Dreeshen resigns as Alta. ag minister

Alberta Agriculture Minister Devin Dreeshen has resigned his position in the provincial cabinet due to his personal conduct involving alcohol.

“I accept that my personal conduct with regards to alcohol has become an issue for the government as a whole,” Dreeshen said in a Facebook post Nov. 5. “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.”

His resignation follows allegations in a statement of claim by a former senior legislative staff member that she had been fired for speaking out about a poisoned work environment. It included concerns about alleged excessive drinking by Dreeshen “and the issues it was causing her personally as well as others.”

Ariella Kimmel had been in an on-and-off romantic relationship with Dreeshen before accepting a job Aug. 31, 2020, as chief of staff for Doug Schweitzer, minister of jobs, economy and innovation.

She is seeking nearly $400,000 in damages after being terminated from the position Feb. 5, 2021. None of the details in the statement of claim have been tested in court.

The decision to end Kimmel’s employment “was unrelated to the matters contained in her statement of claim,” Pam Livingston, chief of staff to Premier Jason Kenney, said in an email Oct. 29. “The government will fully respond to the allegations in court as appropriate and required.”

Leela Aheer, former Minister of Culture, Multiculturalism, and Status of Women, told Kenney in a tweet Oct. 27 that he should step down as premier, adding that Kimmel is “an incredible and courageous woman.”

The statement of claim outlined an alleged “disturbing incident involving Mr. Dreeshen” that occurred on Oct. 19, 2020.

He had allegedly been drinking alcohol in his office that afternoon with another senior legislative staff member.

“Later that evening, the plaintiff met Mr. Dreeshen and (the staff member) at another minister’s office. They had been joined by another minister, a staffer and a former MLA. The plaintiff immediately observed that all the individuals were (allegedly) heavily intoxicated.”

Kimmel became concerned about “how intoxicated Mr. Dreeshen was and encouraged him to cease drinking.”

After Dreeshen and Kimmel together left the gathering, he “angrily confronted the plaintiff about ‘trying to stop him from drinking,’ and aggressively yelled at her to the point where she was in tears and a concerned bystander intervened. The plaintiff felt shaken and scared during this encounter.”

Kimmel also alleged in the statement of claim she had been the target of false and malicious rumours being circulated by senior members of Kenney’s government, including blaming her for leaking a trip by the premier’s then-chief of staff to the media.

Jamie Huckabay resigned after it was revealed he had travelled to the United Kingdom for the Christmas holidays during the COVID-19 pandemic. The statement of claim said an anonymous Twitter account subsequently began releasing details Jan. 6, 2021, about Kimmel’s past romantic relationship with Dreehshen.

Meanwhile, Kimmel had also reported an alleged incident of sexual harassment during a separate gathering involving drinks Oct. 21, 2020, in then-Health Minister Tyler Shandro’s office.

They involved alleged remarks made by Ivan Bernardo, a then-principal adviser to Shandro, targeting a female staff member who worked under Kimmel. “Mr. Bernardo looked at this female’s body and told her, ‘I haven’t seen you on this floor before because with a body like that, I would have noticed you,'” said the statement of claim.

Bernardo, who is a lawyer, has said it would be inappropriate for him to comment on a matter before the courts. However, he welcomed an impartial and independent review by the court and looked forward to providing testimony.

Kenney said in the provincial legislature Oct. 27 that “sexual harassment, harassment of any kind, is always abhorrent, and we must have workplaces and a society that are free of that harassment.”

He added an independent review is being appointed to “advise the government on how to improve human resources practices for political staff so that they know that they are safe to come forward to report their experiences to ensure that action is taken.”

Contact doug.ferguson@producer.com