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An Alberta Health Services sign is pictured outside the Rockyview General Hospital in Calgary on March 20, 2025. (Jeff McIntosh\/The Canadian Press)<\/p>\nWARNING: This story contains vulgar language.<\/p>\n
The former CEO of Alberta Health Services is asking a judge for legal protection and a contempt finding against two podcasters she alleges have run a campaign of harassment and intimidation against her in response to her ongoing legal action.<\/p>\n
Last year, Athana Mentzelopoulos filed suit against AHS and the provincial government for wrongful dismissal, alleging they fired her after she launched an investigation into various contracts with links to government officials.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sandy Edmonstone, a former AHS board member and potential witness in that lawsuit, is also seeking a contempt order against the podcasters, David Wallace and James DiFiore.<\/p>\n
Edmonstone has also sought a contempt ruling against Bryan Ward, whom both podcasters have identified as their lawyer. Public documents suggest Ward may have also served as lawyer for the businesses of Sam Mraiche, whose dealings with Alberta Health Services were also subject of Mentzelopoulos\u2019s investigations before she was fired.<\/p>\n
An Alberta Health Services sign is pictured outside the Rockyview General Hospital in Calgary on March 20, 2025. (Jeff McIntosh\/The Canadian Press)<\/p>\n
In an affidavit filed at Court of King\u2019s Bench in Edmonton on March 27, Mentzelopoulos wrote she was seeking relief from the court from a \u201ccampaign of slander, harassment, threats and intimidation that has been targeted against me.\u201d The application, which has not been tested in court, will be heard later this month.<\/p>\n
Mentzelopoulos asks the court to hold Wallace and DiFiore in contempt of court, to issue a restraining order and to force a takedown of the videos, podcasts and social media posts focused on Mentzelopoulos and her family.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The brief also asks the court to require Wallace and DiFiore to disclose the contact information of \u201call of the individuals or corporations that back the respondents financially.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alleged harassment campaign<\/p>\n
The campaign, Mentzelopoulos\u2019s affidavit alleges, began shortly after she filed her wrongful dismissal lawsuit, and was led by the two podcasters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the summer of 2025, Mentzelopoulos said it was brought to her attention by a friend that she was the target of an online campaign by Wallace, host of the podcast The Political Dark Arts, and DiFiore, host of the podcast Blackballed with James DiFiore, a show on which the two often appeared together.<\/p>\n
The affidavit said between May and December 2025, Wallace and DiFiore recorded multiple podcasts about Mentzelopoulos.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In those podcasts, the brief said the podcasters referred to Mentzelopoulos as a \u201ccharlatan,\u201d a \u201ccriminal,\u201d a \u201cthief,\u201d a \u201cdirtbag,\u201d a \u201cfraudster,\u201d a \u201ccon lady,\u201d a \u201cbitch,\u201d a \u201cfuckin\u2019 rip-off artist,\u201d an \u201cextortionist,\u201d an \u201carsonist who poses as a fireman,\u201d and a \u201clying sack of shit.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have been afraid to leave my home for extended periods of time, especially in October and November 2025,\u201d Mentzelopoulos wrote in her affidavit. \u201cI found it necessary (and embarrassing) to reach out to my neighbours to warn them that this individual was saying publicly he had spoken to my neighbours and that he was looking for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also stated that out of fear for her safety and for her family, she was \u201cconnected\u201d to local law enforcement, who placed a \u201chazard alert\u201d on the home she shares with her parents, which she wrote she understood to mean that if anyone called 911 from that address, local law enforcement would prioritize an emergency response.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy elderly parents have been scared for my safety and their own, and the nature of the podcasters\u2019 commentary has left me despondent and depressed, sometimes questioning whether to continue in my legal action and frequently worried about my safety and that of my family,\u201d Mentzelopoulos wrote.<\/p>\n
Craig Alcock, the lawyer representing the two podcasters in the contempt proceedings, didn\u2019t provide a response to a request for comment on Mentzelopoulos\u2019s application.<\/p>\n
Podcasters’ phones searched<\/p>\n
Mentzelopoulos\u2019s affidavit claims that an X account published detailed information about the street addresses of homes linked to her that were not publicly available.<\/p>\n
She referenced an affidavit filed in November 2025 by Edmonstone, the former AHS board member. In a November 2025 brief, Edmonstone alleged a campaign of harassment and intimidation from DiFiore and Wallace that he said he believed was meant to \u201cretaliate against and otherwise intimidate\u201d him from giving testimony in Mentzelopoulos’s wrongful dismissal case.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edmonstone wrote that he became the subject of \u201crepeated false, inflammatory comments and personal attacks\u201d by Wallace, which were then broadcast or repeated by DiFiore through social media and podcasts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In his affidavit, Edmonstone wrote that in June 2025, he was photographed while having lunch at a public restaurant with a woman. Those photos were sent to one of his colleagues, along with a message implying Edmonstone was having an affair and the suggestion that his wife would receive the messages.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile this allegation is not true, it was unsettling to know that someone was targeting me and attempting to cause me personal strife and emotional distress,\u201d Edmonstone wrote in his affidavit.<\/p>\n
In his November affidavit, Edmonstone wrote that he read a mid-July 2025 report about Globe and Mail reporter Carrie Tait, who had been covering the Mentzelopoulos story and who had been similarly photographed while in public. The affidavit states that Edmonstone was able to determine 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.<\/p>\n
In a March 19, 2026 brief, lawyers for Edmonstone noted that Wallace has publicly denied his involvement with the anonymous X account and the surveillance. The brief argues that the \u201ctotality of evidence\u201d points to a broader campaign, facilitated and carried out by \u201cseveral individuals, both known and unknown.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last fall, a judge authorized a legal mechanism called an Anton Piller order to search the homes of DiFiore and Wallace. That is a court order that permits a search without prior warning on a plaintiff\u2019s or applicant\u2019s behalf, when the judge concludes there is reason to seize evidence and prevent it from being destroyed.<\/p>\n
In December, solicitors appointed by the court visited the homes of DiFiore and Wallace, searching multiple cellphones and computers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
DiFiore and Wallace are urging the judge to set aside Edmonstone\u2019s contempt citation. In a court submission, they argue that he is alleging defamation rather than making a case for contempt, and notes that he has not been intimidated to the point that he will not testify in Mentzelopoulos\u2019s case\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Edmonstone has also applied to cite lawyer Ward for contempt alongside Wallace and DiFiore. When the Anton Piller order was executed at the homes of both podcasters, each said that Ward was representing them, according to court records.<\/p>\n
Ward told authorities executing the Piller order that \u201chis firm had retained Wallace and DiFiore on behalf of a \u2018third party\u2019 client,\u201d\u00a0 court records state, but that client is not identified.<\/p>\n
It appears that Ward and Park Law are involved with \u201cdirecting or facilitating the campaign directed at Mr. Edmonstone,\u201d the contempt application against Ward alleges.<\/p>\n
The application argues that intimidating a prospective witness, \u201cwhether carried out personally or through the direction, instruction, or facilitation of others,\u201d amounts to contempt of court.<\/p>\n
Ward did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.<\/p>\n
Mentzelopoulos’s ongoing lawsuit<\/p>\n
Early last year, Mentzelopoulos sued Alberta Health Services and then-health minister Adriana LaGrange for wrongful dismissal<\/a>.<\/p>\n She alleged in that lawsuit that she was fired for probing too deeply into concerns about AHS contracting and procurement deals. Two matters Mentzelopoulos said in the lawsuit she had been scrutinizing as CEO were deals for privately delivered surgery services<\/a> and children\u2019s pain medication<\/a>, both of which involved Sam Mraiche, the chief executive of MHCare Medical.<\/p>\n The health agency said in its stat<\/a>ement of defence<\/a> that AHS had lost confidence in Mentzelopoulos\u2019s abilities, and that her allegations that her termination was due to her investigations is \u201ca diversion from the plaintiff\u2019s own inadequacies.\u201d<\/p>\n Mentzelopoulos\u2019s allegations have led to the creation of several investigations, including one the government commissioned<\/a> by a retired Manitoba judge, a forthcoming auditor-general\u2019s report<\/a>, and an RCMP criminal investigation<\/a>.<\/p>\n Last month, the RCMP said they executed \u201cmultiple search warrants<\/a>\u201d related to that investigation. Police officers were seen entering and exiting the Edmonton offices of MHCare on multiple days. That same week, an RCMP vehicle was at the office of the accounting firm run by Sam Jaber, who has served as MHCare\u2019s chief financial officer. Jaber was also appointed by Premier Danielle Smith to the board of Invest Alberta, but that agency\u2019s website<\/a> now states he has taken a temporary leave of absence.<\/p>\n Asked specifically if Jaber\u2019s office was searched in relation to the ongoing investigation into AHS contracts, RCMP only replied that it had \u201cexecuted multiple search warrants\u201d as part of that probe.<\/p>\n A lawyer for Mraiche has said that the business owner and his company have not engaged in improper conduct. Jaber did not reply to a request for comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WARNING: This story contains vulgar language. The former CEO of Alberta Health Services is asking a judge for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":608698,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[49,48,44],"class_list":{"0":"post-608697","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-canada","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=608697"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608697\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/608698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=608697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=608697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=608697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776370509_107_default.jpg\")
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith addresses the children\u2019s medication shortage in Edmonton in a file photo from 2022. Early last year, Athana Mentzelopoulos, the former CEO of Alberta Health Services, alleged in a lawsuit that she was fired for probing too deeply into concerns about AHS contracting and procurement deals, including deals for children’s pain medication. (Jason Franson\/The Canadian Press)<\/p>\n