EDMONTON — Last month saw an aggressive series of attacks on the remaining life-saving supervised consumption services in Alberta. The permanent closure of the supervised consumption site at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton happened on December 16. The Premier also announced the government’s intention to close services at the Sheldon Chumar Health Centre in Calgary, while the City of Lethbridge passed a motion advocating for the closure of their Overdose Prevention Site.

EDMONTON — In an open letter to the Prime Minister and Health Minister, Health Coalitions representing over three million Canadians call on the federal government to intervene in the face of two-tier Medicare being brought in by Alberta's Bill 11.

Defenders of universal public health care are calling upon the federal government to uphold the Canada Health Act.

Below you can read a copy of the open letter.

Le français suit.

EDMONTON — Earlier this morning, CBC news released Alberta Health Services data that shows Edmonton once again saw record increases in frostbite amputations last winter, with five times the number of surgeries taking place since 2019, and the majority being unhoused patients.

In response to the increase, a statement from the minister of Assisted Living and Social Services Jason Nixon’s office stated that: “The increase in both frostbite diagnoses and amputations are a direct result of co-ordinated, concerted efforts to increase awareness and early intervention of frostbite and cold exposure, improving outcomes for vulnerable Albertans.”

EDMONTON - After repeatedly using time allocation motions to limit debate on Bill 11: The Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 (No. 2), the government passed it through third reading in the legislature this afternoon. This legislation creates the legal framework for American-style, two-tier health care and the establishment of private health insurance, while allowing private payment for medically necessary care.

EDMONTON — Earlier this week in the Legislature, Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services, Matt Jones, stated that: “Concerns were raised about the procurement practices and procedures and handling of conflict of interests in Alberta Health Services (AHS) procurement. I’m pleased to share that the procurements for the central and south zone surgical facilities have been cancelled”.

EDMONTON — This afternoon, the government tabled Bill 11, Health Statutes Amendment Act 2025 (No.2). If passed, this legislation would establish an unprecedented model of two-tiered health care access in Alberta by allowing physicians to work in both the public and private systems concurrently, including charging patients out of pocket. This “dual practice model” would be the only one of its kind in the entire country.

EDMONTON — Today the Final Report of the National Pharmacare Committee of Experts was tabled in Parliament. The committee was struck by the federal government in November 2024 as mandated by BIll C-64: An Act Respecting Pharmacare, and was tasked with making recommendations for the government’s implementation of the next stages of the national public drug plan.

Friends of Medicare's executive director Chris Gallaway made the following statement:

EDMONTON — After two years, Auditor General Doug Wylie’s report An Examination of Community Laboratory Services (Contract with DynaLIFE) was tabled in the Legislature yesterday afternoon. Friends of Medicare spent the evening reviewing the 48-page report, which raises considerable concerns.

EDMONTON — Today Recovery Alberta issued a brief memo to inform staff and physicians at Edmonton's Royal Alexandra Hospital that they are closing the facility’s Supervised Consumption Service (SCS) effective December 16, 2025. Instead, they will be establishing “recovery-oriented” addiction services in the facility, details of which were not provided.