Seniors

EDMONTON—Representatives from thirteen seniors’ organizations, unions and public interest advocacy groups challenge Health Minister Fred Horne today to reverse the government position on home care that has so many Alberta seniors and other home care users concerned and outraged.

"While Alberta Health Service’s decision not to proceed with the privatization of home care delivery at three Edmonton co-operatives is welcome, it also underscores the arbitrary and thoughtless nature of the original decision. Turning the delivery of home care over to large international corporations is ideological madness."

Alberta Health Services (AHS) announced last Tuesday they are cancelling the ‘first available bed’ policy and reversing the plans to give the home care contract for three supportive-living co-operatives to for-profit corporations. While this shows that public pressure is having an impact they are still giving the majority of home care contracts to corporations and are still planning to cut 1700 long-term care beds from the system.

"Premier Redford promised 1000 more LTC beds in her election. She has broken yet another promise and continues to follow an agenda to privatize and deregulate public services."

"'It is smart to target your dollars where the need is greatest, but you shouldn’t be giving millions of taxpayer dollars to private corporations who will later pocket that when they sell,' said Bill Moore-Kilgannon of Public Interest Alberta. 'This isn’t just a question of privatizing services, this is public tax dollars going to corporate real estate.'"

"As Progressive Conservatives from across Alberta talked policy inside a south Edmonton hotel Saturday, Tim Kabarchuk willingly faced off outside against a large, inflatable mallet. As one of about 500 protesters who came to the “Block the Party” event organized by Public Interest Alberta, the Alberta Union of Provincial Employee and other groups, Kabarchuk volunteered for a human version of Whack-A-Mole under a painted Whack-A-Broken Promise banner."

"Alberta's budget cuts have affected so many that leaving the comfort zone of a quiet and complacent life is no longer an option for a lot of people. Along with budget cuts, other causes—like having a say in where our food is sourced from—have everyone from moms to grandmas, dads, kids, community workers, students, professors, union members, the elderly, the disabled and the developmentally challenged setting up rallies, painting signs, joining together and speaking out."

The Tories' changes to the Nursing Home Act will be breaking promises to increase long-term-care nursing beds.With no new beds, seniors care will be that much worse, considering also that the seniors population is increasing.

"Once again, as then health minister Ron Liepert did in 2008, the government plans to eliminate the universal seniors drug plan. The excuse this time is to create a means-tested plan to cover low-income Albertans who do not have access to coverage."

EDMONTON—Public Interest Alberta has selected the Global Café at Jasper Place High School to receive this year’s Public Interest Award for Northern Alberta.