I’ve spent the last week talking with Edmonton families about their healthcare struggles, and what I’m hearing should concern us all.
“We waited eight hours just to see a doctor for my son’s broken arm,” Emma Larsen told me, her voice tingling with frustration as we sat in her Bonnie Doon living room. Her 10-year-old son Jake nodded silently beside her, the memory of that long night at the emergency room still fresh despite happening three months ago.
Emma’s story isn’t unique. Across our city, families are facing unprecedented wait times for everything from emergency care to specialist appointments and surgeries. The strain shows in tired eyes and worried conversations happening in waiting rooms across Edmonton.
According to recent data from Alberta Health Services, emergency department wait times at the University of Alberta Hospital have increased by nearly 35% over the past year. For some specialized treatments, patients report waiting up to 18 months for their first appointment.
Dr. Michael Chen, an emergency physician at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, explains the complexity behind these numbers. “We’re dealing with staffing shortages across all departments while patient volumes continue to increase. It creates a perfect storm where even the most dedicated healthcare workers simply cannot keep pace.”
The human cost of these delays becomes painfully clear when speaking with residents like Gerald Thompson. At 67, Gerald has been waiting for hip replacement surgery for over a year.
“Some days I can barely make it from my bedroom to the kitchen,” he shared, adjusting his position on his sofa to minimize the pain. “My quality of life has disappeared while I wait. They keep pushing the date back, and I’ve stopped believing them when they give me a new timeline.”
For families with children, these wait times can be especially distressing. Sarah Melnyk described her daughter Olivia’s experience waiting for mental health services.
“After Olivia showed signs of severe anxiety, we were told the wait for adolescent mental health services was eight to ten months,” Sarah said, her eyes welling up. “In that time, things only got worse. As a parent, watching your child suffer while being told to wait is unbearable.”
Healthcare worker burnout compounds these problems. Nurse Jasmeet Gill, who has worked at Stollery Children’s Hospital for over a decade, says the current situation is the worst she’s seen.
“We’re working double shifts, missing breaks, and still can’t keep up with demand,” Jasmeet explains. “Many of my colleagues have left the profession entirely. Those who remain are exhausted, which inevitably affects patient care, even though we try our hardest.”
The provincial government has announced plans to address wait times, including a $158 million investment in surgical initiatives announced earlier this year. Health Minister Adriana LaGrange stated this funding would help clear the backlog created during the pandemic.
However, many healthcare advocates remain skeptical. Dr. Hannah Mackenzie, chair of Edmonton Physicians for Public Healthcare, argues more fundamental changes are needed.
“One-time funding injections don’t solve systemic problems,” she told me during our interview at her downtown office. “We need sustainable solutions that address staffing shortages, improve primary care access, and recognize that our healthcare system was struggling even before the pandemic.”
For families navigating these long waits, community support groups have become essential. The Edmonton Patient Advocacy Network, founded by former patients and healthcare workers, offers guidance on navigating the system.
“We help people understand their options, prepare for appointments, and sometimes just provide emotional support during the wait,” explains Dani Perreault, one of the network’s coordinators. “No one should feel alone while trying to access care.”
Some Edmonton residents have turned to private options out of desperation, despite the financial strain. Richard Klimczak spent $7,800 on private physiotherapy and pain management when the wait for public services became too long.
“I had to choose between months of unbearable pain or emptying my savings,” he said. “It shouldn’t be this way in Canada, but I felt I had no choice.”
As our city continues to grow, addressing these healthcare challenges becomes increasingly urgent. For people like Emma, Gerald, Sarah and countless others, solutions can’t come soon enough.
In the meantime, they wait – in emergency rooms, on phone lines, and at home – hoping that when care finally arrives, it won’t be too late.
