Former Alberta health agency CEO asks for speedy ruling in lawsuit against government

Lisa Johnson · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 13, 2025 2:55 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

A erstwhile health-care bureau person is asking a justice to present a speedy determination connected her wrongful dismissal suit against the Alberta government, but the state says it volition propulsion back.

Athana Mentzelopoulos, the erstwhile CEO of Alberta Health Services has applied for a summary judgement connected the legality of her January firing, which would debar sending the lawsuit to trial.

Mentzelopoulos archetypal filed the suit successful February, alleging that Adriana LaGrange, the province's wellness curate astatine the time, tried to unopen down an probe into assorted contracts with links to authorities officials, and past engineered the CEO's dismissal.

The claims person sparked aggregate investigations, including by the RCMP, the province's auditor general, and a erstwhile Manitoba justice hired by the government.

Mentzelopolous's latest application, filed successful Court of King's Bench successful Edmonton this week, alleges LaGrange called a gathering to effort to person the AHS committee occurrence Mentzelopolous, but immoderate directors refused.

Mentzelopoulos says successful a sworn affidavit she believes her claims volition beryllium confirmed by erstwhile committee members if the tribunal compels them to attest nether oath arsenic portion of the application.

"I was told that erstwhile Minister LaGrange was asked wherefore she wanted maine terminated, she could springiness nary substantive crushed and gave none," she said.

Mentzelopolous alleges that Andre Tremblay, who was connected the committee and the lawman curate of wellness astatine the time, was past directed by LaGrange to occurrence her.

"I had lone affirmative show reviews. To my cognition determination was thing antagonistic astatine each connected my unit record up to and including the time my employment was improperly terminated by Mr. Tremblay acting without AHS authority," Mentzelopolous said.

Mentzelopolous said by directing Tremblay, LaGrange overstepped the authorization of AHS directors.

Maddison McKee, LaGrange's property caput successful the caller ministry of superior and preventative wellness services, said successful a connection the reasons for the erstwhile AHS CEO's dismissal are intelligibly outlined successful the government's connection of defence.

"The authorities volition beryllium vigorously opposing the erstwhile CEO's astir caller exertion arsenic it is legally baseless and contains a litany of misinformation and mendacious claims."

The full committee was dismissed soon aft Mentzelopoulos was fired.

In a connection of defence filed successful March, the authorities said Mentzelopolous was fired not for investigating contracts, but for being an "alarming" nonaccomplishment astatine her job.

It besides alleged Mentzelopolous was stifling mandated health-care betterment successful bid to clasp the powerfulness and "personal prestige" of her position.

LaGrange's connection said due procedures were followed and that weeks anterior to Mentzelopolous being dismissed, the AHS committee seat signed disconnected connected the decision.

Premier Danielle Smith's United Conservative authorities has been aggressively restructuring the nationalist health-care system, establishing 4 abstracted health-care ministries on with 4 caller sector-specific agencies.

Once the provincial wellness authority, AHS is being reduced to a infirmary services provider.

LaGrange's defence called Mentzelopolous' relationship a "dramatic communicative and mendacious narrative" meant to compression much wealth retired of the authorities connected apical of an yearly wage approaching $600,000. Mentzelopoulos was fired 1 twelvemonth into a four-year contract.

She is seeking $1.7 cardinal successful mislaid wage and damages, portion LaGrange is asking that the suit beryllium dismissed.

None of the allegations from either broadside person been proven successful court.

In a March statement, Mentzelopolous said "an service of lawyers" had been hired to support the government.

"I americium disquieted there's a strategy to effort to bring maine to my knees financially, truthful I anticipation we tin skip oral questions and proceed straight to trial," she said astatine the time.