Category: NGO/CS

Posted on

CV #44(B): BBC’s “Disinformation Specialist Reporter”, Marianna Spring, Is Funded By Gates Money

Marianna Spring works for the BBC, British Broadcasting Corporation, and claims to be a “specialist reporter covering disinformation and social media”. However, after a look through what she covers (and omits), the only logical conclusion is that she is deliberately spreading lies.

As a bit of a side note: Spring doesn’t allow people to comment on her tweets unless she follows them, or has tagged them. For a journalist trying to reach the people, she certainly doesn’t seem to want to hear from them.

According to her profile, she was a full time reporter with BBC, until in March 2020, she was tapped to head up the misinformation coverage in the network. She claims to report and track conspiracy theories and false reporting.

However, there is an interesting omission. Spring doesn’t like to address the people who are funding her employer, the BBC. Specifically, she doesn’t address the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. While it’s far from the only donor, it is a major one, and a regular one at that.

Funding in recent years for the BBC is all freely available online. To their credit, the BBC is quite organized when it comes to their records.
BBC Financial Statement 2006 to 2007
BBC Financial Statement 2007 to 2008
BBC Financial Statement 2008 to 2009
BBC Financial Statement 2009 to 2010
BBC Financial Statement 2010 to 2011
BBC Financial Statement 2011 to 2012
BBC Financial Statement 2012 to 2013
BBC Financial Statement 2013 to 2014
BBC Financial Statement 2014 to 2015
BBC Financial Statement 2015 to 2016
BBC Financial Statement 2016 to 2017
BBC Financial Statement 2017 to 2018
BBC Financial Statement 2018 to 2019
BBC Financial Statement 2019 to 2020

YEAR PAGE AMOUNT (UK POUNDS)
2016-2017 35 2,800,000
2017-2018 12 2,150,000
2018-2019 14 2,003,000
2019-2020 17 1,569,000

Notwithstanding donations to her own employer, Spring has shown no interest in covering any of the financial connections between the Gates Foundation, big pharma, and the education industry. Just a thought: when covering conspiracy theories, it may be wise to see if there is any truth to them.

https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/

Let’s clarify here: there are actually 2 separate entities. The Foundation is the group that distributes money to various organizations and institutions. The Foundation Trust, however, is concerned primarily about asset management.

BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION
EIN: 56-2618866
gates.foundation.taxes.2016
gates.foundation.taxes.2017
gates.foundation.taxes.2018

BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION TRUST
EIN: 91-1663695
gates.foundation.trust.taxes.2018

However, Spring will never get into any of this, nor will she report of the financial interests that drive this “pandemic”. The grants to the World Health Organization, GAVI, the Pirbright Institute, John Hopkins, and many more are instantly available. It’s hard to classify someone as a “journalist” when they are so blind to one side of a story.

Even disregarding Gates, the bulk of the BBC funding comes from the British Government, who supports these martial law measures 100%. Surely Spring and her people know who butters their bread.

“We offer partners a number of benefits which include:

  • Exclusive invites to networking events, receptions and dinners hosted by BBC correspondents
  • Getting behind-the-scenes at the BBC with private tours of New Broadcasting House
  • Exclusive recognition on our website and marketing materials
  • Case studies of how your donation has impacted our work, for you to use in both internal and external communications
  • Exclusive opportunities to see and help deliver our work in action, in country.”

The BBC offers partnerships with other organization, and currently, they include Facebook and Twitter. As far as cracking down on “misinformation”, they seem to be ideologically aligned.

The BBC covered the Atlantic Storm pandemic scenario in 2005. Footage is still available of it online. Has Spring not found it strange that all of these preparation cases have been going on for decades?

Facebook has also confirmed that it will be removing content and people that discourages vaccination, REGARDLESS of whether or not it’s true. This is about pushing an agenda, not a search for objective truth. Does Spring not see how precarious her position is if the only way to succeed is to shut down opposing views? After all, she “identifies” as a journalist.

This kind of censorship has a chilling effect, regardless of the subject being discussed.

Volunteers fight back
It was the pandemic’s wave of anti-vaccine content that prompted Dave and Richard to embark on their plan.
.
“I was out of work,” Dave says. “So I wanted to do something constructive.”
.
Although the duo have only met in real life once, they now run multiple “honeypot” Facebook groups that have thousands of members from all over the world.
.
Inside the groups, people who believe in vaccine and Covid-19 conspiracy theories are allowed by the moderators to post false and misleading articles.
.
Richard admits he’s conflicted about the deception.
.
“It was horrible having to lie to begin with,” he says.
.
After members initially joined the group, he says, the pair would observe what they shared, sometimes for weeks.
.
“And then it’d stop,” Richard says, “and we’d start questioning their narrative.”
.
Dave and Richard debunk myths and challenge people in comments under posts and via private message.

Ever get the impression that certain groups and people were honeypots (or feds), deliberately trying to mislead a conversation and steer others away from asking important questions? Turns out, it’s for real. The BBC published an article on doing exactly that.

Rather than condemn such underhanded tactics, Spring tweeted it out approvingly, saying that it was necessary to stop people from falling for conspiracy theories. Does a “misinformation specialist” see nothing wrong with deceiving and misleading the public? Spring is either a fraud, or is engaging in olympic level mental gymnastics.

The screenshot is from last year, but there is a valid point. The U.K. defines “Covid deaths” as:

Number of deaths of people who had had a positive test result for COVID-19 and died within 28 days of the first positive test. Data from the four nations are not directly comparable as methodologies and inclusion criteria vary. Data for the period ending 5 days before the date when the website was last updated with data for the selected area, highlighted in grey, is incomplete.

The death count is for people who’ve had a positive test (real or false positive), and then died within 28 days, irrespective of the cause. This kind of definition opens the door to abuse. If Spring really had been researching conspiracy theories and misinformation, she would have heard that claim repeatedly. Did she ignore it, or check, and simply report lies anyway?

The World Health Organization defines it in the following way:

A death due to COVID-19 is defined for surveillance purposes as a death resulting from a clinically compatible illness, in a probable or confirmed COVID-19 case, unless there is a clear alternative cause of death that cannot be related to COVID disease (e.g. trauma). There should be no period of complete recovery from COVID-19 between illness and death.

While there is a lot of garbage posted online (that part is true), isn’t it the job of a professional journalist to wade through, and sort out fact from fiction?

Listening to Spring talk, it does appear that she has much of an interest in fact checking anything that she calls a conspiracy theorist. She seems to take the Government narrative at face value.

In her own words, this is about “putting a human face” on trying to counter information the Government doesn’t like. This comes across as crass emotional manipulation.

Take a good look. This is the face of deception in the modern age.

(1) https://twitter.com/mariannaspring
(2) https://twitter.com/mariannaspring/status/1396858528900567041
(3) https://twitter.com/mariannaspring/status/1396859428226441225
(4) https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianna-spring-279439b6/
(5) https://archive.is/aL3iN
(6) https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/
(7) https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction/about/annual-reports
(8) https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction/about/funding
(9) https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaaction/support-us/current-partnerships
(10) https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-57051691
(11) https://inews.co.uk/news/technology/social-media-boycott-football-sport-bbc-marianna-spring-dealing-with-trolls-978728
(12) https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct2dmc
(13) https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/our-work/events-archive/
(14) https://www.centerforhealthsecurity.org/our-work/events-archive/2005_atlantic_storm/atlantic-storm-BBC
(15) https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/deaths
(16) https://www.who.int/classifications/icd/Guidelines_Cause_of_Death_COVID-19.pdf?ua=1
(17) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVNlI0ewkBk

Posted on

Maxime Bernier Encourages His Own Father To Get Vaxxed, “Party” Is A Honeypot


https://www.facebook.com/MarkFriesenPPC/videos/484489856099591/
(Around the 30 minute mark)

Is this the “true opposition” party that some people love to talk about? Bernier claims he opposes lockdowns but still supports vaccinating people with God knows what. He even recommends it for his own father. He still (publicly) buys into the narrative, but only objects to the loss of civil rights.

Bernier will also never address the bigger picture. Even if one rejects the depopulation agenda, this “pandemic” is undeniably well planned and coordinated, with much of it being laid out in advance. He won’t get into any of the collusion, the groups making money, the banks, or the lobbying and corruption within domestic politics. Criticism is deliberately done at a superficial level.

This is how a honeypot works. Get someone who appears to be saying the right things — but who won’t tell the complete truth — and pour energy and money into it. Draw out and identify actual patriots, and ensure they will never have any kind of power. Sadly, Canadians are pumping money into them, without asking any hard questions. There’s at least a few of them going around.

People’s Party of Canada
Formed September 2018
-Led by ex-Harper crony
-No leadership race
-No policy votes
-No constitution
-No governing documents
-No national council
-Platform recycled from 2017 “LibCon” race
-EDAs being shut down for not filing financials

Maverick Party (formerly WExit)
Formed after 2019 election
-Led by ex-Harper crony
-No leadership race
-No policy votes
-No constitution
-No governing documents
-Platform in the works (though very recently there was nothing)

When WExit was renamed Maverick, there was a shifting of the goalposts. Instead of outright demanding Western independence, the goal became promoting Western interests within Canada. Perhaps “WExit” was just a temporary name in order to draw donations.

Interestingly, Maverick makes it clear they have no interest in getting involved in Provinces shutting down civil rights, even though the ability to do this was based on the FEDERAL declaration of there being an emergency. Much like the CPC, they mainly criticize the implementation of Trudeau’s tyranny.
Maverick Covid Statement

It’s also worth pointing out that both Hill and Bernier voted to screw over the West on equalization back when Harper was in Office. Jason Kenney did as well.

New Blue Ontario
Formed October 2020
-No leadership race
-No policy votes
-No constitution
-No governing documents
-No platform
-No Provincial Council or some equivalent

Go to their website. It’s completely empty of meaningful content.

The Republican Party of Canada also comes across as a fake party. There is a website, with a few broad strokes of what policies would be nice, but no structure or governance.

There are other ways to control the opposition. Consider the Q-Anon “Trust The Plan” movement, designed to convince Americans that there was an operation to remove the Deep State. It’s kind of like the 1920’s “Operation Trust” to keep the Bolsheviks in power in the Soviet Union.

If chosen correctly, the right kind of person can wreck a movement by driving away normies. An obvious one is Chris (Sky) Saccoccia. While he says a lot of truthful things, the way he goes about them seems calculated to make skeptics look deranged and paranoid. Of course, the “alternative” media elevates and signal boosts him endlessly.

Additionally, those dead-end lawsuits in Toronto can be viewed the same way: an attempt to convince Canadians that something was already under way, and drastic action is not required.

Protests have been largely infiltrated by grifters like Hugs Over Masks, who use it as a business opportunity. Also, marching for an hour and then going back to lockdown doesn’t accomplish anything. Makes them an easy target for the police though.

Notable grifters include the Conservative Party of Canada, and the CCFR, Canadian Coalition for Firearms Rights. Nothing says freedom quite like starting your own line of muzzles. The CCFR is particularly repulsive, claiming to want freedom for gun owners, while profiting off of (forced) mask mandates.

The CPC also has a pharma lobbyist at the head of their National Council. Much like Maverick and PPC, they object mainly to how Trudeau handles things, not the overall agenda.

Is this jaded? Maybe, but we have to face reality.

Posted on

Lobbyist For GlaxoSmithKline & AstraZeneca Maker Sits On Conservative Party’s National Council

Just who is this Amber Ruddy? She just recently ascended to her position in a major political party, but what’s her backstory?

Amber Ruddy is a Conservative volunteer who has spent her career fighting for small-c conservative ideas and values. She has knocked on thousands of doors, served on electoral district associations, and helped get Conservatives elected.
.
Amber has worked for a federal Conservative cabinet minister, a provincial politician, and in non-partisan advocacy positions at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business and the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation.
.
She currently works as Associate VP Western Canada with Counsel Public Affairs and has a decade of experience in business advocacy at the federal, provincial, and municipal levels.

Amber holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western University and an executive MBA from Queen’s University with a specialization in marketing strategy.

Amber Ruddy is quite open about being with Counsel Public Affairs, a lobbying firm in Canada. Did no one bother to check out (or even ask) what kinds of lobbying she was involved with? Or did the Conservative Party know about this and simply not care?

Amber was elected in March 2021 to the National Council of the CPC. Why is this important? Because only a month ago, she lobbied Manitoba on behalf of Emergent BioSolutions, the maker of AstraZeneca. She got directly to Manitoba Premier, Brian Pallister.

While this may be legal, how does it look? How does Ruddy go from being a pharma lobbyist to one of the people running the Conservative Part of Canada in just a month? Also, it’s not like she cut ties with Counsel Public Affairs. She’s still employed by them.

Her lobbying firm, Counsel Public Affairs, has been pushing other Provinces to accept AstraZeneca, despite its known health problems.

Ruddy has also lobbied Manitoba for on behalf of Atria Management Canada, ULC, asking “Seeking clarification for COVID-19 vaccination rollout plan, specifically where seniors in non LTC settings, such as community retirement settings, fit into provincial plan. Advocating for on-site clinics in retirement communities”. Yes, she actually wanted on site vaccination for seniors.

Now the obvious question has to be asked: when Ruddy performs her duties as Secretary of the CPC National Council, will she also be acting as a member of Council Public Affairs, which is STILL advocating on behalf of Emergent BioSolutions?

Bit of a side note: Dan Kelly, the President and CEO of the CFIB, Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses was bragging about vaccinating his children. Ruddy used to run the Alberta branch.

Ruddy also lobbied Saskatchewan on behalf of the AstraZeneca manufacturer. This included Premier Scott Moe, and Health Minister Paul Merriman.

Amber Ruddy Emergent BioSciences Lobbying Alberta

She’s also been working in Alberta lately, lobbying the Government of Jason Kenney. While Ruddy isn’t personally named in the Ontario Registry, several of her colleagues at C.P.A. are.

It seems pretty convoluted for Derek Sloan to be threatened over a $131 cheque he never actually saw, but then allow something like this.

Brian Pallister has also been lobbied on behalf of Emergent BioSciences by Tina Beaudry-Mellor, another member of Counsel Public Affairs. But what makes her case interesting is that she worked in Scott Moe’s Government in Saskatchewan until September 2020. After she was voted out, she began lobbying. Interesting way to avoid the rules: just hop Provinces, and then you’re good to go.

This also raises the question why people like Brian Pallister are always trying to give the hard sell on vaccines. Is this what they really believe, or have they been corrupted by some outside interest? Something always seemed off about that man.

At the time of writing this, Ruddy is an ACTIVE registered lobbyist on behalf of Emergent BioSolutions, at the Federal level. Until February, she was also a lobbyist for drug maker GlaxoSmithKline.

Even with that set aside, her firm is still lobbying both Federally and Provincially on behalf of drug companies. They are quite active. She will now have considerable power on the CPC National Council.

Members of the public, and especially those in the CPC should be outraged. It raises legitimate questions as to whether Rempel and O’Toole are simply puppets doing the will of big pharma. Their actions and words would suggest so.

The plot only thickens. Michelle Rempel-Garner, the CPC Health Critic, has recently been lobbied by both GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca (among others) looking to sell vaccines. Considering Ruddy is on the National Council, would that actually make her Rempel’s boss? Of course, ask such a question on Twitter and expect a quick blocking. And it gets worse….

And just when you think you’ve seen it all, the CPC has decided to add masks to their line of merchandise for sale. Perhaps the “pandemic” won’t end as long as there is inventory to be sold. There’s free enterprise, and then there’s this…..

This sort of thing is hardly an isolated incident. Some more of the corruption that lobbying is:

If you want to know what is really going on, stop focusing on the puppets. Instead, look to the puppet masters and their proxies.

(1) https://www.linkedin.com/in/amberruddy/
(2) https://archive.is/mJpyH
(3) https://www.conservative.ca/team-member/amber-ruddy/
(4) https://www.conservative.ca/team/national-council/
(5) https://counselpa.com/
(6) https://counselpa.com/team/amber-ruddy/
(7) https://registry.lobbyistregistrar.mb.ca/lra/reporting/public/registrar/view.do?method=get&registrationId=14775394
(8) https://registry.lobbyistregistrar.mb.ca/lra/reporting/public/registrar/view.do?method=get&registrationId=416797
(9) https://nationalpost.com/opinion/derek-filderbrandt-derek-sloans-exile-over-131-from-white-supremacist-doesnt-add-up
(10) https://registry.lobbyistregistrar.mb.ca/lra/reporting/public/registrar/view.do?method=get&registrationId=413352
(11) https://counselpa.com/team/tina-beaudry-mellor/
(12) https://www.linkedin.com/in/tina-at-thynk/
(13) https://archive.is/mf5FL
(14) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tina_Beaudry-Mellor
(15) https://www.sasklobbyistregistry.ca/
(16) https://www.sasklobbyistregistry.ca/search
(17) https://www.albertalobbyistregistry.ca/
(18) https://www.albertalobbyistregistry.ca/apex/f?p=171:DOC:0:IDOC_XSL_CACHE:::IDOC_TBL_GRP_ID,IDOC_CNTRL_CD:722007,CNSLT_REG_FRM&cs=30C0FDBAAAAD8B1BBD09725B9A23D7F51
(19) http://lobbyist.oico.on.ca/Pages/Public/PublicSearch/
(20) https://lobbycanada.gc.ca/app/secure/ocl/lrs/do/advSrch
(21) https://lobbycanada.gc.ca/app/secure/ocl/lrs/do/vwRg?cno=367533&regId=905977
(22) https://lobbycanada.gc.ca/app/secure/ocl/lrs/do/vwRg?cno=367534&regId=908352
(23) https://cpcstore.ca/collections/masks

Posted on

The B.C. Liberals Are Nothing But Controlled Opposition (With Audio)

In politics, lobbying and money make the world go round. Consider a recent talk with a B.C. Liberal MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly), Peter Milobar. You would think that there’d be some real opposition to John Horgan, Adrian Dix, Mike Farnworth and Bonnie Henry. But no, this isn’t the case. In fact, even referring to it as “controlled opposition” is a bit of a stretch.

In case this may just come off as having a bad day, consider what the candidates said in the October 2020 B.C. election. All parties agreed to abdicate responsibility to unelected bureaucrats. That said, trolling one of them afterwards was fun.

Milobar claims to have taken the AstraZeneca vaccine, which has now been pulled off the market. Let’s see if he actually believes what he’s saying. He also doesn’t really object to anything.

BC Liberal Party 2020 Platform Restore Confidence Rebuild BC

B.C. held a Provincial election in October 2020. One would think that with Horgan, Henry and their cronies destroying the place, the “opposition” party would jump at the chance to fix things. Instead, their election platform goes out of its way to avoid addressing the elephant in the room. Milobar isn’t alone in doing nothing for constituents. It’s everyone.

It this problem deeper than what it seems?

A recent piece covered Wellington Advocacy. This is a lobbying firm that has pushed Jason Kenney and Doug Ford into keeping defective PCR rapid test kits made by Spartan Biosciences. It’s worth noting that the same firm also has people connected to ex-Liberal Leader Christy Clark, and now outgoing leader Andrew Wilkinson.

According to Katy Merrifield’s profile:

As a BC native, and having served as Executive Director of the BC Liberal Party and Director of Communications to British Columbia Premier Christy Clark, Katy has a unique understanding of the province’s political, public and private sector landscapes. A seasoned expert in communications, corporate planning, campaign management and stakeholder advocacy, Katy is adept at delivering solutions with meaningful and measurable impact on public opinion. Katy has spent over a decade advising senior cabinet members and elected officials including as Chief of Staff to the Minister of Health, and the Minister of Jobs, Tourism, Skills Training and Labour in British Columbia.

According to Nick Koolsbergen’s profile:

Nick spent the last two years serving as Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s Chief of Staff and Campaign Director. Prior to that Nick, served as former BC Premier Christy Clark’s Chief of Staff, as Director of Issues Management to former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and as a senior advisor to numerous federal Cabinet Ministers.

According to Peter Csillag’s profile:

Peter joins after nearly ten years advising elected officials and candidates at the provincial and federal levels, and advising companies and non-profits in the private sector. He served as a senior advisor to Jason Kenney and Alberta’s United Conservative caucus and to former BC Premier Christy Clark and caucus. In Ottawa, he worked for then-Minister Jason Kenney in three major federal departments. Most recently, he worked as a director for a national strategic communications firm.

At least 3 members of Wellington Advocacy (which is lobbying for Spartan rapid test kits) were part of the Government of then B.C. Premier, Christy Clark. True, Clark lost power — and her own seat — in July 2017, but she held tremendous influence over the party. And Wilkinson just resigned as leader. This is, of course, just one group that lobbies for money and influence.

On a related note: Ray Novak is also part of the firm. He was involved with Harper’s Government, is employed with the firm Harper & Associates, and is a Member of the International Democratic Union, which Harper chairs.



K-12 restart planning relative to COVID (restart plan, Personal protection equipment, privacy and the use of digital platforms, Foundational Skills Assessments (FSAs), social distancing and class size, ministry guidelines, remote learning options, health and safety standards/guidelines, consistent reporting

The B.C. Teachers Federation has been lobbying the “opposition” Liberals for a number of things, including shutting down schools in favour of remote learning, and forcing masks on very young students. And by young, many want them imposed on kindergarten students.

The B.C. Labour Federation is also pushing the Liberals for a number of things, such as more handouts. They also demand more protections for illegal aliens (who they disingenuously call “undocumented workers”), more green jobs, and pay equity, which sounds sort of communist.

The BC Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU), has also been pushing all parties for a number of benefits, or “pandemic bucks”, but has also demanded that masks be made mandatory in all Government buildings. Public unions are very powerful, so it would be difficult to say no.

Drug companies like GlaoSmithKline, Innovative Medicines Canada, Merck and Pfizer have all been lobbying B.C. in recent months. Of course, they would never unduly influence politicians. Except for cases like Jean-Marc Prevost.

The above groups aren’t the only ones trying to influence the B.C. Liberals. These are just a few for which there are actual records. It would be interesting to find out what isn’t documented.

It isn’t just one useless MLA like Milobar refusing to do anything. The entire Liberal Party has no real interest in stopping the medical tyranny imposed by Bonnie Henry, and the Horgan Government. They don’t even pretend to be against it, but avoid the subject altogether.

Nor is their interest in Henry’s flip-flop from when she was an expert witness in the Sault Area Hospital arbitration. She testified that neither masks nor vaccines do much against influenza. Considering Henry was picked by a Liberal Government, they seem particularly indifferent about challenging her.

Press Progress also put out an interesting piece on lobbying in Alberta. It’s well worth a read.

(1) https://canucklaw.ca/cv-28-the-b-c-election-just-an-illusion-of-choice-all-parties-compromised/
(2) https://canucklaw.ca/handlers-for-lpc-ford-kenney-push-and-fail-to-continue-faulty-rapid-test-device/
(3) https://www.bcliberals.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/BC-Liberal-Party-2020-Platform-Restore-Confidence-Rebuild-BC.pdf
(4) https://www.wellingtonadvocacy.com/who-we-are
(5) https://www.linkedin.com/in/katy-merrifield-1a741055/
(6) https://archive.is/2C2Xr
(7) https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickkoolsbergen/
(8) https://archive.is/NRcE8
(9) https://www.linkedin.com/in/petercsillag/
(10) https://archive.is/iY8A5
(11) https://www.linkedin.com/in/ray-novak-289496128/
(12) https://archive.is/bVl6x
(13) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christy_Clark
(14) https://www.lobbyistsregistrar.bc.ca/app/secure/orl/lrs/do/guest
(15) https://www.lobbyistsregistrar.bc.ca/app/secure/orl/lrs/do/cmmLgPblcVw?comlogId=9288
(16) https://archive.is/mLLad
(17) https://www.lobbyistsregistrar.bc.ca/app/secure/orl/lrs/do/cmmLgPblcVw?comlogId=5434
(18) https://bctf.ca/NewsReleases.aspx?id=60409
(19) https://www.lobbyistsregistrar.bc.ca/app/secure/orl/lrs/do/cmmLgPblcVw?comlogId=6888
(20) https://www.lobbyistsregistrar.bc.ca/app/secure/orl/lrs/do/vwRg?cno=463&regId=56555680
(21) https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onla/doc/2015/2015canlii62106/2015canlii62106.html
(22) https://pressprogress.ca/lobbyists-with-ties-to-jason-kenneys-ucp-are-helping-private-health-companies-lobby-albertas-ministry-of-health/

Posted on

Handlers For LPC, Ford, Kenney Push (And Fail) To Continue Faulty Rapid Test Device

A story that went largely unnoticed is the announcement that Spartan Bioscience was seeking protection from its creditors. The reason is that its product, a rapid testing machine that uses PCR technology …. didn’t actually work.

While this part was reported by CBC, the larger part of the story wasn’t. And that involves the behind-the-scenes efforts to keep these kits on the market.

Of course, this shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. The BC Centre for Disease Control admitted in April 2020 that the testing method couldn’t actually determine if a person was infected. Doug Ford has known since July 2020, if not sooner, that there can be 50% false positives. Jason Kenney seemed uninterested in a possible 90% false positives. See the videos at the end.

This comes in spite of extensive lobbying efforts to persuade the Federal Government, and the Ontario and Alberta Governments to continue using them.

With all that in mind, is it any wonder that a company promising rapid testing would have problems, if the underlying technology itself was faulty?

An Ottawa-based company that developed a rapid COVID-19 testing device says it has filed for creditor protection after finding an undisclosed problem with the technology.

Spartan Bioscience’s interim CEO Jennifer Ross-Carriere said through a spokesperson Tuesday that the company has paused shipments of its COVID-19 testing cube while it works to resolve the “recently-identified issue.”

Spartan’s device, which the company says is about the size of a coffee mug, has been described as a potential game-changer by health officials, with the company claiming it could deliver on-location results in less than an hour using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to get results.

The device was authorized for use by Health Canada on Jan. 22. Spartan said Health Canada’s authorization remains in place while it works with the federal agency to resolve the issue.

Now, just because a product doesn’t work, or doesn’t work the way it’s supposed to, doesn’t always mean all is lost. Just send in the lobbyists and everything should be okay.

Also, Health Canada hasn’t seen fit to pull its authorization yet. Not sure exactly what it would take for that to happen.

The Federal Government, as well as the Governments of Ontario and Alberta have been lobbied by Wellington Advocacy on behalf of Spartan Bioscience. So, what do these people have do offer?

In short, connections. Lobbying has little to do with making a convincing argument. Instead, it’s about paid hustlers trying to cozy up with their former political cronies. It’s unethical, but unfortunately, legal.

Rachel Curran spent years in Harper’s Government, then moved on to other things. Interestingly, she now works with Facebook Canada. Current CPC Leader, Erin O’Toole, used to be a lobbyist for Facebook.

After managing Stephen Harper, Duncan has switched over to Provincial politics, and is a handler for Doug Ford. His profile is one of the revolving door of politics and lobbying.

Heelis has been addressed before. She has also been lobbying on behalf of Shoppers Drug Mart. Previously, she was a handler for the Ontario Minister of Health and Long Term Care.

Koolsbergen worked in the Harper Government, then was very involved in Kenney elected in Alberta. According to that lobby, he’s been pushing for Spartan with the Government.

Rinneard is yet another handler for Doug Ford, telling him what to think, and what to say. Doesn’t seem to have helped though.

Looking through the profiles of Wellington Advocacy, many of them are handlers and mouthpieces both for the Conservative Party of Canada, and more recently, for Jason Kenney. There are also a few who peddle influence with the Ontario Progressive Conservatives, and the B.C. Liberals.

Even after a person leaves politics, they still have the connections, which is why companies hire them. Again, this is legal, as long as it’s documented.

Do these politicians know that there are serious testing problems with the PCR technology? Yes they do. It has been made very clear to them. Nonetheless, the continue on pushing ahead with this fake pandemic.

The story from CBC is at least partially good news, as a defective product has been removed from the market. This comes in spite of the lobbying efforts, which CBC DIDN’T address. However, more needs to be done to address this scam.

People like Kenney and Ford are not leading. They are simply playing the part of leaders, and interested parties are pulling their strings. We need better people in charge.

(1) https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/spartan-bioscience-creditor-protection-1.5976825
(2) http://lobbyist.oico.on.ca/Pages/Public/PublicSearch/
(3) https://www.albertalobbyistregistry.ca/
(4) https://lobbycanada.gc.ca/app/secure/ocl/lrs/do/advSrch
(5) https://canucklaw.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/BC-COVID19_InterpretingTesting_Results_NAT_PCR.pdf
(6) https://www.wellingtonadvocacy.com/who-we-are
(7) https://archive.is/zDCrd
(8) https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-curran-a99258109/
(9) https://www.linkedin.com/in/samueljduncan/
(10) https://archive.is/sf2uV
(11) https://www.linkedin.com/in/katieheelis/
(12) https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickkoolsbergen/
(13) https://archive.is/GIOQ0
(14) https://www.linkedin.com/in/trisha-rinneard-b1004348/
(15) https://archive.is/eyXyh
(16) https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-tennant-84030a63/
(17) https://archive.is/ZbZY8

Posted on

BC Pharmacy Association Funded By AstraZeneca, Partners With myDNA; Dix; Sharkawy; Tieleman; Sterilization

The B.C. Pharmacy Association has been lobbying the Provincial Government as of late. It’s interesting to see just who some of these people are, and where the money is coming from. The public at large is completely oblivious to the bigger picture.

As for the people in the above photo, they are very much connected to the B.C.P.A. We will explain all of these players.

  • Bonnie Henry: B.C. Provincial Health Officer
  • Adrian Dix: B.C. Health Minister
  • Abdu Sharkawy: Paid operative on speaking circuit
  • Bill Tieleman: Ex-B.C. Gov’t Official, current B.C.P.A. lobbyist

The B.C.P.A. describes what it does as “advocacy“, or trying to educate the public on certain health matters. Here is their own explanation:

The BC Pharmacy Association is the voice of community pharmacy. Through our organization, we collaborate and advocate for the role of community pharmacists in B.C.’s health-care system.

The Association works with stakeholders like the Ministry of Health, the College of Pharmacists of BC, the University of British Columbia, private insurance payers and other groups to raise the awareness and understanding of community pharmacy in British Columbia.

We have struck working groups on such issues as the role of pharmacists in medical assistance in dying (MAiD), Medication Review Services, Clinical Services, Residential Care and Schedule 1 and 2 medications, to name a few.

Nothing is apparently off limits, as the MAiD, or medical assistance in dying market is growing. Essentially, this is assisted suicide. At least they are honest that some drugs are lethal. There’s also an MLA outreach program, to get Provincial politicians on board with whatever is going on.

Bill Tieleman works as a lobbyist for the B.C. Pharmacy Association. His goal is getting more money for the group, and in pushing the Government to buy more of his client’s products (and products of their supporters). Tieleman is, strictly speaking, a drug lobbyist. He runs a politically themed blog as well, but there is little of substance there.

Tieleman is apparently also pretty chummy with Premier John Horgan. That’s no surprise, given his other BCNDP connections.

It gets even more convoluted because he worked in the Office of the Premier in 1996, according to mandatory disclosures. Adrian Dix was at the time Chief of Staff to Premier Glen Clark, and he later became Leader of the NDP. Dix clearly has clout, even as Health Minister, and Tieleman is an old colleague of his.

As for the idea that lobbying is harmless, it’s been disclosed that the Federal Government (or taxpayers) contributed $176,000 to the B.C.P.A. Tax money was handed over to a private organization that lobbies politicians for greater influence of the drug business.

While the B.C.P.A. likes to present itself as standing up for small pharmacists, they deliberately gloss over an important detail. The bulk of the financing actually comes from pharmaceutical manufacturers. Here, AstraZeneca and Merck are listed as major sponsors.

Abdu Sharkawy, an easily recognizable TV doctor, has spoken to the B.C.P.A. on at least 2 separate occasions. Once was March 19 of this year, and the other was on May 6. The Association clearly thought that his clout was work the money to bring him there.

Sharkawy is actually a professional speaker, and can be hired out through the National Speakers Bureau, or the NSB. According to a reply from NSB, his speaking fees for a virtual appearance runs at $12,000. That said, he’s hardly the only one to engage in such a side business.

RxOme Pharmacogenomics Canada Inc., is a joint venture between the BC Pharmacy Association and myDNA, a genetic testing and interpretation service provider. Together these companies aim to make pharmacogenomic testing and interpretation services available to Canadians through community pharmacies. Empowered with this genetic information Canadians, with their pharmacist’s help, will be able to make better informed decisions about their medications, health and wellness.

Imagine if before taking a medication, you could walk into your local pharmacy and take a test that could accurately predict whether the medication would work for you and the dosage best suited to you—all based on your DNA.

myDNA uses a simple cheek swab to analyze a patient’s genetic profile. The test is ordered by the accredited pharmacy and then the results are sent to the patient, nominated health care professionals and accessible through a secure portal.

The B.C.P.A. is partnering with myDNA, a firm that claims to be able to determine what medications would be needed in the future, based on a person’s genetic profile. It seems like there was a time not too long ago when such an idea was dismissed as baseless conspiracy theories.

Of course, this also raises serious privacy concerns like where will the data be stored, who will have access to it, and will any 3rd parties be able to purchase the data?

Also, will certain drug companies be able to get preference for certain types of disorders, or will it be shared equitably?

The B.C. Pharmacy Association promotes drugs (obviously), and doesn’t seem too concerned about the long term impacts of them. Of course, when such companies, like AstraZeneca, are your primary donors, it’s best not to rock the boat.

Thank you to whoever made this clips available. This information needs to be shared.

Previously: Jean-Marc Prevost used to be work in B.C. Public Health, alongside Henry and Dix. He left, and joined lobbying firm called Council Public Affairs. He then lobbied the B.C. Government — which he was recently a part of — on behalf of Emergent BioSolutions, the manufacturer of AstraZeneca. Also, take a look at the conflicts of interest Doug Ford has been involved with.

It’s an open question whether of not Henry and Dix had any issue with this sudden change, however it seems unlikely.

After all, Henry apparently saw no issue with putting in an exemption for indoor wine tasting, when she co-owned a winery in Keremeos.

This is just a lay opinion, but a lot of this doesn’t exactly sound legitimate. At a minimum, where are the disclosures to the public? And shouldn’t the side effects like mass sterilization be covered a little bit more?

As an update, thank you to those commenting. Always more information to flesh out. See page 233 in the 2019/2020 report.

(1) https://www.lobbyistsregistrar.bc.ca/
(2) https://www.lobbyistsregistrar.bc.ca/app/secure/orl/lrs/do/vwRg?cno=514&regId=56558364&blnk=1
(3) https://www.bcpharmacy.ca/
(4) https://www.bcpharmacy.ca/advocacy
(5) https://www.bcpharmacy.ca/advocacy/mla-outreach-program
(6) https://www.bcpharmacy.ca/conference/sponsors
(7) https://www.bcpharmacy.ca/about/rxome
(8) https://www.nsb.com/speakers/abdu-sharkawy/
(9) https://www.bcpharmacy.ca/conference/agenda-speakers
(10) https://www.bcpharmacy.ca/news/bcpha-2021-conference-highlights-dr-abdu-sharkawy
(11) https://thetyee.ca/News/2011/04/20/MemoMistake/
(12) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Dix
(13) https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbell/
(14) https://www.keremeosreview.com/news/similkameen-winery-co-owned-by-dr-bonnie-henry/
(15) https://globalnews.ca/news/7732090/indoor-wine-tastings-bc-covid-restrictions/
(16) https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/government-finances/public-accounts/2019-20/pa-2019-20-crf-detailed-schedules-of-payments.pdf
(17) BC Public Accounts 2019 to 2020