00:00:36.980There's a new public safety strategy for Edmonton.
00:00:40.280And finally, the UCP's recovery plan for addictions and homelessness is hitting a big milestone this month.
00:00:47.280All that and more happening now on the Alberta Roundup.
00:00:50.160Okay guys, let's dive into this first story here because I know you guys are going to have a lot to say about it.
00:00:54.700Alberta's former Chief Medical Health Officer, Dr. Dino Hinshaw, has been given a six-month contract in BC as the Deputy Provincial Health Officer.
00:01:03.620I'm sure you guys remember that during the United Conservative Party leadership race this past summer,
00:01:07.880Danielle Smith, now the Premier, campaigned on promises to do away with Dino Hinshaw and the COVID-19 restrictions she implemented.
00:01:15.180Smith made good on those promises very quickly after being elected and Hinshaw was turfed in November.
00:01:19.920But the BC government says Hinshaw will, quote, support the work of the Office of the Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry,
00:01:27.940while filling in for another Deputy Provincial Health Officer.
00:01:32.760Under Hinshaw's leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kennedy government implemented vaccine passports and closed schools and churches for a while.
00:01:54.840And you guys likely remember the backlash Hinshaw received when it was revealed that she took home a $228,000 COVID bonus in 2021.
00:02:03.340Now, that was on top of her over $360,000 salary.
00:02:07.400So, in 2021, she took home well over half a million dollars.
00:02:11.520Let me know in the comments section below what you think about Hinshaw getting hired in BC.
00:02:15.240Another big story this week is that the Alberta government announced measures to improve safety in Edmonton.
00:02:21.100If you guys live in Edmonton, you know how unsafe the city can be, especially if you need to use public transit.
00:02:26.320So, the Alberta government made an announcement to that effect earlier this week.
00:02:31.120When the provincial government announced the Edmonton Task Force, I made it very clear that action must be taken immediately.
00:02:39.060Today, I'm proud to share that we are doing just that.
00:02:42.640In partnership with the Edmonton Police Service, Alberta sheriffs are being redeployed to the downtown streets and keeping Edmontonians safe.
00:02:51.640By establishing a more visible presence with more boots on the ground, we can deter crime and make Albertans who live, work, and visit these communities feel safe.
00:03:03.080With the help of Alberta sheriffs, EPS can run these patrols seven days a week and cover a larger geographic area.
00:03:10.480A larger area may include specific LRT locations, the Pedway system, and other areas of high crime and social disorder.
00:03:18.620And that announcement was met with a positive reaction from Edmonton's Chinatown community.
00:03:23.040Representatives said that crime has cost them a million dollars in damages.
00:03:26.920In the past year, Chinatown has suffered numerous and unprecedented safety issues in our community.
00:03:38.480We have suffered from millions of dollars worth of property damages.
00:04:28.420For those of you who have kids at home, you might be following the federal and provincial government's efforts to provide $10 a day child daycare.
00:04:34.980In November 2021, Alberta and Ottawa agreed on a $3.8 billion deal to reduce child care to $10 a day in the province within five years.
00:04:44.580The original deal included plans to open 42,500 new non-profit spaces.
00:04:49.780Tuesday's announcement would add an additional 22,500 spaces, with the hopes of having them operational by 2025 to 2026.
00:04:58.380The deal officially called the Canada-Alberta Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care Agreement.
00:05:04.840I feel like they could have come up with a better name.
00:05:06.800It's expected to save parents between $450 and $635 per month for each child receiving full-time care.
00:05:14.500That's an absolutely massive amount of savings.
00:05:16.860It's good news for parents who rely on those spaces.
00:05:18.820Okay, moving into our Daily Comment Roundup.
00:05:21.620Last week, we spent a lot of time going over the CBC story.
00:05:24.980You guys remember the details, I'm sure.
00:05:27.180CBC has written two stories alleging that the Premier has in some way or another put pressure on the Justice Minister and Crown Prosecutors
00:05:34.240regarding cases related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Coutts border blockade.
00:05:39.240No emails or evidence of other exchanges between the Premier and the Crown Prosecutors being inappropriate has been uncovered.
00:05:44.820And the Premier has called the CBC's reporting defamatory and asked them to issue a retraction and an apology.
00:05:51.180The CBC is standing behind their reporting as we discussed last week.
00:05:54.960And here's what you guys had to say about it.
00:05:56.880Sub, if you are unapologetically pro-life, said anyone with even a smidge of common sense knows government-funded equates to government shell.
00:06:04.200Their reporting here did nothing but strengthen this beautiful lady's support.
00:06:09.500Sincerely, looking forward to our upcoming provincial election in May, just so I can vote for this woman.