Alberta Seeks $49M Back from Botched Painkiller Deal

0:00It's March 26th. This is Canada News Today, your AI-powered local news. Alberta Health Services is working to recover 49 million dollars' pay to an importer and a Turkish drug company for medication that never arrived. This stems from a deal for children's painkillers during a nationwide shortage back in 2022. The payment covered a second version of the original contract, where some products did make it to hospitals. That first agreement is now under review by the RCMP and the Auditor General, as part of broader probes into health procurement practices. Premier Danielle Smith called out sloppiness in the contract wording, and said the province has tightened up his strategic buying rules for better due. Diligence. Health Minister Matt Jones confirmed they're in a legal dispute process and fully expect to get the full amount back. A recent investigation by a retired judge uncovered contracting irregularities, including a conflict of interest with a key employee tied to the supplier and orders to buy before

1:00getting federal approval. Officials are acting on those findings with new safeguards in place, while the legal efforts continue to resolve this procurement mishap.