After government pledge of 'best summer ever,' COVID swamps Alberta hospitals, premier

Premier Jason Kenney promised Albertans the 'best summer ever' when he lifted most COVID-19 public health restrictions on July 1, but a surge in infections has overwhelmed the province's hospitals and left him fighting to save his political career. The western Canadian province is often called 'the Texas of the North' for its oil and gas wealth, cowboy culture and conservative, independent mindset. As in Texas, COVID-19 has run rife in Alberta, which has the highest rate of active infections among Canada's 10 provinces, at nearly four times the national average. It and neighboring Saskatchewan also have the country's lowest vaccination rates.