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COVID-19

Freedom Convoy Diary – How a young Central Alberta family found themselves in Ottawa protesting mandates

Published

2 years ago

24 minute read

When Cody Borek refers to “the road” he isn’t typically thinking about the highway.  For Cody and his wife Evalena, “the road” usually means Main Street in Settler, or Lakeshore Drive at Sylvan Lake.  That’s because the Boreks are not truckers.  Cody and Evalena run a couple of unique small businesses in Central Alberta. Sweet Home on Main Street in Settler is a ladies boutique and clothing store. They sell locally crafted vendor items. There’s even a cafe with on-site baking.  Sweet Home on the Lake at Sylvan Lake is the same type of operation, charming, homey, even trendy.  Certainly not the kind of place that comes to mind when you think of people who might drive across the country in support of something called the Freedom Convoy.

But before you make your judgement (I know.. you already have) just hear the Borek’s out a bit.  Maybe you’ll understand why they so desperately want to do anything they can to end this two year stretch of restrictions and division. Maybe you’ll understand why they loaded up their 3 children under 5 for a cross country trip promising as much risk as adventure. Cody knows there’s a price to pay.  So far about a thousand people have ‘unfollowed’ them on social media. Some have even returned items to their store because of their stance.  That opposition just proves the incredibly sad state of affairs the Boreks are so desperate to leave behind.

Cody and Evalena bought their businesses in 2018. For more than half of the time they’ve owned the stores, they’ve had to juggle covid restrictions on top of all the other challenges new business owners face. Days ago, their neighbouring cafe owner came over to tell them he can’t do it anymore.  He closed on the last day of January. One more piece of data.  Another business done in by pandemic restrictions.  For their part, the Boreks feel terribly uncomfortable asking customers for health information.   They know it’s a small price to pay for protection, but they feel like it’s becoming a permanent problem and they know it’s leaving some people on the outside.

They’ve also been raising three children.  For more than half their young lives, those children have not seen the smiling faces or enjoyed a ‘high-five’ with the people they come into contact with.  The youngest doesn’t know that world even exists. Cody and Evalena aren’t sure exactly what that will mean to the way their children think about the world and community, and ‘others’, but they know they don’t like it.  Then there’s the other end of the family.  The Boreks lost a grandfather in the midst of covid.  Like so many Canadians, they know the tragic heartbreak of not being there when someone they love dies, alone.  Their last contact with grandpa, was through a window.

In the end, the Boreks don’t see this ending.  The cycle of covid waves has the world heading in a direction they do not want their kids to grow up in.  That’s why they decided even though they aren’t truckers, they wanted to join the Freedom Convoy.  As of Tuesday, they’re still in Ottawa. Here’s a diary, tracking that trip, written by Cody Borek, and posted to his facebook page.  We have exerts and photos here posted with Cody’s permission.

January 25 – Leaving Stettler for Ottawa

This morning our family starts our drive to Ottawa❤️ The last 2 years have been some of the most mentally challenging of our life.

Family and friends have battled depression, business closures, jobs lost and there have been enough tears shed.

We do understand the first rule of business is to not get involved with politics. But we truly feel that this is so much more then that. Our 3 kids under 5 don’t know or hardly remember a life where strangers don’t wear masks. A life where you greet your neighbors and fellow community members with a smile.

We are taking this journey with our kids because it gives us hope❤️. Seeing so much of our country come together brings tears to my eye.

Some of you will strongly disagree with us taking this journey and making this stance. We can respect that, but it is something that we needed to do.

January 27 – Why we’re doing this

What would cause somebody to pack up their young family, risk everything they have worked for and drive 36 hours in the middle of a Canadian winter?
Severe discontentment and HOPE.
Instead of attacking our character and assuming we must be white supremacists or terrorists wanting to break up our country, I ask you to think deeper. Try to understand the why, and look to all of the people you know and love that are in support of this movement.
I know some of you truly believe what we are doing is wrong, but then you notice friends that you deeply respect in support of this journey. Have an open conversation with them.
There is so much hurt in my family, community, and country. If we want this to end we need to love our neighbours again.
This is not a fringe group of people making this stand, sure there could be some, but I honestly believe this is the silent and becoming less silent majority.
It is not an easy decision to drive across Canada to make a stand. For the tens of thousands that are doing it not only is it a massive financial challenge. They are also risking their safety on the roads, they are risking the unknown of what happens when we arrive to Ottawa and all the rumours of the military. They are risking members of their community trying to “cancel” them and their character without true understanding.
If I felt our future was going to soon be back to normal, or these government restrictions made a lick of sense I would not have joined the journey.
I complain too much, and have seen too much hurt in my wife, mom, kids, sister, family, team members, and friends to not try to do something about it. This movement has potential, and I hope you join in any way you can. At the very least to make a stand.
It was possible for me to join. I had a duty to do so. I know millions more would be by our side if they had the ability. Thank you for your support, I am not just here for my family, but for all of you who wish you could be here. To those who wish us ill, please seek to understand.

January 28 – On the road with the Freedom Convoy

This convoy is the most incredible thing I have ever witnessed. Beyond what you could imagine.
We just rolled into North Bay, just a few hours from Ottawa and I want to share some of the experiences.
EVERY single community entrance, EVERY gas station, EVERY road side diner is crowded with supporters cheering us on. They have the flags flying, cars honking, kids waving and ladies cheering. Workers in coveralls are stopped along every road.
The support in Ontario has been much more then we anticipated. Gas stations giving free drinks and discounted gas. Restraunts advertising free food. Business owners along the way offering cash for the journey. Groups handing out windshield washer fluid and bagged lunches.
We broke off from the main West Convoy at White River last night as they closed the road to Sault Ste Marie around Superior Lake. We were nervous they wouldn’t open it back up so we headed North.
We then learned there wasn’t just one convoy, but downloading the truckers app on Zello, we realized there are at least a half dozen coming from all over Canada and USA.
When we are in the convoy there are semis, trucks and cars as far as you can see in front and behind. And I believe we were in one of the smaller groups.
Each community you see an overwhelming amount of vehicles on route with flags flying and license plates from every province.
It’s truly humbling to be apart of.
Thank you for your support.
This needed to happen.

January 28  – Canadians come out in support

 

January 29 – Moved to tears

They say grown men don’t cry. This journey has made that not possible. Thousands upon thousands of people lined the roads sending us off to Ottawa.
People of every age, and background. You could see and sense so much hope.
Slowly rolling by making eye contact with some of the fathers at the side of the road. They would have tears in there eyes and just give you that head nod. I know we are on the right side of this movement. It needs to happen. Many of these mandates simply don’t make sense and they need to end.
It hasn’t been possible for us to get a true sense of how many people are in these convoys. But I am telling you the people lining the streets, parking lots and overpasses of every town are beyond words.
We are receiving much more love then hate. But there needs to be a conversation and understanding. Name calling and attacks just divide us further. I took this journey, because I have seen too much pain in my family, friends, team members, and business community. My 3 kids under 5 don’t know or remember a world without masks and keeping your distance from your neighbours. I would rather close my business then tell my team they can’t work for us unless they are vaccinated and boosted. I can’t be convinced that should be the new normal. It’s been 2 years of “almost over”, just this one more hurdle. I don’t believe the hurdles will ever stop unless we stop jumping.
Do you have a “why” you support this movement? Maybe if we fill the news feeds seeking to share why we feel the way we do instead of attacks, it may shift more and more people to understanding. The politicians need to shift with public opinion, and I don’t think the silent majority have been clear enough.

January 30 – Eyewitness report from Parliament Hill

This is what I am seeing on the ground.
I believe this to be one of if not the largest protest in Canadian history, yet not a single arrest has been made and no violence documented. That is incredible and a statement.
The Terry Fox statue should not have been used as a political symbol. People should not be holding Nazi or swastika flags. That is 100% in agreement from all. Those who disagree with the movement that have happened latch on to it and say that’s what we are about.
The truth is those flags didn’t last long. Large groups of people peacefully asked them to remove them immediately when they are seen.
If you don’t believe there are a few agitators here trying to provoke violence to discredit this whole movement you are wrong. I have already experienced them. I believe those with these signs are doing the same.
I loved the analogy from Pierre Poilievre the other day, and am going to spin it a little different. When someone in my home town of Stettler commits a felony. I don’t believe my community to be bad. That individual needs to answer for the felony he commited. Not my entire town.
Just like here. You have hundreds of thousands of people. Yet those who oppose what we are doing latch on to what one or two individuals do, then label us all as extreme disrespectful people, just to gratify the belief they have.
I challenge you to use your logic. Don’t drive the country apart further by name calling. Messages we receive saying we are disgusting or awful parents are quite annoying, though I don’t take them to heart. I just know you don’t yet understand why we are here.
I hope the scale of this should help you to continue to question the narrative the media and politicians are pushing. I truly hope one day we can shake hands and come to an understanding.

 

January 30 – The media narrative vs my lived experience

This is why traditional media is going extinct. Social media is exposing the narrative. Trudeau says only a small fringe support this movement. The media is following the script and mostly showing the “fringe”.
If they can manipulate the media, they can manipulate the narrative.
I have been receiving many messages about all the Swastika’s or inappropriate signs and they are asking me to tell them the truth of what I see. Another question is how many trucks are here.
Firstly, I challenge you to go through photos showing hundreds of people. I don’t think it will be very often you come across 1 or 2 inappropriate signs. When they do pop up, you better believe those who oppose this are going to snap a picture before others ask them to put them away.
Secondly, there are streets of trucks visible and much of downtown is at a gridlock. We were advised from our hotel that if we leave they don’t know if we can get back in. The police have many roads blocked not allowing the Western Convoy to yet join. They say they are coming tomorrow after the foot traffic has died down.
Are there people here with questionable motives? Yup probably. But the vast majority of people, who have travelled from all across our country, just want to take a stance. We are united in the fact that our government is over reaching too far into our lives and trying to make choices on our behalf that we simply won’t allow. People want to do their jobs, see their families, visit with their neighbours and live their lives❤️.
“Freedom is never more then one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same”.
Ronald Reagan
January 31 – The Prime Minister further divides us
Trudeau:
“Canadians were shocked and frankly disgusted by the behaviour displayed by some people protesting in our nations capital.”
I’m sure they would be when that’s what the media shows them, and that’s the narrative you are desperate to push to slow any momentum. Thankful for social media to continue to share what we experienced. Not once have I felt unsafe with my family.
There are people giving free food at stands, and walking the trucks offering truckers free food and coffee. I find it impossible to believe it was truckers that demanded food at a homeless shelter.
I did not witness any dishonouring of our war memorials, nor did I personally witness dishonouring of the Terry Fox statue. Quite the opposite. But I’m sure there could have been some which is so sad that a few can change the narrative.
The police are EVERYWHERE, both RCMP on horses and from cities all over. All that we have witnessed are very friendly. They smile at the kids, and wish us a great day. A minority of them have their masks pulled down
I sure hope you don’t let the media convince you against the magnitude and peacefulness of this. There have still been no arrests. I do believe many in the city may be inconvenienced by this. The honking is constant and loud and you couldn’t drive to work. But you haven’t been inconvenienced to the level of losing your job.
Thank you for standing with us back home❤️
CBC reports 8,000 people on Saturday and 3,000 on Sunday. This is just so wrong. I personally talked to parliament security who said they have never witnessed anything like it. He told me it was bigger then what they see on Canada Day.

January 31 – PM’s comments will ensure both sides double down in division

The Prime Minister didn’t take my advice about seeking to understand. Maybe I should😅
There are people whom I respect that disagree with me making this journey to Ottawa with my family. They aren’t as loud in my comments or messages, but I am certain that each one of my posts that challenge what they see would be frustrating. Just as when I see posts challenging what I am seeing here are frustrating to me.
The Prime Minister’s comments only divide us further. Do you think calling us racist, and fringe will make the truckers want to pack up? They are going to double down just as he has.
I would love to respectfully hear your comments on why the vaccines and masks need to be a government mandate and not a personal choice.
It truthfully doesn’t make sense to many of us.
I hope to open some discussion and understanding from both sides without personal attacks having to get involved.
—————————–
As of Tuesday morning, the Borek family were returning to Parliament Hill to show some more support for Freedom Convoy.  Cody plans to continue to post updates to his facebook page.

 

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After 15 years as a TV reporter with Global and CBC and as news director of RDTV in Red Deer, Duane set out on his own 2008 as a visual storyteller. During this period, he became fascinated with a burgeoning online world and how it could better serve local communities. This fascination led to Todayville, launched in 2016.

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Freedom Convoy

Trudeau’s use of Emergencies Act has cost taxpayers $73 million thus far

Published on April 17, 2024

By

From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

Expenses for the Emergencies Act, the use of which a federal court ruled ‘not justified,’ included $17.5 million for a judicial inquiry, $400,000 for charter flights and $1.3 million for hotel rooms for out-of-town RCMP officers.

The Liberal government’s use of the Emergencies Act against the 2022 Freedom Convoy has cost Canadian taxpayers over $73 million thus far. 

According to newly released records obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s enactment of the Emergencies Act, the use of which has since been ruled “not justified” by a federal court, to drive out Freedom Convoy protestors from Ottawa in 2022, cost the Department of Public Safety $73,550,568.  

According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the $73 million figure was part of records released by the department at the request of Conservative MP Ziad Aboultaif, and despite its high number, is not the final account.

“With regard to enactment of the Emergencies Act in 2022, what was the cost burden for the government?” Conservative MP Ziad Aboultaif asked.  

“Cost associated with fiscal year 2023-2024 are still to be determined,” the department responded.  

According to the Department of Public Safety, most of the public safety expenses were attributed to local authorities in Ottawa and Windsor, Ontario.  

“It should be noted additional funding allocated by the government to Ottawa and its partners as well as Windsor were not specifically as a result of the Emergencies Act invocation but meant to compensate both municipalities for the extraordinary expenses incurred during and after the protracted blockades,” the report said. 

Other expenses included $17.5 million for a judicial inquiry, $400,000 for charter flights, and $1.3 million for hotel rooms for out-of-town RCMP officers.  

The costs were incurred after Trudeau enacted the Act on February 14, 2022 to shut down the Freedom Convoy protest which took place in Ottawa.  

At the time, the use of the Act was justified by claims that the protest was “violent,” a claim that has still gone unsubstantiated.

In fact, videos of the protest against COVID regulations and vaccine mandates show Canadians from across the country gathering outside Parliament engaged in dancing, street hockey, and other family-friendly activities.

Indeed, the only acts of violence caught on video were carried out against the protesters after the Trudeau government directed police to end the protest. One such video showed an elderly women being trampled by a police horse.   

Recently, Federal Court Justice Richard Mosley ruled that Trudeau was “not justified” in invoking the Emergencies Act.

However, the Trudeau government has doubled down on its heavy-handed response to citizen protesters, filing an appeal with the Federal Court of Appeal – a court where 10 of the 15 sitting judges were appointed by Trudeau.

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COVID-19

Pro-freedom Canadian nurse gets two years probation for protesting COVID restrictions

Published on April 17, 2024

By

Ontario nurse Kristen Nagle

From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

Ontario nurse Kristen Nagle, a well-known figure in Canada’s pro-freedom movement during COVID, said her sentence of two-years probation is effectively a way for the government to silence her for the foreseeable future.

A Canadian nurse found guilty of violating Ontario’s COVID rules for participating in an anti-lockdown rally and speaking out against COVID mandates says despite scoring a recent “half-win” in court, her two-year probation sentence is designed to stop her from “speaking out or going against public health measures.”   

“The Crown wanted an egregious amount of $50,000. They saw my GiveSendGo, they saw the support, they saw that I was not deterred by the $20,000 sentencing and so they wanted to sentence me for $50,000- and two-years’ probation,” said Canadian nurse Kristen Nagle in a Facebook video posted on March 21.   

“So, kind of a half-win, the JP (justice of peace) agreed to the two years’ probation, I don’t really know what that looks like, what that means yet, but I’m under two years’ probation, I don’t know, and $7,500. And $7,500, is really not that bad compared to $50,000.” 

Nagle was heavily involved with the activist group Canadian Frontline Nurses and became a well-known face from those in the medical community in Canada who protested both the mRNA COVID jabs and lockdown dictates imposed by all levels of government.  

She worked at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) in Ontario before being terminated in 2021 for attending anti-lockdown rallies in 2020. She resigned from the College of Nurses of Ontario in January 2023. 

Nagle was found guilty by a court in February for violating Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s Reopening Ontario Act (RAO), after she attended and spoke at an anti-lockdown rally on January 22, 2022, in London, Ontario.  

At the end of March, a court ruled against the Crown’s requested $50,000 fine, and instead fined Nagle $7,500, plus a victim surcharge, which brought the total to $9,375, along with two years’ probation.  

The event that led to Nagle being charged had a crowd size of some 150 people, which was over the allowed 10-person limit that was in place at the time. 

Nagle’s current GiveSendGo fundraising page lists regular updates regarding the various charges incurred for speaking out against COVID mandates.  

Probation sentence a tool to discourage ‘speaking out,’ nurse says

Nagle said her two-year probation now means she “[c]annot commit a crime,” and “must keep the peace” and be on “good behavior and not commit the same offense,” which she said would impede her ability to speak freely.  

“It just seems crazy that when this probation is over it will be 2026! That to me just seemed absurd to think this is still looming in the background until then,” she noted in a recent email to her followers. 

“It was difficult to listen to them talk about the possibility of the next thing, and that we can’t have people going against public health measures in a crisis. It would be naive of them to think that we won’t find ourselves in something similar again, so this probation is to stop me from speaking out or going against public health measures should another ‘public health emergency’ find us again,” she added. 

She also thanked everyone for their support in helping her, as well as everyone’s “encouragement, prayers, and financial contributions throughout the years!” 

“You have no idea how much it has meant to me and my family and lifted up my spirits when I thought I could not go on!” she wrote in her email. 

“Thank you for everything! It has meant more to me than words I am able to express!” 

Earlier this year, Nagel was also found guilty of two charges under the RAO for attending as well as organizing another rally in November of 2020. She was fined $20,000. 

Another charge against Nagle for attending an anti-lockdown protest was withdrawn. 

In 2022, she was fined $10,000 for attending an Easter church service during Ontario’s COVID lockdowns in the spring of 2021, at the Aylmer Church of God. She appealed the fine, which was later reduced to $3,750.  

As recently reported by LifeSiteNews, some healthcare workers who refused to get the COVID jabs were successful in getting positive rulings from arbitrators. 

Indeed, two workers from a Toronto area hospital who chose not to get the COVID shots and were then fired from their jobs were wrongfully terminated, an arbitrator ruled. 

Many other recent rulings have gone in favor of those who chose to not get the shots and were fired from their jobs as a result. 

Draconian COVID mandates, including those surrounding the experimental mRNA vaccines, were imposed by both the provincial Ford government as well as the federal Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 

In April 2021, the Ontario provincial government once again increased its COVID measures and declared a state of emergency over rising cases of the virus. It then put in place a complete ban on all outdoor gatherings that, in effect, made peaceful protests illegal in the province. 

COVID vaccine mandates, which came from provincial governments with the support of Trudeau’s federal government, split Canadian society. The mRNA shots themselves have been linked to a multitude of negative and often severe side effects in children. 

The jabs also have connections to cell lines derived from aborted babies. As a result of this, many Catholics and other Christians refused to take them. 

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