Care services & workforce

Training & credentialsTodayAlberta

Alberta funds Bow Valley College proposal for health care training centre

The Alberta government is providing $5 million to Bow Valley College to develop a proposal for a new Health Care Centre of Excellence. This funding will support project design and cost estimation to potentially expand training programs for nurses, pharmacy technicians, health care aides, and therapy assistants.

Due in 32 daysHealth policy3 days agoAlbertaEdmonton Zone

New 75-bed addiction recovery centre opens in Enoch Cree Nation

The Enoch maskêkosihk Recovery Community has been completed with $35 million in provincial capital funding. The 75-bed facility provides no-cost, culturally grounded addiction treatment for up to 300 people annually in the Edmonton region. Treatment services are scheduled to begin this December, offering support for up to one year.

You can now refer patients in the Edmonton area to this new facility for long-term, culturally grounded addiction treatment starting this December.

Due in 2 daysHealth policy3 days agoAlberta

Alberta optometrists to perform minor eye surgeries starting November 1 2026

Starting November 1, 2026, Alberta optometrists with specialized training may perform minor surgical and laser procedures, including stye treatments and skin lesion removal. These regulatory changes aim to reduce wait times and travel for patients. Ophthalmologists will focus on complex cases as optometrists take on these additional community-based services under new oversight standards.

If you are an ophthalmologist, you may see fewer referrals for minor procedures as qualified optometrists begin providing these services in their own clinics.

Health policy5 days agoAlberta

Alberta expands hospital capacity and launches triage program for respiratory season

Alberta has increased acute care capacity to over 9,000 spaces, including 221 permanent beds and 194 temporary beds. The province also launched a Provincial Integrated Operations Centre to coordinate resources and a Triage Liaison Physician program to place doctors in emergency waiting areas. Additionally, hospitals are implementing automated daily staffing reports to improve resource management.

You may see triage physicians in emergency waiting areas and use new automated staffing reporting tools to help manage seasonal patient surges.

Services & workforce6 days agoCanada

Fatality inquiry examines emergency department overcrowding and patient capacity issues in Edmonton

A fatality inquiry heard that Prashant Sreekumar, 44, died on Dec. 22, 2025 after waiting about eight hours in the Grey Nuns emergency department in Edmonton for chest pain. A doctor testified the hospital's five general medicine units have run above capacity since at least 2024, with occupancy around 101 per cent in 2025, and that 20 to 30 per cent of beds hold patients who no longer need hospital care. The inquiry resumes in December.

The testimony puts numbers to ER overcrowding: more patients than beds, and a fifth to a third of beds taken by patients awaiting placement elsewhere.

Due in 2 daysPublic healthOct 22, 2026Canada

British Columbia reduces virtual care capacity and funding for long COVID patients

More than 300,000 British Columbians live with long COVID, and the province's virtual-care clinic serves over 8,500 patients. From Nov. 1, virtual group appointments will be capped at 30 patients, down from groups of up to 50, and the per-patient fee falls from $14.71 to $11.42. The clinic says allied health will no longer be available in virtual group settings and patients should expect longer waits; the changes were signed off by the Medical Services Commission on Sept. 24.

The changes land Nov. 1 on a clinic that is the main virtual-care route for thousands of long COVID patients across B.C.

ResearchServices & workforceOct 21, 2026Canada

Nursing employment increases in Canada despite ongoing vacancy and wage challenges

A Statistics Canada report shows registered nursing employment grew by over 100,000 positions since 2019. Despite this growth, vacancy rates remain high, particularly for licensed practical nurses, and inflation-adjusted wages for many nursing roles have declined since 2019.

Health policyOct 21, 2026Canada

National initiative targets reduction of antipsychotic prescriptions in long-term care facilities

A new national target aims to limit antipsychotic use in long-term care residents without psychosis to 15%. Current Canadian rates sit at 24%, prompting calls for cross-sectoral collaboration to improve prescribing, monitoring, and deprescribing practices across acute, community, and long-term care settings.

Expect increased focus on reviewing antipsychotic prescriptions and improving care transitions to meet this new national safety benchmark.

Health policyOct 21, 2026Canada

Ontario restricts out-of-country drug funding for cancer patients

Sabrina Apitz-Grossman, 31, was told she has 12 to 18 months to live with synovial sarcoma that spread to her lungs; her doctors recommend Tecelra, a US-approved treatment costing US$727,000, but OHIP denied out-of-country coverage and her appeal and case-by-case application both failed. After a court ordered coverage for another patient in July, Ontario changed the rules so out-of-country drug treatments are funded only if already funded in the province and temporarily unavailable.

The rule change closes the route other patients used to get life-extending treatment abroad when Ontario does not fund it.

Health policyOct 20, 2026Alberta

CPSA introduces new chaperone policy to support safe and respectful care

The College of Physicians & Surgeons of Alberta has released a new policy regarding the use of chaperones during clinical encounters. The policy outlines expectations for trained chaperones to observe sensitive examinations to enhance patient trust and professional standards. Medical offices must ensure chaperones are appropriately trained and integrated into clinic workflows.

If your practice requires a chaperone, you must ensure they are CPSA-approved and trained through MacEwan University or PBI Education.

Health policyOct 20, 2026Alberta

Health Quality Alberta releases new resources to promote workplace civility

Health Quality Alberta has published a guide and toolkit designed to foster civility within health care environments. These materials aim to support safer care outcomes by improving professional interactions.

You can access the new guide and toolkit through Health Quality Alberta to help improve team communication and safety in your workplace.

Health policyOct 20, 2026Canada

Health ministers meeting in Winnipeg focuses on workforce mobility and health data

Federal, provincial, and territorial health ministers met in Winnipeg on October 16, 2026, to discuss healthcare system reforms. Key priorities included improving workforce mobility for internationally educated professionals, advancing national public health data sharing, and ensuring the sustainability of long-term funding for rare disease treatments and community care services.

Health policyOct 20, 2026Canada

Ontario petition seeks public funding for long-term psychotherapy services

Guelph psychotherapist Marinela Trickett has launched a petition asking Ontario to cover long-term supportive psychotherapy under OHIP, saying her clinic gets daily calls from people who cannot access long-term support and many wait until crisis, then go to hospitals where their needs are not met. With Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner she will bring the petition, aiming for 5,000 signatures, to Queen's Park in November. OHIP now covers psychotherapy only from a doctor or psychiatrist; private sessions average $150 to $180 each.

It asks Ontario to treat psychotherapy as medically necessary care, not a private expense, a question frontline workers hear from patients every day.

Health policyOct 16, 2026Canada

Nurses union urges health ministers to establish national seniors care standards

The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions met with federal and provincial health ministers to advocate for a national seniors' care strategy. The union is calling for mandatory staffing standards, increased funding, and improved support for long-term care workers to address chronic overcapacity and workplace violence.

OpinionHealth policyOct 16, 2026Canada

Expanding emergency departments may increase patient boarding without improved hospital flow

The author argues that expanding emergency departments to address overcrowding often fails if inpatient bottlenecks remain. Citing studies and national data, the piece suggests that increasing ED capacity without improving patient flow can worsen boarding times and strain nursing resources. Governments are urged to prioritize flow management and bed availability over physical facility expansion.

Health policyOct 15, 2026Canada

Federal government extends health funding agreements for provinces by one year

The federal government has extended health funding for mental health, addictions, home care, and community services by one year. This extension aligns with existing long-term care agreements and provides a new timeline for governments to discuss long-term funding formulas.

Health policyOct 14, 2026Canada

Nurses union seeks national seniors care strategy from provincial health ministers

The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions is meeting with health ministers on October 16 to advocate for a national seniors’ care strategy. The union is calling for the renewal of expiring federal funding agreements for long-term, home, and community care to support staffing standards and improved care delivery for older Canadians.