Less than 14 per cent of Albertans received the COVID shot during last year's flu season, Smith noted, adding the lack of demand led to large amounts of the vaccines being thrown out or wasted.

Alberta’s premier says the province’s decision to start charging most Albertans $100 for their COVID-19 shot this flu season was prompted by vaccine wastage and Ottawa’s decision to stop funding the program.

While the federal government covered the cost of each province’s COVID-19 immunization program for the first three years after the vaccines were developed, Premier Danielle Smith argued that funding was halted this year.

Recommended Videos

“If the feds aren’t going to give us the dollars to be able to pay for it, we have to find it within our current budget, and so that’s why we want to targ

See Full Page