AUPE demands action on staffing levels as health-care ‘crisis’ continues

By Medicine Hat News on January 20, 2026.

The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees is calling for change as workers hit the wall.

AUPE vice-president James Gault says the solution requires much more than the hospital rooms and beds promised by the provincial government, as the union says “it is time to recognize Alberta’s health-care system is in crisis.”

“Staff are being assaulted. People are getting seriously injured. But hospitals are so short-staffed that we cannot perform proper hazard assessments or follow basic safety protocols,” said Gault.

AUPE adds that it, as well as other health-care workers, have repeatedly asked the government to do more to improve staffing levels, but to little success. This has caused safety risks as workers are potentially put into vulnerable situations while working alone or with limited support.

Surging cases of seasonal respiratory viruses have shone another light on the issue as officials seek ways to increase capacity, says AUPE, but it does not believe additional beds to be the whole solution.

“You cannot fix the system by adding new beds if you do not also add new staff to work them,” said Gault. “What will it take for the government to view health care as something to support, instead of something to restructure and sell to private owners? The government, as well as individual health-care employers, have a responsibility to keep these workers safe. Right now, they’re falling short.”

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