Alberta premier's former chief of staff suing fired health CEO, news outlet

Lawsuit over health scandal

Photo: The Canadian Press

An Alberta Health Services sign is pictured outside the Rockyview General Hospital in Calgary, Thursday, March 20, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's former chief of staff is suing the fired CEO of the province's front-line health agency and the newspaper that first reported allegations of corruption in multimillion-dollar health contracts.

Marshall Smith has filed a statement of claim alleging defamation against former Alberta Health Services head Athana Mentzelopoulos, the Globe and Mail, and an unidentified person believed to be a former AHS board member.

Mentzelopoulos has alleged in her own lawsuit that high-ranking health ministry staff, as well as Marshall Smith, pressured her to sign off on contracts for private surgical facilities despite concerns over costs and who was benefiting.

Smith is not a defendant in the Mentzelopoulos lawsuit, but his claim denies he was involved in the contracting process and says false statements published by the Globe paint him "in the worst possible light."

He is seeking $12 million for damages, loss of income and loss of future earnings.

None of the allegations in the lawsuits have been tested in court.

Neither the Globe and Mail nor the lawyer for Mentzelopoulos immediately responded to requests for comment. Marshall Smith's lawyer, Philip Prowse, says he has no further comment.