The pandemic wasn’t all we had to cope with in 2020. There was turmoil across Alberta. Protesters blockaded CN Rail’s line west of Edmonton to oppose a gas pipeline in BC. Moms Stop The Harm held a “die-in” at the legislature in response to the threatened closure of supervised consumption sites. UCP government budget cuts sparked mass protests in cities and towns alike. After the premier announced the closure and delisting of provincial parks, 12,000 signs—“Defend Alberta Parks”—sprouted on lawns. Peace Camp, a tent city in an Edmonton park, drew attention to a lack of secure housing. In October, after the UCP government said it would cut 11,000 healthcare jobs, AUPE members went out on wildcat strikes across the province.
Black Lives Matter protest, Calgary, June 3, 2020. (photo: Funeh Aliu)
Rally for supervised consumption sites, Edmonton, February 26, 2020. (photo: Paula Kirman)
Supporters of Wet’suwet’en at a rail line blockade, Edmonton, Feb 2020 (J. Franson/CP)
Peace Camp, Edmonton, Sep 2020 (P. Kirman)
Doctors protest, Pincher Creek, Jun 2020 (R. Cassidy/Pincher Creek Echo)
Defend Alberta Parks volunteers
Amber Tuccaro “Angelversary,” Edmonton, Aug 2020 (P. Kirman)
U of L Faculty Association solidarity march, Lethbridge, Oct 2020 (ULFA).
Thousands of Albertans from a diversity of occupations and backgrounds came out to protest budget cuts from the UCP government, downtown Calgary, Feb 29, 2020 (Calgary Herald).
Workers protest, Grande Prairie, Feb 2020 (J. Watson/Daily Herald-Tribune)
