Former minister’s wife details driveway interaction, ‘threatening’ email at law society hearing | 24CA News
The spouse of a former Alberta minister took the stand and offered testimony in a conduct listening to by the Law Society of Alberta on Tuesday morning.
Tyler Shandro is accused of bringing disrepute to the authorized occupation following an altercation at a Calgary physician’s house, acquiring the personal cellphone numbers to contact two docs exterior of business hours, and responding to a message to his spouse from a member of the general public and threatening to refer that people to the authorities.
She known as the physician an “internet troll” and stated regardless of her view that the particular message as threatening, she was suggested it was not a menace.
At the centre of controversy
Andrea Shandro, Tyler’s spouse, is a principal at Vital Partners Inc., a third-party well being brokerage firm she co-founded together with her sister.
That firm was on the centre of a maelstrom of misinformation shortly after the province modified Blue Cross protection eligibility for spouses of seniors in early 2020.
Albertans drew connections between the federal government’s choice, Tyler’s position as then-health minister, and the Shandros’ holdings within the well being advantages brokerage. The Shandros had been then inundated with messages from the general public accusing Tyler of a battle of curiosity.
Andrea’s half of the shares in Vital Partners are held in holdings firm Shandro Holdings as a part of an “accounting structure.” She stated Tyler was a shareholder regardless of not having something to do with the corporate.
His shares had been positioned in a blind belief, a transfer the ethics commissioner stated was in step with legislative necessities.
Her position with the corporate was in advertising and marketing, so any exterior communications by way of the corporate got here on to her, communications – emails, messages, telephone calls and voice messages – that she stated took a nasty flip round March 10, 2020.
“Just really horrible commentary and threats,” Andrea stated, as she started to choke up. “One that really stuck out that said, ‘Watch your back when you get to your office.’”
Normally an individual who, by her personal admission, tries to not get too emotional, Andrea stated the “watch your back” message despatched to her on March 20, 2020, induced her to develop into upset and anxious for her sister’s and staff security. She dropped her two kids off at a member of the family’s house and known as her workplace urging everybody vacate the constructing, because the deal with was on their web site.
The subsequent day with Tyler house from Edmonton, the Shandros had been visited by CPS officers to speak in regards to the threatening communications aimed toward them and tips on how to enhance their security.
‘Threatening’ emails
On March 20, 2020, one other message submitted to the Vital Partners web site from Janice Fraser, who knew Tyler from earlier authorized and political work, addressed Andrea straight saying the Shandros “are considered to be in a conflict of interest by Albertans. We will not forget!”
That message included Fraser’s telephone quantity and e mail deal with, the place all different messages submitted to the corporate web site used spoofed contact information.
On the recommendation of her husband and his political workers’s recommendation, Andrea despatched the entire vitriolic messages to the federal government’s protecting providers and to Neil Lettis, a superintendent with the Alberta Sheriff Executive Protection Unit.
Fraser’s message was additionally distinctive in that Andrea despatched it on to her husband and members of his workers.
Andrea stated she was unaware of Fraser’s prior interactions together with her husband.
Andrea additionally stated she, at first, tried to “respond in a meaningful way” to “set the record straight.” She stated she felt Fraser’s message was threatening, however was later advised by Lettis the messages as much as March 27, 2020 “were threatening, but they were not threats. That is splicing words to me.”
Lettis testified that the Shandros obtained what authorities categorize as “inappropriate contact and communication” (ICC) round this time, in rising volumes.
Through what was forwarded by the Shandros, he and his colleagues at sheriffs and protecting providers noticed the Shandros skilled “aggressive” ICC “filtered toward Mrs. Shandro.”
Lettis would contact CPS to make them conscious of the “significant ICC” being directed on the Shandros.
After receiving the message forwarded from his spouse, Tyler would write again to Fraser utilizing his authorities e mail deal with, saying sending “threatening emails” to his spouse was inappropriate and should cease. He additionally stated Fraser may ship emails to his workplace.
“Email her again and it will be referred to protective services,” Tyler wrote.
A member of Tyler’s workers additionally forwarded Fraser’s message to Lettis.
On day 2 of the hearings in January, Fraser stated Tyler’s response “felt extremely threatening. It petrified me.”
Talking to an ‘internet troll’
Andrea additionally offered a 3rd perspective on the occasions main as much as and on the driveway of Dr. Mukarram Zaidi.
While monitoring social media on March 21, 2020, she stated she got here throughout a meme posted by Zaidi that pictured Tyler with a thought bubble intimating Tyler would revenue by eradicating individuals from public well being care – a transfer that’s prohibited by the Canada Health Act.
She confirmed it to her husband who then stated “That’s our neighbour. I’m going to be back in a minute.”
Andrea stated a few minutes handed earlier than she determined she would observe her husband to Zaidi’s house, across the nook from the Shandro house.
“I did not want him to talk to an internet troll,” she stated. “In the context of everything the week before, a bunch of doctors making up stuff about me and my company, yes this was an internet troll.”
Prior to the interplay, Andrea stated she solely knew the physician “in a cursory way,” largely interacting by greeting one another whereas out strolling of their shared neighbourhood.
She stated each males had been standing about six toes aside and had their arms of their pockets, talking at a quantity of a “regular conversation.”
Andrea stated she went round Tyler’s facet and tried to push him again house.
“I do remember saying ‘Tyler he doesn’t care about the truth, all he cares about is money.’”
Andrea stated her husband was not yelling or crying, however she began crying when she reached her husband’s facet.
Zaidi beforehand testified that the then-health minister arrived at his driveway in “a high emotional state.”
“He did not have high emotion,” Andrea stated Tuesday. “He was not very upset. He was trying to explain to Dr. Zaidi what Vital Partners does.”
Ethics commissioner authorised blind belief
Ethics commissioner Marguerite Trussler additionally offered testimony Tuesday, saying she met with Tyler the week after the 2019 election, earlier than he was named minister.
“We had a thorough discussion of his wife’s company,” Trussler stated.
The following week, the ethics commissioner requested Tyler resign as a director at Vital Partners – as required by the Conflict of Interest Act – and place his shares within the firm in a blind belief – a step past what the Act requires and to handle the looks of a battle of curiosity.
“I saw the trust agreement. I have to approve all trust agreements,” Trussler stated.
All MLAs must submit annual studies of all of their property and incomes to the ethics commissioner.
In March 2020, after the modifications to seniors’ Blue Cross protection, the ethics commissioner began getting an elevated quantity of complaints and requests to analyze the then-health minister’s connections to Vital Partners.
Trussler reviewed the data she had on file and reviewed the corporate’s web site. Seeing Vital Partners solely offered group advantages for firms and never private protection, the ethics commissioner deemed there was no want for a full investigation and wrote a letter on March 20, 2020 to then-Speaker Nathan Cooper outlining the state of affairs.
The then-MLA would name the ethics commissioner 5 days later in search of recommendation.
“I could just commiserate with him,” Trussler stated.
Closing arguments happen on Wednesday. The listening to committee may also hear the interim utility in regards to the regulation society’s jurisdiction, made on Monday.
If the regulation society decides to sanction the previous minister for his actions, these sanctions can vary from disbarment on the most extreme, to suspension, reprimand, imposing situations of authorized observe, or cost of penalties.
