Bill 29, the Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2026, is part of a broader shift in Alberta toward increased private delivery and private payment for health-care services. The legislation creates a pathway for Albertans to privately pay for certain diagnostic testing without a referral. While the government presents this as a way to improve access and reduce pressure on the public system, critics argue that it risks creating a two-tier system where people with the ability to pay can access care faster. Friends of Medicare describes the approach as “legislated queue jumping,” warning that private-pay diagnostics could further weaken public capacity rather than reduce wait times.

For nurses, the concern goes beyond whether an individual can pay for a faster test. Alberta already faces shortages of nurses, physicians, diagnostic technologists and other health-care professionals. Research and policy analysis cited by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives suggests that expanding private health care can draw scarce workers and resources away from the public system, potentially increasing—not decreasing—public wait times. As Alberta moves toward private-pay diagnostics and dual physician practice, nurses have an important role in asking whether these changes are actually building new health-care capacity or simply creating a faster pathway for those who can afford it.

For the Local 196 Spotlight on Bill 29, go HERE