Money is not missing

By Leela Sharon Aheer Chestermere-Strathmore MLA

Hello Chestermere-Strathmore. This week’s article will be based on an article written by my friend, Kyle Olsen, who has explained the misinformation posted regarding the $4 billion that have gone “missing.” This is not true, and I will share the article and the most salient points about where the money went. 

The Kyle Olsen opinion was posted to CBC on July 16.  No, Alberta didn’t lose $4 billion in COVID relief. 

Just for clarity, there has been misinformation circulating that we lost $4 billion dollars, and according to the Auditor General, that money went to COVID relief. We have been criticized for the lack of reporting and the effectiveness of the spending, which is fair given the uncertainty in the first wave. I’m certain there will be clarity as we unpack all the expenditures and decisions. 

All governments will have accountabilities regarding this spending, and I expect nothing less from our government. The issue I have is that the misinformation being spread hurts all of us, especially as we navigate our way out of this. Kyle writes in his article that there has been no “stealing” or “misappropriation” of funds.

I am writing this article so that you as a public know the truth. The public records show that $1.8 billion was incurred directly by the health department – I think that makes sense. Kyle states that businesses received $451.7 million; all totaled, he found $4.366 billions of spent dollars and where it went, which you can read in his article. The money was not lost and did not need to be found. It simply required research by someone who cares, like Kyle Olsen, who was willing to dig into the truth. Our government has made some serious mistakes. I’m the first to acknowledge that, but I will not stand by and allow this type of misinformation to circulate without a response. We still need to understand the effectiveness of this spending, but the assumption that it was stolen or lost needs to end immediately. 

I also want to update you on PCR testing. We must remain vigilant and I will continue to push to keep testing available, as this is how we keep ourselves and each other healthy. We are responsible for taking care of each other, and as we head into a season of respiratory viruses, let’s ensure we have access to all our tools. We must continue to offer rapid tests, and PCR tests will be available to those at high risk. Please test if you have symptoms, and stay home if you are sick. Also, outpatient treatment, such as Paxlovid or Remdesivir, will be available to help alleviate the sickness if you have symptoms, particularly if you are pregnant. Please test if you feel sick and let’s do what Albertans do best. We take of each other, we care for our neighbours, and give back and build our communities. 

As always, we love to hear from you. 

(Leela Sharon Aheer is the MLA Elect for Chestermere-Strathmore)