First, the Alberta health scandal. Then the surveillance began
4/27/202623 min
It began with a whistle-blower alleging government interference in Alberta Health Services’ contracting process and its connections to a medical supply company, MHCare Medical. Alberta’s government denies the allegations. But soon, the whistle-blower and others – and a Globe reporter who dug into the case – were subject to a campaign of harassment, threats and surveillance. Who was behind it all?
Carrie Tait, a Globe reporter in Alberta, explains what it was like for her to be targeted. And Tu Thanh Ha, a long-time Globe staff reporter, explains how he went about reporting on who was involved in the intimidation campaign.
Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsCarrie Tait· Guest0:03
June 28th, 2025, was the first time I had definitive evidence something was up. Three of my contacts reached out to see if I had called them, but I hadn't.
Cheryl Sutherland· Host0:13
That's Globe reporter Carrie Tate. What had happened was something called spoofing, where an imposter pretends to dial from someone else's number. In this case, they were calling as Carrie.
Carrie Tait· Guest0:27
Well, with the first one I was really confused. I thought maybe it was a delayed message or some wires got crossed. Then the second and third reached out almost simultaneously. I knew immediately what had happened.
Cheryl Sutherland· Host0:41
That was a part of an effort to intimidate and harass Carrie. She had been reporting on the connections between an Edmonton company called MH Care, the Alberta Government, and Alberta Health Services, also known as AHS. First, it was about Alberta cabinet ministers and government officials attending hockey playoff games at a premium arena suite as guests of MH Care. Its owner is a man named Sam Maraich. His company supplied Alberta Health Services with children's painkillers from Turkey. It was a deal that was criticized as ineffective and costly. Carrie and Globe reporter Alana Smith reported on the fallout from the government firing of the AHS CEO.