Alberta’s Health System Faces Turmoil in 2025: Scandals and Outbreaks

2025 proved to be a tumultuous year for Alberta’s health care system, marked by scandals, structural upheavals, and a significant public health crisis. The year began with the controversial firing of Athena Mentzelopoulos, the CEO of Alberta Health Services (AHS), on January 8, 2025. Her dismissal, which led to a wrongful dismissal lawsuit, was linked to her investigation into government contracts, igniting a series of inquiries that scrutinized the integrity of the health care system.

The United Conservative Party (UCP) government asserted that Mentzelopoulos’s termination was justified due to her obstruction of health-care reforms. In response, multiple investigations commenced, including one led by former Manitoba Chief Judge Raymond Wyant and others by the RCMP and the province’s auditor general. Wyant’s report, released in October, revealed significant procurement policy violations within AHS, notably regarding contracts for children’s pain medication, amounting to nearly $50 million for products that were never delivered.

As these inquiries unfolded, the province’s health system underwent a radical transformation, initiated as part of a government plan termed ‘health-care refocusing.’ In January, the government introduced Assisted Living Alberta, the final agency emerging from AHS, following the establishment of Recovery Alberta and Primary Care Alberta in 2024. The transition to the new structure included a cabinet shuffle on May 16, which created confusion among health care providers and patients about the responsibilities of the new agencies.

The restructuring led to significant ambiguity regarding accountability within the system. Health professionals reported difficulties in determining which agency was responsible for various issues, resulting in mixed messages and delays in responses to media inquiries. The lack of clear communication left many healthcare workers uncertain about their roles under the new system.

As Alberta grappled with these internal conflicts, it also faced a resurgence of a once-eradicated contagious disease: measles. By early December, the province recorded nearly 2,000 confirmed cases, representing 37 percent of Canada’s total measles infections for the year. This outbreak resulted in the loss of Canada’s measles elimination status, a distinction the country had maintained since 1998. The outbreak was primarily driven by low vaccination rates, with only 68 percent of children aged two vaccinated against measles, far below the 95 percent threshold needed for herd immunity.

The situation escalated further when a measles-related death occurred in October, involving a pre-term infant with congenital complications. In response to the outbreak, the Alberta Medical Association criticized public health leadership, attributing the crisis to persistent misinformation that undermined vaccine confidence. Premier Danielle Smith announced vaccination campaigns in areas with historically low immunization rates, claiming some communities had increased uptake by 50 percent.

The legislative sessions in the fall of 2025 focused heavily on health policy, introducing measures that paved the way for increased privatization within the healthcare sector. New legislation allowed physicians to practice in both public and private systems, alongside enabling private diagnostic screenings without formal medical referrals. Controversially, the government invoked the notwithstanding clause to bypass legal challenges related to laws limiting access to gender-affirming care for minors, prompting backlash from medical professionals who argued this infringed upon their rights and patient autonomy.

As Alberta heads into 2026, the fallout from these developments remains unresolved. The results of ongoing inquiries into the conflicts of interest at AHS are expected to emerge, alongside further changes to the health care system, including new leadership structures within hospitals and a revised funding model for acute care procedures. The coming year will be crucial in determining the future stability and effectiveness of Alberta’s health care landscape.