Alberta This Week (Your Voice For Choice)
June 21 - June 27, 2025
This is YOUR resource - Share any links here on social media to educate others! - “Your Voice For Choice.” Welcome to your Non-Partisan Information Source of Alberta News
Events: See our short two-pager for information about upcoming events.
Donate to Athana here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/medicine-hat-aware-grassroots-group-for-integrityjustice
If you have been following our newsletter, you know that former AHS CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos was fired from AHS for investigating government contracts with private surgical groups and the procurement of acetaminophen (Turkish Tylenol) from overseas, as well as PPE. To find out the truth, this case needs to be brought to court. We want the truth! Albertans deserve the truth. She needs money to fight back. Check out this video. It's a righteous cause you would be supporting. Let's do it! We Are Stronger Together! ❤️
Update May 23: Athana has been sued for $12 million by former Smith Chief of Staff, Marshall Smith, for alleged defamation of character.
Update May 29: Athana was in court because the Province wanted her to reveal what evidence she had shared with the RCMP and with the Auditor General. The AG had a special intervenor's status to stop the Government lawyers from getting that information before the case goes to court.
Update June 13: Athana has asked for the courts to settle her wrongful dismissal suit quickly. The Breakdown is releasing some of the emails that outline the amount of money that the UCP paid in the procurement scandal, over $1 billion to MH Care and the Private Surgery Groups. It all points to Jitendre Prasad as the procurement officer for AHS. (See last week’s newsletter for the screen grabs)
Update June 24: The court has blocked the Auditor General from receiving two emails from Athana. He has asked for extra money and support to continue the investigation, including legal advice. Auditor general granted $1M more for private surgical contracts probe | CBC News
Here is a CHAT GPT dive into the procurement scandal and what some repercussions might be.
Robots predict UCP Investigation, and eventual Dismissal of charges — OWL NEWS
The longer the UCP is in charge, the more damage can be done, not just healthcare, but all levels of education, social assistance, renewable energy, infrastructure, affordability - everything!!!!
The UCP knew what was going on, and they tried to cover it up! $1 billion that could have gone to improving health care. This does not include the 10 private nursing agencies that are receiving premium dollars to supply nurses to Alberta Health, while trained nurses in Alberta are looking for work and can’t get hired by Alberta Health.
Concerned about the Alberta Government’s restriction of access to information? Here is a great summary of what it is all about.
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ABR Spotlight
So this showed up on X/Twitter this week regarding Sam Mraiche, but other people involved in the Procurement Scandal were mentioned as well, so we looked into some of the points raised. There are so many articles, we just picked one for each topic as we looked down the rabbit hole.
https://x.com/jamesdifiore/status/1937526959988441328
Athana Information (Yes, she was mentioned)
November 22, 2011
$160,000 communication contract was given to Stewart Muir (Athana’s husband) without the proper channels. It does not point fingers at Athana doing the hiring…
(Now, some people would equate this with what happened in Alberta with the procurement scandals, we would argue this would make Athana even more aware and want to ensure everything was done by the books, which investigating the contracts would appear to be the prudent thing to do.)
Contract given to premier's advisor's spouse cancelled | CBC News
B.C. Government Scandals Hint At Systemic Misconduct | HuffPost Politics
Rob Fleming, the NDP MLA for Victoria-Swan Lake, sent an apology to the B.C. NDP membership email list Friday for comments he made about a provincial deputy minister, Athana Mentzelopoulos, in July 2014.
October 10, 2017
Athana Mentzelopoulos has become the top lobbyist for Canada’s credit unions.
Christy Clark’s bridesmaid now national credit union lobbyist - theBreaker
Athana was employed at AIMCO/Finance
Started May 23, 2019
Treasury Board and Finance - Deputy Minister of TBF - Mentzelopoulos, Athanasia
Travel - Ground Transportation - 2019-05-23 - $11.00 - Attended Minister lunch
To October 5, 2022
Treasury Board and Finance - Deputy Minister of TBF - Mentzelopoulos, Athanasia
Daily Allowances - Meal Allowance - 2022-10-05 - $20.80 - Attend Premier/Minister meetings
August 1, 2023
Athana hired as new Executive Director of the Alberta Medical Association
Introducing our new Executive Director | AMA
Before she started with the AMA, AHS recruited her.
Athana was hired as CEO of AHS on Dec. 7, 2023. She was hired to oversee the separation of AHS into four distinct groups.
Athana Mentzelopoulos announced as new AHS President and CEO | Alberta Health Services
January 9, 2025
Alberta Politics on the firing of Athana
More chaos at Alberta Health Services as Athana Mentzelopoulos is suddenly out as CEO
January 15, 2025, Athana is fired from her position.
Alberta removes AHS chief from her post | Canadian Healthcare Technology
Athana was fired from AHS
January 31, 2025
Alberta government axes AHS board — again — in latest health reform move | CBC News. They refused to fire Athana, so Deputy Health Minister Andre Tremblay fired Athana and then the board. He has taken over as CEO. LeGrange tried to have him in both positions, but that didn’t work out, so she appointed the deputy minister of Mental Health and Addictions as deputy health minister - he lasted about 3 months. Currently, there are two deputy ministers of Health fulfilling that role - one is an IT tech expert, because they also let go of the Chief Information Officer. They are covering something up here.
Health care turmoil continues with Alberta Health Services staff transfers, terminations | CBC News.
Athana files a court case against AHS on February 12. 2025
Athana's Statement of Claim for Wrongful Dismissal
March 19, 2025
A list of Athana’s qualities and skills.
https://parkcanadaca.ca/athana-mentzelopoulos/
Who is parkcanadaca.ca › about-us?
Welcome to Park Canada CA, your go-to destination for the latest and most engaging content across Canada. Our platform brings together a wide range of topics designed to inspire, inform, and
A follow-up as the NDP questions the government’s actions over the AHS allegations
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UCP Caucus Travels: Everyone is back in Alberta - The UCP is participating in a series of townhalls this week.
The UCP has taken 35 trips and has been out of Alberta for 166 days since January 1, 2025. Alberta taxpayers have paid for.
The UCP Caucus is down 2 members and is now at 46. There are 38 NDP MLAs and 2 Independents.
Peter Guthrie has been kicked out of the caucus.
Scott Sinclair has been sitting as an independent since the budget came out.
Results of the by-elections in three ridings.
NDP leader Naheed Nenshi won in Edmonton Strathcona.
UCP Tara Sawyer won in Olds-Didsbury. The NDP candidate is Bev Toews, she received more votes than the Alberta Republican Party leader, Cam Davis.
NDP nominee Gurtej Singh Brar won in Edmonton Ellerslie.
Video of The Week
As we travel this summer, it is important to understand the different types of Social Styles. We can be much more effective in getting our message across if we understand where people are coming from.
Throw Back - None this week.
A Message from ABR (Alberta Resistance)
Recalls: are moving closer to a Recall for Change in Calgary Bow and Calgary North West.
Build Community: Albertans need to work together to educate and build community.
Townhalls will be starting up; watch for one in your area. The Separatists and the Far right, like TBA (Take Back Alberta), are well-organized and have lots of money. We need to counter that with information and community. Be a part of the change. Alberta Next Panel Town Halls. You can sign up for the ones you would like to attend two weeks in advance. https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-next-panel-engagement (cut and paste the link). So, the first town hall in Red Deer on July 14th - we have checked out the website, and there is no link to sign up. Hopefully, it’s just a glitch because of Canada Day.
Knowledge: A couple of interesting links we found this week:
Talk to your friends and share what you know. Watching the Socials, we see more outrage and anger about what is happening to Health Care, Education, Social Services, and the Environment in this province. These areas affect everyone of us! It’s time to speak up.
The Province has launched another - you guessed it - PANEL Alberta Next Panel. They have scheduled a series of town halls, and you can sign up for them 2 weeks before the event. There is also a survey attached that has you watch a video and then answer 2 - 4 questions. None of the answers allow for any negative feedback, but if you answer the questions, there is an opportunity for you to put in your opinions.
We know these have passed, but we can still share our opinions on them. Bills 53, 54, 55 Status:
Passed Royal Assent on May 15, 2025. outside of the House sitting
Comes into Force: on proclamation with exceptions SA 2025 cC-21.5
Link to a letter you can forward/modify re: Bills 53, 54, and 55.
Do Albertans still have avenues to protest Bills 53, 54, and 55 in Alberta?
(They only win if we give up!)
Wins this week -
By-elections - The NDP won two seats and the UCP won one. We are four seats away from Smith in a minority government situation.
We are closer to recalls in Calgary Bow, Nicolaides, and Calgary North West, Sawhaney - if you want to/can volunteer, please let us know at info@abresistance.ca. We need people in Bow and the North West. Even if you don’t live there, we have jobs you can do. If you want to recall your MLA, we can support anyone who wants to do a recall in their constituency. Our website has a recall package that will show you the steps to doing a recall. (Currently down, but when it is reactivated. If you are interested, send an email to abresistance2007@gmail.com, and we can get you the information.
AB Resistance pays for expenses solely through donations. If you would like to donate to our cause, please etransfer to abrdonate@gmail.com. We are a third-party advertiser, which means we report to Alberta Elections. When you donate, please include your name, address, and postal code in the message.
ABResistance has a “Speaker Series” - check it out on our webpage SPEAKER SERIES - AB Resistance. (Our page is still migrating to the new site.) We are taking the month of July off and will be back in August with some new topics.
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It’s been a week! Let’s get started! (There are a lot of government announcements on their Alberta News Webpage - possibly to take the pressure off of Coal and the Health Procurement scandal)
Saturday, 21
Education
Nicolaides announces 16 new Collegiate Schools
Alberta government to fund 16 new collegiate programs for career preparation | CBC News
What are collegiate schools, and why are they popping up across Alberta? | CBC News
Education is declining in Canada. Why?
What’s causing Canada’s education quality decline? Experts chime in
Healthcare
Measles 'out of control,' experts say as measles tops 1000 cases.
CBC Alberta's Measles Cases pass 1000
Weather
Snow in the Rockies in June.
Alberta slammed by summer snow with up to 30 cm forecast to fall | News
Sunday, 22
Alberta's Impact on Canada’s Economy
Smith describes Alberta as the economic engine of Canada - the fact is, Alberta is responsible for a portion of the GDP. - Below is a table showing the results for 2023.
Danielle Smith touts Alberta at Rotary International Convention in Calgary
List of Canadian provinces and territories by gross domestic product - Wikipedia
Monday, 23
Alberta Votes
Alberta voters to decide if NDPs or separatists will hold the three by-election seats.
Alberta voters to decide if NDP's Nenshi, separatists to hold legislature seats - Castanet.net
Province vs feds
The Alberta Government continues to pick fights with the Federal Government.
Bell: Danielle Smith goes on offence against a two-faced Mark Carney | Calgary Herald
Tuesday, 24
Alberta Pension Plan
The Alberta Government’s secrecy is affecting Albertans. The majority indicated in the survey that they weren’t interested in an APP. The government and the Alberta Prosperity Project kept pushing it. Now we have the Alberta Next Panel promoting an Alberta Pension Plan.
Breakenridge: Government secrecy taking hold in Alberta | Calgary Herald
Alberta Next Panel
Albertans, not Ottawa, should shape Alberta’s future. The Alberta Next Panel is hitting the road to engage directly with Albertans and chart a path forward for the province. This is costing Albertans $2 million. Make sure to sign up to attend the townhalls and make your voice heard. Let’s take control of the narrative. Reminder you can sign up two weeks before the town hall you want to attend.
So Alberta, what’s next? | Alors, quelle est la prochaine étape pour l’Alberta?
Link to the Website
Canada’s Inflation Rate
Canada’s inflation rate holds steady.
Canada's inflation rate holds steady at 1.7% in May
Environment
Over $55 million is being invested to plant five million new trees, recover caribou habitat, and create jobs.
Planting trees and creating jobs
Measles
A baby under a year old, infected with measles, because they aren't old enough for vaccinations.
Alberta baby, too young to be vaccinated, recovering from measles, faces long, painful road.
NDP wins two/three ridings
NDP win Edmonton Strathcona and Edmonton Ellerslie, UCP win Olds-Didsbury
Okotoks Town Hall
Smith and Sigurdson to host a town hall in Okotoks on July 2, 2025
Premier Danielle Smith to appear at town hall event in Okotoks - OkotoksOnline.com
Procurement Scandal
Alberta’s Auditor General has been given more resources and money to investigate the private health care contracts.
Auditor general granted $1M more for private surgical contracts probe | CBC News
Wildfires
Recent rainfall in central Alberta has supported wildfire fighting efforts; however, conditions in the north remain warm and dry.
Update 7: Alberta wildfire update (June 24, 3:30 p.m.)
Wednesday, 25
Agri-Research
Alberta’s government has provided a one-time grant of $3.2 million to twelve applied research associations to upgrade equipment, facilities, and infrastructure.
Seeds of innovation: Investing in agri-research
Alberta Businesses
Alberta’s government is providing $2.8 million to help small- and medium-sized businesses grow and reach international markets around the world.
Putting Alberta-made businesses on the map
Carbon Capture
$5 million from the TIER fund is being invested to help launch the world’s first direct air capture centre.
Taking carbon capture to new heights
Educational Assistants
Jordan's principle funding was canceled by the Federal government. Hundreds of educational assistants are out of work.
Hundreds of educational assistants cut across Alberta after Jordan's Principle changes | CBC News
Federal Relations
Smith tells Carney to do something re: separatists in Alberta.
Bell: 'It's no joke' — Smith tells Carney to do something about Alberta separatism
Next Panel
Stacked questions leading to a referendum on grievances with Ottawa.
Danielle Smith names ‘Alberta Next Panel’ members, recites litany of dubious grievances with Ottawa
Orders In Council
Truthfully, we have not put these in before, but we should have. LaGrange has several amendments for Health Care, and former Acting Deputy Health Minister Darren Headley is back in Treasury and Finance.
Orders Approved – June 25, 2025.
Playground zones photo radar
Edmonton to pull photo radar from playground and school zones. Accidents are going to continue happening with no deterrents.
Edmonton to pull photo radar from school and playground zones this summer | CBC News
Procurement Scandal
MHCare wants access to report on the investigation by AHS into contracts.
MHCare demands AHS investigation results - The Globe and Mail
Thursday, 26
Canada’s Bill C5
Bill C5 receives Royal Assent.
Implementation of Bill C-5: One Canadian Economy - Canada.ca
Health Care
Medicine Hat short Emergency dept. Doctors all summer long, but there are plans to build an urgent care center - where is the staff going to come from?
No site yet for planned urgent care centre, Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA says | CHAT News Today
Hydrogen
Edmonton launches Alberta’s first mobile hydrogen fueling station.
Alberta launches first mobile Hydrogen fueling station.
Indigenous Employment Supports
Alberta’s government is investing $20 million in culturally informed employment supports for Indigenous Peoples.
Expanding Indigenous employment supports
International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis and Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Rick Wilson issued the following statement on the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking:
International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking: Joint statement
Measles
The Alberta government's response to the measles outbreak is falling short.
Opinion - Alberta's response to huge measles outbreak is falling short.
Not all Alberta babies under 12 months are eligible for the measles vaccine.
Not all Alberta babies are eligible for early measles shot, worrying Calgary mom | CBC News
Parks
Alberta Parks officials warn that trails may have been affected by the June snowstorm and urge visitors to be cautious.
Alberta parks officials warn of 'snowstorm aftermath' in Kananaskis - DiscoverAirdrie.com
Parol (Turkish acetaminophen)
The Alberta Government comes to an agreement to send Turkish Parol to Ukraine. We wonder if Mraiche will get the contract to deliver it there.
Alberta reaches agreement to donate unused children’s pain and fever medication
Procurement Scandal
MHCare urges audit release, stating it would clear the name of its CEO.
Alberta company at the centre of allegations on health contracts urges audit release
Separation
Smith quotes the 17% the Alberta Republican Party got in the recent by-election as proof Albertans want to separate. What about the 19% the NDP got? Maybe they are looking for alternatives to the UCP?
Premier Smith says Albertans' desire to leave Canada has never been higher
Friday, 27
Next Panel
Stephen Buffalo, CEO of the Indian Resource Council, joins Alberta Next, bringing decades of Indigenous economic and energy leadership.
Stephen Buffalo joins the Alberta Next panel
Canada’s GDP
Canada’s GDP shrank in April, mostly in manufacturing.
Canada's GDP shrank in April, with a hefty decline in manufacturing | CBC News
Canadian Multiculturalism Day
Associate Minister of Multiculturalism Muhammad Yaseen issued the following statement on Canadian Multiculturalism Day:
Canadian Multiculturalism Day: Associate Minister Yaseen
Finances
Jack Mintz and Morten Paulsen opine that the West needs reform and Ottawa needs to change.
Opinion: The West needs reform from, and in, Ottawa
Financial Update
This should be making more news than it is, but hey, it’s Alberta.
In the news today: Alberta finance minister to give fiscal update | 980 CJME
From a projected $5 billion deficit to a $8.3 billion surplus. Demand that the government fund healthcare and education properly. (That’s a $13.3 billion difference)
Alberta ends 2024-25 fiscal year with $8.3 billion surplus thanks to oil, taxes
Alberta’s $8.3-billion surplus sets a solid foundation for the uncertain times ahead.
Strong year-end surplus for a stronger Alberta
Gender Affirming Care (an important read - push back against UCP bills)
The courts ruled against the Alberta government blocking gender affirming care.
Judge grants injunction request blocking Alberta’s gender-affirming care legislation | Globalnews.ca
Measles
Here is the Alberta Government page on Measles in Alberta - now at 1122 reported cases
Orders in Council
Justice Minister Mickey Amery appoints a lawyer from Amery Law to be a Justice of the Peace. Oh, and she will hold that designation until 2035.
Syra K. Dhaliwal - Amerylaw.ca
What is a Justice of the Peace?
Justice of the Peace Job Details | Government of Alberta
Traffic Safety Bulletin
Driving impaired injures or kills hundreds of Albertans every year, changing the lives of the drivers and devastating families forever.
Traffic safety bulletin: Don’t drive impaired
Wildfires
Thunderstorms sparked new wildfires in northern Alberta this week. Firefighters remain ready to respond to any new starts.
Update 8: Alberta wildfire update (June 27, 4:30 p.m.)
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Alberta News - Keeping Albertans Informed
Alberta Views puts out a weekly synopsis of happenings in Alberta: This week’s version.
The Tyee puts out a weekly round-up of happenings in Alberta - Check it out.
A round-up of this week’s Tyee Alberta stories. They are a non-profit; if you can afford to donate to this amazing news source,
Catherine Griwkowsky publishes AB Today. It is one of Alberta’s leading political newsletters and routinely breaks news. You can read some of our biggest scoops below, but to get all of our daily coverage, you have to subscribe. View a sample newsletter here. She shared pictures of the papers that Peter Guthrie tabled in the legislature re: Corrupt Care.
Alberta Municipalities News
News from the Municipalities - has an update on bills being passed.
Alberta Conservative News
Municipal and School Board Elections - October
Election News - If you are wondering who is running, what party they represent, as we move into a new political space in Municipal Politics
Calgary - Sprawl - Calgary Candidate Tracker for Municipal Elections
Edmonton - Troy Pavlek - Who’s running in Edmonton’s Municipal Election?
List of all candidates running in the Edmonton Municipal and School Board elections. Running as a Candidate in the 2025 Edmonton Election
We will be breaking this down in future issues as the nomination processes get completed.
Alberta Government Links
Here is a link to the assembly website, with a calendar of upcoming events at the Legislature and a list of all the bills this government has passed, as well as bills in progress. Please note that all the UCP members have voted to support these bills.
Legislative Assembly of Alberta Assembly Dashboard - Has links to each day’s events at the Legislature. The legislative sitting is done from May 15 until October 27, 2025, so 165 days off from the Legislature, and they complain about Educators and other public employees.
The Government is making its news announcements user-friendly. Here is the non-government branded version.
Here is the government version.
What can you do to make some “Good Trouble” this week? Check out:
Calgary and Area
Edmonton and Area
If you have events coming up in your area or have a group you would like to promote, email us at abresistance2027@gmail.com
This piece is worthy of a save, just so much obvious corruption, the UCP’s reign must come to an end. I’m IN for the resistance, sign me up.