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Business, News

Bob Mackin

The Canadian government’s system to warn of a pandemic was not working as the coronavirus spread from Wuhan in late 2019 and it failed to improve information technology after 2003’s SARS epidemic and 2009’s H1N1 pandemic.

(Office of the Auditor General Canada)

Those are some of the conclusions of the Auditor General of Canada’s March 25 report on pandemic preparedness, surveillance and border control measures. The report was highly critical of the Public Health Agency of Canada’s planning and response to the nation’s biggest public health crisis in more than a century.

“Given that it is impossible to predict when a pandemic may occur or how severe the impact on Canadians will be, the Public Health Agency of Canada must be ready to respond to a pandemic at any time,” said the report.

The report found PHAC took some steps to develop plans and national guidance after H1N1, but, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency did not update all of the plans or complete a test exercise with provincial and territorial governments. A test exercise had been scheduled for 2020.

“A national advisory committee on severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and public health officials found that during the 2003 SARS epidemic, an inappropriate information technology infrastructure had a negative impact on information flow and on the management of the outbreak,” the report said. “The Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology also mentioned the importance of information technology infrastructure in its review after the 2009 H1N1 pandemic.”

There were data-sharing agreement gaps between PHAC and partners, even after a 208 audit report on infectious disease surveillance. The 1997-established Global Public Health Intelligence Network (GPHIN) was supposed to offer alerts and risk assessments. Instead, it offered only links to news articles for its 450 domestic and 520 international subscribers.

“We found that no alert from the GPHIN was issued to provide early warning of the virus. According to the agency’s criteria, an alert is to be issued for an unusual event that has the potential for serious impact or spread. However, no alert was issued when news of an unknown pneumonia was first reported, when the virus had spread outside of China, or when domestic cases were first suspected and confirmed.”

Dr. Theresa Tam (Government of Canada)

PHAC officials confirmed that other international sources had already shared news of the virus by the end of December 2019, but the auditor general noted that GPHIN issued an alert in May 2019 about an Ebola-like illness in Uganda, and an alert in August 2020,about a virus infection caused by tick bites in China.

The auditor found Canada Border Services Agency acted quickly to enforce emergency orders against foreign nationals entering the country, except those who were essential workers. But CBSA did not review whether officers were consistently applying exemptions for essential workers.

Enforcement of mandatory quarantine was limited during March 31-June 30, 2020. PHAC “did not always meet the targets it set to verify whether travellers subject to the mandatory 14-day quarantine upon entering Canada were following the quarantine orders.”

Because of limitations of public health information, the agency could not track new cases to see if they could be connected to travellers that ignored quarantine orders.

“Of the individuals considered to be at risk of non-compliance, the agency referred only 40% to law enforcement and did not know whether law enforcement actually contacted them. The agency had not contemplated or planned for mandatory quarantine on a nationwide scale and, as a result, had to increase capacity to verify compliance.”

The agency missed an opportunity to assess the effectiveness of quarantine measures in limiting the spread of the virus.

“From May 5 to June 30, we found that 60% of all travellers subject to mandatory quarantine received a follow-up call. We note that during this time, the agency increased the number of calls it made to travellers. Over the entire time period, only 58% of travellers showing possible symptoms of COVID-19 received a call, despite being a priority for follow-up.”

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Bob Mackin The Canadian government’s system to warn

Business, News

Bob Mackin

WorkSafeBC found driver error and mechanical problems to blame in the death of a Vancouver civic worker.

But it issued an administrative warning, rather than a fine.

(WorkSafeBC)

Worker Moreno Cerra, a 49-year-old who worked 17 years for City of Vancouver, died Sept. 28, 2019 on the Burnaby side of Boundary Road. He was with another worker when the 2002 Ford F-350 city truck towing a compressor trailer stalled before the crest of the hill on 2nd Avenue.

The driver, who was not named, had collided with a parked vehicle on one of the attempts to scale the hill, but failed to stop activity, preserve the collision scene and notify his supervisor immediately.

“Instead, the driver attempted to handle the situation prior to notifying his supervisor,” said the WorkSafeBC report, from June 2020. “Had the driver followed the procedures, the incident could not have occurred.”

The driver disconnected the trailer on a steep incline but did not secure it. The jack stand wheel moved away from the curb and rolled down hill uncontrolled.

“Without the resistance from the curb, the compressor was able to begin to roll down the hill with rapidly increasing speed and momentum. The driver became entangled with the compressor as It rolled down the hill.”

Video evidence and vehicle telematics indicated the wrong gears had been selected at numerous points throughout the incident.

Late City of Vancouver worker Moreno Cerra

WorkSafeBC found the city failed to ensure pre-use vehicle inspections. The brake pedal rubber foot pad was not installed, vinyl flooring on the driver’s side had buckled and the wrong kind of shifter knob had been installed.

Instead of the actual 6-speed shift pattern of the 2002 Ford F-350, the knob showed a typical 5-speed transmission shift pattern.

WorkSafeBC also found the city failed to address the driver’s documented history of “preventable metal on metal” collisions and poor driving assessments.

The driver had been involved in preventable incidents in November 2016 and 2017, March 2018 and February 2019. In a May 2018 assessment, the city deemed the driver not qualified. An assessor recommended further one-on-one training followed by a complete assessment.

“No records were provided by the City of Vancouver to demonstrate that the worker underwent additional training as recommended,” said the WorkSafeBC report.

The driver underwent another assessment in May 2019, after a late February 2019 incident, but WorkSafeBC found that the driver’s privileges should have been suspended.

“No records were found regarding a warning of suspension to the driver or of a suspension of driving privileges as per the City of Vancouver’s policy.”

Vancouver city hall at night (City of Vancouver)

A subsequent WorkSafeBC report from July 2020 found that City of Vancouver had complied with orders on inspection of manual transmission trucks, created a new training and tracking database and improved its safe driving policy.

Two weeks earlier, CUPE 1004 president Andrew Ledger said in a memo to members that “it was with great shock and sorrow that our union has learned WorkSafeBC determined the City of Vancouver ‘failed to take all reasonable measures to ensure the health and safety of its workers’.”

“As this tragedy has exposed systematic problems, CUPE 1004 will persist in demanding changes through labour management and occupational health and safety reps to continually improve oversight over city operations so that all employees are protected.”

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Bob Mackin WorkSafeBC found driver error and mechanical

Business, News

Bob Mackin

A luxury car dealership could be yours for the price of… a luxury car.

The business at the empty showroom at 1913-1915 Burrard Street in Vancouver is listed at $298,000 by Magsen real estate agent Jeffrey Lim.

Empty showroom at the New Way of Luxury auto dealership (Mackin)

“Location! location! location! Come and grab this auto dealership business which already set-up and ready to go. Easy to apply your D-plate. The interior is approx. 2,888 square feet and can fit approx. 6-7 cars,” the listing states. “Rare opportunity for the right entrepreneur. It will be gone soon before you even know it. Lots of luxury sport cars business and high end luxury cars nearby, which include Ferrari, Rolls Royce, MCL Motor and etc. It’s hard to find auto business in the area.”

The listing comes a month after the lawyer for landlord Toyo Burrard Developments posted legal notices of lease termination on the door of R.X. Luxury International, which was doing business as the New Way of Luxury or Luxury Motor. The notices claimed tenant R.X. Luxury and four guarantors failed to pay rent at 1913, 1923 and 1933 Burrard.

Named in the documents from Chen and Leung Barristers and Solicitors were Yi Shi, Pei Juan Xu, Yuan Shao and Xoap Ping Zhang.

What the New Way of Luxury looked like when it was open (Magsen Realty)

A hand-printed, undated note posted to the inside of the window read: “Due to COVID-19 safety measures with this situation, we closed. We will make announcement once things get back to normal. Stay safe.” 

R.X. Luxury was incorporated in February 2014 by Yi Shi, then of North Vancouver. The showroom, also known as Luxury Motor, featured an eclectic rotation of shiny Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Porsches, Bentleys and other six-figure vehicles. Sometimes it was empty. Often there was nobody there and the doors locked during business hours.

When it was operating, the dealership had accepted transactions via the Chinese payment platforms UnionPay, Ali Pay and WeChat Pay.

In 2019, Yi, who also uses the English first name Robin, was licensed by the Motor Vehicle Sales Authority along with Michael Shiu Ming Ho at the dealership.

The current registration lists only Yiyang Zhang, whose licence expires April 6. The dealership’s licence expires June 11.

Nobody answered the listed number when theBreaker.news called.

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Bob Mackin A luxury car dealership could be

Business, News

Bob Mackin

You could buy 5,378 Diplomat cakes from Bon Ton for $199,000.

The Notte’s Bon Ton signature Diplomat cake. (Bon Ton)

Or you could buy Notte’s Bon Ton Pastry and Confectionery and make your own.

The West Broadway institution, which was formerly located next to the Commodore Ballroom, remains on the market. It was offered last fall for $249,000.

“A Vancouver landmark since 1926,” declares the sales notice.

“This artisan bakeshop specializing in hand-made, custom wedding cakes, sculpted, special occasion cakes and more-and all products are baked using only the best quality ingredients available and we make them exactly the same way since the early 1900s.”

The shop is 3,895 square feet and reports $600,000 annual sales revenue with approximately $100,000 net income a year.

“Sales stable even in this cov19 season. All employees would like to stay. Motivated seller has personal personal reasons to sell this great business to the right owner/operator family.”

Famous Vancouver cake shop for sale (Bon Ton)

Meanwhile, the Kitsilano building anchored by Whole Foods is for sale.

Colliers is marketing the West Fourth Building for $36.38 million.

The strata general commercial complex at 2285 W. 4th, assessed last year at $17.45 million, last changed hands to Chip Wilson’s Low Tide Properties in 2018 for $20.89 million.

For sale separately is 2209 W. 4th, for $6.229 million. It was assessed at $2.34 million last year.

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Bob Mackin You could buy 5,378 Diplomat

Business, News, Opinion

For the week of March 21, 2021:

On this week’s edition of theBreaker.news Podcast:

Louis Huang protested outside Meng Wanzhou’s March 6 court date (Mackin)

Hear China experts Peter Dahlin of Safeguard Defenders and former Government of Canada official Margaret McCuaig-Johnston weigh-in on a police report in the Meng Wanzhou extradition court file. After Meng was arrested in 2018, and before Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor were arrested, police in Vancouver investigated ominous online death threats.

Neither the government nor the RCMP will comment. 

Late politician Ian Waddell (Nightwood)

Also, hear former B.C. NDP Premier Glen Clark on the legacy of the late Ian Waddell. The retired MP and MLA was appointed tourism minister by Clark in 1998. Waddell was instrumental in the development of B.C.’s film and TV industry and in the successful campaign for the Canadian bid rights for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

Plus, headlines from the Pacific Rim and the Pacific Northwest.

CLICK BELOW to listen or go to TuneIn or Apple Podcasts.

Now on Spotify!

Have you missed an edition of theBreaker.news Podcast? Go to the archive.

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For the week of March 21, 2021:

Business, News

Bob Mackin

The B.C. NDP government’s pandemic ban on indoor church services is constitutional, but the ban on outdoor protests is not.

That is what B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson ruled March 18.

B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson (B.C. Courts)

“Containing the spread of the [coronavirus] and the protection of public health is a legitimate objective that can support limits on Charter rights,” Hinkson wrote. “An outbreak of a communicable disease is an example of a crisis in which the state is obliged to take measures that affect the autonomy of individuals and of communities within civil society.”

Riverside Calvary Chapel of Langley, Immanuel Covenant Reformed Church of Abbotsford and Free Reformed Church of Chilliwack challenged Dr. Bonnie Henry’s events and gatherings ban on the grounds that she was trampling on their constitutional right to gather peacefully and worship. The churches had received a combined 11 violation tickets worth almost $300,000.

The churches’ lawyer Paul Jaffe wondered why the public is free to shop in big box stores and drink beer while watching big-screen sports in pubs, activities not protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

“The fact that some religious activities are restricted and some secular activities are not is not necessarily evidence of arbitrariness,” Hinkson wrote. “There needs to be a comparison of comparables and a demonstration that there is no rational basis for the distinction. That is not present here.”

Hinkson found that bans on gatherings and events apply broadly, regardless of religious affiliation or no affiliation, and that Henry did not outright ban religious gatherings.

Adrian Dix (right) and Dr. Bonnie Henry (BC Gov)

B.C.’s temporary state of emergency public health laws allow drive-in services of up to 50 vehicles, personal prayer or reflection, and baptisms, weddings and funerals with up to 10 people in attendance. Henry also recently allowed the churches involved in the case to hold outdoor services in small groups and is promising further relaxations province-wide in time for Easter and Passover.

Evidence submitted in the case showed seven coronavirus outbreaks related to places of worship in the Fraser Health region as of Jan. 15, 2021, infecting 59 people. Vancouver Coastal Health submitted 61 cases related to outbreaks at 25 places of worship from Sept. 15, 2020 to Jan. 15, 2021. There was one death associated to a November 2020 outbreak that infected 28 people.

Hinkson found Henry considered the impacts of her ban and consulted with the inter-faith community. Her orders are attempts to protect the vulnerable and maintain the integrity of the healthcare system.

“Her decision was made in the face of significant uncertainty and required highly specialized medical and scientific expertise,” Hinkson said. “Although the impacts of the gatherings and events orders on the religious petitioners’ rights are significant, the benefits to the objectives of the orders are even more so. In my view, the orders represent a reasonable and proportionate balance.”

Meanwhile, Alain Beaudoin of Dawson Creek had a partial victory, when Hinkson ruled that his rights were infringed. Beaudoin organized Kelowna protests against Henry’s orders over three days in December 2020 and was fined $2,300 by the RCMP.

After he filed the challenge, Henry amended her order Feb. 10, to allow outdoor protests, with the expectation that organizers will follow public health guidelines.

Hinkson found that Beaudoin’s free speech and assembly rights were infringed, but he did not throw out the ticket because it has not been adjudicated.

The constitutional challenge was backed by Alberta’s Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which hired Jaffe.

On Feb. 17, Hinkson denied Henry’s bid for an injunction that would have allowed RCMP officers to arrest pastors and parishioners at the three churches. Hinkson cited the B.C. government’s failure to prosecute anti-pipeline protesters in early 2020, despite clear evidence they blocked port entrances in defiance of a court order.

Said Hinkson in the Feb. 17 verdict: “If it were granted and not adhered to, would the administration of justice yet again be brought into disrepute because the B.C. Prosecution Service considers that it would not be in the public interest to prosecute those who refused to adhere to the orders sought from this Court?”

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Bob Mackin The B.C. NDP government’s pandemic ban

Business, News

Bob Mackin (updated March 20)

ICBC spoiled St. Patrick’s Day for millions of British Columbians waiting to put some green back in their pockets.

That is when the basic insurance monopoly revealed that its pandemic rebate cheques are delayed because the printing and mailing contractor suffered a cyberattack.

theBreaker.news asked ICBC for the name of the contractor, but it did not provide that information on March 18.

Gilmore Docu-Link was hired for a $500,000 ICBC job.

Likewise, Solicitor General Mike Farnworth did not tell reporters the name of the company, although he said it was based in Kanata, Ont.

Since then, theBreaker.news has confirmed that ICBC awarded a $500,000 printing and mailing services contract on Nov. 5, 2020 to Docu-Link International dba Gilmore Doculink in suburban Ottawa.

The request for proposals said ICBC needed a supplier to print and mail the one-time Enhanced Care cheques and letters to 2.9 million customers. That means the pandemic rebates will be tied to the ongoing $3.3 million ad campaign promoting ICBC’s switch to no-fault insurance.

Mike Farnworth announces $2,000 fines on April 19 (BC Gov)

Gilmore’s website says it is based on a 463,000 square foot campus that includes a software development and IT infrastructure support company.

On March 19, at 7:51 p.m. Pacific time, parent company R.E. Gilmore Investments finally responded by way of a statement on the Canada Newswire service, admitting it had suffered a ransomware attack on March 12 — five days before ICBC’s vague news release.

Gilmore says it turned off its services, retained a cyber incident response firm and reported to authorities, including the federal Canadian Centre for Cyber Security. Gilmore says the majority of its services “came online early this week” and its contractor said its network is free of malware.

“Interactions with the threat actors earlier in the week gave us strong indications that they do not have any data in their possession,” the statement says. “While encouraged, Gilmore will nonetheless have its expert conduct a thorough investigation including, to determine how the hackers compromised its network.”

theBreaker.news confirmed that ICBC was notified by Gilmore about the incident on March 13.

The NDP government has not explained why it hired an out-of-province company or why it is not relying on direct deposit. The government has its own in-house mail production company, BC Mail Plus. ICBC’s list of suppliers for the year that ended March 31, 2020 showed $2,375,969 spent with BC Mail Plus.

Sending paper cheques, covering letters and envelopes by Canada Post seems to contravene the ideals of the NDP’s CleanBC climate change plan.

The cyberattack is the latest in a string of incidents bedevilling the befuddled NDP government.

ICBC supplier Craftsman Collision, LifeLabs, B.C. Pension Corporation, TransLink and even the B.C. Legislature have all suffered embarrassing privacy breaches in the last two years.

During the 2017 provincial election, John Horgan’s NDP made a promise that it has not fulfilled to enact mandatory privacy breach notification.

“We agree that mandatory breach notification would benefit the public by enhancing accountability and transparency, and helping to mitigate the serious fallouts of privacy breaches and as government we will take action,” the party told the B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association. “We will consider best practices both across Canada and internationally for breach notifications in both the public and private sectors to determine a made-in-B.C. policy.”

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Bob Mackin (updated March 20) ICBC spoiled St.

Business, News

Bob Mackin

United States authorities revealed March 12 they issued warrants to arrest two Vancouver men on charges they enabled the import, export and distribution of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine in Australia, Asia, Europe and North America.

But, as of the evening of March 14, one of the men claimed he only knew what had been reported in the media.

Jean-François Eap (Facebook)

Sky Global Inc. CEO Jean-François Eap claimed in a prepared statement that he is being vilified and that his company, which sells encrypted smartphones and network subscriptions, works “for the good of all.”

“I do not condone illegal activity in any way, shape or form, and nor does our company,” said Eap in a statement. “We stand for protection of privacy and freedom of speech in an era when these rights are under increasing attack. We do not condone illegal or unethical behaviour by our partners or customers. To brand anyone who values privacy and freedom of speech as a criminal is an outrage. In the coming days, my efforts will be focused on clearing my name of these allegations.”

Eap and alleged Sky Global distributor Thomas Herdman were charged in San Diego with racketeering conspiracy and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. U.S. authorities say warrants have been issued for their arrest, alleging Sky Global products and services have been used in transnational organized crime by drug traffickers and money launderers.

If convicted, Eap and Herdman could face a maximum penalty of life in prison. On the morning of March 15, the SkyGlobal.com website was seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 

“There are at least 70,000 Sky Global devices in use worldwide, including the United States,” said the indictment. “For more than a decade, Sky Global has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in profit by facilitating the criminal activity of transnational criminal organizations and protecting these organizations from law enforcement,” said the indictment.

U.S. authorities claim Vancouver-based Sky Global sells goods and services to transnational drug criminals. (Sky ECC)

“To stay outside the reach of law enforcement of the United States, Sky Global maintained its servers in Canada and France, and used proxy servers to further disguise the physical locations of its servers.”

Additionally, the U.S. alleges Sky Global front office staff have physical control of the enterprise’s network and can initiate new subscriptions, remove accounts, remotely delete (aka wipe) and reset devices.

The indictment said administrators, distributors, agents and clients remained anonymous to each other and did not request, track or record their clients’ real names and interacted only via username, email handles or nicknames. The indictment claims Eap used the alias 888888. The U.S. also claims Sky Global used digital currencies, including Bitcoin to facilitate transactions and created shell companies to hide proceeds from the sale of encryption services and devices.

Distributors and agents charged subscription fees of USD$1,000 to $2,000 per six months. The company allegedly operated under an “ask nothing/do nothing” approach to clients since shortly after the 2018 takedown of Phantom Secure, a Richmond company that sold encrypted mobile phones to organized criminals. Former RCMP national intelligence director Cameron Ortis was charged in 2019 with leaking sensitive information to Phantom Secure.

The indictment says this allowed Sky Global to have “plausible deniability from the activities of their clients that they knew or had reason to know participated in illegal activities, including international drug trafficking.”

Sky Global marketed encrypted iPhones.

The website for related company Sky ECC website advertises self-destructing messages, full-featured group chat, flash messages that disappear 30 seconds after reading and group broadcast messages. Users can also share images and notes and secure audio messages. Images, chats and notes could be protected in a “vault” and, in stealth mode, Sky ECC “becomes a fully functional calculator.”

In an August 2020 blog post, the company marketed its services to media companies.

“Sky ECC can help journalists protect their sources and their work, especially when working on high-profile public interest stories. In addition to protecting sources, Sky ECC lets journalists stay in touch with editors and can be used to securely send notes, images, and audio back to the newsroom.”

On March 8, Sky Global denied reports that Belgian and/or Dutch authorities cracked or hacked its encrypted software.

“With the global rise of corporate espionage, cybercrime and malicious data breaches, privacy and protection of information is the foundation of the effective functioning for many industries including legal, public health, vaccine supply chains, manufacturers, celebrities and many more.” Eap said in a statement on March 8.

Eap is also a principal in mobile phone retail and wholesale, through Richmond-based Rogers-authorized reseller Inspire Wireless and Fido-authorized reseller Pepper Wireless. Neither of those companies is named in the U.S. indictment.

“We are aware of the allegations and are in the process of gathering information,” Zac Carreiro, a media relations and public affairs specialist at Rogers, told theBreaker.news.

Thomas Herdman

Eap’s $5.575 million-assessed mansion in West Vancouver was under renovation when theBreaker.news visited March 15. Workers and neighbours said they have rarely seen Eap.

Co-accused Herdman bills himself as a Japanese-fluent consultant and advisor on new technology and energy projects.

For a 2018 Vancouver panel discussion on the tax implications for cryptocurrency, Herdman was identified as “the international distributor for Sky Global Communications’ military-grade encrypted messaging.” At the time, he was adding a “secure crypto vault and payment remittance system” to Sky messaging. 

Eap launched a new hand-roll sushi restaurant on Robson Street called Hello Nori earlier this year. Sky Global’s other product is a digital wallet app for gift cards called Moola.

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Bob Mackin United States authorities revealed March 12

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Bob Mackin

Did the Canadian government miss a timely chance to warn all Canadians in China — including the Two Michaels — about a threat to their safety?

That question is sparked by a key line in an RCMP officer’s notes found among the thousands of pages filed in the British Columbia Supreme Court extradition case of Meng Wanzhou.

Louis Huang protested outside Meng Wanzhou’s March 6 court date (Mackin)

The Huawei chief financial officer, who is wanted on fraud charges in New York, was arrested Dec. 1, 2018 at Vancouver International Airport. Meng’s detention did not become public until Dec. 5, 2018.

A day later, on Dec. 6, 2018, Const. Christine Larsen, of the RCMP’s E Division Foreign and Domestic Liaison Unit, wrote that she spoke to the Department of Justice, after it wanted more information about a Vancouver Police Department file.

“Complainant reported online threats that if Meng was not released, two Canadians would die,” Larsen wrote.

Larsen’s notes do not mention the source of the threat or the platform where it was made. She forwarded a summary to S. Sgt. Ben Chang of the Federal Serious Organized Crime Group.

Chinese authorities arrested ex-diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor Dec. 10, 2018. The next day, a judge decided Meng would not go home to China, but instead live in one of her Vancouver houses under nightly curfew and electronic monitoring on $10 million bail.

On Jan. 3, 2019, a U.S. State Department travel advisory said “Exercise increased caution in China due to arbitrary enforcement of local laws as well as special restrictions on dual U.S.-Chinese nationals.”

It took another 11 days, until Jan. 14, 2019, for Canada to do the same.

What, if anything, did Canadian authorities do about the online threats?

They refuse to say.

“Department of Justice Canada counsel obtained and provided these materials to Ms. Meng as part of their disclosure obligations,” said spokesman Ian McLeod. “The Department of Justice Canada is not responsible for criminal investigations or prosecutions. Any questions concerning a Vancouver Police Department or RCMP investigation should be made directly to the VPD or RCMP.”

VPD referred theBreaker.news to RCMP E Division.

“As your questions pertain to a document that is part of the disclosure related to an ongoing court matter, we respectfully decline to provide further comment at this time,” said Sgt. Kris Clark of the RCMP’s Federal Serious and Organized Crime agency.

Likewise, Christelle Chartrand of Global Affairs Canada said the Government of Canada “will not be commenting on issues before the court.”

Human rights activist: “more to it than just some online prank”

A Swedish human rights activist who was held in a secret Chinese jail five years ago said the Canadian government’s silence speaks volumes.

“There’s a lot of threats all the time, from Chinese netizens, from the-so called Wumao army [state-paid social media commenters], etcetera, so the fact that some type of death threat would be made, that in itself is not that special,” Peter Dahlin of Safeguard Defenders told theBreaker.news.

Swedish human rights activist Peter Dahlin in a 2016 forced, false confession (CCTV)

“The fact they are not denying it or saying that they ruled it out, that, of course, makes it a lot more interesting for sure.”

Dahlin ran China Action, a non-governmental organization that advocated for lawyers and journalists, when he was arrested in early 2016 on trumped-up charges of endangering national security. His release came after 23 days when he was forced to make a false confession on state TV.

“Obviously one cannot know for sure, but the refusal to deny [the threats] indicates there is something more to it than just some online prank. Because, if they had dismissed it, they would most likely just say so out loud.”

Dahlin was intrigued by the threat specifying two Canadians.

Not only were the Two Michaels, Kovrig and Spavor, kidnapped and subject to torture, but two other Canadians were sentenced to death for drug trafficking crimes in the wake of Meng’s arrest.

Robert Schellenberg’s 15-year sentence in November 2018 was upgraded to death in mid-January 2019 and Fan Wei was sentenced to death in April 2019.

Former federal deputy minister Margaret McCuaig-Johnston was in China in early December 2018 on a business trip. The retaliatory arrests of Kovrig and Spavor reminded her of a 2014 tit-for-tat case. After B.C.-based spy Su Bin’s arrest for stealing U.S. military secrets, Chinese authorities nabbed Kevin and Julia Garratt at their restaurant near the North Korea border and accused them of spying. They were deported two years later.

Margaret McCuaig-Johnston (Mackin)

McCuaig-Johnston was a member of the Canada-China Joint Committee on Science and Technology for seven years and is now senior fellow with the University of Ottawa and University of Alberta. She hopes answers come in court about Larsen’s report.

“I think it’s interesting that there were threats, we’d want to know where they came from in the first instance and who they were made to,” McCuaig-Johnston said. “Was it somebody who the person thought might be in a position to change the status of her arrest?”

While two Canadians did not die by China’s hand, McCuaig-Johnston did acknowledge that Kovrig and Spavor’s lives “have been taken away from them for more than two years.”

Kovrig and Spavor were charged in June 2020 for alleged spying. Chinese state media reported last week they would be tried “soon.”

“I was a friend of China for 40 years. I will never be a friend of China again,” she said. “I am just outraged this would happen to two innocent Canadians.”

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Bob Mackin Did the Canadian government miss a

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