#daniellesmith — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #daniellesmith, aggregated by home.social.
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Here's a little gem from years ago that Yankee Doodle Dani wrote.
#daniellesmith #premier #Alberta
Danielle Smith Claimed Smoking Cigarettes Had Positive Health Benefits
https://pressprogress.ca/danielle-smith-claimed-smoking-cigarettes-had-positive-health-benefits/ -
Here's a little gem from years ago that Yankee Doodle Dani wrote.
#daniellesmith #premier #Alberta
Danielle Smith Claimed Smoking Cigarettes Had Positive Health Benefits
https://pressprogress.ca/danielle-smith-claimed-smoking-cigarettes-had-positive-health-benefits/ -
Here's a little gem from years ago that Yankee Doodle Dani wrote.
#daniellesmith #premier #Alberta
Danielle Smith Claimed Smoking Cigarettes Had Positive Health Benefits
https://pressprogress.ca/danielle-smith-claimed-smoking-cigarettes-had-positive-health-benefits/ -
Here's a little gem from years ago that Yankee Doodle Dani wrote.
#daniellesmith #premier #Alberta
Danielle Smith Claimed Smoking Cigarettes Had Positive Health Benefits
https://pressprogress.ca/danielle-smith-claimed-smoking-cigarettes-had-positive-health-benefits/ -
Here's a little gem from years ago that Yankee Doodle Dani wrote.
#daniellesmith #premier #Alberta
Danielle Smith Claimed Smoking Cigarettes Had Positive Health Benefits
https://pressprogress.ca/danielle-smith-claimed-smoking-cigarettes-had-positive-health-benefits/ -
Braid: Carney steps up as pro-Canada champion in face of Smith’s muddled federalism
The best campaigner for Canada in the Oct. 19 referendum won’t be a premier who claims to be…
#Canada #MarkCarney #Banff #DanielleSmith #MinisterDevenDreeshen #ThomasLukaszuk #UnitedCanada
https://www.europesays.com/canada/206000/ -
Next up we have Jitendra Prasad.
These are allegations surrounding a cluster of procurement contracts that involve a number of different parties. Information gathered here may still be developing. Please keep this in mind.
Jitendra Prasad is alleged as the Chief Procurement Officer for Alberta Health Services, and is a central figure who oversaw a number of procurement contracts that fell to disrepute. In summary, Prasad may have had additional involvement over the course of over $600 M worth of business between AHS and Sam Mraiche. Prasad is a prominent character for the procurement of [1] COVID test kits, who then returned to AHS from retirement to oversee the [2] Tylenot procurement, was involved with the [3] Chartered Surgical Facility contracts, and is referred to during the [4] Melewka Homes Arc.
Remarkably, Prasad’s procurement procedures do not appear to provide any reasoning behind why Sam Mraiche’s family of businesses or associates should be the primary go-between or beneficiary to any of the contracts entered on behalf of AHS. There’s no explanation for this during the COVID Test Kits Arc, nor the Tylenot Arc. Canadians should also be alarmed with the knowledge provided by Peter Guthrie that the original maker of Tylenol, Johnson and Johnson, made a bid at a discount to provide children’s pain medication to meet a severe need. Why Turkish Tylenol?
While Prasad may argue that he did his job, he also may have allowed himself to become a rubber stamp in favour of a very specific set of characters, and at the expense of Canadians.
#CorruptCare #Corruption #AHS #AlbertaUnderSiege #SamMraiche #DanielleSmith #UCP #BryanWard #RCMP #RaymondWyant #AthanaMentzelopoulos #MarshallSmith
#EthicalFading
#comment
- #AbLeg #AbPoli #CdnPoli 136
https://kopitalk.net/community/canada/wiki/jitendraprasad -
Much like a Greek Epic, the Corrupt Care scandal has grown, with new characters and all kinds of details. So before the summer winds down (sadly!) I want to go over some highlights in a way that helps me keep track of things.
Please keep in mind that I just started this little exercise. But, I think I just finished with Marshall Smith, so I'm happy to start there. I'll leave a blurb here:
These are allegations surrounding a cluster of procurement contracts that involve a number of different parties. Information gathered here may still be developing. Please keep this in mind.
An American with a reputation for being a party boy, Marshall Smith made his way to Vancouver where he eventually entered the political scene. He pled guilty to Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking Methamphetamine and Cocaine, suggesting that he may have been a supplier to a very specific clientele. As part of the fallout from that incident, he was tucked away to Prince George to oversee the Baldy Hughes Facility. But, there are allegations that Marshall Smith ran the facility like a personal mom and pop, effectively cheaping out on everything and everyone to the point of disfunction.
Baldy Hughes apparently remains, and continues to struggle with all the same issues Marshall Smith left them with. Marshall Smith was then selected by the UCP to bring this Recovery Model, along with its dubious history, province-wide across Alberta. As noted below from the Tyee, Marshall Smith moved on from Baldy Hughes, stating that he essentially wanted to leave in good times. And, while the Corrupt Care Arcs have yet to fully play out, Marshall Smith almost has the appearance of a mythical “economic hit man”. A character who goes into another jurisdiction with the objective to destroy the economy and value of a target industry, and then exfiltrates himself.
#CorruptCare #Corruption #AHS #AlbertaUnderSiege #SamMraiche #DanielleSmith #UCP #BryanWard #RCMP #RaymondWyant #AthanaMentzelopoulos #MarshallSmith
#EthicalFading
#comment
- #AbLeg #AbPoli #CdnPoli 135
https://kopitalk.net/community/canada/wiki/marshallsmith -
CBC’s Jason Markusoff and Joel Dryden follow up on the Alberta CorruptCare scandal. Here, CorruptCare continues to broil as two podcasters return to court for allegations that they carried out a campaign of harassment and intimidation of former AHS CEO, Athana Mentzelopoulos, and former AHS board member, Sandy Edmonstone. The article discusses how Edmonstone noted the similarities between the harassment he experienced, and the allegations of harassment that Globe and Mail reporter, Carrie Tait, experienced.
Edmonstone learned that “the phone number that had been associated with the photos taken of him also was associated with an anonymous X account that had posted the photos of Tait.”
CorruptCare watchers will find interesting that Bryan Ward, a lawyer associated with Quixotic capitalist, Sam Mraiche, is the subject of a contempt application. Bryan Ward being another person of interest in the other court case involving the UCP Recovery Centres, the Semashkewiches, Sam Mraiche, Sam Jaber, Jitendra Prasad, Mike Eldassouki, and others.
#CorruptCare #Corruption #AHS #AlbertaUnderSiege #SamMraiche #DanielleSmith #UCP #SamMraiche #CarrieTait #DavidWallace #JamesDiFiore #SandyEdmonstone #BryanWard #RCMP #RaymondWyant #AthanaMentzelopoulos #SamJaber #DougWylie #AuditorGeneral
#EthicalFading
#comment
- #AbLeg #AbPoli #CdnPoli 132
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/athana-mentzelopoulos-ahs-lawsuit-9.7166738
https://kopitalk.net/c/canada/p/404229/former-ahs-ceo-wants-podcasters-held-in-contempt-for-harassment-campaign-cbc-news -
The Tyee's Brett Mckay brings us “The UCP Tried to Kill a Health Story with Claims That Didn’t Stand Up”
The UCP and the AB GOV clearly captured the healthcare system, and have politicized the administration of healthcare in Alberta. If the Alberta Premier’s office or the UCP have a problem with a news story, they now write from multiple letterheads. If there’s fall out, they can hide behind multiple offices. When Albertans cannot trust the data about how healthcare is delivered, it’s called Propaganda.
Healthcare is a public good, and should not be subject to oppression or suppression from the government. Otherwise Canadians will have no reliable measure of how healthcare is delivered, the effectiveness of projects or initiatives, or whether we are in fact in the midst of a crisis. Rather than an emphasis on service, the UCP healthcare system seems to focus on obedience.
#CorruptCare #Corruption #AHS #AlbertaUnderSiege #DanielleSmith #UCP
#EthicalFading
#comment
- #AbLeg #AbPoli #CdnPoli 131
https://thetyee.ca/News/2026/04/16/UCP-Tried-Kill-Health-Story/ -
The UCP Tried to Kill a Health Story with Claims That Didn’t Stand Up | The Tyee
The Alberta government was quick to react when an Investigative Journalism Foundation investigation revealed that the amount of overtime worked by paramedics in Edmonton had increased by 81 per cent between 2021 and 2024.
The report was republished by several media outlets across Canada last summer through the Local Journalism Initiative.
Staff from Premier Danielle Smith’s office and the Ministry of Hospital and Surgical Health Services immediately began messaging reporters and editors, claiming that data had been omitted and asking that the story be rewritten or deleted. At least one news outlet complied with the government’s request.
But after filing multiple access to information requests, the IJF found that information cited in emails from the premier’s staff doesn’t line up with data from the province’s own health agencies.
That’s a serious problem, said Lorian Hardcastle, a professor in the faculties of law and medicine at the University of Calgary.
“In many cases, government is the only one with access to particular data,” she said. “And so it’s essential to government accountability to democracy for them to be honest and open and transparent with that data.”
“Where that data is false, or where that data is misleading or is manipulated in a way to make it seem more favourable, all of that is really problematic,” Hardcastle said. “And it takes away the ability of the public to hold the government’s feet to the fire to make improvements.” Inaccurate data also makes it harder for those working in the system to make needed changes, she said.
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Lawyers Group Wants a Criminal Probe of Edmonton’s Top Cop
Tyee’s Charles Rusnell follows up on the fall out from Edmonton Police Service’s Chief Warren Driechel, and his office’s notorious attempt to publicly pressure the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service and the Criminal Justice System.
Certainly, the article deserves a read because the Chief’s actions in the Rattlesnake case are characterized as “institutional combat”. I’d highlight that the Americans are very familiar with this, because some of their states elect District Attorneys, Sheriffs, and Judges. The US invites this “public brinksmanship” to pit institutions and the public against one another for fame and votes. And, if this is what Chief Driechel wishes to introduce to Alberta, he can always resign now and seek work in the US.
Driechel’s actions have damaged the Criminal Justice system’s core principles, and institutions. Albertans should remember that two senior Crown Prosecutors were terminated, and Justice Minister Mickey Amery denied any involvement in that decision. Also, Premier Danielle Smith publicly supported Driechel, and it’s unclear what her involvement was in yet another assault on Alberta’s institutions.
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The Globe’s Tom Cardoso and Carrie Tait bring the latest in the CorruptCare scandal, further confirming that Elections Alberta was disarmed from its role to protect the integrity of the electoral system of Alberta. But, with even more concern, Alberta’s Justice Minister appears unable to identify the conflicts of interest that arise where he is alleged to have an existing relationship with the central figure of the Corrupt Care contracts, Sam Mraiche.
Justice Minister Amery, a lawyer himself, claims he had no knowledge that Elections Alberta was investigating his “old friend”, Sam Mraiche. And, perhaps some grace can be afforded the Minister that no one from Elections Alberta sat with him to say there was such an investigation. But, given the Minister’s position, his networks within the UCP, his alleged relationship with Sam Mraiche, and Sam Mraiche’s own ties to other agents of government, Canadians are left wondering why credibility is so thin here.
The article goes on to share a time line of events for when the Elections Alberta investigation began, to when Justice Minister Amery introduced his amendments to further disarm Elections Alberta, and how these amendments coincidentally worked in Sam Mraiche’s favour.
#CorruptCare #Corruption #AHS #AlbertaUnderSiege #SamMraiche #DanielleSmith #MickeyAmery #UCP
#EthicalFading
#comment
- #AbLeg #AbPoli #CdnPoli 130
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-alberta-justice-minister-sam-mraiche-investigation/
https://kopitalk.net/c/canada/p/381433/alberta-justice-minister-curtailed-election-regulator-when-sam-mraiche-was-under-investi -
Alberta Justice Minister curtailed election regulator when Sam Mraiche was under investigation
The Globe’s Tom Cardoso and Carrie Tait bring the latest in the CorruptCare scandal, further confirming that Elections Alberta was disarmed from its role to protect the integrity of the electoral system of Alberta. But, with even more concern, Alberta’s Justice Minister appears unable to identify the conflicts of interest that arise where he is alleged to have an existing relationship with the central figure of the Corrupt Care contracts, Sam Mraiche.
Justice Minister Amery, a lawyer himself, claims he had no knowledge that Elections Alberta was investigating his “old friend”, Sam Mraiche. And, perhaps some grace can be afforded the Minister that no one from Elections Alberta sat with him to say there was such an investigation. But, given the Minister’s position, his networks within the UCP, his alleged relationship with Sam Mraiche, and Sam Mraiche’s own ties to other agents of government, Canadians are left wondering why credibility is so thin here.
The article goes on to share a time line of events for when the Elections Alberta investigation began, to when Justice Minister Amery introduced his amendments to further disarm Elections Alberta, and how these amendments coincidentally worked in Sam Mraiche’s favour.
Of interest, there are 6 names that stood out for Elections Alberta due to their lack of cooperation. Elections Alberta then applied for these individuals, and Mraiche, to be held in contempt. The day after Justice Minister Mickey Amery’s amendments were introduced, their lawyer wrote to Elections Alberta that they considered the issue concluded. Canadians have to start wondering if these individuals were waiting the clock, and what exactly informed them of the time left?
Also, with how sophisticated some of the targets of investigation are for Elections Alberta, I ask why should they be restricted to 1 year? Here in Canada, people can be charged for crime with no time limit. When the Justice System itself acknowledges its racism, and actively tries to mitigate it, why then should White Collar criminals be treated with such privilege?
Six people whose names are listed – Ali Haymour, Houssam Ismail, Kamal Mansour, Khawla Al-Tamimi, Majida Kiki and Salim Kherbatly – were found in contempt by an Alberta court in July after Elections Alberta said they had not made themselves available for an interview related to an investigation. Court records for their and Mr. Mraiche’s contempt cases show that both matters concerned a straw-donor investigation launched on April 30, 2024, and shared the same internal Elections Alberta case file number.
Documents filed in the six individuals’ cases show that on May 16 – the day after Mr. Amery’s changes passed in the legislature – their lawyer, George Samia, wrote to Elections Alberta to point out the new time limit.
“Given that the events under investigation occurred more than one year ago, and considering the legislative intent to enforce a one-year limitation period, we submit that the window for investigation into this matter has closed and the investigation has been rendered moot,” he said. “Therefore, our Clients will not be submitting to any further questioning or investigations related to this case.” Mr. Samia did not respond to a request for comment.
The six individuals each agreed to pay the elections authority $1,445 in early January as part of their contempt cases, court records show. They have received no penalty related to the alleged illegal donations, according to Elections Alberta’s website. -
No. No. Nine times no. Five very smart Albertans, from across the province, and across the political spectrum, tell me why they think Danielle Smith’s nine referendum questions are racist, or useless, or both. And we ask - why is there no No campaign as yet?? Please do give this vital episode a listen! https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/alberta-unbound/id1511810939?i=1000756773602 #ableg #abpoli #Alberta #AlbertaUnbound #yeg #yyc #cdnpoli #SenateofCanada #DanielleSmith #NaheedNenshi
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The Tyee’s Charles Rusnell follows up on the fallout from CorruptCare’s expansion into the Recovery Centres.
#CorruptCare #Corruption #AHS #AlbertaUnderSiege #SamMraiche #DanielleSmith #RCMP #RaymondWyant #AthanaMentzelopoulos #MickeyAmery #SandyEdmonstone #JitendraPrasad #SamJaber #BryanWard #Semashkewich #MelewkaHomes
#EthicalFading
#comment
- #AbLeg #AbPoli #CdnPoli 129
https://thetyee.ca/News/2026/03/25/Unpaid-Subcontractors-Recovery-Centres/
https://kopitalk.net/c/canada/p/347861/unpaid-subcontractors-for-recovery-centres-say-ucp-abandoned-them -
Unpaid Subcontractors for Recovery Centres Say UCP Abandoned Them
The Tyee’s Charles Rusnell follows up on the fallout from CorruptCare’s expansion into the Recovery Centres.
Subcontractors, who have not been paid for months, are blaming the government of Premier Danielle Smith for first failing to provide oversight on more than $100 million of taxpayers’ money and then failing to help resolve the impasse as they struggle to survive.
“This will probably bankrupt us if I don’t get paid,” said one Edmonton subcontractor who hasn’t been paid in more than two months. “I’m about a million dollars out so that is a pretty heavy hit.”
Another Edmonton subcontractor told The Tyee she has been owed more than $500,000 since July 2025.
“This shows to me that the government doesn’t have our back, that we can’t trust the government.
“We can’t trust them with our taxpayers’ money. We can’t trust them on a government-funded project.”
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“Nobody told us anything, and we were just told, ‘Don’t worry, you will get paid,’” said the Métis Nation subcontractor.
“So we kept working. The only reason we finally went off site is because we weren’t believing the bullshit anymore.”
She said it wasn’t until she read The Tyee story that she understood what was going on.
“When I read it, then it became crystal clear to me what the problems were. I was like, ‘OK that is why we haven’t been paid.’ And I was thinking, ‘That is why everyone has been stonewalling me and not telling the truth.’
“None of us subtrades would have known any of this unless we had read your article.”
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Canadians may be witnessing one of the greatest corruption scandals to rock a province in generations. From the mind boggling dollar figures, to the depth of the group alleged behind the corruption, the scandal touches every man, woman, and child of Alberta.
CorruptCare originally referred to allegations of a cluster of procurement contracts involving AHS and a number of UCP members in relation to Tylenot, bad PPE, and some suspicious bids for chartered surgical facilities. And, now, the scandal continues to expand to construction contracts in relation to the recovery centres at the heart of the UCP’s forced treatment programming (that I dub Residential Schools 2.0).
The Tyee’s Charles Rusnell brings us the deep dive into the allegations between the Semashkewiches, Sam Mraiche, Sam Jaber, Jitendra Prasad, Mike Eldassouki, Aaron Barner, and others. As always, the article itself deserves a read, and I’ll leave some highlights below.
#CorruptCare #Corruption #AHS #AlbertaUnderSiege #SamMraiche #DanielleSmith #RCMP #RaymondWyant #AthanaMentzelopoulos #MickeyAmery #SandyEdmonstone #JitendraPrasad #SamJaber #BryanWard #Semashkewich #MelewkaHomes
#EthicalFading
#comment
- #AbLeg #AbPoli #CdnPoli 128
https://thetyee.ca/News/2026/03/19/Accusations-Fly-Newly-Surfaced-Legal-Fight-Sam-Mraiche/
https://kopitalk.net/c/canada/p/347793/accusations-fly-in-newly-surfaced-legal-fight-involving-sam-mraiche -
Accounting firm owned by Smith government appointee searched by RCMP
Globe and Mail’s Carrie Tait, Tom Cardoso, Matthew Scace, and Jana G. Pruden, and Alanna Smith, with the latest updates on the RCMP conducting searches of properties associated with Sam Jaber, Jitendra Prasad, and Sam Mraiche.
A marked RCMP vehicle was parked in front of Jaberson & Associates, a tax preparation and accounting firm owned by Sam Jaber. In November, 2023, Ms. Smith appointed him to the board of Invest Alberta, which focuses on attracting capital investment to the province.
Mr. Jaber has also served as the chief financial officer of MHCare Medical Corp., a private company owned by Sam Mraiche, a businessman at the centre of the province’s procurement controversy.
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On Thursday, a Globe reporter spoke with a neighbour of Jitendra Prasad, one of the former Alberta Health Service procurement officials who was part of Ms. Mentzelopoulos’s probe.
The neighbour told The Globe that RCMP officers had attended at Mr. Prasad’s home throughout the day on Tuesday.
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Mr. Jaber owns two tax and accounting businesses, corporate records show – Jaberson & Associates and Tax Pros, both based in Edmonton.
Corporate filings show that Mr. Jaber and his accounting businesses have acted as registering agents for several of Mr. Mraiche’s business ventures.
Mr. Jaber was appointed to Invest Alberta’s board at the behest of the Premier’s Office, according to records obtained by The Globe through an access to information request.
In a series of e-mails, government staff discuss Mr. Jaber’s potential appointment. In an e-mail dated Oct. 26, 2023, one official wrote that the Premier’s Office “has indicated this is a priority for immediate action.” Mr. Jaber was appointed to the board by an order-in-council signed by the Premier four weeks later. His term is set to expire next January.
Invest Alberta declined to comment.
The Premier in the summer of 2024 confirmed that Jaberson & Associates furnished her office with tickets to watch the Edmonton Oilers play the Vancouver Canucks in British Columbia during the NHL playoffs that year. Mr. Mraiche joined Ms. Smith in a box suite to watch the game, a photo taken by The Canadian Press shows.
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Smith defends government after RCMP executes search warrants in health care procurement probe
Globe and Mail’s Carrie Tait, Matthew Scace, and Tom Cardoso, with the latest in the CorruptCare scandal, with the RCMP pushing further in their investigation.
#CorruptCare #Corruption #AHS #AlbertaUnderSiege #SamMraiche #DanielleSmith #RCMP #RaymondWyant #AthanaMentzelopoulos #MickeyAmery
#EthicalFading
#comment
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https://kopitalk.net/c/canada/p/330021/smith-defends-government-after-rcmp-executes-search-warrants-in-health-care-procurement
https://archive.is/r85Ok -
Smith defends government after RCMP executes search warrants in health care procurement probe
Globe and Mail’s Carrie Tait, Matthew Scace, and Tom Cardoso, with the latest in the CorruptCare scandal, with the RCMP pushing further in their investigation.
The article deserves a read, and highlights included here.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith defended her government on Thursday during her first appearance in the legislature since police executed search warrants as part of their criminal investigation into the province’s health care procurement controversy.
The RCMP this week searched the head office of MHCare Medical Corp., one of the government suppliers at the centre of the controversy.
The company, which has received $600-million in contracts from Alberta Health Services, is owned by Edmonton businessman Sam Mraiche. Mr. Mraiche had ties with Ms. Smith and members of her government, as well as public servants at Alberta’s health authority.
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During Question Period at the Alberta Legislature on Thursday, Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi highlighted the relationship between the government and Mr. Mraiche, who played host to cabinet ministers and political officials in a box suite during Edmonton Oilers games.
“It is the biggest government scandal in Alberta history,” Mr. Nenshi said. He noted that the RCMP searches are now in their third day.
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Alberta construction company alleges Sam Mraiche played hidden role in building of addiction sites
Globe and Mail’s Tom Cardoso and Carrie Tait give us the deep dive on the latest in the CorruptCare scandal, revealing allegations that Sam Mraiche continued to use his connections to the UCP to shake down other businesses for payments in exchange for government contracts.
Here, the allegations take us to Melewka Homes Ltd, owned by Lewis Semashkewich and John Semashkewich. The pair did business with a Mohamed Eldassouki. Plot twist: Eldassouki apparently is the brother-in-law of the perpetual protagonist of capitalism, Sam Mraiche. The Semashkewiches go on to allege that Mraiche introduced himself as Fred, and suggested that he had connections with high ranked officials, and he could pull contracts awarded to Melweka at any time. Fred went on to make demands for large sums of money.
Unfortunately, some of these contracts appear to involve the Addiction Recovery Centres that were once handled by AHS. But, since AHS may have been shattered into pieces for allegedly investigating the CorruptCare cluster of contracts, it has since been replaced by Recovery Alberta in 2024. At this point, it beggars belief that the UCP, Danielle Smith, and her caucus do not either resign or at least take steps to mitigate what is clearly an out-of-control conflicts of interest.
As always, the article deserves a read, and I’ll include some highlights here. You will see that some recurring characters return to the stage, including Jitendra Prasad, and Bryan Ward.
The Semashkewiches and Mr. Eldassouki began working together in 2022, according to court records, under an arrangement in which Mr. Eldassouki would help identify projects for the Semashkewiches’ business.
Not long after that, the Semashkewiches claim in the lawsuit they were introduced to a man named Fred, who told Lewis Semashkewich he would control Melewka Homes’ payments on projects identified by Mr. Eldassouki and could put an end to them at any time. In their court submissions, the Semashkewiches said it was “made apparent” to them that Fred had “considerable control” over the construction work and the government officials behind them.
According to the Semashkewiches’ court filings, they later learned that Fred was, in fact, Sam Mraiche. In addition to being Mr. Mraiche’s brother-in-law, Mr. Eldassouki has served as a senior executive at two of Mr. Mraiche’s companies, including MHCare.
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The Semashkewiches’ deal with Mr. Eldassouki soon led to new business, the counterclaim shows. After being selected to build two apartment complexes for the Métis Nation of Alberta in 2023, in early 2024 the contractor was tapped to build recovery centres in the three Indigenous communities.
But the arrangement between the two companies would ultimately become strained as the contractor allegedly faced demands for money from Mr. Mraiche and Mr. Eldassouki on its construction projects, according to the Semashkewiches’ claim.
During one phone call between Lewis Semashkewich and Mr. Mraiche, the latter told Mr. Semashkewich he had the government connections necessary to “pull” Melewka Homes’ projects and indicated he had ties to a senior executive at the Métis Nation, a man named Aaron Barner, the Semashkewiches’ claim alleges. “I own Barner and he will do what I say,” Mr. Mraiche is alleged to have said.
After that conversation, Mr. Barner allegedly told Mr. Semashkewich that meetings between the Métis Nation and Melewka Homes were cancelled until further notice, effectively pausing the project. According to the Semashkewiches’ submission, work only resumed after Mr. Semashkewich authorized the release of funds to Mr. Eldassouki. In his court submissions, Mr. Eldassouki denies exerting pressure on the Semashkewiches or making improper requests for payment.
Mr. Barner, for his part, says in a statement of defence that he asked that the Semashkewiches cease contact in response to “repeated and improper communications” between Melewka Homes and Métis Nation personnel. Mr. Barner also denies he is a business associate of Mr. Mraiche and Mr. Eldassouki, and says he did not act on anyone’s instruction. A lawyer for Mr. Barner did not comment.
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During another meeting, this time at MHCare’s offices, Mr. Mraiche allegedly demanded an “exorbitant amount of money” and threatened to use his connections to cancel Melewka Homes’ projects, the Semashkewiches claim in their lawsuit. To demonstrate his influence, Mr. Mraiche allegedly called “his friend J.P.,” an Alberta government insider, and put him on speakerphone. According to the Semashkewiches’ submission, Lewis Semashkewich understands this man to be Jitendra Prasad, who was then a senior procurement official for the Alberta government. Last year, The Globe documented Mr. Prasad’s involvement in the Alberta Health Services procurement controversy and his ties to Mr. Mraiche. A lawyer for Mr. Prasad did not respond to The Globe’s requests for comment.
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The Semashkewiches also say in their court submission that the lawyer they hired to handle payments on two of the three recovery centres – and who allegedly came at the recommendation of Mr. Eldassouki – improperly sent nearly $7-million to Mr. Eldassouki’s company. Public records show that the lawyer, a man named Bryan Ward, has acted for Mr. Mraiche on several occasions, including in a civil lawsuit, in real estate transactions and in a dispute with Elections Alberta. Mr. Ward denies having acted improperly in his statement of defence, and his lawyer did not comment.
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#DanielleSmith and the #UCP are EMBARRASSINGLY stuck up, SMALL MINDED and PETTY!! #Firefly is now BANNED in #alberta! Yet that #HolyBible, with all the mentions of incest, child murder and rape is just trucking along...
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Globe and Mail’s Tu Thanh Ha brings us the latest in the CorruptCare scandal, following up on a thread of connections to what may be the lawfare apparatus of the UCP.
In his podcasts, Mr. Wallace had asserted that he would disseminate incriminating information about Mr. Edmonstone and warned that “we’re really going to start digging down and we’re going to make it unbearable for you.”
Instead of searching the podcasters’ devices, Mr. Alcock’s court filing said Mr. Edmonstone should have sued them for defamation and used a less-intrusive legal mechanism to gather evidence about them.
The controversy began in early 2025, when the former head of Alberta Health Services, Athana Mentzelopoulos, alleged in a wrongful-dismissal suit that she had been fired by the government of Premier Danielle Smith after she declined to wind up an internal investigation into the way AHS awarded contracts to private vendors.
Mr. Edmonstone said in a court affidavit that he was harassed because he was vocal in his support of Ms. Mentzelopoulos and had urged her to speak to the RCMP and the provincial Auditor-General. The entire AHS board was dismissed at the end of January by the Smith government.
Last November, Mr. Edmonstone turned to Alberta King’s Bench Justice Michael Lema, the judge managing the Mentzelopoulos lawsuit. He persuaded Justice Lema to grant him a court order allowing independent solicitors to search the electronic records of Mr. Wallace and Mr. Di Fiore, in a bid to identify who could have directed them.
Justice Lema also cited the two podcasters for contempt of court because Mr. Edmonstone is a potential witness in Ms. Mentzelopoulos’s litigation.The judge issued the citation for contempt and the search authorization, known as an Anton Piller order, after an ex parte hearing, meaning it happened without the knowledge of the podcasters.
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Mr. Edmonstone’s affidavit said he became aware in June, 2025, that he was being followed when someone covertly photographed him, while he lunched with a woman, and disseminated the pictures, falsely accusing him of adultery.
The affidavit said that Mr. Edmonstone discovered that the cellphone that shared photos of him was the contact number for an anonymous X account that had posted similar surveillance shots of Globe and Mail reporter Carrie Tait and threatened to expose her sources.
Meanwhile, Mr. Wallace, a self-described “political hitman,” used podcasts to direct reputational attacks at Mr. Edmonstone, Ms. Mentzelopoulos and Ms. Tait.
…
During the search of Mr. Wallace’s devices, he initially refused to co-operate by saying that he was working on a retainer for an Edmonton-area lawyer, Bryan Ward.
Public records show that Mr. Ward has in the past represented Sam Mraiche, the owner of one of AHS’s suppliers, the MHCare Medical company – and one of the contractors that was the focus of the probe ordered by Ms. Mentzelopoulos.
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I think the written decision of the Honourable Justice Fraser deserves a read, and I’ll include the relevant passage here as it relates to the EPS.
The EPS essentially interfered with how the Crown handled a serious case. In so doing, EPS Warren Driechel and others issued a remarkable threat to the courts to say that it would release additional information on the file if the sentence hearing was not satisfactory. The Edmonton Journal’s Wakefield walks us through the fallout.
[18] I find the actions of the Edmonton Police Service to be reprehensible. The veiled threat that they may release more information about this matter if they are not happy about the sentence I impose comes dangerously close, and may actually cross the line, into an attempt to wilfully obstruct, pervert, or defeat the course of justice in a judicial proceeding. I see little difference between the actions of Ms. Hankewich and those of former Alberta Justice Minister Kaycee Madu.
[19] I am at a loss as to how this action conforms with the motto that every uniformed officer wears on his or her shoulder, “Integrity, Courage, Community”. This action shows no integrity.
[20] In Canada, it has long been recognized that the police and the Crown Prosecution Service are separate entities. When that separation is not present, miscarriages of justice can happen.
[21] Although it is not usually my practice when giving a decision from the Bench, I am going to read a lengthy quote from R v Regan, 2002 SCC 12, starting at para 66 that explains the importance of the separation:
The need for a separation between police and Crown functions has been reiterated in reports inquiring into miscarriages of justice which have sent innocent men to jail in Canada. The Royal Commission on the Donald Marshall, Jr., Prosecution, vol. 1, Findings and Recommendations (1989) (“Marshall Report”) speaks of the Crown’s duty this way: “In addition to being accountable to the Attorney General for the performance of their duties, Crown prosecutors are accountable to the courts and the public. In that sense, the Crown prosecutor occupies what has sometimes been characterized as a quasi-judicial office, a unique position in our Anglo-Canadian legal tradition” (pp. 227-28). The Marshall Report emphasizes that this role must remain distinct from (while still cooperative with) that of the police (at p. 232):
We recognize that cooperative and effective consultation between the police and the Crown is also essential to the proper administration of justice. But under our system, the policing function – that of investigation and law enforcement – is distinct from the prosecuting function. We believe the maintenance of a distinct line between these two functions is essential to the proper administration of justice.
[22] Continuing in Regan, Justice Lebel goes on to state at paragraph 87 that:
…The expectation is that both the police and the Crown will act according to their distinct roles in the process, investigating allegations of criminal behaviour, and assessing the public interest in prosecuting, respectively….
[23] I urge the senior members of the Edmonton Police Service to read Regan, and the Marshall report. Hopefully it will remind them of the role they play in the justice system and the reason a separation between the police and prosecution is required.
[24] I can assure everyone present today, and everyone involved in this case, and everyone who has an interest in this case, that I make my sentencing decision without any fear of the Edmonton Police Service’s possible actions. However, I do find that their actions go so far beyond what is acceptable conduct by the police service that it should be considered at least a somewhat mitigating factor on sentence.
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Next up - Bill C-12. Thursday night, I rose in the Senate to call out the so-called “reforms” to our immigration & refugee systems, which have been condemned by civil society groups across Canada. I was the only Senator to give a speech in opposition to the bill - perhaps because, as an Albertans, I have already witnessed the dangers of demonizing new Canadians and asylum seekers. https://youtu.be/U1QAtaBy-sM?si=np2nmi9xbGJs1Jdk #C12 #BillC12 #cdnpoli #SenateofCanada #SenCa #Alberta #ableg #abpoli #DanielleSmith #immigration #ICE
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I’m so sorry - I’m a bit behind on my Mastodon posting. Last week was crazy busy. So let me give you a recap of all the trouble I’ve been making in the Senate. First up - my exchange with Justice Minister Sean Fraser about Premier Danielle Smith’s threat to stop funding new superior court judges in Alberta. https://youtu.be/4qW6MudvW7M?si=mM_Sk-vk7xUl9THv #cdnpoli #abpoli #LCJC #Alberta #SenateOfCanada #DanielleSmith #SenCa #ableg
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I openly opposed #TMX on #Twitter a decade ago. As a result, I received constant online harassment, death threats and regular late night phone calls from machines that just said “goodbye” then hung up.
For all those saying “This pipeline will never happen”, there are many more right wing Canadian #MAGA bullies who are ready to push the point.
Sadly, as of my recent anti #NorthernGateway posts, the late night calls have resumed. Last night’s came at 4AM to my cellphone.
#MarkCarney has no idea of the hate storm he’s released on #BC due to his partnership with #DanielleSmith on this bullshit #MOU.
Intimidation and harassment in #Canada is a very real thing. Many Canadians unaffected and unconcerned with this pipeline have no idea what would happen if they openly opposed it.
This is the reality for #climatedefenders under #Liberals who have once again emboldened the worst people n Canada.
I hesitated to speak out against this new pipeline, knowing the harassment would continue. But that’s their intention, to intimidate me into silence.
So late night phone calls again it is. Last time this triggered me so much I spent way more time openly opposing the pipeline to spite the hate.
This pipeline will probably get built, despite all those minimizing by saying it won’t. I know this because of the constant misinformation in the #MSM and on #Facebook, skewed polls in favor of the pipeline meant to nudge public opinion, and the start of a new harassment and intimidation campaign by right wing lunatics.
The machine has once again awoken and anti Climate Liberals are at the wheel, steering Canada away from clean options while letting #Conservative goons do their dirty work.
Northern Gateway is a Nation Burning Project not “Nation Building” as Mark Carney would have you believe.
We will resist this pipeline and we will continue to fight, despite biased Canadian Media and #MapleMAGA threats and harassment.
This will be the most costly pipeline ever built in Canada, both financially and politically. If built, Liberals will carry this oil-soaked albatross for a generation.
Carney’s betrayal will cost them dearly, as dearly as opposing another dirty oil pipeline will cost all of us in #BC.
#cdnpoli #abpoli #bcpoli #nopipelines #elbowsdown #dirtyoil #dirtypolitics
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In supporting #DanielleSmith’s demands to force yet another bitumen pipeline on British Columbia, oil drunk #Liberals are done in #BC.
Voting strategically for #MarkCarney despite my continued rage over the environmental destruction #TMX has wreaked on #Burnaby and #BC was the dumbest leap of faith I’ve ever taken at the polls. Conservative kiss-ass Carney can kiss his strategic voters in BC goodbye.
This is no “nation building” project, it is a capitulation to Big Oil pressure under the guise of nationalism, and the start of yet another federal war on British Columbia and all those protecting it.
This dirty, useless, expensive project won’t get done without shady #American or #Saudi investors, #Palantir drones patrolling the skies of Northern BC, and the inevitable sacrifice and destruction of our beautiful coastline for Alberta’s greedy, dirty oil economy.
This project will be Mark Carney’s albatross to bear, hope it was worth it for these pitiful Liberal Traitors.
#cdnpoli #bcpoli #pipeline #climatedestruction #federaloverreach #LiberalBetrayal #appeasingseparatists #abusingfirstnations #shameonMarkCarney #elbowsdown #effCarney #effSmith #votingreformnow #proportionalrepresentation
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In the wee small hours of the morning, the Alberta legislature passed a bill that preemptively invoked the notwithstanding clause, ordering striking teachers back to work, and imposing on them a contract they had already rejected. Today, by coincidence, the Senate's Transport and Communications committee began a study of strikes in the transport sector. Since we had two great expert witnesses before us - labour lawyer Paul Champ and business professor Ian Lee - I seized the opportunity to ask what precedent Danielle Smith's bill might set. https://youtu.be/oKSYDrSCx8U?si=ItXTHkQemJOqZLSW #cdnpoli #SenateofCanada #ableg #abpoli #ATA #AirCanada #Alberta #DanielleSmith
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Alberta government PR branch moved under premier’s office
#Alberta #Canada #UCP #DanielleSmith #Bill54 #GovernmentPR #PublicSpending #Partisanship #ExecutiveCouncil #CPE #MediaControl #Politics #Propaganda #PublicFunds #Transparency #Democracy
https://the-14.com/alberta-government-pr-branch-moved-under-premiers-office/ -
#Puberty, #gender #transitioning and #reversibility: #Fact #checking #DanielleSmith’s #Disinformation.
#Premier #DanielleSmith made the #announcement on #Wednesday with several #questionable #assertions made about #trans #people and #transitioning #genders.
#Women #Transgender #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #Canada #Alberta #Conservatives #Extremism #Fascism #Hate #Bigotry #Violence #Genocide #Discrimination #Transphobia
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The Tyee: The Last Thing Alberta’s NDP Needs Is a Name Change https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2023/12/05/Last-Thing-Alberta-NDP-Needs-Name-Change/ #bcnews #TheTyee - via @[email protected] #Alberta’sProgressiveFuture #UnitedConservativeParty #AlbertaNDPnamechange #RachelNotleyretiring #JanetBrownpollster #BrianMalkinson #DanielleSmith #DaveCournoyer #JanetEremenko #JagmeetSingh #RachelNotley #JasonKenney #AlbertaNDP
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Promise:
"We're going to do this! It's going to happen when you vote me in, you can bet on that!"
Reality:
"We looked at it and it's going to be too hard or impossible, yeah we don't want to do it"#DanielleSmith 's go-to moves.
#ucp #UnfitToLead #FireTheUCP