Alberta aggressively recruiting resident physicians from across Canada

Competitive compensation for resident physicians

A new compensation agreement for resident physicians has been reached, which will help to retain and recruit more physicians throughout Alberta.

Alberta’s government, in partnership with Alberta Health Services (AHS), the University of Alberta, University of Calgary and the Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta has reached a four-year agreement that provides competitive and fair-market compensation for physicians in training.

The negotiated agreement provides wage increases of three per cent in each of the first two years, and two per cent in each of the last two years. It also includes market adjustments that put Alberta on par with other western Canadian medical schools.

Ensuring resident physicians receive competitive, fair-market compensation while they train and provide services across the province will help stabilize and strengthen acute health care today while bringing medical students and ultimately more physicians to the province to support the province’s future health needs.

“Alberta’s government is grateful for all the hard work resident physicians put in as they complete their training. We are pleased to see that a new agreement has been reached and look forward to more physicians calling Alberta home.”

Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Health

“We are extremely grateful to all of our resident physicians, who play a vital role in caring for Albertans and supporting our front-line physicians and health care teams. This agreement will help us recruit medical students and encourage them to practise in this province.”

Athana Mentzelopoulos, president and CEO, AHS

Rural and Remote Family Medicine Resident Physician Bursary Pilot Program

The agreement builds on actions Alberta’s government is taking to make the province a more attractive place for medical students and resident physicians to study and practise. On Oct. 3, Alberta’s government announced measures to improve health care in rural and remote communities through the new Rural and Remote Family Medicine Resident Physician Bursary Pilot Program. The bursary program is part of the province’s Rural Health Action Plan.

The pilot program will provide up to $8 million annually for the next two years to medical students in their final year of an undergraduate medical program when they are matched with a family medicine residency program at the University of Alberta or University of Calgary, or to residents currently completing a family medicine residency at either university regardless of their year of study. In return, bursary recipients will commit to delivering comprehensive patient care in eligible communities for three years after completing their residency.

“With this agreement, Alberta strengthens its position as an attractive destination for resident physicians across Canada. By enhancing compensation, training and working conditions, we ensure Alberta recruits and retains the brightest medical talent to serve our communities and shape the future of health care.”

Dr. Pauwlina Cyca, president, Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta (PARA)

“The University of Alberta is pleased collaborations with our partners have resulted in an agreement that reflects the critical impact resident physicians make in our health care system so all Albertans receive the care they need.”

Brenda Hemmelgarn, dean and vice-provost, College of Health Sciences, and dean, faculty of medicine & dentistry, University of Alberta

“Remuneration, respect, retention and recruitment of rural generalists are key to elevating rural hospitals to becoming rural centres of excellence. With this agreement and bursary pilot program, the Alberta government is recognizing rural health as being different, requiring separate and unique solutions for our communities that are mutually beneficial in enhancing the health of rural Albertans.”

Dr. Rithesh Ram, president, section of rural medicine, Alberta Medical Association

Quick facts

Resident physicians have graduated medical school but are completing post-graduate training in a residency program to obtain their licence to practise. With residency programs requiring an additional two to seven years of post-graduate training, most resident physicians spend more than 10 years training to become fully licensed physicians and surgeons.
The Professional Association of Resident Physicians of Alberta represents more than 1,660 resident physicians in Alberta.
The current agreement between AHS, the University of Alberta, University of Calgary and the association ended on June 30, 2024.
The resident physician agreement is funded by Alberta Health through a grant to AHS and the universities.

Related information

Postgraduate medical education (AHS)

Alberta health ministry to ‘consider’ report calling for end to COVID shots for healthy kids

Published on January 28, 2025

Todayville

From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

The report recommended halting “the use of COVID-19 vaccines without full disclosure of their potential risks” as well as outright ending their use “for healthy children and teenagers as other jurisdictions have done,” mentioning countries like “Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the U.K.”

Alberta’s health minister says she will “consider” the findings of a report published last week which recommends the immediate halt of the COVID shots for healthy children and teenagers.

In a statement sent to the media, the office of Alberta’s Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said that the provincial government will “review and consider this report and its findings,” while at the same time noting that “no policy decisions have been made in relation to it at this time.”

The statement came in reference to the Alberta COVID-19 Pandemic Data Review Task Force’s “COVID Pandemic Response” 269-page final report, which was released last Friday. The report, which was commissioned by Premier Danielle Smith, recommended the halting of “the use of COVID-19 vaccines without full disclosure of their potential risks” as well as outright ending their use “for healthy children and teenagers as other jurisdictions have done,” mentioning countries like “Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and the U.K.”

LaGrange’s office noted that the report’s findings build on efforts it says the government has already made to “enhance Alberta’s ability to respond to future public emergencies.”

Among the recommendations of the task force was the call to “[f]urther research to establish the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines is necessary before widespread use in adults and children,” the establishment of “a website and/or call-in center for the vaccine injured in Alberta” as well as establishing a “mechanism for opting out of federal health policy until provincial due process has been satisfied.”

The report also noted that “[c]hildren and teenagers have a very low risk of serious illness from COVID-19. COVID-19 vaccines were not designed to halt transmission and there is a lack of reliable data showing that the vaccines protect children from severe COVID-19.”  

It is worth noting that Alberta Health Services (AHS) is still promoting the COVID shots for babies as young as six months old.  

LifeSiteNews has published an extensive amount of research on the dangers of the experimental COVID mRNA jabs, which include heart damage and blood clots.  

The mRNA shots have also been linked to a multitude of negative and often severe side effects in children and all have connections to cell lines derived from aborted babies.   

Danielle Smith still silent on report

At the time of publication, Premier Danielle Smith has still not commented on the bombshell report.

Smith’s lack of commentary on the issue comes despite the fact that she was the one who commissioned the report last year, giving the task force a sweeping mandate to investigation her predecessor’s COVID-era mandates and policies.

After assuming her role as premier in late 2022, Smith promptly fired the province’s top doctor, Deena Hinshaw, and the entire AHS board of directors, all of whom oversaw the implementation of COVID mandates.  

Under Smith’s predecessor Jason Kenney, thousands of nurses, doctors, and other healthcare and government workers lost their jobs for choosing to not get the jabs, leading Smith to say – only minutes after being sworn in – that over the past year the “unvaccinated” were the “most discriminated against” group of people in her lifetime.

Alberta

UCP Calgary-Lougheed riding calls for response to the Dr. Gary Davidson COVID 19 Task Force Review

Published on January 27, 2025

Todayville

From Sheldon Yakiwchuk

By Darrell Komick, President, UCP Calgary-Lougheed

The flood of questions regarding the UCP Calgary-Lougheed response to the Dr. Gary Davidson COVID 19 Task Force report is encouraging. To think that so many Canadians have risked so much speaking out about the COVID 19 mandates is astounding. Dr. Davidson’s report is the validation that Premier Smith needs to marshal support from cabinet. Our structure of government requires support from the Alberta Caucus and Cabinet.

It’s clear, Premier Smith has the knowledge, let’s support her will to lead with action.

Our community of curious minds and critical thinkers is working to educate and inform Albertans about the long term impacts of the COVID mandates. This is a war of persistence, attrition, and faith. Join us in supporting Premier Smith to call on the Alberta cabinet to activate the recommendations for the “healing of humanity”.

Here are four important talking points. Our friends in UCP Highwood CA led by Helen Holder, have created a quick to reference chart as to the major points and the associated recommendations. This chart is attached. I have also included the logo and details about An Injection of Truth: Healing Humanity.

Albertans need to thank the leadership of Premier Smith for calling commissioning the Dr. Gary Davidson Report, the findings and recommendations of the report are shocking. We call upon cabinet to follow the leadership of the Premier and immediately activate the Davidson recommendations starting with the halting of COVID mNRA vaccinations for children in Alberta.

Dr. Davidson’s report validates the data presented at the June 17 An Injection of Truth Town Hall by Canadian scientists like Dr. David Speicher, Dr. Jessica Rose, & Dr. Byram Bridle. These experts have been using government, industry and research data to sound a critical alarm to all Albertans hoping that cabinet will take leadership like has been done in the state of Florida.

Forward thinking Albertans have planned a second town hall on March 3, 2025 An Injection of Truth: Healing Humanity that calls upon experts to provide recommendations to heal individuals and society inflicted by the harms of the COVID mandates. (Get your tickets →HERE)

When do we acknowledge that there is a problem? How do we help Albertans understand the source of suffering? How can we provide emotional support for those living with the trauma of long COVID? How do we make society whole again? How long will it take the Alberta cabinet to act on the recommendations of the Davidson report?