Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says her government is considering adding a health premium for temporary residents to help combat the high cost of care. Smith made the comments during a sit-down chat with Deborah Yedlin, president and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. She said the premium comes in because there’s a difference between a person who comes to Canada to seek permanent residency and those who are here on a temporary basis. “If there is somebody who has made a commitment to be an Albertan and a Canadian for a lifetime as a permanent resident, they’re going to be a lifetime taxpayer. They are entitled to the same programs as everybody else as a citizen,” she said. “But if somebody is here temporarily, they should really pay their own way.” Smith cited examples in the U.K., which charge immigrants between $1,400 and $1,900 for health-care premiums before they can enter that country. Immigrants pay thousands more for their children to access education. Smith suggested Alberta could be looking at a $1,900 per worker premium. “Is that $1,900 fee going to make or break your business? If it is, you’re probably hiring into a low-skill profession and we want those low-skill jobs to go to youth employment. We have a 15 to 16 per cent youth unemployment rate and we want those kids to get their first chance,” she said. “I want the business community to work with us to make sure that our young people get those opportunities.” If employers are looking for high-skill workers, Smith said the situation would be different. “If that’s a make-or-break, I’d have to be persuaded of that.” The premier also said the whole issue is about striking a balance between everyone. “That’s the balance we’re trying to get — let’s get back to economic migration, let’s give the priority to the province to make sure that they’re selecting them, a clear pathway from temporary residents to permanent citizenship and let’s be sure we’re working with the business community to meet their needs.” Smith said Alberta’s population has fluctuated over the past five years, but it’s experiencing a recent surge. “In the past five years, we’ve had 600,000 people move to Alberta — that’s the equivalent of a city half the size of Calgary coming here in five years,” she said. “Post-2022, after COVID, we had our school boards talking about how they were going to close student spaces because we had out-migration to such an extent that the Calgary Board of Education needed 14,000 fewer spaces. “That’s what I inherited when I came in.” In 2026, Smith said the situation is a lot different, with an estimated 90,000 more students needing seats in schools. “You can only build schools so fast — it takes time to do. You can only build hospitals so fast. A wellness centre that I just announced takes about four years. A full-service hospital takes about 10 years,” she said.
