What the hell was that? The answer is a big part of the reason why the rest of the country doesn’t take our province as seriously as they should.
Equalization isn’t going to be drastically changed to benefit the less than 12% of the population in a landlocked province at the expense of the other 88%.
The existing formula would see us receive more in equalization payments if we increased our provincial taxes but our overlords won’t be having any of that.
Are we supposed to believe that Jason Stephan passed both CFE and Alberta Bar Exam, and somehow successfully practiced as a chartered accountant and lawyer for a number of years...?
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Oncologists have been trying to reach an agreement with Alberta Health Services over the last five months. Parks said they are concerned that compensation isn't high enough to compete with provinces like Ontario and B.C. which are aggressively recruiting.
The number of oncologists is not keeping up with Alberta's population growth. In 2013, 102 oncologists practised in Alberta. In 2022, the number increased by 20 per cent to 122. The number of new cancer cases increased by 40 per cent over those nine years.
The AMA says patients are waiting eight to 13 weeks for an initial assessment by an oncologist. The five most frequently performed cancer surgeries are bladder, colorectal, breast, lung and prostrate procedures. Only 60 per cent are performed within recommended timelines.
Alberta-trained oncologists are leaving the province for greener pastures. Over the past four years, only one of eight radiation oncologists stayed in Alberta. Of the 17 medical oncologists trained here, just two stuck around.
What the hell was that? The answer is a big part of the reason why the rest of the country doesn’t take our province as seriously as they should.
Equalization isn’t going to be drastically changed to benefit the less than 12% of the population in a landlocked province at the expense of the other 88%.
The existing formula would see us receive more in equalization payments if we increased our provincial taxes but our overlords won’t be having any of that.
My opinion is that even if equalization is flawed today and Albertans “get screwed”, we will eventually one day need the rest of Canada to boost us up and so what goes around comes around. I think there’s wisdom in paying a little more to keep the country together, basically. Like are we a country or not?
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I mean, right now we're doing neither. And if we have 100-200 oncologists giving them all an extra $100k per year so we're competitive seems like a no-brainer to me. That $10-20MM wouldn't even move the needle. Maybe we could start importing them.
I don't think the $5k for trades people moving here is the problem. And really, having nice SFH be way cheaper than other provinces probably helps attract doctors.
What the hell was that? The answer is a big part of the reason why the rest of the country doesn’t take our province as seriously as they should.
Equalization isn’t going to be drastically changed to benefit the less than 12% of the population in a landlocked province at the expense of the other 88%.
The existing formula would see us receive more in equalization payments if we increased our provincial taxes but our overlords won’t be having any of that.
Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't the current equalization formula devised by Smith's predecessor?
The principle of equalization is fine, the implementation of it is not. It has many flaws but we won't get common agreement on changing anything so I doubt anything will change.
Cool, added "don't get cancer" to my list. Good thing Alberta is calling for trades workers though...
Did you happen to read what the first to phases of the Alberta is calling thing were about.
This is also a pretty crass post devaluing the work trades people provide. Work that is likely responsible for extending your lifespan longer and making your life more comfortable than a doctor ever will.
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Did you happen to read what the first to phases of the Alberta is calling thing were about.
This is also a pretty crass post devaluing the work trades people provide. Work that is likely responsible for extending your lifespan longer and making your life more comfortable than a doctor ever will.
Oh come on. I've got nothing at all against trades and would never devalue them.
It's that the government is grinding away at a rare, near unreplacable resource while also offering handouts of our tax dollars to bring in workers. And I'm not saying that's bad, I'm saying pay the oncologists. Losing any solely because they found monetary opportunity elsewhere in Canada is a major fail. Let's not do that.
Oh come on. I've got nothing at all against trades and would never devalue them.
It's that the government is grinding away at a rare, near unreplacable resource while also offering handouts of our tax dollars to bring in workers. And I'm not saying that's bad, I'm saying pay the oncologists. Losing any solely because they found monetary opportunity elsewhere in Canada is a major fail. Let's not do that.