COVID-19
ArriveCAN execs got $340,000 in bonuses
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From the Canadian Taxpayers Federation
Author: Ryan Thorpe
“It doesn’t matter how good any of my other work is, if I blew a project so badly that it cost my company $54 million and became a national scandal, there’s no way I’d be getting a bonus”
Federal health executives responsible for the ArriveCAN app received $340,000 in bonuses, according to government records obtained by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
“The government executives involved with ArriveCAN should be getting pink slips, not bonuses,” said Franco Terrazzano, CTF Federal Director. “This is the ultimate example of failing government executives being rewarded with taxpayer-funded bonuses.”
Between March 2020 and September 2022, eight executives from the Public Health Agency of Canada were assigned to the ArriveCAN project in various capacities, according to the records.
Five of the eight executives received an “at-risk” bonus for 2020-21, while four of the eight received a “performance” bonus. Six of the eight executives received an “at-risk” bonus for 2021-22, while two received a “performance” bonus.
All told, the PHAC executives working on the ArriveCAN app received a combined $342,929 in bonuses for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 fiscal years.
The records obtained by the CTF were released in response to an order paper question from Member of Parliament Jeremy Patzer (Cypress Hills-Grasslands).
“It is not possible to discern what part of the bonus … would have been attributed to [work on] the ArriveCAN application,” according to the records.
“It doesn’t matter how good any of my other work is, if I blew a project so badly that it cost my company $54 million and became a national scandal, there’s no way I’d be getting a bonus,” Terrazzano said.
The Canada Border Services Agency also had employees assigned to the ArriveCAN program but did not release details on how much in bonuses, if any, were paid out to its executives on the file.
In October 2023, the CTF testified before a parliamentary committee investigating the ArriveCAN scandal.
“Taxpayers are out of $54 million because of the ArriveCAN app,” Terrazzano told the committee. “Which bureaucrat is out of a job? Which bureaucrat is even out of a bonus?”
The ArriveCAN app launched in April 2020 with a price tag of $80,000.
By October 2022, the cost of the ArriveCAN app had spiralled to $54 million.
In November 2022, independent tech experts recreated the ArriveCAN app over a single weekend, with some saying the app’s development should have cost around $250,000.
Significant sub-contracting irregularities related to ArriveCAN have also been identified, including a two-person staffing firm in the Ottawa region receiving up to $2.7 million in commissions despite doing no IT work on the project.
A report into ArriveCAN from Canada’s Auditor General is due Feb. 12, 2024.
COVID-19
Freedom Convoy’s Tamara Lich shares heartfelt letter from children: ‘God will be by your side’
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From LifeSiteNews
Ahead of the announcement of the verdict from her trial in Canada, the Freedom Convoy co-leader posted on X the ‘beautiful letter’ from a 4-year-old and 8-year-old.
With a few weeks until a verdict is released, Freedom Convoy leader Tamara Lich shared a heartwarming letter she received from a child, who told her to “keep fighting” for everyone and that “God will protect” her from the “enemy.”
Lich shared an image of the letter Thursday on X, writing, “Feels like a good day to share this beautiful letter I received from some very wise children.”
The letter, which was handwritten and sent to Lich by 4-year-old Zavier and 8-year-old Alanis, has the title “God loves You.”
“Thank you for fighting for everyones FREEDOM. God will be by your side and God will protect you from the enemy,” the letter reads.
“With God everything is possible. Stay strong we are praying for you every step of the journey.”
Lich was arrested on February 17, 2022, in Ottawa. Co-leader Chris Barber was arrested the same day.
Lich and Barber’s trial concluded in September 2024, more than a year after it began. It was originally scheduled to last 16 days.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, Lich and Barber’s verdict will be announced on March 12.
They both face a possible 10-year prison sentence. LifeSiteNews reported extensively on their trial.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, Lich recently spelled out how much the Canadian government has spent prosecuting her and Barber for their role in the protests. She said at least $5 million in “taxpayer dollars” has been spent thus far, with her and Barber’s legal costs being above $750,000.
In early 2022, the Freedom Convoy saw thousands of Canadians from coast to coast come to Ottawa to demand an end to COVID mandates in all forms. Despite the peaceful nature of the protest, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government enacted the never-before-used Emergencies Act (EA) on February 14, 2022.
During the clear-out of protesters after the EA was put in place, one protester, an elderly lady, was trampled by a police horse and one conservative female reporter was beaten by police and shot with a tear gas canister.
Trudeau revoked the EA on February 23.
The EA controversially allowed the government to freeze the bank accounts of protesters, conscript tow truck drivers, and arrest people for participating in assemblies the government deemed illegal.
COVID-19
Red Deer Freedom Convoy protestor Pat King given 3 months of house arrest
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From LifeSiteNews
Ontario Superior Court Justice Charles Hackland ruled that Pat King must serve three months of house arrest and dedicate 100 hours to community service for his participation in the 2022 Freedom Convoy
Freedom Convoy participant Pat King has been given a 3-month conditional sentence for his role in the 2022 Freedom Convoy protest against COVID mandates.
On February 19, Ontario Superior Court Justice Charles Hackland ruled that King must serve three additional months of house arrest and dedicate 100 hours to community service for his role in the Freedom Convoy. King’s sentence would have been 12 months, but the court gave him credit for time served prior to his trial.
“In the court’s opinion, there is a social harm to unduly elevating the sentencing rules of denunciation and deterrence in the context of political protests to result in punitive sentences at the top of the sentencing range,” Hackland wrote, explaining why he did not opt to sentence King to a whopping 10-year prison sentence, as the Crown prosecutors had advocated for.
“The risk is that an overly severe sentence of imprisonment in the context of legitimate, constitutionally protected activity can have the effect of creating a chill or fear of participation in political expression,” he continued.
In November, King was found guilty of two counts of disobeying a court order, one count of mischief, one count of counselling others to commit mischief, as well as one count of counselling others to obstruct police.
King’s charges are in relation to his role in the 2022 Freedom Convoy which featured thousands of Canadians camping out in downtown Ottawa to call for an end to the COVID regulations and vaccine mandates in place at the time.
Despite the peaceful nature of the protest, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government enacted the Emergencies Act on February 14, 2022, to put an end to the popular convoy. Trudeau revoked the EA on February 23, but only after using the powers granted by the legislation to freeze the bank accounts of protesters, conscript tow truck drivers, and arrest people for participating in the assembly.
The two main Freedom Convoy leaders, Tamara Lich and Chris Barber, are still awaiting their verdicts for their involvement in the 2022 protests. Like King, if convicted, they face a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
While some of the most notable people involved in the protest, like Lich and Barber, face a slew of charges that come with potentially harsh sentences, other protesters charged for participating have seen their charges dropped.
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