Alberta
Province introducing “Patient-Focused Funding Model” to fund acute care in Alberta
Alberta’s government is introducing a new acute care funding model, increasing the accountability, efficiency and volume of high-quality surgical delivery.
Currently, the health care system is primarily funded by a single grant made to Alberta Health Services to deliver health care across the province. This grant has grown by $3.4 billion since 2018-19, and although Alberta performed about 20,000 more surgeries this past year than at that time, this is not good enough. Albertans deserve surgical wait times that don’t just marginally improve but meet the medically recommended wait times for every single patient.
With Acute Care Alberta now fully operational, Alberta’s government is implementing reforms to acute care funding through a patient-focused funding (PFF) model, also known as activity-based funding, which pays hospitals based on the services they provide.
“The current global budgeting model has no incentives to increase volume, no accountability and no cost predictability for taxpayers. By switching to an activity-based funding model, our health care system will have built-in incentives to increase volume with high quality, cost predictability for taxpayers and accountability for all providers. This approach will increase transparency, lower wait times and attract more surgeons – helping deliver better health care for all Albertans, when and where they need it.”
Activity-based funding is based on the number and type of patients treated and the complexity of their care, incentivizing efficiency and ensuring that funding is tied to the actual care provided to patients. This funding model improves transparency, ensuring care is delivered at the right time and place as multiple organizations begin providing health services across the province.
“Exploring innovative ways to allocate funding within our health care system will ensure that Albertans receive the care they need, when they need it most. I am excited to see how this new approach will enhance the delivery of health care in Alberta.”
Patient-focused, or activity-based, funding has been successfully implemented in Australia and many European nations, including Sweden and Norway, to address wait times and access to health care services, and is currently used in both British Columbia and Ontario in various ways.
“It is clear that we need a new approach to manage the costs of delivering health care while ensuring Albertans receive the care they expect and deserve. Patient-focused funding will bring greater accountability to how health care dollars are being spent while also providing an incentive for quality care.”
This transition is part of Acute Care Alberta’s mandate to oversee and arrange for the delivery of acute care services such as surgeries, a role that was historically performed by AHS. With Alberta’s government funding more surgeries than ever, setting a record with 304,595 surgeries completed in 2023-24 and with 310,000 surgeries expected to have been completed in 2024-25, it is crucial that funding models evolve to keep pace with the growing demand and complexity of services.
“With AHS transitioning to a hospital-based services provider, it’s time we are bold and begin to explore how to make our health care system more efficient and manage the cost of care on a per patient basis. The transition to a PFF model will align funding with patient care needs, based on actual service demand and patient needs, reflecting the communities they serve.”
“Covenant Health welcomes a patient-focused approach to acute care funding that drives efficiency, accountability and performance while delivering the highest quality of care and services for all Albertans. As a trusted acute care provider, this model better aligns funding with outcomes and supports our unwavering commitment to patients.”
“Patient-focused hospital financing ties funding to activity. Hospitals are paid for the services they deliver. Efficiency may improve and surgical wait times may decrease. Further, hospital managers may be more accountable towards hospital spending patterns. These features ensure that patients receive quality care of the highest value.”
Leadership at Alberta Health and Acute Care Alberta will review relevant research and the experience of other jurisdictions, engage stakeholders and define and customize patient-focused funding in the Alberta context. This working group will also identify and run a pilot to determine where and how this approach can best be applied and implemented this fiscal year.
Final recommendations will be provided to the minister of health later this year, with implementation of patient-focused funding for select procedures across the system in 2026.
From LifeSiteNews
Thousands of Albertans marched upon the province’s capital of Edmonton this past Saturday in the “I Am Alberta Rally,” calling for the province to immediately secede from Canada in light of increasing frustration with the Liberal federal government.
The rally saw an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 people march on the steps of the Alberta legislative building, demanding that a referendum be held at once to allow Alberta to leave Canada.
“We can’t delay. We can’t slow down,” well-known freedom lawyer Keith Wilson said at the rally as he spoke to the crowd.
“This is our moment. This is our future. For our families, for our children, for Alberta. Alberta will be free.”
The group behind the rally, the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP), bills itself as a sovereignty advocacy group. As reported by LifeSiteNews earlier this year, the APP wants to put Alberta independence to a question to the people via a referendum.
The rally also comes after certain members affiliated with the APP such as Jeffrey Rath and Dr. Dennis Modry earlier the month met in Washington, D.C. with cabinet-level U.S. politicians to discuss Alberta’s potential independence from Canada.
U.S. President Donald Trump has routinely suggested that Canada become an American state in recent months, often making such statements while talking about or implementing trade tariffs on Canadian goods.
The APP on July 4 applied for a citizen-led petition presented to Elections Alberta that asks, “Do you agree that the Province of Alberta shall become a sovereign country and cease to be a province in Canada?”
The group is hoping to have the referendum on the ballot as early as next year and has accused the Liberal federal government of encroaching on Alberta’s ability to manage its own affairs.”
The group says an independent Alberta would allow it to “keep our resources, grow our economy, and reinvest in Alberta families, businesses and infrastructure.”
As it stands now, the referendum question has been referred to the courts to see whether or not it can proceed.
Alberta Conservative Premier Danielle Smith does not support a fully independent Alberta. However, she does advocate for the province to have more autonomy from Ottawa.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, Smith said her conservative government will allow but not support a citizen-led referendum on independence.
Despite not advocating for an outright separate Alberta, Smith’s government has not stood still when it comes to increasing provincial autonomy.
Smith’s United Conservative government earlier this year passed Bill 54, which sets the groundwork for possible independence referendums by making such votes easier to trigger. The bill lowers the signature threshold from 600,000 to 177,000.
As reported by LifeSiteNews last week, Smith’s government introduced a new law to protect “constitutional rights” that would allow it to essentially ignore International Agreements, including those by the World Health Organization (WHO), signed by the federal Liberal government.
The calls for independence have grown since Liberal leader Mark Carney defeated Conservative rival Pierre Poilievre.
Carney, like former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before him, said he is opposed to new pipeline projects that would allow Alberta oil and gas to be unleashed. Also, his green agenda, like Trudeau’s, is at odds with Alberta’s main economic driver, its oil and gas industry.
Alberta
Premier Smith sending teachers back to school and setting up classroom complexity task force
Taking action on classroom complexity
As schools reopen, Alberta’s government is taking action by appointing a class size and complexity task force to meet the challenge of increasingly complex classrooms.
Across Alberta, teachers are seeing more students with diverse learning needs and behavioural challenges, while incidents of classroom aggression are rising. To address these challenges head on, and in response to concerns raised by teachers, Alberta’s government will be appointing a Class Size and Complexity Task Force.
We recently formed the Aggression and Complexity in Schools Action Team to identify practical classroom focused solutions. Alberta’s government has received the action team’s draft final report and will use its recommendations to create a roadmap for safer classrooms. Alberta’s government will release the final report, and the task force will implement solutions, work with school boards to gather more data on classroom complexity and begin work to replace the 2004 Standards for Special Education.
“Teachers have made it clear that addressing classroom complexity and safety are among the most critical improvements needed in our education system. We are taking real action to meet those needs by strengthening classroom supports, hiring more teachers and educational assistants, and acting on the recommendations of the Aggression and Complexity in Schools Action Team. Parents, teachers and students all want the same thing – safe and supportive classrooms where every child can succeed.”
Teachers are vital to the success of Alberta’s education system. Over the next three years, school boards will be provided with funding to hire 3,000 teachers and 1,500 new education assistants to support students with complex needs. These funds may also be allocated to additional student support through assessments for complex needs, occupational therapy, physiotherapy or speech-language pathology, and other in-the-classroom supports.
“No teacher should ever be harmed while doing their job. We know that aggressive incidents have gone up sharply in recent years, and classrooms are becoming more complex. That’s why we’re doubling down on efforts to make classrooms safer and to give extra support to students who need it. Our goal is to create learning environments where every student can succeed.”
In November, Alberta’s government will work with school boards to gather information and data about class sizes and composition to ensure students are receiving the support they need. Information will be made available as soon as it is available and will be released annually thereafter.
Quick facts
- Between July and September 2025, the action team conducted engagement sessions with teachers, education partners and school boards through in-person and virtual sessions.
- This included front-line educators, families, disability organizations, community agencies, early learning experts and social service professionals.
- Budget 2025 included $55 million to help address classroom complexity – a 20 per cent increase from the previous year.
Getting Alberta’s kids back to school
If passed, Bill 2, the Back to School Act, will restore stability in Alberta’s education system and ensure students can return to learning without further disruption.
The ongoing teachers’ strike has disrupted classrooms across Alberta, setting back student learning and deepening achievement gaps. Each day schools remain closed, students lose critical instructional time, routine and support. This proposed legislation will end the strike and establish reasonable terms for a new teacher collective agreement.
“This strike has gone on long enough. It’s clear there’s no path forward unless we act. The Back to School Act refocuses everyone on what matters most, the education of Alberta’s students. Bill 2 puts students back at the centre of our system, while we continue to work with teachers and families to build lasting stability in Alberta’s schools.”
The Back to School Act legislates the terms of the September 2025 tentative agreement, which provided a 12 per cent salary increase over four years, additional market adjustments of up to 17 per cent for most teachers, and the hiring of 3,000 teachers and 1,500 educational assistants. The collective agreement will be in effect from Sept. 1, 2024, to Aug. 31, 2028.
“The time for labour stability is now. This legislation provides a positive path forward despite an interrupted school year. This is a necessary step and the most responsible decision for kids, teachers and parents. If Bill 2 is passed, it is my hope that classes will resume as soon as Wednesday, October 29.”
The last deal put on the table by the Alberta Teachers’ Association demanded an additional $2 billion from government. This was a clear display that the union had no intention to bargain in a reasonable manner with the government and present a fair offer.
“We believe invoking the notwithstanding clause is a necessary measure to end the undue hardship caused by the teacher strike. This strike has reached a point that is causing irreparable harm on student learning. Our government will not hesitate to use every available legal tool in defence of students.”
This legislation is the only responsible path forward to restore stability, protect students and ensure Alberta’s classrooms focus back on learning. Alberta’s government remains fully committed to strengthening the education system, supporting teachers, and putting the success and well-being of students at the heart of every decision made.
Key facts
- Bill 2 would end the province-wide teachers’ strike and legislates a new collective agreement.
- The agreement covers Sept. 1, 2024, to Aug. 31, 2028 and provides:
- A 12 per cent salary increase over four years.
- Additional market adjustments of up to 17 per cent for 95 per cent of members.
- 3,000 new teachers and 1,500 educational assistants to reduce class sizes and enhance support.
- These terms reflect the September 2025 tentative agreement recommended by the Alberta Teachers’ Association leadership.
- The legislation includes financial penalties for non-compliance and suspends local bargaining during the agreement to ensure labour stability through 2028.
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