EDMONTON — December 3 is an important day to promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It’s a day to learn but also a day to act. 

Because the truth is, here in Alberta, there is much work to do to ensure folks living with disabilities can live life with the full dignity and respect they deserve. The supports, health care services, and legislative frameworks needed for full participation in our province are still not in place. Below are some ways you can act in solidarity with Albertans with disabilities on this important day.

Winter has arrived while a record number of Albertans are living unhoused or without stable housing. The combination of cold weather and a lack of housing are already adding totally preventable pressures on to our hospitals, emergency services and health care system.

Edmonton - November 24 - 30, 2024 marks National Addictions Awareness Week (NAAW), meant to be an opportunity to learn and highlight ways to address harms related to substance use. As we mark NAAW this year, Alberta continues to see multiple deaths per day due to drug poisoning. This week must be a time to commit to treating addictions care as health care, and to putting patients ahead of profits.

EDMONTON — Every year, November 20 is the Transgender Day of Remembrance. It is a day to mourn, remember and honour those who have lost their lives due to transphobia and anti-transgender violence.

EDMONTON — Yesterday, the provincial government announced a new name and logo for Acute Care Alberta, one of four new agencies the government is tasking with delivering healthcare services in place of Alberta Health Services. They also announced that the roll out of this new sector agency is now delayed from this fall into next spring, prolonging the confusion and chaos surrounding the government’s decision to restructure our public healthcare.

EDMONTON — Every year, November 14 is recognized as World Diabetes Day. This year’s theme is 'Diabetes and well-being,' a reminder that our province has a long way to go to ensure those living with diabetes in Alberta have access to the care they need to live a healthy life.

EDMONTON — Yesterday, Premier Danielle Smith’s government tabled new legislation that includes major new restrictions on access to gender-affirming health care. If passed, this legislation will infringe on the rights of transgender, non-binary, Two-Spirit and gender diverse Albertans to access the health care services they need, when they need them.

EDMONTON — Public Interest Alberta and Friends of Medicare are raising the alarm following Premier Smith’s private remarks today at the Alberta Continuing Care Association’s Annual Conference. The Premier championed the explicit privatization and “uberization” of continuing care, signalling further restructuring and for-profit care in the immediate future.

EDMONTON — Yesterday, the Senate passed Bill C-64: An Act Respecting Pharmacare, without amendments. This is a major step forward for drug coverage in Canada, laying the groundwork for what would be the most significant expansion to our public health care system since the creation of national Medicare over sixty years ago. The legislation sets up a framework for universal, single-payer, first-dollar drug coverage for all Canadians, beginning with coverage of contraceptives and diabetes medication and equipment. 

LETHBRIDGE — Two family doctors at the Campbell Clinic in Lethbridge recently posted public letters explaining why they are leaving their practices, pointing the finger squarely at the government and Health Minister for their failure to listen to Alberta’s physicians and act to sustain primary care.