Alberta Premier Danielle Smith speaks during a press conference in Edmonton on May 6. Smith, who became leader of the UCP largely because of her skepticism of COVID vaccines, has said her new policy forcing many to pay for COVID vaccination is about focusing on who needs it the most.JASON FRANSON/The Canadian Press
Calgarian Emi Bossio, who has been battling lung cancer for six years, spent nine days in intensive care last summer after falling ill with COVID-19. She suffered a pulmonary embolism and had pneumonia in both lungs.
“I came really close to dying,” she said.
Ms. Bossio, a 53-year-old mother of two, said it was a terrifying experience, one she’s afraid could happen again because of Alberta’s new COVID-19 vaccine program, which she says is putting her and other vulnerable people at increased risk.
Alberta will be the only province in the country to charge most residents to get a COVID-19 vaccine during the 2025-26 respiratory virus season. The vaccine rollout will happen in four phases, beginning with high-risk groups identified by the province. And only public-health centres, not pharmacies, will administer shots.
The province will cover the cost of vaccinations for seniors who are in care homes or receiving home care, immunocompromised individuals - such as Ms. Bossio - and people on social programs, such as Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped. But all other Albertans, including health care workers and most seniors, will have to pay out of pocket.
Alberta begins taking orders for paid COVID-19 shots
The government has not said how much the shot will cost but has pointed to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate of $110 per dose.
Part of Ms. Bossio’s fear is that she is now unable to get a COVID-19 booster until October, despite her oncologist’s recommendation to do so this month because of upcoming travel plans and chemotherapy treatment.
She had her last COVID-19 vaccine in June, 2024, but owing to multiple hospital stays and her chemotherapy schedule, she had been too weak to get another shot until recently, she explained.
The province is no longer offering COVID-19 shots until next season, which residents have been asked to pre-order through a booking system that opened last Monday; some other provinces are still offering vaccines.
Ms. Bossio is also concerned that health care workers, such as those who administer her chemotherapy, will opt not be vaccinated. Additionally, she’s worried the program will deter the broader population from getting immunized, putting her at greater risk in public settings.
Emi BossioSupplied
She said the United Conservative Party government is playing politics. “It’s irresponsible for a government to behave in this way ... to jeopardize the lives of the most vulnerable people just for political gain.”
The policy shift in Alberta, which goes against the national immunization guidelines for COVID-19, has come under intense scrutiny from public-health experts, health care unions and the opposition New Democratic Party. The UCP government has been criticized for being anti-science and putting Albertans needlessly at risk.
Premier Danielle Smith became leader of the UCP in 2022 largely because of her opposition to COVID-19 restrictions and skepticism of COVID-19 vaccines – issues that laid the foundation for her government’s overhaul of the provincial health system. In January, she defended a report on Alberta’s pandemic response that recommended the use of COVID-19 vaccines be halted.
Alberta doctors association raises concerns over Smith’s move to limit free COVID vaccines
Danielle Smith defends policy requiring Albertans to pay out of pocket for COVID vaccines
Canada procured two vaccines for the 2024-25 respiratory virus system: the Moderna Spikevax KP.2 vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. While the Moderna supply expired on June 30, the Pfizer vaccine will expire next February or when an updated strain is approved.
It is up to individual provinces and territories whether to continue to offer the remaining vaccines over the summer until the updated formulations are available, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. For example, vaccines are still available in British Columbia for individuals who need a booster for medical treatment or at the direction of a health care provider.
The province, which has defended its approach as a way to minimize waste, has ordered 485,000 COVID-19 doses for the 2025-26 season. Alberta said 54 per cent of the province’s COVID-19 inventory – roughly one million bottles – were discarded in the 2023-24 season.
Critics of the provincial plan are worried there won’t be enough vaccine to go around. Provincial data show 739,091 COVID-19 doses were administered during the 2024-25 season and 855,938 the year prior. The vast majority were dispensed at pharmacies.
Alberta health care union calls on government to halt plan to limit free vaccines
Maddison McKee, press secretary to Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services, said in a statement that the fall immunization plan is still being finalized, including the updated schedule, clinic locations and administrative fees.
“This targeted approach follows the federal government’s decision to stop providing COVID-19 immunizations, requiring Alberta to manage procurement directly,” she said, adding that Albertans are not required to pre-order to get immunized against COVID-19.
Shelley Duggan, president of the Alberta Medical Association, said the new program is creating unnecessary barriers to vaccination when rates are already low, and not just for COVID-19. The province’s continuing measles outbreak - the worst of its kind in North America - has been attributed to lower childhood vaccination rates.
“The way that you improve vaccination uptake is you certainly make it easy to obtain a vaccine. You make it accessible. You don’t charge for it,” said Dr. Duggan. “Alberta seems to be on its own again in what it’s doing – and I can tell you that this policy has not been informed by our public-health experts.”
Alberta, when it first announced the change in June, referenced the U.S. government’s highly criticized decision to stop recommending COVID-19 vaccines for healthy pregnant women and children.
This is contrary to recommendations by Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization, which considers this group at higher risk for infection and complications. NACI also strongly recommends adults 65 and over, health care workers as well as Indigenous and racialized people get vaccinated.
NACI recommends that everyone else may receive an annual vaccine.