Alberta Court of Appeal rules against Alberta Medical Association in fee dispute

EDMONTON – The Alberta Medical Association has lost a legal round in its ongoing dispute with the provincial government over fees for doctors.

The Alberta Court of Appeal has upheld a ruling that rejected the association’s request to send the fee dispute to binding arbitration.

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Justice Myra Bielby says the association failed to prove that the old deal which expired last year allowed for a new deal to be reached through arbitration.

The association and the government are expected to resume formal contract talks with the help of a mediator early in the new year.

In November, the government imposed a four-year, $463-million wage package on physicians after months of talks.

Health Minister Fred Horne has said the association needs to understand that there is a limit to what the government can afford to spend on physicians.