Cancer Care, Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Shift to Acute Care Alberta: Update

On April 8th, the Government of Alberta informed HSAA that Cancer Care Alberta and Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation will be moving under the purview of Acute Care Alberta. This follows the March 10th announcement, in which the Government of Alberta revealed that EMS would also be transferred to Acute Care Alberta.  

Acute Care Alberta (ACA) is part of the Alberta government's ongoing restructuring of AHS into four separate sector-based provincial health agencies: Primary Care Alberta, Acute Care Alberta, Continuing Care Alberta and Recovery Alberta.  

Staff transitioning to ACA will maintain continuity of pay, benefits, pension, standard hours, vacation entitlement, seniority, union affiliation, and work location.  

Collective Bargaining for all areas transferred out of AHS will continue without any changes. Your bargaining committee is reviewing these changes and all recent government announcements on health care and will incorporate them into its negotiation strategy. 

Before these two announcements, transfers from AHS or other employers to newly created organizations like Recovery Alberta, Primary Care Alberta, Continuing Care Alberta and even Acute Care Alberta followed a pattern. The government would inform HSAA, make a public announcement, official transfer notices would be sent to impacted members, and a Letter of Understanding (LOU) on transfers would be confirmed, as applicable.  

We had anticipated a ministerial order to transfer HSAA members from Alberta Health Services (AHS) to Acute Care Alberta (ACA). However, the government has confirmed that this established pattern is not being followed for EMS, Cancer Care Alberta, and Organ and Tissue Donation and Transportation. They indicated the transfer notice will be released sometime in 2025, but the government is not being upfront with us about when this will happen and the reason for the delay.

We are suspect of the government's intentions with these re-organizations and we have concerns about their lack of transparency with you and your Union. 

Until a transfer notice is issued, there are no changes to your work or collective agreements. However, due to the government's lack of openness and previous actions, we expect future developments for EMS, Cancer Care Alberta, and Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation.

We are ready to protect your rights and ensure you are treated fairly during this change. We need you to play an active role as well. You are our eyes and ears on the worksite. If you are being asked to make any changes in how you work based on this announcement, before a transfer notice is received, it is crucial that you reach out to your steward or LRO as soon as possible.  

This will help us be prepared to protect your rights and ensure you are treated fairly, especially if further changes occur. 

Please reach out to your Steward, your LRO or our Member Resource Centre with any questions at 1-844-280 HSAA (4722) or mrc@hsaa.ca.

Sincerely,

Mike Parker, HSAA President

Leanne Alfaro, HSAA Vice-President