An Alternative View of COVID 19 in Alberta

I am Al Poole, retired Site Leader, NOVA Chemicals, Joffre site. Like everyone else, I’ve been overwhelmed with information about Covid 19. It is in my nature to ask questions – and keep asking until I get a satisfactory answer. As a former Site Leader at NOVA Chemicals, Joffre I am aware of what emergency response plans look like. This isn’t it

Why am I doing this?

I accept that covid may be more contagious than other influenzas and requires thoughtful and well planned interventions to minimize the impact on all citizens (I say “may” as there is considerable disagreement on the PCR test method – even by its founder).. However, I am puzzled as to why the AB government and AHS will not consider the opposing opinions coming from other health and science experts. I suspect the truth is somewhere in the middle. Why are they so reluctant to engage other opinion to ensure we are on a productive path to protect all Albertans. I am surprised at how willingly many Albertans have accepted the ongoing dogma by our government, AHS and the media. Fear factor is something to worry about. I believe it results from sharing inaccurate models and the constant reporting of cases even though we know cases are not harmful to the vast majority of Albertans. Clearly – our media people are caught up in the fear factor. I hope people will read this and begin a process to become more informed on – What is And What isn’t – as it relates to Covid. People need to ask more questions – demand better information.
Read these articles: one by David Redman on a proper Emergency Response Plan – why ignore it? https://c2cjournal.ca/2020/12/every-store-and-school-should-be-open-confronting-the-pandemic-with-confidence/ Second one – Great Barrington Declaration, written by some smart qualified medical people – why it is simply dismissed? https://gbdeclaration.org/
See this article on our freedoms and rights in the National Post from Preston Manning https://nationalpost.com/opinion/preston-manning-lockdown-rules-are-violating-our-rights-im-calling-on-the-justice-minister-to-intervene

Remember:

1) At the outset we were alerted to the fact the virus (like flu viruses) is likely to mutate. Now – it has and continues to mutate. Even more concerning is the notion it only happens in other countries and can only enter Canada – versus accepting the mutation can happen here too.

2) Soon after governments accepted Covid was real and in Canada they declared, “we must protect our most vulnerable”. Everyone agreed! It still makes sense as one of the important objectives – but not the only one.

Perspective:

As of Jan 25^rd in Alberta (Based on data from Alberta Gov’t interactive web site on Covid):

Over 95% of people contracting the virus have few to no symptoms;
Less than 5% are hospitalized;
Less than a 1% in ICU;
Average age is 82;
No one under the age of 20 has died.

Across Canada over 80% of deaths are in Long Term Care Facilities (most vulnerable).

So – how have they done protecting the most vulnerable? They have done a miserable job – and I am not surprised. They were offered an emergency response plan but chose to ignore it. The plan outlined by Mr. Redman is consistent with my Emergency Preparedness and Response training and experience. Further, as soon as you enter the realm of personal protective equipment to protect people from respiratory infection – you are into seriously rigid procedures. I have seen no evidence of meaningful procedures.

Deaths (using 4,400,000 as Alberta population – actual slightly higher):

Covid deaths (1549): 0.04%
Annual deaths (from all causes in 2019 – over 26,000): 0 .6%
Deaths among elderly continue to rise – no surprise as they did not protect most vulnerable.

Age at death (comorbidities a major factor in most of these deaths):

80+ – 1030
70s – 316
60s – 160
50s – 50

In summary:

I worry the hype of new strains will lead gov’t to more and longer lockdown restrictions with out any realization these same actions have made it worse for our most vulnerable and have made it worse for so many other Albertans.. A good Emergency Response Plan would have done a better job of protecting our most vulnerable – less deaths – less load on hospitals and much less impact on Alberta citizens and way of life. It is not too late to rethink the covid approach to something more effective in protecting our most vulnerable and getting Alberta citizens and businesses moving back toward normal life and operations.

In closing, Covid has had an impact on us — for two of our three children – have experienced work interruptions. Our oldest is in essential services (Ontario) so continues to work. However, her son, our grandson at 13 is negatively impacted, by isolation and not being in a classroom, during a most important time of his life. Also, I have a 92 year old mom in good mental and physical health – more negatively impacted by isolation. As she said to me this summer, “for heavens sake Allan, I am 92 – what are they thinking”. She was so upset she could not hug two of her children who were allowed a ‘distance visit’.

I am still puzzled and wondering – what are they (gov’t and AHS) trying to protect? Their actions and decisions to date make no sense.

I encourage everyone to become more informed and start asking a lot more questions. We are entitled to better leadership and meaningful information from our government. Here are my questions :

What is the truth on PCR testing? We want data not just your opinion.
Why is the death rate so high in LTC – from March 2020 until now?
Why is most testing related to multiple test for same people – suggests spread is in hot zones (LTC facilities).
Why are so many business still under lockdown restrictions?

“What are your questions?”

Related Topics:#AlPoole #AlternativeViewofCOVID-19 #COVID19AB feature

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An Alternative View of COVID 19 in Alberta

Alberta

‘Weird and wonderful’ wells are boosting oil production in Alberta and Saskatchewan

Published on November 20, 2025

Todayville

From the Canadian Energy Centre

By Deborah Jaremko

Multilateral designs lift more energy with a smaller environmental footprint

A “weird and wonderful” drilling innovation in Alberta is helping producers tap more oil and gas at lower cost and with less environmental impact.

With names like fishbone, fan, comb-over and stingray, “multilateral” wells turn a single wellbore from the surface into multiple horizontal legs underground.

“They do look spectacular, and they are making quite a bit of money for small companies, so there’s a lot of interest from investors,” said Calin Dragoie, vice-president of geoscience with Calgary-based Chinook Consulting Services.

Dragoie, who has extensively studied the use of multilateral wells, said the technology takes horizontal drilling — which itself revolutionized oil and gas production — to the next level.

“It’s something that was not invented in Canada, but was perfected here. And it’s something that I think in the next few years will be exported as a technology to other parts of the world,” he said.

Dragoie’s research found that in 2015 less than 10 per cent of metres drilled in Western Canada came from multilateral wells. By last year, that share had climbed to nearly 60 per cent.

Royalty incentives in Alberta have accelerated the trend, and Saskatchewan has introduced similar policy.

Multilaterals first emerged alongside horizontal drilling in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Dragoie said. But today’s multilaterals are longer, more complex and more productive.

The main play is in Alberta’s Marten Hills region, where producers are using multilaterals to produce shallow heavy oil.

Today’s average multilateral has about 7.5 horizontal legs from a single surface location, up from four or six just a few years ago, Dragoie said.

One record-setting well in Alberta drilled by Tamarack Valley Energy in 2023 features 11 legs stretching two miles each, for a total subsurface reach of 33 kilometres — the longest well in Canada.

By accessing large volumes of oil and gas from a single surface pad, multilaterals reduce land impact by a factor of five to ten compared to conventional wells, he said.

The designs save money by skipping casing strings and cement in each leg, and production is amplified as a result of increased reservoir contact.

Here are examples of multilateral well design. Images courtesy Chinook Consulting Services.

Parallel

Fishbone

Fan

Waffle

Stingray

Frankenwells

Alberta

Alberta to protect three pro-family laws by invoking notwithstanding clause

Published on November 19, 2025

Todayville

From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

Premier Danielle Smith said her government will use a constitutional tool to defend a ban on transgender surgery for minors and stopping men from competing in women’s sports.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her government will use a rare constitutional tool, the notwithstanding clause, to ensure three bills passed this year — a ban on transgender surgery for minors, stopping men from competing in women’s sports, and protecting kids from extreme aspects of the LGBT agenda — stand and remain law after legal attacks from extremist activists.

Smith’s United Conservative Party (UCP) government stated that it will utilize a new law, Bill 9, to ensure that laws passed last year remain in effect.

“Children deserve the opportunity to grow into adulthood before making life-altering decisions about their gender and fertility,” Smith said in a press release sent to LifeSiteNews and other media outlets yesterday.

“By invoking the notwithstanding clause, we’re ensuring that laws safeguarding children’s health, education and safety cannot be undone – and that parents are fully involved in the major decisions affecting their children’s lives. That is what Albertans expect, and that is what this government will unapologetically defend.”

Alberta Justice Minister and Attorney General Mickey Amery said that the laws passed last year are what Albertans voted for in the last election.

“These laws reflect an overwhelming majority of Albertans, and it is our responsibility to ensure that they will not be overturned or further delayed by activists in the courts,” he noted.

“The notwithstanding clause reinforces democratic accountability by keeping decisions in the hands of those elected by Albertans. By invoking it, we are providing certainty that these protections will remain in place and that families can move forward with clarity and confidence.”

The Smith government said the notwithstanding clause will apply to the following pieces of legislation:

Bill 26, the Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2024, prohibits both gender reassignment surgery for children under 18 and the provision of puberty blockers and hormone treatments for the purpose of gender reassignment to children under 16.
Bill 27, the Education Amendment Act, 2024, requires schools to obtain parental consent when a student under 16 years of age wishes to change his or her name or pronouns for reasons related to the student’s gender identity, and requires parental opt-in consent to teaching on gender identity, sexual orientation or human sexuality.
Bill 29, the Fairness and Safety in Sport Act, requires the governing bodies of amateur competitive sports in Alberta to implement policies that limit participation in women’s and girls’ sports to those who were born female.”

Bill 26 was passed in December of 2024, and it amends the Health Act to “prohibit regulated health professionals from performing sex reassignment surgeries on minors.”

Last year, Smith’s government also passed Bill 27, a law banning schools from hiding a child’s pronoun changes at school that will help protect kids from the extreme aspects of the LGBT agenda.

Bill 27 will also empower the education minister to, in effect, stop the spread of extreme forms of pro-LGBT ideology or anything else to be allowed to be taught in schools via third parties.

Bill 29, which became law last December, bans gender-confused men from competing in women’s sports, the first legislation of its kind in Canada.  The law applies to all school boards, universities, and provincial sports organizations. 

Alberta’s notwithstanding clause is like all other provinces’ clauses and was a condition Alberta agreed to before it signed onto the nation’s 1982 constitution.

It is meant as a check to balance power between the court system and the government elected by the people. Once it is used, as passed in the legislature, a court cannot rule that the “legislation which the notwithstanding clause applies to be struck down based on the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Alberta Bill of Rights, or the Alberta Human Rights Act,” the Alberta government noted.

While Smith has done well on some points, she has still been relatively soft on social issues of importance to conservatives , such as abortion, and has publicly expressed pro-LGBT views, telling Jordan Peterson earlier this year that conservatives must embrace homosexual “couples” as “nuclear families.”