Mentzelopoulos v. Alberta Health Services

The former CEO and President of Alberta Health Services is suing for wrongful dismissal. Two 2026 decisions have already been published — both centred on nine emails containing privileged and confidential information she sent to her personal account the day before her termination.

Background

Ms. Mentzelopoulos, former CEO and President of Alberta Health Services (AHS), has sued AHS and the Province alleging wrongful dismissal. AHS discovered that the day before she was terminated, she sent nine emails — including attachments — from her AHS email account to her personal email account. AHS alleges that the emails and attachments contain privileged and confidential information and business records obtained during the course of her employment.

Issue

The defendants argued that the plaintiff’s summary judgment application should be heard before resolving the privilege and confidentiality issues. The plaintiff argued that the existing process set out in an earlier decision should be maintained.

Decision

The Court affirmed the process outlined in an earlier decision, emphasizing that it sufficiently defines the steps for resolving the privilege and confidentiality dispute. Justice Lema rejected the defendants’ proposal to change the sequencing of the proceedings, noting there was no material change in circumstances to justify such a change. The Court highlighted the importance of resolving the privilege and confidentiality issues before addressing the plaintiff’s summary judgment application, to ensure clarity regarding the documents at play.

Citation: 2026 ABKB 151