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Alberta

Wait times down. Better EMS response times. Province releases results of 90 day Health Care Action Plan

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90-day HCAP update: Health care wait times dropping

Albertans are spending less time waiting for the medical care they need since the Health Care Action Plan (HCAP) was launched.

Alberta has the best front-line health care workers in the world, and Alberta’s government will work to have the right supports in place to ensure Albertans get the care they need when and where they need it. When Alberta’s HCAP was launched on Nov. 17, Alberta’s government identified four different areas on which it would work with Alberta Health Services to improve. After 90 days, Albertans are seeing improvements in all four areas.

“We are delivering on our promise to reduce wait times, add more front-line staff and keep Albertans updated on the progress we’re making. There is no one silver bullet to fixing our health care system, and change will take time. But positive change is happening, and Albertans are receiving better access to the level of care they need when and where they need it. We appointed Dr. John Cowell as official administrator to speed up improvements and make sure Albertans are getting high quality of care sooner and we are seeing some good, early results.”

Danielle Smith, Premier

Improving EMS response time

In an emergency, every minute counts and over the past three months, ambulances have been responding faster to emergency calls. Improved ambulance times means that Albertans are receiving the urgent care they need from highly skilled paramedics more quickly.

From November to the end of January, EMS response times for most urgent calls improved across the province in metro, urban, rural and remote areas. The decrease in EMS wait times across the province can be broken down to:

  • 17 minutes in metro and urban areas, down from 21.8 minutes
  • 19.2 minutes in communities with more than 3,000 residents, down from 21.5 minutes
  • 34.9 minutes in rural communities with fewer than 3,000 residents, down from 36 minutes
  • 57.5 minutes in remote communities, down from 63.9 minutes

In addition to improved EMS wait times, more ambulances have been available, meaning that red alerts, which indicate a lack of ambulance availability at a point in time, were substantially reduced in Edmonton and Calgary:

  • Edmonton has seen a 92 per cent reduction in the number of alerts issued in January 2023 compared with January 2022.
  • Calgary has seen a 60 per cent reduction over the same period.

The initiative to triage 911 calls to the most appropriate level of care has also played a role in ensuring paramedics are able to answer the most urgent calls. Since the program was launched in January, 1,600 callers with non-urgent conditions were transferred from 911 to Health Link registered nurses. Alberta’s government is pleased to see progress on its aim to reduce EMS wait times and will continue working to further decrease the amount of time an Albertan waits for an ambulance to arrive.

“The good news is wait times are trending in the right direction and Albertans are getting the care they need more quickly. More doctors, nurses and paramedics are available to help Albertans, and more help is on the way as Alberta continues to add front-line workers for ambulances, ERs and across the system.”

Jason Copping, Minister of Health

Reducing surgery wait times

Alberta’s government continues its work to reduce surgical wait times for Albertans. Part of a strong health care system is ensuring that Alberta patients are receiving their surgeries within clinically recommended times. Since November 2022, the number of patients waiting longer than the clinically recommended time has decreased by 9.4 per cent.

Alberta’s chartered surgical facilities are helping to reduce wait times and ensure Albertans are receiving the surgeries they need to improve their health and their quality of life. Nearly 7,000 more publicly funded surgeries were completed at chartered surgical facilities in January compared with November, a number that includes orthopedic and eye surgeries. As this work continues, AHS is focused on ensuring that those patients who have waited the longest for surgery are prioritized.

“I would like to thank our incredible front-line workers as well as our AHS leaders, who have worked extremely hard to identify and implement improvements to our health care system, with focus on our priority areas. We have emerged from an extremely challenging time, and I am optimistic that we will continue to see improvements that will benefit all Albertans whenever they need our care and support.”

Dr. John Cowell, official administrator, Alberta Health Services

Decreasing emergency room wait times and improving access to care

Alberta’s government is also encouraged to see that in January, more Albertans received care sooner when they visited emergency departments. Progress in lowering emergency department wait times has been seen in the two measures:

  • Wait time to see a doctor in an emergency department decreased by almost 10 per cent provincially since November.
  • Time spent in an emergency department for admitted patients has been reduced by about five per cent.

There is still work to be done to ensure Albertans have lower wait times in emergency rooms across the province, and Alberta’s government will continue to make policy and funding decisions to see those improvements. In January, the number of assessed patients waiting in the province’s top 14 hospitals for a continuing care space was 179, lower than the 218 patients in the 2018-2019 fiscal year, and also lower than the 253 patients waiting in November 2022. A number of changes have helped to spur progress on emergency department wait times from November to the end of January:

  • AHS opened 255 new acute care beds (non-intensive care unit) across the province.
  • More beds in continuing care facilities have been opened – freeing more hospital beds for urgent care: 55 new long-term care beds, 292 new designated supportive living beds and 38 new community addiction and mental health beds.
  • Additionally, 36 new transition beds for people discharged from ERs in Edmonton who are experiencing homelessness will be opened this year.

Empowering health care workers to deliver health care

Alberta continues to hire more health care workers to support key areas. AHS is adding 420 more positions in emergency rooms, acute care, EMS and community care, on top of the nearly 400 front-line and support staff hired since November. If passed, Budget 2023 would provide $158 million for a new Health Workforce Strategy to make sure the province has the medical professionals needed and to improve the work environment.

Alberta is making good progress on increasing the number of highly skilled doctors, nurses, paramedics, nurse practitioners and other health allied professionals in the province:

  • AHS added 800 registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and health care aides in 2022.
  • Since 2019, AHS has added 5,800 front-line staff, including 1,800 registered nurses and 300 paramedics.
  • AHS recruited 28 physicians to rural Alberta and added 278 more registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and health care aides since November.
  • EMS added 39 front-line staff, including paramedics and emergency communications officers, over the last three months.
  • 80 additional full-time paramedic positions are being recruited, and AHS is transitioning 70 current temporary full-time EMS positions to regular full-time.
  • AHS is currently hiring 114 full-time nursing staff for emergency department teams to speed up EMS transfers and free up paramedics to respond to more calls.

Alberta

Oil and gas in the global economy through 2050

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From the Canadian Energy Centre

By Ven Venkatachalam

The world will continue to rely on oil and gas for decades to come, according to the International Energy Agency

Recent global conflicts, which have been partly responsible for a global spike in energy prices, have cast their shadow on energy markets around the world. Added to this uncertainty is the ongoing debate among policymakers and public institutions in various jurisdictions about the role of traditional forms of energy in the global economy.

One widely quoted study influencing the debate is the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) World Energy Outlook, the most recent edition of which, World Energy Outlook 2023 (or WEO 2023), was released recently (IEA 2023).

In this CEC Fact Sheet, we examine projections for oil and natural gas production, demand, and investment drawn from the World Energy Outlook 2023 Extended Dataset, using the IEA’s modelled scenario STEPS, or the Stated Policies Scenario. The Extended Dataset provides more detailed data at the global, regional, and country level than that found in the main report.

The IEA’s World Energy Outlook and the various scenarios

Every year the IEA releases its annual energy outlook. The report looks at recent energy supply and demand, and projects the investment outlook for oil and gas over the next three decades. The World Energy Outlook makes use of a scenario approach to examine future energy trends. WEO 2023 models three scenarios: the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario (NZE), the Announced Pledges Scenario (APS), and the Stated Policies Scenario (STEPS).

STEPS appears to be the most plausible scenario because it is based on the world’s current trajectory, rather than the other scenarios set out in the WEO 2023, including the APS and the NZE. According to the IEA:

The Stated Policies Scenario is based on current policy settings and also considers the implications of industrial policies that support clean energy supply chains as well as measures related to energy and climate. (2023, p. 79; emphasis by author)

and

STEPS looks in detail at what [governments] are actually doing to reach their targets and objectives across the energy economy. Outcomes in the STEPS reflect a detailed sector-by-sector review of the policies and measures that are actually in place or that have been announced; aspirational energy or climate targets are not automatically assumed to be met. (2023, p. 92)

Key results

The key results of STEPS, drawn from the IEA’s Extended Dataset, indicate that the oil and gas industry is not going into decline over the next decade—neither worldwide generally, nor in Canada specifically. In fact, the demand for oil and gas in emerging and developing economies under STEPS will remain robust through 2050.

Oil and natural gas production projections under STEPS

World oil production is projected to increase from 94.8 million barrels per day (mb/d) in 2022 to 97.2 mb/d in 2035, before falling slightly to 94.5 mb/d in 2050 (see Figure 1).

Source: IEA (2023b)

Canadian overall crude oil production is projected to increase from 5.8 mb/d in 2022 to 6.5 mb/d in 2035, before falling to 5.6 mb/d in 2050 (see Figure 2).

Source: IEA (2023b)

Canadian oil sands production is expected to increase from 3.6 mb/d in 2022 to 3.8 mb/d in 2035, and maintain the same production level till 2050 (see Figure 3).

Source: IEA (2023b)

World natural gas production is anticipated to increase from 4,138 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2022 to 4,173 bcm in 2050 (see Figure 4).

Source: IEA (2023b)

Canadian natural gas production is projected to decrease from 204 bcm in 2022 to 194 bcm in 2050 (see Figure 5).

Source: IEA (2023b)

Oil demand under STEPS

World demand for oil is projected to increase from 96.5 mb/d in 2022 to 97.4 mb/d by 2050 (see Tables 1A and 1B). Demand in Africa for oil is expected to increase from 4.0 mb/d in 2022 to 7.7 mb/d in 2050. Demand for oil in the Asia-Pacific is projected to increase from 32.9 mb/d in 2022 to 35.1 mb/d in 2050. Demand for oil from emerging and developing economies is anticipated to increase from 47.9 mb/d in 2022 to 59.3 mb/d in 2050.

Source: IEA (2023b)

 

Source: IEA (2023b)

Natural gas demand under STEPS

World demand for natural gas is expected to increase from 4,159 billion cubic metres (bcm) in 2022 to 4,179 bcm in 2050 (see Figures 6 and 7). Demand in Africa for natural gas is projected to increase from 170 bcm in 2020 to 277 bcm in 2050. Demand in the Asia-Pacific for natural gas is anticipated to increase from 900 bcm in 2020 to 1,119 bcm in 2050.

Source: IEA (2023b)

 

Source: IEA (2023b)

Cumulative oil and gas investment expected to be over $21 trillion

Taking into account projected global demand, between 2023 and 2050 the cumulative global oil and gas investment (upstream, midstream, and downstream) under STEPS is expected to reach nearly U.S.$21.1 trillion (in $2022). Global oil investment alone is expected to be over U.S.$13.1 trillion and natural gas investment is predicted to be over $8.0 trillion (see Figure 8).

Between 2023 and 2050, total oil and gas investment in North America (Canada, the U.S., and Mexico) is expected to be nearly U.S.$5.6 trillion, split between oil at over $3.8 trillion and gas at nearly $1.8 trillion (see Figure 8). Oil and gas investment in the Asia Pacific, over the same period, is estimated at nearly $3.3 trillion, split between oil at over $1.4 trillion and gas at over $1.9 trillion.

Source: IEA (2023b)

Conclusion

The sector-by-sector measures that governments worldwide have put in place and the specific policy initiatives that support clean energy policy, i.e., the Stated Policies Scenario (STEPS), both show oil and gas continuing to play a major role in the global economy through 2050. Key data points on production and demand drawn from the IEA’s WEO 2023 Extended Dataset confirm this trend.

Positioning Canada as a secure and reliable oil and gas supplier can and must be part of the medium- to long-term solution to meeting the oil and gas demands of the U.S., Europe, Asia and other regions as part of a concerted move supporting energy security.

The need for stable energy, which is something that oil and natural gas provide, is critical to a global economy whose population is set to grow by another 2 billion people by 2050. Along with the increasing population comes rising incomes, and with them comes a heightened demand for oil and natural gas, particularly in many emerging and developing economies in Africa, the Asia-Pacific, and Latin America, where countries are seeing urbanization and industrialization grow rapidly.


References (as of February 11, 2024)

International Energy Agency (IEA), 2023(a), World Energy Outlook 2023 <http://tinyurl.com/4nv9xyfj>; International Energy Agency (IEA), 2023(b), World Energy Outlook 2023 Extended Dataset <http://tinyurl.com/3222553b>.

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Alberta

Calgary judge rules against father opposing euthanasia of autistic non-terminally ill daughter

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From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

On March 25, Justice Colin C.J. Feasby of the Alberta Court of King’s Bench overturned an injunction sought by the 27-year-old autistic woman’s father which previously prevented her from being killed via Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) euthanasia program.

A Calgary judge has ruled that an autistic, non-terminally ill young woman can be put to death via euthanasia despite objections from her father, claiming that inhibiting her death could cause her “irreparable harm.”  

On March 25, Justice Colin C.J. Feasby of the Alberta Court of King’s Bench overturned an injunction sought by the 27-year-old autistic woman’s father which previously prevented her from being killed via Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) euthanasia program.

“I do not know you and I do not know why you seek MAID. Your reasons remain your own because I have respected your autonomy and your privacy,” Justice Feasby wrote in his decision.  

“My decision recognizes your right to choose a medically assisted death; but it does not require you to choose death,” he added.  

Due to a publication ban, the young woman in the case is identified as MV while her father is listed as WV.  

MV, who is diagnosed with both autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), was approved for MAiD by two doctors and planned to end her life through euthanasia.  

However, according to court documents, her father argued that she is vulnerable and “is not competent to make the decision to take her own life.” Notably, MV still lives at home under the care of her parents.  

He also argued that she does not qualify for MAiD, pointing out that “she is generally healthy and believes that her physical symptoms, to the extent that she has any, result from undiagnosed psychological condition.”  

According to Feasby, his decision weighed the “harm” of preventing MV from having herself “medically” killed and her parent’s suffering while watching their daughter be killed.  

“The harm to MV if an injunction is granted goes to the core of her being,” he argued. “An injunction would deny MV the right to choose between living or dying with dignity [sic]. Further, an injunction would put MV in a position where she would be forced to choose between living a life she has decided is intolerable and ending her life without medical assistance.”

Feasby claimed that allowing MV to be euthanized is a better choice because “attempting to end her life without medical assistance would put her at increased risk of pain, suffering and lasting injury.” 

The ruling allows 30 days before MV can receive MAiD for her father to appeal the decision. So far, WV has not announced if he plans to appeal.  

Notably, MAiD does not yet apply to the mentally ill, as the Liberal government decided to delay the expansion of euthanasia to those suffering solely from such illnesses until 2027 following backlash from Canadians and prominent doctors.   

In January, provincial health ministers went a step further than seeking a delay in the provision, asking for the measure to be “indefinitely” postponed.  

The provincial health ministers’ appeal echoes that of leading Canadian psychiatrist Dr. K. Sonu Gaind, who testified that the expansion of MAiD “is not so much a slippery slope as a runaway train.”  

Similarly, in November, several Canadian psychiatrists warned that the country is “not ready” for the coming expansion of euthanasia to those who are mentally ill. They said that further liberalizing the procedure is not something that “society should be doing” as it could lead to deaths under a “false pretence.”   

The expansion of euthanasia to those with mental illness even has the far-left New Democratic Party (NDP) concerned. Dismissing these concerns, a Trudeau Foundation fellow actually said Trudeau’s current euthanasia regime is marked by “privilege,” assuring the Canadian people that most of those being put to death are “white,” “well off,” and “highly educated.”  

The most recent reports show that MAiD is the sixth highest cause of death in Canada. However, it was not listed as such in Statistics Canada’s top 10 leading causes of death from 2019 to 2022. When asked why MAiD was left off the list, the agency explained that it records the illnesses that led Canadians to choose to end their lives via euthanasia, not the actual cause of death, as the primary cause of death. 

According to Health Canada, in 2022, 13,241 Canadians died by MAiD lethal injections. This accounts for 4.1 percent of all deaths in the country for that year ,a 31.2 percent increase from 2021.     

While the numbers for 2023 have yet to be released, all indications point to a situation even more grim than 2022.  

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