This is why I am unemployable. I think my hatred of authority made me a great manager and a really shitty employee.

November 19, 2021

Good day,
I regret that our introduction to each other comes within this context, however, I feel that I have been left with little choice but to resign from the Government of Alberta.

It is not the intent of this letter to offer any arguments against the current policy regarding the sharing of health information or any other covid mandate. Those arguments have been made by better qualified men and women, specialists in their respective fields, as well as countless members of the self-educated laity.

To state it baldly, I do not intend to share my personal health information with my employer.

We are being mandated to take a drug, described as a “safe and effective” vaccine, which at best is inefficient and at worst, dangerous and even lethal, in order to stay employed. As a concession, we are being offered to spend our resources of time and money for testing twice a week as a method of proving our ongoing health status. This is both unreasonable and discriminatory. It is prejudicial to subject one group of employees to undue hardship under the pretext of “health and safety” or using the ill-founded pretense of “protecting others”.

Can our workplace be demonstrably shown to be a health hazard of such magnitude that would necessitate special dispensations and drug programs? There are other alternatives that are less intrusive and in fact, safer and more efficient such as submitting to a temperature check upon entering the workplace. Certainly, this would remediate the supposed danger of unvaccinated employees mingling with others. Since we now know that the vaccinated can not only transmit the virus, but are also susceptible to contracting it, even to the degree of severity shared by the unvaccinated, shouldn’t every employee be under the same scrutiny? Since asymptomatic contagion is widely disputed, at least anyone with a fever (not limited to Covid, but due to any potentially serious disease) would not be allowed into the building. Each building has a security detail so manning an entrance would not be logistically onerous in my opinion. I do realize that we may be beyond the point of offering any alternatives, but certainly there are other options to secure the wellbeing of staff available to us.

I do not believe it is hyperbolic to describe the measures taken by the Government of Alberta as being those of coercion and force – these are the hallmarks of dictatorial and inhumane regimes and the very reason for the creation of the Nuremburg Code - which we are now living in a direct violation thereof. This contravention of our rights will no doubt be judged by those that come after us as being one of the most egregious violations of our time. More than lockdowns, more than mask mandates, more than the arbitrary shutting of businesses – forced vaccinations under the threat of loss of livelihoods will be the crime that will stain our once proud history.
Moreover, measures such as these serve only to create more anxiety and stress. The crushing of our collective spirits, which may come across as rhapsodic, but is sadly a prosaic reality. How do we retain our individual, bodily autonomy and remain true to our principals without fear of reprisal? It used to be a given in our nation and in our province that an individual’s freedoms, secured under our charter of rights, were considered inviolate. But now I stand in contravention of the message that individual liberty is nothing more than selfishness and standing up for one’s principles is deemed to be a revolutionary act.

The official narrative, capricious as it is, has been treated as unquestionable gospel, demanding the strictest of adherence. The vilification of those who dare to question authority and to be skeptical of the diktats of our government is rampant. This has bred division, mistrust, and outright hostility amongst us. Yet another sad result of these measures.

I realize that it is an act of futility to seek the logic or wisdom of these times, since the measures taken over the last two years have been based on spurious and often specious information, fraught with contradictions. I know that I cannot defeat a system designed to bully and overwhelm anyone who does not adhere to its tenets.

At this point, I feel not only unsupported and devalued by my employer, but I feel despair and hopelessness. I feel beaten. What’s worse: I am not alone.

While there are probably many Albertans that would agree with your position, there are others who silently oppose them. Then there are those of us who will not comply, who will not sacrifice our honour or our convictions for an employer. Certainly not an employer who does not have our best interests at heart. Those of us who stand apart from the crowd nevertheless stand together. I am proud to stand with them. I am reluctantly proud to make a statement on their behalf.
That being said, I am convinced that I have no choice but to resign my position. I do so with sadness, under duress.
If I were to remain as an employee and accept the disciplinary action of an unpaid leave, this would likely negate not only any chance of promotion or advancement, but also jeopardize my remaining in good standing. The stigma attached to my decision would not be one that is easily removed.
Quite frankly, I cannot afford to be placed on unpaid leave. Although I have only been with the GOA for three years, the pension that I have contributed to as an investment towards my retirement will now be used as a stipend while I try to find employment with an organization that values the rights and dignity of their employees.

Therefore, let this missive serve as my 2 weeks notice.

I can only hope that one day those in authority will recognize the error of this mandate and seek to redress the hardships imposed on our incredible team members within the Alberta Public Service. The emotional (not to mention fiscal) implications of these actions are not only significant, but they are monstrous at their core. Lives and livelihoods are in jeopardy.
I would like to end by saying that I believe that any harm done to the least of us, affects ALL of us. That is the poison of discrimination and prejudice; and it spreads widely. This is precisely what the vaccine mandate foments.
Respectfully,

Frank Kress

PS: There is a surfeit of information available which contradicts the legality and necessity of the ongoing narratives which I encourage everyone, even those who are only mildly curious, to investigate. At the very least, some much needed perspective may be gained. I hope that all who read this will avail themselves of the material that exists. Unless we all seek the truth, beyond our political perspectives, the narrative will remain unchanged, the mandates will continue, and all this to our great detriment.