Barb Beveridge

I think we need to have a conversation about the media’s willingness to lower its bar based on the most extreme shit a politician says, and how it results in the normalization of some pretty heinous stuff. The reaction to Poilievre’s interview on Joe Rogan is an excellent example. Let’s discuss:

Quick fact checks for everyone: Continuing to call it 'AHS' as the main provincial health authority is a real disservice to Alberta's healthcare workers—who now have very little meaningful input into system-wide decisions. Alberta Health Services (AHS) was dismantled as the centralized authority in 2025 under the UCP's restructuring. It's now primarily a hospital service provider/operating entity under contract to Acute Care Alberta (one of four new provincial agencies: Acute Care Alberta for hospitals, Primary Care Alberta, Recovery Alberta for mental health/addiction, and Assisted Living Alberta for continuing care). Key timeline: January 8, 2025: UCP fired AHS CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos amid controversy. January 31, 2025: Entire AHS board dismissed (second time since Danielle Smith became premier) and replaced with a single administrator. By late 2025: Full transition to the four sector-specific agencies, with AHS relegated to frontline hospital ops (website still active for services, but governance shifted). This massive overhaul—now with added layers like Health Shared Services for back-office functions—has fragmented decision-making, created more bureaucracy, and sidelined frontline voices in favor of top-down sector silos. Healthcare workers deserve better transparency and real input, not outdated labels that mask the UCP’s cronyism.