May 14

From CUPE Alberta

Greetings,

CUPE Alberta is working closely with Friends of Medicare to support their Filling the Gap initiative.  Filling the Gap is an important interim report exposing the massive healthcare costs that are being downloaded to municipalities in Alberta.  After years of funding shortfalls and uncertainty from the provincial government, municipalities are being forced to step up to the plate to find ways to attract, retain and support healthcare professionals and clinics for their communities. 

The report highlights some staggering costs and stop-gap measures that municipalities across rural Alberta have had to institute to ensure their residents have access to a primary care professional.  With the chronic underfunding we have seen for our healthcare system since the 1990s and the aggressive shift towards privatization since 2019 – we know that our system is in a state of crisis.  This report is crucial for laying out the massive gaps across the province and exposing the extraordinary measures that are becoming common place for rural Albertans to have access to care.  Some of the impactful measures exposed by the report include:

• Up to $70,000 incentives paid by the County of Stettler to attract physicians to practice in the community for five years.

• $15,000 paid by the City and County of Grande Prairie to physicians and nurse practitioners willing to relocate to the area.

• $25,000 paid by Kneehill County to attract physicians

• $1 million paid by Hinton Town Council to keep their local clinic open during a local health care crisis in 2024

• The City of Cold Lake purchasing the Glacier Gate Medical Clinic for $1.85 million

• $150,000 in spending approved by Wembly to purchase medical supplies and secure a short-term lease for their town’s only medical clinic.

All these instances prove that municipalities are being placed in dire straits trying to ensure their populations have access to basic medical care.  CUPE is keen to partner with municipalities to dive deeper into the direct and indirect costs that are being assumed.  We are reaching out to our leaders and municipal elected officials across the province in collaboration with our locals and Friends of Medicare to share the report findings with them and welcome them to contribute more data so we can understand the full scope of the issue.  For more details you can review the report HERE.

We will be holding a cross province meeting open to all municipal elected officials, CUPE leaders and interested parties to highlight the details of the report and have discussions about next steps.

WHEN: Wednesday May 20th 6:30 PM

WHERE: Zoom – register here: REGISTER HERE and a zoom link will be provided prior to the event.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our CUPE Political Action Coordinator, Lyndsey Henderson at lhenderson@cupe.ca

May 1

Sent on behalf of CUPE Alberta:

Hello All,

We have our next evening townhall scheduled in our series of townhall topics to educate and empower members.  After very successful townhalls about the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and the threat of healthcare privatization, our next offering is a townhall presentation on artificial intelligence (AI), energy and the environment. 

We are proud to welcome CUPE National Researcher Gabrielle Ross-Marquette who will discuss what AI is, how it works, key risks in the workplace, data centres, environmental impact and what the landscape looks like for usage in Alberta.

This is a great chance for members to learn more about the realities of AI and what we need to ensure we’re advocating for workers’ rights, issues at the bargaining table and what we need to be calling on provincial and federal governments to do in terms of regulation.

When: Tuesday May 12th 6:00 PM

Where: Online – registration link AI and Environment Town Hall | Canadian Union of Public Employees

Cost: FREE to all CUPE members!

Please spread the word amongst your members and encourage folks to attend.  It is essential we empower our members to navigate AI in the workplace and in our broader society.

In Solidarity,

Lyndsey Henderson (she/her)
Political Action Coordinator

April 24

OFSS Comfort Gala May 25, 2026

Operation Friendship Seniors Society is hosting its annual Comfort Care Gala on May 25 and CUPE 474 has reserved 2 tables. 

If you are intersted in attending please register with the Union Office. Tickets available on a first come first served basis.

April 22

We still have a few tickets left.  Call today.

May 1, 2026: Bids For Kids Dinner and Silent Auction in support of the Edmonton Public Schools Foundation at OTS Centennial Park, 2104-156 Street SW.  If you are interested in attending this event please contact the office.  

April 13

CUPE Health and Safety Conference – May 24th -25th Edmonton – Delta Hotels Edmonton South Conference Centre.  If you are interested in attending this event please contact the office.

Public Interest Alberta – Annual Gala May 7th 5:00 PM- Chateau Louise Hotel and Conference Centre, Edmonton. If you are interested in attending this event please contact the office.

Public Interest Alberta – Annual Conference “Common Purpose, Collective Action” – May 8th- 9th - Barnett House Edmonton. If you are interested in attending this event please contact the office.

May 1, 2026: Bids For Kids Dinner and Silent Auction in support of the Edmonton Public Schools Foundation at OTS Centennial Park, 2104-156 Street SW.  If you are interested in attending this event please contact the office.

From CUPE Alberta:

We have launched the next wave of our Don’t Touch CPP campaign, and you can find the newly released video at DontTouchCPP.ca.  Please share the campaign and send a message to Premier Smith and her MLAs to keep their hands off our pensions!

April 8

VIRTUAL TOWNHALL

Post Secondary Education is the Answer for Alberta

An urgent conversation on Alberta and Canada's future. In partnership with Parkland Institute.

Organizations from across Alberta's post-secondary institutions have partnered to launch "Education Powers Alberta". The Campaign demonstrates that the key to Alberta's prosperity is post-secondary education, and that investment now is critical to our province's future within Canada.

In the coming weeks, we want to hear from YOU about rebuilding our province's future and post-secondary institutions.

Over the past several years, universities and colleges have been challenged by funding cuts and government overreach. We know there is a better way forward, and we need your support to build that path. Without adequate and sustainable funding, affordability and quality for all students, and higher-quality teaching and working conditions, our institutions are under strain.

Join us for this urgent conversation on Alberta and Canada’s future! Registration link is below.

Event details:

Date: Wednesday, April 8th, 2026

Time: 7:00PM-8:30PM

Location: Virtual via Zoom 

Please note: We will have a maximum capacity of 1000 attendees. After the live event, we will upload the recording to our Youtube Channel (@PIAlberta).

Registration is required. Please use the link below to register for the virtual townhall to receive the meeting link and reminders for the event. 

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_hkwruibzQwe1jziw-2Hs2Q

At Public Interest Alberta we are a non-profit, non-partisan, province-wide organization focused on education and advocacy on public interest issues. Become a member today and let’s work on bringing the change we want to see in Alberta!

Join Us

Mar 10

CUPE Health and Safety Conference – May 24th -25th Edmonton – Delta Hotels Edmonton South Conference Centre.  If you are interested in attending this event please contact the office.

Public Interest Alberta – Annual Gala May 7th 5:00 PM- Chateau Louise Hotel and Conference Centre, Edmonton. If you are interested in attending this event please contact the office.

Public Interest Alberta – Annual Conference “Common Purpose, Collective Action” – May 8th- 9th - Barnett House Edmonton. If you are interested in attending this event please contact the office.

CUPE Communications

Applications are now open for the first National Wild in Leadership Development (WILD) Program – designed to provide leadership skills to Indigenous, Black and racialized and non-binary members of CUPE

Feb 28

CUPE Health and Safety Conference – May 24th -25th Edmonton – Delta Hotels Edmonton South Conference Centre.  If you are interested in attending this event please contact the office.

Public Interest Alberta – Annual Gala May 7th 5:00 PM- Chateau Louise Hotel and Conference Centre, Edmonton. If you are interested in attending this event please contact the office.

Public Interest Alberta – Annual Conference “Common Purpose, Collective Action” – May 8th- 9th - Barnett House Edmonton. If you are interested in attending this event please contact the office.

CUPE communications:

Don’t Touch CPP – Tell Danielle Smith and the Alberta Government that Albertans have made themselves clear, we want to stay in the CPP, and we don’t want any political interference in our pensions

CUPE Issues a press release in response to yesterday’s budget – highlighting how this massive deficit is a product of economic mismanagement and highlighting key areas of concern

Healthcare Privatization Townhall - March 3, 2026 | Canadian Union of Public Employees - Tuesday March 3rd 6:30 pm – online FREE TO ALL MEMBERS