Alberta government to release report into health contract scandal in ‘a few days’

Alberta’s government says it expected to receive a final report Wednesday from the investigation into allegations of corruption over health contracts, but it won’t be immediately released.

Former Manitoba judge Raymond Wyant was hired in March to review multimillion-dollar contracts for children’s medication and for surgeries by for-profit providers.

At an unrelated news conference Wednesday afternoon, Premier Danielle Smith said the report had not yet been delivered to the government but Albertans could expect to see see it “in a few days.”

“Within days we want to be able to show the public what the judge found,” Smith said.

Wyant was to determine whether any staff with the Health Ministry, Alberta Health Services or companies involved in the contracts properly disclosed and dealt with any potential conflicts of interest.

Allegations stemmed from a wrongful dismissal lawsuit filed earlier this year by the former head of AHS.

The lawsuit, which is still working its way through the courts, also sparked investigations by the RCMP and Alberta’s auditor general.

Both said Wednesday their investigations are ongoing.

Smith said no one from the RCMP has contacted her or anyone in her office in the course of its investigation.

She said because Wyant is a former judge, he should be able to offer an opinion about whether any actions rose to the level of criminal misconduct.

“He’ll be able to articulate where he thinks the problems were and what we can do to solve them, so I’m looking forward to seeing that report, digesting the recommendations,” she said.

Athana Mentzelopoulos, the former CEO of the health agency, alleges in her lawsuit that individuals high in government interfered in overpriced deals for private surgical companies and medical suppliers while she was in the job.

The allegations have not been tested in court, and Smith’s United Conservative Party government has denied any wrongdoing.

The government has claimed Mentzelopoulos was fired for poor job performance and for stalling Alberta’s plan to address wait times by shifting more publicly funded surgeries to private providers.

Wyant’s final report was initially due June 30, but the province said it extended the deadline because of the number of documents involved and interviews Wyant wanted to do.

The Opposition NDP has said Wyant’s strict marching orders would prevent him from getting to the bottom of the scandal and the party has called for a full public inquiry.

NDP house leader Christina Gray said only a public inquiry would get the answers Albertans deserve.

“We still call on the UCP to make their carefully controlled report public immediately.

Albertans paid for Justice Wyant’s investigation, and they deserve to see it the same day the government receives it,” she said in a statement.

Wyant was given a budget of $500,000 to do the work, including to retain legal and audit help. He was to be paid $31,900 per month.

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