EDMONTON, ALBERTA, CANADA — Alberta’s Infrastructure Minister Peter Guthrie says he accepted free Edmonton Oilers NHL playoff tickets and says it did not contravene government conflict-of-interest rules.

Guthrie says he attended Oilers home games during the team’s playoff run last spring as a guest of MHCare Medical, a medical supply and distribution company.

Guthrie didn’t specify exactly how many games he attended but he says he has no “business or personal relations” with Sam Mraiche, the CEO of MHCare Medical.

He’s the second Alberta cabinet minister to say he attended a game courtesy of the company, which was involved in the government’s $80-million deal to procure children’s pain medication from Turkey.

The medicine came from Istanbul-based Atabay Pharmaceuticals but its arrival was delayed due to regulatory issues and label problems and hospitals eventually stopped using the medication over safety concerns.

Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf has said he attended a game as a guest of Mraiche, while Premier Danielle Smith accepted free tickets from Explore Edmonton and Invest Alberta, and Sport Minister Joseph Schow and Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis have also said they attended games but didn’t say who provided the tickets.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2024.

Jack Farrell, The Canadian Press