The Alberta Health Services board has been removed by the UCP government for the second time under Premier Danielle Smith’s leadership, marking a significant move in the province’s health system restructuring. As per a government news release on Friday, Andre Tremblay will assume the role of the official administrator, essentially acting as a one-person board of directors while also serving as the interim CEO of Alberta Health Services and the deputy minister of the provincial health ministry.
This latest change in AHS leadership aligns with the government’s ongoing efforts to decentralize the agency’s historical role in overseeing various healthcare services across Alberta. Recently, the establishment of Assisted Living Alberta was announced, marking the creation of the fourth Crown corporation to take over healthcare management responsibilities previously held solely by AHS.
The reorganization will see the division of responsibilities into four separate agencies, focusing on acute care (hospital oversight), primary care, long-term and continuing care, and mental health and addictions. Nonetheless, AHS will continue to manage the 106 government-owned hospitals in Alberta.
Health Minister Adriana LaGrange was unavailable for an interview, as she was en route to Washington for the National Prayer Breakfast. In a written statement, her office highlighted that the board’s termination aims to enhance government oversight of AHS during its transition to a hospital-based service provider.
The move will also grant LaGrange and her ministry a more direct role in selecting a new permanent CEO for the hospitals agency, following the departure of CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos in January. The sudden decision to dismiss the board echoes a similar mass firing in late 2022 after Premier Smith took office, which was followed by the appointment of an official administrator to oversee changes before the recent restructuring announcement.
Former AHS executive Braden Manns criticized the government’s focus on reshuffling leadership instead of addressing frontline care issues amid healthcare worker shortages and patient wait time challenges. Manns raised concerns about the new reporting structure, where the CEO now answers to a single person, contrary to the traditional board oversight.
Tremblay, the newly appointed administrator with multiple responsibilities overseeing AHS and the Alberta Health ministry, communicated the changes to staff via a memo, emphasizing a smooth transition to an acute care service provider and hospital operator.
Tremblay’s background lies in government civil service rather than health administration, having held senior positions in various ministries before his recent role shifts. In contrast, the previous administrator, Cowell, had a career focused on health policy, including a past tenure at AHS during a period of significant restructuring by the previous government.
Alberta NDP health critic Sarah Hoffman expressed concerns over the dismantling and mass firings within AHS, emphasizing the importance of accessible and reliable public healthcare services for all residents.
