Calgary’s favourite COVID-19 zealot has taken his crusade to Dubai — N-95 mask and all — to trash Canada and Alberta for climate inaction at the COP28 climate summit.Dr. Joe Vipond, who is attending the UN confab on behalf of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and the Calgary Climate Hub, appeared at a press conference organized by Environmental Defence Canada to “lay out our expectations” for the summit, as per a press release on Thursday.Specifically, the group is urging delegates to “land an agreement to phase out fossil fuels. Big Oil and Finance are stalling action and promoting dangerous distractions that put indigenous communities at further risk (like carbon capture and carbon markets) and what Canadian premiers with little interest in taking climate action are doing at COP.”.Dutifully donning his mask — the only one on the panel to do so — Vipond blamed Alberta and the UCP government for causing Canada to miss its emissions reduction targets under the Paris Accord.“Three days ago, they said that they were going to do the Sovereignty Act to stop any kind of clean electricity regulations from being implemented. clean electricity is how we get to net zero if you don't have clean electricity, we don't get there,” he intoned.“So yeah, Miss Alberta is a leader on climate. So let's be clear, Canada is not doing well because of Alberta. Canada is not going to achieve any of its targets unless Alberta steps up to the plate and starts doing its job taking responsibility for its past and actions and start doing what's right.”Vipond told his global audience Alberta is responsible for 38% of Canada’s emissions, a figure that has gone up 55% since 1990 and said he is scared for his children’s future.“So I told my daughters I'm going (to COP28) because I'm scared. I'm scared because this last summer sucked. It sucked because of fires. It sucked because of floods. We are in big trouble and unless we do something, it's all going to burn.”.We are in big trouble and unless we do something, it's all going to burn.”Dr. Joe Vipond at COP28.Despite its clearly partisan appeal, the presser was carried live on the official COP28 media page.Vipond bred controversy during the pandemic for his outspoken support of lockdowns and draconian measures to enforce vaccines. He was frequently called on by mainstream media as a ‘source’ urging Albertans to “take to the streets” against former premier Jason Kenney’s decision to lift mandatory quarantines and public health restrictions in the summer of 2021.Despite claims of having no ties to the provincial NDP, in 2021 it was revealed by Elections Alberta that he had donated almost $20,000 to the party since 2014.
