A newly reported link between a provincial appointee to the Edmonton Police Commission and a businessman at the centre of corruption allegations within the province's healthcare system may create turmoil for the commission, the co-hosts of Episode 297 of Speaking Municipally said.
"I think there's nothing the public is more interested in politically right now than this scandal and everything it affects," co-host Troy Pavlek said.
Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis appointed cardiac surgeon Jayan Nagendran to the Edmonton Police Commission in May 2023. At the time, Nagendran was a co-director alongside Sam Mraiche of a numbered company and the surgical director for lung transplantation at Alberta Health Services. Mraiche owns 25% of two surgical facilities operated by Alberta Surgical Group, which has reportedly charged more than double the standard fees for hip replacements. Mraiche also signed a $70-million contract with the province in 2022 to import children's pain medication from Turkey. Athana Mentzelopoulos, the former president and CEO of AHS, alleged in a wrongful termination suit filed in February that she was pressured to make deals with Alberta Surgical Group.
The suit is not yet settled by the courts, and two reviews are still underway by Alberta's auditor general and an unnamed third party, per The Canadian Press.
Pavlek noted that public scrutiny has pushed police commissioners to resign in the past. In December, John McDougall resigned after sharing plans to continue his role despite moving to Portugal, and in January, Dan Jones resigned after his appointment was criticized by former police chief Dale McFee, who has just been appointed by the UCP government as deputy minister of executive council and the head of Alberta Public Service. Nagendran's term on the police commission is set to expire in April 2026.
"We're seeing the police commission makeup shift a little bit," Pavlek said. "It shows that this board is not invulnerable to public outcry."
The Feb. 28 episode of Taproot's civic affairs podcast also covered ongoing discussions of bridge maintenance around downtown, the idea behind an infrastructure committee, and council's decision to approve a rezoning to allow a Nordic spa in the river valley. Plus, Taproot's managing editor, Tim Querengesser, provided an update from the Taproot newsroom. Speaking Municipally comes out on Fridays. Listening and subscription options are all right here.