education

Panel Discussion: Privatization in Healthcare and Education

Join us for an engaging and timely panel discussion exploring the growing role of privatization in Alberta’s healthcare and education systems. As pressures on public services increase, questions around access, equity, accountability, and long-term impacts are more important than ever.

This event will feature two expert panellists who will share research-based insights and practical perspectives on how privatization is shaping policy and practice in Alberta. Through guided questions and discussion, the panel will examine current trends, implications for workers and the public, and what the future may hold for publicly funded services.

There will be opportunities for audience questions and discussion.

Panelists

Heather Ganshorn
University of Calgary and Support Our Students Alberta

Heather Ganshorn holds a BA in Journalism and Communications from the University of Regina and a Master of Library and Information Studies from the University of Alberta. Heather has several years of experience as a health sciences and academic librarian, supporting research across a variety of settings. With two school-age children, Heather became increasingly concerned about issues such as privatization, standardized testing, and their impacts on public systems. She is an executive member of Support Our Students Alberta, where she advocates for a strong, well-funded public education system with adequate supports to ensure equitable outcomes for all children.

Rebecca Graff-McRae
Parkland Institute

Rebecca Graff-McRae is a researcher with the Parkland Institute, a non-partisan research organization based at the University of Alberta. At the Parkland Institute, Rebecca has authored several influential research reports on public policy in Alberta, including Misdiagnosis: Privatization and Disruption in Alberta’s Medical Laboratory Services and Time to Care: Staffing and Workloads in Alberta’s Long-Term Care Facilities. Her work focuses on public policy issues in Alberta, including healthcare, education, labour, and the role of privatization in public services. Rebecca’s research emphasizes the social and economic consequences of shifting public services to private delivery and the importance of strong, accountable public systems.

Register for the event through DMS

Registration Deadline is Feb 12th at 2359h

Not a UNA member? Go to the UNA website for instructions on how to become a member.

This event is open to members of Local 196 only.

TICKETS ARE NON-TRANSFERABLE.

Registration must be completed using a non-AHS email.

Questions/Dietary requests? Please email Local196Education@una.ca

• If you have registered and can no longer attend, please cancel your registration in DMS or email Local196Education@una.ca before the registration deadline.

Assisted Living Alberta is a new provincial health agency in Alberta, officially launched on April 1, 2025, and is becoming fully operational by Fall 2025

United Nurses of Alberta has been informed that, effective September 1, 2025, close to 5,000 positions held by Registered Nurses represented by the union have been identified for transfer from Alberta Health Services to Acute Care Alberta (ACA), the three provincial health care corporations overseen by ACA, and Assisted Living Alberta (ALA). The process is expected to be the same as previous transfers (i.e. from AHS to Recovery Alberta and from AHS to Primary Care Alberta)

The government says these position transfers affecting UNA members will be broken down as follows:

• 56 to the Emergency Health Services (EHS) provincial health care corporation, under ACA
• 936 to the Cancer Care Alberta (CCA) provincial health care corporation, under ACA
• 3,969 to the Assisted Living Alberta provincial health care agency

Letter of Understanding:
RE: Transition of Employees Pursuant to the Health Statutes Amendment Act

The Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2024, enables the government to establish provincial health agencies and transfer employees from Alberta Health Services (AHS) to these new agencies.  AHS and the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) have agreed on a plan to support a smooth transition while protecting patient services.

The agreement will remain in effect until March 31, 2027, unless the parties agree otherwise in writing.

Employees whose positions are designated for transfer will receive official notification via their AHS email accounts. Formal transfer notices are expected to be sent to employees between July 21 and 24, 2025

Upon notification, employees have the following options:

• Accept the Transfer: Employees who accept will transition, retain their current terms and conditions of employment, including pay, benefits, pension, seniority, and vacation entitlements.

• Decline the Transfer: Employees who decline can exercise their rights under Article 15: Layoff and Recall to remain with AHS. Depending on available positions, this may involve displacement or reassignment within AHS.

Key points from the agreement:

• The Employer will notify all affected employees and provide them with the option to transfer or decline. Those who don’t respond by the 10-business-day deadline will be considered to have agreed to transfer.
• Employees on leave (e.g., medical, WCB) will be notified when they’re ready to return, and their transfers will be delayed until they return to work.
• Transferred employees won’t need to redo their probation periods.
• Employees already working in AHS and the new health agency can hold casual jobs with both.

More information can be found in the Collective Agreement Highlights in the: 

May 2025 newsletter (review of the Letter of Understanding)

December 2024 newsletter (Article 14.07 and Article 15) 

June 2024 newsletter (more on Article 15 – Layoff and Recall)

I know we have lots of creative and talented members in our local! If you have any ideas, or would like to participate in creating a project, contact me at rscheffelmiar@una.ca. I would love to submit entries that highlight the diversity of nursing experiences in our local! See below for more information of this year’s engagement challenge.

To recognize the work of UNA Locals during Nurses Week, which is May 7-12 this year, UNA is inviting locals to submit examples of member engagement efforts created and used during that week.

The theme of this year’s challenge is safe staffing and sticking together. Locals are encouraged to enter submissions that follow that theme.

Entries will be accepted from or on behalf of locals in five categories divided by local membership size:

1: Best poster
2: Best photo
3: Best online meme
4: Best online video
5: Most creative engagement idea

Locals may submit multiple submissions in each category.

Winners and individual members will be presented with a special award certificate and have their submissions shown at the UNA Annual General Meeting in October 2024.

Locals are encouraged to recognize the members who participated in the creation of their submissions.

Submissions must be sent to nursesweek@una.ca by 23:59 on Friday, May 17. The winners will be announced after that.