UCP government 'the most incompetent' he's seen, Calgary's mayor says
Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi had some harsh words for Jason Kenney, his government and his most recent policies on combating COVID-19's fourth wave on Thursday.
Speaking on CTV News' Power Play, the mayor of Alberta's largest city said the Kenney government was "the most incompetent he's ever seen."
"The premier apologized in one sentence and he then proceeded to spend an hour justifying all of his decisions rather than being able to move forward," Nenshi said.
He also had tough words over the government's implementation of its restriction exemption program.
"They tried so hard to thread the needle last night because they just refused to say the word 'vaccine passport.' The minister of economic development said 'The term vaccine passport is a made-up term by the media,' whatever that means."
Nenshi also isn't sure about how it works either.
"We think it means if you have a vaccine passport system, we're not going to close you down. If you don't have one – we may or may not," he said.
"It's ridiculous, it's silly, it puts the onus on businesses and frankly, it's cruel. It's cruel to people who want government to do the right thing and it's cruel to business owners who have already been through way too much."
The Alberta government's restriction exemption program comes into effect for restaurants and other venues on Sept. 20.
Nenshi also had a message for the city.
"My message to Calgarians has been (that) I know you're mad, everyone is mad by the way - no one was mollified by the decisions last night - I know you're angry, I know you're disappointed, I know you're sad, but you know what? Put it away in a drawer.
"If you're a business owner," he added, "just pretend they actually put in a (mandatory) vaccine passport and get ready to implement it."
"If you're a citizen," he said, continuing, "feel comfortable supporting small business, because the person sitting at the next table is vaccinated, and support those businesses to the best of your ability."
NO EMPATHY FOR 'BOZOS PROTESTING IN FRONT OF HOSPITALS'
Nenshi, who is in the final weeks of his mayoralty, has made a habit of asking Calgarians to be kind to one another throughout the pandemic, but drew the line Thursday.
"I'm not saying have empathy for the bozos who protest in front of hospitals," he said. "We don't need to have empathy for them anymore - but we should have empathy for the storekeepers, the retail workers, the restaurant servers and those just struggling to get by."
Nenshi added that Calgarians should also feel comforted by the fact that the city has some of the finest emergency management personnel in the world.
"Your city government knows what it's doing," he said.
"We'll take care of you as best we can. And together, we'll get through this."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.