Alberta Health bringing lab services back “in-house”

Changes to lab service delivery in Alberta

To improve lab testing and reduce wait times for Albertans, Alberta Precision Laboratories will now deliver community lab services across the province.

Albertans must be able to get the lab tests they need, when and where they need them. Over the past few months, delays and wait times have made accessing lab services very difficult. Since Aug. 3, Alberta Precision Laboratories has provided thousands of additional community lab appointments in Calgary, signifantly reducing wait times. However, it is clear that more needs to be done and Alberta’s government is taking action.

An agreement in principle has been reached with ownership of DynaLIFE to transfer staff, equipment and property in all regions of the province to Alberta Precision Laboratories. This work will be completed in phases with the full transition expected to be completed by December 2023. Albertans will continue to get their lab testing done at the same locations during this transition and additional appointments in Calgary and other areas will continue to be added as planned.

“Lab services are crucial in the diagnosis and treatment of Albertans. It is wholly unacceptable that Albertans had to face long waits and delays to get simple blood work done. I’ve been clear that improving our health care system is a top priority for our government and fixing these delays is one more step we’re taking to ensure Albertans can access the health care they need, when and where they need it, now and into the future.”

Danielle Smith, Premier

Minister LaGrange’s mandate letter from the Premier included direction to resolve unacceptable lab services delays so that Albertans could access timely lab services across the province. As a result, Albertans will have greater access to the lab services they need and end unnecessary delays occurring throughout Calgary and southern Alberta.

“Albertans expect and deserve a world-class health system. This change is an important step to improve and grow lab services, and ensure Albertans have reliable and speedy access to lab testing in their communities, particulary to enable timely diagnosis and treatment. I want to thank all the health care workers who have been providing lab services, I appreciate your efforts to continue meeting the health needs of Albertans during the transition and beyond.”

Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Health

All existing appointments and lab services will continue to be provided as scheduled and additional capacity will be added in the immediate future. At this time, Albertans can continue to book their lab appointments online or by calling 1-877-702-4486.

“Our focus is on patients and ensuring the safety, accessibility and stability of lab services. We understand and appreciate the challenges that some Albertans have faced with lab services in recent months and we are dedicated to addressing these concerns. We thank all DynaLIFE team members for their continued commitment. We respect their insight and will work closely with them to incorporate feedback and support their transition to Alberta Precision Laboratories.”

Mauro Chies, president and CEO, Alberta Health Services

Quick facts

Alberta Precision Laboratories was formed in 2018. Since December 2022, it has operated only in Alberta hospitals, urgent care centres and in rural communities where there are no additional community lab located.
Since Aug. 3, Alberta Precision Laboratories has taken action to add additional weekly appointments, particularly in the Calgary area, by adding new appointments weekly within their hospital lab system and hiring more staff.

Owner sells gas for 80 cents per litre to show Albertans how low prices ‘could’ be

Published on April 2, 2025

Duane Rolheiser

Undoubtedly some of the motorists driving past The Whistle Stop Cafe at Mirror on Tuesday morning thought it was an April Fools prank. It wasn’t.

Chris Scott, owner of the gas station at The Whistle Stop Cafe offered a one day promotion on April 1st. Scott sold 8000 litres of regular gasoline for $0.80/ litre.

The promotion was funded by Scott and the Alberta Prosperity Project. In this video posted to his social media, Chris Scott explains why they did it.

www.albertaprosperityproject.com

Alberta

The beauty of economic corridors: Inside Alberta’s work to link products with new markets

Published on April 1, 2025

Todayville

From the Canadian Energy Centre

Q&A with Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Transport and Economic Corridors

Devin Dreeshen, Alberta’s Minister of Transportation

and Economic Corridors.

CEC: How have recent developments impacted Alberta’s ability to expand trade routes and access new markets for energy and natural resources?

Dreeshen: With the U.S. trade dispute going on right now, it’s great to see that other provinces and the federal government are taking an interest in our east, west and northern trade routes, something that we in Alberta have been advocating for a long time.

We signed agreements with Saskatchewan and Manitoba to have an economic corridor to stretch across the prairies, as well as a recent agreement with the Northwest Territories to go north. With the leadership of Premier Danielle Smith, she’s been working on a BC, prairie and three northern territories economic corridor agreement with pretty much the entire western and northern block of Canada.

There has been a tremendous amount of work trying to get Alberta products to market and to make sure we can build big projects in Canada again.

CEC: Which infrastructure projects, whether pipeline, rail or port expansions, do you see as the most viable for improving Alberta’s global market access?

Dreeshen: We look at everything. Obviously, pipelines are the safest way to transport oil and gas, but also rail is part of the mix of getting over four million barrels per day to markets around the world.

The beauty of economic corridors is that it’s a swath of land that can have any type of utility in it, whether it be a roadway, railway, pipeline or a utility line. When you have all the environmental permits that are approved in a timely manner, and you have that designated swath of land, it politically de-risks any type of project.

CEC: A key focus of your ministry has been expanding trade corridors, including an agreement with Saskatchewan and Manitoba to explore access to Hudson’s Bay. Is there any interest from industry in developing this corridor further?

Dreeshen: There’s been lots of talk [about] Hudson Bay, a trade corridor with rail and port access. We’ve seen some improvements to go to Churchill, but also an interest in the Nelson River.

We’re starting to see more confidence in the private sector and industry wanting to build these projects. It’s great that governments can get together and work on a common goal to build things here in Canada.

CEC: What is your vision for Alberta’s future as a leader in global trade, and how do economic corridors fit into that strategy?

Dreeshen: Premier Smith has talked about C-69 being repealed by the federal government [and] the reversal of the West Coast tanker ban, which targets Alberta energy going west out of the Pacific.

There’s a lot of work that needs to be done on the federal side. Alberta has been doing a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to economic corridors.

We’ve asked the federal government if they could develop an economic corridor agency. We want to make sure that the federal government can come to the table, work with provinces [and] work with First Nations across this country to make sure that we can see these projects being built again here in Canada.