A judge has ordered an Alberta political web series to temporarily turn off its lights following complaints by a medical supplier embroiled in controversy.
MHCare and its Edmonton-based CEO, Sam Mriache, took aim at The Breakdown once again on Friday.
A newly granted two-week court order contains two injunctions: a mandatory one ordering The Breakdown to remove content and a prohibitive injunction preventing The Breakdown from publishing any more.
The order follows a $6 million lawsuit filed late last year by the same company over reporting done by the series and its founder, Nate Pike.
Over multiple episodes, Pike alleged MHCare was awarded two controversial contracts from the province he believes were sole-sourced, and that Mraiche later invited multiple politicians into a free VIP box for Edmonton Oilers playoff hockey games.
In an affidavit, Mriache claims, “The consequent hate that I am receiving from (The Breakdown’s) readers, listeners, and/or followers, as well as the threats made as against myself and MHCare, have caused me to be extremely fearful for my safety, my family’s safety, and safety of the employees and agents of MHCare and their families.”
Appeal filed
In his latest online post Sunday, Pike announced The Breakdown’s social media would begin to be unpublished Tuesday.
“In consultation with my legal team, there is no way for me to complete what the court has ordered and keep The Breakdown social media operational in the timeframe that I’ve been provided,” he told viewers.
“If I did not follow the demands of the court while they are in place, I would be no different than many of the people that I and the show criticize.”
Pike’s lawyer filed an appeal Tuesday. He told CTV News he’ll be asking the court for an expedited hearing, something that could happen within the next month.
The appeal calls the injunctions “exceptionally broad and unsupported by the factual matrix or the legal threshold of a mandatory injunction or prohibited injunction.”
MHCare history
The injunction also notes the filing “comes amid significant public controversy in medical procurement by Alberta Health Services.”
MHCare found itself in the public discourse multiple times thanks to its connections to AHS officials and the UCP-led provincial government.
The medical supplier was part of a 2022 deal with the province to buy children’s pain medication from Istanbul-based company Atabay.
Shipments of that medicine were greatly delayed, and once the Turkish acetaminophen arrived, it was criticized by frontline health care workers over safety concerns.
Use of the medication was eventually halted in hospitals and cost taxpayers more than $70 million.
Two years before that, the Mraiche Holding Corporation struck a deal to supply Alberta Health Services with Vanch face masks during the pandemic.
The PPE was widely criticized by health-care workers at the time of its rollout, prompting the creation of a focus group to discuss problems with the face coverings.
The Breakdown’s reporting claims Mraiche ran the Mraiche Holding Corporation at the time of the deal. That corporation shares an Edmonton address with MHCare.
This month, the company was once again connected to the province in a lawsuit filed by the fired president and CEO of AHS.
In a statement of claim, Athana Mentzelopoulos accused Health Minister Adriana LaGrange of twice trying to shut down an investigation into questionable deals and conflicts of interest before engineering what she describes as her illegal dismissal.
She alleges LaGrange signed off on a fee structure that represents “significant” overpays for surgery contracts.
Mraiche was named multiple times in the lawsuit.
At one point, Mentzelopoulos claims the minister of mental health and addictions, Dan Williams, was “very concerned” about an AHS internal investigation that “could lead to potential connections between various government officials and Sam Mraiche and MHCare Medical.”
Mraiche has not responded to multiple CTV News interview requests. In his lawsuit, he denies any wrongdoing.
Pike himself is also named in the same suit, where Mentzelopoulos said Marshall Smith told her “powerful people” were upset about Pike’s anti-government comments and a lawsuit was soon to be filed against him.
SLAPP suit?
Political experts question why Pike is being targeted.
“I’m a bit puzzled as to what the focus is here, (and) why is it that this particular reporting is being singled out?” Mount Royal University political scientist Lori Williams said.
“A number of different reporters have come forward and are essentially making the same claims.”
Some have speculated the original filing was a SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) suit: a way to keep critics quiet.
“This happens when a well-funded individual, or a company using their large financial resources, go after someone who is saying things they want to silence,” Williams told CTV News.
“They use their deep pockets to basically go after someone who doesn’t have the same kind of resources and doesn’t have the capacity to defend themselves.”
Williams points out two weeks may not sound like a long time, but there’s a chance it could be expanded.
And it sends a message to others.
“Even that is a lot in a democracy where freedom of expression — and particularly freedom of media — is protected,” she said.
“Temporary court orders to sort of freeze things and limit potential damage are not unusual. But they are unusual when it comes to freedom of expression.”
Pike has launched an online fundraiser to mount a legal response. As of Tuesday, it’s raised more than $171,000.
Provincial connection
Finance Minister Nate Horner, Infrastructure Minister Peter Guthrie and Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf have admitted to attending the Stanley Cup Playoffs as guests of Mraiche.
Premier Danielle Smith says she also accepted free tickets, but from Explore Edmonton and Invest Alberta.
Smith did, however, sit in a VIP box at least one time with Mraiche.
Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis and Sport Minister Joseph Schow also went to at least one game each.
The cabinet ministers and the premier insist they did not break conflict-of-interest rules.
