{"id":18452,"date":"2026-04-20T07:09:48","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T07:09:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gangsterismout.com\/?p=18452"},"modified":"2026-04-20T11:28:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T11:28:07","slug":"alberta-surgical-group-ags-sam-mraiche","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gangsterismout.com\/?p=18452","title":{"rendered":"Alberta Surgical Group – ASG – Sam Mraiche – update II"},"content":{"rendered":"

Alberta’s CorruptCare scandal is a direct byproduct of the Alberta Surgical Initiative, which sought to double the share of procedures conducted at the private centres to 30%. Promoted by former premier Jason Kenney, it was intended, in part, to ensure surgeries wouldn\u2019t be done in \u201cunion-run hospitals.\u201d 3 months after the initiative was announced in December 2019, a group of anesthesiologists at the University of Alberta established, with the assistance of Sam Mraiche’s accountant, the Alberta Surgical Group.<\/p>\n

AHS pays around $4,044 per hip, $4,036 per knee and $4,833 per shoulder surgery. Alberta Surgical Group charged $8,303 per hip, $8,510 per knee and $11,243 per shoulder surgery.<\/p>\n

—————————————————————–<\/p>\n

The Alberta health care procurement controversy, explained<\/span><\/h1>\n

\"\"
\nD’Arcy Durand and Leslie Scheelar<\/p>\n

The Globe’s Carrie Tate has published a ‘cheat-sheet’ of CorruptCare, the Alberta health care procurement controversy. Behind a paywall, one gets a rundown of who’s who. Among the first names is …<\/p>\n

“Alberta Surgical Group<\/span><\/h5>\n

A private surgical provider contracted by Alberta Health Services to run a clinic in Edmonton, controlled by doctors D\u2019Arcy Durand, Kenneth Hawkins and Leslie Scheelar.”<\/p>\n

“The three physicians who control ASG also own part of Prairie Surgical, alongside Mr. Mraiche and former AHS procurement official Blayne Iskiw and his wife.”<\/p>\n

—————————————————————–<\/p>\n

Charles Rusnell at The Tyee<\/a> is reporting on unpaid subcontractors that have surfaced for Alberta Recovery Centres.
\n
\nA legal dispute between Melewka Homes and Sam Mraiche has stopped work on one of 3 provincially funded addiction recovery centres and is threatening a work stoppage at a second. Subcontractors have not been paid for months. The court feud over recovery centres began last July when Melewka Construction, owned by Mraiche\u2019s brother-in-law Mike (Mohammad) Eldassouki, sued Lewis Semashkewich, his son John, and Melewka Homes for $30m. Two months later, the Semashkewiches counterclaimed for $25m.
\n
\nEnoch Cree Nation Recovery Community Centre is a 75-bed facility scheduled to be completed in November 2025.<\/p>\n

Between late 2023 and early 2024 Melewka Homes through Melewka Construction entered into negotiations to design and build three recovery centres \u2014 one each for the M\u00e9tis Nation of Alberta and the Enoch and Tsuut\u2019ina First Nations. These recovery centres were to be entirely funded with grants from the Alberta government. The MNA and Tsuut\u2019ina projects would each cost about $36.5 million including GST while the Enoch project cost about $31.5 million for a total of about $104.5 million.<\/p>\n

Lewis Semashkewich claims he was forced to make payments to Mraiche and others in order to gain the release of funding to pay subcontractors and continue construction on projects, including addiction recovery centres for the M\u00e9tis Nation of Alberta and the Enoch Cree and Tsuut\u2019ina First Nations.<\/p>\n

“The Tyee published a story, based on voluminous civil court records, that detailed an alleged conspiracy with Mraiche as the supposed \u201ccontrolling mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

It is alleged that more than $11 million was funnelled to Mraiche and his associates from several construction projects, including three recovery centres funded with about $104 million from the UCP government of Premier Smith.”<\/p>\n

Semashkewich alleges that the information from ATB Financial revealed millions had been transferred from Melewka Construction to several companies owned by Edmonton accountant Sam Jaber. Semashkewich is also suing Jaber and his various companies. Melewka Homes had been pegged as the contractor for ASG surgical centers.<\/p>\n

—————————————————<\/p>\n

The Globe and Mail bombshell<\/a> links ASG directly to Melewka Construction and Sam Mraiche. Melewka\u2019s website shows that they were managing the construction of ASG’s now cancelled Red Deer Chartered Surgical Facility.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nhttps:\/\/melewka.com\/project\/red-deer-chartered-surgical-facility\/<\/a><\/p>\n

—————————————————<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\"\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/td>\nAndrei Razvan Manolescu (am27@ualberta.ca) Donald William Weber (dwweber@ualberta.ca)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Contracts with the Alberta Surgical Group (ASG) are under scrutiny, with calls for a probe due to allegations of political interference, inflated costs, and conflicts of interest. It stems from former AHS CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos’s internal probe into expensive contracts for procedures like hip\/knee\/shoulder surgeries, leading to her dismissal. Here<\/a>. The ‘Corrupt Care’ scandal was born in Alberta because of the men behind Alberta Surgical Group – ASG<\/u>.
\n\"\"
\n“Throughout 2024 Mentzelopoulos had been repeatedly subject to interference and pressure from various Government of Alberta officials \u2013 including the Premier\u2019s then Chief of Staff, Marshall Smith \u2013 to sign off on commitments for the new CSFs, and approve a contract extension for ASG<\/strong>, despite significant concerns within AHS around the true ownership and potential costs of the CSFs, and concerns over the significantly increased costs of the ASG<\/strong> contract when compared to other private contractors and also compared to internal AHS costing estimates. During 2024, Mentzelopoulos also learned that ASG<\/strong> was being promoted by former MLA Doug Horner, and that ASG<\/strong> had somehow been awarded a 2-year CSF contract despite having been uncompetitive in the initial RFP process for CSF contracts.<\/span><\/em> ”<\/p>\n

Reports show ASG procedures cost significantly more than public hospitals for similar surgeries, with overall outsourced costs rising sharply.<\/p>\n

“ Mentzelopoulos undertook a further review of the existing ASG<\/strong> contract and noted significant differences in the ASG<\/strong> contract compared to other AHS procurement contracts. Among other issues, she noted that the ASG<\/strong> rates were higher than other comparable private service providers and that AHS was potentially paying ASG<\/strong> for services that were not being used. <\/span><\/em> ”<\/p>\n

The final report of Raymond Wyant is available here<\/a>. The judge interviewed Les Scheelar \u2013 insider, Alberta Surgical Group. “I found no evidence that the appropriate procedures, as required by its policies, had been followed by AHS.”<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nASG’s Blayne Iskiw, Jitendra (J.P.) Prasad
\nThe ASG contract has been subject to multiple investigations, including an Auditor General review. Jitendra (J.P.) Prasad, a former senior procurement official for Alberta Health Services (AHS) and later a consultant, was exposed to confidential information regarding the ASG contract while employed by AHS. He represented ASG in negotiations with AHS<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nAlberta Surgical Group – ASG, precisely like their man Sam Mraiche, is abusing the courts in Alberta with fraud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"\"\"<\/td>\nLawyer Rose Carter (rose.carter@dentons.com) lies to protect a scam on Alberta taxpayers, as does her ASG. Claims of fearing imminent danger was used to squlech Nate Pike by conman Sam Mraiche.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Canadians have a right to freedom of expression. Rose Carter and her bosses may not take it away because their criminal scam is getting outted. ASG\u2019s fees were much, much higher than the internal costs for public hospital surgeries.
\n\"\"
\nAcute Care Alberta announced December 7, 2025 it had extended its contract<\/a> for another year with Alberta Surgical Group<\/a> (ASG). The total cost of ASG contracts over four years has reached $121m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
\nLes Scheelar (ASG \u2013 CEO) lscheelar@hotmail.com<\/td>\n		Key stakeholders include Leslie Scheelar, D’Arcy Durand, Kenneth Hawkins (khawkins@ualberta.ca), and Sam Mraiche.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
\nD’Arcy Durand, ddurand@ualberta.ca<\/td>\n		The new $34m one-year contract runs from Nov. 1, 2025 until Oct. 31, 2026 to provide about 4,000 orthopedic surgeries.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Part of Athana Mentzelopoulos claim says she was concerned that some chartered surgical facilities (CSFs) were charging much more per procedure than others. In some cases the proceedures cost twice as much as those performed in a hospital. A hip replacement for example costs $4,000 in a public hospital. ASG charges $8,300. The cost listed for another private competitor was just over $3,600. Mentzelopoulos says the premier\u2019s then-chief of staff, Marshall Smith, repeatedly put pressure on her to sign deals with the Alberta Surgical Group, despite concerns about their high cost.
\n\"\"
\nA government-ordered report authored by retired Manitoba judge Raymond Wyant found real or perceived conflicts of interest in how AHS awarded contracts for CSFs. Wyant\u2019s report, released in October, says Alberta Health and AHS didn\u2019t follow established policies when awarding the orthopedic surgery contract to ASG. The business had initially been unsuccessful in its bid, but was later offered a temporary contract without AHS requesting new proposals.
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

AHS issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) on September 7, 2022 for the development of CSFs in Red Deer and Lethbridge. Mraiche registered new legal corporations in October 2023, known as Prairie Surgical Center. Mraiche has a 25% share of the operational entities. Prairie Surgical Center owns the Red Deer and Lethbridge CSFs.
\n\"\"
\nOn December 3, Matt Jones minister of hospital and surgical health services announced that the procurement for chartered surgical facilities in Lethbridge and Red Deer had been cancelled.
\n\"\"\"\"
\nFormer AHS employee Blayne Iskiw holds a 12% stake in the entities associated with Prairie Surgical Center. He was later hired by Alberta Surgical Group (ASG). Jitendra Prasad assumed a key role in negotiating the contracts. Owners of the Red Deer and Lethbridge projects which also included Iskiw and shareholders of ASG, had proposed 15-year contracts worth $430m. In October, 2024, about two weeks before ASG\u2019s contract was set to expire, then-Health Minister Adriana LaGrange ordered AHS in a ministerial directive to extend the deal.
\n\"\"
\nMs. Mentzelopoulos complied, but her investigation continued. Law firm Borden Ladner Gervais recommended the health agency push the projects\u2019 owners for answers about how and when Iskiw obtained his 12% stake, and whether he or Prasad had received \u201canything of value\u201d from Mraiche.
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Two days before Christmas, the government sent a letter to Ms. Mentzelopoulous ordering her to \u201ccease any due diligence underway\u201d into the Red Deer and Lethbridge projects. On Jan. 8, two days before Ms. Mentzelopoulos was scheduled to brief the province\u2019s Auditor-General about her investigation, she was fired by then-Deputy Minister of Health Andre Tremblay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/td>\nTremblay then assumed full control until he was ousted through a ‘leave of absence’ in December 2025.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Iskiw said that he \u201chas been subjected to unfair innuendo and false allegations\u201d. He works for Sam Mraiche’s MHCare. Judge Wyant determined that Prasad was in a conflict of interest in connection to MHCare\u2019s children\u2019s\u2019 medication deal. Jitendra Prasad retired from the public service. Its said an RCMP investigation began in March, 2025.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nLes Scheelar (ASG – CEO), Kaycee Madu, D\u2019arcy Durand (ASG), unknown.<\/p>\n

The ASG contract extension raises questions about why Acute Care Alberta would continue to contract with the company while other probes are still ongoing. ASG\u2019s lawyer, Rose Carter, said the health system\u2019s rules prevent the company from publicly commenting on the contract, or anything else. None of the five owners involved with Prairie Surgical Centre, including Sam Mraiche, have anything to say.
\n\"\"
\nrose.carter@dentons.com
\nlscheelar@hotmail.com, (Dr. Les Scheelar, anesthesiologist)
\nPaulina.Szczurek@acutecarealberta.ca (Lead, Contracting & Commissioning Oversight at Acute Care Alberta.)<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"
\nSam Jaber, accountant for Sam Mraiche created 4 numbered companies. Directors;
\nLeslie Scheeler, Anesthesiologist
\nKenneth Hawkins, Anesthesiologist
\nDarcy Durand, Orthopedic surgeon
\n\"\"
\nThese three, on the numbered company registration documents all listed their address as #300, 14815-119th Avenue NW Edmonton. That is the address of the Carver building of MH Medical Care owned by Sam Mraiche. Two of the three newly registered numbered corporations formed a company called Alberta Surgical Group Ltd., which was created in February of 2020.
\n______________________________________________________
\n“The operating company for the CZ (Central Zone) was 2555327 Alberta Ltd. Its voting shareholders were numbered companies. The owner of each of these companies, and the percentage of voting shares they held were:
\nMr. Sam Mraiche, 25%
\nDr. Leslie Scheelar, 25.5%
\nDr. Darcy Durand, 25.5%
\nMr. Blayne Iskiw, 12%
\nDr. Ken Hawkins, 12%
\nThe operating company for the SZ (South Zone) was 2555315 Alberta Ltd., which was owned by the same people with the same percentages. The numbered company that owned the land and would build the facility in which the CSF was to be located was owned 75% by the numbered company that was wholly owned by Mraiche\u2019s numbered company 2262576 Alberta Ltd. The other shareholders in the operating companies owned the balance of the shares ”
\nHere<\/a><\/p>\n

______________________________________________________<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nASG lobbied government using the lobbyist group P3 Capital Partners Incorporated<\/a>. They lobbied Alberta infrastructure, Alberta Health Services, and the Alberta Health treasury board finance. ASG opened its facility in November, 2022.
\n\"\"\"\"\"\"
\nDoug Horner, Jeff Johnson, Monica Barclay
\nKey player in the scam is Doug Horner. Here<\/a> He’s the Former Minister of Finance of Alberta who runs P3 Capital Partners Incorporated. Doug Horner is either a cousin or uncle to Alberta\u2019s current minister of finance, Nate Horner.
\n\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alberta’s CorruptCare scandal is a direct byproduct of the Alberta Surgical Initiative, which sought to double the share of procedures conducted at the private centres to 30%. Promoted by former premier Jason Kenney, it was intended, in part, to ensure surgeries wouldn\u2019t be done in \u201cunion-run hospitals.\u201d 3 months after the initiative was announced in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18455,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_crdt_document":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1021,1020,1019,1013,902,1010,1084,1012,1016,1014,1011,1017,1018,1015,965],"class_list":["post-18452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-2262576-alberta-ltd","tag-2555315-alberta-ltd","tag-2555327-alberta-ltd","tag-alberta-surgical-group","tag-athana-mentzelopoulos","tag-darcy-durand","tag-ddurandualberta-ca","tag-dr-kenneth-hawkins","tag-https-albertasurgicalcentre-ca","tag-lberta-surgical-group","tag-leslie-scheelar","tag-lscheelarhotmail-com","tag-paulina-szczurekacutecarealberta-ca","tag-prairie-surgical-center","tag-sam-mraiche"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/gangsterismout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ASGhockeyad.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gangsterismout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gangsterismout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gangsterismout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gangsterismout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gangsterismout.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18452"}],"version-history":[{"count":127,"href":"https:\/\/gangsterismout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18452\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21981,"href":"https:\/\/gangsterismout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18452\/revisions\/21981"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gangsterismout.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gangsterismout.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gangsterismout.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gangsterismout.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}