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Kenney said all of the fair’s regular programming ‘will be possible’ should Albertans hit the targets outlined in the reopening plan
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Alberta Premier Jason Kenney expects pancake breakfasts, midway entertainment and rodeo competitions to return during the Calgary Stampede this summer under the province’s new reopening plan.
On Wednesday, the government unveiled an ambitious three-part strategy to fully open Alberta by July, should 70 per cent of residents receive their first COVID-19 jab. Kenney said the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth can “proceed at that point with full participation.”
“The bottom line is this — Conklin is coming, as I understand it, for the midway. Cowboys are coming for the rodeo and I’m sure the Young Canadians and all the local performers are geared up,” said Kenney.
“I fully anticipate we’ll have as much Stampede as the community can put on.”
Kenney said all of the fair’s regular programming “will be possible” should Albertans hit the targets outlined in the reopening plan.
He said the only constraint will be timing, as some community groups have “missed the window” to prepare for the summer event.
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Stampede organizers told Postmedia they are being “flexible” in their plans, with particular attention to community safety.
“What we do know is that the Stampede will look very different in 2021,” said Dana Peers, interim CEO of the Calgary Stampede. “This is not a 2019 Stampede by any stretch of the imagination.”
Kenney — almost jovial at the announcement — said he has already directed his staff to see if they can plan a premier’s pancake breakfast.
“I encourage community groups to start planning towards that. I tell you I would love to be in the griddle rental business in Calgary today,” he said. “People in the events industry, they need a little bit of business. They need some love. They have been largely shut down for 15 months.”
Opposition leader Rachel Notley is critical of Kenney’s reopening plan.
She said he’s “sprinting” Alberta into another wave of COVID-19. “This does look like an evidence-based plan. This looks like the Premier is working backwards from the Stampede,” said Notley.
Kenney rejected her statement and said the reopening plan is based on feedback from experts at Alberta Health.
More to come…
alsmith@postmedia.com
Twitter: alanna_smithh
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