Friends of Medicare - Drayton Valley Chapter

09/03/2026

Imagine waiting months for care, then watching someone who paid out of pocket move ahead of you.

That's the risk with Alberta's Bill 11. It lets physicians bill the public system for a service while also charging patients out of pocket for that same service in their private practice.

It won't fix wait times. A two-tier system pulls resources away from the public system and deepens the shortages it's already facing, which means longer waits for everyone who can't pay to skip the line.

There's a better way, and nurses are ready to deliver it. When nurses and nurse practitioners can work to their full scope, and when care is built around nurse-led and team-based models, patients get faster access, without anyone having to pay out of pocket.

Care should be based on need, not the ability to pay. We're calling on the federal government to enforce the Canada Health Act.

Read our full statement: https://ow.ly/JfOx50ZItoR

08/28/2026

“With Bill 11 set to come into effect in September, these results should serve as a decisive and timely message to the Alberta government to immediately halt their imposition of American-style, two-tier health care,” said Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare. “Albertans are clear on this: the vast majority of us still believe in equitable access to universal public health care.”

📰Read more: https://www.friendsofmedicare.org/poll_albertans_reject_bill11

Take action:
📢Join us for a NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION on September 1! https://www.friendsofmedicare.org/no2tierCanada
🍁Tell the Feds to enforce the Canada Health Act: https://www.friendsofmedicare.org/enforcetheCHA

08/14/2026

No matter what province you're in, the introduction of American-style health care in Alberta is a threat to our public health care system across the country.

Please. Take 1 minute and send an email (or call, or even tag the Prime Minister in a post): don't let them allow Alberta's government to ruin one of our most treasured public services.

You never know when you're going to need it.

Email the PM with this link 🔗 https://www.friendsofmedicare.org/enforcethecha

08/04/2026

Investing in health care for vulnerable Albertans

Alberta’s government is investing an additional $30 million in community health centres to connect vulnerable Albertans with the health and social supports they need.

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Community health centres in Calgary and Edmonton will receive an additional $30 million to expand integrated primary care for Albertans facing barriers to care, bringing total funding to $60 million over four years. This investment strengthens access to same-day and ongoing primary care, mental health and addiction services, community outreach, housing navigation, food access programs and other wraparound supports for vulnerable residents in the province’s two largest cities.

Community health centres serve people who may face barriers to traditional primary care, including poverty, homelessness, mental illness and addiction. By bringing health and social supports together, these centres help patients receive earlier and more consistent care in the community, before their needs progress to crises.

Alberta’s previous $30-million investment supported expanded interdisciplinary care teams, improved access to ongoing primary care and enhanced community-based services. This additional funding will build on that progress by increasing front-line capacity and improving patient navigation and care coordination, creating a stronger, more connected system for Albertans with complex health and social needs.

🔵 Quick facts

This $60-million investment supports services delivered by four organizations across Alberta’s two largest cities:

• more than $23 million for The Alex in Calgary
• more than $13 million for CUPS Calgary Society
• $14 million for Radius Community Health & Healing in Edmonton
• $9.6 million for Jasper Place Wellness Centre in Edmonton

This investment supports primary care modernization by strengthening coordinated health, community and social services.

Centres will track patient outcomes and health-system use to ensure the funding delivers measurable results.

Funding is provided through the Canada-Alberta Bilateral Agreement to Improve Health Outcomes for Canadians.

08/04/2026

08/04/2026

07/14/2026

Following the announcement of provincial regulations and supposed "safeguards" last month, a new legal opinion released today by Health Coalition shows that Alberta's Bill 11 STILL breaks the Canada Health Act.

“The urgency of this threat cannot be understated,” said FOM's Chris Gallaway. “Albertans’ provincial government is bringing American health care into Canada, including a system of legislated queue-jumping, in direct contravention of the Canada Health Act. There is no more time to waste. We need leadership from our federal Health Minister including a clear commitment that she will protect the right of Albertans – and all Canadians – to equitable access to universal, comprehensive, public health care.”

📰Read our response: https://www.friendsofmedicare.org/bill11_renewed_calls_federal_action

📢 Amplify our call on the Federal Government to STOP two tier health care: https://www.friendsofmedicare.org/enforcethecha

07/09/2026