B.C. Conservative MLA questioned by RCMP about leaked documents

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British Columbia·New

B.C. Conservative nationalist information professional Elenore Sturko released leaked slides successful February. Now, it's the taxable of an RCMP investigation.

B.C.'s premier and solicitor wide are distancing themselves from the investigation

Katie DeRosa · CBC News

· Posted: May 14, 2025 8:17 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

A pistillate with blond hairsbreadth stands outside.

BC Conservative MLA Elenore Sturko, a erstwhile Mountie, didn't expect to be, herself, questioned by the RCMP.

"It is intimidating. Even arsenic a erstwhile constabulary officer, erstwhile you perceive an anti-corruption portion wants to speech to you, it doesn't consciousness good," said Sturko, the Opposition's nationalist information critic.

The taxable successful question: leaked Ministry of Health slides released publically by Sturko successful February.

The slides revealed that a important information of prescribed opioids were not ending up successful the hands of the intended recipients but were alternatively being trafficked nationally and internationally.

Leaked papers shows B.C. investigating trafficking of medicine opioids

Leaked Ministry of Health documents released by the B.C. Conservatives amusement that authorities and instrumentality enforcement officials are alert that medicine opioids are being trafficked provincially, nationally and internationally. Katie DeRosa reports.

It besides revealed that constabulary were alert of immoderate bad-actor pharmacies allegedly offering kickbacks to clients who got their safer proviso prescriptions filled there. The slides were shown to instrumentality enforcement agencies crossed B.C.

Shortly afterwards, B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne announced a important rollback of the safer proviso program.

Patients indispensable present devour their medicine opioids successful beforehand of a pharmacist to forestall diversion.

Sturko saw that arsenic a triumph and a motion that the leaked slides forced the NDP authorities to code the problems with the program.

B.C. ends signifier of take-home safer proviso drugs

B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne announced that radical who trust connected medicine opioids indispensable present instrumentality those safer proviso drugs nether the supervision of a pharmacist. It comes aft revelations the drugs were being diverted into the hands of organized criminals. As Katie DeRosa reports, critics accidental the determination is agelong overdue.

Five days aft Sturko went nationalist with the leaked slides, B.C.'s manager of constabulary services, Glen Lewis, wrote a missive to the caput of the B.C. RCMP, requesting an "investigation into the unauthorized disclosure of the slides … which included delicate information."

Sturko says she was interviewed by the RCMP connected April 30.

She says the information that the whistleblower's actions are being probed by the RCMP volition person a chilling effect connected radical who privation to bring guardant important information.

"I deliberation that British Columbians should beryllium precise acrophobic by actions that would soundlessness radical from coming guardant to their MLA," Sturko said.

Lewis's missive to the RCMP was released Wednesday by the premier's office, to backmost up Premier David Eby's statements that helium didn't cognize astir the investigation.

"The autarkic determination was made by the manager of constabulary services to petition an RCMP investigation," Eby told reporters astatine an unrelated quality conference.

Eby says helium supports the rights of whistleblowers to bring guardant information, and Sturko did thing incorrect by publicizing that.

A antheral successful a bluish suit stands successful Victoria's interior harbour.

"She was doing her job. I recognize wherefore she would beryllium unhappy to get a telephone from constabulary erstwhile each she was doing was precisely what British Columbians hired her to do," Eby said.

Minister of Public Safety Garry Begg, besides a erstwhile Mountie, says helium supports Lewis's determination to inquire for the constabulary probe, but notes helium was not progressive successful that decision.

"He did not inquire me, nor did I archer him to bash this," Begg told reporters.

B.C. RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Vanessa Munn says successful a connection that an "investigation was launched nether the B.C. Police Act, Section 44, to look astatine allegations that third-party accusation was released without authority that could compromise an progressive ongoing investigation."

Munn says investigators spoke with a fig of individuals during the probe to "determine the root of the accusation shared and if determination was a breach of a instrumentality enforcement officer's responsibilities."

Munn made wide that Sturko "is not now, nor ever was, nether investigation."

B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad accused the NDP authorities of "actively trying to enactment a chill connected anyone who speaks against them."

Eby fell abbreviated of ordering the whistleblower probe to beryllium dropped, saying helium has nary power implicit constabulary investigations.

But Eby says a higher precedence for the RCMP is continuing its probe into the bad-actor pharmacies that were allegedly offering kickbacks.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katie DeRosa is the provincial affairs newsman for CBC British Columbia. She is based successful Victoria. You tin interaction her astatine [email protected].

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