Edmonton, on Tuesday October 11, 2022.
Tyler Dawson - Oct 24, 2022 - National Post
Alberta is calling. Or is it Ottawa?
In the latest twist of inter-provincial drama and worker-harvesting, an Ottawa hospital said it would be happy to crib health-care workers from Wild Rose Country, while Alberta’s government is trying to convince beleaguered skilled workers in Toronto (and Vancouver) to head west.
The call for Alberta health-care workers came on the heels of comments from the province’s new premier, Danielle Smith, which she made at the United Conservative Party’s annual general meeting in Edmonton.
“I think that the staffing shortages have been manufactured by the bad decisions of Alberta Health Services,” Smith said in a Saturday news conference.
The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario’s responded on Monday. In a tweet, Alex Munter, the president of the pediatric care centre at CHEO, posted a link to jobs at the hospital.
“Alberta Health Services staff: If you feel discouraged because you’re being blamed for healthcare problems rather than being thanked for 2 ½ years of tireless work… We’d welcome your dedication and expertise at @CHEO,” Munter wrote on Twitter.
Health-care workers and the Opposition New Democrats also responded to Smith’s comments. Janis Irwin, an Edmonton NDP MLA, asked the premier to visit a hospital.
“Talk to those on the frontlines. Your words are incredibly disrespectful. You’re completely out of touch,” Irwin wrote on Twitter.
It’s not the first time Munter has offered up a pitch to Alberta’s health-care professionals. On her very first day as provincial leader, Smith said the unvaccinated were the most discriminated-against group of Canadians she had witnessed in her lifetime.
“Talk to those on the frontlines. Your words are incredibly disrespectful. You’re completely out of touch,” Irwin wrote on Twitter.
It’s not the first time Munter has offered up a pitch to Alberta’s health-care professionals. On her very first day as provincial leader, Smith said the unvaccinated were the most discriminated-against group of Canadians she had witnessed in her lifetime.
A day later, Munter took to Twitter, saying Alberta workers would be welcome if they are vaccinated against COVID and their other shots are up to date. “We think racism is bad, immunization is good and we (love) occupational health+safety,” Munter wrote.
Meanwhile, Alberta has been trying to woo skilled workers from other parts of the country, and before he left office, former premier Jason Kenney unveiled an advertising campaign in Toronto and Vancouver entitled “Alberta is calling.” It directs Torontonians, groaning under outlandish rental rates and home prices, to come to Alberta, where the wages are the highest in the country, property prices are low and there are spectacular mountains within a few hours’ drive of the province’s major cities.
It’s unclear what impact the campaign has had — though the province saw nearly 35,000 people move in during the second quarter of 2022, according to government statistics.
While Ontario has largely declined to respond to the campaign, outgoing B.C. Premier John Horgan said he wasn’t happy that Alberta’s ad campaign in Vancouver was targeting skilled workers, which would include health-care staff. He said earlier this month that Alberta shouldn’t be competing for health-care workers, and instead asking for more health-care money from the federal government.
“Alberta’s approach is at odds with what the provinces have been doing for the last four or five years,” Horgan said.
It’s unclear what impact the campaign has had — though the province saw nearly 35,000 people move in during the second quarter of 2022, according to government statistics.
While Ontario has largely declined to respond to the campaign, outgoing B.C. Premier John Horgan said he wasn’t happy that Alberta’s ad campaign in Vancouver was targeting skilled workers, which would include health-care staff. He said earlier this month that Alberta shouldn’t be competing for health-care workers, and instead asking for more health-care money from the federal government.
“Alberta’s approach is at odds with what the provinces have been doing for the last four or five years,” Horgan said.
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