Welp, I have no sound on the phone line for this news confe…

Lost video too! Before that cut out, Kenney said they are expanding the Kitaskino Nuwenëné Wildland Provincial Park.

Back on the phone line. Environment and Parks Minister Jason Nixon. Athabasca Oil surrendered 23,500 acres in that region. Cenovus surrendered more than 60,000 acres.

Chief Peter Powder, Mikisew Cree First Nation, says we need to protect the watershed, the caribou habitat. Expansion of the Kitaskino Nuwenëné Wildland Provincial Park in the Athabasca Delta will protect most vulnerable species, he says

Powder thanks the federal government for financial support for the parks and thanks the province for supporting the vision.

Rob Broen, president and CEO, Athabasca Oil Corporation speaking now.

On Providence Theraputics, Premier Jason Kenney said he spoke to Premier Pallister, president of Providence. Says he's exploring how to make the vision a reality. Says he's working on an inter-provincial task force. Providence needs orders of 50 million doses

Alberta would order a few million. Just Alberta and Manitoba wouldn't be enough. He says they're pursuing it with other provinces. Says he can't rely on federal government.

"A small order by ourselves would not be enough to secure domestic production." Kenney says

Q on regional basis for Covid restrictions: Kenney says spread is so high can't take an approach differently in different regions. In fact in last little while, rising outside the big cities. Threshold for regional measures would be less than 50 cases per 100,000

"Transmission can happen very fast." He says there's a misunderstanding that rural Alberta is immune due to lower population density. HE says of the top 15 highest covid cases by local geographic areas, 13 are in rural communities

Kenney says he will be increasing supports for businesses still affected by closure/restrictions.

Next Q: Mayor Don Scott has dared you to fire him. What's your response to the fact that the RMWB isn't sending calls to centralized dispatch?

Kenney says SHandro is in talks with Scott. Says the province is "absolutely committed to that."
And of course takes aim at the reporter who asked the question...Hope you guys up in Fort McMurray are covering today's announcement 🙄

Next Q: You're always talking about diversifying the economy, why not back Providence?

Kenney said it would be so important to have a domestic pharmaceutical supply, blaming vaccine nationalism.

He says we can't count on international supply.

He says there's an Edmonton project they're looking at as well.

Nixon says this expansion will mean the park is 67,000 square kilometres. The bison herd there is a threatened species and it contains important caribou habitat, Nixon said.

Q: Is this about exporting vaccines, or about vaccinating Albertans? What the benefit if this supply isnt' expected until the end of the year/next year?

Kenney says he doesn't know if he can count on the federal government. "We need a solid plan B, which is not subject to the whims of foreign governments."

"We need a belt and suspenders, an all of the above approach," Kenney says.

Kenney says we must plan for the worst, that vaccine nationalism carries on, that EU will ban exports, U.S. will grab vaccines coming off the lines.

He says if there's a best-case scenario and we have enough from international suppliers, Alberta manufacturers can sell surplus to the world.

Kenney asks what happens when one of the variants becomes the dominant strain and they have to back and make new vaccines. Will those new vaccines be subject to vaccine nationalism? He asks

Last Q: When are we going to see the plan for Phase 2 of vaccines?

Kenney said the cabinet committee on covid considered a proposal last week on priority groups and will be releasing that "in due course."