David Shepherd, NDP Health Critic. (David Shepherd-Facebook)

By Alessia Proietti

NDP says firing could negatively impact Red Deer

Alberta NDP demand UCP let Dr. Yiu speak

Apr 6, 2022 | 5:13 PM

The Alberta NDP are calling on the UCP to release Dr. Yiu from any non-disclosure agreements she may have signed following her sudden firing.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) president and CEO Dr. Verna Yiu was terminated on Tuesday, with the UCP government stating it was time to move forward with plans to “improve and modernize the health system”.

READ: Dr. Verna Yiu leaving AHS as President and CEO

NDP Health Critic David Shepherd wrote to Minister of Health, Jason Copping, and the Board chair of AHS, Gregory Turnbull, on April 5 outlining the request.

The Opposition states that Dr. Yiu’s dismissal comes at the same time as Alberta healthcare faces many challenges, including rising COVID infections, a mounting death toll from drug poisonings, and a chronic rural hospital staffing crisis.

residential mill rate to hold steady

Penhold town council approves final tax rate increases

1h ago

tips to prevent fires

Sylvan Lake urges extra caution as dry conditions push fire risk higher

2h ago

Guest speaker Chad Reyes

Premier Danielle Smith addresses Red Deerians at Christian Mayor's Prayer Breakfast

7h ago

Shepherd told rdnewsNOW that this decision may have significant impact for central Albertans, and in particular Red Deerians, with the decrease in doctors and anesthesiologists at the hospital. He claims this, after speaking with surgeons in the city himself, adding it is predominantly due to the UCP’s decision in 2020 to change existing compensation contracts.

Shepherd calls the government’s decision on Yiu “rushed and unjustified”, adding it further deepens mistrust Albertans have in the UCP.

“As the longest-serving president of AHS, and as a respected physician, Dr. Yiu is an important voice in Alberta healthcare and should be able to freely speak to Albertans if she chooses to.”

Since the inception of AHS under the Conservatives in 2008, Stephen Duckett was its first CEO in spring 2009, leaving in November 2010 after telling a reporter he was too busy eating a cookie to speak. Dr. Chris Eagle filled the spot in 2010 and made a surprise resignation in 2013 for supposed personal reasons. With Dr. Duncan Campbell temporarily acting as CEO in October 2013, he was put back into his original position as Chief Financial Officer the following month. Brenda Huband and Rick Trimp acted as co-CEOs from November 2013 until March 2014 when Vicki Kaminski took the role in May. Citing political interference by the new NDP government in her letter of resignation, Kaminski left in November 2015, to be replaced by Dr. Verna Yiu in the beginning of 2016.

Shepherd said, however, that Albertans have a valid concern to think the UCP will politically interfere in the recruitment process of the new CEO. He referred to Health Minister Tyler Shandro’s direction in 2020 to take down the job posting for the health advocate position in order to hire former UCP executive director Janice Harrington.

“Albertans are going to be rightfully concerned that a board that largely consists of folks that were appointed by the UCP government and have connections with their party, may choose to put someone in place that, yes, may uncritically allow the government to pursue agenda and continue to put their political interest ahead of public health,” he said.

In his letter, Shepherd questions the timing of Yiu’s firing, coming just before Premier Jason Kenney’s leadership review on April 9.

He also says that multiple UCP MLAs have blamed Dr. Yiu and AHS throughout the pandemic. He quotes Shane Getson, MLA for Lac St. Anne-Parkland, who suggested that Dr. Yiu was not earning her salary and failed to properly staff ICU beds.

Public Interest Alberta (PIA), a non-profit organization for education and public interest issues, also said they want to see a fully transparent search process in the hiring of Dr. Yiu’s replacement with publicly-available information. They refer to the Alberta Public Service’s Executive Search process to recruit executive managers and senior officials.

“We can see through the UCP spin of removing Dr. Yiu to pave the way for “modernizing” the health care system,” said Bradley Lafortune, Executive Director of PIA. “We know this is yet another code word for privatization and Americanization. We won’t stand for it, and neither will Albertans.”

Shepherd ended the letter by stating: “If you fail to comply with my request, Albertans will continue to question — and suspect the worst about — the motives behind her sudden dismissal and the longer-term goals of the current UCP government, which seems dead set on dismantling public healthcare.”