First Responder
Alberta’s government asked media to edit or delete our story on Edmonton EMS overtime. We filed access to information requests and fact-checked them instead.
Stats cited by Danielle Smith’s office to kill story on EMS overtime contradicted by government’s own data
By Brett McKay,
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
April 15 2026
Last summer, an IJF investigation revealed that the amount of overtime worked by paramedics in Edmonton had increased by 81 per cent since 2021. The story was republished by several media outlets across Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative.
A day later, staff from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s office and the Ministry of Hospital and Surgical Health Services (HSHS) began messaging reporters and editors, claiming that data had been omitted and asking that the story be rewritten or deleted. At least one news outlet complied with the government’s request.
The IJF filed multiple access to information requests to verify and identify the sources of the statistics on Edmonton EMS overtime, and found that information cited in emails from the premier’s staff doesn’t line up with data from the province’s own health agencies.
Read more at the Investigative Journalism Foundation
