Free To Fly

[Jaydee]

1 hour ago, Seeker said:

Just received this from a co-worker:

"I’m stranded on the highway with a flat tire. Called CAA roadside because my car doesn’t carry a spare tire… got through the whole process only for them to refuse to take me because I’m not fully vaccinated… Is this really what Canada has become!?"

 

 

Or crap like this one….anything is possible with governments insane need to control. The judge only backed off after Social Mecia criticism.

Illinois judge recuses after allowing unvaccinated mom to see son

 

https://www.foxnews.com/us/illinois-judge-recuses-unvaccinated-mom-dad-plans-emergency-motion?cmpid=fb_fnc&fbclid=IwAR3G6Z6orQrKKvdhOZtn4cBAlkLquTNfW-anr7T06LIXI_NkvMq82PNWczU

[Guest2]

2 hours ago, Seeker said:

Just received this from a co-worker:

"I’m stranded on the highway with a flat tire. Called CAA roadside because my car doesn’t carry a spare tire… got through the whole process only for them to refuse to take me because I’m not fully vaccinated… Is this really what Canada has become!?"

 

 

Is this Fake News?   

According to the CAA no such requirement exists.

Quote

Roadside services.

Updated Wednesday, September 1, 2021

The safety of our Members, Customers and Associates continues to be our top priority as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.

As provincial restrictions continue to change, we will proactively adjust our current roadside policies and procedures accordingly in response to COVID-19 in order to keep our Members and tow operators safe.

• Increased screening: Members will be asked if they, or anyone in their household are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 or if they’ve travelled requiring quarantine. This is to best support our Member’s needs while aiming to keep everyone safe.
• Contact-Free Service: Members seeking Roadside Services, including battery boosts and light service, will be asked to support us in minimizing contact between themselves and our CAA support team.
• Mask requirement: Our tow operators and all passengers riding in a CAA tow truck are required to wear masks. If Members and passengers cannot meet the mask requirement, they are welcome arrange their own transportation from their breakdown location.

If you are in need of roadside assistance, you can call 1-800-222-4357, submit a request online or download the CAA App.

While we modify how we deliver on our services, we remain committed to being there for our Members during these uncertain times.

 

[Seeker]

22 minutes ago, Skeptic said:

Is this Fake News?   

According to the CAA no such requirement exists.

 

Not, fake, I know the individual involved.  Maybe some dispatcher or phone operator has decided on their own that it's a good idea, maybe a new procedure that hasn't been publicised yet?

What happens when gas stations decide you can't buy gas without your vaccination passport being up-to-date?

[boestar]

On 8/31/2021 at 9:16 PM, UpperDeck said:

Exactly what IS "Moraphine"?

Sometimes these forums and the exchanges therein become......less than informative. Boestar....I know you were referring to morphine...tongue-in-cheek.

Ivermectin in combination with other drugs has been shown to reduce the severity of Covid infections and the need for hospitalization. There were a number of studies done about a year ago that indicated "high confidence".

What is now claimed about the Pfizer vaccine and others? They reduce the severity of infection.

Deicer and others deride the use of Ivermectin. What inanity!! Do I know anything about the drug other than what I have read? Of course not but at least I "read" rather than scanned social media for humourous memes.

Just over a year ago, a pilot I know was infected with Covid as was his wife whose mother died as a result of infection. His wife became a "long-timer". He decided, after some research, to take this ivermectin combo. He quickly recovered. Was that due to the drug? Who knows.

He forwarded the research paper to me and I sent it on to a physician acquaintance who in turn circulated it among a medical group of which he was a participant.

The results were mixed but it was generally accepted that there was a reasonable degree of confidence that Ivermectin might significantly reduce symptoms without adverse effects.

Personally, were I to be infected, I'd welcome any medication likely to reduce symptoms.

The elimination of tapeworms would be a bonus! Lol

 

 

 

 

 

Don't get me wrong.  I am sure it can reduce "Symptoms" but it does not do anything for the underlying infection.  In fact the vaccine doesn't either.  The Vaccine is prophylaxis not cure.

I too would welcome any treatment available.  The problem is there would be no money in it for the drug supplier.  Why use off the shelf medication when you can make millions from something new.

 

[Guest2]

44 minutes ago, Seeker said:

Not, fake, I know the individual involved.  Maybe some dispatcher or phone operator has decided on their own that it's a good idea, maybe a new procedure that hasn't been publicised yet?

What happens when gas stations decide you can't buy gas without your vaccination passport being up-to-date?

What happens when ...........   must be tinfoil hat time......     

[boestar]

CAA was not allowing people to ride with the driver when a car was towed but that was last year before vaccines were even available.  Don't know if the policy has changed.

 

[J.O.]

If CAA hasn't advised all of their members of a new policy on vaccination, then that should never have happened. I'm a member of BCAA and there's been no such notification here. 

In any case, call me crazy but I don't understand why anyone would answer "no" to a CAA dispatcher asking the question. It's not like they have any means to verify whether or not it's true.

[Jaydee]

Don’t get me wrong, I am for vaccines ….<<< 2nd dose….but these passports are the dumbest idea ever. I can see how this will play out.

 

"No I'm sorry sir you can't come into our restaurant. You only have your 20th booster shot, the 23rd variant requires at least 22 boosters to dine with us".
 

Covid isn't going away, and these ridiculous overreactions need to stop.

Edited September 2, 2021 by Jaydee

[conehead]

5 hours ago, Seeker said:

Just received this from a co-worker:

"I’m stranded on the highway with a flat tire. Called CAA roadside because my car doesn’t carry a spare tire… got through the whole process only for them to refuse to take me because I’m not fully vaccinated… Is this really what Canada has become!?"

 

 

I call BS.

[Seeker]

2 hours ago, Skeptic said:

What happens when ...........   must be tinfoil hat time......     

Man, am I ever getting tired of that.  Not just here on the forum but everywhere I go.  Any sort of negative comment or contrary opinion about Covid, the vaccines or the passports is always met with the same reply; "Careful, your tin-foil hat is slipping.  Yuck, yuck, yuck".

This, apparently, is the new normal.  I must have missed the memo.

 

[Seeker]

6 minutes ago, conehead said:

I call BS.

Latest from the person involved;  he called a supervisor this morning and got an apology for what happened.  They are not allowed to ask vaccination status and it is not policy - apparently a rogue agent.

 

[Guest2]

1 hour ago, Seeker said:

Latest from the person involved;  he called a supervisor this morning and got an apology for what happened.  They are not allowed to ask vaccination status and it is not policy - apparently a rogue agent.

 

Thanks for the clarification.   By the by, my tin hat comment was only to your comment re not being able to gas your car.  

[FA@AC]

58 minutes ago, Seeker said:

Any sort of negative comment or contrary opinion about Covid, the vaccines or the passports is always met with the same reply; "Careful, your tin-foil hat is slipping.  Yuck, yuck, yuck".

 

What sort of response can you reasonably expect when you spread misinformation about vaccine approval or suggest that unvaccinated people are being denied entry to grocery stores?

[Seeker]

1 hour ago, FA@AC said:

What sort of response can you reasonably expect when you spread misinformation about vaccine approval or suggest that unvaccinated people are being denied entry to grocery stores?

Oh yeah, the grocery store - that was due to a bad edit.  I started with a longer reply that included the grocery stores in France.  I shortened it and in my haste failed in the proofread.

Now, what misinformation have I been spreading about vaccine approval?  Oh yeah, that the old EUA and the new Crominraty aren't the same - turns out they are.    Congratulations, you were right, I was wrong. 

[FA@AC]

53 minutes ago, Seeker said:

Oh yeah, the grocery store - that was due to a bad edit.  I started with a longer reply that included the grocery stores in France.  I shortened it and in my haste failed in the proofread.

Now, what misinformation have I been spreading about vaccine approval?  Oh yeah, that the old EUA and the new Crominraty aren't the same - turns out they are.    Congratulations, you were right, I was wrong. 

We all make mistakes.  My question was more about whether people who say/post stuff like that on a regular basis should be surprised when they're taken as members of the tinfoil hat brigade.

Edited September 2, 2021 by FA@AC

[conehead]

2 hours ago, Seeker said:

Latest from the person involved;  he called a supervisor this morning and got an apology for what happened.  They are not allowed to ask vaccination status and it is not policy - apparently a rogue agent.

 

Thanks Seeker.

[J.O.]

I'm double vaccinated and I believe mass vaccination is our best path back to normal, so I would like to see as many people as possible be vaccinated. I also have no problem with those who choose differently, provided that choice is for objective medical / scientific reasons. Unfortunately, there seems to be about one of those for every ten that have made that choice because of a misinformation campaign that's created a level of anarchy the likes of which Lex Luthor would be proud.

Here in BC yesterday, there were protests against vaccine passports and mandates. These protests were organized through social media and they were held in front of most every hospital in the province. When I say organized, it was only in terms of timing and location. The messaging was a PR disaster. Many of the protest groups included people who hurled obscenities and racist barbs at medical staff as they came and went from their workplace. Any hopes of garnering sympathy for their cause was lost, not only because of the taunting, but because they chose places where thousands of front line workers have risked their own health and safety to help COVID patients survive and to keep the dying ones comfortable. The medical staff have paid a horrible price both physically and emotionally for over 18 months. These protestors chose to pile on against people who've had no more of a hand in shaping public policy decisions than my neighbour's pet Airedale. The response today from the majority in the community has been the polar opposite of sympathetic. Many people are now saying the protestors can go jump in a lake should they ever get sick in the future - for any reason. 

What's that old saying about catching flies with honey instead of vinegar? 

[Seeker]

Yes, it's really unfortunate.  The choice to hold a protest outside of an active medical facility is not just questionable - it's downright stupid.  It should have been held in Victoria in front of the legislature or in Stanley Park.  I'm guessing the feeling was that the protest has to be an inconvenience to people to create an impact - well,  as you described, it had an impact but the opposite of what they desired.

[Jaydee]

22 minutes ago, Seeker said:

The choice to hold a protest outside of an active medical facility is not just questionable - it's downright stupid. 

“We wanted to help people
We were smart and driven
We loved science and physiology, humans and disease
So we made a commitment
We signed up
It was an honor

We read thousands of pages
Attended hundreds of lectures
Pulled all-nighters
Took more exams than we thought possible
Finals week felt insurmountable
But it didn’t break us
It made us stronger

We learned statistics and biochemistry
Immunology and pathophysiology
We mastered genetics, virology and pharmacology
We read scientific papers and learned how to dissect them
Papers, not videos
It was an honor

We came running when you needed us
Literally, running down the hallway
To the ICU, the trauma bay, labor and delivery
I need help, you said
We can help, we said
It was an honor

There were moments that we thought would break us
Moments that drove us to journaling, to therapy, to nightmares
Broken babies.
Paralyzed children.
Dead pregnant mothers with three kids at home.
The wail of a mother whose son just died.
We bent but we did not break
We returned because you needed us
And we could help
It was an honor

Then there was fear
Fear of walking into our place of work
Fear that we’d be killed by going to work
Fear that we’d kill a loved one because of our work
There were tears and sleepless nights and anti-anxiety medications
But you banged your pots and pans
You sent us pizzas and called us heroes
You needed us
We could help
So we wore our masks, and our gowns, and our gloves, and our goggles
We decontaminated ourselves before going home and isolated ourselves from our families
We almost broke
It was an honor

How quickly the joy turned to defeat
Elation to rage
You’ve learned to do your own research now
You know better than we do
Gaslighting is your language
Your selfishness is astounding
You don’t want our help when we ask you to stay healthy
Yet you arrive at our doors begging for help at the end

You stole our resources
You hobbled our ability to help those who did what they were supposed to do
You killed our patients by filling our beds and using up our ventilators
We can’t help any more
You broke us
There is no more honor”

- Anonymous

[Seeker]

15 hours ago, Jaydee said:

How quickly the joy turned to defeat
Elation to rage
You’ve learned to do your own research now
You know better than we do
Gaslighting is your language
Your selfishness is astounding
You don’t want our help when we ask you to stay healthy
Yet you arrive at our doors begging for help at the end

You stole our resources
You hobbled our ability to help those who did what they were supposed to do
You killed our patients by filling our beds and using up our ventilators
We can’t help any more
You broke us
There is no more honor”

- Anonymous

Wow, enough to bring a tear to my eye.  

Yeah.  Think back the time before Covid.  Here's a quoted section from an article from John's Hopkins from 2016:

Analyzing medical death rate data over an eight-year period, Johns Hopkins patient safety experts have calculated that more than 250,000 deaths per year are due to medical error in the U.S. Their figure, published May 3 in The BMJ, surpasses the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) third leading cause of death — respiratory disease, which kills close to 150,000 people per year.

Are we to believe that now in the Covid age that everyone in the medical industry has become infallible?  Some anonymous doctor bemoaning the fact that patients now actually have the ability to find a little information for themselves rather than bowing down to their expertise.  Medical error killed my mother-in-law.  I do not bow down and kiss the feet of "The Doctor".  Some doctors are good, some are bad.  Some know what they are doing and some don't.  Some are lazy, some are hard-working.  I should clarify that I think the majority are the: good, know what they are doing, hard-working.

If you find one that jives with your personal philosophy and gives you good advice - hang onto him or her.  In my 45 years as an adult I've moved and lived all across the country - I have had some really questionable primary care providers.

 

[IFG]

16 hours ago, Seeker said:

Just received this from a co-worker:

"I’m stranded on the highway with a flat tire. Called CAA roadside because my car doesn’t carry a spare tire… got through the whole process only for them to refuse to take me because I’m not fully vaccinated… Is this really what Canada has become!?"

Hi, Seeker - If this was in Ontario, I have to wonder if a little was lost in translation there. I had my car towed within the last month through CAA. It was made clear when booking the tow that I'd not be able to ride in the truck, due COVID protocols (vaxx never even came up). And here's what strikes me. It never occurred to me to argue. TBH, I don't know why anybody at all, even vaxxedx2 as I am, would blithely expect the driver to unnecessarily (CAA is not taxi service) expose himself (and thereby his family) to close contact > 15 minutes with a total stranger, maybe several times a day, every workday. I was pretty much "well, that sucks, but I get it", and went about alternate arrangements. 

I just don't see what presents here as an intolerable encroachment. Talk about 1st world problem.

 

 On another note :

2 hours ago, Seeker said:

.... Here's a quoted section from an article from John's Hopkins from 2016:

Analyzing medical death rate data over an eight-year period, Johns Hopkins patient safety experts have calculated that more than 250,000 deaths per year are due to medical error in the U.S. Their figure, published May 3 in The BMJ, surpasses the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) third leading cause of death — respiratory disease, which kills close to 150,000 people per year.

Are we to believe that now in the Covid age that everyone in the medical industry has become infallible?  Some anonymous doctor bemoaning the fact that patients now actually have the ability to find a little information for themselves rather than bowing down to their expertise .... 

Estimates of preventable hospital deaths are too high, new study shows | YaleNews

"Previous estimates of preventable deaths of hospitalized patients may be two to four times too high, a new Yale School of Medicine study suggests.

The meta-analysis of eight studies of inpatient deaths, published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, puts the number of preventable deaths at just over 22,000 a year in the United States, instead of the oft-cited 44,000-98,000 estimate of a landmark 1999 study by the Institute of Medicine. Other frequently cited studies have placed the number of deaths as high as 250,000 deaths per year, which would make medical error the third leading cause of death, behind cancer and cardiovascular disease ...."

Quarter million figure certainly piques curiosity . What percentage of total deaths is that? 1 in 3?

Where people die - Harvard Health

"Although more than 700,000 people die in hospitals each year in the US, the trend is toward fewer in-hospital deaths."

JH study may not be limited to hospital deaths (likely as wide a net as possible was cast), but I'll bet many people read that into the study's conclusion.

The top 10 leading causes of death in the United States (medicalnewstoday.com)

"According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were 2,813,503 registered deathsTrusted Source in the United States in 2017."

Total death rate above suggests JH saying almost 10% of ALL deaths (guns, crashes etc. included) are medical error, which FWIW still seems high to me. IAC, Don't want to bog down with amateur statistical analysis. That quarter mill number does not seem to lie in the centre of estimates for caused-by-error (except perhaps for malpractice lawyers). One is open to be convinced, but as the saying goes, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence .

Cheers, IFG 

Edited September 3, 2021 by IFG

[FA@AC]

Since a cause of death discussion is now happening on the thread would anyone like to guess what this year's #1 cause of death of law enforcement officers in Florida is?

https://news.wfsu.org/state-news/2021-09-02/covid-19-leading-cause-of-death-among-florida-law-enforcement-officers-in-2021

[UpperDeck]

11 hours ago, IFG said:

That quarter mill number does not seem to lie in the centre of estimates for caused-by-error (except perhaps for malpractice lawyers). One is open to be convinced, but as the saying goes, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence .

Cheers, IFG 

Now then.....just a sec.

May I first say that medical malpractice lawyers are few and far between. It requires a LOT of work and study to have any functional idea of the relationship between what occurred and the reasonable expectation of what SHOULD have occurred.

May I add that I have no clue as to the meaning of the first quoted sentence.

Continuing....I had maybe 10 medical malpractice cases. They were all defended out of one firm in Toronto. One of the defence lawyers I encountered was an MD as well as an LL.B 

One of my cases involved a lady who died of a heart attack. She was diagnosed by the emergency physician with indigestion. He conducted no blood tests and mis-read the ECG.

In another, my client was admitted for a tubal ligation. She almost died. The gynecologist cut a blood vessel during the operation that wasn't anywhere near the operative field. To get an expert for the plaintiff, I had to bring in a fellow from Chicago. No one local was prepared to testify though there were a number who were ready to help with one hand over their mouth.

Bottom line....as in every "trade", mistakes are made. Doctors tend to be a tad more protective of each other. Like some pilots....individually, they never err; but others do.

[Guest2]

‘The ultimate selfishness’: Doctors grow frustrated as anti-vaxxers protest hospitals

By Camille Bains  The Canadian Press

Posted September 3, 2021 6:18 am

Some doctors and nurses are frustrated with large groups of anti-vaccination protesters outside hospitals in cities across the country and say limited health-care resources are being used to save the lives of those who decided not to protect themselves against COVID-19.

Dr. Steven Fedder, who works in the emergency room of a hospital in Richmond, B.C., said he has run out of patience for people whose stance against vaccines has larger societal implications.

“I think it’s the ultimate selfishness that individuals choose not to vaccinate themselves,” he said.

“And I think they don’t realize — they are too arrogant to understand — that we live in a society where we all have to make sacrifices.”

It’s time that more employers, including all levels of governments, started mandating vaccines to send a strong message to those ignoring the science behind vaccination, Fedder said, adding the potential of losing a job may be the jolt people need to get immunized.

Patients suffering from other serious illnesses are affected when the health-care system starts to “grind to a halt” from the number of unvaccinated patients being hospitalized and occupying intensive care beds, Fedder said, noting people with chronic conditions often avoid going to emergency departments when cases spike, sometimes worsening their health.

“For the staff, it’s exhausting. It’s challenging when you have somebody come in who is there when there was a simple route to preventing what they came in with — a COVID infection.

“Our job is to be professional and not to be judgmental, but it’s very trying for nurses and doctors and all the other health-care professionals to look at somebody who made a conscious decision not to get vaccinated.” ash and anger after anti-vaccine protestors target B.C. hospitals

Backlash and anger after anti-vaccine protestors target B.C. hospitals

Anti-vaccination sentiments have intensified since some provinces announced plans to require so-called vaccination passports to access places like restaurants, movie theatres and gyms.

Quebec and Ontario began their programs this week and British Columbia residents will be expected to provide proof of vaccination in the coming weeks.

 

‘It’s despicable’: Reaction pours in after protesters target B.C. hospitals over ‘health freedom’

 

Vaccine skeptic Joe Rogan tests positive for COVID-19

 

Over a dozen hospitals in Ontario have issued vaccine mandates for health-care staff. British Columbia’s provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, has said the province is considering plans for a similar policy at acute-care settings.

B.C. has already announced that staff at long-term care facilities will need to be fully vaccinated by mid-October.

Dr. Amit Arya, a palliative care physician at Kensington Health in Toronto, said rallies outside health-care facilities have been emotionally draining for him and other physicians who are burnt out from working long hours.

He denounced a group of protesters outside the University Health Network earlier this week, and said they were disrupting patients and staff from entering the hospital.

“It’s really hard to grasp why any group of people would be protesting outside of hospitals, where we have vulnerable people coming in to seek medical care,” said Arya, adding he has endured several months of online harassment and hate mail because of his pro-vaccine stance.

“I think people are getting really aggressive about the vaccine issue and I’m scared. I’m scared for my family, I have little children as well and I know many other colleagues in the same sort of boat as me have faced a lot of pushback.”

Vancouver police Const. Tania Visintin said a crowd of about 5,000 people rallied outside Vancouver General Hospital on Wednesday.

The protests coincided with others at health-care facilities elsewhere in the province, prompting Premier John Horgan to say the targeting and harassment of health-care workers was “completely unacceptable.”

Both the Canadian Medical Association and the Canadian Nurses Association support mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for health-care workers as a way to protect their front-line staff and patients as well as communities, especially as cases climb around the country.

Michael Villeneuve, CEO of the nurses association, said a very small but vocal percentage of nurses, perhaps three per cent, appear to be against vaccination, especially as a condition of employment, but everyone in the profession should know COVID-19 vaccines have been rigorously tested.

“We base our decisions on science. Nursing as a science is not a collection of opinions. If we adapted care based on what (my) opinion is today versus someone else’s, it would be complete chaos out there.”

READ MORE: Anti-vaxxers storm the wrong BBC building in botched U.K. protest

However, Villeneuve, a registered nurse, said it’s not always clear that those protesting against vaccines and claiming to be nurses on social media in particular are actually part of the profession.

He said a national response to the public health emergency is needed instead of a patchwork of policies on vaccination in various jurisdictions, which has led to confusion.

“The frustration is, how do you bring people to see the value of the solution,” he said of vaccines. “There are always people who say it’s a rights-based response, with no responsibility.”

— With files from Rhythm Sachdeva in Toronto.

 

[Don Hudson]

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/global-frontline-nurses-rally-1.5868794?fbclid=IwAR2NB1Keih-vDLYLSmThFlKp6MNuhA5GJoohpW9fsV9x7tKaIRj0pPQrxkk

Colin Butler is a veteran CBC reporter who's worked in Moncton, Saint John, Fredericton, Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, Hamilton and London, Ont. Email: colin.butler@cbc.ca

Regulator investigating 2 Ont. nurses who travelled to D.C. rally promoting 'COVID fraud' conspiracy

Kristen Nagle and Sarah Choujounian are under investigation by the College of Nurses of Ontario
Colin Butler ·

CBC News · Posted: Jan 11, 2021 5:13 PM ET | Last Updated: January 12

Ontario's nursing regulator says it is investigating two nurses who travelled to Washington, D.C., last week to attend a rally by a group of their peers that has made unsubstantiated, conspiratorial claims about "COVID fraud" and hospitals' alleged role in misrepresenting the coronavirus pandemic.

Kristen Nagle, a neonatal ICU nurse from London, Ont., and Sarah Choujounian, a registered practical nurse from Toronto, travelled to the United States last week despite current public health directives to avoid all non-essential travel in order to help mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The College of Nurses of Ontario confirmed the two nurses, who have participated in events protesting COVID-19 public health measures in Canada, were already under investigation and said it is aware of their recent trip to D.C. to attend an event organized by Global Frontline Nurses (GFN).

The group's members claim hospitals around the world are misreporting cases of the virus and needlessly placing patients on ventilators and diagnosing people with COVID-19 in order to make money off the crisis.

"I can advise that CNO is investigating these members and that we are aware of the information indicated," said spokesperson Angela Smith in response to CBC News questions about the investigation.

Smith said regulations prevent the college from providing details on the status of the investigation.
'It's shocking'

Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario, calls the views promoted by Global Frontline Nurses "pure conspiracy theory."

"It's damaging because what people need is factual information," Grinspun, who has filed a complaint against Nagle with the college over her past activities, said in an interview.

"When you hear this from one of your own, and in this case, two of our own, one RN and one RPN, it's shocking."

GFN's members gathered on the steps of Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 hours before thousands of supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump descended on the Capitol to try to stop the certification the presidential election results by violently overwhelming police and storming into the building.

According to a press release issued ahead of the GFN event, the intent was to "share insight about COVID fraud and corruption inside hospitals."

Attended past anti-mask events

Nagle and Choujounian have attracted the attention of American media for attending the GFN event at a time when the U.S.-Canada border is supposed to be shut to all non-essential travel.

The two nurses are no strangers to public controversy. Both have participated in rallies against wearing masks and government-mandated lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nagle, who works as a neonatal nurse at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), was one of the organizers of an anti-mask rally in Victoria Park in November that resulted in a number of charges being laid under the Reopening Ontario Act.

Since that rally, Nagle has been placed under investigation by the college and her employer. A spokesperson for LHSC said she will remain on unpaid leave pending the results of the hospital network's probe.

Erinor Jacob-Levine told CBC News in an email that LHSC is aware of Nagle's trip south of the border.

"We want to assure our community that we take this situation and the new events that have come to light very seriously," Jacob-Levine said.

"While we are not able to address the specifics of an internal investigation due to privacy, safeguarding the health of our patients and their families, staff and physicians is of the utmost importance and remains our top priority."
Nagle, left, and Choujounian, far right, seen with another member of Global Frontline Nurses in January 2021, have both participated in past events in Canada that have opposed COVID-19 public health measures such as mask wearing and lockdowns. (Sarah Choujounian/Instagram)
Toronto nurse says she was fired from nursing home

Choujounian currently works for S.R.T. MedStaff, according to the Ontario College of Nurses. The company describes itself as "a leading provider of nursing and personal support services to over 30 hospitals in the Greater Toronto Area."

Carolyn Acton, vice-president of patient services and operations at S.R.T. MedStaff, said in an email that the company could not discuss Choujounian's travels because of privacy considerations.

However, she said policies are in place to prevent staff who have travelled outside the country from coming in contact with patients.

"Currently, any staff who has travelled outside of Canada is required to self-isolate for 14 days and to contact Public Health," Acton wrote. "At the end of the 14 day isolation period, we re-screen staff and also require that they are cleared by Public Health prior to being reinstated for work."

A YouTube video shows Choujounian telling a crowd at an anti-lockdown rally in Toronto in November that she was fired from her job at Norfinch Care Community, a nursing home in the North York neighbourhood of Toronto, for "speaking the truth" and sharing her opinion about the pandemic online.

Sienna Senior Living, the company that owns Norfinch Care Community, confirmed to CBC News on Monday that Choujounian is "no longer an employee" at the nursing home but wouldn't provide further details, citing privacy reasons.
Nurses facing 'death threats and harassment': GFN

Jeff Louderback, a spokesman for Global Frontline Nurses, confirmed the two Canadian nurses attended the Jan. 6 event but told CBC News via text message that Nagle and Choujounian were "not available for interviews" because they have been subject to "death threats and harassment."

CBC News attempted to contact Choujounian on social media and received no reply.

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Attempts were also made to reach Nagle through her social media accounts and through her brother on social media but were unsuccessful.

The nurses documented their trip and the GFN event on social media.
Ontario nurses travelled to Washington D.C. 8 months ago
1:58
A group of nurses, including two who are now under investigation by Ontario's nursing regulator, gathered in Washington D.C. last week. Video captured from the Instagram account of Kristen Nagle of London, Ont. 1:58

They were seen together with other GFN members in one video posted on Nagle's Instagram account last week. The video was made private following media reports about the trip but was seen by CBC News while it was still public.

In the video, Nagle and Choujounian are seen with at least five other people, none of whom are wearing masks, inside what appears to be a hotel room.

They recount attending a Trump rally that was held last Wednesday south of the White House before some of the supporters moved to the Capitol.  

"I keep getting messages wondering if we're OK. We are all safe," Nagle says in the video before passing her phone to Choujounian, who talks about carrying a pro-Trump flag for fear of being mistaken for a supporter of the far-left group Antifa because she was dressed all in black.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Colin Butler

Video Journalist

Colin Butler is a veteran CBC reporter who's worked in Moncton, Saint John, Fredericton, Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, Hamilton and London, Ont. Email: colin.butler@cbc.ca