FORT MCMURRAY — Residents from Fort McMurray and the Wood Buffalo region have come together to launch a new Friends of Medicare chapter, to advocate for the protection and expansion of public health care in north-east Alberta and beyond.

EDMONTON — Yesterday afternoon, some of Alberta’s health care unions announced they had reached a deal with Alberta Health Services to ensure their members would be able to receive the COVID-19 immunizations free of charge on a voluntary basis. This is a change from the Alberta government’s previously announced COVID-19 immunization plan that tightly restricted access to free vaccines.

EDMONTON — Last week, a provincial audit of Alberta clinics charging membership fees was released, finding that paying members are receiving better access to more thorough care than non-paying patients. While the report found no “significant cases” of patients paying for insured services, it was concerningly unable to rule out the possibility that extra-billing is occurring.

Health Coalitions from across Canada issued a joint statement in advance of the gathering of First Ministers and the Council of the Federation:

EDMONTON — As we head into mid-July, Alberta now has higher measles cases per capita than anywhere else in North America. Dozens of emergency rooms and health care facilities are experiencing closures due to chronic short staffing, while the government’s restructuring and privatization agenda continues to create chaos for health care workers and patients.

EDMONTON — Yesterday, an important new report was released by the Parkland Institute entitled, “Undervalued and Overstretched: Inequity, Discrimination, and the Crisis Facing Alberta’s Allied Health-Care Workforce.” It outlines the conditions driving widespread burnout and retention issues among Alberta’s health care workers.

EDMONTON — This afternoon, Premier Danielle Smith announced that her government would be ‘decentralizing health care decision-making.’ The new structure will require individual hospitals to hold responsibility for decisions around staff, resources and services, rather than Alberta Health Services. 

Late this afternoon, the Alberta government announced a new COVID vaccine strategy that includes restrictions on who has access, a new pre-ordering system and a shift to charging Albertans directly out of pocket for their vaccinations.

LETHBRIDGE — A new report commissioned by Friends of Medicare from the Parkland Institute and authored by Salimah Valiani titled, “Public Funds for Private Profit: The Evolution of Health Care Privatization in Alberta” was released publicly today, outlining the systematic privatization efforts of Alberta’s health care system by successive provincial governments since the 1990s.

EDMONTON — This past Friday, the Deputy Minister of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration released a statement informing Albertans that the interim report of Judge Wyant’s third-party investigation into Alberta’s health care procurement and contracting processes has been delayed until September 24, and that we will not see the final report until October. The interim report was previously due on May 30, with the final report to be delivered on June 30.