Latest news with #Mentzelopoulos
Calgary Herald
15-05-2025
- Health
- Calgary Herald
Alberta premier's ex-chief of staff sues former AHS CEO, newspaper over health contracting corruption allegations
Article content Premier Danielle Smith's former chief of staff has jumped into the fray over allegations of corruption in health care procurement, filing a $12-million lawsuit against ex-Alberta Health Services CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos and the Globe and Mail for what he claims are defamatory statements. Article content Article content Marshall Smith (no relation to the premier) filed a statement of claim in Edmonton Court of King's Bench Wednesday against the Globe, Mentzelopoulos and an unidentified person Smith claims is a former member of the AHS board of directors. Article content Article content While not a defendant in Mentzelopoulos's bombshell lawsuit, which alleges she was wrongfully dismissed for investigating alleged corruption in health-care contracting, Smith claims Mentzelopoulos and the Globe have portrayed him 'in the worst possible light.' Article content Article content 'The damage to Smith's professional reputation caused by Mentzelopoulos has resulted in Smith suffering emotional distress, stress, depression, anxiety, embarrassment, loss of reputation, humiliation and an inability to secure work in his chosen profession,' the statement of claim reads. Article content As someone who is not a party to Mentzelopoulos's initial lawsuit, her allegations about him are 'gratuitous, irrelevant and are unnecessary,' the claim adds. Article content 'Smith is not afforded the opportunity to respond to these false statements or to provide a statement of defence denying and responding to such false statements.' Article content Smith, who stepped down as the premier's chief of staff last fall after a tenure which often saw him as the public face of Alberta's addictions treatment policies, accused the defendants of inaccurately painting him as a 'corrupt' 'bully' who engaged in criminal activity. Article content Article content The claim calls the allegations against Smith 'malicious in nature and advanced in an attempt to knowingly bolster (Mentzelopoulos's) false narrative that she was terminated from AHS because she was investigating wrongdoing in respect of AHS's procurement of chartered surgical facilities.' Article content Article content Statements of claim contain allegations that have not been proven in court. Article content AHS and Health Minister Adriana LaGrange have denied wrongdoing, alleging in a statement of defence that Mentzelopoulos was incompetent and had become distracted by investigations they say had produced no results, at the expense of critical health-care reforms.
Calgary Herald
09-05-2025
- Health
- Calgary Herald
Lorne Gunter: Alberta NDP also has ties to company at centre of health-care controversy
Hmm. Curious. Article content Article content I remember being a little surprised by the NDP's over-the-top reaction to allegations levelled against the UCP government by former Alberta Health Services (AHS) CEO, Athana Mentzelopoulos, in a lawsuit she brought against the government back in February. Article content Mentzelopoulos's allegations were serious but unproven. She claimed she was wrongfully dismissed by the government of Premier Danielle Smith earlier this year because she was about to investigate the possibility that UCP politicians and government officials were engaged in wide-ranging corruption, including overpaying for surgeries in private surgical clinics and paying full price ($75 million), upfront, for millions of bottles of Turkish Tylenol during the 2022 North American shortage of painkillers, especially for children. Article content Article content New Democratic Leader Naheed Nenshi immediately went ballistic. Based on nothing more than sensational claims levelled by one side in a contentious lawsuit, Nenshi insisted Mentzelopoulos's assertions were 'the most shocking allegations that I have ever seen.' Article content Article content Now here's what's curious: Mraiche and MHCare likely had equally strong ties to the NDP, both while the New Democrats were in office and afterwards. Article content Article content Sources have provided Postmedia with photographs of Mraiche and senior NDP ministers when they were in government, as well as after they lost to the UCP in 2019. The photos appear to show a very close personal connection to the NDP, particularly former Premier Rachel Notley and former Education Minister David Eggen — every bit as close as the UCP ties Nenshi descried as 'very, very strong.' Article content Article content As MHCare pointed out in an eight-page letter sent April 8 to Jobs, Economy and Trade Deputy Minister Christopher McPherson — a copy of which has also been obtained by Postmedia — over the years, the company has carried out several successful contracts for the provincial health service. Its contracts have always been made directly with AHS, not with the government of the day. Article content There are photos of Notley and Eggen at a private party at Mraiche's home while both were still in government and a photo of Notley with her husband, union organizer Lou Arab, at Mraiche's home nearly two years after the NDP left office.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Acute Care Alberta extends contract with private surgery clinic at centre of conflict of interest probes
The Alberta agency overseeing acute care has granted a six-month contract extension to a private surgical clinic whose previous provincial government contracts are the subject of several ongoing probes. In a $1.7-million wrongful dismissal lawsuit filed in February, ousted former AHS CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos alleges she received political pressure to renew contracts with chartered surgical facilities (CSFs) that she believed were overpriced. Her lawsuit alleges she had been fired after launching an investigation into various contracts with links to government officials. Alberta's auditor general, Alberta Health Services (AHS) and a retired Manitoba judge appointed by the province are among the agencies investigating the province's health procurement and contracting processes. Mentzelopoulos raised concerns about several issues with different contracts, including a orthopedic surgery contract signed with an Edmonton-based company, Alberta Surgical Group (ASG). She alleges AHS was paying higher rates per procedure compared to other vendors. Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange and AHS have filed statements of defence in the Court of King's Bench, denying the allegations. They said Mentzelopoulos was fixated on suspicions of wrongdoing, and standing in the way of the government's plan to restructure Alberta's health system. Mentzelopoulos has refuted these claims. Neither Alberta Surgical Group, nor any of the company's owners, responded to requests for comment about the contract extension on Wednesday. The company has previously denied any conflicts or wrongdoing. Health minister says Edmonton needs surgical capacity When the allegations became public in February, an AHS spokesperson said the authority had paused the awarding of surgical contracts under review, then later clarified that the pause was limited to "new surgical contracts." ASG was under contract from November 1, 2022, to April 30, 2025, to perform orthopedic surgeries in the Edmonton area. The maximum value of the contract for the entire time period is listed at about $70.5 million, but details of each procedure's cost are redacted from the publicly posted agreement. Alberta Surgical Group has a private surgical clinic in Heritage Valley, on Edmonton's south side. It has contracts with public health agencies to perform publicly funded orthopedic and ear, nose and throat surgeries. (Jamie McCannel/CBC) On April 1, the government transferred the authority to sign surgical contracts over to the new Acute Care Alberta agency, which will be responsible for overseeing hospital-based care and CSFs in the province. On Monday, LaGrange's press secretary said Acute Care Alberta had extended ASG's contract for six months. In the legislature on Tuesday, Premier Danielle Smith said the many ongoing investigations had delayed the startup of a new private surgical centre scheduled to open on the Enoch Cree Nation, just west of Edmonton. "We're not going to cancel thousands of surgeries for hip and knee replacements," she said. LaGrange told reporters Wednesday the Enoch facility had already won a bid to provide surgeries in the Edmonton area once it was up and running, which it is expected to be in 2026. Her press secretary said in a statement that extending the contract with ASG for six months gives Acute Care Alberta time to finish contract negotiations with Enoch, and allows retired Manitoba Justice Raymond Wyant's government-ordered investigation to conclude. LaGrange said Wednesday the province needs to keep thousands of surgeries going at ASG to tackle the long wait times for orthopedic procedures. "While we are completing over 60 per cent [of surgeries] in clinically approved times, we want that number to get to 100 per cent," she said. Cost of contract extension not public The details of the contract aren't yet public. Alberta Health Services has posted copies of previous CSF contracts online, including details such as the estimated total cost, and the maximum cost the vendor can charge for services. Neither LaGrange nor Acute Care Alberta would say how much the contract is for, the cost per procedure, or the volume and type of procedures ASG is expected to perform. Acute Care Alberta spokesperson Holly Budd said a version of the contract will be posted publicly once it is "fully executed." LaGrange said Alberta is moving to a health funding model where service providers are paid based on the volume of work they do partly to shed more light on the cost of care. NDP health critic Sarah Hoffman told reporters Wednesday it is "completely inappropriate" for a provincial agency to extend a contract with ASG while so many related investigations are underway. Hoffman said health agencies had time to formulate a backup plan to provide surgeries elsewhere. "We have hospital operating rooms that aren't working full capacity. They could staff up and properly move forward with public health care, but they're choosing to continue full speed ahead at privatization, and that's wrong," she said. While criticizing public hospitals' ability to complete more surgeries, the government has also made it more difficult for AHS to do procedures, Hoffman said, including an unwillingness to pay for overnight coverage for patients to have joint replacement surgeries at the Royal Alexandra Hospital's Orthopedic Surgical Centre. Keeping secret the details of the contracts also fosters public distrust, Hoffman said.
CBC
01-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Acute Care Alberta extends contract with private surgery clinic at centre of conflict of interest probes
The Alberta agency overseeing acute care has granted a six-month contract extension to a private surgical clinic whose previous provincial government contracts are the subject of several ongoing probes. In a $1.7-million wrongful dismissal lawsuit filed in February, ousted former AHS CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos alleges she received political pressure to renew contracts with chartered surgical facilities (CSFs) that she believed were overpriced. Her lawsuit alleges she had been fired after launching an investigation into various contracts with links to government officials. Alberta's auditor general, Alberta Health Services (AHS) and a retired Manitoba judge appointed by the province are among the agencies investigating the province's health procurement and contracting processes. Mentzelopoulos raised concerns about several issues with different contracts, including a orthopedic surgery contract signed with an Edmonton-based company, Alberta Surgical Group (ASG). She alleges AHS was paying higher rates per procedure compared to other vendors. Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange and AHS have filed statements of defence in the Court of King's Bench, denying the allegations. They said Mentzelopoulos was fixated on suspicions of wrongdoing, and standing in the way of the government's plan to restructure Alberta's health system. Mentzelopoulos has refuted these claims. Neither Alberta Surgical Group, nor any of the company's owners, responded to requests for comment about the contract extension on Wednesday. The company has previously denied any conflicts or wrongdoing. Health minister says Edmonton needs surgical capacity When the allegations became public in February, an AHS spokesperson said the authority had paused the awarding of surgical contracts under review, then later clarified that the pause was limited to "new surgical contracts." ASG was under contract from November 1, 2022, to April 30, 2025, to perform orthopedic surgeries in the Edmonton area. The maximum value of the contract for the entire time period is listed at about $70.5 million, but details of each procedure's cost are redacted from the publicly posted agreement. On April 1, the government transferred the authority to sign surgical contracts over to the new Acute Care Alberta agency, which will be responsible for overseeing hospital-based care and CSFs in the province. On Monday, LaGrange's press secretary said Acute Care Alberta had extended ASG's contract for six months. In the legislature on Tuesday, Premier Danielle Smith said the many ongoing investigations had delayed the startup of a new private surgical centre scheduled to open on the Enoch Cree Nation, just west of Edmonton. "We're not going to cancel thousands of surgeries for hip and knee replacements," she said. LaGrange told reporters Wednesday the Enoch facility had already won a bid to provide surgeries in the Edmonton area once it was up and running, which it is expected to be in 2026. Her press secretary said in a statement that extending the contract with ASG for six months gives Acute Care Alberta time to finish contract negotiations with Enoch, and allows retired Manitoba Justice Raymond Wyant's government-ordered investigation to conclude. LaGrange said Wednesday the province needs to keep thousands of surgeries going at ASG to tackle the long wait times for orthopedic procedures. "While we are completing over 60 per cent [of surgeries] in clinically approved times, we want that number to get to 100 per cent," she said. Cost of contract extension not public The details of the contract aren't yet public. Alberta Health Services has posted copies of previous CSF contracts online, including details such as the estimated total cost, and the maximum cost the vendor can charge for services. Neither LaGrange nor Acute Care Alberta would say how much the contract is for, the cost per procedure, or the volume and type of procedures ASG is expected to perform. Acute Care Alberta spokesperson Holly Budd said a version of the contract will be posted publicly once it is "fully executed." LaGrange said Alberta is moving to a health funding model where service providers are paid based on the volume of work they do partly to shed more light on the cost of care. NDP health critic Sarah Hoffman told reporters Wednesday it is "completely inappropriate" for a provincial agency to extend a contract with ASG while so many related investigations are underway. Hoffman said health agencies had time to formulate a backup plan to provide surgeries elsewhere. "We have hospital operating rooms that aren't working full capacity. They could staff up and properly move forward with public health care, but they're choosing to continue full speed ahead at privatization, and that's wrong," she said. While criticizing public hospitals' ability to complete more surgeries, the government has also made it more difficult for AHS to do procedures, Hoffman said, including an unwillingness to pay for overnight coverage for patients to have joint replacement surgeries at the Royal Alexandra Hospital's Orthopedic Surgical Centre.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Auditor general denies that Alberta gov't using lawyer for investigation is normal
Alberta's auditor general is contradicting the provincial government's assertion that it is normal to have lawyers involved in its investigations. On Wednesday, some health ministry and Alberta Health Services (AHS) staff members received an email — which CBC News obtained — that told them to direct members of the office of the auditor general to the government's legal counsel if they are contacted as part of the investigation into the government's health-care procurement practices. The email included an example of how staff can respond to a request from the auditor general's office. The sample email's wording suggested the lawyer will act as a point person to coordinate interviews. "We were not aware of, nor did we endorse, that proposed action. This is not a standard practice our office typically encounters in the course of its work," Cheryl Schneider, spokesperson for the office of auditor general, told CBC News in an email Friday. Multiple investigations have started since former AHS CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos launched a $1.7-million lawsuit against her ex-employer and Health Minister Adriana LaGrange. Mentzelopoulos alleges that she was wrongfully dismissed after launching an internal investigation and forensic audit into health-care contracts, and reassessing deals with private surgical companies she felt were overpriced and had links to government officials. The government and AHS have said Mentzelopoulos was fired because she failed at her job and worked to stop mandated health-care reform. No allegations have yet been proven in court. Auditor General Doug Wylie publicly announced his investigation in February, before Mentzelopoulos filed her lawsuit. At the time, he said the relevant parties were informed about the probe on Jan. 31. Wylie's investigation focuses on the government's procurement practices for chartered surgical facilities, medication — ibuprofen or acetaminophen — and COVID-19 personal protection equipment. It will also examine the effectiveness of management and control processes, including governance and oversight. The Alberta government was previously criticized for its PPE purchasing early in the pandemic, and a $70-million deal to buy children's pain medication from Turkey-based Atabay Pharmaceuticals, which involved MH Care, an Edmonton-based medical supplier. The deal, made during a North American shortage in 2022, has not yet been fulfilled. The Alberta government, including Premier Danielle Smith, has previously stated that it takes seriously Mentzelopoulos' allegations of political interference and conflicts of interest, and that it will be transparent with Wylie's team because it wants to address any wrongdoing. Justice Minister Mickey Amery reiterated the government's stance during Thursday's question period. The Opposition NDP, which for months has accused the governing United Conservative Party of a cover-up, pressed about the email sent to health staffers, claiming it amounted to a gag order. "The opposition can make all the allegations that they want. They're simply untrue," Amery said. Alberta Justice Minister Mickey Amery answered questions from the Opposition NDP Thursday about an email to some Health Ministry and Alberta Health Services staff members, regarding how to navigate requests to be interviewed for an ongoing auditor general investigation. (Legislative Assembly of Alberta) A spokesperson from LaGrange's office later told CBC News in an email that public servants having a lawyer, or ministry senior staff, present during interviews with the office of the auditor general is "standard practice," because it ensures procedural fairness and helps staffers understand "their rights, obligations, and the scope of their participation in the investigation." Unionized staff can also ask for union representation, the spokesperson added. The email's instructions are "the standard process" during such investigations, they said, adding that Wylie's office knew of — and approved — coordinating interview and documentation requests through legal counsel. Schneider, from the auditor general's office, denied that. News of the email surprised Wylie, and the office plans to clarify why it was sent, Schneider said. Wylie will do "everything necessary within his power" to access the information and people he needs for the investigation, she added. The Health Ministry has shared more than 13,000 documents with Wylie's office and has fully cooperated with all requests, the spokesperson from LaGrange's office said. Retaining the lawyer is an effort to coordinate interviews, manage record collection and help Wylie's office through its investigation, they said. "This is not about impeding the investigation," they said. The premier echoed that Saturday. During her bi-weekly radio program on 880 CHED, she said the lawyer will be a single point of contact to help make the process more efficient. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, shown here during a news conference, said Saturday on her radio show that the retained lawyer is supposed to act as facilitator to help with the auditor general investigation. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press) "I suppose the auditor general could just be randomly trying to call people, or we could have somebody who's a navigator to help coordinate who he needs, what he needs," Smith said on air. She has also directed Amery to check in with Wylie, to see if the government can solve any errors that were made, or help with any problems he may have, she said. "We want to be able to facilitate access, facilitate the transfer of documents, and give him whatever he needs," Smith said. On Thursday, party leader Naheed Nenshi again called for a public inquiry.
