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Alberta

Alberta budget announces record high health spending including money for new and redeveloped hospitals

Published

3 years ago

8 minute read

Alberta’s government is providing another year of record-high investment, with $24.5 billion in the Ministry of Health’s operating expense this year, an increase of 4.1 per cent from last year. This new funding will focus on addressing areas of priority in the Healthcare Action Plan to improve the health-care services Albertans expect and deserve. In addition, Alberta’s primary health-care system is being strengthened and modernized with a record investment of $243 million over three years.

Budget 2023 provides $3.1 billion in capital funding over three years to further build up Alberta’s valuable health-care infrastructure, an additional $529 million in capital maintenance and renewal for health facilities and a further $732 million in self-financed funding. The $3.1 billion includes funding for the redevelopment and expansion of the Red Deer Regional Hospital, increasing critical services and capacity in one of Alberta’s largest hospitals.

Additionally, $18 million over three years is for further planning for proposed health capital projects across the province, including the stand-alone Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton, a north Calgary/Airdrie regional health centre, expansion of the Strathcona Community Hospital, and new or upgraded facilities in Bassano, Cardston and Whitecourt.

A total of $237 million over three years will go towards the Alberta Surgical Initiative Capital Program, with $120 million in new funding to expand and modernize operating rooms in 15 communities across the province and reduce wait times for surgeries.

The new Health Workforce Strategy will help get Albertans the care they need, when and where they need it. Budget 2023 includes $158 million in 2023-24 to retain and support, attract, grow, strengthen and evolve the health-care workforce, including physicians and nurses.

“Building a resilient and responsive health-care system that meets the needs of Albertans is essential to keeping our province healthy. This is why Budget 2023 includes another record-high health-care investment, so we can put the right health-care professionals, resources and services where they are needed most.”

Jason Copping, Minister of Health

Budget 2023 invests in emergency medical services (EMS) to improve ambulance response times. An increase of $196 million over three years will help hire more staff and implement recommendations from the Alberta EMS Provincial Advisory Committee. A new capital program will provide $15 million over three years to put more ambulances on the road.

As part of the initiative to improve primary health care, Alberta’s government is investing more than $2 billion in 2023-24. This includes $243 million over three years to strengthen the province’s primary care system, including implementing the recommendations from the three advisory panels of Modernizing Alberta’s Primary Health Care System (MAPS) established in fall 2022. These recommendations will inform the government’s immediate next steps and a path forward over the next five to 10 years.

“Investing in health care is not just a cost, it’s an investment in our future. By increasing critical health-care capacity, we can ensure that our health-care system is equipped to meet the needs of our citizens and provide the highest quality of care possible.”

Travis Toews, President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance

“Over the next three years, Alberta’s government is investing $23 billion into public infrastructure through the 2023 Capital Plan. By building and revitalizing hospitals, schools, courthouses and other public facilities, we are investing in the critical infrastructure projects that Albertans need and help keep people working.”

Nathan Neudorf, Minister of Infrastructure

Budget 2023 includes nearly $4.3 billion in combined operating support for community care, continuing care and home care programs, an increase of more than 15 per cent, or $570 million from the 2022-23 forecast. An investment of $1 billion over three years will support continuing care transformation that will shift care to the community, enhance workforce capacity, increase choice and innovation, and improve the quality of care within the sector. In addition, there is $310 million over three years for the Continuing Care Capital Program, which supports modernizing continuing care facilities, developing innovative small care homes, providing culturally appropriate care for Indigenous Peoples and building new spaces in priority communities having the greatest need.

Budget 2023 includes operating expense of $148 million in 2023-24 for the Ministry of Mental Health and Addiction. In addition, it supports Alberta Health Services with additional funding to reduce wait times for mental health and addiction services and address gaps in the system. Alberta spends more than $1 billion per year on mental health and addiction programs and services, excluding physician billings. Over the next three years, Alberta’s government will also invest $155 million in capital funding to continue building holistic, long-term recovery communities where Albertans will be able to access detox services, treatment medications, peer support, and help with skills and training.

“Alberta has emerged as a national leader in building out recovery-oriented systems of care for addiction and mental health. The historic investments included in Budget 2023 will help us further expand treatment and recovery services, enabling us to support more Albertans in their pursuit of recovery.”

Nicholas Milliken, Minister of Mental Health and Addiction

Budget 2023 highlights

  • $6.2 billion budgeted in 2023-24, increasing to more than $6.4 billion by 2025-26 for physician compensation and development programs.
  • More than $250 million over four years (beginning in 2022-23) for recruitment and retention programs under the agreement with the Alberta Medical Association so more Albertans can access family doctors, and to provide more support to help physicians keep their clinics open and running.
  • More than $2 billion per year for Drugs and Supplemental Health benefit programs. The Seniors Drug program budget is the largest component of this suite of programs, with $693 million budgeted in 2023-24, supporting more than 700,000 seniors.
  • More than $2 billion in 2023-24 to support primary care in Alberta, including payments to family doctors.
  • $125 million over three years as an initial investment, providing funding for early opportunities to improve primary care identified through the Modernizing Alberta’s Primary Health Care Systems (MAPS) initiative.

Budget 2023 secures Alberta’s bright future by transforming the health-care system to meet people’s needs, supporting Albertans with the high cost of living, keeping our communities safe and driving the economy with more jobs, quality education and continued diversification.

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This is a news release from the Government of Alberta.

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Alberta

Alberta bill would protect freedom of expression for doctors, nurses, other professionals

Published on November 22, 2025

By

From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

‘Peterson’s law,’ named for Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson, was introduced by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.

Alberta’s Conservative government introduced a new law that will set “clear expectations” for professional regulatory bodies to respect freedom of speech on social media and online for doctors, nurses, engineers, and other professionals.

The new law, named “Peterson’s law” after Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson, who was canceled by his regulatory body, was introduced Thursday by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.

“Professionals should never fear losing their license or career because of a social media post, an interview, or a personal opinion expressed on their own time,” Smith said in a press release sent to media and LifeSiteNews.

“Alberta’s government is restoring fairness and neutrality so regulators focus on competence and ethics, not policing beliefs. Every Albertan has the right to speak freely without ideological enforcement or intimidation, and this legislation makes that protection real.”

The law, known as Bill 13, the Regulated Professions Neutrality Act, will “set clear expectations for professional regulatory bodies to ensure professionals’ right to free expression is protected.”

According to the government, the new law will “Limit professional regulatory bodies from disciplining professionals for expressive off-duty conduct, except in specific circumstances such as threats of physical violence or a criminal conviction.”

It will also restrict mandatory training “unrelated to competence or ethics, such as diversity, equity, and inclusion training.”

Bill 13, once it becomes law, which is all but guaranteed as Smith’s United Conservative Party (UCP) holds a majority, will also “create principles of neutrality that prohibit professional regulatory bodies from assigning value, blame or different treatment to individuals based on personally held views or political beliefs.”

As reported by LifeSiteNews, Peterson has been embattled with the College of Psychologists of Ontario (CPO) after it  mandated he undergo social media “training” to keep his license following posts he made on X, formerly Twitter, criticizing Trudeau and LGBT activists.

Early this year, LifeSiteNews reported that the CPO had selected Peterson’s “re-education coach” for having publicly opposed the LGBT agenda.

The Alberta government directly referenced Peterson’s (who is from Alberta originally) plight with the CPO, noting “the disciplinary proceedings against Dr. Jordan Peterson by the College of Psychologists of Ontario, demonstrate how regulatory bodies can extend their reach into personal expression rather than professional competence.”

“Similar cases involving nurses, engineers and other professionals revealed a growing pattern: individuals facing investigations, penalties or compulsory ideological training for off-duty expressive conduct. These incidents became a catalyst, confirming the need for clear legislative boundaries that protect free expression while preserving professional standards.”

Alberta Minister of Justice and Attorney General Mickey Amery said regarding Bill 13 that the new law makes that protection of professionals “real and holds professional regulatory bodies to a clear standard.”

Last year, Peterson formally announced his departure from Canada in favor of moving to the United States, saying his birth nation has become a “totalitarian hell hole.” 

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Alberta

‘Weird and wonderful’ wells are boosting oil production in Alberta and Saskatchewan

Published on November 20, 2025

By

From the Canadian Energy Centre

By Deborah Jaremko

Multilateral designs lift more energy with a smaller environmental footprint

A “weird and wonderful” drilling innovation in Alberta is helping producers tap more oil and gas at lower cost and with less environmental impact.

With names like fishbone, fan, comb-over and stingray, “multilateral” wells turn a single wellbore from the surface into multiple horizontal legs underground.

“They do look spectacular, and they are making quite a bit of money for small companies, so there’s a lot of interest from investors,” said Calin Dragoie, vice-president of geoscience with Calgary-based Chinook Consulting Services.

Dragoie, who has extensively studied the use of multilateral wells, said the technology takes horizontal drilling — which itself revolutionized oil and gas production — to the next level.

“It’s something that was not invented in Canada, but was perfected here. And it’s something that I think in the next few years will be exported as a technology to other parts of the world,” he said.

Dragoie’s research found that in 2015 less than 10 per cent of metres drilled in Western Canada came from multilateral wells. By last year, that share had climbed to nearly 60 per cent.  

Royalty incentives in Alberta have accelerated the trend, and Saskatchewan has introduced similar policy.

Multilaterals first emerged alongside horizontal drilling in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Dragoie said. But today’s multilaterals are longer, more complex and more productive.

The main play is in Alberta’s Marten Hills region, where producers are using multilaterals to produce shallow heavy oil.

Today’s average multilateral has about 7.5 horizontal legs from a single surface location, up from four or six just a few years ago, Dragoie said.

One record-setting well in Alberta drilled by Tamarack Valley Energy in 2023 features 11 legs stretching two miles each, for a total subsurface reach of 33 kilometres — the longest well in Canada.

By accessing large volumes of oil and gas from a single surface pad, multilaterals reduce land impact by a factor of five to ten compared to conventional wells, he said.

The designs save money by skipping casing strings and cement in each leg, and production is amplified as a result of increased reservoir contact.

Here are examples of multilateral well design. Images courtesy Chinook Consulting Services.

Parallel

Fishbone

Fan

Waffle

Stingray

Frankenwells

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