Alberta government accused of wasting tax dollars on storage fees for ‘Turkish Tylenol’ and ‘unused PPE’

A leaked video of boxes upon boxes in a large warehouse is drawing the ire of the Opposition in Alberta.

The Alberta NDP is alleging the video is showing more than 5,000 pallets of unused personal protective equipment and Turkish pain medication.

In the legislature Tuesday, Alberta NDP leader of the Opposition Christina Gray alleged the UCP overpaid friends of the government for these products and is now wasting money to store them.

“The government has wasted more than $5 million of Albertans’ money just to store Turkish Tylenol and expired and unused PPE, much of which has been deemed completely unusable for Albertans’ needs,” Gray said.

The government bought the Turkish pain medication in 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic and amid a nationwide storage.

But hospitals stopped using it a year later after it was ruled the substance posed health risks to infants.

Alberta’s health minister did not stop to speak to reporters on her way into the legislature Tuesday, but later defended the purchases.

“I believe the members opposite forgot we were in a pandemic and needed PPE,” Minister Adriana LaGrange said. “We will continue to make sure Albertans have the products they needs, whether in a pandemic or not. We’re going to make sure these medications that are perfectly safe, regardless of what the other members are saying, that they will get sent to a place where they can be used before they expire.”

LaGrange said the medication is still widely used overseas. Last week, Premier Danielle Smith said the government is working on a deal to send unused bottles to Ukraine.

The medication and PPE purchases are also included in investigations by the RCMP and the auditor general following allegations by the former CEO of Alberta Health Services.

The Alberta NDP is also demanding a full public inquiry, but the government declined again Tuesday, saying a former judge has been appointed to look into it.