Moira Wyton and Globe Staff / Published April 8, 2026

[snip]

The affair began in February, 2025, when former AHS chief executive officer Athana Mentzelopoulos alleged in a wrongful dismissal lawsuit that some of the agency’s private surgical contracts contained inflated prices and

may have been tainted by conflicts of interest, and that political officials pressured her to proceed with the deals. She also said she raised concerns with some of the agency’s dealings with MHCare Medical Corp., owned by Edmonton businessman Sam Mraiche.

Finally, she alleged that when she launched an investigation to look into her concerns, the Smith government shut it down and fired her.

[snip]

Who are the key people and organizations involved?

MHCare Medical Corp

An Edmonton-based medical-supply company formed during the pandemic. It is owned by businessman Sam Mraiche and has been awarded approximately $614-million in contracts by Alberta Health Services since 2020. Its $70-million contract to import children’s medication from Turkey is one of the deals at the heart of the controversy. The company’s Edmonton office was searched by the RCMP in March. MHCare denies any wrongdoing. [snip]

Alberta Surgical Group

[snip] ASG’s contract was extended in 2024 despite Athana Mentzelopoulos’s allegation that the deal contained inflated prices. Adriana LaGrange, then health minister, issued a ministerial order mandating an extension and dictating the terms.

Prairie Surgical and numbered companies

[snip] The three physicians who control ASG also own part of Prairie Surgical, alongside Mr. Mraiche and former AHS procurement official Blayne Iskiw and his wife.

Alberta Health Services

[snip] Ms. Smith’s government reorganized the province’s health care system, creating four new agencies and stripping Alberta Health Services of much of its decision-making power.

Athana Mentzelopoulos, former CEO who alleges she was pressured to sign inflated deals for private surgical facilities, including an extension for ASG and the proposed projects in Red Deer and Lethbridge. She alleges that the government fired her in January, 2025, for her investigation into some contracts tied to chartered surgical facilities, conflicts of interest and MHCare.

Jitendra Prasad, the agency’s former procurement chief who once wrote in an e-mail to colleagues that he’d handled “all the dealings” with MHCare during the pandemic. Mr. Prasad retired in April, 2022, but was contracted by the health authority to act as a consultant on certain projects, including the use of private surgical centres. Ms. Mentzelopoulos’s internal probe found that in the summer of 2022, Mr. Prasad worked simultaneously as a consultant while also representing ASG in negotiations with AHS.

He also joined Mr. Mraiche for a meeting with Ms. Smith, then a candidate for UCP leader, during that same summer, according to a copy of Ms. Smith’s calendar obtained by The Globe. He returned to AHS in the fall of 2022, and the agency’s internal investigation found he had an MHCare e-mail address that November. During this time, he was also briefly director of a numbered company with ties to Mr. Mraiche, along with Mr. Iskiw, The Globe found. He managed AHS’s 2022 deal to pay MHCare $70-million to import medication from Turkey. [snip]

Blayne Iskiw, a former senior procurement official who was part of the health authority’s negotiations with Alberta Surgical Group and joined MHCare as a consultant days after leaving AHS in late 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile and documents obtained by The Globe. He also holds partial stakes in and is listed as a director of numbered companies behind theproposed surgical centres in Red Deer and Lethbridge

Sandy Edmonstone, former AHS board member who alleges he has been targeted by an intimidation campaign for supporting Ms. Mentzelopoulos.

Premier’s Office and Cabinet

The Globe has documented several ties between Mr. Mraiche and senior political figures in the Alberta government, including the Premier, cabinet ministers and political staffers.

Premier Danielle Smith, whose relationship with Mr. Mraiche preceded her time as Premier. [snip]

Marshall Smith,  former chief of staff to Ms. Smith (no relation). Ms. Mentzelopoulos alleges that after she paused negotiations on chartered surgical facilities to pursue her investigation, Mr. Smith pressured her to speed up the awarding of certain contracts. In an affidavit filed in court, she alleged Mr. Smith told her “the proponents of the Red Deer and Lethbridge facilities were unhappy with the hold up,” and he warned her not to “mess with” these “serious people.” [snip]

Adriana LaGrange, Health Minister who stripped AHS of its power to negotiate private surgical contracts in October, 2024 [snip]

Peter Guthrie, former infrastructure minister. He attended several 2024 NHL playoff games in Mr. Mraiche’s suite and has since expressed second thoughts about that decision. He resigned shortly after the controversy broke in February, 2025, over what he said was an insufficient government response.

Mickey Amery, Justice Minister, long-time friend and relative through marriage of Mr. Mraiche. He also attended games with Mr. Mraiche. Mr. Amery has said his relationship with Mr. Mraiche does not conflict with his role as Justice Minister. [snip]

What is the controversy about?

At its core, the controversy is about Athana Mentzelopoulos’s allegations that senior procurement and political officials improperly involved themselves in the awarding of public contracts benefiting Sam Mraiche and his businesses – and that when she attempted to investigate, the Danielle Smith government shut her down and fired her. [snip]

Beyond Ms. Mentzelopoulos’s allegations, there are questions surrounding real estate transactions and the construction of addiction recovery centres.

Since Ms. Mentzelopoulos made her allegations, an alleged harassment campaign – targeting a former AHS board member, Globe journalists and others – has become part of the controversy. [snip]

Here are the major issues and allegations at play.

Turkish painkillers import deal

[aka Turkish Tylenol, one of the rare parts that got attn outside Globe and Mail, google it]

Private Surgical Facilities

[google it]

Alleged harassment and intimidation campaigns

The targeting of a Globe and Mail reporter investigating the story – including threats to reveal her sources – and an alleged intimidation campaign against Ms. Mentzelopoulos and a former AHS board member have deepened intrigue into the controversy.

This past summer, an account on X.com called “the Brokedown” posted pictures of reporter Carrie Tait with two former political staffers in Danielle Smith’s government; one meeting took place in a park and the other happened on the patio of a Mexican restaurant. Separately, someone called multiple contacts from a phone number disguised to look like Ms. Tait’s mobile number. The efforts drew condemnation from press freedom groups.[but not much of the press itself -d6]

The posts also brought attention to David Wallace, a long-time political fixer and podcaster.Mr. Wallace, who referenced details of Ms. Tait’s meal in a video before the photos of her were posted, said he received the information from a tip, and denied any responsibility for the account or posts.

But in late 2025, former AHS board member Sandy Edmonstone accused Mr. Wallace and fellow podcaster James Di Fiore of engaging in a campaign of harassment and intimidation against him because of his role as a potential witness in Ms. Mentzelopoulos’s lawsuit.

Mr. Edmonstone alleges in a lawsuit that someone took surreptitious photos of him and threatened to share them with his partner to cause personal strife. On his podcast, Mr. Wallace had asserted that he would disseminate incriminating information about Mr. Edmonstone and warned that “we’re really going to start digging down and we’re going to make it unbearable for you.”

Mr. Wallace and Mr. Di Fiore have denied any wrongdoing and are currently fighting a court order that resulted in their computer and cellphones being searched. When court-appointed independent solicitors visited Mr. Wallace’s home for the search, he allegedly told them he had been retained to do “unspecified work” by an Alberta lawyer named Bryan Ward, according to a report filed in court. Public records show that Mr. Ward has acted for Mr. Mraiche on several occasions, including in a civil lawsuit, in real estate transactions and in a dispute with Elections Alberta.

Who is investigating and what have the investigations found?

RCMP [google it]

Auditor-General

Alberta’s Auditor-General, Doug Wylie, alsoconfirmed his own investigation into the procurement allegations on Feb. 6, 2025. Ms. Mentzelopoulos alleges she was set to meet with the Auditor-General’s office about her concerns two days before she was fired.

Mr. Wylie’s term ends April 28. He does not expect to produce a report before then, though the bulk of the work will be complete. The government rejected his offer to stay on to finish the probe. [snip]

Independent review

In March, 2025, Danielle Smith’s government appointed Raymond Wyant to review [lol snip]

What happens next?

The Auditor-General’s office says it expects to wrap up interviews and receive all the necessary documentation before Doug Wylie’s term is over. The office will prepare the final report after that.

The RCMP’s probe continues. [snip]