Alberta government set to receive report into health contract scandal

Alberta's government says it expects to receive a final report today from the investigation into allegations of corruption over health contracts.

Former Manitoba judge Raymond Wyant was hired in March to review multimillion-dollar contracts for children's medication and for surgeries by for-profit providers.

He was to determine whether any staff with the Health Ministry, Alberta Health Services or companies involved in the contracts properly disclosed and dealt with any potential conflicts of interest.

The allegations stemmed from a wrongful dismissal lawsuit filed earlier this year by the former head of AHS.

Government spokesperson Yonathan Sumamo says the final report is expected today, "with public release to follow."

The lawsuit -- still working its way through the courts -- also sparked investigations by the RCMP and Alberta's auditor general, who have not yet released findings.

Athana Mentzelopoulos has alleged in her lawsuit that individuals high in government interfered in overpriced deals for private surgical companies and medical suppliers while she was in her job.

The allegations have not been tested in court, and Premier Danielle Smith's United Conservative Party government has denied any wrongdoing.

The province has claimed Mentzelopoulos was fired for poor job performance and for stalling Alberta's plan to address wait times by shifting more publicly funded surgeries to private providers.

Wyant's final report was initially due July 30. The province said it extended the deadline because of the number of documents involved and interviews Wyant wanted to do.

The Opposition NDP has said Wyant's strict marching orders would prevent him from getting to the bottom of the scandal and instead called for a full public inquiry into the matter.