Alberta doctors call for a state of emergency over hospital crowding.

The Alberta Medical Association has asked the province to declare a public health state of emergency amid overcrowding in Edmonton hospitals; the provincial government says it is using available resources and does not view a public health emergency as useful.

The Alberta Medical Association has asked the provincial government to declare a public health state of emergency amid reports of overcrowding in Edmonton hospitals. Emergency doctors in Edmonton have described increased strain on emergency departments during this year’s flu season. The provincial government has said it is using available resources and that a public health state of emergency would not be useful. Alberta previously experienced public health emergency declarations during the COVID-19 pandemic and some municipalities have declared local public health emergencies in the past. Key points: - The AMA requested a provincial public health state of emergency because of overcrowding in Edmonton hospitals. - Edmonton ER doctor Warren Thirsk said the request was a way to begin a conversation about the health-care system. - The provincial government says it is using all available resources and has stated a public health state of emergency would not be of use. - Under Alberta’s Public Health Act, a public health state of emergency can be declared for 30 days, or 90 days in the case of a pandemic, and section 52 provides for centralized emergency powers for health-care management; a local declaration is also possible. - The 2025 update to the act assigns certain emergency powers to the provincial health minister, a provincial health agency, or a provincial health corporation, and Alberta and Edmonton declared public health emergencies during 2020; other emergency declarations were made in 2016 and 2023 under the Emergency Management Act. Summary: Doctors have called for a public health state of emergency to address hospital overcrowding while the provincial government says it is managing pressures with existing resources. Legal authority exists for provincial or local public health emergency declarations, but any new declaration or formal next step is undetermined at this time.