On a provincial level, in 1998 Dr. Kay was named Co-Chair for the Alberta Strategy Working Group to develop a strategic plan for health research for the province to 2010. In 2000, he was asked to serve on the Implementation Committee for the Alberta Health Research Strategy, and three years later became a member of the Alberta Science and Research authority.  In 2003, he was appointed a member of an assessment team which carried out an investigation of the role of provincial research and development funding to the effectiveness of Alberta’s three research intensive universities in the areas of energy, information and communications technology and life science.  

In 1999, Dr. Kay was named Vice President, Research for the Alberta Cancer Board (ACB). He works closely with cancer researchers, government and the private sector to ensure a strong and responsive cancer research infrastructure in Alberta. He has developed five new research initiatives in areas including: palliative care, proteomics and therapeutics, population health, genetic and molecular epidemiology and clinical investigation.  

Earlier this year, the provincial government created a Cancer Legacy Endowment Fund of $500 million to be used for cancer screening and research. Dr. Kay is currently working on the framework for the development of an Alberta cancer research institute to bring provincial researchers together from institutions including the Cross Cancer Institute, the Tom Baker Cancer Centre, the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary.