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Health Innovation Roundup
Feb. 11, 2026

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Glenrose and Alberta Innovates fund digital rehab projects for rural stroke recovery

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We notice the Glenrose Hospital Foundation and Alberta Innovates are investing in four digital rehabilitation projects to aid the recovery of stroke survivors who live outside of the city. Each two-year project receives $200,000 from a $2-million funding pool. "All Albertans deserve access to the rehabilitative care they need to recover," Alberta Innovates CEO Mike Mahon said in the announcement. "The funding for this project will help reimagine what rehabilitation can look like for rural Albertans. Together with our partners, we're advancing digital health solutions that improve care for Albertans and position our province as a leader in health technology innovation."

ZerOne — which received $100,000 from the Edmonton Edge Fund and opened a facility at West Edmonton Mall in 2024 — will pair its Athleticare division with Kinetisense and the University of Alberta's Rehabilitation Robotics Lab for the Advancing Virtual Rehabilitation in Rural Clinics project. The project will use AI-powered motion capture for remote movement assessments. The university's rehab robotics lab has also partnered with the Glenrose for the Redesigning Post-Stroke Spasticity Care project. The initiative will use digital tools to assess and manage PSS, a condition where muscles remain contracted following a stroke, to reduce the need for in-person treatment.

The Reaching the Unreached project, between the Glenrose and Vancouver-based Tenzr Health, offers recovery therapy through movement sensors, biofeedback, and real-time clinician monitoring. Finally, the Foothills Medical Centre and Red Iron Labs, both of Calgary, will use immersive virtual reality for post-stroke care at home under the Stroke Recovery with Virtual Reality program.

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  • The Tyee found the Alberta government paid at least $30 million in severance to 150 former Alberta Health employees between 2019 and June 2025, with nearly $10 million paid to 33 people in 2023 alone as Premier Danielle Smith eliminated what she characterized as bloated bureaucracy.
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  • Sturgeon County council has accepted the findings of an independent after-action report that assessed the response to the Redwater Recreation Area wildfire in May 2025, which burned more than 3,200 hectares and forced nearly 80 households to evacuate. The report provided 52 recommendations focused on training, communication, and coordination to strengthen future emergency readiness.
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  • A report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Parkland Institute argues that Alberta's Bill 11 could establish a two-tier healthcare system by allowing physicians to work in both public and private practices. The report suggests this undermines the single-payer nature of public health care and may violate sections of the Canada Health Act. A spokesperson for the miinstry of primary and preventative health services dismissed the report as "a collection of NDP talking points." Meanwhile, a coalition of healthcare advocates has taken to Parliament Hill to protest Bill 11.
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  • Premier Danielle Smith discussed hospital capacity challenges in an interview with Alberta Primetime. Smith announced plans to build 1,500 continuing care units annually for the next 10 years to address alternative level of care patients who remain hospitalized beyond 30 days.
  • Alberta's plan to add physician triage shifts to help address crowded emergency rooms has been delayed while the Alberta Medical Association and government work out details on pay, billing, liability, and paperwork.

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