Kenney's calendar suggests light vacation workload while Alberta's fourth wave grew
A calendar obtained through Alberta's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act suggests Premier Jason Kenney only had two COVID-19 briefings while on vacation in August.
That's despite Kenney insisting on multiple occasions that he was "in daily contact" with staff and senior officials during his holiday.
The calendar shows "personal" time scheduled from Aug. 12 to Aug. 30.
Two meetings, both labeled "Weekly COVID Update," were scheduled on Aug. 18 and Aug. 25.
Apart from those updates, the calendar remains relatively blank for 19 days.
The premier previously claimed he was away for a couple of weeks.
"I, every single day, was on my phone in connection with the government, my office and getting regular briefings on COVID and everything else," Kenney said upon his September return.
"There is nothing on the record that shows Jason Kenney was willing to interrupt his best summer ever to address a very real and pressing crisis," NDP MLA David Shepard told CTV News. "If he was taking any substantial action, it would be showing there in that calendar. It shows that this premier was more concerned about potentially his own vacation than he was about taking responsible action to protect the health of Albertans."
FOURTH WAVE HIT
While Kenney was absent from the public eye, COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions began to trend upwards.
The province tallied nearly 14,000 new cases in that time, and ICU admissions rose into the triple digits.
"It was amazingly bad optics," political scientist Keith Brownsey said. "Weekly meetings aren't enough. That doesn't give you the sense of the distress and the anger that was festering in Alberta with his absence. He left us and I think that has a lasting impact on his political career."
CTV News reached out to the Premier's Office for comment on his vacation schedule.
"The Premier maintains a weekly COVID update with a wide range of officials from his office, Alberta Health, and Alberta Health Services and he continued with those meetings while he was away," acting press secretary Harrison Fleming wrote. "He also maintained daily contact with his staff and other officials throughout. Impromptu (sp) discussions would not be reflected in the formal calendar."
But one former high-ranking Alberta government staffer is still skeptical.
Alison Redford's former chief of staff Stephen Carter told CTV News that "if it's not in the schedule, it's simple: it doesn't happen."
"There's absolutely zero way you can actually plan these meetings without putting them into the premier's schedule," Carter continued. "A briefing is not something that can be pulled together ad hoc."
The calendar was very thorough.
Every five minute drive, personal meal -- even casual walks -- were listed.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
What Canadians think of the latest Liberal budget
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it's too late
Christine Roess is a retired consultant. Ezra Bozeman has spent the last 49 years in prison, serving a life sentence for a murder he says he didn’t commit. Against the odds, the two fell in love.