Sept. 1 will be marked as Alberta Day, Premier Jason Kenney said Monday at the McDougall Center in Calgary.
The day commemorates Alberta’s official establishment as a province on Sept. 1, 1905. Kenny said the day will not be a statutory holiday, but will recognize Alberta’s unique culture and spirit each year.
“We must learn from the mistakes of our past, but also celebrate its achievements. We should be proud of this province. We have to be grateful to those who came before us,” Kenney said as he and other members of the Alberta legislature handed out free pots for the Premier’s Stampede Pancake Breakfast.
About 1,500 people attended, with a small contingent of protesters, Calgary police said.
The breakfast is held annually, but the Calgary Stampede was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19, and the shadow of the pandemic hung over the 2021 Premier’s Breakfast.
Gone were the groups watching the food being grilled, and instead containers of pre-made pancakes and eggs were handed out.
Members of the Alberta Legislature serve food at the McDougall Center in Calgary for the Premier’s Stampede Pancake Breakfast. (Nassima Way/Radio Canada)
Kenney, after declaring Alberta “open for summer” in 2021, told reporters at last year’s breakfast that his government would not follow the example of Quebec and Manitoba by introducing vaccine passports.
But as the number of COVID-19 cases increased later that year, he broke the promise and introduced a passport system that remained in place until February.
Anger in his United Conservative Party over pandemic restrictions ultimately played a role in a leadership review in the spring that prompted Kenney to step down as soon as a new leader was elected, making today his last premier’s breakfast as Alberta’s leader — but one that he said he would let the Alberta Day tradition go “forever into the future.”
The province will host Alberta Day celebrations in Edmonton and Calgary and support other municipalities in planning their own events, according to a press release.
Since 1974, the province has recognized the first Monday in August as Heritage Day to celebrate Albert’s cultural heritage.
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