Edmonton could begin seeing surgical cancellations and other impacts to patient care in the next few weeks, a group of physicians warn in a letter to two of Alberta’s health ministers. The letter, obtained by CBC News, was sent on Feb. 11 to Primary and Preventative Health Services Minister Adriana LaGrange and Hospital and Surgical Health Services Minister Matt Jones. It was sent by surgical hospitalists in Alberta Health Services’ Edmonton Zone, a group of doctors that provide support and care for surgical patients. The letter warns that the doctors believe the end of the funding model currently in place for hospitalists will cause “immediate, unavoidable surgical cancellations” at hospitals in the Edmonton Zone. In a 2017 brief during arbitration with AHS, the Alberta Medical Association wrote that stipends accounted for “an estimated 40-50 per cent of total earnings” for most Edmonton hospitalists.

Source: CBC News March 12, 2026 08:22 UTC