This award is presented to an individual who has made the most significant volunteer contribution to the work of Friends of Medicare in the past year, that year being 2006.

Beginning in February 2006, Pat Spady played a leadership role in organizing vigils twice a week on the steps of the provincial legislature to bring the issue of public health care versus the Third Way before the public and the Members of the Legislative Assembly. She arranged for music, equipment, reserved the space and recruited speakers from the health professions, government and citizens. The evening vigils required candles and the day time vigils required publicity and resources.

Ms. Spady motivated others to become involved in the vigils and was inspirational in her efforts to help us achieve our goal to preserve Medicare. Despite the distances to travel, family and professional obligations, she was instrumental in organizing the health care vigils that helped defeat the Third Way.

Pat has four children and 2 grandchildren. Professionally, she is a fully qualified physiotherapist, living and working in Lamont, just outside of Edmonton. Her parents and in-laws are elderly and need care from time to time and she supports her daughter’s career by caring for her little grandson on a weekly basis.

Honourary Life Membership Award – Elizabeth Reid

This award is presented to an individual who has made a significant long term volunteer contribution to the work of Friends of Medicare through a:

• Minimum of 10 years of involvement with Friends of Medicare.
• Demonstrated strong support for the programs of Friends of Medicare.
• Active promotion and enhancement of the image of Friends of Medicare.

During the late 1990’s, Elizabeth Reid helped lead a group of people who reactivated Friends of Medicare when the Government of Alberta was actively planning to privatize the public health care system. She helped FOM grow from a handful of members to a membership of over 2,000. As Chair of the board of directors, Elizabeth led initiatives that challenged and thwarted the provincial government’s plan to privatize health care in Alberta. She helped to coordinate a cross-province public consultation on the future of public health care in Alberta and oversaw the publication of a booklet that gave voice to the thoughts and concerns of everyday Albertans. Under her leadership, FOM was able to effectively counter and defeat Bill 37, the Health Statutes Amendment Act.

For her work defending public health care, Elizabeth Reid was named and featured by Venture Magazine as one of the 50 most influential people in Alberta.

She is a consultant and adult educator with extensive experience as a facilitator and community organizer. Elizabeth lives in Edmonton and is a grandmother of three, who enjoys gardening, hiking, skiing, travel and time with family.

Friends of Medicare Award – Christine Burdett

This award is presented to an individual or organization that has made a crucial contribution to Alberta’s public health system in one or more of the following ways:

• Effectively drawn public attention to the importance of preserving and enhancing the public health care system.
• Mobilized support to preserve or enhance public health care.
• Promoted cooperation among individuals and organizations in their health care work.
• Worked to strengthen Alberta’s public health care system in any other effective manner.

Christine Burdett became involved in the fight against the privatization of health care when a group known as Hotel de Health tried to lease the Leduc hospital in 1995. She chaired the Friends of the Leduc hospital until the proposal was rejected. In 1999, Christine became the Chair of Friends of Medicare. For more than five years she lobbied provincial and federal governments, made presentations to committees, and spoke at public meetings in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario.

Ms. Burdett was actively involved in the opposition to Bill 37 and Bill 11, the Health Care Protection Act. The nightly rallies at the Alberta legislature in early 2000 will not soon be forgotten, nor will the two huge rallies that were held in Edmonton and Calgary, where thousands of Albertans added their voice to that of Friends of Medicare. While Bill 11 was finally passed in May 2000, its final version had been amended to limit the scale to which privateers would be able to operate.

Christine was committed to presenting clear and evidence-based arguments for strong public health care, in a way that was passionate, at times humorous, and engaging to a broad audience of Albertans. She was on the of the key people who made sure the concerns and arguments of those who value public health care was heard during the health care debates of the late 1990’s and early 2000.

Friends of Medicare and all Albertans owe Christine Burdett a debt of gratitude. She devoted more time to FOM as a volunteer than many people devote to their careers. As Chair, Christine played a crucial role in establishing the public profile and credibility of Friends of Medicare.

Christine Burdett works for the Federal Government in Veterans Affairs, was elected as a trustee for the Black Gold Regional School Board in a 1999 by-election, and has served as a member of the Family and Community Support Service in Leduc for two terms. She is the mother of two boys.

FOM Research/Policy Award – Verna Milligan

This award is presented to an individual or organization whose research and/or policy work has made a crucial contribution to the public health system and the fight to protect it.

Verna Milligan has been a tireless researcher on the issues around public health care for many years.  Not only does she dig out incredibly detailed information, Verna is also very effectively passes it on to people who need to see it, including key journalists all over the country. And anyone lucky enough to be on her email list regularly gets a great selection of what are often the really important news articles.

When Health Resource Group in Calgary was first working on getting approval of its private hospital in Calgary, Verna started phoning people and a group showed up at the College of Physicians and Surgeons and blew the whistle on the private hospital plan. That mobilization was one of the key starting events that got the infamous Friday Group going, bringing together organizations that advocate for public health care.

While Ms. Milligan insists on good, thorough information, she is also a strong proponent of public action.  Verna has been a stalwart in the Klein era Medicare struggles, including the public drive that turned back Bill 37 in 1998. She also sat on the committees that helped pilot the campaign against Bill 11.

When the Alberta government announced in the fall of 2005 that AON Consulting would be examining the feasibility of private health insurance in the province, it was Verna who dug up the fact that the US parent AON had just a year earlier paid thousands of dollars to settle fraud charges. She took her information about AON to several reporters and single handedly broke the story. It went on for days as a major embarrassment for the government. It was undoubtedly part of the downfall of the Third Way scheme.

Verna Milligan exemplifies informed public activism. She is the very model of the active citizen that causes governments and corporations to tremble. This is an Edmonton grandmother who knows how to rock a cabinet table.

Verna’s research interests are no coincidence. Her career at the Edmonton Public Library led her to become the assistant supervisor of information services. Verna’s interests are not solely academic and research.  She has long been an active member of the Seniors Action Liaison Team.