Friends of Medicare calls for investigation of Alberta deputy minister's ties to private health foundation

Updated: May 25, 2022. After publication of this story, Pure North filed a defamation lawsuit against the CBC, the Dietitians of Canada, and some of their employees. In March 2020, Pure North discontinued its claim against the Dietitians of Canada issued aclarification statementwhich relates to the story below. In May 2022, Pure North discontinued its claims against the CBC and its employees. While CBC stands behind the accuracy of its reporting, the CBC has agreed with Pure North to provide alinkto a statement where Pure North provides an additional response to the article below and related coverage.

Alberta Health Minister Sarah Hoffman needs to order an investigation into whether deputy minister Carl Amrhein's relationship with a private health foundation influenced the ministry's decision to give the foundation a multi-million-dollar grant, says a health advocacy group.

Friends of Medicare executive director Sandra Azocar called for the investigation after a CBC News investigation revealed Amrhein had personally endorsed, and participated in, an unproven alternative health program offered by the Calgary-based Pure North S'Energy Foundation.

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In October 2016, Amrhein signed, on behalf of the ministry, a $4.2-million grant agreement with the foundation for a nurse-practitioner-led clinic. Hoffman has insisted the clinic will not be offering any alternative health treatments.

"I think there are so many levels of wrong with this situation and this relationship," Azocar said.

"I definitely think there has to be some kind of an inquiry or an investigation as to how effectively the deputy minister is currently doing his job, and where we look at his ability to continue in an impartial kind of role around potential conflicts of interest," Azocar said.

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Amrhein has declined interview requests from CBC News. In a statement provided Tuesday, an Alberta Health spokesperson said Amrhein "fully disclosed" his relationship with Pure North when he became deputy minister in August 2015.

Relationship reported to ethics commissioner

Alberta's ethics commissioner, Marguerite Trussler, told CBC News that Amrhein disclosed his participation in the Pure North program. She also said Amrhein told her "recently" that the decision to grant Pure North funding was made by Hoffman and he merely signed off in his role as deputy minister.

Hoffman has refused to answer questions about what, if anything, Amrhein disclosed to her about his relationship with Pure North and Markin.

Wildrose accountability critic Nathan Cooper said Hoffman has a duty to be transparent.

"The health minister needs to answer this question," Cooper said. "It is a very reasonable question that Albertans should be able to know, whether or not this particular individual disclosed what certainly could be seen as a conflict of interest to the minister, prior to making some significant decisions on funding within her department."

Azocar said she finds it troubling that Hoffman is unwilling to answer basic questions relating to the integrity of her ministry.

"I think that sometimes silence says a lot more than actual words," Azocar said. "Albertans need to know that they can trust their leadership, that they can trust whoever is in charge of making decisions for the greater good of Albertans.

"And this situation, I think, kind of highlights the fact that in this case, there are a lot of things that have not been done perhaps in the best way that could have been done," she added.

Documents reveal relationship

Documents obtained by CBC News through freedom of information revealed a years-long relationship between Amrhein, Pure North and its founder, multi-millionaire Calgary philanthropist Allan Markin.

The documents show that in July 2014, Amrhein, while provost at the University of Alberta, wrote a letter of support for Pure North and Markin, who is a major donor to the university.

Internal Alberta Health documents show Pure North used Amrhein's letter in September 2014, and again in December 2014, to bolster funding requests to the Progressive Conservative government.

The documents show that after Amrhein became deputy minister of health, he continued his relationship with Pure North and Markin. In fact, emails show Amrhein participated in Pure North's unproven health program, which features high doses of vitamin D.

I think there are so many levels of wrong with this situation and this relationship.- Sandra Azocar, Friends of Medicare executive director

Amrhein also communicated directly, on several occasions, with Markin and Pure North executive director Wendy Paramchuk. The documents show Amrhein also directed ministry staff to research and respond to Pure North requests for health policy changes that would directly benefit Pure North, such as making vitamin D a registered drug.

None of the policy changes were implemented, although the documents reveal senior ministry officials expended significant resources researching them and dealing directly with Markin.

Earlier this month, CBC News reported that in December 2013, Alberta Health gave Pure North a $10-million grant to expand an existing alternative health program against the advice of senior ministry officials who said the program was not adequately supported by science, it could not prove the health and economic benefits it claimed, and could cause adverse effects.

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