Media Releases

Alberta’s Bill 11, which legislates two-tier health care and private health insurance for medically necessary services, means the end of Canadian medicare as we know it and the beginning of U.S.-style health care in Canada. Jointly produced by Parkland Institute and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, this report finds that Bill 11 creates a private insurance market for publicly insured care, degrades the public system, and threatens public health care in other provinces.

Despite enduring years of legislation aimed at curbing labour’s bargaining power, unions in Alberta have managed to hold their ground and, as a new Parkland Institute report shows, continue to deliver measurable gains for the workers they represent. Drawing on Statistics Canada data, Alberta’s Union Advantage: Wages, Equity, and the Power of Collective Bargaining lays out how unionization boosts wages, shrinks pay gaps, and broadens access to benefits.

As deaths due to the province’s poisoned drug supply climb, a new report by Parkland Institute shows how this crisis affects the health care professionals managing patient care, as well as their own well-being and ability to work.

As Alberta heads into critical school board trustee elections this fall, a new report from Parkland Institute sheds light on how a politicized and exclusionary vision of “parental rights” is reshaping education policy, undermining inclusion in schools, and advancing the privatization of public education.

A new Parkland Institute report — Undervalued and Overstretched: Inequity, Discrimination, and the Crisis Facing Alberta’s Allied Health-Care Workforce — finds that widespread experiences of discrimination, wage inequities, and job-related stress are contributing to retention challenges within Alberta’s allied health-care workforce — the professionals who support everything from emergency response and diagnostic testing to mental health and rehabilitation services.

As allegations of political interference and price gouging in private surgical contracts rock Alberta’s health-care system, a new report by Parkland Institute provides critical context, revealing how privatization has dramatically increased costs, undermined public hospitals, and prolonged wait times for critical surgeries.

While the $10-a-day child care plan has brought welcome relief to many families in Alberta, a new Parkland Institute report reveals significant gaps in affordability, accessibility, and quality. Authored by Susan Cake, the report — Raising Alberta: Making $10-a-Day Child Care Work in Our Province — explores the state of child care in the province and provides a series of actionable recommendations to address critical challenges that threaten the program’s success.

A timely new report from Parkland Institute is drawing attention to the systemic financial pressures facing the city — and offering actionable solutions to tackle these issues. Authored by Inez Hillel, the report — Shifting Gears: Exploring Edmonton’s Financial and Political Pressures and Ways Forward — reveals the far-reaching effects of reduced provincial funding, growing social service demands, and limitations within current municipal governance.

As about 200,000 Alberta public-sector workers gear up for contract negotiations in 2024, a timely report from the Parkland Institute sheds light on unprecedented levels of government interference in Alberta’s public-sector bargaining. Authored by Jason Foster, Bob Barnetson, and Susan Cake, A Thumb on the Scale: Alberta Government Interference in Public-Sector Bargaining examines how governments in Canada — and particularly in Alberta — have been increasing their rate of interference as they experiment with new ways to do so.

A new research report evaluating the effectiveness of the Alberta Surgical Initiative (ASI) in reducing wait times has found that the emphasis on for-profit surgical delivery has resulted in a reduction of provincial surgical volumes and capacity in public hospitals.