Alberta's Health Minister Has Just Been Replaced In The Midst Of A Public Health Emergency
He is swapping roles with another minister.
Alberta's cabinet just got shuffled by Premier Jason Kenney, and the province's health minister has been replaced.
On Tuesday, September 21, the premier announced that Tyler Shandro would no longer be the minister of health. He will now take over as the minister of labour and immigration, replacing Jason Copping, who will be stepping in as health minister.
Just a few hours later during a weekly COVID-19 update, the premier further explained the move.
"I have accepted Minister Shandro's resignation as minister of health. It is time for a new start and a new set of eyes on the largest department in the government, especially at a time such as this," Kenny said during the press conference. "Minister Copping has proven himself as a thoughtful and capable leader in government who is ready to take on the daunting task of overcoming this fourth wave and preparing the health care system to deal with whatever the virus throws at us in the future."
Alberta declared a state of public health emergency on September 15 and is currently implementing new health rules, including a form of proof of vaccination.
Earlier this year, Shandro had said that it was "safe to move forward" with a staged reopening of the province.
"We broke the trend, turned it straight down in the middle of winter, no less," he said of COVID-19 cases during a February press conference. "But Albertans have shown that they can do what it takes to bend the curve. And that's why I believe it's safe to move forward with our careful, staged reopening."
Alberta hit a total of 20,614 active COVID-19 cases in Monday's update.