EDMONTON — This afternoon, the UCP government tabled Bill 29, Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2026. If passed, this legislation will implement a promise the government previously announced in October, permitting Albertans to pay privately for diagnostic services without a referral.

EDMONTON — This morning, Friends of Medicare released an interim report titled, “Filling the Gap: Examining the Downloading of Health Care Costs onto Alberta Municipalities.” The report examines the often overlooked role that Alberta municipalities are increasingly playing in ensuring access to health care services in their communities.

At today’s press conference, Friends of Medicare’s executive director, Chris Gallaway said the following:

“In light of two tragic deaths of individuals who sold their blood plasma at Grifols collection centres, and serious ongoing safety concerns at for-profit centres which have been found non-compliant with regulations—including here in Calgary—why are these sites allowed to continue operating, and profiting from the buying and selling of Canadians’ plasma? We have public solutions to collect blood and plasma safely and voluntarily, we don’t need to be continuing down this for-profit road. It’s time to put public safety first and bring plasma collection back under our public system.”

Friends of Medicare's joint press release with the Canadian Health Coalition, the Ontario Health Coalition, and the Manitoba Health Coalition is below:

EDMONTON — Health Canada has confirmed to CBC News that two people died after giving blood plasma at pay-for-plasma collection centres run by Grifols in Winnipeg — one in October of 2025, and another in January of this year. This follows news that another Winnipeg man is suing over mechanical equipment failure that caused serious kidney injury after his plasma was withdrawn at a Grifols-owned Canadian Plasma Resources location.

EDMONTON — CBC news reported this morning that they have obtained a letter sent by surgical hospitalists in Edmonton to Primary and Preventative Health Services Minister, Adriana LaGrange, and Hospital and Surgical Health Services Minister, Matt Jones, warning that Albertans could begin seeing surgical cancellations and other impacts to patient care as a result of the Alberta government’s decision to terminate the hospitalists’ contract at the end of this month.

Below is a statement from Friends of Medicare's executive director Chris Gallaway:

EDMONTON — On Friday, in response to our ongoing advocacy to protect public health care, the provincial government sent a statement to the media that attacked the credibility of Friends of Medicare, including stating that: “They [Friends of Medicare] routinely spread misinformation and hyperbolic predictions; it’s misleading to cite them as if they were impartial or expert.”

Initial Budget Response from Chris Gallaway, Executive Director of Friends of Medicare:

EDMONTON — Yesterday afternoon, the Premier and her Minister of Assisted Living and Social Services held a large news conference simply to announce that they are launching a navigation portal for those seeking to access continuing care and assisted living options in Alberta.

EDMONTON — Last week, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) released a new report in which Andrew Longhurst looks into the Alberta government’s attempts to defend Bill 11: the Health Statutes Amendment Act 2025 (no. 2) by pointing at other jurisdictions.