Alberta Government Expands Rapid Testing Program

On March 23, 2021, Alberta's provincial government (the "Government") announced the expansion of its rapid testing program (the "Program") to include more public, private and not-for-profit employers and service providers across Alberta. The Program allows eligible employers and service providers to apply to receive free-of-charge rapid testing kits, to be used as part of their COVID-19 screening programs.

Previously, the rapid testing program was made available to specific industries on a priority basis, namely, long-term care facilities, schools, outbreak sites, hospitals, and homeless shelters. Through that earlier rollout, the Government supplied approximately 1.2 million rapid tests to those industries, and this expansion will see at least 2 million rapid tests made available. While the hope appears to be that these tests will be made available to a larger number of industries, the Government will continue to prioritize organizations which work with