Alberta's health minister has officially fired back against allegations from a former health leader who says she was fired for investigating sweetheart deals, collusion and high-level political arm-twisting. Adriana LaGrange, in a statement of defence, says Athana Mentzelopoulos was not fired from her job as the head of Alberta Health Services for investigating corruption. LaGrange says Mentzelopoulos was fired because she was failing to do her job and was working to stop mandated health reform to keep the power and perks of her position. Alberta Health Services has been in charge of all h

Ottawa and Alberta have reached a new joint $70-million funding agreement to aid the province's response to homelessness. Social Services Minister Jason Nixon says the funding is expected to boost shelter capacity, build transitional housing, and support the government's navigation centres in Edmonton and Calgary. Those navigation centres serve as a hub where those experiencing homelessness can go to be referred to available supports and services. Nixon says the funding will be split between Alberta's two major cities as well as Red Deer and Lethbridge. The deal will see Ottawa provide

Calgary police say a massage therapist has been charged with sexual assault of a client. Police say the client went in January to Parkview Massage and Wellness in south Calgary. It's alleged the client was touched sexually without consent during an appointment. Police say the client reported what happened the following month. A 46-year-old man is now charged with one count of sexual assault. He is slated to appear in court in May.

A union representing more than 30,000 nurses in Alberta has reached a four-year tentative agreement with the province after six weeks of formal mediation. United Nurses of Alberta says the agreement will significantly improve wages, including an immediate hike of about 15 per cent for registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses. Formal mediation began in January after workers voted in October 2024 to reject recommendations that had been reached through informal mediation. The union says the tentative agreement also covers issues like staffing shortages, rural health care and job sec

A lawyer for the former head of Alberta Health Services says his client is happy R-C-M-P have launched an investigation amid allegations of corruption related to health contracts. Former A-H-S head Athana Mentzelopoulos (ment-zeh-LOH'-poh-luss) is suing the province for wrongful dismissal, alleging high-level arm twisting, possible conflicts of interest, political interference and corruption in multimillion-dollar deals. None of her allegations have been tested in court. R-C-M-P say they received a complaint a month ago relating to A-H-S and have decided to begin an investigation, but w

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is scheduled to speak today about her province's response to U.S. tariffs. U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday slapped sweeping 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian exports and a 10 per cent levy on energy products. Smith has been tight-lipped for weeks about what measures her government might take, although she has repeatedly said counter-tariffs on the province's energy are off the table. The premier is also set to give an update on Alberta's security efforts at the Canada-U.S. border, a long-standing irritant for Trump. Other provinces have announc

The Alberta government has announced who it has hired to investigate allegations of improper behaviour and spending irregularities in health contracts. Raymond Wyant is the former chief judge of the provincial court of Manitoba, has also worked as a defence lawyer and a Crown prosecutor, and has taught law at the University of Manitoba. Wyant is to review multimillion-dollar contracts for children's medication and for surgeries done by for-profit providers. The government says Wyant's work is to begin immediately with an interim report to be completed by the end of May.

Critics say the government's new budget misses the mark on education and health-care funding, leaving issues like emergency room wait times and overcrowded classrooms to go from bad to worse. Alberta Teachers' Association president Jason Schilling says the nearly 10-billion dollars set aside for the K-to-12 school system doesn't keep up with population growth and inflation. Schilling says he understands that oil revenues are expected to drop and potential tariffs from the United States are putting the province in limbo, but education should be a priority. Public Interest Alberta e

A new infrastructure minister has been named in Alberta after the resignation of the previous one earlier this week. Martin Long was appointed to the cabinet post on Thursday. The move comes after Peter Guthrie resigned as infrastructure minister over concerns about government purchasing practices. Guthrie remains in the United Conservative caucus but now sits as a backbencher with no cabinet responsibilities.