24,000 Albertans press premier for action on deepening ‘health-care crisis’

A growing wave of public frustration over Alberta’s strained health‑care system has surged into the premier’s inbox, with more than 24,000 residents emailing Danielle Smith to demand the province declare a state of emergency.

More than three weeks after CUPE Alberta launched its stateofemergency.ca campaign, tens of thousands of Albertans have urged the government to intervene in what many describe as a collapsing system.

Over 8,000 people went further, submitting personal accounts of delayed diagnoses, overcrowded emergency rooms, and loved ones lost while waiting for care.

Among the stories is that of a mother whose 48‑year‑old son waited more than three months for cancer surgery, only to die two weeks before he was scheduled to meet his surgeon. Others described receiving life‑altering diagnoses in packed emergency rooms, within earshot of strangers, or enduring hours‑long waits while in severe distress.

Calgarian Elaine Bonfield shared her own ordeal in hopes of drawing attention to what she calls a system in urgent need of repair. Last October, she sought help for severe chest pain, only to spend eight to nine hours in a Calgary ER before receiving anything for the pain.

“I was sitting in the waiting room in severe pain, constantly getting rechecked and told there was nothing they could do,” she said. “They were over flooded and there were no beds available.”

At one point, Bonfield says she lay on the floor, nearly passing out.

Desperate, she drove to Okotoks, hoping a smaller hospital might help. Staff there eased her pain but told her the tests she needed could only be done in Calgary, sending her back into another long wait.

“It’s definitely very scary,” she said. “It’s also kind of embarrassing because you’re stuck in a room with a tonne of other people and you’re going through one of the worst pains you’ve ever experienced. You don’t know when you’re going to get care.”

What she witnessed still haunts her.

“I saw a gentleman… he just started having a seizure in the waiting room. They wait until something extreme, like you’re dying or dead, before they prioritize you.”

Bonfield says her trust in the system has eroded.

“Now, after my experiences, I don’t believe going into the ER is actually going to save you at this point,” she said.

CUPE Alberta president Raj Uppal says the volume of stories reflects a province‑wide crisis that the government has failed to address.

“To have received 8,000 personal stories speaks volumes about how many Albertans are struggling to receive health care,” she said. “It has only gotten worse as we have not put any effort into addressing the chaos.”

Uppal argues the government’s current approach, including privatization and restructuring, will not fix the system and may worsen outcomes.

“Albertans are losing trust in the system,” she said, adding that front‑line workers are also bearing the strain.

She urged Albertans to pressure their MLAs, saying the government continues to insist it has “all the tools” needed to fix health care, despite mounting evidence to the contrary.

“We’re not seeing any solutions. We’re not seeing any decrease in the level of chaos,” Uppal said. “This is going to take all Albertans standing up together to protect the public health care that we all deserve.”

CUPE represents roughly 10,000 health‑care workers across the province, including licensed practical nurses and aides.