Alberta Minister Devin Dreeshen resigns following heavy drinking allegations

Alberta’s minister of agriculture and forestry has stepped down amid allegations of him drinking heavily at the legislature. A political scientist says this leaves a lot of questions swirling around.

Alberta’s Agriculture and Forestry Minister has resigned from his cabinet post.

In a statement on Twitter, Devin Dreeshen says he is resigning to focus on problems related to alcohol.

“I deeply regret that this is the case, but have decided that it is best for both myself and the province to resign my position and focus on my personal health and wellness,” Dreeshen added.

Dreeshen was named in a recent lawsuit filed against the premier’s office by former staffer Ariella Kimmel which alleged heavy drinking in the legislature.


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The lawsuit says that in January 2021, an anonymous Twitter account released details of a past romantic relationship between Kimmel and Dreeshen.

The lawsuit also accuses the premier’s office of failing to support Kimmel in October 2020, following an encounter with Dreeshen.

The document alleges that Dreeshen was drinking in a legislature office and, when Kimmel implored him to cut back, he later yelled at her to the point that she was in tears.

These allegations have yet to be proven in court.

Earlier this week, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney was asked about the allegations against Dreeshen, in which the premier responded by saying he was not aware of any allegations.

On Friday, during the province’s announcement on the future of hydrogen in Alberta, Kenney announced that Nate Horner, the associate minister in charge of rural economic development, would replace Dreeshen.

While Dreehsen steps out of his role as Agriculture and Forestry Minister, he remains as MLA for Innisfail-Sylvan Lake.

Kenney was asked if he had ever had drinks with Dreeshen in the legislature during his time as minister, in which Kenney said it happened just once during a social function.

When asked why it took a public airing of the allegations for the government to take action, Kenney largely steered around the question, only echoing what Dreeshen had said in his statement and saying he is looking forward to working with Horner.

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