ATA concerned with province’s new paid COVID vaccine plan

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on June 20, 2025.

newsdesk@medicinehatnews.com

As the province decides most Albertans will have to pay for COVID-19 vaccines beginning this fall, the government is facing backlash from several organizations, including the Alberta Teachers Association.

President Jason Schilling sent a letter Thursday to Adriana LaGrange, one of three health ministers, highlighting the important role of vaccines in keeping schools a safe place for students and staff.

In the letter, the ATA urges the province to reconsider the decision announced last Friday, leaving Albertans who don’t meet the new criteria for “high risk of severe outcomes” to pay out of pocket for the vaccine, which costs roughly $110 per dose, according to the province which says that’s according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control.

“Classrooms are inherently crowded, high-contact environments,” writes Schilling. “And we have witnessed first-hand how rapidly COVID-19 can spread in such settings.”

Schilling states teachers and students need access to “every tool available” to prevent learning disruptions that can occur when an outbreak happens in a classroom.

“If it is the expectation of the government to have schools always remain open, then it is imperative that those working in and attending schools be encouraged to take preventative health measures and, to this end, have access to free vaccines.” adds Schilling.

The province has not said how much each dose will cost members of the public, but Albertans will be able to receive one, paid for or not, once their “phase” opens. The first of four phases is to “begin in the fall,” according to the province.

The ATA joins other health-care groups, including the Alberta Medical Association and United Nurses of Alberta, calling for the reversal of the government’s plan.

According to LaGrange, approximately 54 per cent of the province’s vaccines were wasted in 2023-24, and the four-phase program rolling out this fall, she says, is aimed at preventing “significant waste.”

The province has not said how many vaccines were wasted in the latest fiscal year. It will order $485,000 doses to start, and the public can beginning booking a dose for pre-order online on Aug. 11.

Phase 1 will begin in the fall and will provide free vaccines only to residents of seniors supportive living facilities and home care clients.

Once Phase 2 arrives, all vaccinations from there on will be at public health clinics only, while none will go to pharmacies. Phase 2 will provide free vaccines only to Albertans six months and older with underlying medical conditions or compromised immune systems, or those in congregate living accommodations.

Phase 3 will open vaccines up to Albertans 65 and older, but they will no longer be free and the province says it hasn’t yet worked out what that cost will be.

Phase 4 will open up out-of-pocket vaccinations to everyone left.

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