The former cabinet minister had faced three citations of professional misconduct
A Law Society of Alberta tribunal has cleared former Alberta cabinet minister Tyler Shandro of professional misconduct.
The second citation was related to Shandro’s use of his government email to respond to accusations from the public that his wife’s health benefits company represented a conflict of interest.
The third accused him of using his position as minister of health to obtain personal cell phone numbers and contacting members of the public outside of regular working hours
In a ruling published Thursday — some 10 months after a law society hearing concluded — two of three members of the tribunal committee ruled Shandro had not broken professional rules around those incidents.
“While we conclude that the Citations were not made out, the committee thought that Mr. Shandro’s conduct at the time of the events that give rise to the Citations was at times inappropriate,” the ruling reads.
“However, we find that the conduct did not rise to the level of conduct deserving of sanction. Mr. Shandro is not guilty on all three Citations.”
One tribunal member dissented, arguing Shandro should have been ruled guilty on one of the three citations.
“At the time, Mr. Shandro was a very public member of Government, known publicly to be a lawyer with cabinet positions and at the time of the Sidewalk/Driveway Incident, in the position of Minister of Health,” wrote Edith Kloberdanz, noting “public perception is fundamental here.
“The conduct is damaging to the reputation of lawyers and negatively affects the public perception of lawyers.”
Postmedia has contacted Shandro seeking comment.
He served as Alberta’s health minister from April of 2019 to September of 2021, and as the province’s justice minister from February of 2022 to June of 2023.
Shandro returned to practise law after his narrow defeat in the May 2023 provincial election and was named to Covenant Health’s board of directors on Jan. 31, 2024.
— with files from Jonny Wakefield
More to come.