Corbella: Anti-vaxxers and others should be banned from protesting in front of hospitals – Calgary Herald

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'I wish those people who think COVID is a farce and that the vaccines are more dangerous than the disease could see what we all see,' said a nurse inside the building

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I have a 91-year-old loved one who has recently been diagnosed with an extremely rare blood cancer. Its so rare, his condition is 15 words long.

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The thought of this elderly, mentally sharp but now quite medically frail man having to battle through throngs of anti-vaccine protesters to go to Vancouver General Hospital to undergo tests and get blood transfusions is infuriating. That there is footage of thousands of people in front of the same hospital slowing down ambulances is, frankly, disgusting.

On Monday, every main federal political leader spoke out against people protesting in front of hospitals slowing access to medical staff and patients, as did Premier Jason Kenney.

Todays protests must in no way obstruct the important operations of our hospitals, including the arrival and departure of emergency vehicles and workers. Blocking an ambulance is most definitely not peaceful protest, Kenney said in a written statement Monday.

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In Alberta, local law enforcement is fully empowered to enforce the law in a timely fashion, including the potential use of the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act,said Kenney, referring to an act that came into effect June 17, 2020, and makes it illegal to block railways, pipelines and highways and which is interpreted to include roads heading into and out of hospitals.

And while Canadians are entitled to peaceful protest, one can still question the appalling judgment of those protesting across the country today. It is outrageous that a small minority feel its appropriate to protest at hospitals during the pandemic while our health-care workers continue to tirelessly battle the global menace of COVID-19.

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Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau vowed that if returned to power he will make it a criminal offence to block access to buildings that provide health care . . . It is not OK that across the country hospitals are having to put up barricades today to manage the mobs coming their way, said Trudeau.

And further, were going to make it a criminal offence for anyone to threaten or intimidate any health-care practitioner on their way into work in the exercise of their duty or a patient on their way to get medical services, added Trudeau.

Huh? Its of course already a criminal offence to threaten anybody anywhere, not just staff or patients entering hospitals. How does he get away with such inanity?

The anti-vaccine passport protest in front of Foothills hospital on Monday brought out dozens of Calgary police officers and many other peace officers, including officers armed with cameras to record what was taking place.

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Protesters had to stay off of hospital property, and if nearby residents, staff and patients found the protesters annoying it was actually the counter-protesters a group of eight Antifa members dressed in black and carting around powerful speakers blasting hideous death metal music at ear-splitting decibels who were truly the annoying ones. Calgary police on scene confirmed that those in attendance were from the radical anti-fascist group.

Ask them for an interview and their only response is F off! screamed almost as loud as their music. But at least their sign read We stand with AHS. With friends like this, who needs enemies. It was clear Antifa tried to incite a fight, which didnt materialize.

A nurse inside the building, reached via telephone, was at first incredulous when she learned it was people who supported them who were making that nauseous sound.

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Its really demoralizing all of us inside. We can hear it and we just assumed it was the anti-vaxxers, said the nurse, who asked to remain anonymous.

I wish those people who think COVID is a farce and that the vaccines are more dangerous than the disease could see what we all see, she said. People are dying of COVID or fighting for their lives. They regret not getting vaccinated.

Albertas intensive-care units are at 90 per cent capacity and 88.5 per cent of hospitalized COVID patients fighting for their lives are unvaccinated, and 82.7 per cent of those who died of COVID-19 since Jan. 1 were unvaccinated or diagnosed within two weeks from the first dose immunization date.

Albertas chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw tweeted that of the 198 in ICU on Monday (the number rose to 202 by noon), 90.4 per cent are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated.

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So, just who are the 300 or so folk who turned out Monday to protest mandatory vaccination and/or vaccine passports?

One woman held a sign that read: Say no to the Jab: Side effects = blood clots, hart attack & more. Pretty hard to take someone seriously who cant even spell the word heart correctly.

Pamphlets for Kevin J. Johnston the Calgary mayoral candidate who has been repeatedly jailed for spreading hate and threatening people were everywhere.

Johnston spent the equivalent of seven weeks in jail in May and June for harassing and threatening an AHS inspector as well as causing a disturbance at a downtown Calgary shopping mall when he berated staff who demanded he wear a mask.

Just last week, Johnston was sentenced to 40 days in jail for breaching three judges orders aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19. He must also pay the $20,000 legal bills of Alberta Health Services.

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With Antifas death metal music blaring, one woman who would only speak to me on the condition that I remove my mask and then wouldnt give her name burned sweet grass and sage and tried to push the smoke over the Antifa protesters to counter their negative and evil energy.

The protest was organized by Canadian Frontline Nurses, which includes two former Ontario nurses who attended the Jan. 6 riotsat the United States Capitol.

Canadian Frontline Nurses spearheaded arally attended by an estimated 1,500 people in downtown Calgary on Sunday to denounce COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Several people interviewed threw around names like the Rockefellers, George Soros and Bill Gates as people who want to control our minds using the vaccine and to sterilize us.

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There were a lot of people who called reporters on scene fake news, and charged that you never tell the other side of the story but then refused to give their side of the story or provide their sources of information.

Trevor Simpson was one of the very few who gave his full name. He said he showed up because hes a proud Canadian whos fighting for freedom and our Constitution, and therefore against vaccine mandates and passports that would bar the unvaccinated from some non-essential public events.

When asked how protesting in front of a hospital makes sense, since doctors and nurses are not policy-makers, all he could say was that maybe we shouldnt be protesting there.

Whether people like them or not, vaccine passports are coming. Businesses are demanding them to prevent lockdowns.

More of these protests are expected to take place around hospitals across the country on Tuesday.

If they slow down traffic going into or out of the hospital, participants should be charged.

Licia Corbella is a Postmedia columnist in Calgary.

lcorbella@postmedia.com

Twitter: @LiciaCorbella

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Corbella: Anti-vaxxers and others should be banned from protesting in front of hospitals - Calgary Herald