Banff Calls for additional vaccine supply, expanded clinic offerings from province
The Town of Banff is asking the province to increase the number of doses available for Bow Valley residents and to help with more delivery options.
The letter sent earlier this week also calls for more rapid test kits, which the town would like to distribute, saying pharmacists need to focus on injections instead of fielding inquiries about the hard to obtain kits.
"We have seen success every time we do a walk-in clinic here and that doesn't require an appointment," said Banff mayor Corrie DiManno. She said requiring people to produce an Alberta Health Care card is another barrier in a town that relies on seasonal labour.
For Banff and surrounding area (known as ID 9) immunization rates for 20-39 year olds is about 75 per cent - well behind the provincial average. This is also the area's key service employee demographic.
But the province said the Bow Valley is faring better than that - in a statement on Thursday Alberta Health said there "there is adequate supply of vaccine" in the Bow Valley. The statement went on to say appointments appear tighter than they because while 11 pharmacists are offering COVID vaccinations, just three are using the provincial booking system.
Corrie DiManno was elected as mayor of Banff ahead of the Oct. 18 election. (Courtesy Town of Banff)
The tourism hub is above the provincial averages in all other demographics, including 10 points ahead for 5-11 year olds.
The Town has already put $20,000 into offering mobile clinics. Two it hosted last week resulted in another 430 shots, most of which were boosters. Another was offered for staff at Sunshine Village on Wednesday.
The resort requires all of its roughly 750 staff to be vaccinated.
"It's of such major importance to us because many of our team members don't have easy access into Calgary or major urban centers to get a vaccine," said Kendra Scurfield, director of brand and communications for Sunshine Village.
DiManno said she's confident the region can improve uptake, but said the unique challenges require a closer partnership with the province.
"We've got the same shared goals here and we can offer some on-the-ground possible solutions for them," DiManno said.
Two more mobile clinics are planned for next week.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.