Alberta Health: ER Wait Times Trigger Emergency Debate

ALBERTA — Six people died in Alberta emergency rooms in early January 2026. Deaths that doctors say were preventable. More than 30 others came close.

The grim tally comes from a leaked letter written by ER physicians. The cause, according to frontline staff: wait times that stretch too long.

Matt Jones, Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services, called the anonymized data "concerning." He pointed to official investigation processes already underway.

Hospitals Running on Fumes

Alberta's major hospitals are operating at 102 percent capacity. Some sources say it's been above 110 percent for over a year.

This isn't an anomaly. It's the baseline.

The UCP government bet big on restructuring. Bill 55, the Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2025, broke up Alberta Health Services into four separate organizations. One of them: Acute Care Alberta. Premier Danielle Smith staked her government's reputation on the plan, dubbed "Refocusing Health Care." The transition wrapped up by the end of 2025.

The jury's still out on whether it's working.

The Eight-Hour Wait

In December 2025, Prashant Sreekumar died after waiting nearly eight hours in an Edmonton ER. A judge-led fatality inquiry was ordered in January 2026. It's still ongoing.

The Alberta Budget 2025 pumped health operating expenses up 5.4 percent to roughly $28 billion. Acute care got $4.6 billion. A three-year capital plan set aside $3.6 billion for health projects.

Money's flowing. Beds, apparently, are not.

The Minister vs. The Doctors

Minister Jones has dismissed what he calls anecdotal "ER horror" stories. He blames flu surges. He talks up new capacity: 97 beds at Peter Lougheed Centre, plans for 1,000 provincial beds.

The Alberta Medical Association isn't buying it. Dr. Paul Parks says ERs have been above 110 percent capacity for over a year. Urgent patient wait times? Up 70 percent since late 2022.

Naheed Nenshi, leader of the Alberta NDP, calls it an "unprecedented crisis." He's demanding a state of emergency. NDP Health Critic Sarah Hoffman wants the legislature recalled early.

What Happens Next

The government launched a Public Health System Dashboard in January 2026. Right now, it tracks surgical wait times. ER data is coming later.

Until then, there's a gap between what the dashboard shows and what doctors are reporting from the floor. The Sreekumar inquiry continues. The new health entities are fully operational.

Whether they can handle the load remains an open question.