Alberta health cards now expire, leaving registries overwhelmed and some Calgarians unable to renew

Alberta's decision to issue health cards with expiry dates has left registry offices swamped and some Calgarians unable to renew their ID.

The shift took effect in July as part of broader updates to provincial ID requirements. The change requires residents to update their health cards on a cycle, similar to systems already in place in Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec. But the sudden demand has caught both registry staff and residents off guard.

Warren Fields tried the Crowfoot registry earlier this week and waited 45 minutes. He headed downtown hoping for a shorter line, but when he saw the queue at the central office, he left. "I can't stand in a lineup for that; it almost killed me two weeks ago," he said, explaining he has a detached hamstring and can't manage extended waits. "I'm now going home."

Registries across Calgary have seen similar congestion since the changes rolled out. Critics say the province needs safeguards to prevent vulnerable residents from losing coverage if their card lapses.

Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare, raised concerns about elderly residents, those living in care homes, and people without fixed addresses. "We're very concerned about what it means for people who are more vulnerable who may not have documentation or who may not have a fixed address at different times," he said. "We should figure out a system that works so that they could proactively renew."

The province says many Albertans will have renewal cycles of up to five years, and those with integrated driver's licences or ID cards will see their health-card expiry dates align with those documents. Officials also say Albertans will receive advance notice before expiry, and anyone whose coverage is cancelled will have up to a year to reinstate it with reimbursement available.

At a press conference, opposition NDP leader Naheed Nenshi questioned the government's rationale. He said the issue of outdated health numbers stems from a lack of past procedures, not a need for expiry dates. "They claim there are far more people with health care numbers than there are that live in Alberta, but the reason for that is they never had a system to take them off when they die," he said.