“Those who hamper other’s access to healthcare must be stopped,” says Justice Minister

Today the province says it plans to take action against those who impede the ability of other Albertans to access healthcare facilities. Justice Minister and Solicitor General Kaycee Madu spoke specifically of those who blocked entrances to hospitals and other healthcare facilities during recent anti-vaccine protests.
Madu says those who hamper anyone’s ability to access these healthcare facilities must be stopped, adding that the province passed the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act in 2020 to protect critical infrastructure. Madu said Tuesday, through this regulation hospitals and healthcare facilities will be added to the list of critical infrastructure.
“We are making sure that these facilities must receive the same kind of protection. And those who hamper anyone’s ability to access these healthcare facilities must be stopped,” he said, adding, “This is another tool for law enforcement officers to ensure health care workers can do the work we are so grateful for.”
Madu did not specify what type of enforcement would be brought upon these individuals.
He clarified that this regulation is not about forbidding anyone’s constitutional right to protest. “This is about ensuring that people protesting do not impede access to healthcare, or staff that make these facilities work.”

Jeannette Rocher

Born in Puerto Rico, raised in Minnesota and Manitoba, Jeannette has had the opportunity to live in a variety of places including New York, Arizona, and Nevada. After completing college and a paid internship with CBC Winnipeg, Jeannette embarked on her journalism career by moving overseas to take a job on the island of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. While overseas she covered stories in Fiji, Guam and Japan including the 2011 tsunami that hit Japan and its surrounding islands. She covered a mass shooting, an Earth quake, murder cases and other substantial court cases. In 2013 she moved to Alberta where she covered the devastating floods of High River and Medicine Hat for CTV News. She then went on to produce and host Go! Southern Alberta for Shaw TV. She now calls Miracle Channel home. In addition to reporting in the field, you can catch her anchoring daily weather reports, as well as longer interview segments on BCN, and the week-in-review show on BCN Weekends. 

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