Last week from AB: February 10, 2025

Waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Alberta

Danielle wants to be clear, it’s defamatory to suggest she “was involved in any wrongdoing”

However, the statement doesn’t specifically say she didn’t know about it, and it also doesn’t say she isn’t trying to do her damnedest to cover it up.

It’s $600 million worth of some allegedly questionable contracts to one dude.

And near as I can tell, he’s nothing more than a middle-man. He’s not personally providing services. He’s not producing any of the products that the contracts are for. But he’s sitting on a lot of money that belongs to Albertans.

Smith is also demanding more investigations because she had everyone who knew about it fired.

One would think she could just reach out to the CEO she had fired, and the board she had fired, or two of the three Deputy Ministers who were on the board but presumably still have jobs, or the third Deputy Minister who is now also President and CEO of AHS, and just ask rather than start from scratch.

It looks to me as if Danielle Smith doesn’t want answers as much as she wants to put some space and time between herself and this story.

Alleged corruption and political interference in an arm’s-length institution that has been politically interfered with — as a stated goal of her leadership campaign promises — since Danielle Smith became Premier.

Short and sweet:

Allegations, as reported by the Globe and Mail (a Canadian-owned publication), based on a letter to AHS from now former AHS CEO Athana Mentzelopolous’ legal representation:

• A cover-up of corruption and political interference regarding Alberta Health Services procurement and contract processes, including pressure from government to increase pay rates for some private surgery clinics.

• Mentzelopolous said that she delivered initial findings to the AHS board on December 19, and that advice from the board (which included three Deputy Ministers, one of whom was Alberta Health’s Andre Tremblay), at that time was to involve RCMP.

• Four days later, on December 23, Mentzelopolous says she was asked to wrap up the investigation and hand over all files to the government.

• Mentzelopolous claims she was to meet with Auditor General two days after she was fired, over Zoom, by Deputy Minister Andre Tremblay.

What definitely happened after Danielle Smith became Premier in 2022:

• November 14, 2022: Chief Medical Officer of Health Deena Hinshaw fired, as promised by Smith in her campaign for leadership of the UCP.

• November 17, 2022: AHS board fired, Dr. John Cowell appointed as Administrator and direct report to the Health Minister, as promised by Smith in her campaign for leadership of the UCP.

• November 22: former board member writes open letter to Albertans

• March 20, 2023: Mauro Chies, who had been interim CEO since Dr. Verna Yu was fired in April of 2022, became the “permanent” President and CEO. Dr. Cowell said “the decision was made with ‘others’,” as there was no AHS board.

• June 22, 2023: Dr. Deena Hinshaw’s employment offer with Indigenous Wellness Core (IWC), is rescinded after she was hired in May by the team at IWC, and the medical team lead resigned in protest of UCP overreach. Smith denied involvement.

  

  From the site formerly known as Twitter

• November 8, 2023: New board appointed to AHS, including Deputy Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Evan Romanow, Deputy Minister of Health Andre Tremblay, and Deputy Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services Cynthia Farmer, and former PC Minister Dr. Lyle Oberg

• November 16, 2023: New board axes six senior leadership roles in AHS, including Mauro Chies, Dr. François Bélanger, vice-president of quality and chief medical officer, and Colleen Purdy, vice-president of corporate services and chief financial officer, Tina Giesbrecht, the general counsel and corporate secretary, Geoffrey Pradella, the chief strategy officer, and Dean Olmstead, the chief program officer of capital management.

• December 7, 2023: Athana Mentzelopolous announced as President and CEO effective December 11.

• January 8, 2025: Mentzelopolous fired.

• January 31, 2025: AHS Board fired, former member Deputy Minister of Health Andre Tremblay, becomes President and CEO — in addition to his Deputy Minister role.

• February 5, 2025: Carrie Tait of the Globe and Mail drops contents of Mentzelopolous’ letter, flurry of activity follows

• February 6, 2025: Official Opposition responds, more added to original Globe and Mail story.

• February 8, 2025: Danielle Smith (or her communications team via her lawyers) posts statement on social media, denies involvement in wrongdoing, but not knowledge of, nor covering up said wrongdoing. Details, details.

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