The recent closures of Gateway Medical Clinic on Calgary Trail and 38th Avenue in south Edmonton, affecting over 7000 patients, are two such locations, as doctors claim they “can’t afford the rent on the building.”

“There’s not enough family doctors in order to meet the demand of Albertans, and then on top of that, costs have been rising much faster than reimbursement has,” said Wayne Samuels, the general manager of Medicentres Canada.

Family clinics function like small businesses, where the pr