Smith says Alberta health overhaul groundwork finished, results to be tested in 2026

Premier Danielle Smith says 2025 marked a turning point for Alberta’s sweeping health-care overhaul, with the legal framework for the province’s new system now firmly in place. She says the coming year will be focused on showing Albertans whether the changes deliver measurable improvements.

Smith said her government believes the restructuring will lead to better patient outcomes after years of strain on the health system. Alberta is in the process of replacing Alberta Health Services as a single province-wide provider with four separate organizations responsible for acute care, primary care, continuing care, and mental health and addictions.

Smith said Albertans should begin to see tangible results in 2026, including shorter wait times for surgeries and other procedures. She said the government plans to launch a public-facing online dashboard to track performance indicators and demonstrate whether access to care is improving.

The opposition New Democratic Party disputes the premier’s assessment. Leader Naheed Nenshi said the government’s claims do not match the experience of patients and front-line health workers. He said Albertans are not seeing meaningful improvements and argued that confidence in the health system has declined since the United Conservatives formed government six years ago.

Health care has remained one of the most politically sensitive issues in Alberta, with staffing shortages, emergency room closures, and wait times continuing to draw criticism from advocates and opposition parties as the restructuring moves forward.