Edmonton's police chief has confirmed the service has overhauled its policy on accepting gifts, a move prompted by revelations that his predecessor attended Edmonton Oilers playoff games in a private box hosted by a businessman.
Policy Revised Following High-Profile Attendance
In a year-end interview, Chief Warren Driechel stated that while former Chief Dale McFee's actions complied with the policy in place at the time, the rules have since been tightened. The change specifically addresses the acceptance of tickets to events like sports games.
"I think at that time, the policy was pretty specific," Driechel told Postmedia. "It's not a vendor that we're doing business with. The impact on, potentially, conflict of interest is low."
However, he added, "I can tell you out of this, though, the policy has changed." The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) has now formally adopted the Edmonton Police Commission's revised gifts policy, which in most cases explicitly prohibits officers from accepting sports tickets unless they are attending in an official capacity.
Photos Spark Scrutiny and Policy Review
The issue came to light after photos published in late November 2025 showed then-Chief McFee at 2024 Oilers playoff games. The images placed him in a private box with MHCare Medical CEO Sam Mraiche and senior Alberta government officials, including Justice Minister Mickey Amery and Premier Danielle Smith.
One photo from May 18, 2024, shows McFee in an Oilers jersey with his arm around Minister Amery. Another from June 2, 2024, captures McFee and Premier Smith in the box with Mraiche during an Oilers-Dallas Stars game.
Driechel acknowledged that "people sat up and took notice" of the ticket issue, leading directly to the policy review. "The commission revised their policy. We took it to heart," he said.
New Rules in Practice
The chief illustrated the new standard with a personal example. "Personally, someone offered to take me to a hockey game a couple weeks ago, and it's somebody that's asking something from us, and we said 'no,'" Driechel stated. "So those things are always there."
The revised policy is now embedded within the service's employment agreements, with Driechel noting they have "adopted very specific wording within our own employment engagement that says we'll adhere to the commission's policy on gift acceptance."
The context of the gatherings has drawn additional attention. Sam Mraiche's company, MHCare, has been under scrutiny following a wrongful dismissal lawsuit from former Alberta Health Services CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos. The lawsuit claims she was fired for investigating links between AHS officials and suppliers, including MHCare.
Since leaving the EPS, Dale McFee has become Alberta's deputy minister of executive council, the province's top bureaucratic position. The policy change underscores ongoing efforts to maintain public trust and clear ethical boundaries for police leadership in Edmonton.
