Conflict of interest was clear, says report on scandal
By Lethbridge Herald on October 18, 2025.
Alexandra Noad
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A final report from former Manitoba judge Raymond Wyant reviewing allegations of corruption within Alberta Health and AHS for the deals for pain medication and private surgical providers has been released.
The report confirms two staffers, Jitendra Prasad and Blayne Iskew, were in “real or perceived” conflicts of interest but no steps were taken by senior health officials.
“Both Mr. Prasad and Mr. Iskiew were in real or perceived conflicts of interest which were widely known by many people at AHS and yet no steps were taken by senior officials to deal with the situation with either person,” the report states.
In the report, Wyant says he found no evidence of wrongdoing on Premier Danielle Smith’s part, her ministers or other political staff. However, he adds that because his investigation wasn’t a public inquiry, he didn’t have the power to hear testimony under oath. As a result, people were allowed to decline to be interviewed or answer any questions.
He said he felt many tried to tell the truth, but he got the impression some weren’t providing “complete information.” Wyant interviewed 26 people for his investigation, including a businessman at the heart of some of the allegations, as well as Iskiew and Prasad.
But the premier, her chief of staff or any ministers, including the former health minister, were not among those interviewed.
“This demonstrates the need for having processes that would allow people to bring matters such as this to the attention of others without fear,” said Wyant.
Smith’s government ordered the investigation in March, following allegations of corruption contained in a wrongful dismissal lawsuit of Athana Mentzelopoulos, former chief executive officer of AHS.
Sarah Hoffman, the Opposition shadow minister of health, says the report left many unanswered questions and a public inquiry should be done to get to the bottom of the situation.
“We need to make sure we act in the public interest through a public inquiry to get to the bottom of it, it doesn’t answer the questions of why the former CEO and AHS board were fired.”
She adds that Smith stating she’s been cleared of any wrongdoing is not accurate and the only way to get the full truth is to have a public inquiry.
While there is also an independent investigation being done by the RCMP, Rakhi Pancholi, deputy leader of the NDP, says it won’t be enough because the auditor general has a mandated scope.
Wyant also wrote in the report that because it was not a public inquiry, his investigation did not include the kind of vigorous examination and cross examination which happens in a public inquiry
While there is also an independent investigation being done by the RCMP, Rakhi Pancholi, deputy leader of the NDP, says it won’t be enough because it won’t be dine in the public eye.
The report included 18 recommendations for the government’s consideration related to procurement policies, codes of conduct, legal oversight and conflict of interest rules.
Smith said she is directing former Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee to work with all impacted ministries and the new health procurement secretariat to implement the recommendations as quickly as possible.
“This will include the accelerated implementation of the Activity-Based Funding model for surgical service that will see a standard, non-negotiated fee paid to providers for each completed surgery.”
She claims this will increase transparency going forward.
– With CP files
21-20
Oooohhh Nooooo! Who are the NDP going to hang on the gallows they built for the Premier?
So the Premier’s decision to fire Athana Mentzelopoulos, then chief executive officer of AHS was warranted! The conflict of interests were well known and the leadership, which included Mentzelopoulos failed to perform the duties necessary in this conflict of interest.
I remember demands from the NDP for the Premier to resign!
Is there any coercion between the NDP and the teacher’s strike? Perhaps that should be investigated!!!
You couldn’t be anymore way off base than you already are, and somehow you manage to get there. The conflicts of interest are from the UCP and Danielle Smith. It’s also why Danielle Smith created Bill 8, and Bill 33 and Bill 34, which ties into very serious issues like this. Those bills cover up conflicts of interest breaches, tie up the Alberta Ethics Commissioner, so that they are powerless to investigate MLAs in Alberta who breach conflicts of interest and ethics rules, before a provincial election in Alberta, which makes it so the MLAs can run in the provincial elections, and it also makes it so that any evidence of wrongdoing can be destroyed.
When the UCP’s well over $600 million Corrupt Care scandal was revealed by the media, earlier this year, Danielle Smith went into hiding for several days. Danielle Smith claimed that she knew nothing about this, yet she was talking about it to Adriana LaGrange 8 months prior.
Athana Mentzelopoulos was going to raise serious concerns about shady dealings, and other inappropriate behavior that was coming to AHS to the Alberta Auditor General, Doug Wylie, and Adriana LaGrange and Danielle Smith got her fired, 2 days before she was supposed to meet with him. After this was revealed to the media, Danielle Smith kept on deflecting to Justin Trudeau, then to Mark Carney, and then to other things.
At a UCP press conference on February 19th, 2025, Adriana LaGrange and Danielle Smith had a look of guilt on their faces after a reporter asked them a very serious question about this. It was seen by many people.
The retired Manitoba judge, Raymond Wyant, whom Danielle Smith hired to investigate this, was given limited powers, and couldn’t call any witness to testify.The R.C.M.P also haven’t concluded their investigation into this. Neither has the Alberta Auditor General, Doug Wylie completed his investigation into this. Danielle Smith was trying to interfere with Doug Wylie’s investigation into this, but he has stopped that from happening. Also, Danielle Smith and Adriana LaGrange were silencing AHS employees from coming forward, and they wanted them to go through them, instead of going to the Alberta Auditor General, Doug Wylie. The fact that Danielle Smith has refused to have a totally independent investigation into this, is also very telling of how bad this matter is.
What’s more, is that a former UCP cabinet minister, Peter Guthrie, who happened to endorse Danielle Smith in the UCP leadership race, also knows that things aren’t right with this. Peter Guthrie wanted a public inquiry into the UCP’s Corrupt Care scandal, but Danielle Smith has refused.
It is also suspicious that Danielle Smith was in possession of the investigation results from the UCP’s Corrupt Care scandal, which she is not entitled to have, to begin with, and the (very weak) findings of the hand picked, retired Manitoba judge, Raymond Wyant, were revealed right before a weekend, when municipal elections are happening in Alberta. These (rather weak) investigation results were from the retired Manitoba judge, Raymond Wyant, were likely there before, but Danielle Smith delayed releasing them twice.
As Danielle Smith does, you also are very apt at deflecting. Over there! Over there! The teacher’s strike and the NDP, which have no relation to each other, and have no relation to the UCP’s well over $600 million Corrupt Care scandal. Danielle Smith is doing it to herself, and it’s no wonder why former Conservative politicians in Alberta have said that they don’t trust her or the UCP. This investigation isn’t over yet. The UCP and Danielle Smith are finished.
a most comprehensive and compelling presentation. well done!
Thank you!
right off the bat we get an entry that is clueless as to what article and the investigation allude.
despite the headline underscoring that what amounts to graft and sleaze are entirely obvious, the entry somehow invokes the ndp (and why not, seeing as the ndp are the ucp fanbase go-to for blaming everything sleazy and inept perpetrated by present ucp and prior post loughheed, con named govts in alberta).
as for the firing of mentzelopoulos, that had to do with coming forth as a whistleblower. now, i know, ucp types that see ucp graft and sleaze and ineptitude as badges of honour think whistleblowers are the issue and should be prosecuted and jailed.
moreover, the ridiculous slant of the entry should further acknowledge that the manitoba judge was entirely limited in the breadth and scope of what and whom were permitted to be investigated. as such, the ucp used this expense as more of a charade by which to whitewash and absolve those of whom should have been thoroughly investigated and held to account.
Ah yes, and more proof that the NDP lynch mob will not even accept facts and truth!
“graft and sleaze and ineptitude as badges of honour”
That would be the NDP not the UCP! I have never seen so many people grouped together in one party who are so ill informed and like sheep, willing the drink the kool-aide of disinformation and misinformation spread by NDP or a group of people full of anger and hate!
It is odd that you call people clueless, but you fail to understanding that Athana Mentzelopoulos, was the chief executive officer of AHS and should have been aware of the issues as they unfolded. That is why she was paid to be in that position and she failed to perform her duties!
Nenshi and all of his henchmen demanded investigations and you got an unbiased, reputable person to perform that investigation to see if it warranted more actions. But we all know it was just an attempt to bring down the government! That is the NDP’s primary mission! Bring down the government! We would have a better province if the NDP stuck to its official duties!
“The role of the opposition is to criticize government activity, hold the government accountable, propose improvements and present itself to the public as an alternative to the party in office.”
It is not there to constantly try to bring down the government! That only creates chaos and the public suffers, the economy suffers, and Alberta suffers.
We are still trying to recover from NDP mistakes which have cost the province hundreds of millions of tax dollars from the safe sonsumption sites-harm reduction programs! That also caused high levels of stress on the healthcare system!
i did not call you clueless or intended to suggest that. i wrote that the entry is clueless as to what the article and investigation allude….
just to say i feel you choose to overlook a lot more than i when it comes to govt graft and ineptitude involving the ucp.
Say What… is a master at deflecting, just as their hero, Danielle Smith is. Over there! Over there! It’s the NDP! They make themselves look more foolish in the process. If this was another premier of Alberta who was involved with something of this nature, Danielle Smith would be livid. When Danielle Smith happened to be the Wildrose Party leader, she demanded that premier Alison Redford resign, and for doing things that weren’t even remotely as bad. Danielle Smith then hired Alison Redford to work for the UCP, right after she said how bad Alison Redford was. The investigation into the UCP’s well over $600 million Corrupt Care scandal isn’t done yet, because the Alberta Auditor General, Doug Wylie, isn’t finished with his investigation, and neither are the R.C.M.P finished with their own investigation into this. In addition, this doesn’t make the UCP and Danielle Smith look too good.
https://www.scribd.com/document/827797277/Statement-of-Claim-Mentzelopoulos
you have this so well covered. i was already disgusted based on the little of which i was aware. now i am seeing the fascist element to the ucp all the better.
Before you make a bigger fool of yourself, you should quit while you’re ahead. First off, this is a matter of right and wrong, and Danielle Smith believes she is above ethics and the law.
When Danielle Smith was the Wildrose Party leader, she demanded that Alison Redford be fired for doing things that weren’t even half as bad. Danielle Smith even hired Alison Redford to work for the UCP, after she said how bad she was.
Former Conservative politicians in Alberta have admitted that Danielle Smith does not respect ethics or the law, and they know she isn’t a good premier, and the UCP aren’t a good government.
https://share.google/UIScwWow5BKJDlAMk
Former Red Deer PC Attorney General Jim Foster takes issue with Smith’s ethics violation | Red Deer Advocate https://share.google/JXtD7fjgWB6cV1kze
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/peter-guthrie-ucp-alberta-ahs-corruption-public-inquiry
These are the bills that Danielle Smith created, which are Bill 8, Bill 33 and Bill 34. They basically allow unethical conduct to happen, and the UCP to get away with doing it. Instead of pointing to nothing burgers, and deflecting to the NDP, which have nothing to do with the undeniable unethical conduct of the UCP and Danielle Smith, focus on what the UCP are up to. Why do you think this is okay?
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/alberta-amends-conflicts-of-interest-act-changes-rules-for-ethics-commissioner-gift-limits
https://www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/article/alberta-ucp-backbenchers-support-loosening-ethics-rules/
https://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/alberta-foip-legislation
The UCP are bringing down themselves. Safe injection sites saved lives, and preented used needles from being strewn about. In Alberta, the Conservatives have wasted and lost billions of dollars on the most costliest boondoogles, ever since Peter Lougheed was no longer premier of Alberta.
-prevented-