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Bob Mackin

The challenge: how to illustrate the danger of ignoring public health orders in the face of the fast-spreading coronavirus pandemic.

Field epidemiologist Laurence Campeau (LinkedIn)

That is what Fraser Health Authority set out to tackle in November, as Surrey became British Columbia’s epicentre of infection.

Under the freedom of information law, theBreaker.news sought the anonymized contact tracing reports from Fraser Health, to verify the claims made in the infographics.

Records disclosed show that there was inexact science behind the spin.

Laurence Campeau, a field epidemiologist with the Public Health Agency of Canada since September 2020, provided the contact tracing background to the communications department. Though, not all the numbers are visible in the heavily censored email that was provided to theBreaker.news. (Scroll down to see the email.)

(Fraser Health)

For the wedding infographic, part of the celebration was hosted at a household. A person “still attended the wedding… despite having developed symptoms. Note that the exposure source for this case is unknown.”

“Something to note is that according to case interviews, social distancing was maintained at the (censored),” Campeau wrote. “Everyone was masked at all times and maintained physical distancing, the tables were separated by 2 m and seated maximum 4 people each. The event was catered but food was served by caterers only. A shared bathroom was used by all, but good cleaning procedures were in place. Case’s (censored) reports that (censored) called Services Canada and obtained all COVID guidelines before hosting this event(s) to ensure all safety measures were in place.”

Another infographic featured a fitness studio scenario.

“Client who goes to (censored) fitness on a daily basis starts showing symptoms.”

The notes mention “4 classes on (censored) and 4 more on (censored).”

The studio was closed to prevent further transmission.

There were 67 primary and 37 secondary cases. What the infographic does not show is 129 household contacts identified for both primary and secondary cases. “This could include duplicate if someone was mentioned by two different people,” Campeau wrote.

The infographic mentions a “games night” from which seven people tested positive. “No physical distancing or masks,” Campeau wrote.

The infographic mentions four people tested positive at a correctional facility. Campeau wrote that one of the primary cases from the fitness studio worked “there,” meaning the correctional facility.

(Fraser Health)

“Exact number unknown; I know (censored) mentioned 90 but I will try to confirm this.” (The infographic used the number 80 to refer to the total at the correctional facility.)

Campeau’s email referred to exposure at “various schools.” The infographic said there were “six school exposures.”

“Confirmed cases worked in many, many different places; I haven’t been able to look into each one to see which led to potential exposures event.”

On Dec. 4, Fraser Health became the first regional health authority to offer a do it yourself contact tracing form on its website.

As of Dec. 17, the B.C. government had hired 1,235 contact tracers (including 579 in Fraser Health), more than double the number in the summer. B.C. also seconded staff from Statistics Canada and the Red Cross to work at the hub in the Vancouver Convention Centre.

However, there were numerous reports of contact tracers hitting dead ends, due to unreturned phone calls, hang-ups and evasive persons exposed to the virus. Contact tracing relies on the honesty, accuracy and memory of where a person was, when and with whom. 

The B.C. government opted-out of the federal government’s COVID Alert exposure notification app. B.C. officials have never fully explained why, but indicated they were considering adopting Alberta’s version.

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Fraser Health Contact Tracing FOI by Bob Mackin on Scribd

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Bob Mackin The challenge: how to illustrate

Business, Miscellany, News, Opinion

Bob Mackin

Dr. Bonnie Henry was appearing solo on the first Saturday of May 2020 when a reporter brought several errors in the daily pandemic report to her attention.

“We have many hospitals and many health authorities, it is actually not as simple as you’d think,” Henry said.

In November, a week-long system error forced a flurry of corrections to the mounting case counts for Fraser Health.

The provincial health officer chalked it up to “the travails of our IT systems.”

“It is something that happens,” Henry said, with a shrug.

Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix are in their second year of delivering live updates with select statistics on the health emergency in B.C., so it should be old hat by now. But a journalism professor in Calgary is not ready to sound the alarm.

Dr. Bonnie Henry shrugs after admitting a major Fraser Health data error in November (CPAC)

“I don’t have any reason right now to question the explanations that Bonnie Henry is providing,”  said Mount Royal University’s Sean Holman. ‘Given the stress of the situation, and all of the various complexities associated with managing the pandemic, her explanations sound relatively reasonable at the present moment.”

However, that is not to say improvements aren’t needed now.

“It is also an example of why giving people the power to see for themselves, the raw data, could be very helpful during a time of crisis, and during this particular crisis,” Holman.

SCROLL DOWN AND WATCH VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

But British Columbia has stubbornly refused to share certain data about the pandemic via the freedom of information system.

The Ministry of Health wants theBreaker.news to pay $270 for the error and correction logs during the first wave of the pandemic. The B.C. Centre for Disease Control refused altogether to disclose the anonymized chain of custody data of the first 617 positive tests for coronavirus as of late March 2020. BCCDC claimed it would take 32 hours and require the hiring of an external consultant.

Holman said people don’t just want “someone to preach from the pulpit, telling them what the number is.

“They want to be able to see that information for themselves, that is a desire that we all have and that desire heightens under situations of stress.”

On Feb. 1, Holman testified to the House of Commons government operations committee in his role with the Canadian COVID-19 Accountability Group, an ad hoc coalition of experts recommending urgent reforms to freedom of information and whistleblower laws.

Journalism professor Sean Holman (OGGO)

“I am deeply troubled by the scale of secrecy that we have seen from Canadian governments during the pandemic,” Holman told the committee. “That secrecy has meant the federal government has failed to provide the public and public officials with the data needed to track and account for billions of dollars in COVID-19 spending, including the cost and contract for COVID-19 vaccine.”

Holman said citizens need more and better information from governments and corporations, so they can better understand the world around them and to make better decisions to keep themselves safe.

“The costs of not providing this information are severe in the post-truth era,” Holman said. “If there’s an information gap there is now a substantial risk it will be filled with misinformation and disinformation. We can see that in anti-masking protests that have happened across this country and we can see it in the conspiracy theories those protests are based on.”

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Bob Mackin Dr. Bonnie Henry was appearing solo

Business, News

Bob Mackin

An independent B.C. utilities watchdog has accused the B.C. NDP government of “gaming the timing” of ICBC financial disclosures for political purposes.

In a Feb.4-published analysis, Richard McCandless raised the alarm about Premier John Horgan and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth announcing a $190 average pandemic rebate to policy holders on Feb. 2. The NDP finally released ICBC’s two-months overdue, second quarter financial report on Feb. 3.

From ICBC’s $3.3 million ad campaign by PSDDB (ICBC)

“The withholding of ICBC’s second quarter financial report is a regressive step in the continuing effort to make ICBC more accountable to its policyholders and to the public at large,” wrote McCandless, a former senior B.C. government bureaucrat. “While it may be acceptable for the government to justify a COVID-19 rebate as fulfilling a previous commitment, it should not be gaming the timing of such accountability documents to meet its political timetable.”

The report showed $394 million combined net income as of Sept. 30, 2020, up $83 million since June 30.

By McCandless’s calculation, ICBC could have $550 million to $600 million net income by year-end. But that may not be enough to justify the rebate.

“In this simple scenario returning $600 million to policyholders would result in no net income at year-end.

From ICBC’s $3.3 million ad campaign by PSDDB (ICBC)

The low capital reserve leaves ICBC in an unhealthy financial condition with an elevated risk of a taxpayer bailout if there is an adverse financial development, such as a drop in the equity markets,” McCandless wrote.

Though the NDP is touting an average $190 per policyholder, the actual rebate payments could be as high as $400 and as low as $25.

ICBC has been a major focus of the Horgan government in early 2021, as it seeks to change the channel from the glacially slow rollout of coronavirus vaccine.

The basic insurance monopoly’s transition to a no fault insurance system in May is the subject of the $3.3 million “enhanced care” ad campaign. The Jan. 25-launched campaign runs to May and is funded $2.8 million internally and $500,000 from central government.

“It’s important to let British Columbians know what these changes mean for them and where they can learn more,” said ICBC spokesman Brent Shearer.

ICBC hired the Palmer Stamnes DDB ad agency for creative services and Vizeum for media buying on the radio, TV and digital media campaign.

The firms were hired on five-year contracts, after a tendering process in February 2020, worth an estimated $11.5 million for Vizeum and $5.8 million for PSDDB.

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Bob Mackin An independent B.C. utilities watchdog has

Business, Miscellany, News

Bob Mackin

Seven current and former directors of the Vancouver Non-Partisan Association are suing Mayor Kennedy Stewart and City of Vancouver for defamation.

In a lawsuit filed Feb. 4 in B.C. Supreme Court, David Mawhinney, Christopher Wilson, David Pasin, Phyllis Tang, Angelo Isidorou, Federico Fuoco and Wes Mussio say Stewart’s Jan. 28-published statement on city hall letterhead was false, defamatory and for political gain.

Mayor Kennedy Stewart’s Jan. 28 statement (Twitter)

“NPA leaders have so far failed to stop hate spreading within their party,” said Stewart under the headline Statement from Mayor Stewart on extremism within Board of Non-Partisan Association. “These extreme individuals will choose who stands as candidates for the NPA in the next election, their election platform, and from whom they accept donations.”

The lawsuit alleges that Stewart, who is already campaigning for his 2022 re-election, “used his power and resources as the Mayor of the City of Vancouver to publish the highly defamatory press release against his main opponent, the NPA. The attack is false and partisan with the deliberate attempt to attack the character of each and all NPA board members for political gain.”

The lawsuit said Stewart’s suggestions of extremism within the NPA board and support for hate groups are knowingly false statements.

“There is no extremism in the NPA board or in the NPA itself,” said the statement of claim. “The suggestion of support for hate groups is a knowingly false statement for political gain and at no time is true in any way. No NPA board member or the NPA itself supports hate groups or belongs to a hate group.”

The statement of claim has not been tested in court and Stewart has not filed a reply.

The Stewart statement was sparked by a story in The Tyee based on a four-year-old photo of Isidorou wearing a MAGA hat and making a Donald Trump-inspired OK sign outside the opening of Vancouver’s Trump Tower. 

The hand signal has since been co-opted by white supremacists. Isidorou has denied any support for that ideology. He quit the NPA board last week to quell calls from the NPA elected caucus for an emergency annual general meeting.

In a Jan. 29 interview on CKNW radio, Isidorou, who writes for the Post Millennial website, threatened a defamation lawsuit against The Tyee to restore his character. “I’m not exactly Hitler’s wet dream, I’m Greek and part-Middle Eastern,” he said. “I’m not exactly bullish on my survival in what I’m being pushed to believe that I’m for.”

Isidorou said in 2017 he was an “immature 20-year-old being an idiot,” mimicking Trump.

The “NPA seven” lawsuit was filed by Mussio Goodman, the law firm owned by NPA director Mussio, the Nanaimo Clippers owner who has spent much of the winter living in South Florida.

Stewart won the 2018 mayoral election by just 957 votes over the NPA’s Ken Sim. The NPA elected five candidates to the 11 member council, the most of any party.

Coun. Rebecca Bligh left the caucus to sit as an independent in late  2019 after News1130 errantly reported that Ray Goldenchild, a new member of the NPA board, attended a meeting against the sexual orientation and gender identity school curriculum.

It was confirmed after Bligh quit that Goldenchild did not attend the meeting, and he expressed his support publicly for the SOGI program.

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Bob Mackin Seven current and former directors of

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Bob Mackin

When a WE Charity co-founder spoke at a downtown Vancouver casino in 2019, B.C. Lottery Corporation paid Craig Kielburger through an American corporation rather than his Toronto-headquartered charity.

WE’s Craig Kielburger promoting his book at the 2019 BCLC conference in a Vancouver casino (@BCLC)

theBreaker.news exclusively obtained the invoice after an appeal to the B.C. Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner.

Kielburger’s representative, The Lavin Agency, required BCLC pay more than $14,000 owing after the March 14, 2019 speech to Global Impact Fund Inc.

Global Impact Fund is a New York-registered corporation, part of the labyrinth of Kielburger businesses that drew national attention last summer. The other half of WE’s brother team, Marc Kielburger, is the CEO of Global Impact Fund, according to the State of New York registry. The company was founded in 2003, registered to an address in the Buffalo area and was known as WE Education Inc. from 2013-2017.

WE Charity did not respond for comment.

Craig Kielburger was a keynote speaker at BCLC’s New Horizons on Responsible Gambling conference at Parq Casino, a venue that had a partnership with WE and penny stock company Victory Square Technologies.

Parq’s involvement with WE was part of the casino’s public relations strategy to counter anti-casino activists who feared the $700 million gambling palace beside B.C. Place Stadium would become a magnet for crime and addiction. Craig Kielburger was an opening night guest in September 2017 of Paragon Gaming, the Las Vegas company behind the casino. BCLC and its partners in the B.C. casino industry are under intense scrutiny during the ongoing Cullen Commission public inquiry on money laundering, which has heard evidence of links to Chinese triads and the illicit drug trade.

Craig Kielburger spoke at the 2019 BCLC New Horizons conference (BCLC)

WE announced last September that it would wind-down its Canadian operations, but carry-on business in the U.S., after a summertime of scandal that saw sponsors flee.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and then-Finance Minister Bill Morneau sparked conflict of interest investigations for not recusing themselves from cabinet meetings about the $912 million youth job training program for which WE was hired. The no-bid contract was later cancelled. Canadaland reported that WE had paid Trudeau’s mother Margaret $250,000 and brother Alexandre $32,000 for speaking engagements and also reimbursed Margaret and Trudeau’s wife Sophie $200,000 for expenses.

Eby distances himself from WE

The Oct. 12, 2018 BCLC contract from Lavin, under the title “firm offer,” said Kielburger’s speaking fee was $15,000 plus taxes. BCLC was responsible for a flat $2,500 airfare fee, hotel accommodations for two, $350 for out of pocket expenses, home city ground transportation and ground transportation in Vancouver.

BCLC was also responsible for arranging a book signing and media interviews before and after the speech. Kielburger gave permission to BCLC to record and publish 10% of the speech upon his approval.

Lavin invoiced BCLC for the $8,058.75 deposit, including GST, on Oct. 18, 2018, and the balance in 2019.

B.C. NDP Attorney General David Eby, whose portfolio includes BCLC, distanced himself from the Kielburger speaking arrangement.

“As minister, I was not involved in operational matters at BCLC related to hosting conferences, including the decision to invite Craig Kielburger to this event or how he was paid,” Eby said.

Craig Kielburger (left) and Paragon Gaming’s Scott Menke at Parq Vancouver’s 2017 opening night (Facebook/Parq)

Craig Kielburger’s BCLC appearance came more than seven years after he and brother Marc appeared at the City of Surrey’s Regional Economic Conference on Oct. 20, 2011 for $22,400.

The Kielburgers were on the undercard of the Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel event that featured former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

The contract, obtained under freedom of information, was also with a company, WE Education Inc. Surrey was responsible for air and ground transportation, accommodation, meals and incidentals for three (the Kielburgers and an unnamed support person) for Oct. 19-20, 2011. After the event, WE Education Inc. invoiced Surrey for the $1,045.89 expenses.

A Toronto lawyer who specializes in non-profits, registered charities and philanthropy, told a House of Commons committee in late 2020 that “WE was just very much unlike any other group I’ve ever seen.”

“The biggest concern for the charity sector is that the WE Charity scandal will hurt the reputation of the sector, undercut donations and government funding,” Mark Blumberg said before the Select Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics on Dec. 11.

“The WE Charity scandal raised a number of very important questions about the regulation of registered charities. Either regulation of the charity sector will be enhanced or the reputation of the sector and public trust in the sector may decline.”

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Bob Mackin When a WE Charity co-founder spoke

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Bob Mackin

The B.C. NDP paid a private charter flight company $73,000 during last fall’s snap election campaign.

Elections BC expense filings, released Feb. 1, show Mondial Aviation Corp. of Victoria billed the party $73,374.36, including $19,336.03 on Sept. 18.

The Sept. 18 payment was three days before Premier John Horgan called the controversial snap election, which was a year before the NDP’s own fixed election date law required.

John Horgan promising B.C. will be net zero by 2050 (NDP/Flickr)

But party president Craig Keating did not explain where they flew and who they carried during the campaign.

The NDP spent a total $7.64 million en route to victory, but the coronavirus pandemic’s second wave began before the Oct. 24 election day. Dr. Bonnie Henry admitted last month that more could have been done in October to battle the virus.

Horgan’s campaign was centred mainly in the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island, areas where the NDP won 50 of its 57 seats. Horgan relied upon a motorcoach from Wilson’s Transport to get around Southwestern B.C., costing the party $56,747.30. Because of the pandemic, there was no media entourage.

Horgan’s only excursions outside the region were to Terrace on Sept. 25, Revelstoke Oct. 3 and Kamloops, Merritt, Penticton and Oliver on Oct. 16.

Premier John Horgan in Terrace (NDP/Flickr)

When theBreaker.news asked Keating for details about the charter flight spending, he said “I’m sorry I don’t have any answers for those questions.” Keating referred theBreaker.news back to the Elections BC disclosure forms which show payment dates, supplier names and dollar amounts.

theBreaker.news pointed out that the details of the purchases were not shown on the forms.

“I’m sorry about the character of the disclosures, but I don’t really have any answers for your questions,” Keating said.

During the 2017 election campaign, the NDP produced a TV ad about then-Premier Christy Clark’s costly use of private jets. This reporter broke a series of stories about the BC Liberal leader’s charter jet spending that cost taxpayers more than $600,000 during her first five years in office.

Since becoming premier in July 2017, Horgan’s flights have been few and far between, compared to Clark. He has mostly flown on commercial carriers.

NDP president Craig Keating (Langara College)

The NDP’s spending on commercial airlines paled in comparison to the charter cost, totalling just over $4,300 for the campaign: $1,737.99 on Helijet, $1,547.17 on Air Canada, $448 on Harbour Air, $426.43 on Westjet, and $166.92 on Pacific Coastal Airline.

The party’s Elections BC returns also show $7,157.66 paid to National Car Rental.

theBreaker.news wanted to know whether the NDP rented standard gas and diesel-fuelled vehicles or electric models. The party’s platform promised to make B.C. carbon neutral by 2050, in part by switching the province to electric vehicles.

NDP 2017 campaign ad skewered Christy Clark’s taxpayer-funded private jet trips (BC NDP)

When Keating repeated his previous answers, theBreaker.news asked whether he could find someone else in the party who knew. “I’m not sure if I could,” he replied.

The NDP also reported spending $143,684.13 on Hilton Hotels and $63,564.80 at the Pinnacle Hotel. The latter was the site of the platform reveal and election night events.

Since the NDP banned corporate and union donations in 2017, it has collected $5.36 million in taxpayer subsidies under a per-vote formula. Parties are also eligible for a 50% reimbursement for election expenses. NDP also issues tax receipts for individual donations, which are capped at $1,268.

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Bob Mackin The B.C. NDP paid a private

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Bob Mackin

Premier John Horgan’s decision to fight for votes instead of fight the virus last fall unleashed $15.4 million of spending by B.C.’s big three political parties.

John Horgan (Twitter)

Almost half that was by Horgan’s NDP, which reported to Elections BC that its campaign cost $7.64 million. The NDP finished with a party record 57 seats. The BC Liberals had their worst result since 1991 and spent $6.36 million while the BC Greens were third with $1.41 million, according to the spending returns released Feb. 1.

The campaigns were directly subsidized for the first time after the NDP government banned corporate and union donations in 2017. The BC Liberals and NDP got roughly $1.59 million each in 2020 allowance payments, under a per vote formula based on the results of the 2017 election.

The NDP outspent the BC Liberals by more than $600,000 in the ad war: $2.87 million vs. $2.26 million. The BC Greens spent $408,704.65 on advertising.

A lion’s share of the NDP spending was $1.78 million through Now Communications Group, the shop formed by members of Mike Harcourt’s campaign team in 1991.

Now billed taxpayers $970,063 for the 13 months ended April 30, 2020 for central government advertising contracts and $90,930 to the Legislature for work on NDP caucus ads.

(NDP)

Multicultural specialist Captus Advertising came second in the NDP spending spree, with $498,757. That is less than what the company billed taxpayers for central government contracts in 2019-2020 ($513,623).

Point Blank Creative billed government $195,931 in the last fiscal year and it billed the party $180,959.13 for the campaign. 

Other suppliers included event producer Project X Productions ($178,074.27),  printer Thunderbird Press Ltd. ($161,923.27) and Public Outreach Consultancy Inc. ($137,624.26).

The disclosure does not show how much the party paid B.C. media companies. That would be embedded in the payments to the ad agencies. But it did include $8,750 to Google, $6,644.06 fo Facebook and $1,093.81 for the Slack app, which includes private messaging functions.

The pattern of spending in the NDP disclosures suggests months of planning went into Horgan’s decision on Sept. 21. He claimed that he decided on the snap election two days earlier, but the NDP had already pinpointed the second last Saturday of October earlier in the summer.

For the BC Liberals, Mike Wilson’s In Language Advertising was the primary shop, which billed almost $1.04 million.

Almost 1,000 British Columbians have died from the coronavirus since Sept. 21, 2020. 

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Bob Mackin Premier John Horgan’s decision to fight

Business, News, Opinion, Sports

For the week of Jan. 31, 2021:

The Trudeau Liberal government’s Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy was a key measure to save jobs during the pandemic downturn.

PNE president Shelley Frost (Mackin)

More than $59 billion has been paid to employers of all sorts whose revenue fell 15% or more on a year-over-year basis.

Some of the recipients of B.C.’s $6.8 billion are Ferrari Maserati of Vancouver, Royal Vancouver Yacht Club and LeHomes Realty. Even Lions Gate Risk Management, Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou’s security contractor, got the CEWS.

theBreaker.news found recipients reluctant to disclose the subsidy received or jobs they saved. 

Vancouver International Airport Authority told theBreaker.news it received $15.7 million to cover payroll. Great Canadian Gaming and Wall Financial told shareholders they received millions.

But the Pacific National Exhibition is left out in the cold because it is owned by Vancouver city hall. The fair did its best in 2020 to cut its losses to $10.5 million amid the myriad of public health restrictions. The PNE’s president says if it can’t get CEWS, the East Vancouver fairgrounds could go silent in 2022. 

“We have 110 years of history and tradition and I’m not willing to, in any way, step back and jeopardize that by being too quiet,” Frost told theBreaker.news Podcast host Bob Mackin. “We need to be able to offset some of those losses by recouping the wage subsidy, that will make or break us staying in business.”

Listen to Frost make the case for the PNE.

Also, highlights from the Cullen Commission on money laundering in B.C.

Plus headlines from the Pacific Rim and 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 Jan. 31, 2021:

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Bob Mackin

A year after they announced British Columbia’s first coronavirus patient, Health Minister Adrian Dix and Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry appeared for a live TV interview on Jan. 28. 

Global BC anchor Chris Gailus asked Henry what she would have done differently.

China consul general Tong Xiaoling, left, and Premier John Horgan on Feb. 4, 2019 in Richmond (BC Gov)

“If I knew then what I know now, focusing on supporting China and taking measures globally to prevent this virus from spreading,” Henry said. 

A jaw-dropping statement, after the Chinese Communist Party’s initial response.

China had been slow to notify the World Health Organization about the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak and denied WHO officials immediate entry to investigate. The WHO famously Tweeted that the virus was not contagious for humans. China even sent police to crack down on doctors blowing the whistle about the SARS-like illness spreading in their city and beyond. Dr. Li Wenliang was one of them. He succumbed to the disease on Feb. 7, 2020.

What could British Columbia have done, if Henry could go back in time?

Documents obtained by theBreaker.news via Freedom of Information show Xi Jinping’s top west coast diplomat wanted millions of pieces of personal protective equipment. B.C.’s stockpiles were already depleted because of NDP government neglect. 

Consul-General Tong Xiaoling wrote Premier John Horgan on Jan. 27, 2020, about the “all out efforts to contain and control the epidemic.”

Tong Xiaoling’s letter to Premier John Horgan (BC Gov/FOI)

“Medical staffs from all over China are mobilized to Wuhan for the treatment of the patients and the front line medical staffs are in extremely urgent need of professional disposable (single use) protective equipment including, respirators of or above the level of N95 masks, isolation gowns, goggles and face shields,” Tong wrote.

“My office is instructed to liaise purchase of the above equipment. I would really appreciate if you could kindly refer my office to the relative provincial authorities and contact information.”

Tong included a wish list. She asked for 2,250,000 medical protective masks, 6,000,000 surgical masks, 1,500,000 disposable medical isolation suits and 270,000 medical isolation masks.

Horgan replied three days later on Jan. 30, 2020. “I wish to extend my sincere sympathy and support to the government and the citizens of the Republic of China affected by the virus.

“These circumstances require a coordinated approach from governments to support China in containing this outbreak. The Government of Canada is working with provinces and territories to effectively plan for domestic public health management requirements in this evolving situation, including assessing our domestic needs for protective equipment.”

A senior official from the B.C. government provided Tong’s office with names and contact information for PPE manufacturers.

China’s PPE wish list, sent to B.C.’s Premier (BC Gov/FOI)

“Further, representatives of the Canadian government will contact you if it is determined that protective equipment in excess of domestic requirements is identified,” Horgan wrote.

Just over a week later, on Feb. 7, 2020, Dr. Tedros Adhanon Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, warned that PPE demand was 100 times normal and prices 20 times higher because of the widespread non-medical use of PPE.

Allies of the Chinese Communist Party in Vancouver and Toronto were already buying as much bulk PPE as they could in order to fulfil CCP wishes.

The federal government went ahead anyway with a 16-tonne donation shipment to China that was quietly announced Feb. 9.

It would come back to haunt Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Hospitals across Canada ran out of PPE, frontline healthcare workers were infected and Trudeau sent cargo jets to China on costly emergency buying missions. 

Some of the same groups involved with the CCP’s United Front buying spree in Canada held photo ops two months later, donating hundreds of thousands of masks to hospitals in Vancouver. 

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Bob Mackin A year after they announced

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Bob Mackin

One of Vancouver’s top real estate developers is listed in the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy database after reporting almost $3.2 million in government assistance during 2020.

Shannon Wall Centre Kerrisdale (Rennie)

Wall Financial’s quarterly report, through Oct. 31, disclosed $2.8 million during the first nine months of the year, $392,000 after the quarter and it was waiting for an additional $360,000 to be approved.

The Trudeau Liberal government’s Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy was the country’s main pool of pandemic payroll relief. More than $59 billion has been paid out since last spring, including $6.8 billion in B.C. Eligible employers can receive up to $847-per employee, per-week if revenue fell 15% or more on a year-over-year basis.

In December, Canada Revenue Agency launched a database listing names (but not the dollar amounts received) of most of the 386,000 successful applicants, including Wall Financial.

Wall Financial told shareholders that revenue for the period plummeted from 2019’s $443 million to $83.57 million. It sold only two units at Shannon Wall Centre Kerrisdale through the end of October 2020, after closing 240 sales a year earlier. President Bruno Wall did not respond for comment. 

Other local real estate companies in the CEWS database include:

  • Angell, Hasman and Associates Realty Ltd. and Angell, Hasman and Associates (Malcolm Hasman) Realty Ltd.

    West Vancouver seaside mansion with a helipad (Malcolm Hasman)

  • CondominiumsOnly.com division of Rennie and Associates Realty Ltd.
  • Dracco Holdings Ltd. (Dracco Pacific Realty)
  • Pan Pacific Platinum Real Estate Services Inc. (LeHomes Realty)
  • 1135233 B.C. Ltd. (LeHomes Realty Premier)
  • Nu Stream Realty Inc.
  • Oakwyn Realty Ltd.
  • Team 3000 Realty Inc.

None of the above responded to theBreaker.news, which wanted to know how many jobs each company saved and the dollar figures for the subsidies they received.

Despite the economy hitting a sudden wall in the springtime, the region’s real estate industry rebounded in spectacular fashion by Christmas.

The website for West Vancouver luxury specialist Angell, Hasman and Associates (Malcolm Hasman) Realty Ltd. heralds “over $200 million listed and sold in 2020.”

The British Columbia Real Estate Association reported almost 94,000 residential unit sales in 2020, up 21.5% from 2019’s 77,350. B.C.’s average residential price rose 11.7% to $782,000 and total sales volume jumped 35.6% to $73.5 billion.

“Housing markets across the province staged a remarkable recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic and recession,” said BCREA chief economist Brendon Ogmundson.

Dracco’s Layla Yang (Twitter)

Andrew Carros, COO of Engel and Völkers Vancouver, did not say how many jobs were subsidized or how much his Kerrisdale firm received.

“That subsidy probably saved everybody’s job,” Carros said. “The dominos could’ve fallen quite differently if things didn’t bounce back. We were fortunately a lot luckier than a lot of other industries out there. I feel pretty blessed, but I feel bad for those other businesses that are struggling today.”

It was a different story in the rental side of the business. Wallis Lee, managing broker of Sutton Max Realty and Property Management, said the $78,000 received over three months kept the eight-person property rental office working. She said the company became busier because it unfortunately shifted toward collections.

“When people cannot pay the rent it’s affecting us too. When we don’t receive the rent, we don’t have the commission,” Lee said. “Tough for our tenant, tough for our landlord, it’s not easy for us.”

Richmond real estate and immigration lawyer Hong Guo.

Guo Law Corporation, the Richmond real estate and immigration firm run by Hong Guo, is in the database. The 2018 Richmond mayoral candidate did not provide information about the jobs saved or money received.

Guo said she had 20 employees on staff in 2016 before a theft from her clients’ trust account, which is ultimately why she has a Law Society of B.C. misconduct disciplinary hearing in March. Guo said she now employs three.

“If the government can help the business to survive, I think the circle is good,” Guo said. “If the business can run, the employees can receive wages and salaries, they can then buy food, so their children can be fed. That is a healthy circle. We should encourage people to stay in work, and work hard.”

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Bob Mackin One of Vancouver’s top real estate

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