More than 7,000 additional health-care workers have transferred over to three new health organizations in the latest chapter of the Alberta government’s complete overhaul of the medical system.
According to the provincial government, Cancer Care Alberta, Give Life Alberta and the emergency health services corporation became fully operational on Sept. 1, 2025.
These entities are now overseen by Acute Care Alberta, one of four new health delivery pillars, each led by a different minister.
Through the process, staff are being transferred out of Alberta Health Services (AHS), which is being downgraded from the provincial health authority to the role of hospital provider.
Who does what
Cancer Care Alberta is now responsible for cancer treatment delivery and services. It will oversee clinical care, workforce planning, capital investments and operational funding. According to the provincial government, 2,660 positions are being moved Cancer Care Alberta.
The organization will have a dedicated complaints process, “to ensure accountability and responsiveness across the cancer care continuum,” Kyle Warner, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Hospital and Surgical Health Services, said in an emailed statement.
Give Life Alberta now oversees organ and tissue donation as well as transplantation. Ten positions have moved to Give Life Alberta, with clinical services remaining within AHS.
It’s worrisome because patients are going to fall through the cracks.- Dr. Shelley Duggan, Alberta Medical Association
A new provincial health corporation will oversee emergency health services, which will focus on improving patient safety and response times, the government said. Approximately 4,940 positions are being transferred there, the ministry said.
“[It] is implementing targeted workforce strategies, improving scheduling, and enhancing recruitment and retention. Integration with hospitals and critical care services will reduce bottlenecks and improve patient flow,” said Warner.
‘Incredibly confusing’
“I have no idea what any of this means,” said Dr. Shelley Duggan, president of the Alberta Medical Association.
“It just continues to be chaos and I don’t think in the end patients are going to be the winners.”
Dr. Shelley Duggan is president of the Alberta Medical Association and a critical care physician in Edmonton. (Alberta Medical Association)
When it comes to Give Life Alberta, for example, the province said clinical care remains with AHS but other aspects, including education and planning, have moved to the new organization.
The ministry said there is ongoing co-ordination between AHS and the new entity “to ensure seamless service delivery.”
But organ donation, according to Duggan, is led by health-care providers on the front lines, from those treating critically ill patients and potential donors to those performing the transplant surgery itself.
“They all happen in an acute care setting. So then having some leadership and some roles taken out and moved to another organization – that we don’t know how it fits in and how exactly they will work together – it’s incredibly confusing.”
The latest round of changes, she said, adds another layer of confusion in a process that has fuelled ongoing upheaval.
“We keep chopping everything into more bits and pieces,” she said.
“It’s worrisome because patients are going to fall through the cracks.”
‘Time for change’
There is also a sense of confusion among paramedics who are moving to the new emergency health services corporation, according to said Len Stelmaschuk, president of the Alberta Paramedic Association.
The Health Sciences Association of Alberta, the union representing paramedics and other health staff, said it was informed in July that 3,809 of its members would move to emergency health services and 488 would transfer to Cancer Care Alberta as of Sept. 1.
“I think what you’re finding – as with a lot of change – there’s a lot of anxiety, there’s a lot of stress, there’s a lot of uncertainty,” said Stelmaschuk.
Stelmaschuk is optimistic, though, that the new organization signals the government recognizes the value of paramedics. And he hopes key changes will come about through the process, including addressing concerns about ambulances waiting for long periods at hospitals before they’re able to hand off patients.
“It’s time for change. There’s a lot of broken systems out there,” he said.
“Let’s try and figure out what can be done better.”
David Harrigan, director of labour relations with the United Nurses of Alberta, said there is a feeling among nurses that the restructuring has been a “waste of time.”
More than 10,000 members have been transferred from AHS to new health organizations through this restructuring process, according to Harrigan.
“None of them have reported that there’s any possible benefit to patients, residents or clients. It’s just a lot more red tape,” he said.
“It’s just minor irritants, but it just reinforces that there’s no purpose for any of this.”
Meanwhile, the provincial government said these new organizations are designed to provide “focused oversight and leadership” in key areas.
“Albertans will continue to access care as they always have. These changes to system governance are designed to improve integration, accountability, and outcomes,” said Warner.
Surgical Care Alberta, another organization now overseen by Acute Care Alberta, launched earlier this year and staffing details are still being finalized, according to the province.