Albertans in limbo as wildfire evacuations drag on; firefighters tackle mental health; and the crisis at Red Deer’s stretched hospital
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The Current comes to you live from Alberta, where thousands of people have fled the wildfires threatening their homes and communities. Matt Galloway talks to those in temporary shelter, left in limbo as the fires drag on; and author Edward Struzik discusses the climate conditions that are fuelling the catastrophe.
Then, Lorne Miller is confident his cancer was linked to his work as a firefighter — and he’s pleased that Alberta has now expanded workplace compensation coverage for the disease. We talk to Miller and Aaron Bowers, another firefighter in the province, about the strains of their work and how they’ve gotten better at talking about mental health.
And services are stretched razor-thin at the hospital in Red Deer, Alta., with an upgraded facility promised for 2030. But with a provincial election looming, locals say they can’t wait that long. They tell us why a transition plan is needed to ensure patients get the care they need.