Alberta Politics & Government Thread 3.0

[Lubicon]

Anecdotally, and I don't work in the health care system so may be completely off the mark. But years ago when my kids were born (Foothills Hospital) they had a job board with all the various postings. Not a single FT nursing position available, everything was part time. Fast forward to today, my niece graduated from nursing two years ago and no FT positions to be found. She's worked temporary contract and multiple jobs to make up FT hours. So it seems not much has changed in 23 years, this is not a new issue. Why is this happening?? I don't know but have heard (again anecdotally) that the nursing profession is quite flexible with work hours partly due to being heavily dominated by females. Changing to 0.8, 0.5 time etc. to meet family demands at home. This is both a blessing and a curse it seems. Great to have that flexibility for those that need it but it creates thousands of part time positions that are harder to fill, and nurses need to piece together multiple positions to make a FT wage. That's not ideal either.

Might be completely off the mark and I don't know what the solution is. Just my observations.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

When you want to own the Libs, but you have no ####ing idea what you're doing.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1745105514944716863

I can't read the paywalled article but if there are safety or health concerns regarding the drugs isn't that on Health Canada and not the Alberta government? Health Canada approved the drug for import and usage so they obviously deemed it to be safe and effective.

[Major Major]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

When you want to own the Libs, but you have no ####ing idea what you're doing.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1745105514944716863

"Getting things done."

[Ozy_Flame]

Yes, but in-patient use or OTC only, which is not where it's ended up. Additionally, Alberta Health pushed hard for 'exceptional circumstances' with Health Canada. Alberta also found the drug supplier on their own, it wasn't sourced by Health Canada either. After approval, Health Canada only requires that risks are labelled on the packaging. There's a nuance here that Health Canada was provisioning Alberta's request without the depth of review Parol probably should have had. A failure on both Alberta's and Health Canada's part IMO.

But at the end of the day, Alberta wanted this supply of Parol likely forcing the issue and without knowing all the risks involved. Or, even worse, they knew the risks but wanted to look like saviors but it went horribly awry.

[Torture]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Are there more than 2 ways to reduce overtime? Either cut patient care, or hire more full time employees. Cutting patient care is bad, so that leaves hiring more. Which they've resisted for decades, forcing more overtime. And now it seems HCW's are nigh impossible to find. Where does that leave us? Unless I'm missing another option.

Third option is more efficiency in the system so that you don't need the extra staffing, but that doesn't solve the problem on it's own.

Realistically the solution has to be a combination of hiring more employees to cover staffing demands when it's not OT and eliminating inefficiencies to reduce staffing demand.

edit: I suppose the 4th option would be to reduce demand overall on the system by taking a more proactive and holistic view of healthcare but we all know big picture thinking isn't on the table @_@

[looooob]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

. Or, even worse, they knew the risks but wanted to look like saviors but it went as expected.

tweaked it for you

[aaronck]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1745105514944716863

[Faust]

The Breakdown
Remember that time Danielle Smith claimed the government didn’t receive the pension report until August of 2023 because LifeWorks needed more time to complete the report?

Pepperidge Farm remembers.

#abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli

https://x.com/thebreakdownab/status/...260743445?s=61

[Faust]

The Breakdown

Danielle Smith has repeatedly claimed that the Alberta Pension Report was delivered in August of 2023.

She’s lying.

How do we know?

Well…

/1

#abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli

https://x.com/thebreakdownab/status/...158820339?s=61


The Breakdown

A while back we did a FOIP asking for any correspondence on the development of the report.

All we got back was a PowerPoint presentation.

But that PowerPoint presentation had a very clear timeline for the APP report development and delivery.

/2

https://x.com/thebreakdownab/status/...592706327?s=61



The Breakdown

But we followed up.

Because that deck made it clear that a report should have been issued in 2021, not 2023 like Smith claimed.

Because she claimed the report was never delivered and needed more time to be completed because of new data at the end of 2022.

/3

https://x.com/thebreakdownab/status/...001979969?s=61


The Breakdown

And in our latest FOIP we got the full April 2021 report.

And it is a different report than the LifeWorks report.

But as always, we aren’t journalists.

And we have a clear policy on how we manage these situations.

/4

https://x.com/thebreakdownab/status/...906873051?s=61


The Breakdown

So if there are any economists or journalists who would like a full copy of the report that Dani denied existed…

Send us a DM with your email.

Because if Dani is willing to lie about the number of reports…

How can Albertans possibly trust her with their pensions?

/5




https://x.com/thebreakdownab/status/...708635531?s=61

[Faust]

Duane Bratt

I have reviewed the differences between the Lifeworks August 2023 and Morneau-Shepell April 2021 reports on an Alberta Pension Plan. Hat tip to @TheBreakdownAB for FOIPing it! Outside of the name of the company and the date, the two reports are largely the same.

https://x.com/duanebratt/status/1745...624235987?s=61



Here are two important passages from the Executive Summary. 2023 report on the left and 2021 report on the right. Identical!

https://x.com/duanebratt/status/1745...092209568?s=61


One big exception is the attached paragraph from 2023 report is second paragraph of the Executive Summary. While the 2021 report puts it on p4 of the body and not in the Executive Summary. This is significant because most people only read the Executive Summary of long reports.

https://x.com/duanebratt/status/1745...227155291?s=61

Even the calculation of CPP assets that they claim Alberta is entitled to is very similar. 2021 report has it at 55% ($293 billion) and 2023 report has it at 53% ($334 billion)

https://x.com/duanebratt/status/1745...043190614?s=61

If there was very little substantive differences between the two reports, two big political questions emerge. First, why did the Kenney government not release the report in April 2021? After all, they commissioned it as part of the Fair Deal Panel recommendations.

https://x.com/duanebratt/status/1745...427355709?s=61

Second, why did the Smith government ask Lifeworks to update the report? Why did they not release the original report once she became Premier in October 2022?

https://x.com/duanebratt/status/1745...874419548?s=61


Peter McCaffrey

They've already said they were updating the numbers to reflect new data from CPP:

"In February, Smith’s office said the report was being updated to reflect new figures on the CPP."

https://x.com/peteremcc/status/1745248798715064789?s=61

[Faust]

@ChrisVarcoe

Varcoe: 'I would love to sell it' — Smith says Alberta looking at options for its stake in Sturgeon Refinery
"Can we get to a different type of approach where some private sector operator will buy this from us, take it off our hands."
calgaryherald.com/opinion/column… #ableg #yyc #yeg

https://x.com/chrisvarcoe/status/174...238546016?s=61


Andrew Leach

I will reiterate my call for a full inquiry into the various stages of this catastrophic deal. Plenty of people made a lot of money as Alberta lost tens of billions on a bad bet and bad contracts and bad political decisions. We deserve to know who, why, and at who's direction.

https://x.com/andrew_leach/status/17...487083530?s=61

[Faust]

Andrew Leach

Want some of the details? See here. And this was before we helped restructure the deal and bought a share.

https://x.com/andrew_leach/status/17...906970573?s=61


OPINION | This 'Bitumen Boondoggle' is costing Alberta taxpayers billions

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j...O&opi=89978449

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Faust

Andrew Leach

Want some of the details? See here. And this was before we helped restructure the deal and bought a share.

https://x.com/andrew_leach/status/17...906970573?s=61


OPINION | This 'Bitumen Boondoggle' is costing Alberta taxpayers billions

https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j...O&opi=89978449

I generally assume all my taxes go to Murray Edwards in some way.

[Harry Lime]

I wish that government on any level would stop selling utilities and power to private interests. Never once has it worked out for the electorate. Owning half of a refinery gives the people of Alberta a lot of power that isn't reflected on the bottom line of the plant itself.

I'm sure Smith can't wait to sell the refinery at pennies on the dollar to her nephew/cousin/bro from college.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

Anecdotally, and I don't work in the health care system so may be completely off the mark. But years ago when my kids were born (Foothills Hospital) they had a job board with all the various postings. Not a single FT nursing position available, everything was part time. Fast forward to today, my niece graduated from nursing two years ago and no FT positions to be found. She's worked temporary contract and multiple jobs to make up FT hours. So it seems not much has changed in 23 years, this is not a new issue. Why is this happening?? I don't know but have heard (again anecdotally) that the nursing profession is quite flexible with work hours partly due to being heavily dominated by females. Changing to 0.8, 0.5 time etc. to meet family demands at home. This is both a blessing and a curse it seems. Great to have that flexibility for those that need it but it creates thousands of part time positions that are harder to fill, and nurses need to piece together multiple positions to make a FT wage. That's not ideal either.

Might be completely off the mark and I don't know what the solution is. Just my observations.

Yeah...my information is only Anecdotal as well so...'huge grain of salt' but I think Nursing is suffering from a similar problem as Teaching.

You've got people hanging around WAY too long and so there arent positions available for new blood who can work more hours, be more efficient, have new ideas as opposed to 'We've always done it this way" etc.

And that applies to Managerial positions as well.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Locke

You've got people hanging around WAY too long and so there arent positions available for new blood who can work more hours, be more efficient, have new ideas as opposed to 'We've always done it this way" etc.

Don’t teachers typically retire in their late 50s, or about 4-5 years earlier than the median Canadian retirement age of 64?

[Locke]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Don’t teachers typically retire in their late 50s, or about 4-5 years earlier than the median Canadian retirement age of 64?

Yes and no.

They 'retire' and start collecting their full pensions, but they continue to work.

So they're collecting a full salary and a full pension and removing a spot from a younger teacher.

[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by Locke

Yes and no.

They 'retire' and start collecting their full pensions, but they continue to work.

So they're collecting a full salary and a full pension and removing a spot from a younger teacher.

It's worth noting that many teachers take significant amounts of time off to be mothers. When they return to teaching their pension is not worth very much.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

It's worth noting that many teachers take significant amounts of time off to be mothers. When they return to teaching their pension is not worth very much.

Do teachers take more parental leave than people in other professions? If not, then this is just an individual's choice to trade time off while young in exchange for working more later in life.

I think the big thing there is most jobs don't offer people that opportunity, so if it is available to teachers, that's just yet another perk of being a teacher and not something we need to feel bad for them about. It's a sweet deal. Anybody else would lose their job for that and be starting from square one when they finally decided to get back to work.

[Jason14h]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

It's worth noting that many teachers take significant amounts of time off to be mothers. When they return to teaching their pension is not worth very much.

What ? Huh ?

Except that fact more teachers are women more often then men why would teachers take more time off to be parents then anyone else