The hearing, being held in the Court of Queen’s Bench, Alberta’s highest court, focuses on the abrupt lifting of the school mask mandate across the province on February 8. It is part of a petition filed on behalf of the families of five immunocompromised children as well as the Alberta Federation of Labor (AFL). Lawyers for the group argued that Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Dina Hinshaw, resigned from her cabinet position and failed in her duty to protect medically vulnerable school children. The children at the center of this court case, the plaintiffs’ legal team says, were segregated, alienated and bullied because they had to stay home from school or, in other cases, because they were the only ones in their schools who wore masks .
The order to “suppress protests” is lifted
The petition argues that the sudden end to the cover-up order violated the charter rights of immunocompromised children who were forced to choose between their education and their health. The lifting of the order was done for the “improper purpose” of “repressing protests”, argued lawyer Orlagh O’Kelly, who cited ongoing protests and blockades at the Coutts border crossing in late January and February. The applicants told Judge Grant Dunlop they are not seeking the reinstatement of a province-wide order. Instead, O’Kelly and co-counsel Sharon Roberts made closing arguments Wednesday, asking the judge to declare that Hinshaw did not make the decision and that, going forward, she cannot hand over power to the cabinet . Government lawyers will have a chance to make their closing arguments on Thursday.
The government ordered to hand over the documents
The same group previously failed in its emergency petition to allow school boards the right to enforce their own mask mandates. But Dunlop agreed the case could continue as a judicial review of both the policy and how the decision to end the mandate was made. As part of that review, O’Kelly and Roberts sought additional information from the Alberta government, which the province refused to hand over until two separate court orders were issued in June and again in July. Only then did the government release previously classified cabinet documents, including a PowerPoint presentation and minutes from a cabinet meeting on February 8, the day it announced plans to lift public health measures. The Alberta Health summary revealed that while many factors can influence the transmission of COVID, school boards without mask mandates at the start of the 2021 school year had, on average, three times more outbreaks than those with masks.
Speed up the unmask command
The PowerPoint presentation, prepared by Hinshaw and presented by Health Minister Jason Copping, gave three options with steps in each to lift the restrictions. The first would have lifted most of the public health measures in Step 1, allowing Alberta to “be a leader in entering endemic space,” while the third left the decision entirely up to the commission. The documents show the committee chose Option 2, which, for the most part, is in line with the plan announced by Premier Jason Kenney later that day. But somewhere along the line, the school mask plan changed. In the PowerPoint, lifting the mask mandate in schools was the second step of the second option and was set to take place on March 1. However, the minutes of the meeting show that the removal of masks in schools was postponed until February 14. Education Minister Adriana Lagrange also revoked the school board’s authority to set its own rules. In response to the disclosure of the once-withheld documents, Steve Buick, press secretary to Health Minister Copping, said the decision to lift the school mask mandate was made “based on the best available evidence and advice from Alberta Health and the chief medical officer health worker”. “We stand by our decision to lift public health measures, including ending mandatory masks in schools. It was the right choice for the children and does not pose an undue risk to our communities.”
title: “Alberta Lifts School Mask Mandate To Quell Border Protests Lawyers Say Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-05” author: “Ismael Ellis”
The hearing, being held in the Court of Queen’s Bench, Alberta’s highest court, focuses on the abrupt lifting of the school mask mandate across the province on February 8. It is part of a petition filed on behalf of the families of five immunocompromised children as well as the Alberta Federation of Labor (AFL). Lawyers for the group argued that Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Dina Hinshaw, resigned from her cabinet position and failed in her duty to protect medically vulnerable school children. The children at the center of this court case, the plaintiffs’ legal team says, were segregated, alienated and bullied because they had to stay home from school or, in other cases, because they were the only ones in their schools who wore masks .
The order to “suppress protests” is lifted
The petition argues that the sudden end to the cover-up order violated the charter rights of immunocompromised children who were forced to choose between their education and their health. The lifting of the order was done for the “improper purpose” of “repressing protests”, argued lawyer Orlagh O’Kelly, who cited ongoing protests and blockades at the Coutts border crossing in late January and February. The applicants told Judge Grant Dunlop they are not seeking the reinstatement of a province-wide order. Instead, O’Kelly and co-counsel Sharon Roberts made closing arguments Wednesday, asking the judge to declare that Hinshaw did not make the decision and that, going forward, she cannot hand over power to the cabinet . Government lawyers will have a chance to make their closing arguments on Thursday.
The government ordered to hand over the documents
The same group previously failed in its emergency petition to allow school boards the right to enforce their own mask mandates. But Dunlop agreed the case could continue as a judicial review of both the policy and how the decision to end the mandate was made. As part of that review, O’Kelly and Roberts sought additional information from the Alberta government, which the province refused to hand over until two separate court orders were issued in June and again in July. Only then did the government release previously classified cabinet documents, including a PowerPoint presentation and minutes from a cabinet meeting on February 8, the day it announced plans to lift public health measures. The Alberta Health summary revealed that while many factors can influence the transmission of COVID, school boards without mask mandates at the start of the 2021 school year had, on average, three times more outbreaks than those with masks.
Speed up the unmask command
The PowerPoint presentation, prepared by Hinshaw and presented by Health Minister Jason Copping, gave three options with steps in each to lift the restrictions. The first would have lifted most of the public health measures in Step 1, allowing Alberta to “be a leader in entering endemic space,” while the third left the decision entirely up to the commission. The documents show the committee chose Option 2, which, for the most part, is in line with the plan announced by Premier Jason Kenney later that day. But somewhere along the line, the school mask plan changed. In the PowerPoint, lifting the mask mandate in schools was the second step of the second option and was set to take place on March 1. However, the minutes of the meeting show that the removal of masks in schools was postponed until February 14. Education Minister Adriana Lagrange also revoked the school board’s authority to set its own rules. In response to the disclosure of the once-withheld documents, Steve Buick, press secretary to Health Minister Copping, said the decision to lift the school mask mandate was made “based on the best available evidence and advice from Alberta Health and the chief medical officer health worker”. “We stand by our decision to lift public health measures, including ending mandatory masks in schools. It was the right choice for the children and does not pose an undue risk to our communities.”
title: “Alberta Lifts School Mask Mandate To Quell Border Protests Lawyers Say Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-12” author: “Janice Garrett”
The hearing, being held in the Court of Queen’s Bench, Alberta’s highest court, focuses on the abrupt lifting of the school mask mandate across the province on February 8. It is part of a petition filed on behalf of the families of five immunocompromised children as well as the Alberta Federation of Labor (AFL). Lawyers for the group argued that Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Dina Hinshaw, resigned from her cabinet position and failed in her duty to protect medically vulnerable school children. The children at the center of this court case, the plaintiffs’ legal team says, were segregated, alienated and bullied because they had to stay home from school or, in other cases, because they were the only ones in their schools who wore masks .
The order to “suppress protests” is lifted
The petition argues that the sudden end to the cover-up order violated the charter rights of immunocompromised children who were forced to choose between their education and their health. The lifting of the order was done for the “improper purpose” of “repressing protests”, argued lawyer Orlagh O’Kelly, who cited ongoing protests and blockades at the Coutts border crossing in late January and February. The applicants told Judge Grant Dunlop they are not seeking the reinstatement of a province-wide order. Instead, O’Kelly and co-counsel Sharon Roberts made closing arguments Wednesday, asking the judge to declare that Hinshaw did not make the decision and that, going forward, she cannot hand over power to the cabinet . Government lawyers will have a chance to make their closing arguments on Thursday.
The government ordered to hand over the documents
The same group previously failed in its emergency petition to allow school boards the right to enforce their own mask mandates. But Dunlop agreed the case could continue as a judicial review of both the policy and how the decision to end the mandate was made. As part of that review, O’Kelly and Roberts sought additional information from the Alberta government, which the province refused to hand over until two separate court orders were issued in June and again in July. Only then did the government release previously classified cabinet documents, including a PowerPoint presentation and minutes from a cabinet meeting on February 8, the day it announced plans to lift public health measures. The Alberta Health summary revealed that while many factors can influence the transmission of COVID, school boards without mask mandates at the start of the 2021 school year had, on average, three times more outbreaks than those with masks.
Speed up the unmask command
The PowerPoint presentation, prepared by Hinshaw and presented by Health Minister Jason Copping, gave three options with steps in each to lift the restrictions. The first would have lifted most of the public health measures in Step 1, allowing Alberta to “be a leader in entering endemic space,” while the third left the decision entirely up to the commission. The documents show the committee chose Option 2, which, for the most part, is in line with the plan announced by Premier Jason Kenney later that day. But somewhere along the line, the school mask plan changed. In the PowerPoint, lifting the mask mandate in schools was the second step of the second option and was set to take place on March 1. However, the minutes of the meeting show that the removal of masks in schools was postponed until February 14. Education Minister Adriana Lagrange also revoked the school board’s authority to set its own rules. In response to the disclosure of the once-withheld documents, Steve Buick, press secretary to Health Minister Copping, said the decision to lift the school mask mandate was made “based on the best available evidence and advice from Alberta Health and the chief medical officer health worker”. “We stand by our decision to lift public health measures, including ending mandatory masks in schools. It was the right choice for the children and does not pose an undue risk to our communities.”
title: “Alberta Lifts School Mask Mandate To Quell Border Protests Lawyers Say Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-10” author: “Elizabeth Roberts”
The hearing, being held in the Court of Queen’s Bench, Alberta’s highest court, focuses on the abrupt lifting of the school mask mandate across the province on February 8. It is part of a petition filed on behalf of the families of five immunocompromised children as well as the Alberta Federation of Labor (AFL). Lawyers for the group argued that Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Dina Hinshaw, resigned from her cabinet position and failed in her duty to protect medically vulnerable school children. The children at the center of this court case, the plaintiffs’ legal team says, were segregated, alienated and bullied because they had to stay home from school or, in other cases, because they were the only ones in their schools who wore masks .
The order to “suppress protests” is lifted
The petition argues that the sudden end to the cover-up order violated the charter rights of immunocompromised children who were forced to choose between their education and their health. The lifting of the order was done for the “improper purpose” of “repressing protests”, argued lawyer Orlagh O’Kelly, who cited ongoing protests and blockades at the Coutts border crossing in late January and February. The applicants told Judge Grant Dunlop they are not seeking the reinstatement of a province-wide order. Instead, O’Kelly and co-counsel Sharon Roberts made closing arguments Wednesday, asking the judge to declare that Hinshaw did not make the decision and that, going forward, she cannot hand over power to the cabinet . Government lawyers will have a chance to make their closing arguments on Thursday.
The government ordered to hand over the documents
The same group previously failed in its emergency petition to allow school boards the right to enforce their own mask mandates. But Dunlop agreed the case could continue as a judicial review of both the policy and how the decision to end the mandate was made. As part of that review, O’Kelly and Roberts sought additional information from the Alberta government, which the province refused to hand over until two separate court orders were issued in June and again in July. Only then did the government release previously classified cabinet documents, including a PowerPoint presentation and minutes from a cabinet meeting on February 8, the day it announced plans to lift public health measures. The Alberta Health summary revealed that while many factors can influence the transmission of COVID, school boards without mask mandates at the start of the 2021 school year had, on average, three times more outbreaks than those with masks.
Speed up the unmask command
The PowerPoint presentation, prepared by Hinshaw and presented by Health Minister Jason Copping, gave three options with steps in each to lift the restrictions. The first would have lifted most of the public health measures in Step 1, allowing Alberta to “be a leader in entering endemic space,” while the third left the decision entirely up to the commission. The documents show the committee chose Option 2, which, for the most part, is in line with the plan announced by Premier Jason Kenney later that day. But somewhere along the line, the school mask plan changed. In the PowerPoint, lifting the mask mandate in schools was the second step of the second option and was set to take place on March 1. However, the minutes of the meeting show that the removal of masks in schools was postponed until February 14. Education Minister Adriana Lagrange also revoked the school board’s authority to set its own rules. In response to the disclosure of the once-withheld documents, Steve Buick, press secretary to Health Minister Copping, said the decision to lift the school mask mandate was made “based on the best available evidence and advice from Alberta Health and the chief medical officer health worker”. “We stand by our decision to lift public health measures, including ending mandatory masks in schools. It was the right choice for the children and does not pose an undue risk to our communities.”
title: “Alberta Lifts School Mask Mandate To Quell Border Protests Lawyers Say Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-25” author: “Jennifer Owens”
The hearing, being held in the Court of Queen’s Bench, Alberta’s highest court, focuses on the abrupt lifting of the school mask mandate across the province on February 8. It is part of a petition filed on behalf of the families of five immunocompromised children as well as the Alberta Federation of Labor (AFL). Lawyers for the group argued that Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Dina Hinshaw, resigned from her cabinet position and failed in her duty to protect medically vulnerable school children. The children at the center of this court case, the plaintiffs’ legal team says, were segregated, alienated and bullied because they had to stay home from school or, in other cases, because they were the only ones in their schools who wore masks .
The order to “suppress protests” is lifted
The petition argues that the sudden end to the cover-up order violated the charter rights of immunocompromised children who were forced to choose between their education and their health. The lifting of the order was done for the “improper purpose” of “repressing protests”, argued lawyer Orlagh O’Kelly, who cited ongoing protests and blockades at the Coutts border crossing in late January and February. The applicants told Judge Grant Dunlop they are not seeking the reinstatement of a province-wide order. Instead, O’Kelly and co-counsel Sharon Roberts made closing arguments Wednesday, asking the judge to declare that Hinshaw did not make the decision and that, going forward, she cannot hand over power to the cabinet . Government lawyers will have a chance to make their closing arguments on Thursday.
The government ordered to hand over the documents
The same group previously failed in its emergency petition to allow school boards the right to enforce their own mask mandates. But Dunlop agreed the case could continue as a judicial review of both the policy and how the decision to end the mandate was made. As part of that review, O’Kelly and Roberts sought additional information from the Alberta government, which the province refused to hand over until two separate court orders were issued in June and again in July. Only then did the government release previously classified cabinet documents, including a PowerPoint presentation and minutes from a cabinet meeting on February 8, the day it announced plans to lift public health measures. The Alberta Health summary revealed that while many factors can influence the transmission of COVID, school boards without mask mandates at the start of the 2021 school year had, on average, three times more outbreaks than those with masks.
Speed up the unmask command
The PowerPoint presentation, prepared by Hinshaw and presented by Health Minister Jason Copping, gave three options with steps in each to lift the restrictions. The first would have lifted most of the public health measures in Step 1, allowing Alberta to “be a leader in entering endemic space,” while the third left the decision entirely up to the commission. The documents show the committee chose Option 2, which, for the most part, is in line with the plan announced by Premier Jason Kenney later that day. But somewhere along the line, the school mask plan changed. In the PowerPoint, lifting the mask mandate in schools was the second step of the second option and was set to take place on March 1. However, the minutes of the meeting show that the removal of masks in schools was postponed until February 14. Education Minister Adriana Lagrange also revoked the school board’s authority to set its own rules. In response to the disclosure of the once-withheld documents, Steve Buick, press secretary to Health Minister Copping, said the decision to lift the school mask mandate was made “based on the best available evidence and advice from Alberta Health and the chief medical officer health worker”. “We stand by our decision to lift public health measures, including ending mandatory masks in schools. It was the right choice for the children and does not pose an undue risk to our communities.”
