Media releases

EDMONTON - Today, The Child and Youth Advocate released their annual report. This report included the disturbing revelation that the office of the Advocate saw the highest number of deaths of young people in care since 2012, the year the office received a mandate to conduct investigative reviews. Bradley Lafortune, Executive Director of Public Interest Alberta, issued the following statement in response:

EDMONTON — Yesterday’s Speech from the Throne in Manitoba laid out the new government’s agenda. The speech includes commitments to: “increase the hours of direct care for each senior living in personal care homes. And create a Seniors Advocate — a strong, independent voice for seniors and their families,” as well as a commitment to increase home care support for seniors to remain in their homes.

For years, Friends of Medicare and Public Interest Alberta have been advocating for an independent, legislated, and properly empowered seniors advocate. Manitoba will now be joining British Columbia in having a Seniors Advocate with real teeth to conduct monitoring and analysis of seniors’ services, and to make recommendations to address issues and make long-overdue changes to the way that care is provided. Unfortunately, the UCP government has consistently insisted there is no need for such an advocate here since cutting the position in their last term.

As the Alberta Legislature resumes and Albertans wait to hear the priorities of the UCP government through the Speech from the Throne, Public Interest Alberta’s Executive Director Bradley Lafortune issued the following statement:

EDMONTON - In response to the release of the UCP’s release of a report on the creation of the Alberta Pension Plan (APP), Public Interest Alberta’s Executive Director Bradley Lafortune issued the following statement:

EDMONTON - As the cost of living for everyday Albertans continues to skyrocket and Danielle Smith and the UCP government continues to hide its report on a new Alberta Pension Plan, a new coalition – the Canada Pension Plan Working Group – is demanding their report be publicly released immediately.

The UCP government’s woefully inadequate response to what is likely the worst pediatric E. Coli outbreak in Canadian history continues to fuel mistrust in this government’s ability to respond to public health crises. Today, Public Interest Alberta and Friends of Medicare are calling for an immediate and independent public inquiry into all entities involved – both government and non-government.

Health officials say the number of affected Albertans continues to climb, with 264 lab confirmed cases so far – a jump from 231 since Monday while 25 Albertans are currently in hospital.

EDMONTON — This Senior’s Week, Public Interest Alberta and Friends of Medicare continue to call for the return of an independent Seniors’ Advocate, for Alberta to get on board with universal pharmacare, and for a comprehensive system of service delivery that ensures the well-being of seniors by ensuring their mental, physical, social and financial needs are met.

EDMONTON - Today Public Interest Alberta is releasing their Priorities for Change for Alberta Seniors. 

“Seniors in Alberta face a wide range of issues and challenges,” said Terry Price, President of Public Interest Alberta and Chair of the Seniors Task Force.  “As adult children care for aging parents and find the system impossible to navigate; as seniors whose spouses suffer with dementia are shuffled from one for-profit facility to another; or as Albertans living on fixed incomes make potentially life-threatening choices between rent, food, and medications, they experience firsthand the failure of successive provincial governments to honour the human rights of and to care for Alberta seniors.”

EDMONTON - Today, the Alberta NDP announced their plan for investment into public education. Party leader Rachel Notley detailed investments of $700 million over the next four years, as well as hiring 4000 more teachers and 3000 more educational assistants.

EDMONTON  - As Albertans prepare for a pivotal provincial election, progressive advocacy organization Public Interest Alberta joined leaders, parents, students, workers and experts in public education to release its Priorities for Change in Public Education – a blueprint for public education in Alberta.