Alberta adds Calgary Stampede tickets to vaccine lottery

The vaccine lottery will offer million-dollar cash awards, trips to Cancun, and is now adding Calgary Stampede tickets.

Canada.- With the intention of encouraging people to get vaccinated against Covid-19, the Alberta government is adding more prizes to its vaccination lottery.

Already offering million-dollar cash awards and trips to Cancun, the government has now thrown in tickets for the Calgary Stampede, an annual rode event and country festival. There will be 635 tickets up for grabs.

The winners must be over 18 and have received at least one Covid-19 shot. They are to be chosen on July 1, along with the winner of the first of three CA$1m prizes to be awarded to vaccine recipients over the summer. Alberta Health said about 1.5m people have signed up for the first draw.

More than 70 per cent of Albertans have received at least one vaccine dose, but Premier Jason Kenney says the government hopes to increase that rate.

Kenney said in a social media post: “We figure there’s about 15 per cent of Albertans who are open to getting vaccinated. You just haven’t gotten around to it yet.”