Wendy McDonald

Mother, Advocate for Inclusion, Chief Operating Officer at Inclusion Alberta, Rotarian. I love travel, inspiring people, music and believe everyone belongs.

[Inclusion Alberta @InclusionAB]

Save the date for a Changing Lives, Changing Communities Fundraising Event near you this November! https://t.co/qxD8GJjQbm

[Inclusion Alberta @InclusionAB]

We are raffling off a roundtrip flight for two guests to any regularly scheduled and marketed WestJet destination, with all proceeds going to Inclusion Alberta! Learn more and get tickets at:
https://t.co/MRPGfph9YZ

[Wendy McDonald @possibilitywork]

@LukaszukAB @staceybrotzel ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[Wendy McDonald @possibilitywork]

Please plan to join us for a day on the links!

[Inclusion Alberta @InclusionAB]

Join us June 23 for the Peter Lee Classic, hosted by inclusive employers @nfp! Learn more and register at: https://t.co/pPjox7tGWd

[Wendy McDonald @possibilitywork]

Draw is at 4 pm. Grab your tickets before it’s too late!

[Inclusion Alberta @InclusionAB]

Your chance to be at game 5 of the 1st @EdmontonOilers playoff series vs the Anaheim Ducks tomorrow (Tues) at Rogers Place, while supporting Inclusion Alberta! Get raffle tix at: https://t.co/JUgddLtNgm

[Wendy McDonald @possibilitywork]

Help support the Inclusion Alberta Oilers Playoff Ticket Raffle Fundraiser - Round 1 Game 5 and have a chance to win some real prizes. https://t.co/eLTkS9vRNt

[Wendy McDonald @possibilitywork]

This snow will eventually leave :). Please join us at the Peter Lee Golf Tournament taking place on June 23rd. All proceeds go to Inclusion Alberta thanks to NFP an Aon company!

[Inclusion Alberta @InclusionAB]

Join us on June 23 at the Links in Spruce Grove for the Peter Lee Golf Classic, presented by inclusive employers @nfp! Register and learn more: https://t.co/pPjox7tGWd

[Wendy McDonald @possibilitywork]

Want to cheer on the Oilers when they return for Game 5? Here's your chance! https://t.co/eLTkS9vRNt

[Inclusion Alberta @InclusionAB]

Media release: Inclusion Alberta welcomes passage of Bill 18 as a critical provincial step in protecting the rights and lives of persons with disabilities: https://t.co/mrcODGQQgX

[Wendy McDonald @possibilitywork]

Not too late. Draw tomorrow morning at 9 am. Help support the Inclusion Alberta Oilers Playoff Ticket Raffle Fundraiser - Round 1 Game 2 https://t.co/46Cg8eznwP

[Wendy McDonald @possibilitywork]

Want to cheer on Oilers in person? Here’s your chance! Round 1 Game 2 https://t.co/46Cg8eznwP

[Wendy McDonald @possibilitywork]

Cheer on the Oilers and support Inclusion Alberta - Round 1 Game 2 is on Wednesday night. Here's your chance to go! https://t.co/46Cg8eznwP

[Inclusion Alberta @InclusionAB]

Win tickets to @EdmontonOilers playoff games this week, with all raffle proceeds to Inclusion Alberta! Get tix at: https://t.co/Vwn14nj5fU

[Wendy McDonald @possibilitywork]

Want to cheer on the Oilers tomorrow night? Tickets $10 each. Draw tomorrow morning at 9 am! Help support the Inclusion Alberta Oilers Playoff Ticket Raffle Round 1 Game 1 https://t.co/U8o6GjMzpA

[Inclusion Alberta @InclusionAB]

Win a pair of tickets to the @EdmontonOilers playoff game at Rogers Place on Monday, with all proceeds going to Inclusion Alberta: https://t.co/p2wAnGDOcx

[CTV Edmonton @ctvedmonton]

Alberta organization marking 25 years of helping people living with disabilities find jobs https://t.co/G9Ju7uszzO

[Wendy McDonald @possibilitywork]

Dreaming of a get away! Here's to chance to purchase raffle tickets of a Gift of Flight anywhere WestJet flies. Get your tickets today! https://t.co/0nssJznczz

[Wendy McDonald @possibilitywork]

I am selling 2 verified tickets for Lewis Capaldi on 6 mai 2026 at Rogers Arena, Vancouver via Ticketmaster. Interested? https://t.co/whWDOIXUVk

[Wendy McDonald @possibilitywork]

Important. Please complete this questionnaire

[Hon. Thomas A. Lukaszuk @LukaszukAB]

Selectively, UCP circulates this survey. Not everyone gets it. The distribution list is based on how you previously answered other questions.

To help UCP get a more accurate results, share it.
#ableg https://t.co/mS5IfmEOPB

[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