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Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services, Adriana LaGrange, made the announcement at the Sylvan Lake Community Health Centre, alongside Interim Chief Executive Officer of Acute Care Alberta Dr. Sayeh Zielke, Sylvan Lake Mayor Megan Hanson, and MLA for Innisfail-Sylvan Lake Devin Dreeshen.
By Ian Gustafson
$39 million investment

Nine new urgent care centres announced across Alberta

Nov 9, 2026 | 2:55 PM

On Monday, the Government of Alberta announced it’s investing $39 million over the next three years that will support planning and land acquisition for nine new urgent care centres across the province.

The communities include in Sylvan Lake, west and south Edmonton, the Stony Plain-Spruce Grove area, east Calgary, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Cold Lake, and Fort McMurray.

Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services, Adriana LaGrange, made the announcement at the Sylvan Lake Community Health Centre, alongside Interim Chief Executive Officer of Acute Care Alberta Dr. Sayeh Zielke, Sylvan Lake Mayor Megan Hanson, and MLA for Innisfail-Sylvan Lake Devin Dreeshen.

According to the Government of Alberta, the new facilities will add to the province’s urgent care network from six centres to 15.

They say it will also boost urgent care capacity by 150 per cent and divert up to 300,000 hospital emergency department visits a year.

LaGrange, who’s also the MLA for Red Deer-North, said that as communities grow, so do the services that families rely on.

“If your child needs stitches after a fall or you think you’ve broken a bone, you shouldn’t have to drive down the highway just to get help. Not every health concern requires a trip to the emergency room,” LaGrange said. “Every Albertan deserves access to timely, high-quality care close to home, regardless of their postal code.”

LaGrange said Alberta’s emergency departments see over two million patient visits annually and over one-third of those visits could be handled in an urgent care centre instead.

She said these new facilities will allow residents to be attended to earlier and also take pressure off hospitals.

When asked when residents can expect the new urgent care centres to be built, she said it depends on when land is acquired for each project. Planning also has to be completed.

“My hope for all the urgent care centres is that from the start of shovels in the ground, we would see them up and running within three years,” LaGrange said. “That depends on infrastructure and how quickly we can bend, get the materials to build, and the labour force.

“In some municipalities, I think it’ll be a little quicker. In others, it might take a little bit longer, but the anticipation is we are going to move as quickly as possible on all nine of these sites. There will be more to come as we build this out further.”

Dr. Zielke said it’s a very exciting day and she’s encouraged by what this means for patients and families in Alberta.

She explained that for families, this provides them with another option when something unexpected happens.

“The investment of nine urgent care centres in our province fits directly into the work Acure Care Alberta has been needing to improve patient flow and reduce emergency department congestion,” Zielke said. “I’m also proud this is a part of a broader system change and, of course, an addition to the recent Triage Liaison Physician program that we have [started] in the province over the last few weeks.”

This expansion is part of Alberta’s broader efforts to build a stronger, more accessible health system. By bringing more urgent care options to communities across the province, Alberta’s government is helping reduce pressure on emergency departments and ensuring patients can get the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

Quick facts

  • Urgent care centres provide walk-in access for unexpected, non-life-threatening health concerns that require same-day treatment.
  • Specific site information will be released as land acquisition is finalized and planning is completed.
  • Budget 2026 includes $39 million in new funding over three years for planning and land acquisition for the nine urgent care centres.
    • Budget 2025 included $15 million to support planning for urgent care centres.
  • On average, an urgent care centre in Alberta provides care to approximately 30-33,000 patients annually. 

by Ian Gustafson