UCP under fire over ousted Alberta Health Services CEO

Posted on February 20, 2025 by admin

By Alexandra Noad
Southern Alberta Newspapers
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Allegations are swirling against the Alberta government, after a Globe and Mail story earlier this month claimed that the former CEO of Alberta Health Services was set to meet with the province’s auditor-general when she was fired last month.

A letter obtained by the Globe and Mail, addressed to Athana Mentzelopoulos’ lawyers, alleges that Mentzelopoulos was fired because she launched an internal investigation into procurement contracts and deals for the private surgical facilities.

Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare, says the allegations are shocking and Albertans need honest answers as to what actually happened.

“There needs to be an immediate investigation,” says Gallaway. “Albertans deserve to know what happened, which means the auditor-general should prioritize this investigation (and) they shouldn’t be impeded in any way by the government or the need for documents or to talk to folks.”

NDP leader Naheed Nenshi reacted to the allegations in a press conference available on his YouTube channel, saying “these are amongst the most shocking allegations” he has ever seen.

Nenshi said Christina Gray, leader of the opposition party in the Legislature, will be demanding three investigations from the RCMP, the auditor-general and the ethics commissioner.

Gallaway says Friends of Medicare was already concerned about the lack of accountability with the firing of another AHS board, but these allegations suggest there was some motivation to cover things up.

“We were concerned that (putting Deputy Minister Andre Tremblay fully in charge) lacked accountability and democracy, and now it appears they may have been doing it for even worse reasons, trying to cover what was happening to prevent things from becoming public.”

Mike Parker, president of the Health Sciences Association of Alberta (HSAA), says it’s costing Albertans millions of their tax dollars to pay out top officials.

“We’re replacing CEOs every year with a buyout package of hundreds of thousands, to the point of millions of dollars,” says Parker. “None of that serves the front lines of health care, it sacrifices them.

“If these allegations are true, then there is direct government interference to a for profit model that harms Albertans and harms the 30,000 members of HSAA on the front lines.”