Renegade UCP MLA Drew Barnes is blasting his own government with two barrels – over COVID-19 lockdown regulations and a possible provincial sales tax..Barnes said his Cypress-Medicine Hat constituents are “suffering extreme fatigue” and are frustrated Premier Jason Kenney didn’t open more of the province on Tuesday when he announced a slight relaxation of some restrictions..Despite reaching benchmark to move onto Phase 2 of reopening, Kenney only allowed gyms to start offering some services and for libraries to open at 15 per cent capacity..“Some of my colleagues (in caucus) are finally starting to push back – it’s going to be an interesting few weeks in politics,” Barnes said in an interview with the Western Standard..“The government has lost the trust of some people here. The benchmarks were set and met. Albertans have done the hard work. But now the mental and economic crisis is just as bad as the COVID crisis..Barnes noted his area only has about 10-12 COVID-19 cases at the moment..“I’ve had a few people tell me they are just going to open now regardless. I’m urging everone to respect the rules,” Barnes said..“I’m calling on Premier Kenney and the Chief Medical Officer of Health to recognize the mental and economic crisis is just as bad as the COVID-19 one.”.At a press conference this week, Kenney again refused to rule out introducing a PST – and Barnes again blasted the idea..“It is time for the government to make some strong decisions when it comes to getting its spending in line,” Barnes told the Western Standard..He noted experts have said if Alberta brought its spending in line with other provinces, it could reduce the deficit to nothing..“It’s time for taxpayers to start demanding more for their money,” he said..Barnes has been critical of his UCP on numerous policies – from centralizing EMS dispatch to the slowness of bringing in a provincial police force..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter.com/nobby7694
Renegade UCP MLA Drew Barnes is blasting his own government with two barrels – over COVID-19 lockdown regulations and a possible provincial sales tax..Barnes said his Cypress-Medicine Hat constituents are “suffering extreme fatigue” and are frustrated Premier Jason Kenney didn’t open more of the province on Tuesday when he announced a slight relaxation of some restrictions..Despite reaching benchmark to move onto Phase 2 of reopening, Kenney only allowed gyms to start offering some services and for libraries to open at 15 per cent capacity..“Some of my colleagues (in caucus) are finally starting to push back – it’s going to be an interesting few weeks in politics,” Barnes said in an interview with the Western Standard..“The government has lost the trust of some people here. The benchmarks were set and met. Albertans have done the hard work. But now the mental and economic crisis is just as bad as the COVID crisis..Barnes noted his area only has about 10-12 COVID-19 cases at the moment..“I’ve had a few people tell me they are just going to open now regardless. I’m urging everone to respect the rules,” Barnes said..“I’m calling on Premier Kenney and the Chief Medical Officer of Health to recognize the mental and economic crisis is just as bad as the COVID-19 one.”.At a press conference this week, Kenney again refused to rule out introducing a PST – and Barnes again blasted the idea..“It is time for the government to make some strong decisions when it comes to getting its spending in line,” Barnes told the Western Standard..He noted experts have said if Alberta brought its spending in line with other provinces, it could reduce the deficit to nothing..“It’s time for taxpayers to start demanding more for their money,” he said..Barnes has been critical of his UCP on numerous policies – from centralizing EMS dispatch to the slowness of bringing in a provincial police force..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.Twitter.com/nobby7694