Interim report for Alberta's investigation into AHS procurement delayed four months
The preliminary report of the Alberta government's investigation into procurement and contracting processes at Alberta Health Services (AHS) will be delayed by four months, and the final report by 3 1/2 months, the province announced Friday.
In January, former Manitoba chief judge of the provincial court Raymond Wyant was appointed to lead the third-party investigation into Alberta's procurement of pharmaceuticals, and the services offered by chartered surgical facilities.
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His interim report was to have been due to government on Friday, but will now be pushed back until Sept. 24, a delay of three months and 26 days.
Similarly, his final report was to have been due on June 30 but will now be completed by Oct. 15, a delay of three months and 16 days, and less than two weeks before MLAs return for the fall sitting of the legislature and five days before municipal elections are held across the province.
Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration Deputy Minister Christopher McPherson selected Wyant to lead the investigation and cited the large number of documents and interviews being reviewed in announcing the delay.
'In consultation with and by the mutual agreement of judge Wyant and the deputy minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction, I have extended the term of the investigation,' he stated in a news release.
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He added that the terms of reference for the investigation remain unchanged. Questions Wyant is considering include if any elected official, government of Alberta or AHS employee acted improperly during the procurement processes.
Wyant's is one of several ongoing investigations into allegations of corruption within procurement practices at AHS that were raised in a $1.7-million wrongful dismissal lawsuit filed by the agency's former head, Athana Mentzelopoulos.
Her allegations have not been tested in court and the government has denied wrongdoing.
Alberta's Office of the Auditor General and the RCMP are also investigating.
Critics, including Opposition New Democrats, have claimed Wyant's review is limited in scope and could be subject to political interference.
Earlier Friday, NDP leader Naheed Nenshi issued a statement calling on the government to release the interim report and reiterating his call for a public inquiry, something the government has so far resisted citing the adequacy of the existing ongoing investigations.
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'Albertans know they can't trust Danielle Smith's government to protect public health care or education, or to stop the rising cost of living caused by her policies,' said Nenshi in a news release.
Nenshi added, 'this was a specific promise to Albertans, it must be kept,' noting Justice Minister Mickey Amery had pledged the report would be available online on May 30 'for everybody to read.'
Former cabinet minister, and current independent MLA, Peter Guthrie has spoken out against Wyant's investigation, saying it lacks the accountability needed to earn the public's trust.
'This review resembles a classic 'Whitewash Report,' seemingly designed to conceal wrongdoing rather than expose it — an approach that risks triggering serious accusations of a coverup,' he wrote in a letter he posted online in April.
mblack@postmedia.com
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