Alberta lab services
from guinea pigs to heroes (and back again?)
Jason Kenney joined others last week in celebrating the life-saving contributions of medical lab professionals in Alberta. This was a marked departure from his drive just a few months ago to privatize the province's labs and label lab workers as not "frontline" medicine. Rebecca Graff-McRae digs into the current work of medical labs in Alberta, their recent political history, and what might become of them post-pandemic.
What you need to know about Alberta Budget 2020
Alberta Budget 2020, released on February 27, continued the UCP commitment to deep spending cuts in public services. Parkland Institute research managers Ian Hussey and Alison McIntosh outline some of the budget's key components.
Review of AHS a pro-privatization attack on workers
Last week Ernst & Young LLP released the review of Alberta Health Services commissioned by the UCP back in July. Parkland Institute research manager Alison McIntosh did a deep dive into the report and provides her thoughts on what the recommendations mean for health workers, Albertans, and the health care system as a whole.
What you need to know about Alberta Budget 2019
The UCP government tabled its first budget on October 24—an austerity budget with cuts not seen in a generation. Parkland Institute research managers Alison McIntosh and Ian Hussey outline some key takeaways and impacts from the budget.
Scrutinizing Alberta's Public Sector
How Its Size and Compensation Compare to Other Jurisdictions
This report compares the size and compensation of Alberta's public sector to Canada and the other three large provinces, and concludes that Alberta's public sector does not stand out in any significant way in comparison to these other jurisdictions.
Alberta needs balanced attack on financial woes
This op-ed by Bob Ascah, Trevor Harrison, and Richard Mueller appeared in the Edmonton Journal on September 12, 2019.
Cutting Through the Blue Ribbon
A Balanced Look at Alberta's Finances
This report offers a balanced analysis of Alberta's finances—looking at both expenditures and revenues—and concludes that long-term fiscal stability cannot be achieved without addressing the province's long-standing revenue problem.
Path to balance or road to perdition?
The “path to balance” has become a major platform plank for all parties in this election. Parkland Institute Executive Director Ricardo Acuña looks at the key differences and potential impacts of the path to balance proposals, and assesses their credibility and feasibility.
Fact-checking Jason Kenney’s wait-list strategy
United Conservative Party leader Jason Kenney has presented his plans for dealing with wait times for surgery in Alberta, including allowing private clinics to bid for publicly-funded procedures. Ricardo Acuña looks at the evidence and history to show that we've already been there and done that.
Alberta's ho-hum budget
Despite promises of "a path to balance" and "compassionate belt-tightening," and dire warnings of an economic apocalypse, Alberta's Budget 2018 is ... a little bit dull, writes Rebecca Graff-McRae.