EDMONTON — Yesterday, UCP MLAs voted to reject an extension on the Auditor General’s contract, while he is actively investigating major allegations of government corruption in Alberta’s private surgical contracts. It’s now unclear if Auditor General Doug Wylie will be able to complete his investigation and report into these corruption allegations before his term ends in April 2026.

EDMONTON — The government’s Throne Speech tabled this afternoon lays out an agenda for the fall session of the legislature that simply continues the chaotic restructuring and rapid privatization of public health care in Alberta.

EDMONTON — Today, after months of delays, the Alberta government is finally supposed to receive the final report from Justice Wyant’s third-party investigation into the allegations of corruption and interference in Alberta’s surgical procurement and contracting processes.

EDMONTON — Today, after months of waiting, the Alberta government is finally supposed to receive an interim report from Justice Wyant’s investigation into the allegations of corruption and interference in Alberta’s health care procurement and contracting processes. The report was initially due on May 30, but instead the Deputy Minister of Justice, an unelected bureaucrat, was sent out to quietly announce a months-long delay in the report.

LETHBRIDGE — A new report commissioned by Friends of Medicare from the Parkland Institute and authored by Salimah Valiani titled, “Public Funds for Private Profit: The Evolution of Health Care Privatization in Alberta” was released publicly today, outlining the systematic privatization efforts of Alberta’s health care system by successive provincial governments since the 1990s.

EDMONTON — This past Friday, the Deputy Minister of Jobs, Economy, Trade and Immigration released a statement informing Albertans that the interim report of Judge Wyant’s third-party investigation into Alberta’s health care procurement and contracting processes has been delayed until September 24, and that we will not see the final report until October. The interim report was previously due on May 30, with the final report to be delivered on June 30.

EDMONTON — Earlier today, the Alberta government announced a new acute care funding model, which involves switching to activity-based funding for surgeries, rather than using global hospital budgeting, essentially moving to a voucher model. This is a concerning shift that will impact Alberta hospital’s budgets.

EDMONTON — Yesterday, the Parkland Institute released a crucial and timely report titled Operation Profit: Private Surgical Contracts Deliver Higher Costs and Longer Waits. The report lays out clearly that the government is continuing to make a political decision to reward private, for-profit surgical centres at the expense of our public hospitals and the health of all Albertans.

EDMONTON — Today, after two weeks of waiting for answers into very serious allegations of government interference in Alberta’s health care contracting procurement process, Premier Danielle Smith and Health Minister Adriana LaGrange finally held a press conference to announce nothing new. There was no information provided as to the timeline or lead for the promised independent third-party review, and the Premier continued to double down on their failed approach to surgical wait times.

An article posted by the Globe and Mail last night alleges that Athana Mentzelopoulos, the former CEO of Alberta Health Services, was "dismissed two days before she was scheduled to meet with the province’s Auditor-General to discuss her investigation into procurement contracts and deals for private surgical facilities, according to a letter obtained by The Globe and Mail”.

The article goes on to allege that the former CEO believes that "she was fired because she launched 'an internal investigation and forensic audit' into AHS’s contracts and procurement processes."

The full board of AHS was dismissed by the government shortly after.