Danielle Smith/ Justin Wright Town Hall Live Updates

We are waiting for the Town Hall to start.

Preliminaries right now, I am recording this.

Live streaming is not permitted.

They walked in to a standing ovation. Opening remarks now, Premier Smith says Alberta is booming, 100,000 more jobs.

6 credit upgrades over last 18 months.

While Smith speaks Wright is nodding his head.

Smith speaks about balancing the budget, etc. says Medicine Hat is thriving in current climate, new collegiate in Dunmore, South Alberta Flight Academy.

Growth at Medicine Hat Airport, serving 80k / year (we can do better she says).

Re health care recruitment, says they are close to introducing a new pay model for family care physicians.

“Why Medicine Hat, Why Not Medicine Hat”

7:09pm Smith is still talking - no questions yet, she is still reading her prepared speech.

7:10 Justin Wright’s turn. No new jokes.

Lisa Dressler from Southeast Alberta Chamber of Commerce is hosting and moderating tonight.

Wright talks about Hwy 3 twinning benefits and talks about updates for Hwy 41. Spending $70 million on Hwy 41 alone.

Preferred route from Lower 48 to Alaska is Hwy 41.

Speaks about Fire-fighters Academy at Prairie Rose - expansion at Prairie Road in trades.

Medicine Hat Catholic School Division is getting a brand new school.

”Region set to thrive”

Speaks about aerospace (one company recently asked Council for a tax cancellation/reduction).

Hydrogen and helium production.

7:15 pm still no questions.

Speaking about mental health summits. “Tear down walls of the silo”

Says they have been speaking with the shelter, Mustard Seed etc.

1st Sunday in June - Armed Forces Day

“Homes for Heroes”, PTSD treatment, etc. Water Advisory Committee respond to drought onditions.

7:22 No questions yet - this seems to be more an opportunity to pat themselves on the back.

7:23 - finally done talking. Will switch to audience questions around 8pm

1st question re parental rights and transgender issues in education

Smith will not allow puberty blockers to under 15

Fact check - by 15, puberty is well advanced.

Children must have permission of their parents to change their pronouns, and sex education will be opt-in.

Wright backs up Smith.

Charter schools - Smith says gov’t removed the limit of 12, thinks it can work really well.

Charter school for agriculture, STEM charter school created, expanded from Calgary to Edmonton.

Wright talks about CAPE, a semi-charter school. Focussed key outcomes, another avenue of choice.

Smith says 95% of families send their children to local public schools but it doesn’t work for everybody.

Question about gov’t making sure that money earmarked for educational assistants actually goes to that purpose.

Smith says the choice between teacher and educational assistants should be at the local school boards, will take it back to her education minister.

Wright says the data he was able to get shows the money was being spent as it should be.

Question about Hwy 3.

Wright speaks about lobbying, Medicine Hat to Whitla has been pushed forward. Consultants this fall. Working to consolidate all the feedback, revised plan early 2025, more feedback for community for finalized date in 2026.

Shovels in the ground late 2026/ early 2027 for Med Hat - Whitla portion.

More consults with other legs etc

Taber- Burdett finalized in late 2025/early 2026.

Trying to get piece from here to Lethbridge elevated, then work on Lethbridge to border.

Ask about Hwy 1 intersection - 16th Ave - being reviewed, very important “everyone hates that intersection”.

Question about inter-city transportation, unreliability of air travel.

Smith - talking about connections, how we do it? West Jet and Air Canada have such large pane, the regional service suffers. Talks about Saskatchewan model which guarantees so many sold seats on planes to the airlines. Premier Scott Moe say they have never had to pay up as creating the service means that people will use it.

Talk about buses, we need that service since Greyhound shut down.

Non ambulance transfer for medical appointments.

Wright - speaks about talks with Westjet, how to better service regional airports etc.

Crime prevention - what are they going to do to address rising crime rate?

Wright - policing study grant for $30k which was stackable. Fugitive apprehension team using sheriffs, evaluating indication for the Feds re RCMP. Wright tabled an article from the Vancouver Sun re the Feds focussing the RCMP on more national crime.

Smith say Sheriffs in Calgary and Edmonton are helping police forces.

Fact check - both cities have their own police forces - seems to be focussing on a contract policing model so Medicine Hat Police can serve a larger area.

Sheriffs can work cross jurisdictional.

Question - how you plane to support local police agencies in their crime prevention efforts?

Smith - says 4600 in corrections or prisoner transport or front line sheriffs is still not enough. Recruitment problems in RCMP, 400 vacancies, leaving rural areas without enough service. Wants someone to show up, regional police, sheriffs, RCMP, etc. Also talks about keeping guys behind bars. Premiers have asked for a change in legislation. “Bad guy“ must now convince the judge they should be let go.

Wright - keeping pressure on Ottawa get away from “catch and release” ball system.

Questions - still presubmitted questions.

Health care - what steps is the gov’t taking to addresss the doctor shortage?

Smith says a lot of doctors who are family practitioners are not opening practices, doctors want only 500 patients instead of 1500. Need to create a better payment model to cover more overhead etc.

Smith says Nurse practitioners have 80% of overlap what doctors do so they re paying them 80% of what doctors get. Expanding prescribing pharmacists - Shoppers Drug Mart is rolling out bloodwork - 103 in Alberta alone.

Talking about a family doctor compensation model coming in the coming weeks.

Wright says he has been working with a few nurse practitioners - 900 patients each to handle in Medicine Hat.

Study - 70% says pharmacists are the most trustted medical professional, mistakes get caught, they can spend more time, etc. Has been talking with his pharmacist friends about how they can help.

Smith - we heard from the AMA, you need to train doctors outside of the big cities - 30 doctors each year in each of Lethbridge and Grande Prairie. Doing more training at MHC for nurses etc.

Questions from the audience

The first person asked about why Justin Wright could not take money at his office for a membership.

Smith says ER is first point of contact for many, often not sufficient discharge plans. 1500 patients, no efficient way to find them a solution when they cannot go home safely. Need to build more assisted living and LTC facilities, 1800 people waning in the community. Hopefully in the next year they can come up with a solution.

8:09 Wright talking about 1500 people equates to 3 hospitals.

Ian Parkinson recognized by Smith, as a “Black Hat”. He said there are 3 of them there to make sure she is okay. Asks about the AB Bill of Rights (BOR) to put Trudeau in his place.

Smith talks about property rights, law abiding firrearms owners etc. protection for people who did not want to be vaccinated during covid etc.

Wright - talks about expropriation act, BOR will build on that.

Question - what are they going to do about expanding our recovery centre, audience meter said he’s lost about 20 people, when people want to go to rehab, they cannot wait months.

Smith says they have increased beds and in correction facilities and when released they go to a recovery centre. Repeatedly uses the term “getting clean”. Plays up their “success” in reducing overdose deaths.

Fact check - the complete numbers are not accurate, the coroners office is backed up.

Wright - his family history, lost his aunt 5 years ago to suicide, his dad and grandfather were alcoholics, they are recovering. Talks about the local Mustard Seed, Medicine Hat Community Housing, able to offer the services with there two organization, talks about their success.

Fact Check - it’s not working

A number of programs are in Medicine Hat to help.

Smith - 211 is a number to call to access counselling service, some free, some $8/hr.

Fact Check - Behavioural Health Consultants are free, covered under AHS, unlimited visits.

Speak about mental health service for children.

Speaks about Compassionate Intervention - forced addictions treatment for 90 days.

Question - What are they going to do to bring accountability to the ER?

His wife was left on ER waiting room floor in excruiciating pain, severe abdominal bleed - misdiagnosed, sent home, unable to stand, unable to walk, called a taxi to send her home. By the time she got back to the hospital (her husband took her back) and made it to surgery, she almost did not survive, she was minutes away from death.

Father recently passed away had seen horrible things at the ER, father did not want to go to the hospital.

Husband has no confidence that it will not happen again.

Smith says they have a council and a patient advocate etc. Says people should call the Health Quality Council, Adriana LaGrange is rebuilding the local decision making, local capacity etc. Mentoins 1500 people who should be discharged. Getting back to having local facility manager for that accountability. Build some sort of advisory boards, regional advisory boards. Serious management problems we have to address.

Hospital should be hospitals again - urgent and acute need, you get treated and sent home again.

Wright - talks about rural hospitals.

Smith speaks about rural hospitals closing at night, women afraid of giving birth on the highway because they cannot give birth at their local hospital. Talks about removing AHS for hospitals if they cannot provide the necessary services.

8:35 pm One person talking about injury by covid vaccine. Got an enthusiastic response for the audience.

Smith talks about a federal covid injury fund. Asked for a report from a doctor who was an anti-vaccine advocate. Patients have the right to refuse medication - says 75% of approved drugs are used off label. Smith says doctors are afraid to diagnose a vaccine injury becasue of the College of Physician and Surgeons.

Dr Jordan Peterson is going through reeducation because of “mean tweets against Justin Trudeau”. Wants to limit the scope of colleges like Physician and Surgeons.

Question - re Dr William Mackis and pedophilia, audience member want sot know if Smith will commit to an interview with him.

Another person speaking about Covid vaccine injury - wants Smith to suspend covid vaccines for children when there is no informed consent.

Smith talks about she believes that most are informed, that a number of vaccine are useful - MMR, DTap, etc. Smith looked up about which medical treatments have side effects, she found out all of them do. She finds that most people are asking her why is the vaccine not available yet, most people still want them. Have to let people make their own decision.

Audience member says Fed Liberals have been infiltrated by the WEF - is there any way of dealing with an unelected entity?

Smith says billionaires that brag about their power are billionaires she does not want to spend any time with.

Question about MAID and Covenant Health

Smith says there is a central registry, people can get connected with the serve if they want it. Thinks that doctors should have a choice just like patients. Thinks we should be open minded if we can get someone who can run a facility better.

Taking about solar power, renewable energy.

Smith is acting about a model that works quite well in other jurisdiction - when they have a battery and sell excess power back to the grid, it can help stabilize the power.

Question - Concerns about twinning between Medicine Hat and & Persons, says they are closing dozens of access point to 7 persons. There will be traffic funneling to 2 access points. Audience member says they are taking 165 metres of his land for a highway they already have right-of-way for.

Wright says those concerns have been heard loud and clear and they will be adjusting the plan, The plan was not a final plan, it was just to get feedback.

Question about prevention health care - thermography to diagnose breast cancer. Homeopathic health care.

Smith says we need to be able to have the dollars, we have a huge demand in hospital, huge backlog in surgery, trying to work through that. Smith is using laser to treat bursitis in her shoulder. Wants medical records to all be in the same place, to be in the hands of the patient