The Tilbury Times

Year: 2021

  • What happens when you find a business on anti-vaccination passport website? Here’s what we found in Hamilton

    A handful of Hamilton business owners are refusing to enforce Ontario’s proof-of-vaccination policies that are meant to stop the spread of COVID-19, CBC Hamilton has confirmed.
    The province’s COVID-19 vaccine certification policy requires showing proof of full vaccination and matching identification to enter businesses such as bars, casinos, gyms, restaurants, sports arenas and theatres.
    The program came into effect last Wednesday, and already, the city says more than 10 businesses are being investigated for dismissing the vaccine passport.
    The city says its current approach is solely focused on educating business owners on the policy.
    The Ministry of Labour confirmed the education-first approach is being applied across the province, with Ontario offences officers working with local bylaw, an approach in line with the province’s response throughout the pandemic.
    Businesses that don’t comply to the Reopening Ontario Act can face a ticket of $1,000 or a penalty of up to $10 million, the ministry said.
    At least a dozen Hamilton businesses, mostly restaurants, appeared recently on websites and social media groups that list those opposed to enforcing provincial proof-of-vaccination policies. Some of those sites function as directories for businesses across Canada.
    CBC Hamilton documented the Hamilton-based businesses on the site last week and reached out to owners for clarity on their vaccine policy stance.
    Some owners confirmed they weren’t enforcing the policy, sharing concerns about the vaccine itself and the financial impact of regulations. Others said they were trying to remove their listing and were in fact enforcing the policy.

    What businesses that won’t enforce passports say

    Downtown restaurant Nique appeared recently on a closed Facebook group against the vaccine passport. On Monday morning, its Instagram account shared conversations it had with would-be patrons, confirming it would not be enforcing the policy.
    When contacted Monday, Nique owner Harrison Hennick said: I believe our human rights laws supersede anything our government is trying to do.
    Hennick also said he is vaccinated but he was unsure about the efficacy of the vaccine.
    Other businesses, such as The Harbour Diner, were listed last week on a no pass anti-vaccination policy website. (By Sunday evening, the site was scrubbed of its listings.)
    Owner Jenna Graham said in an interview Friday the restaurant is not enforcing proof-of-vaccination, and compared the vaccine passports to racial segregation.
    We’re not going to backpedal to a time where being racist was a thing, she said. [Unvaccinated people] are being enslaved, they’re being forced now not to be allowed to go out of their homes to go eat … we’re being owned by the government.

    She also said her staff support her decision to flout the rules and she’s not concerned it’ll lead to an outbreak.
    Jungle Hut Entertainment owner Robert Jebailey also compared vaccine passports to racial segregation.
    He said the regulation exacerbated the financial challenges he has already faced during the pandemic, adding that he may lose his home due to a lack of income. He said the government is forcing businesses to make health choices for his customers by enforcing the vaccine passport.
    Bistro Vie, Bliss Kitchen, El Ricon Paisa and High Voltage Health were reached but declined to comment. Several more were listed, but could not be reached.

    11 active city investigations as of Friday

    City of Hamilton spokesperson Ava van Heerden said bylaw officers are aware of online groups and websites that oppose the vaccine passport.
    Staff are starting with a progressive enforcement approach to the new regulations through providing education to achieve compliance, she wrote in an email on Friday.
    Bylaw has attended approximately 50 businesses on Wednesday and Thursday. It is important to note that education will take longer at each location as bylaw officers will need to speak to employees, businesses, and patrons.
    She added that the bylaw office had received 11 complaints as of early Friday afternoon regarding businesses not enforcing vaccine passports, and the city is investigating all of them. She didn’t say which businesses are under investigation.

    Controversial website doesn’t tell whole story

    Some businesses that appear on these sites say they are in fact enforcing the policy, however.
    West End Diner and Xelf Fitness Studio said they were enforcing the vaccine certificate, but didn’t like the idea. Xelf’s vice-president and operations manager, Omar Qubaia, called it a violation of human rights.
    Pub Fiction owner Mark Hodge said Friday his business put itself on a website that was against the vaccine passport while it was still being proposed — but now that the rules are in effect, the pub is enforcing them, he said. Hodge had his business removed from the site by Sunday night.
    Shy’s Place general manager Kayla Sticklee said in an email on Friday the restaurant is enforcing vaccine certificates. She said she doesn’t know how it got on the anti-vaccine passport lists circulating online, and is trying to get the business removed.
    Ed’s Sports Bar manager Scott Bonar said his business was listed on one of those sites by a disgruntled former employee and doesn’t want to remove the listing out of fear people will attack his business for showing he is following the rules — and while he doesn’t like the passport, he said he is enforcing it.

    Backlash for following the rules

    Many restaurants that are enforcing the policy, such as The Other Bird, say they have faced online backlash for publicly stating they would follow the rules.
    Hodge, of Pub Fiction, said enforcement has been hard on employees.
    I’ve got 17-, 18-year-old girls, some working themselves through college … people are yelling at them, screaming at them because they have to show ID. Honestly, it’s a nightmare.
    A customer at a local McDonald’s reportedly hit an employee  last week after being asked to show a vaccine certificate, according to Hamilton police.
    ‘For a lot of employees, they feel as though … they’re going to be left hanging if they have to confront someone, said Andrew Berry-Ashpole, a longtime chef and founder of the Hamilton Hospitality Project , an Instagram page that discusses hospitality workers’ issues in the city.
    Berry-Ashpole ran an informal poll with nearly 100 workers that showed employees are anxious about facing backlash from customers.
    Employers are obligated under the Occupational Health and Safety Act to protect workers from hazards in the workplace, including harassment.
    But not enforcing the passport also poses risks for workers, say employment and labour lawyers.
    I can completely understand the frustration associated with appearing to be unpopular to your patrons with longer wait times, the administrative and operational challenges with administering the passport, but there is an obligation to do so under the law, said Muneeza Sheikh, a senior partner at Toronto-based Levitt Sheikh.
    Jonquille Pak, also a Toronto-based employment lawyer, said workers can refuse unsafe work and report their concerns to the Ministry of Labour or the city.
    No one should have to choose between their health and safety and their job, she said.
    Bobby Hristova  · CBC News

  • Town Of Milton Emphasizes Education on Vaccine Certificates

    By: Laura Steiner/ Local Journalism Initiative
    The Town of Milton will emphasize education when it comes to the enforcement of COVID-19 vaccine certificates.  The new guidelines requiring residents to present proof of vaccination became effective as of September 22, 2021.
    Residents are expected to present their vaccine certificates, as well as provincial government ID in order to enter various non-essential businesses including restaurants, nightclubs, and gyms/ health clubs. “If we receive a complaint about a business or organization alleged to not be in compliance with vaccine certificate entry regulations, our municipal law enforcement will respond,” Strategic Communications Director Carrie Beatty said in an email.  The Town has already been actively screening at some community, and recreational centres.
    The province echoes the education first approach.  They expect enforcement to be handled through municipal by-law enforcement officers, as well as inspectors. “Police officers are not responsible for enforcing the proof of vaccination program, Ministry of Health spokesperson Alexandra Hilkene said in a recent email.
    Health Minister Christine Elliott recently has advised businesses to call 9-1-1 if they get to a point where they feel threatened.  The province is planning to introduce a new ‘enhanced vaccine certificate’ in the form of a smartphone app beginning October 22, 2021.
    Ontario reported an increase of 613 cases of COVID-19 over yesterday, 350 of which are from unvaccinated Ontarians.  The Region of Halton reported an increase of 75 cases.  19 of these are from Milton, with two schools, and one workplace designated as having outbreaks.  82% of eligible Halton residents are completely vaccinated.

  • Annamie Paul is stepping down as Green Party leader

    Green Party Leader Annamie Paul announced today she is stepping down as leader of her party after its disastrous showing in the recent federal election, prompting a search for a new leader less than a year after the last one concluded.
    Paul, a bilingual former diplomat, was picked by members to take the reins of the small party last October, becoming the first Black permanent leader of a major federal political party. She pushed to make the party more diverse and reflective of contemporary Canada but her time at the top will be most remembered for the internal squabbling that hampered her leadership and the party’s electoral fortunes.
    After posting its best result ever in the 2019 election, the resignation of its former leader Elizabeth May prompted soul-searching among the party’s ranks as an ethically and ideologically diverse group of candidates lined up to replace her. Paul, a relative moderate, narrowly beat out an opponent who described himself as a radical and an eco-socialist. She promised aggressive action on climate change and policies to address systemic discrimination.
    But Paul was hampered by party infighting and a dispute over the party’s policy on Israeli and Palestinian issues.
    During May’s Middle East crisis, Paul, a Jewish woman, called for de-escalation and a return to dialogue — a response that was seen as insufficiently critical of Israel by some in the party, including one of its then MPs, Jenica Atwin.
    Under Paul’s leadership, the party’s vote dropped from a high-water mark of 1.1 million votes and 6.5 per cent of the national vote in 2019 to less than 400,00 votes and 2.3 per cent of the vote share in the most recent contest.
    John Paul Tasker · CBC News

  • Indigenous organizations conflicted about Catholic bishops’ apology

    The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has issued a public apology to Indigenous people in Canada for the suffering endured at residential schools, but the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) says the church needs to follow up with “concrete actions.”
    Addressing the Indigenous peoples of this land, the bishops issued a statement today saying that they acknowledge the suffering experienced in Canada’s Indian Residential Schools.
    Many Catholic religious communities and dioceses participated in this system, which led to the suppression of Indigenous languages, culture and spirituality, failing to respect the rich history, traditions and wisdom of Indigenous peoples, the statement said.
    We acknowledge the grave abuses that were committed by some members of our Catholic community; physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, cultural and sexual.
    The statement also sorrowfully acknowledges the lingering trauma suffered by former residential school students and their families.
    The Catholic Bishops of Canada express our profound remorse and apologize unequivocally, says the statement.
    As a part of the conference’s pledge to address its role in the cultural genocide of Indigenous people in Canada, it says that it will raise funds across the country to support regional Indigenous groups with projects defined at the local level.
    The conference also pledges to make an effort to listen to Indigenous Peoples, including the survivors of residential schools, in order to educate our clergy.

    AFN National Chief welcomes apology but also disappointed

    In a statement, Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald expressed mixed feelings about the apology.
    On one hand, their unequivocal apology is welcomed, she said.
    However, I am disappointed that the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops did not take the long overdue step of passing a motion/resolution to formally invite the Pope to Canada to offer his apology to First Nations and Indigenous Survivors and intergenerational trauma survivors here on Turtle Island.
    She said she would continue to seek an apology from Pope Francis in person on our sacred lands.
    She also said the church needs to meet financial commitments to residential school survivors.
    The fact remains that the church raised less than 15 per cent of the $25 million that it promised in 2006 as part of the IRS settlement, she said.
    The words of the apology speak to a commitment by the Catholic Church to the healing path forward with First Nations and Indigenous peoples, she continued. Only time will tell if concrete actions will follow the words of contrition by the Bishops.
    David Chartrand, president of the Manitoba Métis Federation and vice-president of the Métis National Council, welcomed the apology but said they also want to see the Pope apologize in person.
    We commend the archbishops, the CCCB and the new president of the conference for their important words, he said in a statement.
    During our meeting with Pope Francis, we will express the importance of an apology that comes directly from him, delivered on our home soil and spoken directly to the people the residential and day school systems harmed, as we know that is the path to healing.
    Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, the director of the Indian Residential Schools History and Dialogue Centre at the University of British Columbia, says the apology is an important step but that its language is unclear in a significant way.
    The statement is welcome. I think it’s stronger than what I’ve seen in the past from the Catholic Bishops of Canada, but it still has some limitations in it, she said in an interview.
    Turpel-Lafond says the words some members of the Catholic community makes it sound as though the apology is for the acts of individuals, rather than the Roman Catholic Church’s role as an institution in the residential school system.
    That makes it a little hard to understand what they’re apologizing for.… The entire system involved trying to ‘remove the Indian from the child’ and was, in the view of some people like myself, a genocide, she said.
    Turpel-Lafond added she hopes the apology will lead the Catholic Church to meet financial obligations to residential school survivors, as well as provide reparations to Indigenous communities, and to create a single access point for records regarding missing children and unmarked burials.
    Eleanore Sunchild, an Indigenous lawyer based in Saskatchewan, also said the church needs to undertake concrete action.
    They have come forward with half apologies, and promises, that I don’t see any concrete action from them yet in terms of acknowledging the truth of what happened in Indian residential schools, she said.
    They should work with Indigenous communities to find solutions to address the problems that they’ve created.

    Unmarked graves

    Since the early spring, several Indigenous communities across the country have reported that hundreds of unmarked graves have been located at the sites of former residential schools.
    In Kamloops, B.C., 200 potential burial sites have been identified using ground-penetrating radar. Indigenous officials in Saskatchewan also said ground-penetrating radar had detected more than 700 unmarked graves at the former Marieval Indian Residential School east of Regina.
    In June, the Lower Kootenay Band in British Columbia said a search with ground-penetrating radar had found what are believed to be 182 human remains at a site close to a former residential school in Cranbrook.
    The CCCB said it would do its part to help locate more unmarked graves at residential schools.
    We commit ourselves to continue the work of providing documentation or records that will assist in the memorialization of those buried in unmarked graves, the statement said.
    n June, the CCCB announced national Indigenous leaders will meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican in December. A delegation of First Nations, Métis and Inuit will meet with the Pope separately between Dec. 17 and 20.
    At the time, Winnipeg Archbishop Richard Gagnon said the Pope is open to delivering an apology in Canada at an opportune time. He said the Pope is expected to take a path similar to the one that led to his formal apology in Bolivia in 2015.
    What the Pope said and did in Bolivia is what he will do in Canada, he said. But he will gear it for the specifics of the Canadian situation.
    In today’s statement, the bishops said they pledge to work with the Holy See and our Indigenous partners on the possibility of a pastoral visit by the Pope to Canada as part of this healing journey.
    Peter Zimonjic  CBC News

  • B.C court drops extradition case after Meng Wanzhou enters deferred prosecution agreement in U.S.

    Chinese tech executive Meng Wanzhou will not be extradited to the United States, a B.C. court decided today after Meng reached a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. government.
    The deal with U.S. prosecutors resolved the fraud charges against the Huawei executive.
    As part of that arrangement, Meng pleaded not guilty in a U.S. court today to multiple fraud charges.
    The Huawei chief financial officer entered the plea during a virtual appearance in a New York courtroom. She was charged with bank fraud, wire fraud and conspiracies to commit bank and wire fraud more than two and a half years ago.
    David Kessler, an attorney with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, told the court the deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) will last four years — from the time of her arrest on Dec. 1. 2018 to Dec 1, 2022.
    A copy of the agreement has not been made public yet.
    Kessler said that if Meng complies with her obligations, the U.S. will move to dismiss the charges against her at the end of the deferral period. If she doesn’t, she can still be prosecuted.
    Kessler also said that, once the DPA is agreed to, the U.S. would promptly tell the Canadian minister of justice it is withdrawing the extradition request.
    U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly said she accepts the terms of the agreement.
    Later Friday afternoon, B.C. Supreme Court Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes officially ended the Canadian proceedings, signing an order to discharge the U.S. extradition request and vacate Meng’s bail conditions.
    She addressed Meng directly before ending a hearing that lasted less than 15 minutes.

    ‘Meng Wanzhou is free to leave Canada’

    You have been cooperative and courteous throughout the proceedings and the court appreciates and thanks you for that, Holmes said.
    In a media statement issued this evening, the federal Department of Justice confirmed that Meng Wanzhou is free to leave Canada.
    Canada is a rule of law country, says the statement. Meng Wanzhou was afforded a fair process before the courts in accordance with Canadian law. This speaks to the independence of Canada’s judicial system.
    Today’s developments could mark a new phase in the strained relationship between the Canadian and Chinese governments.
    The 49-year-old Meng was arrested at Vancouver’s international airport on Dec. 1, 2018 on a U.S. extradition request on allegations that she lied to a Hong Kong banker in August 2013 about Huawei’s control of a subsidiary accused of violating U.S. sanctions against Iran.
    A few days later, Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig were detained in China in what is widely seen as an act of retaliation by Beijing against Canada.

    Questions turn to release of Canadians

    Both men were charged with espionage. Spavor has been sentenced to 11 years in prison. Kovrig has yet to be sentenced; his trial wrapped in March.
    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called the charges “trumped-up .” China has long claimed that the cases of Spavor and Kovrig are not linked to Meng’s case.
    Colin Robertson, who served as a Canadian diplomat in China, said he expects talks between Washington and Beijing will now pivot to returning the two men home.
    You would get the plea by Meng Wanzhou and then at some later date we would see the two Michaels deported back to Canada, but I would not expect it to follow in a matter of days, he told CBC’s The Early Edition.
    This would be a negotiation involving Canada but it would be principally between the U.S. and China.

    CORRECTIONS

    • In a previous version of this story, CBC News reported Meng Wanzhou was expected to plead guilty as part of today’s proceedings, citing sources. In fact, Meng pleaded not guilty as part of a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. government. Sep 24, 2021 3:00 PM ET

    Catharine Tunney , Chris Hall  · CBC News

  • Bus Driver Shortage Impacts Halton Schools

    By: Laura Steiner, Local Journalism Initiative
    Halton Student Transportation Services (HSTS) has advised schools throughout Halton that it’s experiencing a shortage in bus drivers.
    “We are aware of the impact this driver shortage may have on some families and we appreciate their patience and understanding this challenging time,” General Manager of Halton Student Transportation Services David Colley said.  The lack of drivers is causing delays, and cancellations.  Parents are encouraged to sign up for delay and notifications through the HSTS website
    “We are fortunate to have more than 400 caring professional school bus drivers in Halton,” Colley said.
    Bus companies are looking increase their recruitment efforts through advertising in media throughout Halton Region.  Interested applicants are asked to contact the following bus companies regarding job requirements:

    “We hear from our drivers about how school bus driving is a very rewarding and fulfilling part-time career.  Thousands of Halton families rely on our school bus drivers to deliver their children to and from school safely.  The positive impact they have on our community is truly remarkable,” Colley said.  For more information visit their website

  • EU sends jolt to Apple’s Lightning port with proposed law mandating USB charging for all phones

    The European Union unveiled plans Thursday that would require smartphone makers to adopt a single charging method for mobile devices.
    The EU Commission proposed legislation Thursday that would mandate USB-C cables for charging, technology that many device makers have already adopted. The main holdout is Apple, which has resisted the bloc’s efforts for a unified standard. iPhones come with the company’s own Lightning charging port, though the newest models come with cables that can be plugged into a USB-C socket.
    The push by the EU will certainly be cheered by the millions of people who have searched through a drawer full of cables for the right charger. But the EU also wants to cut down on the 11,000 metric tons of electronic waste thrown out every year by Europeans.
    The commission said the typical person living in the EU owns at least three chargers, and uses two regularly, but 38 per cent of people report not being able to charge their phones at least once because they couldn’t find a compatible charger. Some 420 million mobile phones or portable electronic devices were sold in the EU last year.
    Chargers power all our most essential electronic devices. With more and more devices, more and more chargers are sold that are not interchangeable or not necessary. We are putting an end to that, Thierry Breton, the EU’s internal market commissioner, said. With our proposal, European consumers will be able to use a single charger for all their portable electronics — an important step to increase convenience and reduce waste.
    Under the proposed law, which must still be scrutinized by the European Parliament, phones, tablets, digital cameras, handheld video game consoles, headsets and headphones sold in the European Union would all have to come with USB-C charging ports.
    After attempting for more than a decade to cajole the industry into adopting a common standard, the EU’s executive commission is pushing the issue.
    The Associated Press

  • Pollster says youth vote was likely quite evenly split

    By: Morgan Sharp, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Canada’s National Observer
    Young people were almost as likely to vote Conservative as Liberal in the 2021 federal election, Abacus Data polling numbers from just before Monday’s vote show, while the NDP trailed in third place among voters aged 18 to 29.
    “There was not a big age or generational divide in this election,” the polling firm’s chief executive David Coletto said in a post-election briefing on Thursday, comparing it to a sharp divide by age in 2015, when the Liberals surged to a majority victory.
    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s party had the support of around a third of voters across age groups, he said, while the Conservative vote was concentrated more among older voters but improved among the under-30 crowd as the campaign progressed, to end with around 27 per cent support in that demographic compared to as low as 12 per cent earlier in the campaign.
    The NDP had the support of just under a quarter of those aged 18 to 29 who intended to vote, with its support slipping lower among those aged 30 to 44, and dipping into the teens among voters older than that.
    The divide was much more noticeable between urban and rural voters, Coletto said, while also suggesting fear that a spike in COVID-19 cases would trigger fresh lockdowns may have contributed to the failure of the Conservatives to make inroads in the Greater Toronto Area, which endured the longest period of restrictions in the country.
    “This is where I raise that flag about increased polarization between urban and rural communities, and the fact that if that doesn’t change, if that gets locked in and further enforced then minority governments will continue to be the norm,” he said, noting that such a configuration didn’t bother a large chunk of the electorate.
    Canada had three successive minority governments elected in 2004, 2006, and 2008, and another after the 2019 election.
    Asked to choose their top two issues from a long list of options, a third of those polled by Abacus put reducing their cost of living in that mix, while a quarter wanted an improved health-care system, and around one in five wanted to grow the economy (22 per cent), deal with climate change (21 per cent), or get more people vaccinated so as to return to normal quicker (19 per cent).
    “I don’t think there’s one answer to what this election was about,” he said. “I don’t think it was about nothing, but it was about a few different things depending on who you were.”
    “The Liberals have done an amazing job of becoming known for and being seen as the party that’s best able to do something on climate change,” Coletto said, noting that the collapse of the Greens also aided the Liberals on this front.
    Abacus’ campaign polling (of around 2,000 people a week) showed that despite a general unease with the Liberal government calling the early election during the fourth wave of the pandemic, most voters still thought they would win, suggesting strategic voting (one-third of NDP supporters said they would vote Liberal to keep Conservatives out of power) didn’t play an oversized role.
    Coletto pointed out that of the 15 per cent of those polled who said the election call made them somewhat less likely to vote Liberal, four in 10 did back the party anyway. (Almost half said it didn’t change their intention, a fifth said it made them not vote Liberal, and 17 per cent much less likely to do so.)
    “Which tells me this argument could only take the opposition parties so far,” he said. “It did hurt the Liberals, it pierced the armour of Teflon Trudeau, but it didn’t bring them down because there still wasn’t that desire for change.”
    “In litigating the unnecessary election argument, both (Jagmeet) Singh and (Erin) O’Toole were successful in getting people to see this election as not necessarily needed or wanted, but they didn’t fully convince people that this government needed to be defeated, particularly in and around suburban and urban areas in Ontario, in British Columbia, in parts of Atlantic Canada, and Quebec.”
    The Abacus data showed that interest in the campaign waned as it progressed, which is atypical, with a third of those polled at the end of the campaign saying they were only a little interested, and 13 per cent saying not at all.
    Some 35 per cent said they’d prefer the Liberals were in charge if the pandemic got worse (and worries about COVID-19 spiked around the time the writ dropped after a more relaxed summer), yet a quarter of that group ended up voting for another party, which Coletto attributed to the widespread belief that the Conservatives were unlikely to win.
    “To fear something and then change your behaviour you have to believe it’s likely to happen,” he said.

  • HRPS confirm Identity of Deceased Male

    By: Laura Steiner/ Local Journalism Initiative
    The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) have confirmed the identity of a deceased male found in the Lower Base Line and Sixth Line west area of of Milton.  81-year old Ignacio Viana was found by a passerby earlier today.
    Viana, a cyclist, had been reported missing from Peel Region September 17.  He was last seen at a home near Erin Mills Parkway and Folkway Drive in Mississauga.
    “The HRPS would like to extend our sincerest condolences to the friends and family of Mr. Viana during this tragic and difficult time,” Halton police said in a news release.
    HRPS investigators  are investigating.  They’re asking anyone with information or dash-cam footage in the Lower base and Sixth line area dating from September 17, until September 23 to contact police at: 905-825-4777 ext. 2420.

  • Jason Kenney survives caucus meeting with leadership review to come

    Alberta Premier Jason Kenney faced down a caucus revolt on Wednesday, as factions within his United Conservative Party coalesced in opposition to his leadership — but a reckoning has been put off to another day.
    There had been some expectations of a confidence vote. MLA Searle Turton says there was no such vote at the meeting.
    Dave Prisco, UCP director of communications, said Kenney requested that the 2022 UCP AGM take place in the spring and that the scheduled leadership review occur at that time. Prisco said the party is working to confirm a date and venue.
    Ryan Becker, UCP president, said in a letter to the party’s constituency association presidents that he spoke with Kenney and the premier asked for the change to deal with any leadership issues well in advance of the next election.
    We are all aware that recent government decisions on responding to the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic have caused anger and frustration among some party members and there is a growing desire to hold a leadership review, Becker wrote.
    CBC News understands from sources with knowledge of the meeting that government MLAs introduced a motion challenging Kenney’s leadership at some point in the meeting, but later withdrew it.
    Turton said the focus of the discussion was on the government’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis.
    I mean, obviously it’s a brute and bashing group of MLAs, but that’s what caucus is for, having those frank conversations, and I’m thankful that we had that ability, he said.
    Most of caucus spoke up and, like I said, our focus is on the province, COVID-19, making sure that families and communities are protected.
    He said caucus is more united than when they entered the room earlier Wednesday.

    Calls for resignation

    Kenney is facing open threats to his leadership within the UCP, with MLAs and the vice-president of policy, Joel Mullan, openly calling for his resignation.
    Some in the caucus are angry that Kenney introduced vaccine passports in an effort to stem the tide of the crushing fourth wave of COVID-19, while others say the government waited too long to take action.
    The province has the highest active case counts in the country by a wide margin, with hospitals and intensive care units (ICUs) straining under the pressure.
    Alberta Health Services said on Wednesday that the province’s ICUs are at 87 per cent of capacity, including added surge beds. Triage of care kicks in at 90 per cent of capacity.
    Wednesday’s meeting comes the day after Alberta Health Minister Tyler Shandro resigned and swapped his portfolio with Jason Copping to become the minister of labour and immigration.
    Critics said the swap was an attempt by the premier to deflect criticism  as threats mounted against him.

    Constituencies consider moving up leadership review

    Before the caucus meeting Wednesday, some UCP constituency associations were considering passing motions to move up the date, according to media reports.
    Speaking on the Calgary Eyeopener (new window) Wednesday morning, Mullan said the UCP remained a grassroots party and he hoped any decisions on a leadership review would be left to the constituencies rather than have it handed down from caucus.
    Despite the controversies and conflict, Turton said the caucus meeting was productive.
    I think there’s always going to be differences of opinion, and when it comes to many of the issues before us, that’s what makes for healthy, robust debates.
    Drew Anderson,  Elise von Scheel · CBC News