Premier Kenney just announced that while some COVID restrictions will be removed soon, ALL restrictions won't be removed until a "date to be determined".
Not Good Enough.
In short, here's what's happening...
Stage 1 means that the government's Restriction Exemption Program is ending tonight at midnight, although entertainment venues will still face restrictions around closing hours, movement, masking, etc.
Stage 2 might start next Monday, and would mean mask requirements for children end both in schools and in public.
Then the government plans to "pause" for three weeks and wait to see what happens.
If things go "well", we would move on to Stage 3.
Stage 3 means that other restrictions like capacity limits, gathering restrictions, indoor masking, and remaining limits on entertainment venues would be removed.
Finally, at a "date to be determined", remaining restrictions like at continuing care venues and isolation requirements would be removed.
Unfortunately, we've seen all this before.
We've been promised re-opening plans with stages, steps, phases, chapters, and such before, and none of them have actually been followed.
Premier Kenney has delayed, cancelled, or reneged on re-opening plans so many times we've lost count.
This time, he's not even denying it.
He explicitly said that the government might have to pause some of these changes, which makes all the dates announced today meaningless.
Once again, the government will make decisions over people's lives in an arbitrary manner, based on the pressure they come under from the media and unions, not based on what's right to protect Albertan's rights.
We need to send a loud and clear message to the Premier RIGHT NOW that this isn't good enough.
All COVID restrictions must be removed NOW, not at some arbitrary future date.
If you agree, please sign the petition and then spread the word to your friends, family, co-workers.
https://www.albertainstitute.ca/end_all_restrictions_now?utm_campaign=etl_aa_2022_02_08_ab&utm_medium=email&utm_source=albertainstitute