A Calgary medical clinic’s plan to begin charging a subscription fee for basic health care services was so wildly unpopular that Premier Danielle Smith, who advocated for patients to pay out of pocket for doctor visits as recently as two years ago, put a stop to it. But the clinic’s proposal is part of a broader trend of private interests encroaching on Canada’s proud quasi-public health care system.

The Marda Loop Clinic, located in south-central Calgary, revealed its plan in a letter sent to patients in July. The clinic intends to shift from being a standard publicly insured facility to a membership-based service. This new approach would require patients to pay annual membership fees, granting them access to services for four days each week, while those facing financial constraints would be limited to just one day. The proposed fees ranged from $4,800 for a two-parent family, $2,400 for a single parent, and $2,200 for an individual, with the clinic promising shorter wait times and longer appointments for those who can afford it.

Clinic owner and manager Dr Sally Talbot-Jones cried poor when reached by CBC News for comment. “We’re empathetic people. We want to look after patients. But at the end of the day, the bank doesn’t care that you’re empathetic,” she said, adding that patients offered to pay for expedited access. Talbot-Jones’s portrayal of a financially struggling business contrasts with her participation in a promotional video for a Porsche dealership, where she boasted about how much she loves her luxury car. After this author linked to the YouTube video on Twitter/X, it mysteriously went private.