Ok, now what? We know the Alberta government is in a fiscal mess. But we don’t know what this means for Albertans. Thanks to the fiscal update from Finance Minister Travis Toews on Thursday, we learned the Alberta government will run a $24.2 billion deficit this year, bringing the total provincial debt to $99.6 billion.

When the spring sitting of the Alberta legislature ended Wednesday morning, Premier Jason Kenney wanted to wrap things up on a positive note. But a major oilsands company, Total, apparently didn’t get the memo. As Kenney proudly itemized the government’s achievements in the marathon session “to get Albertans back to work,” Total announced more sobering news.

The good news: Alberta schools will resume in-class learning in September. The bad news: Alberta schools will resume in-class learning in September. For Alberta parents of school age children, this fall will be an emotional tug-of-war between relief at getting the kids back in school and anxiety about their safety. Not helping matters are the conflicting messages from politicians.

How did we get into this mess? How did Alberta — in the midst of a pandemic — end up with a war between the provincial government and physicians? And how did the two sides get so far apart they practically need binoculars to see each other? The government says the main issue is money; the doctors say it’s respect.

During debate in the legislature this summer, Alberta politicians are not wearing face masks. They should. Not because of COVID-19 but because the atmosphere in the assembly is so toxic. Heck, the air is so poisonous at times they should be wearing hazmat suits.