in helping out, please reach out to my office.

Again, wishing you a happy new year, and letting you know the three priorities that I’ve identified above are the ones I will be dedicating much time and effort on for the next year, as these will have the most substantial impact on our constituency.

Sincerely,

MLA Shane Getson