Ethics commissioner suspends investigation into MLAs' hockey tickets

Alberta's ethics commissioner, Shawn McLeod, has suspended an investigation into MLAs accepting hockey tickets. In a letter dated Oct. 20, McLeod said the investigation, referenced in his Feb. 4, 2025 correspondence with a former Speaker, was suspended under section 25(6) of the Conflict of Interest Act. That section bars the commissioner from continuing an investigation into an issue under active law enforcement investigation.

The suspension follows a letter dated Oct. 14 from Speaker Ric McIver, who cited section 24(6) of the same act. That provision says neither the legislative assembly nor its committees may inquire into a matter referred to the ethics commissioner. McIver wrote that the continued application of that provision "depends upon whether the investigations remain before your office."

The RCMP is investigating allegations of corruption in Alberta health care procurement, including potential fraud, breach of trust and money laundering. That detail comes from an Oct. 15 letter in a new legal filing in former AHS CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos's wrongful termination lawsuit against the government. The letter does not give details of the alleged offences or name the subject of the investigation. It is unclear whether McLeod's suspension is related to the procurement probe.

Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said the suspension signals that tightening is under way and pointed to the RCMP investigation. "Those ministers who accepted those hockey tickets may be getting some other phone calls pretty soon," he said.

The commissioner cannot force MLAs to resign, stop bills or direct legislature proceedings. After presenting a report to the assembly, he can recommend sanctions for a member who breached the act, but the final sanction decision rests with the legislative assembly. The Postmedia report says the commissioner's office and the ministry of justice were contacted for comment.