Checking From Behind Pulling No Punches

The Albertan government is in full on attack in an investigation to the Calgary Flames regarding the H1N1 (Swine Flu) vaccination. The Calgary Flames players and their families received the shots on Friday, and today the government is looking into the situation.

The premier of Alberta, Ed Stelmach, said "I can't speculate on what happened, but we will have a full report very shortly."

The Calgary Flames are in full cooperation with the investigation as they feel they have done nothing wrong.

"Our organization and our medical staff felt that our players should receive the vaccination, given the risks associated with frequent physical contact, extreme exertion and onerous domestic and cross-border travel," said Ken King, President of the Calgary Flames, in a statement Tuesday.

The vaccine was made available to anyone who showed up to the clinics, but there is an outcry on the Flames not having to show up to one of the clinics and wait in line with the rest of the Canadian public to receive their shot.

Ken King stated that there were dangerous issues of "potential commotion and intrusion that sending the team to one of the locations would cause. Our players did not seek to either avoid lineups or get special attention. They followed the direction of our physicians."

The Alberta Liberal party leader, David Swann, did not hold back in attacking the organization, and questions the logic of this investigation as nothing short of a vote-grab.

"It's a failure of leadership that we are providing vaccines willy-nilly to whoever has money, to whoever has access, when cancer patients, when chronic lung patients, when pregnant women and their children can't get it. It's a violation of the basic principles of public health care."

While fans have mixed reactions, some even calling out to the Flames action as "immoral", one fan aggressively pursued the actions of the government in return.

"What's the fuss?  They got their shots last week when the government of Alberta was supplying them to everyone.  It's only when people actually showed up to get their needles, that the government had to change their criteria.  Blame Ed Stelmach and the provincial health minister, Ron Liepert for fueling hysteria and dangerously understaffing the 4 (yes, four) clinics that were set up to handle a city of a million plus."

The investigation is ongoing.

Micheal A. Aldred

michealaldred@hotmail.com