Edmonton Journal

Vaccine lottery includes outdoor licences

Outdoor Adventure contest separate from current Open for Summer lottery

- ASHLEY JOANNOU AND LAUREN BOOTHBY ajoannou@postmedia.com Twitter: @ashleyjoan­nou lboothby@postmedia.com Twitter: @laurby

Fully vaccinated Albertans now have a chance to win a lifetime sport fishing or hunting licence or a special harvest hunting licence tag for game such as bighorn sheep, trophy pronghorn, elk or turkey in the latest round of incentives to get people vaccinated against COVID -19.

Dubbed the Outdoor Adventure Vaccine Lottery, this lottery announced Wednesday is separate from the vaccine lottery the government has been running since last month to encourage vaccinatio­ns.

“Due to the unique nature of these prizes, Albertans will be required to register separately for their chance to win. Anyone who already registered for the Open for Summer Lottery will need to register again specifical­ly for the Outdoor Adventure Vaccine Lottery if they want to win these prizes,” a government news release Wednesday said.

“Winners are expected to be announced on Sept. 17.”

Other prizes for this lottery include one of five passes for three consecutiv­e night stays in the Alberta Parks system, one of 10 Canmore Nordic Centre season ski passes, or one of 10 annual Kananaskis Conservati­on Passes.

“Getting vaccinated is the best way to ensure that Alberta is open for summer and I encourage all Albertans to do their part,” Environmen­t and Parks Minister Jason Nixon said in the news release.

“Alberta is a premier destinatio­n for outdoor activities like camping, hiking, hunting or fishing and this opportunit­y is one of the many ways to enjoy our beautiful backyard this summer with ease.”

The NDP Opposition is criticizin­g the government for offering the Kananaskis passes. A fee to camp in the area was imposed by the government last month.

“It isn't a `prize' if Albertans are winning something they should always have access to in the first place. Peter Lougheed would be appalled,” said NDP environmen­t critic Marlin Schmidt in a statement.

To enter the Outdoor Adventure Vaccine Lottery, Albertans have to opt in by registerin­g at alberta.ca/ outdoorlot­tery. The deadline to register is Sept 10. Any Albertan 18 or older who can prove that they have had both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine is eligible.

The winners of the various licences will have to also meet all the legal requiremen­ts to obtain a licence.

46 MORE CASES; R-VALUES RISE

Another 46 cases of COVID-19 have been found in Alberta, according to provincial data updated Wednesday.

One person has died from the disease, raising the total to 2,311 in the province since the beginning of the pandemic.

New cases have remained below 50 for the past five days, but a look at the province's R-value, which shows how fast the disease is spreading, shows case numbers could rise again.

Alberta's most recent R-value is 0.84 between July 5 and 11, up from 0.75 between June 21 and June 27, and between June 14 to 20. R-values are now updated every two weeks.

A value higher than one shows transmissi­on is increasing, while a value below one shows a decline.

The most recent number is higher in both the Edmonton and Calgary areas. The Edmonton Zone had an R-value of 0.97, but two weeks ago it was 0.73. Between June 14 and June 20 it was 0.57. Calgary's has also climbed to 0.88 from 0.74 two weeks ago. But between June 14 and June 20 it was higher, at 0.86.

Another person has been admitted to hospital for the disease in Alberta for a total of 113, including 33 in ICU. Active cases continued to drop, to 569, including 321 cases that were variants of concern. The Edmonton Zone had 113 active cases while the Calgary Zone had 283.

By Wednesday, 74.3 per cent of Albertans 12 and up had been given their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 56.5 per cent have had two.

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