FURTHER DETAILS:

• Creating a $77.5 million Emergency Processing Fund to help food producers access more personal protective equipment (PPE), adapt to health protocols, automate or modernize their facilities, processes, and operations, and respond to emerging pressures from COVID-19 so they can better supply Canadians with food during this period.
• Launching a national AgriRecovery initiative of up to $125 million in funding to help producers faced with additional costs incurred by COVID-19. This includes set-asides for cattle and hog management programs to manage livestock backed-up on farms, due to the temporary closure of food processing plants. This new federal funding will help beef and pork producers and processors adapt to a changing market, and help farmers and ranchers keep their animals longer before marketing.
• Announcing the intention to increase the Canadian Dairy Commission’s borrowing limit by $200 million to support costs associated with the temporary storage of cheese and butter to avoid food waste. The government will work with opposition parties to achieve the required legislative change.
• Launching a first-ever Surplus Food Purchase Program with an initial $50 million fund designed to help redistribute existing and unsold inventories, which could include products such as potatoes and poultry, to local food organizations who are serving vulnerable Canadians.
• Working with provinces and territories to increase interim payments from 50 per cent to 75 per cent through AgriStability, a federal, provincial and territorial program that supports producers who face significant revenue declines. This change has already been enacted in some provinces.
• Working with provinces and territories to explore possibilities for expanding the AgriInsurance program to include labour shortages as an eligible risk for the horticulture sector. This work with provincial and territorial partners would insure against lost production due to an insufficient workforce, should producers be unable to find enough labour to harvest.

Requirements to move to next stage

Additional restrictions will be lifted in stages when safe.

Before we move to stage one, several safeguards will be put in place:

• Enhancing our nation-leading COVID-19 testing capacity at the highest level in Canada.
• Robust and comprehensive contact tracing, aided by technology, to quickly notify people who may have been exposed.
• Support for those who test positive for COVID-19, to enable isolation and effectively contain the spread.
• Stronger international border controls and airport screening, especially for international travellers.
• Rules and guidance for the use of masks in crowded spaces, especially on mass transit.
• Maintaining strong protections for the most vulnerable, including those in long-term care, continuing care and seniors lodges.

A rapid response plan is in place in the event of possible outbreaks of COVID-19. This includes outbreak protocols to quickly identify close contacts in order to stop spread, making testing widely available including testing those without symptoms in outbreak settings, and providing temporary housing for isolation and other necessary supports for anyone at risk.

Physical distancing requirements of two metres will remain in place through all stages of relaunch and hygiene practices will continue to be required of businesses and individuals, along with instructions for Albertans to stay home when exhibiting symptoms such as cough, fever, shortness of breath, runny nose, or sore throat.

“There are signs that our collective efforts of physical distancing, good hygiene practices, and staying home when advised are helping to slow the spread. However, we must guard against complacency and be patient to ensure the sacrifices we have already made to contain the virus are not wasted by carelessness as we gradually reopen businesses and services.”

Deena Hinshaw, chief medical officer of health

Further opening in stages

Progress to Stage 1 will occur once health measures are achieved to the satisfaction of the government based on the advice of the chief medical officer of health, as early as May 14.

Stage 1 highlights

• With increased infection prevention and controls, to minimize the risk of increased transmission of infections, some businesses and facilities can start to gradually resume operations as early as May 14:

• Retail businesses, such as clothing, furniture and bookstores. All vendors at farmers markets will also be able to operate.
• Some personal services like hairstyling and barber shops.
• Museums and art galleries.
• More scheduled surgeries, dental procedures, physiotherapy, chiropractic, optometry and similar services.
• Daycares and out-of-school care with limits on occupancy.
• Summer camps with limits on occupancy. This could include summer school.
• Cafés, restaurants (minors allowed in liquor licensed establishments) with no bar service to reopen for public seating at 50 per cent capacity.
• Some additional outdoor recreation.

• Post-secondary institutions will continue to deliver courses, however how programs are delivered – whether online, in-person, or a blend – will be dependent on what restrictions remain in place at each relaunch phase.

• The use of masks will be strongly recommended in certain specific crowded public spaces, like mass transit, that do not allow for physical distancing (two metres apart).

Still not permitted in stage 1

• Gatherings of more than 15 people. (Gatherings of 15 people or fewer must follow personal distancing and other public health guidelines.)
• Arts and culture festivals, major sporting events, and concerts, all of which involve close physical contact.
• Movie theatres, theatres, pools, recreation centres, arenas, spas, gyms and nightclubs will remain closed.
• Visitors to patients at health-care facilities will continue to be limited.
• In-school classes for kindergarten to Grade 12 students.

Recommendations

• Non-essential travel, especially travel outside the province, is not recommended.
• Remote working is advised where possible.

Stage 2 highlights

• Timing of this stage will be determined by the success of Stage 1, considering the capacity of the health-care system and continued limiting and/or reduction of the rate of infections, hospitalization and ICU cases.
• Will allow additional businesses and services to reopen and resume operations with two metre physical distancing requirements and other public health guidelines in place. This includes:

• Potential kindergarten to Grade 12 schools, with restrictions.
• More scheduled surgeries, including backlog elimination.
• Personal services, such as artificial tanning, esthetics, cosmetic skin and body treatments, manicures, pedicures, waxing, facial treatments, massage and reflexology.
• Permitting of some larger gatherings (number of people to be determined as we learn more about the levels of risk for different activities) in some situations.
• Movie theatres and theatres open with restrictions.

Visitors to patients at health-care facilities will continue to be limited.

Still not permitted in stage 2

• Nightclubs, gyms, pools, recreation centres, and arenas will remain closed.
• Arts and culture festivals, concerts, attendance at major sporting events and other mass gatherings will continue to not be permitted.

Recommendations

• Non-essential travel is not recommended.

Stage 3 highlights

Timing of this stage is to be determined based on the success of stages 1 and 2 and will involve:

• Fully reopening all businesses and services, with some limited restrictions still in place.
• Permitting larger gatherings (number of people to be determined).
• Permitting arts and culture festivals, concerts and major sporting events with some restrictions.
• Permitting nightclubs, gyms, pools, recreation centres and arenas to reopen with restrictions.
• Resuming industry conferences with restrictions.
• No restrictions on non-essential travel.

Quick facts

• Relaunch stages will also include an evaluation and monitoring period to determine if restrictions should be adjusted up or down. Triggers that will inform decisions on the lessening or tightening of restrictions include hospitalizations and intensive care unit (ICU) occupancy.
• Confirmed cases and rates of new infections will be monitored on an ongoing basis to inform proactive responses in localized areas of the province.
• Decisions will be applied at both provincial and local levels, where necessary. While restrictions are gradually eased across the province, an outbreak may mean that they need to be strengthened temporarily in a local area.
• Faith-based organizations are an essential part of the lives of Albertans. They continue to be able to practice, subject to public health direction, including mass gatherings and physical distancing. Government is working with faith-based organizations to learn from past outbreaks and provide guidance related to specific practices including singing and other traditions to ensure safety while supporting social connection.

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To limit the spread, the Government of Alberta and AHS have secured isolation accommodation for the placement of confirmed cases of COVID-19 for Cargill workers and close contacts for the purpose of self-isolation.

Translation services are also being utilized to help explain requirements concerning self-isolation and COVID-19 testing, and to communicate the availability of other supports that may be necessary to prevent the spread of the virus.

Alberta Agriculture and Forestry and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)

COVID-19 is not a food-borne illness. That said, to support the continuous operation of Alberta’s food supply chain, Agriculture and Forestry has partnered with the CFIA to increase food inspector capacity. Provincial meat inspectors are being trained for deployment to high-priority federally licensed plants in Alberta, if needed, to maintain inspection capacity

Agriculture and Forestry has also established an intergovernmental business resumption protocol for provincially and federally licensed food processing facilities in Alberta. This protocol was the first of its kind in the country. It formalized the cooperative approach used among the various organizations to minimize disruptions in the food supply and ensure operations can safely resume as quickly as possible when there is a closure.

Occupational Health and Safety

In addition to AHS, OHS officials have visited the Cargill Ltd. beef-processing plant in High River on a number of occasions to monitor compliance with requirements to keep workers safe.

On April 15, an OHS official conducted a live, fully interactive virtual inspection of Cargill, with the inspector directing movement as required to observe employees at their daily duties. Workers, including a union representative, were included in the inspection process to ensure a fair and balanced assessment of the health and safety conditions. Virtual inspections are not specific or unique to the Cargill facility. On-site inspections were also conducted on April 27 and 29.

Officials will be on site when the plant resumes partial operations on May 4.

OHS is now conducting an investigation at the Cargill meat processing plant. This investigation will look at the circumstances surrounding potential exposure of workers at Cargill related to COVID-19. This will also include an investigation of any potential non-compliance that may have affected the health and safety of workers at the facility.

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-Edmonton bylaw officers are fed up with people running up and down the river valley stairs to get some exercise.   In this era of needing to keep our distance from each other, they don’t want people using the stairs this way.  They’re going to be watching and if they catch you doing it they will hit you with a ticket with a starting point of 1-thousand dollars!

-In the meantime, residents in continuing care centres who aren’t in isolation, can now enjoy outdoor visits with a designated essential visitor and one other person. But there still has to be physical distancing and all visitors have to wear a mask or face covering.

-Cargill says its re-starting production at its High River plant May 4th, but they’re going to keep it to one shift. The plant has been shut down for two weeks because of an outbreak among employees. The company says it’s going to add more barriers and make sure there’s is more space between people. JBS Foods has been running all this time, also on a reduced schedule. Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, says her department has been working with plant officials.

-.The city of Edmonton is giving business owners a 2 percent break on their property taxes, while homeowners wont see a hike.  The breaks were possible because of deferred projects and temporary layoffs.

-There was a protest at the Leg yesterday—as a crowd showed up to demand an “end to the Covid lock down” in Alberta. Those who showed up want more people allowed to gather in one place, they want playgrounds and parks re-opened and feel restaurants should be allowed to have 50-percent of the patrons they normally have. Not everyone was there to protest the lock down.   One guy showed up to say the protest was the stupidest thing he’s ever seen.