Alberta minister addresses communication concern over broad-based measles warning

New Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services, Adriana LaGrange, swears the oath of office in Calgary, Alta., Friday, May 16, 2025.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Alberta’s minister for primary health care says a measles warning was issued for an entire county last week after 17 people tested positive for the virus.

Adriana LaGrange says that health officials made the decision to issue a broad alert for Parkland County, west of Edmonton, because they couldn’t confirm details.

“They couldn’t pinpoint it to a specific location or group but just wanted to make sure that people had that awareness,” LaGrange said Monday at an unrelated news conference.

“I spoke with the chief medical officer of health just on Friday and they felt this was the best approach: put it out as bulletin so everybody is aware.”

The advisory left local officials concerned and confused about a lack of communication.

Parkland County Mayor Rod Shaigec said while the advisory was issued late last week, he and his council were never notified.

And as of Monday afternoon, he said his council had still not heard from a government health official.

“There’s been no correspondence from (Alberta Health Services) or the government of Alberta on this,” Shaigec said in an interview.

“I’m a little concerned because of the way this communication was shared and no specific details. We don’t know, you know, has there been an identified outbreak. One would expect there may have been, particularly if it’s Parkland County-wide, but there’s very little information that has been shared other than the notice itself.”

The advisory stated: “All individuals living, working or attending school in, or travelling to, Parkland County are advised to be aware of the current risk for measles disease.”

The advisory, which also encourages locals to get vaccinated, was shared on social media by the City of Spruce Grove, which is adjacent to Parkland County.

The city of Spruce Grove posted on Facebook that it, too, had received no details about the broad advisory for its neighbouring community, and urged citizens to contact Alberta’s health agency.

“We (don’t) have any information further than what has been posted by the Alberta Government,” Jennifer Hetherington, the communications director for Spruce Grove, said in an email.

LaGrange said she has been in touch with the chief medical officer of health about the measles cases, and her department said the same is being done with Spruce Grove.

“We are reaching out to Spruce Grove to make sure they received the information and answer any questions they may have,” health spokesman Tom McMillan said in a statement.

He said the preventative services health branch took over the advisories after Alberta Health Services was dismantled into four agencies.

“While we are continuing the same approaches previously leveraged by AHS, we appreciate stakeholders’ patience as we make this transition as seamless as possible,” McMillan said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 23, 2026.

Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press