Corruption Allegations Explained

What we know about possible corruption touching the Premier's office

You may have seen the headlines. If these allegations are true, they are serious. Athana Mentzelopoulos, CEO of Alberta Health Services (AHS), alleged a pattern of sweetheart deals for UCP friends and insiders. The AHS board recommended that Mentzelopoulos review her findings with the Auditor General and, incredibly, refer them to the RCMP.

Soon after this board meeting, she was fired by the government, the AHS board dismissed, and a single health bureaucrat put in charge as acting CEO and sole board member of the multi-billion dollar health care delivery entity.

So what are the allegations?

Mentzelopoulos said that she faced pressure to approve contracts for private surgical centres with fees greater than the cost would be in the public system. Here’s an excerpt of her concerns:

“Throughout 2024, Mentzelopoulos had been repeatedly subject to interference and pressure from various Government of Alberta officials – including the Premier’s then-Chief of Staff, Marshall Smith – to sign off on commitments for the new [Chartered Surgical Facilities], and approve a contract extension for [Alberta Surgical Group], despite significant concerns within AHS around the true ownership and potential costs of the CSFs, and concerns over the significantly increased costs of a proposed new ASG contract,” the Jan. 20 letter alleges.

Source | https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alberta/article-alberta-ousted-health-services-ceo-amid-probe-into-medical-contracts/

So if these allegations are true, it’s incredibly concerning.

Albertans deserve to know the truth. We need an investigation by the Auditor General, by the RCMP, and a full, thorough, and complete public inquiry. So far, Premier Danielle Smith has only offered Albertans an internal review “completed as quickly as possible and delivered to me,” which is not enough. Not by a long shot.

Danielle Smith needs to stop hiding and tell Albertans the truth.