Protesters shame Mayor after top staffer travels to Hawaii

• By Sheila Gunn Reid
• |

Every Saturday and Sunday, protesters gather on the square outside Calgary City Hall to voice their angst and disapproval with the ongoing coronavirus restrictions handed down by the province.

Churches and retail space are limited to 15 per cent of capacity. Restaurants are closed except for takeout. Personal care businesses, gyms, hair and nail salons, barbers and recreation facilities are shut too.

The government has been advising against non-essential travel for months, however, you wouldn’t know it if you paid attention to the actions of our lawmakers themselves. Several United Conservative Party MLAs and staffers travelled outside of the country during the Christmas break. Municipal Affairs Minister Tracy Allard was fired by Premier Jason Kenney for her holiday trip to Hawaii.

Allard wasn’t the only one spending time in the Aloha State. Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi’s chief of staff also enjoyed some fun in the sun over the holiday season. It’s ironic, since Nenshi has been one of the loudest voices calling for increased lockdowns, and a heavier crackdown on the protesters who gather outside of his office every weekend.

I caught up with the protesters on Saturday to see if they had a message to send to their hypocritical leaders at City Hall.