What's buzzin Hive!
Holy crap, I don't know what community this would even belong to so I will just post it independently. As I mentioned in my last post, we are on lockdown again as of Friday, Edmonton isn't having any of it anymore and various protests have erupted around our city for various covid related issues from small business owners to religious gatherings all the way to underground parties in Nail salons that later lead to weapons violation charges in a separate incident. I think just for personal observations as I continue my journey thru life, I feel like I need to record this for myself.
Lets start with one that has been going on for quite some time. A west Edmonton church, Grace Life Church decided to continue holding services thru out the pandemic and have been under scrutiny by AHS (Alberta Health Services ) and the popo with several visits during Sunday and holiday services. A few months ago, Pastor James Coats was arrested and taken into police custody and spent a few weeks in jail. Despite the pastor being locked up, a junior pastor took over and continued Sunday service. According to Covid-19 regulations, every non essential businesses was ordered to shutdown during phase one (lockdown with only essential businesses) and once moved to operate at 15% capacity for phase 2 re-opening of the province.
The church continued to operate at full capacity ignoring all health mandates including social distancing and face mask/covering when in public. The pastor was eventually released with one of 3 charges remaining and resumed his preaching's violating his bail conditions. Earlier this week, AHS and the police proceeded with intervening by locking up the church and building a fence around the church and parking lot to restrict access of the congregation. Some near-by residents were relived with the additional measures taken since we now have 1000 to 1500 new cases daily in a population of about 4 million fearing for the health of their communities. As the fence was erected, many others began to show up and protest the actions taken.
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Today, it went WILD with several hundreds showing up to protest, others to counter-protest the protesters including a strong police presence to enforce restrictions. It is reported that no members of the church themselves attended. Crowds got a bit rough and stared to take down the fence despite police interference and lawyers are now getting involved to prevent the people from taking action. The fence was later reconstructed by police.
Several members from the adjacent Enoch Cree reserve have notice protesters parking on reserve land and have done some vandalism acts including vandalizing the chief's vehicle along with others. The community rallied together and built a blockade to the reserve to mitigate trespassers and are also protesting against the protesters to protect their rights and their land creating additional clashes. Many are still occupying reserve land meanwhile the Enoch community wants no part in any of the church drama pro or against. They just want people to stop trespassing and doing damage to their properties.
Last week or so, a different church decided to stand up for their rights and expel the police and AHS from the church entirely upon entry before they could take note of health measure violations in a video that went viral in our province. The pastor claims to be from Poland and has compared the situation with the early days of the Nazis and the Gestapo by entering the church with loaded guns where it is claimed that no weapons has place in the house of the lord and the policemen are not welcomed and considered trespassers until they come back with a warrant. They did eventually leave. Video inside the news link.
Several businesses were forced to close deemed as non- essential but this has taken a toll on business owners trying to survive and feed their families. Several restaurant owners continued to serve their patrons despite the health orders with full support of their surrounding communities helping them stay in business and fight with their continued patronage. The owner was charged with violations that were later dropped when the constitutionality of it was questioned in court. This happened during the last lockdown over the Christmas holidays until we entered phase 2 of re-opening.
This has set a trend and now many businesses have been featured on the news expressing their right to conduct business and will ignore the mandated closures while maintaining other health safety measures like social distancing, masks and increased sanitizing procedures to maintain the health of their patrons regardless of police and AHS interference . Every day, the list of defiant business continues to grow, this being common especially with gyms, hair salons, bars and restaurants. Others have adapted by setting up outdoor eating spaces to continue to be open lawfully. For some reason you can still eat outside in a tent or on patios but no indoor patronage for any restaurants or bars .
For several week-ends in a row, there has been other anti-lockdown protests erupting in our downtown Legislative grounds intensifying today with several hundreds showing up to protest, as they continue each week-end, the crowds keep increasing. I'm not sure about counter-protesters as of yet but I'm sure it's just a matter of time until it turns into a shit show. On many occasions, legitimate protest in Edmonton have been infiltrated by Antifa turning any unrelated protest to appear as a racisms and white supremacy narrative calling themselves anti racism counter protesters...The issue, none of the original protests have anything to do with white supremacy or a racist agenda, it's all a show for the news and causing clashes between crowds.
Another topic of interest have been illegal makeshift night clubs. Several weeks ago a local Nail Salon, Khrome Lounge, was raided by police as several party goers tried to escape with an expected crowd of 200 in violation of health orders and no masks. Just last week, the owner of the nail salon was arrested with possession and discharging a weapon near an unrelated business.
Videos have surfaced of a crowded downtown club continuing to operate but when confronted by officials with the video evidence claimed it was a promotional video filmed before the pandemic. Meanwhile the video from inside the club have the same people wearing the same clothes exiting the club from law enforcement videos as they monitored the club's activity.
Some vacation resort recently laid-off staff were also observed on video having raging parties in third party restaurant and bar establishments that resulted in the eating establishments to be expelled from resorts and their lease immediately terminated.
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In the recent days, there has been petitions and calls for our Premier and conservative party leader Jason Kenny to resign from his tenure after several mishandling of the pandemic along with his cabinet ignoring the very restrictions they are trying to impose on Albertans. Over the Christmas holidays, several personal staff and cabinet members including the one in charge of vaccination planning as vaccines were entering the province resulting in a delayed roll-out were caught taking out of country vacations in southern resorts like Hawaii, Mexico, Panama meanwhile telling all residents that family gatherings were banned and pre-recording videos to appear as following the restrictions set by them. Many were asked to resign, after much pressure from constituents they were relived of their cabinet positions but remained as MLA's as a way to back-pedal on their actions.
For the Easter long week-end, covid cases started to increase and the Premier and the Chief medical officer Deena Hinshaw abstained from addressing the Alberta population on the matter and abstaining from answering any questions or addressing concerns the members of the medical community had or health measures as the numbers of the so called more contagious variants overtook the original covid-19 detected a year ago and ICU is starting to get full again in the middle of a wage dispute and lay-offs in the medical field persist despite the pandemic. Other non covid related health concerns like cancer surgeries were deemed no essential and many health problems are being ignored with all the focus on covid.
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Wow, this is just a few incidents that are starting to boil over in these parts of the country. Residents have enough of covid restrictions and want life to get back to normal with increased expenses due to the recent country wide carbon tax hikes and so many laid off workers, the cost of living has consistently increased. A new survey showed that over half of Canadians are struggling to pay their bills and would not be able to handle a $200 emergency. Bankruptcies has not significantly risen as of yet but as the pandemic payment deferrals and emergency benefits come to a close in June, the numbers are expected to rise significantly.
I have mostly stayed away from all the covid drama and just do my thing but it's starting to boil over, I'm not sure how I feel about the whole thing, it's a bit much to be honest. I'm not a people or crowd person to begin with so no social gatherings doesn't really change much for me but may be important for others. There has been a deterioration in mental health observed within the population with increased suicides especially in teens accompanied with an increase in drug use and overdoses relating to fentanyl.
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Keeping the population healthy is important but these lockdowns also have many consequences far beyond what the so called "experts" take into consideration. Many Albertans are now starting to rise up and reject all of the measures. Can anyone blame them? They are being labeled conspiracy theorist or ubber right wing, are they tho? Or are they just fed up of government tyranny and overreach? Tired of the "do as I say not as do" public message they are sending with their own defiant actions of the very rules they put in place for the rest of the population.
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What are your thoughts? Are the current lockdowns to much or do the people need to chill TFO? How about you, how is your government handling the situation. Are you on lockdown? If so do you agree or disagree with it and how has it impacted your life? Will you get the vaccine when it is offered to you or will you abstain or wait to see what happens for a little longer before you decide? Have you or a family member contracted the virus? Should the police focus more on actual crime rather than enforcing public health orders on churches and small business owners and their patrons? Lets talk about it.
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Well I guess it did it's own thing and posted in whatever community it wanted!!!
Not sure if you know this, but I lived in Edmonton, for awhile. Wouldn't mind going back someday, if it's still standing. Had a feeling that place would slowly raise the middle finger. That's a hard city.
Whether it's right or wrong. Fucked if I know. Won't even pretend to know.
Yeah, you did tell me a couple of years ago. Edmonton rocks! Well it's not burned down as of yet like the hockey play-offs (that's the night I landed here, when Whyte ave was on fire over a hockey game) maybe you will still have something to visit. We are a a bit rough around this part of the country haha...we are a "fuck the government" sorta city for sure lol, I'm more surprised it took this long. I remember when antifa blocked the railroads, it lasted a whole 2 hours and citizens went and chased them out, loaded their blockade into a truck and got rid of it while the rest of the country it went on for weeks. No effin around here!
I'm kind of the same, I don't know if it's right or wrong. I get nobody wants this covid stuff but at what cost? Did you see Montreal? They have curfews and they went nuts, tore stuff down literally.
Edmonton is great but cold. Calgary is a bit snotty. Winnipeg is stoned. Regina you'll get stabbed. Vancouver can't drive. I haven't gone east. Haven't seen what's happening in Montreal. I cut off the news. Even those links you shared here, I didn't click. Just in my own little world.
Haha, I don't blame you for ignoring the news and staying in your own little world, it's mostly slanted bs anyway. I watch so I can bitch at it like I belong in a looney bin. Edmonton is cold, I thought Regina was boring. Never been to Vancouver or Winnipeg yet and avoid Calgary like the plague, people can't drive there either especially on the highway. I come from the east, it's just depressing down there and everyone drinks cause there is nothing else to do.
It's a strange game these media outlets play. There's the 'official' narrative, then whatever the case is, the popular independent scene pulls the public in the opposite direction. Rinse, repeat, regardless what's happening. Each team has a fan club and cheers for whatever their team does or says. People just hearing what they want to hear. Everyone thinks the other side is the brainwashed side. LOL. This is ridiculous.
When you tune out for long periods, then dive in again, you can actually feel it altering your mind. I don't think anyone is immune to being manipulated. It does drive me crazy, like you said, about the looney bin. All my friends and family in are in deep. Won't accept it if you say, "This isn't healthy."
Oh, and yeah, Regina, surrounding area, very boring. Lots of drugs and drinking. Calgary. Forgot about their road rage problem. Those eastern accents though, they make mine sound light.
Fuck we were coming back from Kananaskis this spring and had to drive thru Calgary, some dude just randomly stopped in the middle of the highway during rush-hour traffic with no warning to look at something on the shoulder, we almost rear-ended him and almost got rear ended ourselves cause the guy behind us wasn't paying attention.
Oh I get it's not healthy, when it begins to make my blood boil I tune out, it's become nothing but a covid fear factory these days and racism hides at every street corner like the boogie man. i have been watching it lately cause it's winter and cold and the rest of tv is even worse than the news these days, they banned all my youtube channels where I could get actual news.
"Everyone thinks the other side is the brainwashed side" - no doubt, it's like they can't see the divide being created by manipulation and propaganda. I saw some news stories where they literally contradict themselves in the same story, I can't believe they can read that teleprompter with a strait face. I wanted to be a journalist at some point until I did a job shadow. I walked right out on day one and it wasn't even that bad back then either!
"Those eastern accents though, they make mine sound light" I'm franglish that was raised on the border of quebec and NB (gaspe coast), lived in moncton where we speak shiac and add a dash of reserve. It's mostly tamed cause I've been here so long but I pull out my accent to make people laugh sometimes. It's even funnier if I have someone from my region to speak it with cause then they see it's legit and I'm not the only one and someone actually understand it. The spelling is wacked too.
Yeah those scary racists. Reality is most people don't even look at you when you're out in public. Everyone's in their own bubble. If there's an argument between strangers, it's usually just two or more assholes just being assholes about asshole things. I remember standing in front of Canada Place on Jasper Ave. waiting for that stupid number 3 bus to come. There was/is a bar beside what used to be the Hardware Grill, and it's really sketchy, so there was always some riffraff around there. Two guys approached yelling "Hey! Hey you! I beat up white people for a living!" Getting closer and closer, trying to be frightening (and drunk). Right up in my face, "Did you hear me boy! I said I beat up white people for a living!" And I just smiled and said, "Don't worry man, I'm not white, I'm Ukrainian." Put his fist out and wants a fist bump, so I obliged. Then the other guy started saying, "Hey I'm Ukrainian too!" But he wasn't... I could tell. Everyone left happy. No problems.
Man I miss that place. I'm having dejavu. Did we already have this conversation? I remember you telling me about that accent. Or maybe you didn't. I don't know.
Did I already tell you that story?
Oh wow, what a mess over there.
I had to close my business doors again, yet paid the lease invoice . I gave my notice to officially close up and move out.
I’m just going to hold off until there’s no question that lockdowns are no more.
That's unfortunate to hear, I don't blame you tho, too much instability and nobody can keep this up, it's demoralizing and stressful. They are so hard on small businesses yet like you said, leases still need to be paid in full open or not.
I can just image all those restaurants that buy all this food to re-open and then told they have to close down a couple days later. Such a waste. Many small businesses have closed for good here so even whe we open back up, certain jobs will not be coming back and some people will have to find new employment.
Ever hear of the Barrington Declaration?
I think we're at the point of Governmental over reach with the cure or prevention measures are far out weighting the benefits. Politicians are either feckless or relish too much their emergency powers.
Imagine a family's private business that have been in operation generations being wiped out and multiply that by the tens of thousands.
Credit cards and lines of credit are maxed to the point of personal bankruptcy due to prolonged lack of unemployment.
Young adult careers put on indefinite hold, Mortgages go unpaid having looming foreclosure over the Mortgagee's head. Deaths and attempted deaths from suicide have spiked to all time highs. Psychiatric services are overwhelmed.
Living is already an everyday risk.
I am more likely to be killed in an Auto accident than by Covid but no one has banned driving yet.
Well that's kind of my point, I get there is something bad going around but you can't keep the economy locked up indefinitely, people have bills to pay and business to run, cause we have no jobs doesn't mean bills go away and we still need to eat. Kids need to go to school and socialize, these are crucial formative years and I feel bad for the kids that don't understand why they can't see their friends or learn in a classroom with them while loosing their parents to mental health difficulties and stress, they will be impacted forever with that sub-par internet education and probably scared for life over this, it's hard enough for adults to grasp the situation and adapt.
I'm pretty sure emergency measures are only valid for 3 months then they have to be voted by the public to continue or dismiss them and I don't remember voting on any of this. Clearly, the people don't want them anymore. I've been disrupted financially but luckily I'm a saver by nature and always keep 6 months to a year's worth of emergency money and tons of dried goods for food, it's like I was planning for this before I knew it was going to happen. I had a re-occurring dream of this for years, except in my dream it gets way worse than this to the point of disrepair and we go back to living in the olden days.
If they were so worried about the public health aspect, they would be banning lots of nasty stuff like chemicals in the food that is actually making the entire population sick. My personal opinion is those who feel vulnerable should have the option to self isolate without being judged and those that want to carry on should be able to do so. At the end of the day, what is essential? What is essential to me may not be to you, everyone lives with different circumstances. I think a year into it is getting a bit much, at some point life has to carry on, covid or no covid.
https://gbdeclaration.org/
Wow your post shows a offering sight of what is happening. I hope you are well through all of that chaos.
I'm well, I avoid the chaos just some interesting observation worth noting as people begin to have enough and are starting to push back across the country. I'm more shocked that it took this long for people to begin rising up over here in Alberta, that generally don't take government interference like that for long. We are more well...anarchist. I hope all is well with you!
I am surprised at how long many places are taking to press back. There is quite a difference between Alberta and BC....i assume lockdowns will come to Alberta soon enough...
What do you mean? We are on lockdown, that's what started all the protests
Seems like each town has its own rules. Looks like small towns are not locked down. I wonder if only in the city the threat exists.
no, it's supposed to be everywhere, just nobody is following it city or small town. Businesses are opening anyway until the cops and AHS shuts them down. That's what the post was about...defiance everywhere. We can still order take out and do curbside pick-up and go to big box stores and essential services but that's about it...since friday so it's kinda new. Maybe it's more noticeable in cities since we have to line up outside to go do groceries and stuff where small towns have less people.
Good news to hear that people are open working and being productive members of society. G-o-v cannot hold all the doors closed. Do you use Hive SBI?