Alberta's queue jumping inquiry gets underway

The inquiry into queue jumping in Alberta's health-care system starts today in Edmonton.

Retired Judge John Vertes will head the inquiry and will determine if some Albertans are being allowed to leapfrog to the top of waiting lists for medical procedures and, if so, to recommend what can be done to stop it.

The inquiry starts this morning at 9:30 a.m. at the Shaw Conference Centre and is expected to last for two weeks before moving to Calgary in January.

Vertes must submit his report to Speaker Gene Zwozdesky no later than April 30.

Redford ordered the inquiry in February after a report by the Alberta Health Quality Council on problems with the province's $16-billion health-care system.