Alberta’s minister of infrastructure resigns over government procurement scandal

Alberta Minister of Infrastructure Peter Guthrie has resigned from his seat at the cabinet table, citing concerns over “the Government of Alberta’s procurement practices across all departments.”

In a letter to his constituents posted on social media, Guthrie announced his resignation from cabinet, but said he will remain a private member of the government caucus, where he can “hold cabinet accountable with honesty and integrity.”

Guthrie said that as minister of infrastructure, he had “line of sight” into the provincial government’s procurement practices and “inconsistencies” and claimed he recommended improvements that could have prevented some of the issues that have developed into the scandal, and allegations of corruption now facing the UCP government.

His resignation comes almost two weeks after the former head of Alberta Health Services, Athana Mentzelopoulos, filed a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against the province.

In the lawsuit, she alleges she was fired after looking into high-level government interference and questionable multi-million-dollar contracts.

Documents from Alberta Health Services also show a private surgical company at the heart of the scandal was billing taxpayers more than twice as much per procedure as it would cost in a public hospital.

Premier Danielle Smith and Health Minister Adriana LaGrange have denied any wrongdoing and LaGrange has said the dismissal of Mentzelopoulos wasn’t linked to the former CEO’s investigation.

The allegations have not been proven in court, and statements of defence have yet to be filed.

The NDP Opposition has been calling for a judicial-led public inquiry to get to the bottom of the allegations, which the premier has so far resisted.

…More to come.

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