Alberta's largest union demands cuts to health care be reversed, province says health spending up
The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) is demanding provincial funding be re-established to the health-care system and for planned cuts to be halted.
In a news release sent Wednesday, the AUPE says hospital resources are being stretched to their limits amid the fourth wave of the pandemic that immediate action needs to be taken as "now people are dying preventable deaths."
The request comes as Alberta returned to a state of public health emergency with numerous public health measures announced Wednesday.
There are now more patients in intensive care, 270, in Alberta than at any other point in the pandemic. With Alberta's ICUs at 88 per cent of surge capacity, calls have been made to other provinces requesting access to bed space or available staff to help.
The vice-president of Alberta's largest labour union says the basic essentials of health-care delivery are on drastically short supply.
"Now, AHS (Alberta Health Services) is on the verge of triaging. That shouldn’t be happening in our hospitals," said AUPE vice-president Bonnie Gostola.
Triage is when medical professionals assign the degree of urgency on patients and determine who takes priority for treatment.
Gostola is also calling for a complete overhaul of the medical system with emergency funding support and for the province to end plans to outsource another 11,000 positions within AHS.
According to the province this cost-saving initiative will span over a period of three years and will exclude nurses and frontline clinical staff. Laundry, housekeeping, food service and lab work positions are likely to end up being contracted out to a private employer.
In an emailed response, a spokesperson for the finance minister says that the province can't speak to the multiple health-care contracts in the midst of negotiations with AHS, but is taking the pandemic and current state of hospital capacity very seriously.
Final details of the contract with the United Nurses of Alberta are scheduled to go to mediation next week after a tentative deal was struck.
"We have a tremendous amount of respect for the province’s hard working health-care workers, who have been essential in caring for Albertans throughout the pandemic," said Kassandra Kitz, senior press secretary.
She adds the provinces hopes for deals to be reached soon to bring labour stability to Alberta's health-care system.
As well, the AUPE says the province's health budgets in 2019 and 2020 did not adequately bolster healthcare for the current situation.
However, the province's latest budget for health is $23 billion for 2021 which is the largest single-year health investment in Alberta's history, says Kitz.
Healthcare spending on the COVID-19 response is at $1.5 billion for this year on top of the health budget.
"We also recently announced up to $36 million in new funding to improve wages and create additional workforce capacity. This will allow more Albertans to receive care outside of hospitals and free up resources to treat COVID-19 patients during the fourth wave," said Kitz.
There are no budget increases to AHS for 2023 - 2024 in the latest budget.
The Alberta Federation of Labour largely concurs with the AUPE that Alberta has been running a brittle system that can't handle shocks like its currently experiencing.
"(Alberta has)essentially been running a 'just-in-time' health-care system that runs very close to capacity even on normal days," said Gil McGowan, president of the organization.
He added, "the current crisis is a direct result of Kenney’s reckless and irresponsible Open for Summer plan, but it’s also a legacy of Klein’s cuts of the 90s and chronic underfunding ever since."
CTV News also reached out to the United Nurses of Alberta as well as the offices of the health minister, and is waiting to hear back.
Albertans need solutions because the pain is far from over," said Gostola. "The death toll grows. The Premier is coming in too little, too late today, but there’s still time to implement solutions, and we’re going to ensure he actually does right by frontline workers and all Albertans."
Alberta reported 1,609 new COVID-19 cases, 24 deaths and 877 hospitalizations on Wednesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.