AHS board member resigns in response to premier's plan to replace directors

With the looming threat of firing hanging over their heads, at least one Alberta Health Services board member has resigned.

In a Oct. 7 letter obtained by CBC News, Deborah Apps says she can't stand by waiting for Premier Danielle Smith to act on a promise to replace the 12-member board of directors with a commissioner who will report directly to the health minister and premier.

"I fear that the premier-elect's proposals will further destabilize the workplace environment for all health-care workers, adding more uncertainty when frontline staff and those who work tirelessly to lead and assist them require support and thoughtful oversight," Apps wrote in the letter, dated the day after United Conservative Party members voted Smith their new leader.

Smith, who was sworn in as premier on Oct. 11, has pledged to remove the AHS board for the organization's response to the pandemic.

At a press conference last week, Smith said AHS failed to ensure there were enough health-care workers on the job when it required all employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

In December 2021, AHS put 1,650 unvaccinated employees without valid exemptions on paid leave. The organization employs 121,000 people.

AHS expected 750 employees to return in March when it lifted the vaccine mandate.

Last week, Smith also said AHS failed to respond to government direction in spring 2020 to vastly increase the number of intensive care unit beds available.

"In a business, when they fail to meet targets and they fail to meet direction, you change the management," Smith said.

Smith told reporters there would be a new governance structure in place within 90 days.

In response to emailed questions, Smith's press secretary, Rebecca Polak, didn't clarify whether the premier is looking at replacing just the board or senior administrators too.

Appointing an administrator to replace the board will allow for rapid decision making, Polak said.

The plan has left health-system experts baffled by the purpose of replacing a board whose members were appointed by the UCP government and have little involvement in daily decision making.

Former Alberta Party leader and once Progressive Conservative health minister Stephen Mandel sat on the board from September 2019 to September 2021.