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Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Canada paid highest prices in the world for COVID vaccines: professor

By
Lindsay Shepherd
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A University of British Columbia neurology professor is writing a book about the widespread misuse of science during the period of pandemic hysteria and estimates that Canadians paid the highest prices in the world for Covid-19 vaccines at $38 per Pfizer dose.

Comparatively, the US and Europe paid about $22-$23 a shot.

Prof. Steven Pelech, author and editor of the forthcoming book Down the COVID-19 Rabbit Hole: Independent Scientists and Physicians Unmask the Pandemic, alongside Christopher Shaw, offered a preview of the volume’s contents at a Nov. 26 speaking event.

“The impression that one would get from the popular media is that this was a lethal virus that had a lethality rate even as high as 20% in the elderly,” Pelech said during his presentation.  

“The average lethality rate was 4-5%. It was complete nonsense. What we now know is that, three and a half years plus into the pandemic, if you are under 65 and infected with the virus, the chances of dying is actually probably in the order of 0.3%.”

According to Pelech, people who had Covid-19 died of an average age of 84 in British Columbia, whereas the province’s average age of death is 82.

“The threat wasn’t there from the virus,” he said. 

“Unfortunately for most of us the threat was actually from the cure – the vaccine.”

Pelech’s book includes a thorough chapter on Covid-19 vaccine safety, including research on myocarditis, neurological disorders, and fertility impairments related to the mRNA jabs. 

The book also covers the physiological risks and psychological effects of mask wearing, among upwards of one hundred other topics. 

Pelech writes that while Canada paid an estimated CAD$38 per Pfizer vaccine dose, in Albania, Brazil, and South Africa, the Pfizer vaccines were priced at US$12, US$10, and US$10, respectively.

The production cost of the Pfizer mRNA vaccine is estimated to be US$1.18 per dose.

In the summer of 2020, the Canadian government negotiated to get enough vaccines to accommodate seven shots for everyone in Canada, and the number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered by the Canadian government as of Sept. 10, 2023 was 99,016,076.

Aside from the billions of dollars spent on vaccines that can reasonably be considered worthless and potentially harmful, at least CAD$1 billion was also spent on expired vaccine doses that had to be tossed out.

Canada’s 59-page confidential vaccine procurement agreement with Pfizer is still redacted. In February 2023, the Liberal government forced MPs to sign non-disclosure agreements before viewing signed contracts. 

Those who have publicly dissented on lockdown measures and vaccine safety have been subject to years of vitriol from those who followed government and pharmaceutical company narratives, but Pelech has for the most part been able to carry out his research in peace.

“I have been fortunate to receive essentially no serious repercussions from the administration of the University of British Columbia with respect to my position on Covid-19 matters,” Pelech told True North.

“It probably helps that I am a UBC senator.”

LAWTON: On C2C – The dangers of digital currency

By
Andrew Lawton
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In a new essay for C2C Journal, researcher Gleb Lisikh explores the risks and challenges associated with adopting central bank digital currency, weighing out the potential benefits and drawbacks. He joined True North’s Andrew Lawton to explain why he believes the risks outweigh the reward, and why the transition would be “both unnecessary and dangerous.”

“Hush Money: The Untold Dangers and Delusions of Central Bank Digital Currency” by Gleb Lisikh can be read here.

Failed assassination on New York Sikh activist sheds light on Nijjar’s murder

By
Quinn Patrick
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A foiled assassination attempt on a Sikh separatist living in New York has shed light on the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, B.C. in June and the potential involvement of the Indian government. 

On Wednesday, a 15-page indictment was filed in a District Court in Manhattan, that alleged an employee of the Indian government directed the assassination. This act was connected to a broader plan to assassinate other Sikh separatists living in Canada.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, the Indian government official who allegedly ordered the murder in New York sent a video clip of Nijjar’s lifeless body slumped over in his vehicle shortly after being gunned down on June 18 to Nikhil Gupta, an Indian contact who allegedly corroborated in the hit.  

Gupta then forwarded the clip of Nijjar’s deceased body to a law enforcement informant, whom Gupta believed was also collaborating in the plot and to another undercover law enforcement officer, whom Gupta thought to be the hitman. 

The undercover agent acting as the hitman then allegedly received communication from Gupta, who told him that Nijjar “was also the target” but was “#4, #3” on the list, and “not to worry (because) we have so many targets,” the following day. 

According to the indictment, Gupta then told the undercover agentregarding the New York Sikh activist that there was “no need to wait.”

While the target is unnamed in the court filings, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun claimed that he was the target in a statement on X. 

Pannun, the general counsel for Sikhs for Justice and a colleague of Nijjar’s, stated that he was in contact with Nijjar one day before his murder. 

Both Pannun and Nijjar have advocated for the Sikh separatist movement, fighting for an independent state called Khalistan, carved out from the Indian state of Punjab. 

The Indian government labeled Nijjar a terrorist before his murder, a charge which he had denied. 

On Wednesday, while speaking with reporters in Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the news from the indictment means this issue must be taken seriously. 

“The Indian government needs to work with us to ensure that we’re getting to the bottom of this,” he said, according to the Vancouver Sun.

In September, Trudeau accused the Indian government of playing a role in Nijjar’s assassination, sparking a diplomatic fallout between the two nations. 

The Indian government has denied any involvement in Nijjar’s assassination.

Two days after Nijjar’s murder, an Indian government official said that the New York target was a “priority now” and that Gupta spoke to the informant, whom he believed was arranging the hit and ordered him to murder the New York target quickly. 

Before “the 29th (of June) we have to finish four jobs,” said Gupta, referring to the New York target. Following that, he said, there are “three in Canada.”

In addition, Gupta phoned the informant to confirm that Nijjar was the target he had previously mentioned when referring to the potential Canadian “job,” saying there was a “big target” in Canada on June 12.  

“This is the guy, I send you the video. … We didn’t give to (the undercover agent posing as a hitman) this job, so some other guy did this job … in Canada,” said Gupta, according to the  indictment.

While speaking with the informant, Gupta also advised him  to be more careful following news of Nijjar’s murder. “He will be more cautious, because in Canada, his colleague is down.”

The indictment further alleged that in early June, Gupta had arranged for a $15,000 cash down payment of the $100,000 total payment for the hit. 

Nijjar had been warned by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service about threats on his life only days before his assassination on June 18 .

Following the news of the indictment against Gupta, Pannum said, “If death is the cost of running the Khalistan Referendum, I am willing to pay that price.”

Children suffering from learning loss due to pandemic-era school closures

By
Noah Jarvis
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A new report has found that the pandemic-era policies of shutting down schools for extended periods of time are having long-term impacts on children who are now suffering from learning loss.

The report from faith-oriented thinktank Cardus, titled Pandemic Fallout lays the blame for the “substantial learning deficit” on the pandemic-era policy approach towards school closures and educational authorities and experts’ focus on pursuing a “build back better” narrative.

As a result, Canadian children fell behind on their learning, especially students with special education needs, those in struggling and marginalised communities, and at-risk children.

Across Canada, provincial health authorities ordered the closure of schools for extended periods of time – the longest being Ontario’s school closures for some 20 weeks from March 14, 2020 to May 15, 2021. 

The school closures resulted in an estimated 200,000 children not attending any schooling at all during the height of the pandemic, according to policy analyst Irvin Studin. 

Pandemic-era policies have had the effect of stymieing students’ educational and social outcomes.

While provinces like Ontario had cancelled standardised tests like the EQAO evaluation, making it harder to gauge educational outcomes, the report notes that learning loss has had a pronounced effect on students’ mathematics and reading results, disproportionately affecting students from low-income households.

Learning gaps for vulnerable students were exacerbated during and after the school closures, as stories of student disengagement, declines in academic achievement, chronic attendance problems, and worsening credit achievement proliferated during the pandemic.

Students diagnosed with dyslexia, autism, or ADHD – disorders that affect cognitive and academic functioning – had their symptoms and associated comorbidities worsen over the pandemic, overburdening parents and hampering academic achievement.

Despite the lack of national data, the report concludes that violence in schools has become more prominent post-pandemic, as surveys from the Nova Scotia Teachers Union and the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario found a rise in  reported physical violence, witnessed and personally experienced by teachers and education assistants.

Student absenteeism has reportedly become a chronic issue in Canada that remains underreported, finding that students missing 10% of school days has reached alarming rates and has become normalised in Canadian K-12 education.

The report also found that the Covid-19 pandemic drove a significant increase in the number of children being homeschooled. 

Across 7 provinces (Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan, Manitoba, P.E.I., and New Brunswick), the number of homeschooled children rose 69% from 48,800 in 2019-2020 to 82,400 in 2020-2021, stabilising at 72,700 in 2021-2022.

Despite the documented problems with learning loss as a result of pandemic-era school closures, educational experts discounted and downplayed the claims of learning loss and instead focused on “pedagogical and political projects” and a “build back better” narrative.

The Ontario Ministry of Education did not respond to a request for comment from True North on if it has a plan to research and address the problem of learning loss.

The Candice Malcolm Show | The legacy media got it wrong again!

By
Candice Malcolm
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Last week, the legacy media told us that Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre had committed a serious misstep and that he would pay for his mistake. 

Of course, it was the legacy – and not Poilievre – who were wrong. 

They invented a fake news narrative about him, which he easily, firmly and correctly debunked. 

In response, legacy media journalists lost their minds, called Poilievre a liar and bully, and predicted he was about to plummet in the polls. 

Well, a new round of polling has been released, and it paints a picture quite different than what the legacy media predicted. 

Poilievre is doing better than ever, with impressive massive gains even among traditional Liberal stronghold demographics – young Canadians, immigrants, women and even public sector unions. 

It’s Fake News Friday on the Candice Malcolm Show, and – surprise, surprise – the legacy media got it wrong again. 

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Three teens charged in sex trafficking operation in Edmonton, four minors rescued

By
Quinn Patrick
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Source: Facebook

Edmonton police announced that four underage girls have been rescued following a human trafficking investigation that lasted for months. Three teens are facing charges for their involvement in the case. 

On Thursday, the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) confirmed that a 13-year-old girl who went missing earlier this year was among the victims rescued.

“In April of 2023 Edmonton Police Service patrol members were contacted regarding a missing person’s complaint of a 13-year-old female. The investigation led members to a south side hotel, where they discovered that this missing person was being exploited from that hotel,” Staff Sgt. Chris Hayes of ALERT told reporters Thursday.

According to Hayes, the girl was lured through social media.

“A lot of this was facilitated over Snapchat,” he said. “It was a way for the accused to contact the girls, a way to help with the luring process and procure them and help get them interested in being involved in this situation.”

After the girl was rescued, ALERT managed the investigation, which led to three additional girls being rescued and three people being arrested in August. 

At the time of their rescue, some of the girls had been trafficked for up to six months, confirmed Hayes, who said they were lured with the promise of fancy clothes and luxurious trips.  

The four victims are receiving support from partner agencies.

“These traffickers are very good at what they do,” said Hayes. “There’s always promises of a lavish lifestyle, of easy money.”

Hayes said it’s important for parents to keep an eye on the online activity of their children and to be aware of who their friends are and who they are communicating with. 

“Be involved, know who they’re talking to, ask them questions, be involved in their social life. It’s hard, but it’s so important,” said Hayes. “It’s very alarming how easy it is for these traffickers to put information out on social media and to really prey on these victims.”

There has been a rise in young people falling prey to sex traffickers, according to Mary Jane James of the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton.

“The victims are younger and younger. And their predators are smarter and smarter. And they know what they’re doing. They know how to groom, they know how to attract it,” James told CTV News Edmonton.

“Let’s face it, most young people are on social media and at one time or another it’s going to happen that someone manages to get in touch with them through that platform and starts out by being their friend, and then it just goes from there.”

James stressed the importance of Hayes’ advice about being in the loop of your children’s online engagement and to keep the dialogue open and ongoing.

“Tell them that there is never anything that they can’t tell you, that what’s happening to them, they’re not going to be in trouble. There is going to be no repercussions. If these children feel that they have a safe place to land when they need to tell someone, they’re more likely to do that,” said James. 

The three teens in connections with the trafficking investigation were charged on Oct. 12. They are:

Obinna Nwanekezi, 19, is facing 22 charges, including:

  •  trafficking a person under 18;
  •  procuring a person under 18;
  •  luring a child;
  •  sexual exploitation;
  •  material benefit from trafficking a person under 18;
  •  making child pornography;
  •  distributing child pornography;
  •  possessing child pornography;
  •  agreement/arrangement of sexual offence against child; and
  •  assault.

Jelani Ried, 19, faces 21 charges, including:

  •  trafficking a person under 18;
  •  procuring a person under 18;
  •  luring a child;
  •  sexual exploitation;
  •  material benefit from trafficking a person under 18;
  •  making child pornography;
  •  distributing child pornography;
  •  possessing child pornography; and
  •  agreement/arrangement of sexual offence against child.

Additionally, a third teen has been charged who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, as they are 17-years-old. 

Hayes said that of the three charged, one remains in custody and the other two have been released under strict conditions. 

Anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault or abuse can report it to the Edmonton Police Service by calling 780-423-4567 or 911 if they are in immediate danger.

Anyone who needs support is encouraged to contact the Safety Network Coordinator with the Centre to End All Sexual Exploitation (CEASE) at 780-471-6137.

The Daily Brief | Will Muslim organizations in Canada condemn Hamas?

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-
Source: Wikipedia

A True North exclusive reveals out of six major Muslim organizations in Canada contacted, only one bothered to reply and condemn Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre in Israel and the terrorist organization itself.

Plus, the commander of the Royal Canadian Navy is warning that serious challenges threaten to derail its readiness commitments for 2024 and beyond.

And Google has agreed to pay Canadian legacy media publishers $100 million per year after a lengthy negotiation with the federal government over Bill C-18, also known as the Online News Act.

Tune into The Daily Brief with Cosmin Dzsurdzsa and William McBeath!

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Feds could subsidize half of Canadian journalist salaries following Google agreement

By
Quinn Patrick
-

The announcement of a deal struck between the Trudeau government and Google over Bill C-18, seeing the tech giant pay out $100 million to Canadian news outlets brings about a flurry of concerns regarding how that money will be divvied out. 

Bill C-18, also known as the Online News Act, was first passed in June 2023 and mandates that tech giants like Google and Meta compensate Canadian news outlets for news content posted on their platforms. 

Initially, Google responded to the legislation by threatening to remove all news content and links from their platforms as a way to opt out of the payment, giving the Trudeau government a deadline of Dec. 19 to propose a better deal. 

On Wednesday, they announced an agreement that would see Google pay out $100 million to media outlets annually. 

Meta however, removed all news links and content several months ago and have stuck to their guns in their resolve to not comply with Bill C-18. 

With the Google deal now finalized, many wonder how the outlets and which ones will receive funding under the new agreement.

“We’re pretty close, by my estimation, to a 50 percent wage subsidy on journalist salaries up to $85,000 per year,” said Rudyard Griffiths, executive director of the Hub.

Prior to the recent agreement, Canadian Qualified Journalism Organizations could already receive the Canadian Journalism Labour Tax Credit which offers refundable tax relief of 25% up to a yearly cap of $55,000, per eligible newsroom employee.

The government announced that it will increase that tax credit up to 35% with a new annual cap of $85,000 per newsroom employee, under their Fall Economic Statement. 

According to Griffiths’ estimation, with the government’s new federal tax credit in combination with Google’s $100 million, soon almost half the salary of a journalist making $85,000 will be paid out by these two entities. 

This would mean that the Trudeau government has basically attained their goal of subsidizing 50% of the salaries for Canadian journalists. 

“What does it mean long term when as much as half of the newsroom costs of private media organizations, not the CBC, will be paid for by government support?” asked Griffiths. “This likely is not going to be positive for the ongoing challenges that mainstream media is facing in terms of declining public trust in the very news and information that they produce.” 

Canadians have consistently been losing trust in the news media over the past several years, according to numerous polls.

A survey conducted in 2023 revealed that Canadians who trust the news had fallen from 55% in 2015 to 40% in 2023 and this new deal is only likely to put further strain on public trust in the media. 

“They’re paying half of the bills of the very newsrooms that are extensively there to investigate them, challenge them, and report on their policies and prescriptions for society,” said Griffiths.

Canada’s Research Chair in Internet and e-Commerce Law at the University of Ottawa Michael Giest said that money that is paid out under the Online News Act will likely only benefit the legacy media outlets, rather than smaller, independent organizations. 

“The parliamentary budget officer tells us 75 percent of the money goes to the broadcasters, radio, and television largely based on the way it was structured,” said Geist, speaking before the Committee as a witness.

“Personally, I think it was a mistake to think that, at a minimum, if the goal was to support the core and what we would think of as newspapers or digital publishers. And that’s where the focus of the legislation ought to have been,” added Geist. 

The details of just who will benefit from the new deal with Google remain unclear as newer startups may not be given the same treatment as legacy media. 

Eligibility for the Canadian Journalism Labour Tax Credit is adjudicated by the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA), whereas the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) will be handling the funding from the Google agreement.

“There will no doubt have to be some interesting decisions that get made about what the CRTC thinks original news content is,” said Griffiths. “My sense is that you would probably want to allocate the funds as close as you can on a qualified journalist per organization basis.”  

Guilbault jets to Dubai COP28 summit, expected to make climate announcement

By
Cosmin Dzsurdzsa
-
Source: Facebook

Liberal Minister of Environment Steven Guilbeault will has flown to the United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP28, in Dubai, where he is expected to make a ministerial announcement on Monday. 

According to his itinerary, Guilbeault is scheduled to attend various events during the two week conference. Notably, on Monday, he’s slated to speak during the COP28 Global Methane Pledge session.

This comes amid growing international attention on this year’s summit in the oil-rich Middle Eastern emirate. 

Just ahead of COP28, Canada forged a “Green Alliance” with the European Union, signifying a commitment to spread carbon pricing schemes globally. 

The alliance includes a pledge by Ottawa to triple its renewable energy sources and double energy efficiency by 2030.

The “Green Alliance” emphasizes the role of carbon taxes as “one of the most efficient and cost-effective ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” 

Despite Canada’s existing federal carbon tax, recent data shows a trend of increasing carbon emissions year-over-year, with a temporary decline observed during nationwide lockdowns prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Minister Guilbeault’s visit was also preceded by recent statements from climate lawyer Farhana Yamin, a key architect behind the Paris Agreement – to which Canada is a signatory state. 

“I glued myself to the Shell headquarters because I realized that at some point, there was no point in me being a lawyer and sticking to laws, it was better to break the law and show how little the law was doing,” said Yamin. 

“We are benefiting from 300 years of resilience based on colonialism and based on very deep pockets which resulted from the exploitation or appropriation of other people’s resources and assets… Just trying to deal with climate change without dealing with decolonization, without dealing with reparations, you cannot do repair without reparations.”

Yamin, speaking at a panel held by the Conduit, asserted that breaking the law was necessary to advance climate goals. Drawing connections between far-left ideas of “decolonization” and “reparations” with climate objectives.

Saskatchewan to end carbon tax for electric heat on Jan 1, says Premier

By
Isaac Lamoureux
-

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe announced the province’s intent to cease collecting the carbon tax on electric heat.

This move, aimed at extending fairness in carbon tax application across the province, follows the federal government’s exemption of home heating oil from the carbon levy, which Moe criticized for disproportionately benefiting Atlantic Canada.

In a video posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, Moe and Jim Lemaigre, the Saskatchewan Party MLA for Athabasca and a key advocate for northern communities, announced that the exemption would be introduced on January 1, 2024. 

“We are going to need to determine who is heating their home with electricity and then estimate the percentage of their power bill that is being used for that heat,” Moe explained. 

He added that the government will work out the details, but the important thing to note is that the carbon tax exemption will be extended to everyone in Saskatchewan who uses electric heat.

The decision comes as a relief to many Saskatchewan residents, particularly those in the northern regions, where electric heat is an everyday necessity. 

Lemaigre, highlighted the unique challenges faced in these communities. 

“Unfortunately, northern Saskatchewan and communities like La Loche, Black Lake, and Stony Rapids don’t use natural gas to heat their homes. Many still use electric heat,” he said.

Approximately 85% of Saskatchewan residents heat their homes with natural gas, with the remainder relying on electric heat and other sources. The Premier’s announcement is a significant step in addressing the concerns of this 15%, bringing them in line with the majority who benefit from natural gas heating.

The shift in policy aligns with broader provincial opposition to federal carbon pricing.

NDP Leader Carla Beck claimed that Moe’s announcement aligns with what her party has been asking the government to do for months. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has reiterated his previous commitment to enforcing the carbon tax.

“Canada is a country of the rule of law, and we expect all Canadians to follow the law,” he said.

“That applies to provinces as much as it applies to individual citizens.”

True North previously reported on the legislation introduced to scrap the carbon tax on natural gas in Saskatchewan. The province has shielded executives at SaskEnergy from being fined or jailed if the Crown corporation does not remit the tax.

Moe said that because the residents of Saskatchewan own the natural gas utility SaskEnergy, the provincial government decided to stop collecting the carbon tax on natural gas.

“Well, we also own the electrical utility, and that’s why our government has decided that SaskPower will also stop collecting the carbon tax on electric heat,” said Moe. 

Concluding the announcement, Lemaigre emphasized that if the federal government would not stick up for its citizens, then the provincial government would. 

“If the federal government isn’t going to provide carbon tax fairness to families, your Saskatchewan Party government will,” he said.

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