The Pulse: Sept. 21, 2021

The provincial government introduced additional public health measures last week in an attempt to curb rising COVID-19 rates, including the Restrictions Exemption Program (REP) that applies to all restaurants and bars, effective Sept. 20.

In order to dine indoors, the program requires that all patrons over the age of 12 provide proof of vaccination (one dose is acceptable until Oct. 25), proof of a negative rapid test, or documentation of a medical exemption. An apparent loophole in the program is that staff themselves are not required to be vaccinated.

Businesses that choose not to participate in the program will be barred from offering indoor dining, will need to restrict outdoor dining to a maximum of 6 persons (one household or two individuals who live alone), and must end liquor sales by 10pm.

• The City of Edmonton is implementing a mandatory vaccine policy. City staff will be required to receive two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine by Oct. 31, after which unvaccinated employees will have to undergo rapid testing twice a week or be placed on leave without pay.
• MacEwan and the University of Alberta have immediately opted in to the province's Restrictions Exemption Program when classes resumed Monday. Concordia University and NAIT will opt in to the program in October and have extended their withdrawal deadlines for students who do not want to meet vaccine requirements.
• The John Howard Society of Canada has asked the Edmonton police to investigate the Edmonton Institution, the maximum security men's prison in the northeast. The group claims that inmates are being denied medications and unlawfully placed in solitary confinement.
• Businesses are reporting high compliance with the province's new vaccine passport system, which launched on Monday, reports the Edmonton Journal. There is still lack of clarity around how the rules apply to delivery staff, however.
• The Edmonton Oilers will honour Joey Moss and Kevin Lowe this season. Moss, who worked as a locker room attendant since 1984 until his death last fall, will have a dressing room named after him, while Lowe's jersey will be raised when the Oilers host the New York Rangers on Nov. 5.
• Edmonton Fire Rescue Service's Camp Inspire ran for the second time over the weekend. The camp is designed to give women interested in firefighting some first-hand experience. There were 20 participants from across the country.
• The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) filed a formal grievance against the province over National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. In August, the province announced it would not recognize Sept. 30 as a statutory holiday.
• Newcomer Blake Desjarlais is one of two federal NDP candidates elected in Alberta, alongside Edmonton-Strathcona incumbent Heather McPherson. Former city councillor Ben Henderson lost to incumbent Tim Uppal in Edmonton Mill Woods. The results for Edmonton Centre were still too close to call at the time of publication. Click here for Edmonton riding-by-riding election results.

Nicole Janssen is being recognized as a leading female entrepreneur provincially, and across the country, for her work as co-CEO of AltaML. Janssen has been named a finalist for the 2021 RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards in the Start-Up Award category, and is also a finalist for an Alberta Women Entrepreneurs Award in the Emerging Entrepreneur Award category.

"AI is disruptive, and it is hugely important for women to be at the table and to be making decisions about how these technologies are to be developed and used," Janssen said in a news release.

"I am passionate about what we are building at AltaML and within its family of companies, and how together we are driving change through responsible AI adoption. Our growth has required that I progressively let go of things that I have been accustomed to leading, and it is very rewarding to see the team execute so well on the vision to be a billion dollar AI company, from right here in Canada."

RBC's Start-Up Award honours a female entrepreneur that has been successful in building a profitable business over three to five years of operation. Janssen is one of three regional finalists in the category, representing the Western region. And the AWE award recognizes a female entrepreneur who has built a strong, scalable business foundation and has achieved early success.

Alberta's optional vaccine passport system didn't come into effect until Sept. 20, but the Edmonton health zone experienced a spike in vaccinations the day after the program was announced, according to data from Alberta Health Services via the Edmonton Open Data Catalogue.

New restrictions were announced on Sept. 15 after weeks of rising cases and increasing public pressure. The provincial government called its proof-of-vaccination system the Restrictions Exemption Program, allowing non-essential businesses to operate as usual if they require customers to show proof of vaccination or provide a negative COVID-19 test.

Alberta Health Services reported that demand for vaccine doses tripled across the province on Sept. 16 following the news. Up until the passport was announced, the Edmonton zone was averaging around 2,400 doses a day in September, but that number shot up to 9,009 on Sept. 16 — the most doses given on a single day since late July.

The province also announced it would reward Albertans with a $100 debit card for getting a dose earlier this month, which appears to have not had a huge effect on vaccinations in the Edmonton zone.

While it's difficult to predict whether higher vaccination rates will continue, many in Edmonton have also noticed busier pharmacies in the days since the passport program was announced.

Taproot asked candidates to complete a 30-question survey based on what we heard when we asked what key issues people wanted the candidates to be talking about as they compete for votes in the 2021 municipal election.

Here are the answers we've received so far from the candidates in Anirniq:

• Mark Davies
• Bev Esslinger
• Erin Rutherford

We have not yet received finalized surveys from Ali Haymour or Tyler Zutz. We will update the links above when we receive them.

Want to see which candidates line up best with your own stances? Take the survey and find out.

For more coverage of the 2021 municipal election in Edmonton, visit edmonton.taproot.vote. And for more on the origins of this project, visit our People's Agenda page.