Thousands of Albertans lined up to get the H1N1 shot at mass immunization clinics in fall 2009. (CBC)

The Alberta government received a torrent of vitriolic messages from the public last November in the wake of news that the Calgary Flames had a private H1N1 vaccination clinic set up for them, according to hundreds of documents obtained by CBC News.

Alberta Health Services (AHS), which oversees health-care delivery in the province, fired two staffers in November 2009 for allowing members of the hockey team and their relatives to receive the swine flu shot privately while Albertans lined up for hours at mass vaccination clinics.

In letters, calls and emails to the premier's office, MLAs and the health board between Nov. 3, when the news of the Flames vaccinations broke, and Nov. 13, Albertans expressed their anger and called for the resignation or firing of the health minister.

"Failure to do so will only display that … [Premier Ed] Stelmach and the Progressive Conservative Party are no longer fit to lead and govern this province," wrote one Albertan.

The correspondence was released to the CBC in response to a freedom of information request.

"It is obvious the minister of health needs to be sacked. On second thought, you all need to be fired! Hopefully, Albertans will remember this on the next election [day]," said another writer.

Albertans who had to wait for hours at public clinics fumed at news the Calgary Flames received their own private vaccinations. (CBC)

A registered nurse with 25 years' experience wrote to the premier's office: "It really isn't that hard, and if you can't get these immunizations out to every Albertan (and not just egotistical hockey players), perhaps you need to go back to the farm."

The documents also reveal the flurry of emails between officials at Alberta Health Services who conducted an investigation within 48 hours of learning about the Flames clinic. That investigation resulted in the dismissal of two employees.

"I am in shock that this took place," wrote Lori Anderson, AHS vice-president of community and rural health in Calgary, on the first day of the controversy.

The next day, Anderson suspended one of the staffers, who was later fired. At the end of an email informing her superiors of the suspension, she wrote: "I am sick over this."

AHS rushed to save public trust

"We were as surprised and disappointed as the public was, and that's one of the reasons why we acted so quickly," Roman Cooney, an AHS spokesman, said on Monday. "The fundamental question was public trust, and you don't get many issues that are bigger than that."

'This is completely unacceptable and further tarnishes the reputation of Alberta's health system.'— Email to province

Flames officials said at the time that they didn't realize it was unusual to request their own separate vaccination clinic and were simply following the team physician's advice.

A day after the private vaccinations were set up for Flames players, management, staff and their families, the province abruptly suspended its public vaccination clinics because of a vaccine shortage.

"What an incredible lapse in judgment," read one email sent to the AHS. "I'd like to say that I'm surprised, but I'm not."

"In an age when we search for people of integrity for our children to look up to, in my opinion, the [government has] fallen short," said another email received by the premier's office. "Pregnant women and children first? Evidently not.

"This is completely unacceptable and further tarnishes the reputation of Alberta's health system."

With files from the CBC's Kirk Heuser