Fired Alberta health care CEO claims ‘malicious and bad faith allegations’ by health minister

Former Alberta Health Services CEO, Athana Mentzelopoulos, has filed an 11-page court document alleging that the province’s health minister and AHS have concocted a baseless and malicious narrative about her. The document, filed on Thursday, refutes statements of defence from AHS and Health Minister Adriana LaGrange, which claimed Mentzelopoulos was terminated due to her job performance.

Mentzelopoulos had previously initiated a $1.7-million wrongful dismissal lawsuit against AHS and the province in February, alleging that she was fired after launching an investigation into contracts with ties to government officials. Following this, a former chief judge from Manitoba was appointed by the province to lead a third-party investigation into procurement, with both the Alberta RCMP and the auditor general also conducting investigations.

In her reply to the statements of defence, filed on March 20, Mentzelopoulos argues that the allegations made against her are unfounded and intended to deflect from the substance of her claims. She denies the accusation that she displayed a lack of strategic vision and lost the confidence of AHS, asserting that the board consistently had confidence in her leadership.

Mentzelopoulos also disputes LaGrange’s claim that she became “infatuated” with internal investigations, stating that the AHS board recommended expanding the investigation after being briefed on its objectives. She further alleges that the investigation revealed potential connections between government officials and certain contractors involved in procurement issues.

The document goes on to detail a series of events in which Mentzelopoulos claims she was instructed to cease her investigative efforts and transfer related files to Alberta Health. This included demands for a full accounting of prepayments made to a contractor for children’s pain medication during a nationwide drug shortage.

Additionally, Mentzelopoulos addresses an allegation that she was upset about plans to reduce the size of AHS, clarifying that she was initially promised a four-year term of employment and a specific role within the organization. She emphasizes that concerns about being seen as a transitional CEO were raised only after these assurances were made.

In response to Mentzelopoulos’ allegations, a spokesperson for LaGrange stated that the province had filed a comprehensive statement of defence and welcomed the ongoing investigations. The matter remains unresolved, pending the outcomes of the various reviews.