Grande Prairie council is hopeful the latest pay raise for nurses in Alberta will mean more medical professionals making their way to the city.
Grande Prairie Deputy Mayor Chris Thiessen says that with the pay raise, more nurses both new and current may be more eager to come and work in the region, while improving the reliability for the local healthcare system. He adds one of council’s priorities is helping to build and sustain a healthcare system that is trusted by those who use it.
“Knowing and understanding that you have the proper healthcare in any community is going to be not only a way for people to say- ‘hey I want to stay here, because I know what I got here its secure, its safe and the health care is great’ but it also encourages other people,” Thiessen adds.
The deal between the province and the United Nurses of Alberta will was ratified on April 3rd, 2025. The deal will see all affected UNA members expect to see an immediate pay increase of up to 15 per cent, an overall increase of around 20 percent, and annual pay increases of 3 per cent, retroactive to April 1st, 2024.
When it comes to “why should nurses choose Grande Prairie?”, Deputy Mayor Thiessen says Swan City is the “city of the future” and there is “no better place” for nurses to come to.
“What better place for health care professionals to come to than Alberta and what better place in Alberta than right here in the north,” he says. “[So] why should a nurse land here well- there is no better place.”
The recently ratified deal makes nurses in Alberta the highest paid in the country.
With files from Thomas Robertson, Vista Radio Alberta.
