I don't recall any politicians in Calgary demanding that all covid restrictions be dropped in order to host Stampede. In my opinion, the provincial government made decisions based on imaginary science (admitted by Hinshaw) where she declared that covid was over, and that hospitals could no longer be overwhelmed with covid patients. I suspect that the provincial government was also influenced by protests against covid restrictions. The Calgary mayor has been wary of dropping all covid restrictions since July, often debating implementing city based restrictions regardless of provincial decisions.
The Stampede in July did not result in a rise in numbers in late July. Sept 15 is when the numbers suddenly spiked. That more likely corresponds to tourists and international students arriving in late August, where they did not have to self-isolate, regardless of whether they were ill with covid.
University of Calgary International Student Population:
"About 3,000 [10%] of its student body are international, hailing from around 125 countries."
University of Calgary
"In 2014-15, international students comprised 35.1 per cent of graduate students and 13.8 per cent of undergraduates, compared with 20.3 per cent and 4.4 per cent respectively in 2005-06."
The U of A Student Body | For The Public Good
Number of Post-Sec Institutions in Alberta that attract International Students:
"There are 26 publicly funded post-secondary institutions in Alberta"
Publicly funded post-secondary institutions
