Alberta, we have gone from one Deputy Minister of Health to two interim Deputy Ministers, and now we are up to four for the separated areas of Health Care. Each area now has a Minister, Deputy Minister, and Executive Staff. They also have their own oversight (Board) and their own separate employees. No one is talking to each other, and no one knows what is going on. Smith and LaGrange have taken a system that worked and have divided it. It reminds me of the story of the blind men describing the elephant -
The parable of the blind men and an elephant is a story of a group of blind men who have never come across an elephant before and who learn and imagine what the elephant is like by touching it. Each blind man feels a different part of the animal's body, but only one part, such as the side or the tusk. They then describe the animal based on their limited experience, and their descriptions of the elephant are different from each other. In some versions, they come to suspect that the other person is dishonest, and they come to blows. The moral of the parable is that humans have a tendency to claim absolute truth based on their limited, subjective experience, as they ignore other people's limited, subjective experiences, which may be equally true. (From Wikipedia)
Matt Torigian - New Deputy Minister of Primary Care
Matt Torigian was the chief of Waterloo Regional Police from 2007 until 2014. He is now Ontario’s deputy minister of community safety and corrections.
He is named in two affidavits sworn as part of a proposed class-action lawsuit against Waterloo Region’s police board and the Waterloo Regional Police Association union over alleged gender discrimination, harassment and abuse. None of the allegations in the affidavits have been tested in court, and Waterloo Regional Police have called them “untrue, exaggerated, misleading and/or defamatory.”
Sgt. Shelley Heinrich says Torigian was her supervisor in 1998, when she was told that she was no longer to take accumulated overtime, and that records showing the overtime’s existence had been shredded.
She says the records were later found, and she was presented with a slip for overtime pay.
“Torigian advised me that by signing the overtime slip, I was endorsing my career suicide and that I would pay for it for a very long time,” Heinrich says in her affidavit.
Heinrich says that after she signed the slip, Torigian told her she was a “constable for life.” She says she was later passed over for transfers into other units in favour of officers with lesser qualifications.
Torigian is also named in an affidavit sworn by Sgt. Karin Eder, who joined Waterloo Regional Police in 1988 and was promoted to sergeant in 2000.
In 2001, she says, she attempted to transfer to the WRPS homicide division and was told by Torigian – a higher-ranking inspector and someone she says she had previously been in a relationship with – that the transfer had been denied.
Eder says another inspector told her that Torigian made the decision himself.
“I was shocked my ex-boyfriend would have any involvement in this discussion,” she says.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/kitchener/article/former-wrps-chief-accused-of-blocking-women-from-moving-up-ranks/ Grok what was the conclusion of this case?
The article from CTV News Kitchener, dated January 10, 2018, reports that affidavits sworn by two Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) officers alleged that their career advancement was blocked by a supervisor who later became the region’s police chief. It also mentions a proposed class-action lawsuit against the WRPS, claiming a workplace culture that hindered female officers’ promotions. However, the provided web results do not include specific details on the conclusion of this particular case, such as whether the lawsuit was settled, dismissed, or resulted in a verdict.
A related article from January 30, 2018, notes that a senior WRPS officer named in affidavits related to a harassment lawsuit was retiring, but it does not confirm if this was directly tied to the resolution of the case involving the former chief.
Torigian retiring from WRPS to become deputy minister - After seven years as Waterloo Region’s chief of police, Matt Torigian is retiring – but he’s not leaving law enforcement entirely. The Waterloo Regional Police Services Board announced Thursday that Torigian will leave the service effective June 8. The following day, he will become the deputy minister for the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. In that role, he’ll help oversee the Ontario Provincial Police and coroner’s office, as well as forensic and animal welfare services.
https://bayobserver.ca/was-the-we-charity-scandal-a-media-lynching/#google_vignette In an article in the Toronto Star, Matthew Torigian says virtually every allegation made against the Trudeau government’s involvement in the WE Charity affair has been proven to be false. The story comes out on the day after the board of directors of the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation has resigned over the acceptance of a gift that may have ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Torigian is the former deputy solicitor general for Ontario from 2014 to 2018, responsible for justice and public safety systems. He previously served as chief of police for the Waterloo Regional Police Service and is currently a distinguished fellow in the Global Justice Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.
Matt Torigian has written to the city council and the Ottawa Police Services Board saying he would terminate his two-day-old contract, and not seek compensation, after Wednesday's council meeting where councillors and the mayor fiercely objected to not being told of the hire.
The surprise move was labelled as a way to "restore public trust" nearly three weeks into protests that have rocked the capital.
Munk School
https://munkschool.utoronto.ca/person/matthew-torigian Matt is a published author and holds a Master of Public Administration from Western University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Wilfrid Laurier University. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, the FBI National Executive Institute, and was invested as an Officer of the Order of Merit of Police Forces in 2012. Matt is also a recipient of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Award.
Introducing U of T's new Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy | University of Toronto. Founded by Peter Munk, who founded Barrick Gold. The Munk School’s work spans a spectrum of perspectives, and its leanings depend on the specific program, faculty, or initiative in question. It’s more centrist with a technocratic bent, shaped by its academic and professional focus rather than a clear ideological camp. Not that Torigian had anything to do with Barrick Gold - but speaking to the character of Peter Munk, who started the Munk School -
Torrigan’s connection to Alberta and the current Alberta Government
https://cskacanada.ca/about/board-of-directors/ Connecting the dots - Deputy Minister of Executive Council, Dale McFee, serves on the same board as Matt Torigian, newly appointed Deputy Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services. Coincidence???
I value the opportunity to work alongside passionate public servants, healthcare professionals, and community leaders who are dedicated to shaping the future of health policy and service delivery across the province. The Government of Alberta has responded to the next step in refocusing the provincial health care system by announcing enterprise-wide changes to its service delivery models. We are committed to working across all sectors of government with a mandate to implement a newly designed model of care by advancing an integrated health system that delivers high-quality, accessible, and equitable care to all Albertans.
I’m energized by the work ahead and the opportunity to serve, as I step into this role with immense gratitude and with a firm belief in the power of public service.
Finally, it would be remiss of me not to express my profound appreciation to Niche Technology Inc. for providing me with an opportunity to help police agencies recognize the global value and impact NicheRMS365 has had on community safety. Your commitment to risk-based, collaborative models of community safety, as demonstrated by your ongoing role as mission sponsor for Journal of Community Safety and Well-Being, places you at the forefront of this emerging global practice. The past 6 years have left an indelible mark on my career. Thank you
Bryce Stewart - Deputy Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health
Appointed: May 2025
Bryce Stewart joined the Government of Alberta in 2006 and has held several Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) positions. Most recently, he served as Deputy Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors. Prior to that, he served as deputy minister for Mental Health and Addiction, Associate Deputy Minister with Alberta Health, and as senior ADM of Health Systems Integration at Alberta Health. Prior to joining Health, Bryce was a senior ADM in Treasury Board and Finance (TBF).
Bryce has also served as ADM of Budget Development and Reporting in TBF and ADM roles in the Public Service Commission, the former Human Services ministry, and in the Policy Coordination Office in the Executive Council.
He spent two years working as an electricity retail policy analyst and two additional years as a planning manager for Executive Council (Is this why electricity is so expensive in Alberta? What was his input?) before moving into a director role in the Housing and Urban Affairs. Between 2011 and 2020, Steward held seven different assistant deputy minister roles in a number of different branches of government. In 2020, he was appointed the associate deputy minister of health until he became the deputy minister of mental health and addictions in October 2022.
Stewart brings with him tremendous institutional knowledge that was acquired throughout the terms of three different parties and eight premiers dating back to Ralph Klein’s days in the Legislature.
Bryce was the President of the Board of Directors for TAC as well as the Deputy Minister of Transportation in Alberta before accepting the position with Acute Care Alberta.
Cynthia has worked in the Alberta Public Service for nearly 3 decades, including serving as Assistant Deputy Minister in the ministries of Economic Development and Trade, Alberta Energy, Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, and Community and Social Services. She has also served as the Deputy Minister of Service Alberta, and most recently, Seniors, Community and Social Services.
Cynthia graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Education degree.
Evan Romanow joined the Government of Alberta in 2011. He previously served as Assistant Deputy Minister in several ministries, including Mental Health and Addiction, Health, and Seniors and Housing. Prior roles included advising on policy and directing strategy and operations in the ministries of Executive Council, Innovation and Advanced Education, Human Services, and International and Intergovernmental Relations. Evan has undergraduate and master's degrees in Political Science from the University of Alberta.
I know they have a Chief of staff, Deputy Minister and other staff. https://www.alberta.ca/travel-and-expense-disclosure-table (you may have to cut and paste it into your browser) here is the link to their expenses, it goes back to 2022-2023, as that was when it was split off from AHS. This does not include all the staff under Mental Health just the ones in the Ministry. so separate budgeting, separate middle management, separate staff. Harder to track what is really going on...
Oh my lord, add to the deputy minister and staffing costs, I asked my MLA, Rick Wilson , now minister for addictions and mental health, if each of these entities has their own HR departments, payroll departments, procurement departments, etc. He will not respond
I know they have a Chief of staff, Deputy Minister and other staff. https://www.alberta.ca/travel-and-expense-disclosure-table (you may have to cut and paste it into your browser) here is the link to their expenses, it goes back to 2022-2023, as that was when it was split off from AHS. This does not include all the staff under Mental Health just the ones in the Ministry. so separate budgeting, separate middle management, separate staff. Harder to track what is really going on...
Oh my lord, add to the deputy minister and staffing costs, I asked my MLA, Rick Wilson , now minister for addictions and mental health, if each of these entities has their own HR departments, payroll departments, procurement departments, etc. He will not respond