We are in the midst of one of the most serious public health crises of the last century.
Workers and their families are living in a very anxious time; the instability of the situation is creating fissures in our economy, our families and our communities.
Unfortunately, no one knows what the future holds. We can’t control the impact of this crisis on our economy, and especially the devastating effect it may have on small businesses. But we can limit the impact it has on our souls, community and personal health.
For those of us who can’t stay home, there are public health precautions we can take to keep ourselves, our families and our colleagues safe.
We thank the men and women, farmers, truckers, grocery clerks and others, who are sacrificing so much to provide essential services to their fellow Canadians.
In particular, I want to send my gratitude to all of our public health workers who are, during these stressful times, holding Canada together.
For those lucky enough to be able to work from home, staying isolated, doing sensible and human things like reading, listening to music, cleaning, going for walks outside far from others, chatting to our friends online, distance learning and teaching, as well as sending thoughts, prayers and words of encouragement to others is essential.
As Canadians, we need to be careful; we need to be helpful; we need to be brave; we need to be ready. Covid-19 is here. It isn’t going away anytime soon, and the only way we will get through this as a nation, as Canadians, is if we support each other and do this together.
My wife and I are praying for all of you, and my office will continue to work to support and provide information to Canadians affected by this situation.
I call on all of you to use your lines of communication to share ideas as we look for solutions as a community.
— MP Earl Dreeshen, Member of Parliament (Red Deer-Mountainview)
For additional support, please reach out to the below resources:
Support from the Alberta Government
www.alberta.ca/covid-19-support-for-employers.aspx
1-866-922-9221 (within AB)
1-800-661-9608 (outside AB)
Support from the Federal Government
www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/economic-response-plan.html
1-833-381-2725 (toll-free)