Avalon Roberts
Encyclopedia
Avalon Roberts, MD is a prominent Alberta healthcare advocate and political activist. She was born in Newfoundland
, has lived in six of Canada's provinces, and has resided in Calgary
since 1980.
Educated at McGill University
in Montreal (B.Sc.N.) and at Dalhousie University
(M.D.), Roberts is a community-practice psychiatrist and former president of the Alberta Psychiatric Association; she has also served as chairwoman of the Calgary and Alberta chapters of Friends of Medicare, a group dedicated to the preservation of public healthcare. Other health-related service includes a period as Director of the Psychiatric Assessment Service (outpatients) at the Calgary General Hospital and Director of the Outpatient Assessment Service (psychiatry) at the Eric Martin Pavilion in Victoria, B.C.
· She has described as "very dangerous" a proposal for private surgery clinics in Alberta
· She has argued that private/public healthcare partnerships would likely result in greater expense and less financial transparency
· During the 2004 Alberta election, she condemned then-premier Ralph Klein for refusing to clarify his health-care plans
· She has criticized Klein’s "Third Way" plan to introduce some private services to the public system
· In 2005, Roberts arranged and presided over a Friends of Medicare symposium in Calgary
· As spokesperson for Friends of Medicare, she denounced the Fraser Institute's report ("How Good is Canadian Health Care?") as an effort to push private, for-profit health care."
A long-standing Liberal Party activist, Roberts campaigned for the Liberal Party of Canada
in the 2004 federal election against Conservative leader Stephen Harper
, finishing second with 9,501 votes. She ran provincially for the Alberta Liberal Party
in the riding of Calgary-Glenmore
in the 2004, 2008, and 2009 elections, finishing 2nd all 3 times.
. She is married to Tom Bowen, and has two adult daughters.
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, has lived in six of Canada's provinces, and has resided in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
since 1980.
Educated at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
in Montreal (B.Sc.N.) and at Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a public research university located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university comprises eleven faculties including Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine. It also includes the faculties of architecture, planning and engineering located at...
(M.D.), Roberts is a community-practice psychiatrist and former president of the Alberta Psychiatric Association; she has also served as chairwoman of the Calgary and Alberta chapters of Friends of Medicare, a group dedicated to the preservation of public healthcare. Other health-related service includes a period as Director of the Psychiatric Assessment Service (outpatients) at the Calgary General Hospital and Director of the Outpatient Assessment Service (psychiatry) at the Eric Martin Pavilion in Victoria, B.C.
Health care activism
A vocal advocate for improved access to medical facilities and decreased waiting time, Roberts has argued that contracting out services to private clinics will likely result in increased costs for Alberta's public health system. She has made multiple public statements on health care:· She has described as "very dangerous" a proposal for private surgery clinics in Alberta
· She has argued that private/public healthcare partnerships would likely result in greater expense and less financial transparency
· During the 2004 Alberta election, she condemned then-premier Ralph Klein for refusing to clarify his health-care plans
· She has criticized Klein’s "Third Way" plan to introduce some private services to the public system
· In 2005, Roberts arranged and presided over a Friends of Medicare symposium in Calgary
· As spokesperson for Friends of Medicare, she denounced the Fraser Institute's report ("How Good is Canadian Health Care?") as an effort to push private, for-profit health care."
Political activism
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
in the 2004 federal election against Conservative leader Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
, finishing second with 9,501 votes. She ran provincially for the Alberta Liberal Party
Alberta Liberal Party
The Alberta Liberal Party is a provincial political party in Alberta, Canada. Originally founded in 1905, when the province was created, it was the dominant political party until 1921 when it was defeated. It has never been in government since that time...
in the riding of Calgary-Glenmore
Calgary-Glenmore
Calgary Glenmore is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada.The electoral riding of Calgary Glenmore is one of two original Calgary ridings of the seven that still survives from the 1959 redistribution of the Calgary riding...
in the 2004, 2008, and 2009 elections, finishing 2nd all 3 times.
Community activism
Roberts has served as a board member for the Calgary French School, and is active in a variety of sports, including skiing, tennis and hiking. An avid outdoorswoman, she is a member of the Weaselhead Society, a non-profit conservation organization dedicated to preserving Calgary’s Weaselhead Special Protection Area and Glenmore Reservoir.Family life
Roberts is the first cousin of former Newfoundland and Labrador Lieutenant Governor Edward RobertsEdward Roberts
-External links:**...
. She is married to Tom Bowen, and has two adult daughters.