In the Mountains (A Northern Nativity) William Kurelek 1975

And now in our HC "System", it is so fragmented that the ED sits in the Acute Care Org, and all of the resources for mental health, addictions, and housing, are all in different orgs It's even harder to access resources now Things are only worsening for this pt population 3/3

BEYOND LOCAL: Alberta conservation groups file ethics complaint against minister

Alberta's Health-Care Privatization Push Is Heading to Disaster https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2025/12/22/Alberta-Health-Care-Privatization-Disaster/ 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 ⇢ CanadaHealthwatch.ca/newsletter

Cowboys' Christmas (A Northern Nativity) William Kurelek 1975

Alberta's declining COVID-19 vaccination rate is sparking more concern as it becomes clear how uptake in the province compares to other parts of the country www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Western Grain Robert Newton Hurley 1944

A Winnipeg Street, Snowbound W.J. Phillips 1927

Alberta’s government quietly eliminated its public reporting dashboard of COVID-19 outbreaks in acute care facilities, saying the province is under no legal obligation to continue publishing the data in a “post-pandemic context.”

I stumbled onto a small herd of Icelandic ponies near Gimli yesterday. They were a bit far from the road and the weather was nasty, but I managed to capture this lovely moment.

Alberta quietly ends public reporting of #covid outbreaks in acute care theijf.org/article/albe...

Jenn Vanderlaan, senior communications advisor for Acute Care Alberta, said "there is no legal requirement for public reporting of acute-care outbreaks." United Nurses of Alberta President Heather Smith said health officials are “morally obligated as supposed trustees of our public health.”

Please enjoy my cartoon for Wednesday's Toronto Star

Important news, Alberta. The world is watching you.

“New data provided to The Tyee reveals that seven B.C. hospitals operated at more than 20 per cent over capacity last year.” Reporting by @michellegamage.bsky.social and @tyolsen.bsky.social thetyee.ca/News/2025/12...

CPC MPs are like this season's Elf on a Shelf because when you wake up in the morning you never know where you're going to find them.

Flu cases doubled in Alberta last week, government data shows www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/art...

Alberta country music star Corb Lund says the citizens petition initiative he had filed against coal mining in the Rocky Mountains has been retroactively killed by Alberta’s new legislation:

Mother and Moon Betty Albert ~ Cree n.d.

This is about as bad as it gets. The auditor general has revealed the UCP government is lying to the public about healthcare reform. A must read for Albertans of all political stripes.

Hey Alberta, check out this week's respiratory virus update: **FLU surging** In hosp now: 216(18 icu) --> Up from 120(8) last wk Total hosp this season: 802(54) Deaths: 21 Positivity: jumped to 28.5% COVID In hosp: 70 (3 icu) Total hosp: 650(40) Deaths: 64 Pos: 4.9% www.alberta.ca/stats/dashbo...

“With 111 people in its emergency ward, Rockyview General Hospital is operating at 108 per cent capacity and is unable to accept any more patients.”

Provincial data shows 16.2 per cent of Albertans have had a flu shot, and 6.1 per cent have had a COVID-19 shot so far this season. “We’re reaping what the government sowed,”

Are environmental risks making Canada's doctor shortage worse? thenarwhal.ca/canada-docto... @annieburnspieper.bsky.social @juliasawatzky.bsky.social @thenarwhal.ca 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀 ⇢ CanadaHealthwatch.ca 🍁

Unfortunately, after repeatedly using time allocation motions to limit debate, Bill 11 just passed third reading in the legislature. Read more here: www.friendsofmedicare.org/bill_11_brin...

www.friendsofmedicare.org/bill_11_brin... “It is no exaggeration to say that the passing of Bill 11 thru the #ABleg is the biggest threat to our single-payer, universal Medicare system that we’ve ever seen. Not just for Albertans, but for all Canadians,” Gallaway, ED, @friendsofmedicare.bsky.social

Rise in late-stage prostate cancer raises concerns over testing. Q+A w/ @kellygrant1.bsky.social on #TheDecibel podcast. www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/the... www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic... via @theglobeandmail.com

Nenshi Grills Smith in Legislature over Jordan Peterson's School via @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/News/2025/12...

Exclusive - Danielle Smith and Rob Anderson intervened on behalf of Jordan Peterson's online school in a concerted attempt to grant it accreditation in Alberta. Jordan Peterson's School Isn't Accredited. Smith Offered Alberta's Help via @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/News/2025/12...

In a couple blocks in Duncan, on Vancouver Island, more than 80 people went down in a 36-hour period, beginning just as the local overdose prevention site and outreach services were closing for the day. “It was like, oh my God, what is happening here? Everybody’s going down."

Hurtin’ Albertan

Alberta's latest weekly respiratory virus update👇 FLU In hospital: 120 (8 icu) Total hosp this season: 519 (31) Deaths: 15 Positivity: 17.8% COVID In hosp: 67 (4) Total hosp: 601 (38) Deaths: 57 Pos: 6.1% RSV In hosp: 15 (2) Deaths: 2 Pos: 2.3%

The truth about the ‘gender care gap’: are men really more likely to abandon their ill wives?

The best books of 2025

With a third of Ontario’s population, Alberta has the most measles cases, after the province withheld hundreds of probable cases from public reporting www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alber... @alannasmith.bsky.social More news → CanadaHealthwatch.ca 🍁

CONDOLANCES to my colleagues and the patients in the Edmonton Area. They seem to be breaking overcrowding records everyday in Edmonton. Last night the RAH ED had over 100 (ONE HUNDRED!) pts waiting in its waiting room. Just try to imagine that... 1/6

Lodge Interior, Lake O'Hara J.E.H. MacDonald c. 1925

Acute Care Alberta has extended an ortho surgery contract with Alberta Surgical Group - one of the entities tied to health procurement probes #AbHealth #AbLeg

👀 These allegations are damning, and suggest corrupt government dealings in mental health and addiction. It is long past time for a public inquiry to sort this all out. #ableg

Wolf In The Mist Quvianaqtuk Pudlat ~ Inuk 2023

I spoke with an 80 yr old Albertan who got a $100 bill for her COVID vaccine in the mail, despite being eligible for the free shot She has diabetes, heart disease, is on the Alberta Seniors Benefit Story👇 www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

On the one hand Thomas Lukaszuk was wise to file this only as a policy petition and not a referendum petition—having signed up only 13.6% of eligible voters, it would have failed on the referendum track. The downside is that as a policy and not a referendum petition, the UCP could easily kill this.

BREAKING: Alberta's Elections Commissioner has determined that the Alberta Forerver Petition was successful and officially met its signature threshold. www.elections.ab.ca/citizen-init...

Big Snow Rob Gonsalves 1999

“When outcomes worsen, the final question will be unavoidable: Will governments accept responsibility for the damage, or will they blame the system they helped break?”

“And I’ve often thought that having a psychic dependency is a lot like having a gambling problem. You’re in it for the escape. Speaking to a psychic, like gambling, is about chasing a fantasy: the dream of a picture-perfect future.”

‘The narwhals stop calling’: how the noise from ships is silencing wildlife in the Arctic

B.C. is proposing changes to the Mental Health Act, saying they are aimed at strengthening protections for health-care workers.

Lasting Warmth Billie Rae Busby 2025

So many of my patients qualified for free COVID-19 vaccines this fall. It made them happy as they worked extra hard to book vaccinations online. Most couldn’t access 811 due to lack of access.