Alberta Health: Refusal to Declare Emergency Sparks Outcry

ALBERTA — Hospitals are full. ERs are overflowing. Six preventable deaths in two weeks, according to a leaked internal report. Yet Premier Danielle Smith and her UCP government refuse to declare a health-care emergency, calling such a move "misguided."

The decision leaves families waiting in hallways and nurses working in what unions describe as unsafe conditions. It comes as hospitals across the province operate at or above 100% capacity during a brutal respiratory virus season.

Opposition parties, medical associations, and unions aren't buying the government's explanation. They want emergency powers invoked under the Public Health Act or Emergency Management Act. The UCP says it already has the tools it needs.

Death and Delays

Dr. Paul Parks of the Alberta Medical Association leaked a report in January 2026 documenting six preventable ER deaths over 14 days. CUPE Alberta has collected over 9,000 signatures demanding action, pointing to specific cases: a 44-year-old man who waited eight hours at Grey Nuns Hospital before dying. An elderly influenza patient left on a stretcher for four days.

The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees and United Nurses of Alberta report hospitals running at 102% capacity. Staff are burning out. Patients are being turned away or warehoused in hallways.

A System in Pieces

The chaos arrives mid-restructure. In May 2024, the UCP passed the Health Statutes Amendment Act, which broke up Alberta Health Services into four new Provincial Health Agencies. Premier Smith said in December 2025 that the legal groundwork was "largely complete," with 2026 focused on proving the new model works.

Not everyone is convinced. The restructuring began with drama: AHS President and CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos was fired in January 2025. She later filed a $1.7-million lawsuit, claiming she was terminated for raising red flags about provincial contracts.

Alberta Budget 2025 allocated $28 billion to healthcare, a 5.4% increase. Critics like Friends of Medicare say that won't cover population growth or inflation, let alone fix capacity. Private agency nurse costs peaked at $154.6 million in 2023-24, projected to drop to $95 million in 2024-25. No broad pay increases for nurses were budgeted.

Opposition Pushes Back

The Alberta NDP, led by Naheed Nenshi and Health Critic Dr. Luanne Metz, wants an emergency declaration now. Their demands: declare a state of emergency for ERs, restore a central command structure for AHS, and reconvene the legislature for an emergency debate.

The Alberta Medical Association backs the call, saying an emergency declaration would give health officials "more tools to handle overflowing hospitals and emergency rooms."

Health Minister Matt Jones and Minister Adriana LaGrange have held the line. No emergency. No additional powers needed. The government insists existing legislation is enough.

The standoff continues as hospitals fill and wait times stretch. The province has yet to announce any immediate relief measures.