This change will improve the quality and consistency of lab service and result in significant cost savings to reinvest in the health system. A new service agreement with Alberta Health Services, DynaLIFE and Alberta Precision Laboratories was finalized on June 1, enabling this last stage in the transition.

“Partnering with DynaLIFE is an innovative solution that will advance laboratory medicine over the long term and build on the success of our current lab system, which is recognized as one of the best in North America. This agreement expands capacity and saves Albertans money while securing the existing jobs of all our lab workers.”

Jason Copping, Minister of Health

DynaLIFE was selected through a competitive request for proposals process. The company has provided lab services in Edmonton, central Alberta and several northern Alberta communities for more than 25 years. Contracting lab services and issuing a request for proposals for those services is part of the AHS review implementation plan.

“Contracting high-volume community and non-urgent, routine hospital lab work will allow Alberta Precision Laboratories to focus on serving the laboratory needs of our acute care hospitals, along with the specialized testing, research and innovation that is critical to the future of health care in areas such as genetics and genomics, transfusion and transplantation medicine, molecular pathology and public health testing and surveillance.”

Mauro Chies, interim president and CEO, Alberta Health Services   

“We are excited to bring our world-class testing facilities and patient-centred focus to new Alberta communities, and we look forward to working with Alberta Health Services and Alberta Precision Laboratories on completing much-needed upgrades and expansion of lab facilities in many of Alberta’s largest and fastest-growing cities.”

Jason Pincock, president and CEO, DynaLIFE Medical Labs

About 65 per cent of provincial lab work – about 50 million tests per year – is generated within the community. To meet this need, DynaLIFE Medical Labs will operate patient service centres and mobile collection facilities in urban centres and large rural communities including Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Fort McMurray, Fort Saskatchewan, Grande Prairie, Brooks, Lloydminster, Camrose, Airdrie, Cochrane, Okotoks, Strathmore, Leduc, Sherwood Park, Spruce Grove and St. Albert.

DynaLIFE will upgrade and expand patient service centres in Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Fort McMurray, Leduc, Okotoks, Strathmore and Cochrane, and improvements will be forthcoming at the Calgary and Edmonton hub lab testing facilities.

Alberta Precision Laboratories, a subsidiary of Alberta Health Services, will continue to provide lab services in small rural and remote communities, operate labs in acute care hospitals and offer specialized provincial testing.

“Further contracting community lab service will allow us to be more efficient and make the best use of the limited pool of qualified lab staff we have in the province – in both the public and private sectors – as well as providing much-needed infrastructure investment to expand and support the province’s ever-growing demand for lab testing.”

Tammy Hofer, COO, Alberta Precision Laboratories

DynaLIFE is taking on the existing group of high-performing and talented staff and no job loss will occur. Detailed planning is underway to ensure a smooth transition of staff and service to DynaLIFE with no impact to patients.

Quick facts

  • There are about 80 million lab tests completed in Alberta each year and demand for lab testing grows by about two per cent each year.
  • It is estimated the government will save about $18 million to $36 million per year with this change.
Alberta's Recovery Plan