South Edmonton residents welcome urgent care centre but continue to push for hospital

Floyd Brenz., Philippine Canadian Inquirer
November 11, 2026

Photo Courtesy: CBC News

Residents and local officials in southwest Edmonton are welcoming plans for a new urgent care centre, but say the growing community still needs a full-service hospital to address long-standing gaps in health-care access.

Ward pihêsiwin Coun. Mike Elliott said residents regularly complain about traffic congestion and the long journeys required to reach the nearest hospital. For people living in communities such as Ambleside and Windermere, the drive can take as long as 40 minutes.

Elliott described the planned urgent care facility as a positive development but said a new hospital remains a priority for the area.

The provincial government has identified south Edmonton as a potential location for one of nine new urgent care centres. These facilities are intended to handle non-life-threatening conditions, including minor fractures and wounds requiring stitches.

However, University of Calgary health economics professor Dr. Braden Manns cautioned that urgent care centres cannot replace hospital emergency departments or the need for additional hospital beds.

The debate comes after Alberta’s United Conservative Party government put the proposed South Edmonton Hospital on hold in 2024. The previous NDP government had announced the project in 2017, with plans for a health campus featuring between 350 and 500 beds in the Heritage Valley area.

Instead, the province plans to add two patient towers to existing hospitals: one at Grey Nuns Community Hospital in Mill Woods and another at Misericordia Community Hospital in west Edmonton. Each tower is expected to provide about 350 acute care beds.

The government maintains that urgent care centres and hospital expansions are separate initiatives aimed at improving access to treatment. It estimates that around 30 per cent of patients currently visiting emergency rooms could be treated at urgent care facilities, potentially diverting 300,000 visits annually.

But Danielle Larivee, first vice-president of the United Nurses of Alberta, questioned whether the strategy would significantly reduce hospital congestion. She said many patients occupying emergency departments are waiting to be admitted to hospital beds, rather than seeking treatment for minor conditions.

Manns also emphasized that the province must secure funding and develop a workforce plan to ensure the new facilities can be properly staffed. The government has set aside $39 million for planning and land acquisition for the nine urgent care centres, but construction funding has not yet been budgeted.

Meanwhile, Ward Karhiio Coun. Jon Morgan said residents in Heritage Valley have waited years for a hospital, with some families choosing their homes near the site because they expected the facility to be built.

Although he welcomed the urgent care proposal, Morgan said the community continues to hope the province will reconsider a full hospital as its population grows and demand for health services increases.