As world oil prices and the Canadian dollar slide perilously, Albertans must become more inventive and rigorous in managing our costs -- and our expectations -- especially in high-cost areas like infrastructure, education and health care. Health care is the biggest challenge.

One week before my scheduled operation I was told that I had been bumped for a situation that presented a "higher level of urgency." They had just added almost eight weeks to my wait time for reasons that were opaque, at best, and without logic to me. Why did this happen? In the end, I got no real answers, only rumours about parental leave (nothing sudden or unforeseen about that) and other factors that may or may not have been part of the equation. So, beyond my personal experience, the real question is: Are Canadian wait times for hip replacement justified or could they be shortened?

Wait times have long been a source of concern for Canadians, and in some jurisdictions, remain a significant problem. Recently the Canadian Institutes of Health Information (CIHI) released their report for 2015. There is both encouraging news and areas in need of attention.