Alberta Health Services CEO steps aside as province installs interim leadership

Alberta’s provincial health authority is undergoing another leadership change as Alberta Health Services says chief executive officer Andre Tremblay has taken a leave of absence. The organization did not disclose the reason for his departure, citing personnel limitations.

The provincial government has appointed senior AHS official Erin O’Neill to oversee the agency on an interim basis. She will serve both as acting CEO and temporary board chair as the organization continues its transition into a dedicated provider of hospital and clinical services under the government’s health system restructuring plan.

Tremblay, a former deputy minister of health, assumed the CEO role in January after the previous chief executive was abruptly dismissed. That former executive later launched a wrongful dismissal lawsuit against both AHS and the Alberta government, alleging political interference in decisions related to private surgical contracts.

Premier Danielle Smith’s government has rejected those claims, and the allegations outlined in the lawsuit have not been tested in court. The leadership change comes as health system reforms remain a major point of debate in Alberta, including in communities across Edmonton and Calgary that rely heavily on AHS-operated hospitals.