Parkland Institute is an Alberta-wide, non-partisan research centre situated within the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta. You can download all Parkland publications for free from our research archive.
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When Bill 11 passed in December 2025, Alberta became the first province to legislate two-tier health care — a system that gives faster access to those who can pay and longer waits for those who can’t afford to jump the queue — for medically necessary services. This report shows how the Health Statutes Amendment Act puts Canadian medicare at risk and opens the door for American health insurance…
Despite years of conservative governments undermining labour rights and restricting collective bargaining, the union wage advantage — the gap between average earnings of unionized and non-unionized workers — remains strong in Alberta. This report draws on new data to show how unionization strengthens wages and benefits while promoting fairness for women, immigrants, and precarious workers across…
Based on a scientific survey of over 500 health workers, this report shows how Alberta's toxic drug crisis impacts frontline health workers as daily issues of inadequate equipment and treatment options, lack of managerial and government support, and insufficient knowledge about drug poisoning put them in a position of having to do more with less. Media release Full Report
A specific brand of “parental rights” is increasingly being weaponized to justify restrictions on inclusive practices in Alberta’s education system. At the same time, one key feature of this agenda — the push for “school choice” — is laying the groundwork for broader privatization. This report shows where these efforts are coming from, what’s at stake, and how to fight for schools that are…
This report finds that widespread experiences of discrimination, wage inequities, and job-related stress are contributing to retention challenges within Alberta’s allied health-care workforce — the professionals who support everything from emergency response and diagnostic testing to mental health and rehabilitation services. Media release Full Report
New data analyzed in this report shows that the costs of private surgical services under the Alberta Surgical Initiative have skyrocketed, even as patients face increasingly long waits — including for cancer and other critical surgeries. Meanwhile, Alberta is one of only three provinces where real per capita hospital spending has been steadily declining for the past decade. Media release Full…
Since Alberta signed the $10-a-day Child Care deal, reports on the results have been mixed. While many parents have benefited from reduced fees, some providers have voiced concerns about the program, and the provincial government has complained that the federal agreement is overly restrictive. This report examines the progress made under the $10-a-day plan in Alberta, identifies persistent…
With spending growing faster than revenues, the City of Edmonton is feeling the pinch of an increasingly challenging financial situation. This report examines how cuts to provincial funding, rising service demands, and underutilized revenue streams have left the city struggling to meet the needs of its residents. It highlights concerns about homelessness, mental illness, addiction, and the rising…
In 2024, about 200,000 public-sector Alberta workers will be negotiating new contracts. This report examines the ways governments, and specifically the Government of Alberta, interfere in public-sector collective bargaining. It also explores how this growing interference may impact the 2024 bargaining round. The report concludes by offering several options for how public-sector workers and their…
Through Freedom of Information requests, statistical analysis, and a review of the research literature, this report evaluates claims made by the Alberta government about the effectiveness of the Alberta Surgical Initiative in reducing wait times and the role of for-profit surgical outsourcing. Based on the research evidence, the report recommends that the provincial government shift away from…