Tracy Powell

RN, PhD; Associate Prof @mountroyal4u researching MAiD, family caregivers, bereavement&grief; Views/opinions my own. Retweet🚫endorsement. She/her

[Duane Bratt🇨🇦 @DuaneBratt]

Every time @CarrieTait goes quiet for a whole, you know she is working on something big. Here it is https://t.co/3bVI9orHl7

[Willy Skinner @WillyGSkinner]

My late husband chose the day he would die. And I was beside him when that day came.

That sentence is incredibly difficult to write.

But it’s also why I feel compelled to say something.

Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of misinformation about MAID online. Claims about what the process looks like, who can access it, what safeguards exist and how decisions are made.

For me, this isn’t an abstract debate. It isn’t a political talking point. It’s part of my life.

My late husband chose medical assistance in dying. I was there through the process—from the conversations and assessments to the safeguards, the waiting, the preparation and, ultimately, the moment when he died.

I know what it feels like to sit beside someone you love while they make one of the most profound decisions a person can make.

I also know that my experience is just that—my experience. It doesn’t make me an expert on every aspect of MAID, and it doesn’t mean everyone’s circumstances are the same.

But I do think firsthand experience matters.

So I want to share what I learned—not to tell anyone what they should believe about MAID, but to help separate what actually happens from what people are claiming happens online.

You can support MAID. You can oppose it. You can have complicated feelings about it.

But whatever position you take, I believe we owe people the truth.
Because behind every debate about MAID are people.

People who are suffering.

People who are making impossible decisions.

People who love them.

And families who have to live with those decisions long after the conversation online has moved on.

[Jeromy (Pathfinder) Farkas @JeromyYYC]

Michelle, that is false.

The City did not change the rules days before Stampede. Operators who ran past midnight last year were told in February that updated conditions would apply. Cowboys was told again in May.

The exemption was conditional. It depended on operators managing noise, safety, and impacts on nearby residents. They did not meet that standard.

We are taking public safety in our downtown seriously. Last year several hundred people brought complaints. People reported property damage, windows shaking, items falling from shelves, music until 2 a.m., disorder, and excessive intoxication spilling into nearby neighbourhoods.

The City still permits concerts until midnight on weeknights, with cool-down music past midnight. Weekend concerts run until 1:30 a.m., with cool-down music until 2 a.m.

No gets a free pass to disturb residents or create unsafe conditions. A great city backs major events and holds operators accountable.

[Parksy @PfParks]

https://t.co/TNnvkE8fh8

This is an excellent op-ed 👇, give it a read.

If I might add: the numbers quoted here are if done under the PUBLIC PAY billing schedule (govt's costs)

They all INCREASE when for-profit companies can charge whatever they want....
1/3

[Courtney Theriault @cspotweet]

Chatted with circadian rhythm expert Michael Antle about Alberta's move to permanent DST.

He says he was the UCP's first call during their consultation process- but that they ultimately ignored the evidence that says permanent standard time is better for our bodies.

[The Globe and Mail @globeandmail]

COVID-19 drove recent leap in preventable respiratory hospitalizations, report says https://t.co/eiHUn6uBqj

[Willy Skinner @WillyGSkinner]

https://t.co/NNlOKS7NpR

[guyfelicella🇨🇦🍁 @guyfelicella]

The “Alberta model” in action:
4,700+ substance-related calls in Calgary this year.
A 60% spike.

Shut down supervised consumption sites…
and now people are using drugs outside in alleys, in parks, and alone.
More overdoses, more 911 calls, and more pressure on first responders...

Bad policy!

Why can't Alberta do both harm reduction and recovery?
If they truly care about people struggling with addiction they would.
Link to story: https://t.co/2hrMTuDPPE

[Scott Robertson @sarobertson_]

Charlie Angus gets choked up recalling hearing Stephen Lewis speak about mining widows as a boy: “That was the moment that I realized politics has to be about serving people who have no voice. And that was Stephen Lewis.”

[Parksy @PfParks]

https://t.co/KxsRG3e1iM

It would be a good time to remind ABs that I was there when the Premier flippantly said she could easily replace Family Doctors with NPs.
1/5

[cm @cmcalgary]

"McPherson said the government has no right to tell a person they "haven't suffered enough." Watching her son live in pain helped her understand his decision to end his life on his terms, and she said his death was peaceful."

https://t.co/A73f37uPsZ

#Alberta #Canada #abpoli

[The Breakdown @TheBreakdownAB]

New episode!

Danielle Smith is citing multiple examples to justify her attack on MAID, but on closer scrutiny the stories she using aren't at all what she claims...

Including misrepresenting Veterans care.

#abpoli #ableg #cdnpoli

[Global Calgary @GlobalCalgary]

Over two dozen Edmonton and area medical professionals say they're concerned new Alberta limits on medical assistance in dying would cause needless suffering and put clinicians in "ethically untenable" positions.
https://t.co/EkpZYnUzTp

[Dr. Raj Sherman @RajSherman]

MUST READ LONG TWEET on #TurkeyTylenol
Please repost if you agree.

Let’s put this into human terms, the impact on Alberta’s children in fall and winter 2022.

A new Premier rejected key public health advice on vaccination and viral spread, and removed the Chief Medical Officer of Health (Dr. Deena Hinshaw) on Nov 14, 2022, during a “tridemic,” when multiple respiratory viruses were circulating at the same time.

Many Alberta children became ill. Most had typical viral infections. But many became very sick. Not minor illness, but serious complications.

They were dehydrated. They were struggling to breathe. Some were septic.

They filled hospital and ER beds across Alberta.

During this period, a ~$70 million children’s acetaminophen procurement was announced as part of the response to this crisis by Premier @ABDanielleSmith

This human story has been lost, while key facts have emerged through reporting by:
1. City news: @jsjamato
https://t.co/oWeOKh949v

2. Cindy Tran: Postmedia @kccindytran
https://t.co/Ss5zhljH9I

3. Globe & Mail team: @CarrieTait, @Tom_Cardoso & @alanna_smithh
https://t.co/c07sjwfUWU

There is now an Auditor General investigation, a judicial review and addendum, and RCMP involvement.

How did we get here? Policy decisions were made in a fast-moving crisis.

The question is, were they evidence-based and well governed? …the answer is…NO.

As an ER physician, former Associate Health Minister, HQCA Board Chair: Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is not life-saving. It treats fever and pain, not the illness.

1. FACTS:
• Fever rarely harms; the underlying infection does
• Treating fever improves comfort, not outcomes
• Frontline clinicians were not calling for $70m and large stockpiles of children’s acetaminophen or anti-inflammatories

2. MORE FACTS:
• There was a real shortage across Canada, driven by demand
• The U.S. faced similar pressure without declaring a national shortage
• Health Canada ensures safety and access
• Provinces decide what to buy, how much, and from whom

Emergency importation was allowed, not full approval.
• Alberta committed ~$70M for ~5 million bottles
• ~1.47 million bottles (~$20M) were received

Public reporting indicates:
• ~1% of product was used
• Large quantities expired and were destroyed
• Some product was donated
• Significant funds were paid for product not delivered

This raises serious questions about value, decision making, planning, and oversight.

3. WHAT WENT WRONG:
• Large-volume procurement under uncertainty
• Limited transparency
• Delivery gaps
• Overstock → expiry and disposal
• Storage (~$478K) and disposal (~$718K) costs
• Ongoing investigations, including reported RCMP activity

This does not appear to be a clinical failure. It raises concerns about procurement and political governance failure.

4. THE QUESTIONS THAT MATTER:
• Why ~$70M on a non-life-saving medication?
• Why elevate it to a Premier-level response?
• What procurement process was used?
• Were established suppliers (Apotex, J&J) considered?
• Who approved volume, pricing, and payment terms?
• What due diligence was done on supply and shelf life?
• Were risks (expiry, non-delivery) assessed?
• Where does accountability sit: AHS, Alberta Health, the Minister/Premier’s office, or all three?

5. MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO ALBERTA’S CHILDREN:
ERs were not full of kids needing acetaminophen, Tylenol & anti-inflammatories. They were full of children and adults with serious complications from infections requiring:
• Oxygen
• Monitoring
• IV fluids
• IV antibiotics
• Hospital and ICU care

Pediatric hospital beds were full. Admitted patients, including children, stayed in ERs for prolonged periods. Waiting rooms backed up. This was a capacity and flow crisis that exists today.

6. THE REAL PROBLEM: The “Tridemic,” multiple infections at once:
• RSV
• Influenza
• COVID-19

7. WHY IT WORSENED:
• Less consistent public health messaging (no Chief Medical Officer of Health)
• Suboptimal vaccination uptake (new gov't policy)
• Variable masking and mitigation (new gov't policy)
• Limited clear guidance (new gov't policy)
• A predictable winter surge

8. THE REAL EMERGENCY, STILL PRESENT TODAY:
• Insufficient hospital capacity
• Workforce shortages
• Limited primary care access
• Gaps in home and long-term care
• Ongoing system flow challenges

9. WHAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PRIORITIZED:
• Medical leadership to inform elected officials
• Measures to reduce transmission
• Vaccination and public education
• Procurement aligned with clinical need
• Multiple reliable supply sources
• Strong primary and community care
• Planning ahead, not reactive purchasing

10. BOTTOM LINE: This was not about fever. It was about serious infections overwhelming an understaffed, under-built, and strained health system.

You don’t fix that with Tylenol. You fix the underlying cause and repair the system.

A wise old man once told me that to fix healthcare, we need 3 things:
1. Money - accountable investment
2. Manpower - trained staff
3. Materials - beds, infrastructure, and medical equipment

11. SOLUTIONS:
• Strengthen governance and oversight by separating policy-making from front-line operational decisions
• Improve transparency and accountability
• Align political messaging with clinical reality
• Invest in human and capital infrastructure where patients need care

Public reporting and ongoing investigations have raised serious questions about decision-making. Those processes are ongoing.

12. MEANWHILE: Albertans continue to experience delays in care, including cases of deterioration and deaths in ER waiting rooms while waiting, as highlighted by Dr. @pfparks and Alberta’s emergency physicians.

13. My question: If one high-profile procurement shows these gaps, what does that mean for the rest of healthcare and government spending and contracting?

Albertans deserve answers. Albertans deserve transparency. Albertans deserve better leadership.

14. FINAL THOUGHT & QUESTION: Have we as a society and our government learned anything?

#ABleg #ABpoli #AHS #ABHealth
@Alberta_UCP @RachelNotley @albertaNDP @djclimenhaga @cspotweet @ryanjespersen @TheBreakdownAB @ShayeGanam

[Edmonton Journal @edmontonjournal]

"The individuals at the centre of this debate are rarely acknowledged. People with treatment-refractory mental illness who are being denied the option of a dignified and controlled end to their suffering represent a uniquely disenfranchised group."

https://t.co/qarxNkDZQq

[guyfelicella🇨🇦🍁 @guyfelicella]

Experts across Alberta have now weighed in on the Alberta government’s CoRE study on the impact of closing an overdose prevention site.

(Hate to break it to you but no matter how many times they write the same things on the same topics, National Post opinion writers/conservative lap dogs @AdamZivo and @DerekFinkle are not leading lights in this space.)

In a new op-ed, the scientists clearly explain the many, many ways the study was flawed, including that it didn’t account for new services stood up to mitigate the loss of the OPS.

As they say: “If you take away a safety net, like an OPS, and replace it with more people standing below to catch the fallout, you haven’t proven the net was useless, only how hard you have to work to compensate for its absence.”

The study’s nonsensical findings attempt (poorly) to counter two decades of peer-reviewed research. Yet it’s this one limited, inadequate and politically driven study that Zivo, Finkle, and the Alberta and Ontario governments are using to justify the closure of life-saving health services.

Kinda makes you wonder who the real sinners are: people struggling with addiction, or the morally righteous who demand abstinence or force them to risk death.

Read the op-ed here 🔗:https://t.co/N4M2N7hTYS

[Tracy Powell @ProfTLPowell]

⬇️ And now Albertans know more about how the UCP wants to restrict and create barriers to the legal option of MAiD. It amounts to legislating suffering under the guise of ‘protecting citizens’ https://t.co/8V5kRuGhdn

[Sean Amato @JSJamato]

Alberta’s Bill 18, which seeks to drastically restrict access to medical assistance in dying, has sparked fierce reaction. As Sean Amato reports, some in the disability community are applauding it while others are considering court challenges. #ableg

https://t.co/NA5KYw6g7P

[TinkieGurl @SharonAnge874]

Imagine the gall it takes to think you have the ultimate power when it comes to end of life decisions what's next advanced directives? People scream less govt interference yet don't have an issue with her taking away their bodily autonomy 1 piece at a time
https://t.co/GG92qDyvyS

[880CHED @CHED880]

“Dog whistle to the pro-life base"—@KristinRaworth says the new MAID restrictions go against UCP's promise to respect personal medical decisions.

She adds the bill could’ve forced her stepmother to suffer, instead of passing peacefully.

Thoughts?

LISTEN https://t.co/vGCqJ8iQLC