Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced new funding and measures around childcare, homeless shelters and the energy sector to protect those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19.
"This is an example of what I hope we will see coming through this time of adversity, more and more Albertans stepping up to the plate to help their neighbours," Kenney said.
"That spirit can be expressed by going next door to an isolated senior and seeing if they need groceries or pharmaceuticals, by being kind to people in the grocery store, by looking out for your neighbours, and of course, following the advice of Dr. Hinshaw in terms of our public health protocols."
Childcare
Next week, the Ministry of Children's Services will begin reopening selected licensed childcare centres to provide care for core service providers.
"We are working to open up to 15,000 spaces. We're prioritizing those in areas around the province like Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Fort McMurray, Grand Prairie – areas where our healthcare workers are already working at higher demand," said Minister of Children's Services Rebecca Schulz.
"We are going to have a number of those spaces open, hopefully around 6,000, as soon as Monday, Tuesday."
Healthcare workers will be allowed first, followed by municipal critical infrastructure workers. Other impacted sectors including police officers, firefighters and correctional service workers will be phased in.
Childcare centres chosen for reopening will be notified later today, Kenney said, and will be limited to 30 people including staff. They will have to adhere to strict health guidelines.
All other centres will remain closed. Licensed dayhomes may remain open but are limited to six children each, not including the operator's own children.
"We all need to operate within this new normal, which means only using the resources we absolutely need," Kenney said.
Expanded homeless shelters
This morning, Kenney said the province supported the expansion of homeless centres in Alberta to "help them cope safely with the threat of coronavirus."
Shelter pandemic plans are underway across the province. In Edmonton, the Hope Mission and the Mustard Seed have identified community spaces to allow extra space between individuals for social distancing and surge capacity. The Expo Centre will be activated as a location for people with illness.
Measures will also be put in place to allow for a separate area of surge capacity for those who are not showing symptoms of COVID-19.
In Calgary, the Mustard Seed and Calgary Drop-in Centre have identified additional sites to meet shortfalls from social distancing. The City of Calgary and the Drop-in Centre are working with the Community and Social Services of Alberta to book hotels for additional surge capacity space.
Modified operations and alternate locations to meet capacity are also happening in shelters in Red Deer, Lethbridge, and Grande Prairie.
"All of these expanded homeless shelters will be supported by additional $30 million of support our government announced earlier this week, part of our $60 million COVID Civil Society Fund," Kenney said.
Energy sector
In the face of challenges resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak and declining oil prices due to an international price war, Kenney said the government is taking the first step in implementing a series of energy sector initiatives aimed at helping out the energy sector.
"The price war instigated by the (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) OPEC and Russia in the midst of this global pandemic highlights the need for Canada, the United States and other democratic nations to treat energy resources as key strategic assets that are essential to our national economic security," Kenney said.
"The actions I am announcing today and in the coming days are designed to ensure our domestic energy industry gets through the price collapse and will assure Canada's security in supply in the long term."
The government is waiving the industry levy for the Alberta Energy Regulator for six months. This action will provide industry relief, totalling $113 million dollars, Keney said.
"Second, we're extending the term of mineral agreements expiring in 2020 by one year. This will bolster certainty in the industry by providing time to raise capital and develop future plans."
The government has also extended a loan to the Orphan Well Association in the amount of $100 million. This loan will bolster the association’s immediate reclamation efforts, decommission about 1,000 wells, and start more than 1,000 environmental assessments, creating up to 500 direct and indirect jobs.
Economic Recovery Council
Kenney also has announced the membership of the Economic Recovery Council, created to provide advice which will guide Alberta through the downturn that comes as a result of COVID-19 and the energy price crash.
The council is made up of policy and industry experts who will provide insight and expert advice on how to protect jobs during the economic crisis stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent collapse in energy prices.
The 12 members includes former prime minister Stephen Harper and WestJet CEO Clive Beddoe.
"They are giving their time freely with no compensation or expectation of it," Kenney said.
The council will also focus on strategies for long-term recovery from the crisis, including efforts to accelerate diversification of the Alberta economy.
On March 17, the government declared a state of public health emergency, empowering authorities under the Public Health Act to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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