REOPENING PLAN IS UNDERDEVELOPED, UNFUNDED AND LEAVES ALBERTANS UNPREPARED

EDMONTON – Alberta NDP Labour Critic Christina Gray issued the following statement in response to the Government of Alberta’s release of guidelines for reopening the economy:

“The Alberta NDP Caucus supports reopening the economy but businesses need a solid plan from the UCP government and the financial support necessary to implement the measures needed to operate safely. For many businesses, today’s guidelines are too little, too late.

“Jason Kenney and the UCP promised to support businesses struggling to stay afloat during this pandemic. Instead he delivered a rushed plan, with vague, non-binding guidelines and zero support for implementation. How exactly are businesses supposed to afford these measures, measures that could potentially save lives? Many small businesses are already struggling to pay their commercial rent, let alone afford to pay for PPE for their staff and immediate safety retrofits, the cost of which may be greater than the benefit of reopening. It’s three days until this reopening plan takes effect, and businesses still have no recommended source for acquiring PPE, or help paying for it.

“This plan is underdeveloped, unfunded and leaves Albertans unprepared. We believe the UCP Government needs to do much, much better. They need to actually support Albertans with getting back to business as usual.”