Open letter to Premier Jason Kenney

 January 4, 2020

Dear Honourable Jason Kenney, Premier of Alberta. 


I find myself writing to you yet again to express my concerns about Alberta’s response to COVID-19. I have sent your office numerous correspondences, mostly recently on Dec 28, 2020. I have strong concerns about the extent to which the government of Alberta’s plans will protect the lives of Albertans. 


I currently reside live at the AgeCare-Skypointe Community Care Living Facility which houses approximately 350 residents. We are situated in the upper NE quadrant, which is located in Calgary’s ‘hotspot. AgeCare-Skypointe has been in the news since Dec 26, 2020 due to the major COVID outbreak at my facility. 


Our first COVID positive case occurred on Oct 11. Subsequently, all residents were forced to quarantine in our rooms for a minimum of 14 days. As of today, many residents, myself included, remain cooped up in our small rooms (roughly 350 square feet) for the foreseeable future. 


What this means for me, premier, is that neither I nor any of the other residents at our facility have been able to see our loved ones for 85 days and counting. For 85 days, we have not felt the touch from people who love us. For 85 days, we have been served our meals on Styrofoam plates, paper cups and plastic utensils. For 85 days, many residents at my care facility have been left to idle in utter silence, with no access to televisions or radios to help break up their days. For 85 days, the nursing staff at my facility have been working tirelessly working as a team to ensure great care is being provided to all residents. The staff are exhausted, both physically and emotionally, as they’ve had to watch their residents become infected with COVID-19 and some die.


It is not an exaggeration to say that we are all ‘fighting’ during these unprecedented times. I am immune compromised with Guillian Barre Syndrome as well as respiratory compromised due to GBS and being a quadriplegic. I find it extremely disheartening to hear how, despite the sacrifices of so many, members of your government seem to feel exempt from following your own public health guidelines. As the premier of our province, I believe that the buck stops with you. 


I am disappointed to share with you that I was recently diagnosed with COVID-19. This has been a huge fear of mine and I deeply exhaled each time I received a negative test (12 times!) This has been an overwhelming diagnoses. I feel angry, frustrated, and scared. 


I strongly believe that had some definitive action been taken by your government to curb COVID-19 I would not be in this current predicament. I keep asking myself, why did you wait until Dec 12, 2020 to implement our current lockdown restrictions? Why did you not act sooner when hundreds of physicians in Alberta sent you multiple letters that hospitals resources are getting stretched to capacity? Why did you think your threshold in acting is when hospitalizations and ICU admissions exceeds 600%? Why did you stay silent while on isolation (Nov 12-24) when everything was spiking in Alberta? 


Premier, you were elected to serve all Albertans, regardless of their political affiliation. As a so-called ‘leader’ during this time of crisis, I believe that your reluctance to act has been damaging to the long-term health and stability of our province. I can only hope that our province’s vaccine rollout takes stock of some of these terrible lessons learned. Your top priority for 2021 should be to ensure that Albertans can return to their normal lives again. 



Thank you for listening to my concerns and questions as addressed in this letter. 


Sincerely yours, 



Laura Jean Rutherford, CHIM


Cc’d :

Honourable Erin O’Toole, Federal leader of Conservatives Party of Canada, Leader of Oppositon

Honourable Rachel Notley, NDP Leader of Alberta, Provincial Leader of the Oppositon

Honourable Tyler Shandro, Alberta’s Minister of Health

Honourable Josephine Pon, Alberta Minister for Seniors and Housing 

Honourable Prasad Panda, Alberta Minister of infrastructure, MLA Calgary-Skyview

Honourable Rajan Sawhney, Alberta MLA Calgary-Northeast 

Dr. Deanna Hinshaw, Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer 

Honourable David Shepherd, Alberta’s NDP Health Critic

Honourable Lori Sigurdson, Alberta’s NDP Senior and Housing Critic 

Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada

Honourable Jagmeet Singh, Federal Leader of New Democratic Party

Honourable Patty Harju, Federal Minister of Health 

Mayor Naheed Nenshi, Mayor of City of Calgary 

Councillor George Chahal, Ward 5 Councillor for City of Calgary 

Mr. Jason Herring , Post Media, Calgary Herald

Ms. Jill Croteau, Journalist, Global News Calgary 


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