Witness Testimony

David Redman, former Executive Director of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency and retired Canadian Armed Forces officer, testified that Alberta’s COVID-19 response departed from established emergency management doctrine. He described how the province historically operated under a structured incident command system coordinated through the Alberta Emergency Coordination Centre, integrating multi-ministry response and defined accountability channels. He stated that during the pandemic, this framework was not consistently utilized and that decision-making authority shifted heavily toward the Chief Medical Officer of Health rather than a balanced whole-of-government structure.
Mr. Redman testified that pandemic preparedness planning prior to 2020 did not anticipate the prolonged, province-wide lockdown measures that were ultimately implemented. He characterized mitigation strategies as narrowly focused on case counts rather than balanced risk assessment incorporating economic, social, and long-term health consequences. He expressed concern that modelling projections were treated as deterministic rather than scenario-based tools, and that ICU surge planning and system resilience measures were insufficiently prioritized relative to broad population restrictions.
He further stated that emergency powers were extended for prolonged periods without clear performance benchmarks or exit criteria, weakening transparency and public accountability. In his view, effective emergency management requires defined objectives, measurable outcomes, stakeholder inclusion, and independent review mechanisms. He concluded that restoring public trust would require structural reforms ensuring that future emergencies are managed through integrated governance systems that balance medical advice with broader societal considerations.