Province, doctors search for facilitator in negotiations

The Alberta Medical Association and the province are — once again — attempting to give negotiations another shot with the help of a facilitator to navigate the stormy dispute.

“The two sides will agree on a facilitator as soon as possible with a goal of developing an agreed upon facilitated process by the end of this month,” said Bart Johnson, Health Minister Fred Horne’s press secretary. They’re now aiming to finalize a settlement by Feb. 28, he added.

The AMA and the minister have waged a high-profile contract battle in recent months, with the dispute deepening in November when Horne imposed a new deal on physicians.

The deal was worth $463 million over four years, including a lumpsum 2.5-per-cent-payment and cost of living allowance for the next three years.

But it infuriated doctors, who fear the minister will also put in place wide-ranging fee code changes that could cut specialists’ incomes, and who say it takes away the AMA’s right to speak for physicians in the health-care system.

The province’s doctors haven’t had a contract for more than 20 months. Plans to resume talks with a facilitator were abruptly called off by the AMA early last week, as the association contended Horne refused to come to the table without pre-set conditions.

Meanwhile, the AMA said doctors had begun weighing options for job action, even as it launched a new ad campaign accusing the government of “misleading” doctors in the lead-up to last spring’s provincial election.

In a statement Monday, the AMA confirmed there have been “discussions about getting back to the table. That includes involving a facilitator and setting deadlines for establishing a negotiations process and reaching an agreement.”

“It is our understanding that all matters will be on the table and are not restricted to the provisions of the November 16 letter from the minister to the AMA as a framework for negotiations,” the statement said.

Johnson said Horne has made it clear he prefers a negotiated agreement in setting a new contract.

Calgary Herald/files Health Minister Fred Horne has been locked in a tense conflict with the Alberta Medical Association over a new contract for doctors.