Many of us are hurting right now. We are tired and frustrated. We are fearful and sad. Many of us are fed up.
As I write this, I am being told that trucks are arriving at City Hall in Edmonton. Even as we have kept pitching in to help each other through our second full winter living through this pandemic, it can feel difficult to find hope.
For the first time for many of us, we are being confronted with the grim reality that our institutions are not serving us or the public interest equally. For many more of us, this is just another reminder of the complex, and yet very fundamental, ways in which privilege works for some and not for many others.
More than anything, the images from Ottawa and Coutts this past week show us that there is much pain, confusion, and anger amongst a small group of people. Their actions are not fair to those whose lives have been disrupted, nor is it comfortable for those of us who have been, up to now, watching with concern from a distance.
Vaccines work. They are safe. And public health policies designed to slow transmission, to keep workers safe and to trace the spread of infection are good and appropriate tools to respond to the biggest threat to our public health in over one hundred years.
With our hospital, EMS and general health care system’s capacity at a breaking point, we cannot condone the easing and lifting of the REP program. We are concerned that this likely decision is based exclusively on political calculation, not public health advice or best practice.
These protests are not about human rights or standing up for freedom. They are rooted in other ideas and feelings, which are contrary to the public interest and the common good.
As Edmontonians, especially those in our downtown, anxiously awaiting what will happen this weekend, we remind ourselves that we are part of a community that values each other. We care for one another and our health and safety. We will stand with love and solidarity together, and we will organize to show how much we care for each other, our healthcare workers, our teachers, our kids, and those of us who are sick.
In the coming days, there will be opportunities to express that love and solidarity. Please, stay hopeful. And in the coming weeks and months, there will be opportunities to stand for the public interest and to reinvest in the things we cherish and hold dear as Edmontonians and Albertans. Please, stay vigilant.
Take care.
Bradley Lafortune