“This time! This time! This time!” ~ Barry Bee

A week really can make a difference – at least insofar as a virus with exponential spread is concerned.

On November 12, Alberta’s premier did finally do *something* – mandating alcohol sales end by 10:00 p.m. at restaurants and bars, pausing kids’ sports clubs and fitness groups until November 27th and asking, yet again, Albertans to stop hosting in-home gatherings.

Alberta’s numbers hit 1026 on the weekend but to be fair to the Issues Management team, the three-day average was only 974. They were super testy about that after Thanksgiving weekend when the province added 921 cases but the four-day average was a mere 240.

A four-fold increase in four weeks, almost to a tee.

Kenney told Roy Green of The Roy Green Show on November 15 that “Alberta really has a culture of what (he likes) to call ‘responsible freedom’.”

Alberta.

The province that has quite legitimately refused to: hold oil and gas companies responsible for environmental reclamation, plan for an aging population, a transition from oil and gas, or ensure future generations could also benefit from the province’s natural resources by contributing to the Heritage Trust Fund.

But “responsible freedom” sure makes it seem like we can hold our heads high.

Kenney did admit that although his plan of leaving Albertans to the mercy of the weakest links isn’t working, he was “glad (his government had) taken that approach.” As any normal person who implemented an obviously failed strategy would be.

“But now, we do see (a) very problematic increase in cases,” he said.

No kidding.

In response to the realization that his strategy failed, Kenney said he hoped Albertans “respond positively” to the continuation of the same failed strategy.

“Because if not, we’ll have no option but to look at more restrictive measures down the line.”

Ooooh – more restrictive measures at some unknown point in time that may or may not affect me in any way? Say it ain’t so!

Meanwhile, Kenney is blaming increasing cases on in-home gatherings but won’t do anything to discourage them.

In fact, by mandating restaurants and bars stop serving alcohol by 10:00 p.m., Kenney’s government all but sent out a gold-embossed invitation to the covidiots to have more in-home gatherings.

Without sanitization protocols. Without social distancing.

That’s cause and effect.

So is clinging to a proven failed strategy and hoping it will work “this time”.

This post contains opinion.

Deirdre Mitchell-MacLean is a political commentator physically distancing in Southern Alberta. Connect: @Mitchell_AB for more, @thisweekinAB for posts @politicalRnD for something in between

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