Across AB, retail&private security workers in particular have to deal with abuse, threats & worse from antimask extremists.

Workers risk infection when interacting with antimask yahoos, not to mention the physical violence we’ve seen. How to fix? A thread...

#ableg #abfuture https://twitter.com/leth_herald/status/1337447179816865792

Lower-paid workers - already in a precarious position of layoffs due to economic uncertainty and lack of support from the province - shouldn’t have to pay for Kenney and the UCP’s weak leadership. But they are. #ableg

The horse is already out of the barn in terms of Kenney’s loss of moral authority among his right-wing base, the proliferation of misinformation that hasn’t been counteracted by official channels. But they can at least begin to reverse some of that loss of authority. Some ideas:

1. Want a use for that idiotic warroom? Use those resources for public health - masking, vaccine uptake, and combatting misinformation online. $120m is a lot of money. Use a fraction of it to fight the real enemy of our economy right now.

2. AB has far too much uptake &circulation of garbage on Facebook in particular. The big social media accounts - JK himself, the GoA - can have big impact on blocking, reporting, etc. Provincial leaders could also spent 1/100th of the bandwidth they spend screaming at Trudeau...

...to work with other provinces and Feds to even engage in some mild yelling at Zuckerberg. Now is the time, as it’s clear the Biden administration will have to take this on if democracy is to prevail in the US over the near term.

Regulating this stuff is an international&national concern, but instead of coddling conspiracy or pretending it doesn’t exist (both have been past GoA strategies), we could use our influence to lead something better.

3. Back to more local/immediate actions. Quick blitz of enforcement would provide deterrent. Provide resources required for law enforcement so it doesn’t detract from their usual work. I for one am irritated @lethpolice will be focused on losers at the mall on Saturday...

...rather than community safety. I would rather my local police resources were focused on keeping my neighbours safe. It’s not LPS’ fault they to go to the mall instead, it’s the province’s fault. So let’s take some responsibility and provide the resources.

...instead, by the way, the LPS is facing a $1m cut due to UCP funding cuts to municipalities. Which is also highly irritating, as we’ve lost a number of downtown safety resources due to health cuts.

But I digress. On to #4. More solutions to this Kenney-created mask melee...

#4. We are swimming in this soup for awhile yet. It’s not like we bring in restrictions for 28 days and then it’s automatic vaccine shangri-la. It’s not. Vaccine’s gonna take time. So AB needs a better economic support and stimulus plan for biz and workers....

...folks can’t feel like they can’t afford staff/PPE/physical infrastructure for safety. We need direct cash-based support to smallbiz. The grant Schweitzer expanded this week is ok-fine, but it’s still not up&running, based on previous payroll, help for new biz unclear..

...and there’s a few ways it leaves some small operators behind. Also, did I mention it’s the same structure as the spring grant, but it’s been almost 3 weeks since re-announce & the online app isn’t set up yet. I mean, honestly GoA. Pull it together.

#5. Back to safety and enforcement. GoA authored this schmozzle for a lot of small biz and workers - making them the enforcers of mask and distance policies. That’s awful and has safety consequences. So why not provide proper training for folks...

...as a matter of OHS resources available to businesses and workers. Basic policy guidance for managers, basic services: de-escalation skills for workers, posters in stores, phoneline for advice & a clear way for biz to access enforcement if need be. Training on web, zoom etc.

...I have heard from businesses that the BizConnect line is often overwhelmed or gives kinda “shrug - I dunno” answers to Qs. Let’s beef up the resources for BizConnect, provide more safety help &resources. Consider a bit of straight cash for smallest operators to implement.

It’s not the folks at BizConnect’s fault that they have to be a bit vague in their answers. The public policy direction from cabinet has been a collective sloughing-off of responsibility to the Feds. It’s the Feds that have commercial rent support, worker support, etc....

...but clear provincial programs will help everyone get more clarity and, importantly, certainty. That’s the way we find glimmers of optimism, and business confidence is all about optimism stemming from certainty and confidence.

#6. And finally - mental health. This is a big one & I think it’s one where we can all agree the province can do some specific things right now. At base, finding comfort in conspiracy or directing anger at authority is about trying to find certainty in a super sad & hard time.

This is where, when I read the comments on JK’s FB page - ppl who don’t like the restrictions or masks or think covid isn’t real, I see a lot of folks hurting. I mean sure, in the moment that sort of stuff irritates me, but it doesn’t actually take long to see the humanity...

...and this province has double-digit unemployment, a runaway public health crisis, and big restructuring (cuts) to health and social supports happening at the same time. The UCP is presiding over big, radical change to the province and it’s a lot to process for many.

So that’s why today the NDP has put forward some really simple ideas for quick-response mental health supports that we can mobilize right now, right before and after the holidays, when we know that even in a “normal” year people need them the most. #abfuture #ableg #COVID19AB

Anyway, just some ideas. I’m sure there will now be an army of issues managers/jerks to dehumanize me, take it out of context, use it as proof that the Opposition aren’t real Albertans, whatever. I’ve stopped caring what they think. I just want us to get through this together.