Alberta
COVID-19 Friday update, 4 new deaths, 58 new case, outdoor gatherings upped to 50 people, Dr. Hinshaw cutbacks & more

In the government’s COVID-19 Friday May 15th update, chief medical officer of health for Alberta Dr. Deena Hinshaw reported four more deaths, 58 new case, changes to the outdoor gathering rules now up to 50 people and she plans to cutback her attendance at the daily reports, among other information.
There have been four new deaths and 58 new case since Thursday’s report. Alberta has now had a total of 125 deaths and 6,515 confirmed cases of the coronavirus since the pandemic began here in early March. The four latest victims were residents of continuing care facilities in the Calgary Zone. There are currently 1,073 active cases across the province, 62 of them in hospital, and nine of those in intensive care units.
Dr. Hinshaw had a message for Albertans as they head into a long weekend, “Even while we begin to enter Stage 1 of our relaunch, let us remember this virus still poses a risk, particularly to the elderly and people with chronic medical conditions,” Adding, “We need to remember that no Albertan is expendable.”
“The better that we can collectively hold our infection rate stable and low as we move into this Stage 1, the quicker we can move into Stage 2,” Dr. Deena Hinshaw

The Canadian Forces Snowbirds over City of Edmonton as part of cross country tour to thank essential workers, Hugo Sanchez Photography
Updated guidelines for outdoor gatherings to 50 people
“As we start to ease certain restrictions, it is increasingly important that we all continue to take proper precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.” Hinshaw said As the weather continues to warm up and just in time for the long weekend, the limit for outdoor gatherings has increased from 15 to 50 effective Friday May 15.
- Albertans are still asked to keep a two-metre distance from others and practising proper hygiene.
- If you’re holding a gathering in your backyard, you’re encouraged to sanitize doorknobs and washrooms if guests are going inside and have hand sanitizer available. Indoor gatherings are still limited to a maximum of 15 people or fewer.
- Physical distance of two metres must remain between people from different households, and attendees must follow proper hygiene practices.
- Attendees should not share food or drinks.
- Indoor gatherings are still limited to fewer than 15 people, except when otherwise identified in public health orders such as workplaces, places of worship, and in restaurants.
- Download the ABTraceTogether app and turning it on when leaving home.
Staying safe over the long weekend
Provincial parks are open, but some facilities remain closed, campfires are not permitted, and camping does not open until June 1.
Albertans should follow public health guidelines and take extra steps to keep members of their household safe when heading to provincial parks, cottages, and onto public land this weekend.
This includes:
- Respecting the health and safety of small communities along the way by planning their trip without stops for gas or food, where possible. Continuing to practise physical distancing and proper handwashing.
- Respecting municipal restrictions for playgrounds. If playgrounds can be accessed, encourage children to play with children in the same household or their cohort family, sanitize hands before or after playing on a play structure, and remember to wash everyone’s hands thoroughly as soon as possible.
- Download the ABTraceTogether app and turning it on when leaving home.

Alberta’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw provided update on Friday, May 15th. (Chris Schwarz/Government of Alberta)
Dr. Hinshaw to reduce her attendance at media updates
In a surprise announcement, the stoic, confident, strong face and voice Albertans have grown accustomed at the daily Covid-19 update, Dr. Hinshaw announced she is cutting back her attendance after this long weekend.
Explaining, “The pandemic is far from over,” Hinshaw said. “However, in consideration of the reduced number of cases overall and the fact that we have begun to resume operations under Stage 1 of Alberta’s relaunch strategy, I made the recommendation to scale down the frequency of my availabilities.”
“I know many have become accustomed to these daily updates. I ensure you I remain committed to transparency and while the number of availabilities may decrease, I will continue to provide the information you rely on.” She said
Hinshaw new schedule for attending news conferences will be every other weekday, starting Tuesday, but of course would revert back if Covid-19 numbers or policies changed significantly. Updates on numbers will be provided daily in online reports throughout the long weekend.
Coviod-19 by the numbers. Alberta cases as of Friday:
- 58 new cases reported, bringing the number of total active cases to 1,073.
- There are 103 active cases and 576 recovered cases at continuing care facilities; 91 residents at these facilities have died.
- The total deaths are 125. With 89 in the Calgary zone, 15 in the North zone, 12 in the Edmonton zone, eight in the South zone and one in the Central zone.
- Calgary zone: 870 active, 3,505
- South zone: 106 active, 1,069
- Edmonton zone: 61 active, 444 recovered.
- North zone: 18 active, 195
- Central zone: 13 active, 85 recovered.
- Five active cases and 19 recovered cases in zones yet to be confirmed
- There have been 189,225 people tested for COVID-19, with a total of 204,723 tests performed by the lab. In the last 24 hours, 4,505 tests have been completed.

Interactive aggregate data on COVID-19 cases in Alberta
https://www.alberta.ca/stats/covid-19-alberta-statistics.htm
Daily updates from Alberta Government https://www.alberta.ca/news.aspx
Alberta Connects hours of operation
- The Alberta Connects Contact Centre (310-4455) has resumed normal operating hours and is available to Albertans Monday to Friday, from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The centre will not be operating over the long weekend. Service will resume on May 19.
Stage one of relaunch has begun
- Stage one of Alberta’s relaunch strategy puts safety first as restrictions are gradually lifted and Albertans begin to get back to work. Calgary and Brooks will see a more gradual reopening, taking into account higher case numbers in these two cities, to balance public safety with the need to get businesses open and services restored for Albertans.
Businesses and locations that are reopening can access a template on at BizConnect
Supporting Alberta businesses through relaunch
- The Alberta Biz Connect web page provides business owners with information on health and safety guidelines for general workplaces and sector-specific guidelines for those able to open in stage one of relaunch to ensure businesses can reopen safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Businesses and locations that are reopening can access a template on at BizConnect to publicly post how employees and patrons are protected from the spread of infection. The timeline to complete this template has been extended from seven to 14 days.
- This template is voluntary for locations that have remained open.
- Alberta Transportation is developing a plan to safely resume all road tests while preventing the spread of COVID-19.
- As part of the Government of Alberta’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a limited number of road tests are available.
- Information on the limited road tests can be found on the COVID-19 Commercial Carrier Information
- The Court of Queen’s Bench will extend its limitation of hearings to emergency and urgent matters only to June 26, and the adjournment of criminal jury trials and jury selections to September 8.
- More information can be found online.
Albertans are encouraged to download and use ABTraceTogether app
- The ABTraceTogether app will enhance current manual contact tracing and capacity, and facilitate early detection to help reduce the spread of the virus and better protect Albertans. It means Albertans will be contacted more quickly if they are at risk.
- Use of the app is voluntary; users must opt in.
- The app does not track the user’s physical location and does not use GPS. Protecting privacy is paramount; all contact data is only on the user’s phone and is deleted after 21 days.
- Secure contact tracing is a cornerstone of Alberta’s Relaunch Strategy. More information on the app, including links to download it, can be found online.
- The app currently has 171,884 registered users.
- Confidential supports are available to help with mental health concerns. The Mental Health Help Line at 1-877-303-2642 and the Addiction Help Line at 1-866-332-2322 are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Canadian Mental Health Association has a variety of resources available at mentalhealthweek.ca
- The Kids Help Phone is available 24-7 and offers professional counselling, information and referrals and volunteer-led, text-based support to young people by texting CONNECT to 686868.
- Online resources provide advice on handling stressful situations and ways to talk with children.
- A 24-hour Family Violence Information Line is available at 310-1818 to get anonymous help in more than 170 languages.
- Alberta’s One Line for Sexual Violence is available at 1-866-403-8000, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- The requirement for in-person Emergency Protection Order (EPO) applications for those fleeing family violence has been temporarily suspended; provincial courts can now hear applications for EPOs via telecommunication.
- Information sheets and other resources on family violence prevention are available at alberta.ca/COVID19.
- The most important measure Albertans can take to prevent respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, is to practise good hygiene. This includes cleaning your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds, avoiding touching your face, coughing or sneezing into your elbow or sleeve, and disposing of tissues appropriately.
- Any individual exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, including cough, fever, runny nose, sore throat or shortness of breath, is eligible for testing. People can access testing by completing the COVID-19 self-assessment online. A separate self-assessment tool is available for health-care and shelter workers, enforcement and first responders. After completing the form, there is no need to call 811.
- Albertans are asked to share acts of kindness they have experienced in their community during this difficult time by using the hashtag #AlbertaCares.
Alberta
Carney government should end damaging energy policies amid separatist sentiment in Alberta

From the Fraser Institute
By Tegan Hill
Following last month’s Liberal election victory, and after a decade of damaging federal policies by the Trudeau government, some Albertans are calling for a referendum on separation. While Premier Danielle Smith said she does not support separation she “will honour” the referendum process. And according to a recent poll, more than one-third of Albertans are open to leaving Canada. But whether or not the referendum actually happens, one thing is clear—Albertans have reason to be frustrated with confederation.
In our current system, Ottawa collects taxes from people and businesses across the country then transfers that money to Canadians for federal and national programs including the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and employment insurance. Albertans contribute disproportionately to this system thanks to the province’s relatively high rates of employment, higher average incomes and younger population.
For example, from 1981 to 2022 (the latest year of available data), Albertans’ net contribution to the CPP—meaning the amount Albertans paid into the program over and above what retirees in Alberta received in CPP benefit payments—was $53.6 billion. British Columbia was the only other province where workers paid more into the CPP than retirees received in benefits—and Alberta’s contribution was six times greater than B.C.’s contribution.
On equalization—Canada’s transfer program aimed at ensuring each province can provide comparable levels of public services—Alberta has not received payments since 1964/65. In 2022 (the latest year of available data), the federal government spent $21.9 billion on equalization while 13.5 per cent of total federal revenue came from Alberta, which means Alberta taxpayers contributed an estimated $3.0 billion to the equalization program that year—while receiving no payments.
More broadly, Alberta’s total net contribution to federal finances and national programs (that is, total federal taxes and payments paid by Albertans minus federal money spent or transferred to Albertans) was $244.6 billion from 2007 to 2022—more than five times more than the net contribution from British Columbians or Ontarians (the only other two net contributors) despite Alberta’s smaller population.
So that’s the reality—Alberta massively overcontributes to federal and national programs. But that’s not necessarily a problem, in and of itself. The problem is that despite Alberta’s outsized importance within Canada, Albertans have faced a barrage of federal policies that disproportionately and negatively impact the province including Bill C-69 (which imposes complex, uncertain and onerous review requirements on major energy projects), Bill C-48 (which bans large oil tankers off B.C.’s northern coast and limits access to Asian markets), an arbitrary cap on oil and gas emissions, numerous “net-zero” targets, and so on.
On the campaign trail, Prime Minister Mark Carney promised to keep the emissions cap and Bill C-69 (which opponents call the “no more pipelines act”). Yet in a recent interview with CTV, Carney said he will “change things at the federal level that need to be changed in order for projects to move forward” adding that he may eventually remove both the emissions cap and Bill C-69.
That would be welcomed news in Alberta, which continues to punch above its economic weight despite federal policies that prevent the province from reaching its full economic potential. And any policies that restrict Alberta ultimately limit prosperity in Canada.
Albertans may soon face a referendum on separation. The rest of Canada should understand why so many Albertans are frustrated with the status quo. Federal policies specifically target their province’s energy industry despite their disproportionate contribution to the federation. It’s time to undo these federal policies, for the benefit of all Canadians.
Alberta
Alberta Cabinet shuffle reflects new ministries. Adriana LaGrange in charge of “health care refocusing”

Premier Danielle Smith has made changes to cabinet to address key priorities of Albertans.
Following the conclusion of the spring sitting of the legislature, and the resignation of the Honourable Ric McIver from his cabinet position to serve as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Premier Smith has made changes to her cabinet and caucus leadership.
The new cabinet comprises both seasoned and newly appointed ministers, reflecting Alberta’s diverse population. Together, they are committed to serving all Albertans and striving to unlock the province’s full potential. Those members taking on new roles include:
- Minister of Advanced Education, Myles McDougall
- Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services, Matt Jones
- Minister of Indigenous Relations, Rajan Sawhney
- Minister of Jobs, Economy, Trade, and Immigration, Joseph Schow
- Minister of Mental Health and Addiction, Rick Wilson
- Minister of Municipal Affairs, Dan Williams
- Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services, Adriana LaGrange
- Minister of Tourism and Sport, Andrew Boitchenko
- Associate Minister of Multiculturalism, Mohammed Yaseen
- Associate Minister of Water, Grant Hunter
Additionally, Grant Hunter will be serving as the Chief Government Whip.
The Honourable Demetrios Nicolaides will be adding childcare to his portfolio and become the Minister of Education and Childcare. The Honourable Jason Nixon will also see his title changed to the Minister of Assisted Living and Social Services to reflect his oversight of Assisted Living Alberta.
“I’m eager to collaborate with this dedicated team to fulfill the commitments we made to Albertans during the last election. Our government has already addressed many key priorities of Albertans, but we know there is more work to do, and I’m excited to continue working alongside each of my cabinet colleagues as we move forward an ambitious agenda for Albertans.”
This new cabinet also serves as the critical next step in the journey to refocus Alberta’s health care system. Each of the four health care agencies – Primary Care Alberta, Acute Care Alberta, Assisted Living Alberta, and Recovery Alberta – are now established, and will now each have a corresponding minister responsible. Minister LaGrange will continue to oversee the health care re-focusing efforts.
“I’m pleased to continue the important work of re-focusing our health care system with the support of my colleagues. Moving forward, we will work together to ensure that patients in our health care system have an integrated seamless experience and get the care they need when and where they need it.”
Cabinet members will be tasked with working collaboratively to complete the important work that Albertans voted for, including continuing to grow the economy, keep life affordable, reform the health care system, fight crime, and defend Alberta from punitive federal government policies.
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