A company owned by the brother of former Liberal minister Hunter Tootoo has been awarded $508,732 in sole-sourced contracts by the federal government over the past 4 years.
According to records obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter, NVision, owned by Victor Tootoo, has received a total of seventeen contracts since 2017.
“This is a highly specialized training program. It is believed no other organizations have the experience delivering this type of training,” the government wrote in a contract notice.
The latest contract, valued at $32,668, was granted to Tootoo’s company by Agriculture Canada to conduct six-hour training sessions for employees “on cultural literacy and intercultural intelligence when engaging with Indigenous peoples.”
“A training program for educating scientists working with Indigenous partners is required on a government-wide scale,” the department wrote.
Hunter Tootoo served as MP for Nunavut from 2015-2019, serving as Minister of Fisheries before ultimately resigning.
Several lucrative contracts have been issued to firms owned by people connected to the Liberal Party in the past year.
Just weeks after leaving office, former Liberal MP Frank Baylis’ company won a $422,946 Industry Canada contract. Baylis Medical had applied for the contract while Frank Baylis was still sitting on the House of Commons Industry Committee.
In January 2020 a firm owned by former Liberal MP Allan Rock was the only contender for a $120,000 Global Affairs contract to provide “security council training” to support Justin Trudeau’s failed bid for Canada to join the UN Security Council.
The Little Tavern Pizza Project in Calgary was shut down by Alberta Health Services when a health inspector walked in on the restaurant serving laid-off employees, according to the restaurant’s manager Keith Luce.
The health inspector’s report states that the restaurant was providing dine-in food service to the public, and patrons from different households were seated fewer than two metres apart. The inspector’s report says the diners were provided with a “self-service buffet” and alcohol.
However, Luce says the diners were actually employees and fewer than 10 people were present.
“That was the day we were basically laying out plans for our shutdown, and giving them their official layoff letter,” said Luce. “And then there was food we were testing for our new carry-away menu.”
Luce says the restaurant was “trying to do something nice for people we were laying off” by letting the employees try the new menu.
“If there was a mistake made, for sure, the fact that we put that food out on a table,” he said. “I guess that was short-sighted.”
The restaurant was ordered to close its dining room on Dec. 23.
Alberta announced a mandatory closure of all dine-in service at restaurants, pubs, bars, lounges and cafes on Dec. 13. Restaurants can only provide take-away and delivery service.
The restaurant has laid off 10 employees because of the lockdown restrictions in Alberta. The Little Tavern Pizza Project is still in operation but only providing take-away services.
Have you ever been to Equiterra? It’s a place where men and women are equal (or women are better than men), where yucky toxic masculinity no longer exists and where lesbian couples can get abortions with ease.
Equiterra is the bizarre creation of UN Women — a United Nations organization that claims to be “dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women.”
Although Equiterra isn’t real –Thank God! — Mattea Merta says it’s easy to pass off this globalist utopia as some kind of irrelevant joke, but UN Women as well as other UN organizations, possess immense influence globally, and that is something we cannot ignore.
The Liberal MP for Brampton West Kamal Khera will resign from her position as parliamentary secretary for international development after travelling abroad during the holidays to attend a family member’s funeral.
In a statement posted on Twitter, Khera said she travelled to Seattle on December 23rd to attend the memorial service of her uncle. Khera returned on December 31st.
“Although the purpose of my travel is deemed essential given the circumstances, I have decided to step aside from my duties as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development in an effort to ensure my choices do not distract from the important work of our government to continue battling this pandemic,” Khera said in her statement.
Khera indicated that the funeral service was a private memorial of less than 10 people.
“I have and always will continue to follow all public health guidelines,” said Khera.
Khera made the trip abroad despite the Public Health Agency of Canada’s advice not to leave the country.
In March, the Brampton MP tested positive for coronavirus. Khera, a former nurse, registered to help ease nurse shortages amid the first wave of the pandemic.
Khera joins a long list of Canadian politicians who have violated their own coronavirus rules and advice.
While several politicians violate their own coronavirus rules by travelling abroad during the holidays, Toronto Police and the City of Toronto are vowing to stop games of “illegal” outdoor hockey.
According to the Toronto Sun, the City of Toronto says paid-duty police and municipal security officers will increase patrols at the city’s 54 outdoor skating rinks in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
In Toronto, only reserved-space leisure skating is permitted from 10 am — 10 pm and max capacity is 25 people at all times. All other uses of outdoor ice, including shinny, are prohibited.
According to the General Manager of Emergency Management Matthew Pegg, the Toronto Police have charged 19 people under the Trespass to Property Act for playing hockey since December 23rd.
The city is also targeting “illegal” tobogganing on city ski and snowboarding hills.
“While we continue to do all we can to support safe outdoor activities, the use of closed ski and snowboard hills poses a significant risk of injury,” Pegg said.
The city released a list of sanctioned tobogganing locations, which can be found here.
A total of 1,795 charges have been laid on residents for violating the city’s coronavirus rules since the beginning of the pandemic.
Gatineau police have confirmed two people were arrested after a confrontation at a private gathering on New Year’s Eve.
After receiving a citizen complaint, six officers from the Police Services for Ville-Gatineau (SPVG) arrived at the residence on rue Le Baron at 11:10 p.m. They found six people present — a violation of Quebec’s health restrictions.
In Quebec, all indoor and outdoor social gatherings are banned from December 17 to January 10.
Il faut que ça devienne viral. RT en masse les amis. La lumière doit être fait sur cet événement. pic.twitter.com/nnxsGcQcOn
The SPVG claims that they only intended to issue warnings and wanted to ask for cooperation in ending the gathering. However, there was a dispute during the interaction.
A video posted to social media Friday by one of the attendees has now been seen over a million times. The viral video shows part of the altercation and the forceful arrest of one man as he is removed from the house, taken to the ground and handcuffed.
After the footage gained traction Friday evening, Gatineau Police tweeted out that the alleged man had assaulted an officer.
1/2 – Intervention du 31 déc : La vidéo ne montre qu’un extrait de l’intervention. Les individus étaient récalcitrants et ont refusé de collaborer. L’individu arrêté sur la vidéo avait commis un voie de fait sur un policier, le frappant au visage à quelques reprises. #Gatineau
“The video shows only an excerpt from the intervention. The individuals were recalcitrant and refused to cooperate,” said the SPVG. “The individual arrested in the video had assaulted a police officer, striking him in the face a few times.”
2/2 – (suite) : Infraction = obligation de s'identifier. Une 2e personne a aussi été arrêtée et 6 constats émis (Loi sur la santé publique). Nous sollicitons votre collaboration pour continuer de respecter les mesures sanitaires et collaborer lors de toute intervention policière. https://t.co/O6IIL1OYCc
“We ask for your cooperation to continue to respect health measures and to cooperate in any police response.” the SPVG wrote in french.
The man seen being arrested in the video has been charged with assault and obstructing an officer. The homeowner was also arrested and charged with refusing to provide personal information. In addition, all six people were given a fine of $1546 for violating a public health act.
No one was hurt during the interaction and both of the people arrested were released.
While police in Quebec crack down on residents celebrating the new year, several politicians have violated the government’s public health orders by travelling abroad during the holidays.
Since the pandemic began, many politicians have violated their own coronavirus rules and have faced no consequences. Meanwhile, Canadians are punished for trying to live their own lives. The hypocrisy is astounding.
If politicians don’t follow their own coronavirus rules, why do Canadians have to?
True North’s Leo Knight says the hypocrisy of politicians isn’t anything new, but the breeziness of this hypocrisy has shocked and angered Canadians.
After a New Year video posted by Ontario MPP Gurratan Singh and his brother, federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, received criticism online for potentially violating COVID-19 restrictions, an NDP spokesperson said the two brothers and their families, in fact, live in the same household.
With several politicians across the country apologizing for traveling abroad or getting together in violation of lockdown rules and public health guidance, the lighthearted video tweeted by Gurratan Singh raised some eyebrows.
As of Boxing Day, the Ontario government has barred families living in different households from gathering. The NDP says that rule does not apply here, however.
“Jagmeet and Gurratan do live in the same household,” NDP spokesperson Melanie Richer told True North.
“Early on in the pandemic, Jagmeet and his wife made the choice to include his brother, sister-in-law and parents in their bubble. During the pandemic, they’ve been living together in the same home. This allows Jagmeet (to) drive to Ottawa and avoid unnecessary public travel, and helps him better support his aging parents during the crisis.”
Both of the Singh brothers are married, and Gurratan has a newborn daughter as well.
Richer added that Jagmeet spent “several weeks” in his British Columbia riding of Burnaby South in the summer and fall, but “hasn’t been back since the start of the second wave.”
Ontario MPP Rod Phillips resigned as finance minister Dec. 31 after media learned he had been on the tony Caribbean island of St. Barths since Dec. 13, despite his government’s repeated recommendation for Ontarians to stay and home and avoid any non-essential travel.
Other travelling politicians included Alberta minister Tracy Allard, who left Canada for Hawaii earlier in December, Quebec Liberal MNA Pierre Arcand, who cut short a trip to Barbados, and Saskatchewan cabinet minister Joe Hargrave, who took what he deemed an “essential” trip to his home in California. All have apologized and returned to Canada.
While Canadians have been forced to obediently follow coronavirus public health regulations, politicians have willfully ignored those same rules without consequence.
Time after time, public officials have repeatedly violated their own advice. Whether politicians are going on vacation, visiting their families or ignoring social distancing measures, it’s becoming clear that they don’t believe the same rules apply to them.
True North has kept track of every single time a Canadian public official has broken coronavirus rules.
APRIL
April 3, 10, 30: Liberal Health Minister Patty Hajdu flies on weekend trips from Ottawa to Thunder Bay while telling Canadians to stay home.
April 14: Justin Trudeau travelled to Quebec to visit his family for Easter while telling Canadians to avoid gathering with loved ones. At the time, Quebec police had set up checkpoints at the Quebec/Ontario border to limit non-essential travel.
April 14: Andrew Scheer and his family join other MPs on a full flight to Ottawa without social distancing.
April 14: Elizabeth May flies with MPs on packed flight without social distancing.
April 14: Carla Qualtrough flies on the same flight with other MPs while not socially distancing.
April 28: Conservative MP Michelle Rempel admits to working from Oklahoma despite public health advice advising Canadians not to travel.
MAY
May 8: Doug Ford goes to his Muskoka cottage on Easter despite telling Ontario residents to not go to their cottages.
May 16: Liberal Health Minister Patty Hajdu flies on weekend trips from Ottawa to Thunder Bay while telling Canadians to stay home.
May 24: John Tory joins crowd in Trinity Bellwoods Park while not wearing a mask properly.
JUNE
June 5, 15, 23: Liberal Health Minister Patty Hajdu flies on weekend trips from Ottawa to Thunder Bay while telling Canadians to stay home.
June 8: Trudeau joins massive Black Lives Matter protest despite public health orders banning large gatherings.
JULY
July 7: Andrew Scheer and Brian Pallister seen at Pearson International Airport not wearing masks.
July 15: Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart spotted at a restaurant with 7 other people, violating a public health order that allows no more than 6 people to sit together at a restaurant table.
SEPTEMBER
September 8: Doug Ford attends the wedding of a fellow MPP despite a ban on large gatherings. Ford also encouraged Ontarians to call the police if their neighbours were hosting large gatherings.
September 25: Erin O’Toole and Yves-FrançoisBlanchet attend separate large gatherings with supporters before testing positive with the coronavirus.
OCTOBER
October 17: Erin O’Toole and Jason Kenney do maskless, not socially distanced livestream.
October 19: Parliament had to install plexiglass to protect pages due to the fact so many MPs were ignoring social distancing measures.
October 26: Liberal Health Minister Patty Hajdu seen not wearing a mask at the Pearson airport lobby.
October 28: Ontario MPP Sam Oosterhoff spotted at a restaurant with a large group of friends with no masks or any social distancing.
NOVEMBER
November 23: Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens dined at a restaurant with seven other people at the table. Under the provincial rules at the time, the maximum number of people allowed to be at a table together was six.
DECEMBER
December 22: Saskatchewan cabinet minister Joe Hargrave flies to California to sell his home despite public health advice to stay home as much as possible.
December 28: Ontario Senator Vern White traveled with family to Finland to visit relatives
December 29: Ontario finance minister Rod Phillips goes on vacation in St Bart’s and tries to cover it up despite public health advice to stay home as much as possible.
December 30: Quebec Liberal MNA Pierre Arcand vacations in Barbados despite public health advice to stay home as much as possible.
December 30: Quebec CAQ MNA Youri Chassin travels to Peru to visit his husband despite public health advice to stay home as much as possible.
December 31: Alberta MLA Pat Rehn posts a photo of himself from an adventure park near Cancun, Mexico despite public health advice to stay home as much as possible.
December 31: Alberta MLA Jason Stephan admits to travelling to Arizona despite public health advice to stay home as much as possible.
JANUARY
January 1: Alberta MLA Tracy Allard admits to vacationing to Hawaii in December despite public health advice to stay home as much as possible.
January 1: NDP MP Niki Ashton travelled to Greece to see a sick relative despite public health advice to stay home as much as possible.
January 1: Calgary-Peigan MLA Tanya Fir admits to travelling to the US to visit her sister despite public health advice to stay home as much as possible.
January 1: Alberta MLA Jeremy Nixon admits to vacationing in Hawaii for the holidays despite public health advice to stay home as much as possible.
January 2: Calgary MP Ron Liepert’s office admits the MP travelled to California twice since March despite public health advice to stay home as much as possible.
January 3: MP for Brampton West Kamal Khera admits she travelled to Seattle for a loved one’s funeral despite public health advice to stay home as much as possible.
January 3: Liberal MP for Pierrefonds—Dollard Sameer Zuberi admits he travelled to Delaware to see his wife’s sick grandfather despite public health advice to stay home as much as possible.
January 3: Global News reports Liberal MPs Alexandra Mendès, Lyne Bessette and Patricia Lattanzio travelled abroad in 2020 in either the summer or fall.
January 4: Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo MLA Tany Yao admits he travelled to Mexico despite public health advice to stay home as much as possible.
January 4: Conservative Senator Don Plett admits he travelled to Mexico over the holidays despite public health advice to stay home as much as possible.
January 4: Global News reports the MP for Flamborough–Glanbrook David Sweet is currently in the US for the holidays despite public health advice to stay home as much as possible.
January 4: Manitoba MLA James Teitsma travelled outside of the province with his family for the holidays despite public health advice to stay home as much as possible.
January 5: Ontario MPP Gila Martow visited her cottage on Selwyn Lake, ON for the holidays despite the province’s advice to stay home as much as possible.
January 5: Member of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table Dr. Tom Stewart admits to travelling to the Caribbeans for the holidays despite the province’s advice to stay home as much as possible.
January 5: Victoria City Councillor Sharmarke Dubow travelled to East Africa over the holidays to visit family despite public health advice to stay home as much as possible and not to visit family members outside of the household.
January 6: Senator Vern White admits he travelled to Finland with his family despite public health advice to stay home as much as possible.
January 7: The acting manager at the Public Health Agency’s Office of Border and Travel Health Dominique Baker flew to an all-inclusive resort in Montego Bay in mid-November despite public health advice to stay home as much as possible.
January 8: London Health Sciences Centre chief executive Paul Woods travelled to the U.S. five times since the start of the pandemic, including over the Christmas break, despite public health advice to stay home as much as possible.
Two young men turned themselves in to police in connection with the death of Calgary police officer Sgt. Andrew Harnett.
Amir Abdulrahman and a 17-year-old male — who cannot be identified because he is a youth — were both wanted on warrants for first-degree murder. The two suspects were known to police.
Sgt. Andrew Harnett stopped a vehicle in the community of Falconridge at about 10:50 pm on New Year’s Eve. The driver sped off and struck him. Harnett died as a result of his injuries about an hour later in hospital.
Following Harnett’s death, several members of the force were deployed to locate his killers.
First-degree murder warrants were issued on Friday morning and the two young men were arrested just hours after the warrants were issued.
“Because of some senseless criminal actions our service and our community is mourning on this first day of 2021,” Calgary police Chief Mark Neufeld said.
“More importantly, a family has lost a son, a sibling has lost a brother, a spouse has lost a partner and many, many members of our service have lost a really good friend.”
Harnett joined the Calgary Police Service 12 years ago. After serving two and half years as a military police officer, he was promoted to sergeant in 2019 and assigned to the Saddle Ridge community.
His brother Jason Harnett said he was “hell-bent” on becoming a police officer.
Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call the homicide tip line at 403-428-8877, the Calgary police non-emergency line at 403-266-1234 or submit anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers by phone at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.calgarycrimestoppers.org.
