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Alberta

Flu shots available in Alberta this month

Published

5 years ago

3 minute read

Health Minister Tyler Shandro receives influenza immunization from pharmacist Anar Sulemon at Southport Pharmacy in Calgary.

From the Province of Alberta

Influenza vaccine is arriving in pharmacies and doctors’ offices across the province this week.

“Getting your flu shot is one of the best things you can do to protect your own health and that of your community; and it’s never been easier. I encourage all Albertans to join me in getting immunized this season by visiting their local pharmacy or doctor’s office, or an AHS public clinic.”

Tyler Shandro, Minister of Health

“Over the past 10 years, Alberta pharmacists have become the single largest provider of influenza vaccine to Albertans. As front- line health-care providers, one of our primary roles is to help people stay healthy. Vaccination protects the most vulnerable people in our communities and decreases costly emergency room visits and hospitalizations; it’s another way pharmacists help keep Albertans healthy.”

Darren Erickson, president, Alberta Pharmacists’ Association

Influenza immunization is free to all Albertans over five years of age at pharmacies, and to Albertan six months or older at public clinics and some doctors’ offices.

Large influenza immunization clinics will begin in the week of Oct. 21.

To find out when influenza immunization will be available in your area, check with your doctor’s office or community pharmacy, call Health Link at 811, or for AHS immunization clinics, visit www.ahs.ca/influenza.

Quick facts

  • Influenza is a respiratory virus that can cause serious illness and death, particularly in vulnerable groups like seniors, young children, pregnant women and those with chronic health conditions.
  • There are many strains of influenza. The vaccine is formulated each year to protect against the strains expected to cause the most illness in Canada, based on advice from the World Health Organization about which strains are circulating elsewhere in the world.
  • Alberta offers a four-strain (quadrivalent) injectable influenza vaccine produced by two manufacturers (Fluzone and FluLaval Tetra). It will be offered to eligible Albertans six months of age and older.
  • For the 2019-20 season, enough vaccine has been ordered to immunize 35 per cent of the population at a cost of approximately $12.5 million.
  • Stats for the 2018-19 flu season:
    • The immunization rate was 31 per cent (1,317,659 doses of vaccine administered), compared to 29 per cent in 2017-18.
    • Approximately 55 per cent of all influenza immunizations were administered by Alberta pharmacies.
    • There were 7,698 lab-confirmed cases of influenza in Alberta, compared to 9,609 cases in 2017-18.
    • There were 52 deaths among hospitalized patients with laboratory-confirmed influenza, compared to 92 deaths in 2017-18.
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After 15 years as a TV reporter with Global and CBC and as news director of RDTV in Red Deer, Duane set out on his own 2008 as a visual storyteller. During this period, he became fascinated with a burgeoning online world and how it could better serve local communities. This fascination led to Todayville, launched in 2016.

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Big win for Alberta and Canada: Statement from Premier Smith

Published on April 2, 2025

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Premier Danielle Smith issued the following statement on the April 2, 2025 U.S. tariff announcement:

“Today was an important win for Canada and Alberta, as it appears the United States has decided to uphold the majority of the free trade agreement (CUSMA) between our two nations. It also appears this will continue to be the case until after the Canadian federal election has concluded and the newly elected Canadian government is able to renegotiate CUSMA with the U.S. administration.

“This is precisely what I have been advocating for from the U.S. administration for months.

“It means that the majority of goods sold into the United States from Canada will have no tariffs applied to them, including zero per cent tariffs on energy, minerals, agricultural products, uranium, seafood, potash and host of other Canadian goods.

“There is still work to be done, of course. Unfortunately, tariffs previously announced by the United States on Canadian automobiles, steel and aluminum have not been removed. The efforts of premiers and the federal government should therefore shift towards removing or significantly reducing these remaining tariffs as we go forward and ensuring affected workers across Canada are generously supported until the situation is resolved.

“I again call on all involved in our national advocacy efforts to focus on diplomacy and persuasion while avoiding unnecessary escalation. Clearly, this strategy has been the most effective to this point.

“As it appears the worst of this tariff dispute is behind us (though there is still work to be done), it is my sincere hope that we, as Canadians, can abandon the disastrous policies that have made Canada vulnerable to and overly dependent on the United States, fast-track national resource corridors, get out of the way of provincial resource development and turn our country into an independent economic juggernaut and energy superpower.”

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Alberta

Energy sector will fuel Alberta economy and Canada’s exports for many years to come

Published on April 2, 2025

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From the Fraser Institute

By Jock Finlayson

By any measure, Alberta is an energy powerhouse—within Canada, but also on a global scale. In 2023, it produced 85 per cent of Canada’s oil and three-fifths of the country’s natural gas. Most of Canada’s oil reserves are in Alberta, along with a majority of natural gas reserves. Alberta is the beating heart of the Canadian energy economy. And energy, in turn, accounts for one-quarter of Canada’s international exports.

Consider some key facts about the province’s energy landscape, as noted in the Alberta Energy Regulator’s (AER) 2023 annual report. Oil and natural gas production continued to rise (on a volume basis) in 2023, on the heels of steady increases over the preceding half decade. However, the dollar value of Alberta’s oil and gas production fell in 2023, as the surging prices recorded in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine retreated. Capital spending in the province’s energy sector reached $30 billion in 2023, making it the leading driver of private-sector investment. And completion of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project has opened new offshore export avenues for Canada’s oil industry and should boost Alberta’s energy production and exports going forward.

In a world striving to address climate change, Alberta’s hydrocarbon-heavy energy sector faces challenges. At some point, the world may start to consume less oil and, later, less natural gas (in absolute terms). But such “peak” consumption hasn’t arrived yet, nor does it appear imminent. While the demand for certain refined petroleum products is trending down in some advanced economies, particularly in Europe, we should take a broader global perspective when assessing energy demand and supply trends.

Looking at the worldwide picture, Goldman Sachs’ 2024 global energy forecast predicts that “oil usage will increase through 2034” thanks to strong demand in emerging markets and growing production of petrochemicals that depend on oil as the principal feedstock. Global demand for natural gas (including LNG) will also continue to increase, particularly since natural gas is the least carbon-intensive fossil fuel and more of it is being traded in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Against this backdrop, there are reasons to be optimistic about the prospects for Alberta’s energy sector, particularly if the federal government dials back some of the economically destructive energy and climate policies adopted by the last government. According to the AER’s “base case” forecast, overall energy output will expand over the next 10 years. Oilsands output is projected to grow modestly; natural gas production will also rise, in part due to greater demand for Alberta’s upstream gas from LNG operators in British Columbia.

The AER’s forecast also points to a positive trajectory for capital spending across the province’s energy sector. The agency sees annual investment rising from almost $30 billion to $40 billion by 2033. Most of this takes place in the oil and gas industry, but “emerging” energy resources and projects aimed at climate mitigation are expected to represent a bigger slice of energy-related capital spending going forward.

Like many other oil and gas producing jurisdictions, Alberta must navigate the bumpy journey to a lower-carbon future. But the world is set to remain dependent on fossil fuels for decades to come. This suggests the energy sector will continue to underpin not only the Alberta economy but also Canada’s export portfolio for the foreseeable future.

Jock Finlayson

Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute
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