Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2024

Summary#

Bill 22 updates many Alberta health laws to support a new structure for delivering health care. It replaces the old “Regional Health Authorities Act” with a new “Provincial Health Agencies Act” and sets up sector-based agencies for acute care, primary care, continuing care, and mental health and addiction. It also changes privacy, labour, budgeting, and oversight rules to fit the new model.

Key changes:

• Creates provincial health agencies for each major part of the health system (acute, primary, continuing care, mental health and addiction).
• Gives the Health Minister overall system direction, and “sector ministers” direct control over their agency or sector (goals, targets, budgets, structure).
• Allows ministers to issue binding directives, set performance targets, and reassign powers if agencies do not comply.
• Starts the process to wind up the existing regional health authority and transfer its staff, assets, contracts, and services to the new agencies.
• Keeps union contracts in place during the transition; employees can be transferred without severance if their job is substantially the same.
• Updates privacy laws so provincial health agencies (and the Minister of Mental Health and Addiction) can receive and use health information to run the system; adds the Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence as a possible data repository.

What it means for you#

• Patients and families

  • Your care will continue, but it may be organized by new agencies focused on specific types of care (hospital care, family and community care, continuing care, or mental health and addiction).
  • Transfers between parts of the system are meant to be more coordinated across agencies.
  • Some meetings of agency boards must be public, but boards can meet privately when needed to protect safety, privacy, or effective operations (with reasons recorded).

• Health workers (nurses, doctors, allied health, support staff)

  • You may be moved from the regional health authority to a provincial health agency by order during a two‑year transition.
  • Your employment is considered continuous; existing collective agreements carry over to the new employer.
  • No severance is owed if your new position is substantially the same.
  • Reporting lines, management structure, and targets may change as ministers set agency structures and performance goals.

• Health service providers and contracted organizations

  • You may be designated as a “health services delivery organization” and must follow sector plans, targets, and ministerial directives.
  • Contracts may be reassigned to the new agencies; termination can be ordered if agencies or providers do not meet requirements.
  • Faith‑based providers can continue delivering services consistent with their principles.

• Privacy and data

  • Provincial health agencies become “custodians” under the Health Information Act and can receive identifiable health information to run services.
  • The Minister of Mental Health and Addiction can receive identifiable data for policy and system management.
  • The Canadian Centre of Recovery Excellence may be named a health information repository for addiction recovery data, with privacy oversight.

• Local governments, schools, non-profits

  • Legal references across many Acts now include provincial health agencies; day‑to‑day effects are minimal (mostly wording changes).

Expenses#

Estimated annual cost: No publicly available information.

• The bill itself does not include a funding amount. It sets up a new structure and powers; costs would come through future budgets and implementation plans.

Proponents' View#

• Creates clearer roles and lines of accountability by focusing on four main sectors of care.
• Speeds up decisions and improves performance by letting sector ministers set targets and restructure management.
• Improves coordination of patient transfers and services across agencies and providers.
• Protects service continuity for workers and patients during the transition (continuous employment and contracts carry over).
• Updates privacy rules so agencies and ministers have the information needed to manage the system and improve outcomes.

Opponents' View#

• Risks added bureaucracy and confusion by replacing one authority with multiple agencies and more ministerial control.
• Transition could disrupt services and staff, with costs that are not disclosed.
• Expands political influence over day‑to‑day operations (ministers can direct, dismiss boards, and reassign powers).
• Broad data‑sharing powers raise privacy concerns, including new access for the Minister of Mental Health and Addiction and a new data repository.
• Workers may face job uncertainty; transfers without severance (if roles are “substantially the same”) may feel unfair to some employees.