Alberta asks feds for help transferring ICU patients out of province
Alberta has asked the federal government for help transporting critically ill patients out of the province for care and bringing in ICU staff, registered nurses and respiratory therapists.
Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver made the request in a letter to Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair on Tuesday, asking for an immediate meeting.
In his letter, McIver outlines that the province has enacted a state of public health emergency and has "actioned a series of steps to relieve pressure on our health care system."
Those steps include a contingency plan to transfer patients out of the province for care and bring while bringing in specialists.
"Federal assistance in these two areas has the potential to create significant relief to the health care system," it read.
Blair said on social media soon after that the request would be approved.
"Federal officials have been engaging their counterparts in Alberta for the past week to offer help," he said. "I have made it clear that when a request is received, it will be approved. We will work together to provide for the people across Alberta."
Premier Jason Kenney is expected to announce a cabinet shuffle Tuesday afternoon, which sources have told CTV News will include removing Tyler Shandro as health minister.
NDP Health Critic David Shepherd issued a statement Tuesday afternoon, saying "Albertans should be appalled" McIver waited until after the federal election to make the ask.
“Alberta’s frontline healthcare workers need all the help they can get as they struggle with the emergency created by the UCP’s failure to act for months while this crisis escalated. I hope the federal government is able to provide resources to relieve some of this excruciating pressure," said Shepherd.
“Albertans should be appalled that Ric McIver waited until after the federal election to make this call to Ottawa. Once again, the UCP is focused on politics instead of the terrible price that Albertans are paying right now, with record ICU admissions and thousands of life-saving surgeries cancelled. It’s disgustingly cynical.”
Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott has earlier said that province will help Alberta manage its overwhelmed intensive care units (ICUs), which have been inundated with COVID-19 patients.
Alberta added more than 4,600 new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend as hospitalizations rose to a record high.
Monday's update included data from Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The province reported 4,633 new cases over that three-day span.
The number of COVID-19 patients in Alberta hospitals rose to 954, the highest count of the pandemic to date. That figure includes 216 patients in intensive care units, the third most to date.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Winning $70 million Lotto Max ticket sold in Toronto
A winning Lotto Max ticket was sold in Toronto from last night's draw.
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
What's a Barnacle? It's yellow, sticks and screams if you try to pry it off your car
Barnacles, bright yellow devices used to make sure parking scofflaws pay their tickets, could soon be making their way to cities across Canada.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Moscow says 50 Ukrainian drones shot down as attacks spark fires at Russian power stations
Ukraine launched a barrage of drones across Russia overnight, the Defence Ministry in Moscow said Saturday, in attacks that appeared to target the country's energy infrastructure.
A Nigerian chess champion plays the royal game for 60 hours - a new global chess record
A Nigerian chess champion and child education advocate played chess nonstop for 60 hours in New York City's Times Square to break the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.