This attitude from the Calgary Health Authority drives me crazy. The presumption that Edmonton and Calgary are the same and somehow there is a health funding discrepancy between the two authorities is idiotic and pure politics. It always worked in Calgary’s favour under Klein. That erroneous and simplistic “logic” will not prevail under Minister Liepert.
The fact is Calgary serves a population that is more urban, educated, wealthier, younger, white collar, less distributed and perhaps more culturally homogenous than Edmonton. I accept that latter point may be disputable given the recent immigration wave that came to Calgary. These are indicator of better health conditions and outcomes. For sure they indicate a better and healthier population than exists in the Edmonton region.
The Capital Region Health Authority in Edmonton serves an older, poorer, less educated, more industrial blue collar and culturally diverse population. That industrial based economy is prone to accidents that tend to be more serious than white collar worker paper cuts. Edmonton has a more dispersed population too, serving the north where we find all the Alberta development and related danger form accidents and social breakdown. All this indicates Edmonton will be a more expensive and difficult health care system.
The Calgary Health Authority can’t ever seem to manage its budget. It has perpetual deficits and the Calgary solution is to automatically run to the province for more money – and Klein always obliged. I can remember one year when Calgary ran a $70m deficit and the Capital Region Health Authority ran a $17m surplus. There were no unusual Calgary specific higher health demand circumstances that year. Go figure!
Come on Calgary. This perpetual self-absorbed Toronto wanna-be attitude and the over the top hubris about being better than Edmonton is childish. Surely the talented private sector brains down there can do better. If they insist they are better than the Capital City of Bureaucrats who makes up Edmonton why can’t they simply do it?
Calgary, as we are constantly told by Calgarians and their media, is where all the management and financial talent exist in the province. Just look how “smarter” they ended up being about the impact of the royalty review…surely they weren’t bluffing about something so important to the entire province. Surely they can get that kind of talent to serve on the Calgary Health Authority. Maybe then the Calgary Health Authority can actually do a better job of providing quality health care for Calgarians and provide top value for taxpayer dollars too. Give the superior attitude that is always spouted down there, this ought to be a slam dunk – wouldn’t you think?
The fact is Calgary serves a population that is more urban, educated, wealthier, younger, white collar, less distributed and perhaps more culturally homogenous than Edmonton. I accept that latter point may be disputable given the recent immigration wave that came to Calgary. These are indicator of better health conditions and outcomes. For sure they indicate a better and healthier population than exists in the Edmonton region.
The Capital Region Health Authority in Edmonton serves an older, poorer, less educated, more industrial blue collar and culturally diverse population. That industrial based economy is prone to accidents that tend to be more serious than white collar worker paper cuts. Edmonton has a more dispersed population too, serving the north where we find all the Alberta development and related danger form accidents and social breakdown. All this indicates Edmonton will be a more expensive and difficult health care system.
The Calgary Health Authority can’t ever seem to manage its budget. It has perpetual deficits and the Calgary solution is to automatically run to the province for more money – and Klein always obliged. I can remember one year when Calgary ran a $70m deficit and the Capital Region Health Authority ran a $17m surplus. There were no unusual Calgary specific higher health demand circumstances that year. Go figure!
Come on Calgary. This perpetual self-absorbed Toronto wanna-be attitude and the over the top hubris about being better than Edmonton is childish. Surely the talented private sector brains down there can do better. If they insist they are better than the Capital City of Bureaucrats who makes up Edmonton why can’t they simply do it?
Calgary, as we are constantly told by Calgarians and their media, is where all the management and financial talent exist in the province. Just look how “smarter” they ended up being about the impact of the royalty review…surely they weren’t bluffing about something so important to the entire province. Surely they can get that kind of talent to serve on the Calgary Health Authority. Maybe then the Calgary Health Authority can actually do a better job of providing quality health care for Calgarians and provide top value for taxpayer dollars too. Give the superior attitude that is always spouted down there, this ought to be a slam dunk – wouldn’t you think?
Minister Liepert has made it pretty clear that the governance of the health care system is on the table as part of his efforts to change "mind-sets." Looking at the mind set attitude and actions of the Calgary Health Authority I's say it is a damn good thing he is looking at some serious governance changes.
Although we disagree on some things, Ken, I have to say that I love your Edmonton pride.
ReplyDeleteThere were a couple of great episodes in the CBC "Ideas" podcast in the beginning of March called "Sick People or Sick Societies" that would lend credence to your assertion that Edmonton's demographics make it a more demanding population to provide healthcare to. The upshot of these episodes is that there is a staggeringly strong correlation between an individual's social status and health outcomes. Since, as we all very well know, Calgarians are in general higher up the social ladder than Edmontonians, their population should theoretically be easier to provide with care.
Calgary's budgetary restraints have been well documented and noon in the past had called them out on it.We all know that it is because they are "Calgary" and in the past they just had to cry a bit and Uncle Ralph came with a soother.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I respect Liepert's efforts,in the end the government will do what is politically correct.Premier Stelmach could have sent a message but his cabinet appointments.But rather than reward people the people that got him to where he is,he chose to move the power back ot Calgary.
This is significant because this will be a true test of his leadership capabilities(of which the jury is still out).There is a reason why Ron Liepert is in Health and Ron Stevens is deputy Prem....lets see where there priorities lie.
Overbudgeting may mean overseriving,perhaps they can send some of that over to Edmonton to try and enhance the service already being conducted within budget.
It is pretty simple actually. The news is not that Calgary Health Region (CHR) is in deficit - that is nothing "new". It is news that CHR goes public with "crisis-type" statements on a regular basis, when no other region does so (including other regions with deficits).
ReplyDeleteThis is pure political posturing by a master... Jack Davis. He is conveniently clouding the issue, and trying to cover himself should he be forced out once news leaks of his phenomenal severance package and perks. The idea is to make the gov't look like they are getting rid of a hardworking civil servant confronted with impossible financial conditions, rather than purging a clubby board (Tuer & co) full of mutual back-scratching.
Anon, when you said:
ReplyDelete"As much as I respect Liepert's efforts,in the end the government will do what is politically correct.Premier Stelmach could have sent a message but his cabinet appointments.But rather than reward people the people that got him to where he is,he chose to move the power back ot Calgary."
And pray tell, who do you feel got him to where he is and he failed to reward?
On the one hand you say you respect Liepert's efforts, yet on the other you imply - somewhat negatively - that there is a reason he is in the Health Ministry.
Having worked on the recent election campaign here in Calgary, I can say that there are a lot of people who (now) say they were right behind the Premier, yet were nowhere to be seen during the election. Now that he has a large majority, they magically reappear. Interesting.