Government & Policy

EDMONTON – Alberta’s premier, Danielle Smith (pictured), announced that a new “activity-based” model is on the way, to be implemented for some surgeries in 2026. The model ties public funding to the number and type of procedures performed. Smith said the program will drive costs down by fostering competition among public providers and those who perform publicly funded procedures in private clinics. Read More

ST. JOHN’S – Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services says everything it buys is under the microscope as it looks for alternatives to U.S. products but adds it can’t come at the cost of affecting patients. Tony Williams (pictured), the senior director of supply chain for NLHS, says thousands of items are housed inside the health authority’s new 85,000-sq. ft warehouse in St. John’s — which he says serves as the backbone of the health system. Read More

VICTORIA – British Columbia’s ministry of health says the province is reviewing health authority spending to ensure resources go to “critical patient services” and to minimize wasteful administrative costs. Health minister Josie Osborne (pictured) says the government wants to ensure that all authorities are best positioned to tackle the “complex challenges” facing the healthcare system. Read More

OTTAWA – Kamal Khera (pictured), member of parliament for Brampton West, has been sworn in as Canada’s minister of health by prime minister Mark Carney. Khera, a registered nurse, assumes the portfolio as part of Carney’s newly streamlined 23-member cabinet. Read More

EDMONTON — Alberta’s front line health agency says it fired its leader earlier this year not because she was investigating corruption but because she was an “alarming” failure at her job. Alberta Health Services and Alberta health minister Adriana LaGrange are being sued for wrongful dismissal by former AHS president Athana Mentzelopoulos (pictured). Read More

FREDERICTON – To improve the delivery of primary care in the midst of a doctor’s shortage, the newly elected premier of New Brunswick, Susan Holt, has pledged to open 10 community clinics within the first 18 months of her mandate. Instead of using the traditional fee-for-service model, the clinics will pay physicians a salary. They will also employ allied health professionals in a model called ‘collaborative care’, giving patients a one-stop healthcare experience. Read More

EDMONTON – The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Alberta have launched an investigation following a complaint regarding Alberta Health Services, the province’s front-line medical care provider. The RCMP investigation follows allegations from the agency’s former CEO that there was high-level arm-twisting, possible conflicts of interest, political interference and corruption in multimillion-dollar health deals. Read More

CHARLOTTETOWN – Former Health P.E.I. CEO Dr. Michael Gardam (pictured) is pushing back on a recent claim that former members of his executive leadership team (ELT) colluded to provide themselves with higher salaries. Read More

EDMONTON – The former chief executive of Alberta’s health authority is suing her former employer and health minister Adriana LaGrange, arguing in documents filed in court that she was terminated “capriciously, arbitrarily, and in bad faith” despite carrying out her duties. Read More

HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government announced a $2.35-billion capital plan to improve hospitals, public housing, schools, roads and highways for the 2025-26 fiscal year. In a news conference in Halifax, finance minister John Lohr (pictured) described the capital spending plan as “the largest, single-year investment in our province’s history”. Read More