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Alberta

Quarantine – Rebekah McDonald on her family’s experience in Calgary

Published

4 years ago

2 minute read

Rebekah McDonald knew strict new travel restrictions were coming in just a few days.  She was relieved her 20 year old son would be coming home January 30, a couple of days ahead of time.  Rebekah had helped arrange for the appropriate PCR test and the family was following all the rules.  She hadn’t seen her son in some time and she was anxious to meet him at the airport and bring him home.  What she didn’t know was the Traveler COVID Isolation Centres were already operating and within a few hours her son would be one of the first guests.

All was going well until the plane landed and all the other passengers walked past.  Her son wasn’t among them.  That’s when Rebekah noticed she was getting a notification from Facebook messenger.  Because her son left his phone plan behind in Arizona, this was his only way of contacting her.  He was being detained and they wouldn’t tell him why.  The test had come back negative.  The airline allowed him on the flight.  But health officials at the Calgary International Airport were not satisfied.

That was the beginning of a short nightmare for the McDonald family.  In retrospect there was a misunderstanding which could have been easily explained at the airport.  It wasn’t.  Instead a distraught mother worried for the safety of her son.  For two days the family struggled to find answers.  They found the quarantine system set up by the Public Health Agency over the proceeding months to protect Canadians from COVID-19, had somehow neglected to think of communicating with the family and loved ones of those affected.

Here Rebekah explains the situation in her own words.

In the days following the release of her son from the quarantine centre, Rebekah has heard the federal government might be looking to make changes.  However the RFI (Request for Information) issued by the federal government back in September states the centres are expected to be in operation for 1 to 2 years.  So far the family has not heard if they’ll be asked to pay for their son’s stay.

 

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After 15 years as a TV reporter with Global and CBC and as news director of RDTV in Red Deer, Duane set out on his own 2008 as a visual storyteller. During this period, he became fascinated with a burgeoning online world and how it could better serve local communities. This fascination led to Todayville, launched in 2016.

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Alberta

Made in Alberta! Province makes it easier to support local products with Buy Local program

Published on April 14, 2025

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Show your Alberta side. Buy Local.

When the going gets tough, Albertans stick together. That’s why Alberta’s government is launching a new campaign to benefit hard-working Albertans.

Global uncertainty is threatening the livelihoods of hard-working Alberta farmers, ranchers, processors and their families. The ‘Buy Local’ campaign, recently launched by Alberta’s government, encourages consumers to eat, drink and buy local to show our unified support for the province’s agriculture and food industry.

The government’s ‘Buy Local’ campaign encourages consumers to buy products from Alberta’s hard-working farmers, ranchers and food processors that produce safe, nutritious food for Albertans, Canadians and the world.

“It’s time to let these hard-working Albertans know we have their back. Now, more than ever, we need to shop local and buy made-in-Alberta products. The next time you are grocery shopping or go out for dinner or a drink with your friends or family, support local to demonstrate your Alberta pride. We are pleased tariffs don’t impact the ag industry right now and will keep advocating for our ag industry.”

RJ Sigurdson, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation

Alberta’s government supports consumer choice. We are providing tools to help folks easily identify Alberta- and Canadian-made foods and products. Choosing local products keeps Albertans’ hard-earned dollars in our province. Whether it is farm-fresh vegetables, potatoes, honey, craft beer, frozen food or our world-renowned beef, Alberta has an abundance of fresh foods produced right on our doorstep.

Quick facts

  • This summer, Albertans can support local at more than 150 farmers’ markets across the province and meet the folks who make, bake and grow our food.
  • In March 2023, the Alberta government launched the ‘Made in Alberta’ voluntary food and beverage labelling program to support local agriculture and food sectors.
  • Through direct connections with processors, the program has created the momentum to continue expanding consumer awareness about the ‘Made in Alberta’ label to help shoppers quickly identify foods and beverages produced in our province.
  • Made in Alberta product catalogue website

 

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Alberta

Province to expand services provided by Alberta Sheriffs: New policing option for municipalities

Published on April 14, 2025

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Expanding municipal police service options

Proposed amendments would help ensure Alberta’s evolving public safety needs are met while also giving municipalities more options for local policing.

As first announced with the introduction of the Public Safety Statutes Amendment Act, 2024, Alberta’s government is considering creating a new independent agency police service to assume the police-like duties currently performed by Alberta Sheriffs. If passed, Bill 49 would lay additional groundwork for the new police service.

Proposed amendments to the Police Act recognize the unique challenges faced by different communities and seek to empower local governments to adopt strategies that effectively respond to their specific safety concerns, enhancing overall public safety across the province.

If passed, Bill 49 would specify that the new agency would be a Crown corporation with an independent board of directors to oversee its day-to-day operations. The new agency would be operationally independent from the government, consistent with all police services in Alberta. Unlike the Alberta Sheriffs, officers in the new police service would be directly employed by the police service rather than by the government.

“With this bill, we are taking the necessary steps to address the unique public safety concerns in communities across Alberta. As we work towards creating an independent agency police service, we are providing an essential component of Alberta’s police framework for years to come. Our aim is for the new agency is to ensure that Albertans are safe in their communities and receive the best possible service when they need it most.”

Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services

Additional amendments would allow municipalities to select the new agency as their local police service once it becomes fully operational and the necessary standards, capacity and frameworks are in place. Alberta’s government is committed to ensuring the new agency works collaboratively with all police services to meet the province’s evolving public safety needs and improve law enforcement response times, particularly in rural communities. While the RCMP would remain the official provincial police service, municipalities would have a new option for their local policing needs.

Once established, the agency would strengthen Alberta’s existing policing model and complement the province’s current police services, which include the RCMP, Indigenous police services and municipal police. It would help fill gaps and ensure law enforcement resources are deployed efficiently across the province.

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