Wednesday’s letters: UCP pulling fast one with new police force

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UCP and Danielle Smith are here again. They pulled a quick one completely in Alberta. Remember the provincial police station they said that there would not be a referendum? Well, it’s already formed; it’s a deal.

The government has promised again and again is a promise of even more loss. Remember the referendum on pension plans? I certainly won’t. If the Alberts think the cost of this new agency will be lower than the RCMP, a rude awakening awaits us.

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When a new police station is established, they always seek higher wages than the last newly formed agency. This is done to attract senior officials from other agencies to fill the position, which is undoubtedly the UCP plan. Take the Surrey Police, which was established three years ago, as an example, as a policeman with the highest salary in Canada. Without other agencies, mainly the RCMP, the UCP would never be able to fill the post. Look at the chaos caused by BC and looting Peter to Paul.

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Get balanced checkbook, Alberta. This will be expensive in 2025 and beyond. Thanks, UCP.

LM Lenton, Red Deer

Enough reform; invest in patients

The long and persistent delay in hip and knee surgery at Royal Alex Hospital is unreasonable. Patients who have been evaluated and subjected to a tentative date but are known to require overnight stays in the dilemma of waiting.

As one previous writer pointed out, the problem is the overnight coverage of professional residents at the University of Alberta Medical School. After identifying the problem, in July 2024, an internal medical team proposed a solution that cost $240,000 per year. This was rejected because it was not “income neutral”. There is no money for reasonable expenses related to surgery requiring overnight accommodation.

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Meanwhile, the waitlist grew longer every day, and a center of outstanding orthopedic specialty was largely unused. Meanwhile, the for-profit contract surgical facility on the south side of Edmonton continues to offer orthopedic operations to higher health care system costs.

Operation Profut, a recent study by the Parkland Institute, shows that the UC administration prompted Alberta Health Services to seek these expensive for-profit contracts. This shifts surgical activities to for-profit facilities at the expense of public hospitals. Have paid enough money in health reorganization: Let’s go back more to truly patient-centered health care.

Joan Laurie, Edmonton

Let go of obstacles for our doctors

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David Schooley, Edmonton

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