Ryan Imgrund is back in the news again, and not in a good way.
He became somewhat of a household name in 2020/2021 making doomsday predictions about death waves of Covid-19. Of course, none of this ever materialized. But it didn’t stop major media outlets in Canada from regularly hosting him and treating him as some sort of expert. In reality, he’s a high school science teacher who moonlights as a biostatistician.
Or, at least he was a teacher, until the Summer of 2022.
The Ontario College of Teachers has filed another complaint against him for conduct unbecoming of a teacher. (See archive.) Specifically, it reads:
3. At all material times, Person A was an 18 year old family female whose family was friends with the Member’s family.
.
4. In or about August of 2005 the Member sent Person A, via MSN messenger, unsolicited photographs including:
(a) two photographs of himself standing naked and holding his penis in his hand;
(b) two photographs of himself lying naked on his back holding a beer bottle next to his penis.
It’s typical in these types of cases to redact the identities of the students, especially if there are under the age of majority.
Interestingly, this is supposed to have happened in the Summer of 2005, more than 17 years ago. This woman was 18, and Imgrund would have been in his 20s. It’s unclear why this is coming to light now. Was it only just reported now, or did the College of Teachers know about it a long time ago?
Imgrund still has another complaint pending (see archive) before the College, and no hearing date has yet been set. That one alleges at least 5 victims, all minors, and claims of psychological and mental abuse. There is also an allegation of sexual abuse against 1 of them.
Now, if there is merit to these complaints, it’s unclear why the police weren’t immediately involved.
As with the previous complaint, these are still considered to be just allegations. Neither claim has yet been proven, and Imgrund denies the accusations.
Imgrund had been covered on this site before, primarily because of his role in facilitating mass panic.
Since March 2020, he listed his work history as “Biostatistician / Corporate Consultant” and doing this as a form of self employment. Apparently, he earned a living “discovering, analyzing and interpreting scientific, mathematical, economic and retail trends”. All of that said, he was most well know for making doomsday predictions around virus infections.
But something else about his biography never made sense. His LinkedIn page states he was working at PHAC, the Public Health Agency of Canada, from 2000 until 2009. (See archive). This doesn’t seem plausible, as he would have been a university junior at that time, and presumably very busy.
It also doesn’t add up since PHAC didn’t come into existence until 2004. It was done by Order in Council, and extensively outlined here. This is far more than simple resume padding.
In any event, Imgrund’s side gig as a television expert seems to have come to an end. He hasn’t appeared since news of the suspension broke earlier this year. We’ll have to see how events unfold.
Now, it’s uncertain how true the O.C.T. accusations are — as again, nothing has yet been proven. But Imgrund’s high profile media presence in the last few years has ensured a continued interest in his activities. Even the mainstream press has picked it up. A less prominent person wouldn’t have attracted the same attention.
OCT COMPLAINTS
(1) https://oct.ca/NOHStream.pdf?documentType=NOH&id=1102&lang=E
(2) Imgrund Discipline Second Hearing Notice
(3) https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/2022/09/13/former-york-region-teacher-in-misconduct-probe-says-he-had-zero-inappropriate-relationships.html
(4) https://oct.ca/NOHStream.pdf?documentType=NOH&id=1077&lang=E
(5) Imgrund Discipline First Hearing Notice
(6) https://oct.ca/members/complaints-and-discipline/disciplinary-hearing-details?RegistrationId=463065
(7) https://apps.oct.ca/FindATeacher/memberdetail?id=463065
IMGRUND AS AN EXPERT
(8) https://twitter.com/imgrund
(9) https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-imgrund-aa944b85/
(10) https://archive.ph/OkkFr
(11) https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/corporate/mandate/about-agency/history.html
(12) https://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2020/10/06/the-interview-ryan-imgrund-biostatistician-imgrund/
(13) https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/statistician-worried-back-to-school-plan-risky-1.5671012
(14) https://www.sickkids.ca/siteassets/about/about-sickkids/sickkids-annual-report-2019-2020.pdf
(15) Sick Kids Hospital Major Donors
(16) https://canucklaw.ca/cv-29-the-financial-ties-between-sick-kids-hospital-and-the-gates-foundation/
(17) https://www.newmarkettoday.ca/coronavirus-covid-19-local-news/how-a-newmarket-biostatistician-is-using-rt-to-track-the-impact-of-reopening-2515509 for them.
(18) https://southlake.ca/foundation/about/your-investment-in-southlake/
