The Honourable Jason Copping

Minister of Health
307 Legislature Building
10800 97 Avenue
Edmonton AB T5K 2B6
September 26, 2021

Re: Alberta’s Health Crisis: Urgent Action Required

Dear Minister Copping,

Congratulations on your appointment as Alberta’s newest Minister of Health. We are hopeful
that, in Premier Kenney’s words, your appointment will bring a fresh set of eyes and a fresh
approach to the crushing COVID-19 burden being borne by Alberta and Alberta Health
Services.
Albertans are now dying at a rate of 15/day from COVID with as many as 29 dying in a 24-hour
period. This is frighteningly close to our worst experience in the pandemic when 25 people/day
were dying, and far fewer people were immunized. So much COVID is circulating in the
province, because of our almost total lack of control measures, that Alberta has 11 times as
many active cases as Ontario and 4 times as many as BC. The rates are so high that we are now
witnessing rare events like an 18-year-old dying. We are in an urgent crisis. The good news is
that you can take actions this week to prevent more disease, deaths, and suffering.

Albertan’s hospital system, especially ICUs are under more killing stress than at any time in the
provinces history. All Albertans have and do depend on our acute care hospitals. We are within
days of being forced to implement a triage protocol which will force health care workers to
make life and death decisions on who will get scarce resources, like ventilators. Those that do
not are likely to die. This too is a disaster that the province has never suffered through in its
history. Worse, is that even if you were to implement the measures that we recommend today, it
will take at least four weeks for them to have an effect on ICU beds. Time is of the essence.
Albertans deserve better.
To successfully face these challenges, it is essential that you understand your duties and act as
the Minister of Health for all Albertans, not the Minister of Health for the United Conservative
party. 80 percent of Albertans have demonstrated their support for vaccines by getting at least
one dose. This 80% are already being deprived of needed elective surgeries and soon will be
denied entry into a hospital or ICU bed by the 20% who refuse to be immunized and are
clogging up the acute care system. This means that those lobbying in your party to eliminate
vaccine passports and are against insisting that employees be immunized are not supported by
the actions of 80% of Albertans. This is unforgiveable for a democratically elected government
to condone.
Your government’s own policies are responsible for collaborating with COVID in creating this
killing surge. The reckless reopening strategy in July launched` the surge in motion. Not
informing the Alberta public of your own modelling showing this killing surge was building
was a squandered opportunity to slow and reduce the wave. Continued inaction is not moral or
ethical. We demand that you take steps to urgently implement stronger public health measures
to rapidly reduce the rate of transmission of COVID-19 infections in the province and that you
immediately begin to relieve pressure on the system by beginning the safe transport of critically
ill patients from Alberta to ICUs in Ontario.
The only way to delay the implementation of triage protocols in Alberta in the short term is to
begin the transfer of Alberta ICU patients to ICUs in other provinces now. Transferring
critically ill patients thousands of kilometres has significant risk. However, such transfers
provide a chance for critically ill Albertans, either from COVID or other causes, to receive the
care they need and temporarily avoid the necessity to implement a triage protocol.
There are only two strategies you can use to achieve the goal of reducing transmission enough
to begin reducing the demand on the health care system four weeks from now. The strategies
that you need to implement now are to increase vaccine uptake and re-implement government
restrictions to reduce community transmission.
To increase vaccine uptake, you need to make vaccine passports for entry into non-essential
businesses mandatory if you want to significantly reduce the rate of transmission of COVID-19
after the next four weeks. You must also show leadership by mandating that all employees of
the Government of Alberta and arms-length bodies (Alberta Blue Cross, WCB etc.) must be
fully immunized or undergo regular testing, and then recommending or requiring all
employers in Alberta to follow your lead to decrease the magnitude and duration of this crisis.
You must also take measures to reduce the transmission of COVID in our communities. With
more COVID-19 circulating in Alberta than in any other province) reducing these numbers is
critical to reducing the pressures on hospitals and ICUs.
In summary we strongly, recommend you take the following urgent actions to rapidly deal with
the urgent crisis in Alberta.

1. Government of Alberta works with AHS to begin the transfer of Alberta ICU patients to
ICUs in other provinces now
2. Government of Alberta requires mandatory use of vaccine passports to access all non-
essential services.
3. Government of Alberta and related arms-length organizations (Alberta Blue Cross, WCB
etc.) begin mandatory immunization of all employees and contractors.
4. Government of Alberta mandate immunization of employees of essential and non-
essential businesses in the province of Alberta.
5. Restore contact tracing of patients with positive COVID-19 tests.
6. Mandate masking indoors in schools, including when students are seated in classrooms.
7. Implement a set of “Fire Break” closures and restrictions for a minimum of 4 weeks
which include.
a. Closure of all night clubs, casinos, bars and indoor dining.
b. Closure of indoor exercise and sports activities in sports facilities/clubs.
c. Strict capacity limits in indoor spaces including stores, shopping malls and
places of worship and reinforcement of the need for social distancing indoors.
Yours sincerely,

Dr. James Talbot B.Sc. M.D. F.R.C.P. (C)

Adjunct Professor University of Alberta
Former Alberta CMOH

Dr. Noel Gibney MB FRCP(C) FRCP (I)

Professor Emeritus University of Alberta
Critical Care Specialist

C.C. The Hon. Jason Kenney, Premier

Mr. Paul Wynnyk, Deputy Minister, Alberta Health
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Chief Medical Officer of Health, Alberta Health
Dr. Verna Yiu, President & CEO, AHS
Dr. Paul Boucher, President, Alberta Medical Association
Dr. Erika McIntyre, President, EZMSA
Dr. Scott Beach, President, CZMSA