Latest news with #RaymondWyant
CTV News
4 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
‘I'm letting the process play out': Alberta premier defends extending deadline for third-party report into AHS procurement process
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announces proposed changes to several pieces of democratic process legislation, in Edmonton on Tuesday April 29, 2025. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson) Alberta Premier Danielle Smith defended the extension of delivery of a judge's third-party investigation into a controversy surrounding Alberta Health Services procurement processes. Manitoba provincial court judge Raymond Wyant was originally expected to submit an interim report to the province on Friday, followed by a full report next month. Deputy Minister of jobs Chris McPherson said Wyant needed more time due to the volume of documents. He is now expected to deliver his interim report in September, with the final report coming in mid-October. The allegations stem from a wrongful dismissal lawsuit filed by Athana Mentzelopoulos, the former head of Alberta Health Services, who claims individuals in high government places interfered in overpriced health deals for private companies while she was on the job. The allegations have not been tested in court. Saturday morning, on her radio show Your Province, Your Premier, Smith defended the extension. 'There's lots of ways to do a public enquiry,' Smith said. 'We hired a judge to get all the information and to give us a report so that is what we're doing,' she added. 'The judge has said he got thousands of pages of documents and he needs to interview several people in relation to what he's learned. 'And he just asked for more time of the deputy minister who's responsible for this,' she said, 'so we've always said if he needed more time or more funding, that we'd accommodate that. 'So I think that's a demonstration that we're going to make sure the judge gets whatever they need to be able to give us a good report. 'I think they're planning now to have the report published online on Oct. 15, so we'll know in the fall.' Calls for Inquiry Smith has been criticized for not calling for an independent inquiry into the procurement controversy, but she said the government's approach is part of letting the process play out. 'If the judge comes back and says there's some criminal behaviour that took place, that someone in AHS acted in a criminal way to direct contracts to somebody inappropriately, that would probably be an indication (of the need to call an independent inquiry),' she said. 'But that is not what's happened,' she added. 'What we're actually hearing so far is that the processes were followed internally,' she said, continuing. 'In fact, two of the reports that the former CEO (Mentzelopoulos) commissioned said that there was no reason for them not to extend the contract with ASG and that's why it was extended. 'I would say that I'm going to keep an open mind,' she said. 'Part of the reason why we're going through (the judge's investigation) is there's been a lot of slander, been a lot of defamation, a lot of rumours and gossip and false allegations and that the point is, you have to be able to make sure somebody is able to look at the full evidence and say this is true, this is not – and this is what you should do. 'So I'm letting the process play out.' On Friday, Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi called out the government for not producing the report when it said it would. 'For months, we've been calling for an independent, public inquiry into the CorruptCare scandal,' said Nenshi, in a media release. 'Every step of the way, the minister dismissed those calls and claimed we didn't need one because he'd release Justice Wyant's findings to the public. 'Well, he's out of excuses,' Nenshi added. 'Where's the report?' With files from The Canadian Press
Calgary Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
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. Article content Article content 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. Article content Article content 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. Article content Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content '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. Article content Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content Her allegations have not been tested in court and the government has denied wrongdoing. Article content Alberta's Office of the Auditor General and the RCMP are also investigating. Article content Critics, including Opposition New Democrats, have claimed Wyant's review is limited in scope and could be subject to political interference.
CBC
5 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Alberta extends deadline for judge's investigation into health procurements
Social Sharing Alberta's government says it's extending the deadline for a former judge to conduct a third-party investigation into the government's health-care procurement practices. Former Manitoba provincial court chief judge Raymond Wyant was expected to submit an interim report to the government today, followed by a full report next month. The government employee facilitating the investigation says the number of documents provided and interviews requested by the former judge means that initial time frame is no longer feasible. Deputy minister of jobs Chris McPherson says Wyant will now deliver an interim report in September, with his final report due in October. The allegations stem from a wrongful dismissal lawsuit filed by the former head of Alberta Health Services, who claims individuals in high government places interfered in overpriced health deals for private companies while she was on the job. The allegations have not been tested in court. "When the investigation was being initiated, I was instructed by Premier Danielle Smith to ensure that Judge Wyant had the time and resources necessary to bring his expertise to bear fully on the matters under consideration," McPherson said in a statement Friday, adding that the final report will still be made public as promised by the government. "The ministerial order and terms of reference for the independent investigation are otherwise unchanged."
Global News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Global News
Alberta government extends deadline for judge's investigation into health contracts scandal
Alberta's government says it's extending the deadline for a former judge to investigate allegations of high-level conflict of interest and arm-twisting in health care contracts. Former Manitoba provincial court chief judge Raymond Wyant was expected to submit an interim report to the government today, followed by a full report next month. The government employee facilitating the investigation says the number of documents provided and interviews requested by the former judge means that initial time frame is no longer feasible. Deputy minister of jobs Chris McPherson says Wyant will now deliver an interim report in September, with his final report due in October. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The allegations stem from a wrongful dismissal lawsuit filed by the former head of Alberta Health Services, who claims individuals in high government places interfered in overpriced health deals for private companies while she was on the job. Story continues below advertisement The allegations have not been tested in court. 'When the investigation was being initiated, I was instructed by Premier Danielle Smith to ensure that Judge Wyant had the time and resources necessary to bring his expertise to bear fully on the matters under consideration,' McPherson said in a statement Friday, adding that the final report will still be made public as promised by the government. 'The ministerial order and terms of reference for the independent investigation are otherwise unchanged.' Wyant's investigation is one of many that have been initiated as a result of the allegations, including probes by the RCMP and Alberta's auditor general.
