5th day of rallies in downtown Calgary calls for health measures to continue past Aug. 16
For the fifth day, a noon hour rally was held in downtown Calgary to protest upcoming changes to Alberta's COVID-19 health restrictions.
Crowds gathered in Alberta's two largest cities once again in the wake of the province lifting all restrictions as of Aug. 16.
That means masks won't be needed anywhere, including in taxis, on transit and in public schools and buildings. As well, Albertans who test positive will no longer need to quarantine.
Protesters have said they will hold daily rallies leading up to Aug. 16, calling on the government to rethink the move.
Health Minister Tyler Shandro said last week that the shift from a pandemic to endemic response in Alberta with regards to COVID-19 is due in part to the increasing amount of fully immunized Albertans.
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi has said he is considering calling a special meeting of council to discuss the role the city can take, including whether to call another state of local emergency.
According to the latest numbers from the province, Calgary is leading in the number of active COVID-19 cases at 990, well ahead of Edmonton at 301.
"We're trying to do whatever we can as a civic government with very, very limited ability and power, but the right thing to do would be for Dr. Hinshaw and the premier to come out and say 'Look, we went too quickly, we can see the case counts are going up. Let's go back and put some measures in place,'" said Coun. Jyoti Gondek, who is running for mayor in October.
"I have zero confidence, we're going to do that."
Another councillor running for mayor, Jeromy Farkas, said protesters need to show why a continuation of health measures is needed.
"We can't pick and choose when to support the scene," he said.
"Dr. Hinshaw has made the call, if people think she and her team have got it wrong then they need to prove it rather than stir people up based on emotional arguments."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.