Rebel News Podcast - Birthday Party Crashed by COVID Cops, Alberta's Barbershop Rebellion

00:00:00.000 Hello, Rebels. You're listening to a free audio-only recording of my show, Rebel Roundup.

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00:01:14.280 Welcome to Rebel Roundup, ladies and gentlemen, and the rest of you,

00:01:32.480 in which we look back at some of the very best commentaries of the week by your favourite Rebels.

00:01:37.180 I'm your host, David Menzies.

00:01:38.860 Well, happy birthday to, well, no one, really.

00:01:43.660 Yesterday, we marked the first ominous anniversary of the Wuhan virus pandemic.

00:01:49.460 Not much to celebrate there, unless, of course, you're a power-drunk politician or bureaucrat

00:01:53.960 who likes clamping down on freedoms and charter rights.

00:01:57.740 But just wait till you hear about another birthday story, that of a little girl's.

00:02:02.280 You see, her birthday party was actually raided by police after being tipped off by a COVID Karen. 0.50

00:02:09.840 Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse, Drea Humphrey has all the brutal details. 0.88

00:02:15.400 And Ralph Klein's niece, Natalie Klein, she scored a major victory in court the other day

00:02:21.200 vis-a-vis that act of civil disobedience known as opening her barbershop. 1.00

00:02:27.560 But why is it that the Mounties are apparently begging to differ?

00:02:33.340 Sheila Gunn-Reed will weigh in on this one. 0.96

00:02:35.740 And letters, we get your letters, we get them every minute of every day.

00:02:39.420 And you had plenty to say about the potential conflict of interest that Premier Doug Ford might be in.

00:02:45.780 You see, in addition to being Premier of the province, Doug Ford is also the owner of Deco Labels.

00:02:51.320 And apparently, Deco is a supplier of those signs and floor arrows Ontario businesses must display in their shops

00:02:59.240 to enforce all those Wuhan virus protocols.

00:03:02.680 And also, apparently, business is booming at Deco these days.

00:03:06.780 So really, is Ford truly incentivized to end the lockdowns?

00:03:11.780 Hmm, I wonder.

00:03:13.540 Those are your Rebels. Now let's round them up.

00:03:15.760 Today, I want to introduce you to Miller, the Miller family.

00:03:25.360 I mean, you've got parents, you've got aunts, you've even got grandpa that came together

00:03:31.560 in a small gathering to celebrate two cousins in the family, their birthday together.

00:03:39.700 No extra friends or anything like that.

00:03:42.080 The police showed up, the police entered, and they were all fined.

00:03:47.780 I'll let them tell you the story.

00:03:50.440 And we're also going to speak to their lawyer that we have hired for them, Christina Mukari,

00:03:56.320 who is ready to fight each and every fine that each adult that was present received.

00:04:02.120 Now, Tanya, yours and Shane's daughter was one of the cousins who you guys were celebrating a birthday of.

00:04:10.180 Now, tell us a little bit about why it was important for you guys to gather as a family

00:04:14.800 and celebrate the kids' birthday.

00:04:18.020 Because Shane and I feel that it's important for our children to have social interactions.

00:04:23.140 We've chosen with Katie and Akash and Gord that we would like to keep a family bubble

00:04:28.020 and have our kids socialize and get together.

00:04:31.400 And considering it was a milestone in both my niece and Alexiava's birthday,

00:04:37.160 we chose as parents that it was the right choice for our children to get together.

00:04:41.920 Yeah, you know, I'm a parent too.

00:04:44.020 And I think a big goal of mine during life with COVID-19

00:04:48.180 has been to try to keep things as normal as possible for them.

00:04:52.840 I think that's a very healthy way to do it.

00:04:55.260 Now, did you ever expect that police would be crashing your daughter's birthday party?

00:05:02.940 No.

00:05:03.700 And it was quite an event for the kids because they were really surprised by what was happening.

00:05:11.820 And it quickly changed their reactions into a little bit of fear.

00:05:15.800 And I think that I never expected that they would show up in such great numbers.

00:05:20.980 As well, they were swarming my backyard.

00:05:23.500 There was two of them in the backyard at a different point when we were singing Happy Birthday,

00:05:28.380 which really surprised me.

00:05:30.880 I didn't know how they actually got back there with all the snow.

00:05:34.660 And didn't know that we were doing something so serious

00:05:38.100 that it needed the attention of cops standing in our yard.

00:05:42.140 Yeah.

00:05:42.420 And one of you, I'm not sure which one will play it here,

00:05:45.680 actually questions the officer about, you know, what were you doing in the backyard?

00:05:50.640 Is that why you were standing in the backyard as well?

00:05:52.920 Trespassing on our property?

00:05:54.080 Because you thought we might run out the back door?

00:05:56.220 And they didn't do whatever you need more of you to come out.

00:05:58.940 You were in the backyard?

00:06:00.120 I know.

00:06:00.600 At the back door?

00:06:02.060 You were.

00:06:03.240 And under what law for you to come into the backyard was that?

00:06:06.660 It was because you don't respect the law.

00:06:09.920 And so you don't respect the law too?

00:06:12.380 Is that what I understand?

00:06:13.600 If you want to go to the court and explain yourself.

00:06:16.240 I will have to.

00:06:17.420 If you want to bring us to the court because you don't think we do our job correctly,

00:06:25.200 it's okay.

00:06:25.780 You will be able to do it.

00:06:27.940 I know you feel you're doing your job.

00:06:29.580 But right now, I need a piece of ID to make sure.

00:06:32.680 Can I ask you maybe just to settle in the side of the court?

00:06:34.740 You're still going to have a bubble a little.

00:06:36.120 Now, Gordon, Grandpa, Pops, or is it Papa you go by?

00:06:40.980 Papa is what the kids call me, yeah.

00:06:43.840 Okay.

00:06:44.360 Now, you actually reached out to me to let us know what happened to you guys.

00:06:49.720 But a bunch of you, let me know how many, received fines well over $1,000, right?

00:06:57.380 That's right.

00:07:00.420 The reason I reached out to you is because Shane, Tanya, Kosh, they all have businesses.

00:07:11.680 I mean, they're in desperate shape under these lockdowns and what have you.

00:07:17.300 And particularly the dance studio and the CrossFit gym.

00:07:20.800 So they don't have a lot of time.

00:07:23.240 So I'll take it under my wing to organize this and to follow up on all the tickets.

00:07:28.080 And that's why I was following up with Fight the Fines.

00:07:33.000 Yeah.

00:07:33.540 And so here we are.

00:07:36.140 Right.

00:07:36.800 So thousands.

00:07:37.600 I'm kind of the organizer.

00:07:38.960 But I was just the grandfather there for my two granddaughters.

00:07:44.080 And I have to say, I was kind of shocked.

00:07:48.880 And it was abundantly clear that a neighbor had ratted on us.

00:07:56.180 You know, this is what you call, this is certainly one of the signs of a developing police state

00:08:02.160 where snitching becomes the rule of the day.

00:08:06.360 And so I think I'm probably as appalled by this as my son and daughter and in-laws and

00:08:17.380 what their children had to go through.

00:08:19.000 So there you have it, folks.

00:08:20.640 Welcome to yet another grotesque story here in the post-Wuhan virus world in which we live. 0.95

00:08:27.120 A world in which several police officers will be dispatched to a little girl's birthday party

00:08:33.820 to break it up and threaten arrests because such a celebratory event is obviously a super spreader

00:08:42.060 catalyst, right?

00:08:43.520 Oh, and please, everybody, turn a blind eye to those jam-packed Costco's and Walmart's down

00:08:49.440 the road.

00:08:50.540 And joining me now from Vancouver is Drea Humphrey.

00:08:53.500 Welcome to Rebel Roundup, Drea.

00:08:54.680 Hi, David.

00:08:56.640 Hey, everybody.

00:08:57.640 Always great to see you.

00:08:58.820 Drea, so many angles here, but right off the hopper, who do you have more contempt for? 1.00

00:09:04.280 The police that descended SWAT style on this home or the COVID Karen who called the police

00:09:11.580 to put this ball in play in the first place?

00:09:14.820 It's got to be the COVID Karen for sure.

00:09:17.860 Hands down.

00:09:18.860 They are out of control.

00:09:20.740 And, you know, your neighbor of all people, it's terrifying. 1.00

00:09:26.880 And about little kids, you know, I got a funny little story that happened to my mom about,

00:09:31.620 you know, a neighbor just like that.

00:09:33.040 She actually had her neighbor call bylaws to complain that my mom is leaving the recycling 1.00

00:09:41.400 out too long, which my mom is doing in the appropriate hour, and thus is attracting homeless 0.89

00:09:47.840 people without gloves and masks.

00:09:50.800 And so it's a safety risk.

00:09:53.420 Oh, you're kidding.

00:09:54.920 Yeah, it's out of control.

00:09:57.180 So in other words, so I take it from this story that homeless people would go through

00:10:01.620 the recycling bin and look for deposit return containers.

00:10:06.840 It's not even always.

00:10:08.240 I mean, sometimes they have vehicles.

00:10:09.840 There's a baby in the backseat.

00:10:11.140 It's actually a nice neighborhood.

00:10:12.560 It happens in my neighborhood too.

00:10:14.060 Maybe it's a BC thing.

00:10:15.580 I don't know.

00:10:16.060 But yeah, she called bylaws over that. 0.99

00:10:19.480 Well, if they're repurposing garbage, shouldn't the environmental community be all in on that

00:10:25.400 one?

00:10:25.700 That is outrageous.

00:10:26.920 I mean, you know, I think, Drea, do you get the sense that there is some people, I think

00:10:33.400 the COVID Karens out there, as I call them, I think these are either people with an inferiority 1.00

00:10:38.780 complex or they're wannabe bullies.

00:10:42.200 And the idea that they can phone bylaw to be the real bully empowers them.

00:10:47.400 Do you think there's an element of that going on, that this is like a psychological problem

00:10:52.760 on their end?

00:10:54.560 Absolutely.

00:10:55.400 And I think that it's a misplacement of frustrations because I think they see people doing what

00:11:01.700 people are supposed to do, be with their family, live, not isolate.

00:11:05.280 And it makes them angry inside because they haven't, they can't do it themselves.

00:11:11.560 And so they kind of retaliate in that way.

00:11:14.100 And, you know, you touched upon a really good point there, people doing what people are supposed

00:11:18.900 to do.

00:11:19.620 We are social animals, right?

00:11:22.340 We are not meant, you know, to live in solitary confinement.

00:11:26.680 And that's especially true with kids.

00:11:29.280 And, you know, Andrea, a few months ago, the Canadian Mental Health Association released

00:11:34.060 that study.

00:11:35.200 10% of Canadians have considered committing suicide during this pandemic.

00:11:40.620 To put that into perspective, in a non-pandemic year, it's typically 2.5%.

00:11:45.680 So a fourfold increase.

00:11:47.380 I can only imagine, you know, how this little girl and her friends were feeling when they

00:11:55.540 saw an intimidating show of force by law enforcement saying, this is illegal, it's got to be shut

00:12:02.640 down.

00:12:03.480 What do you make of it?

00:12:06.440 Well, first of all, they didn't even have friends.

00:12:09.240 It was just a small, intimate family celebration of two cousins.

00:12:13.900 So two cousins around the age 14.

00:12:17.380 So I would imagine that this is building almost sort of a fear and a lack of a respect for

00:12:24.560 police officers, you know, when you're making the child a criminal.

00:12:28.420 And they also said, the police said, you know, give us a pat on the back, basically, because

00:12:32.260 we could have fined the kids, because they're almost 14.

00:12:36.160 So they use their discretion on that.

00:12:38.000 But so, yeah, I don't know what it's going to do for children who are just trying to live

00:12:43.620 a normal life.

00:12:44.620 And you mentioned mental health.

00:12:46.480 I know in my reports, I talk about that a lot.

00:12:49.200 And the suicides that are increasing, a big chunk of those are the kids.

00:12:54.860 Our kids are killing themselves.

00:12:56.460 And before COVID-19, the number two killer of kids in Canada was suicide.

00:13:04.840 And suicide is up for our children now post-COVID-19.

00:13:08.800 So I'm really scared about what those numbers are going to be.

00:13:12.180 And so little things, we already know they are not really at risk from this virus.

00:13:17.340 So little things like that, being able to celebrate your birthday with your family can go a long

00:13:24.300 way on the mental health spectrum for them.

00:13:27.100 You know, you're right, Dre.

00:13:27.960 I saw that report the other day about youth suicide rates.

00:13:31.860 It was downright chilling.

00:13:33.140 And the way people are being treated during this Wuhan virus pandemic isn't helping things.

00:13:41.180 You know, I just, there was something about your report that just got my dander up.

00:13:45.940 I think of all the fight the fines cases I've covered.

00:13:48.980 A guy sitting alone on a park bench, $880.

00:13:51.900 A guy in a vacant lot with a metal detector, $880.

00:13:55.480 A senior citizen up in Sarnia taking his dog out to relieve itself in the apartment parking lot

00:14:02.400 in which he lives, an even higher fine.

00:14:05.400 And now this, you know, I'm almost hesitant to say, can it get any worse?

00:14:11.140 Or is this maybe this little girl's birthday party being raided like it's some kind of a drug den?

00:14:16.940 Is this the jump the shark moment for law enforcement when it comes to these ridiculous Wuhan virus protocols?

00:14:24.680 I wish it wasn't going to get worse, but I think we've all learned that

00:14:28.700 we continue to get surprised and surprised with everything that's happening with these restrictions.

00:14:33.700 I mean, this story is so shocking because you've got grandpa and parents and kids

00:14:39.740 all, you know, almost being criminalized.

00:14:44.280 And out in BC, we have it a little easier than you guys out east.

00:14:48.540 But something else that I don't get is we're forbidden from gathering in public.

00:14:54.180 But if you go to the parks, they're packed.

00:14:56.860 The kids are running around playing where I live in BC.

00:14:59.860 And, you know, before it used to be you meet your friend or you meet your loved one and the kids play together.

00:15:05.400 So now we have people meeting at the park, not meeting their family or their friends at the park.

00:15:14.380 And they're allowing their kids to play with strangers instead of their cousins or their family friends.

00:15:20.900 It just makes no sense.

00:15:22.820 I look at it and I'm so shocked.

00:15:24.640 Nothing about this virus in its one year history has made any sense, despite our leaders telling us

00:15:33.140 they're all being directed by science.

00:15:35.920 Yeah, weird science or maybe political science, which isn't science anyway or anyhow.

00:15:42.440 Drea, great report.

00:15:43.660 Thanks for weighing in on this.

00:15:45.580 Thank you.

00:15:46.640 And that was Drea Humphrey in Vancouver.

00:15:49.460 Keep it here, folks.

00:15:50.260 More of Rebel Run-Up to come right after this.

00:15:52.120 Sheila Ben-Reed for Rebel News here in Red Deer, Alberta, outside the Baymont Inn and Suites and Conference Centre,

00:16:03.480 where the Alberta government is using one of the conference rooms here as a satellite courtroom.

00:16:08.400 Now, today was the first court appearance for Natalie Klein of Blades to Fades.

00:16:11.780 You'll remember her as the Innisfail Barbershop owner who came to us through IWillOpen.com.

00:16:17.320 She's the former premier of Alberta, Ralph Klein's niece, and she chose to reopen her barbershop in defiance of the lockdown restrictions

00:16:25.060 that closed her business to customers. 0.93

00:16:27.580 Now, for that, she received almost immediate harassment and surveillance from Alberta Health Services inspectors.

00:16:35.100 Natalie received a lockdown summons to appear in court.

00:16:37.620 So, we hired her a lawyer through our civil liberties initiative, FightTheFines.com, at no cost to her.

00:16:45.300 Now, Natalie's lawyer was top-notch litigation expert Chad Williamson from Williamson Law.

00:16:50.520 Now, you'll recall he's the same lawyer who fought the government and won on behalf of Chris Scott at the Whistle Stop.

00:16:56.780 What a great morning.

00:16:57.720 The practice of law is not always full of success and wonderful stories, but obviously there was a big round of applause down at the Williamson Law offices this morning

00:17:10.220 on account of the fact that the Crown has withdrawn two significant charges under the Public Health Act against our client, Natalie Klein.

00:17:18.480 Again, as we've discussed before, we're experiencing resounding success in multiple areas in fighting for liberty and freedom across this province.

00:17:30.520 And as much as I'd love to credit the talent in my firm, specifically one of my good friends and close associates and fellow lawyer, Yoav Niv,

00:17:40.500 who has been deftly handling many of these FightTheFines cases,

00:17:44.980 we were able to call our client, Natalie, this morning and advise her that these charges have been dropped.

00:17:52.020 Now, that's not to say that the war has been won.

00:17:55.660 As you know, an army can win many battles but still not win the war and there is much work left to do.

00:18:03.840 As I've mentioned before, we have opened dozens of files and we are fighting vigorously and aggressively

00:18:11.580 against government overreach and oppression in this province.

00:18:16.060 But today, specifically, and this is reason for everyone out there to smile,

00:18:22.140 as I'm sure if Ralph were around today, he'd be smiling and we know that our client is smiling.

00:18:28.920 This is a success for freedom and liberty in the province of Alberta.

00:18:32.320 And our office will continue to fight for the civil liberties of not only our clients,

00:18:38.840 but for all Albertans and will attempt to continue to score these resounding successes.

00:18:44.920 Now, that's not to say that we're always going to win,

00:18:47.420 but every single victory pushes the slider a little closer to the mark of freedom on the dial.

00:18:57.040 And we thank Albertans for their support.

00:19:00.240 We thank our clients for their trust and their courage in these cases.

00:19:05.720 And we are so excited and enthusiastic about representing Albertans in all areas of law.

00:19:11.840 And today is a reason for everyone out there to smile.

00:19:15.960 Well, it sounds like Alberta Health Services and the government knew exactly what was good for them.

00:19:20.040 And today they withdrew the charges against Natalie Klein.

00:19:23.440 So I ran into Natalie and some of her supporters, including one of our other Fight the Fines cases,

00:19:29.320 Mom's Diner, to get their reactions.

00:19:33.920 Natalie, tell us what happened today.

00:19:37.800 Well, I just talked to my lawyer and he advised me that the Crown does not want to proceed with any charges or any trial.

00:19:48.820 So it's all been thrown out and we are allowed to go back to work.

00:19:53.440 Oh, I love Natalie's laugh.

00:19:57.780 And she has much to chuckle about and say, who says you can't fight City Hall after all? 1.00

00:20:05.260 Just one hitch though, folks.

00:20:06.600 Apparently the RCMP didn't get the memo about Natalie's slam dunk victory.

00:20:13.360 And what is the deal with that?

00:20:16.060 Well, with more on the victorious Great Alberta Barbershop Rebellion is none other than Sheila, the she-devil Gun Reid.

00:20:24.760 How are you doing, Sheila?

00:20:26.380 David, I'm great.

00:20:27.220 Thank you for having me on the show.

00:20:28.540 Oh, always a pleasure.

00:20:29.380 So, Sheila, before we dive deep into Natalie's story, it came to light after you recorded this piece that the Mounties somehow don't think she is the victor.

00:20:40.980 And par for the course, of course, the mainstream media is getting things wrong yet again.

00:20:46.980 So what's the real story with that?

00:20:50.400 So after the fact, the mainstream media, it seems like they just really want Natalie to be punished for opening her business and trying to keep her business afloat and cutting hair in her town.

00:21:04.740 They really don't want her to be able to just not have these charges.

00:21:08.740 So they contacted the RCMP to see, well, what happened?

00:21:11.980 How did the charges get dropped?

00:21:13.720 Which is weird because normally you would contact the Crown.

00:21:16.600 But anyway, they contacted the RCMP and they said, oh, it seems as though there was a clerical error.

00:21:25.440 And now her charges are in limbo is what they told the local media.

00:21:30.900 And they also sort of alluded to the fact, at least in their discussions with local media, that the charges could potentially come back.

00:21:40.780 Well, as it turns out, Natalie actually has a piece of paper from the Crown saying your charges are withdrawn.

00:21:50.020 And that's that there was no evidence of a clerical error or at least not foretold of in the letter that she received from the Crown.

00:21:58.940 And they just said your tickets are withdrawn.

00:22:00.760 And that was the end of it.

00:22:02.120 And so the only time that any news of a clerical error came up in the days between the charges withdrawn and our video going to air was that the video went to air, that we took a victory lap around the government.

00:22:19.100 And so now all of a sudden the story is changing.

00:22:22.420 So, Sheila, if there is no clerical error and we can't find any evidence of that, then why is the RCMP and why are members of the mainstream media saying that this is a clerical error?

00:22:34.340 In other words, where are they getting this information from or are they just making up stuff now?

00:22:39.640 I don't know where the RCMP are getting their information from.

00:22:42.420 I mean, they said that they're doing now an internal investigation.

00:22:45.560 At least that's what I read in some of the local news coverage of this.

00:22:48.880 But Natalie's tickets are withdrawn.

00:22:52.800 She lawyered up through FightTheFines.com.

00:22:55.540 She got Chad Williamson as her lawyer.

00:22:57.320 He's the really great lawyer who helped Chris Scott at the whistle stop.

00:23:01.840 And the tickets were withdrawn.

00:23:04.740 And that's the end of it.

00:23:06.940 And there's an interesting side note here in all of this.

00:23:11.320 The Crown Prosecutor on Natalie's file, at least according to the letter that we received, that Natalie received and that she sent to me, is Karen Thorsrud.

00:23:22.660 Now, some of you might know that name as the Crown Prosecutor who insists on remaining anonymous, but I'll say her name because she does not have a publication ban on her name.

00:23:33.760 And she's the Crown Prosecutor who is insisting that Pastor James Coates remain in the maximum security remand center because she won't lift those bail conditions that prevent him from not just preaching at a church that violates the health restrictions, but attending a church that violates the health restrictions.

00:23:57.600 And so because of Karen Thorsrud, Pastor James Coates will remain behind bars until his trial in May on an offense for which, if he's found guilty, jail time is not a punishment.

00:24:10.240 That's the same Crown involved in Natalie's case.

00:24:13.760 Well, Sheila, you had me at Karen.

00:24:16.500 But, you know, in the bigger picture, you mentioned earlier you visiting Natalie to do the victory lap.

00:24:25.360 And to me, that's what this story should be, a victory.

00:24:30.440 But it seems that certain members of law enforcement, perhaps, certain members of the bureaucracy, definitely certain members of the mainstream media, they don't see this as a victory.

00:24:42.080 They see this as someone, you know, getting away with something.

00:24:47.060 And what is she getting away with?

00:24:48.580 Well, much like Alicia Herter at Chrome Artistic Barbering in St. Catharines, Ontario, she's had the temerity to keep her business running and service a grateful clientele, not forcing people into her barbershop.

00:25:04.520 But if you want to go in, go in.

00:25:06.200 If you don't, pass on.

00:25:07.520 So it's kind of funny to me, Sheila, that when we see a victory in the name of freedom, this is to be condemned?

00:25:16.120 They see this as some sort of miscarriage of justice, akin to, you know, a sex offender getting off on a technicality and is now loose in the community.

00:25:30.600 Natalie's loose in the community now to cut hair.

00:25:33.960 I mean, that's really what this is all about.

00:25:36.720 They think there should have been punishment for Natalie for standing up for herself, for defying the lockdown, and there isn't, and so they want a mulligan.

00:25:46.780 Well, they're not going to get a mulligan.

00:25:48.480 And if they try a mulligan, God help them, because we're going to have Chad Williamson standing shoulder to shoulder with Natalie to help her in that instance, too.

00:25:58.580 So if Karen Thorsrud wants to go up against Chad Williamson, good luck, sister, because I think she's going to be in for a real fight. 1.00

00:26:09.840 They just really, they want a redo on what they did to Natalie, and that's not how it works.

00:26:16.000 You know, it's amazing, and yeah, Chad is absolutely fantastic, as you said, Sheila.

00:26:21.220 But, you know, we've been told for a year now all these decisions are being driven by science.

00:26:27.520 And yet we know that a small salon catering to one or two people at a time, a salon or a barbershop that before the pandemic has always been dictated to by hygiene and sanitation standards, that far outclass anything you'd see in a Walmart or a Costco.

00:26:50.380 Yet the little mom and pa business has to be shut down that adheres to sanitation and hygiene, but we can pack them to the gills at Walmart and Costco. 0.95

00:27:01.140 Sheila, I can't make sense of this anymore.

00:27:04.660 Well, and we're talking about a barbershop where Natalie was doing her best to follow COVID regulations while reopening her business in defiance of them.

00:27:15.240 What I mean is she was only seeing one client in a chair at a time.

00:27:19.160 So you couldn't come.

00:27:20.620 She would just take you in, cut your hair, send you back out, sanitize everything and keep going. 1.00

00:27:25.520 That should have been certainly good enough for the government.

00:27:27.960 But it wasn't because she was defying the lockdown that closed her business.

00:27:32.020 And this isn't a big city barbershop.

00:27:34.480 This is little bitty Innisfail, Alberta.

00:27:37.380 That's where she was cutting hair and continues to cut hair. 1.00

00:27:41.580 They are not a super spreader town.

00:27:43.820 It's not a super spreader event.

00:27:45.380 But furthermore, there's no evidence that there were any COVID-19 transmissions related to personal care businesses.

00:27:54.780 So the closure of the industry as a whole was unscientific.

00:27:59.020 So good for Natalie for looking at that and saying this is a bad law and it's not going to change unless none of us stands up to it.

00:28:06.100 And as it turns out, right after she did it, guess what?

00:28:10.240 The businesses were open.

00:28:12.020 Jason Kenney lifted those restrictions on her industry just days later.

00:28:16.240 So somehow, these people in the mainstream media still want her to be prosecuted, even though it really comes down to a date on a calendar.

00:28:27.980 It was just like a day here, two days there, three days there before she was allowed to reopen.

00:28:33.080 And they still want her prosecuted for what?

00:28:35.380 For safety?

00:28:36.480 Amazing.

00:28:37.020 Isn't that strange?

00:28:38.120 Sheila, exit question. 1.00

00:28:39.260 Very quickly, Natalie does run a business and the bottom line when you run a business is indeed the bottom line. 0.69

00:28:45.100 Do you think for her taking such a prolific rebel stance, this is good for business or will her clientele and Innisfil punish her by avoiding her shop? 0.84

00:28:57.360 I think with so many of our first, so many of them came to us through iwillopen.com.

00:29:05.140 That was our portal for businesses like Natalie.

00:29:08.600 So before Natalie got a fine, we were telling the story of this brave hair salon that's willing to open.

00:29:15.920 We've seen time and time again, these places who are willing to reopen see an immediate uptick in business, like so busy that it's hard to get an appointment.

00:29:27.700 I know the nail salons that I covered in Alberta. 0.59

00:29:30.020 One of them who's a regular super chatter on our daily live stream, Catherine from Pink Phoenix Nails, she was able to renovate her salon based on the business that she got. 1.00

00:29:41.620 But we had another hair salon in Red Deer, whose house was in foreclosure because the salon was in her house and she's obviously not able to open. 0.91

00:29:52.440 Her house is now out of foreclosure.

00:29:54.840 Natalie is busy all the time.

00:29:57.920 Chris got at the whistle stop.

00:29:59.240 You couldn't get a table in there.

00:30:00.440 You had to wait for two hours.

00:30:01.920 If businesses are willing to reopen, boy, there's a lot of people willing to stand in solidarity with them because we don't, for those of us who don't have small businesses, we want to help.

00:30:14.900 We just don't know how, and so we want the opportunity to help you by spending some money and patronizing your business.

00:30:22.660 Fantastic.

00:30:23.240 Well, there you go, small business community.

00:30:24.880 I know you're facing a lot of intimidation from politicians and the bureaucracy and the health directors and whatnot, but as you just heard from Sheila, being brave, taking a rebel stand is indeed good for business.

00:30:39.680 Sheila, thanks so much for weighing in on this.

00:30:42.380 You're welcome.

00:30:43.000 I just want to say, if you are one of those businesses who's willing to open and you do open and you do get a ticket, now look, I can't encourage you to, I can't encourage you to open, but if you do get a ticket, guess what?

00:30:54.620 We'll help you with that through fightthefines.com.

00:30:57.220 You aren't alone.

00:30:58.040 We'll help you the same way that we helped Natalie.

00:31:00.640 We sure will, folks, because nobody else is willing to do that.

00:31:04.400 Thank you again, Sheila.

00:31:06.020 You're welcome, David.

00:31:06.820 And that was Sheila Gunn-Reed somewhere in the northern hinterland of Alberta.

00:31:11.740 Keep it here, folks.

00:31:12.400 More to come right after this.

00:31:19.280 David Menzies for Rebel News here in Toronto.

00:31:22.500 Well, folks, I'm standing outside Deco Labels.

00:31:25.700 You might be familiar with this company.

00:31:28.380 Deco Labels is, I believe, majority owned or fully owned by Premier Doug Ford.

00:31:34.740 And it makes all kinds of labels and signage and decals and what have you.

00:31:40.620 And, hey, nothing wrong with that.

00:31:42.080 We support business of any size.

00:31:44.660 But the question arises, is it possible that Premier Ford is in a bit of a conflict of interest position?

00:31:54.020 Because it has been noted that Deco Labels produces the types of signage and decals that stores need for all those Wuhan virus protocols.

00:32:05.960 You know, the signs that tell you to sanitize your hands or to put a face diaper on.

00:32:11.300 And, of course, there's those directional arrows because the Wuhan virus is very concerned about which way customer traffic flows in stores, don't you know?

00:32:20.620 Well, we did reach out to Ivana Jelic.

00:32:23.980 She's the spokeswoman for the Premier.

00:32:27.700 Well, it looks like not only are we not allowed to take part in those daily pressers, now the spokesthingies aren't getting back to us either. 1.00

00:32:36.880 So we've come right here to Deco Labels to hopefully get some answers and to address whether or not the Premier is in a conflict of interest.

00:32:47.020 Because what I'm getting at, folks, is that the longer this lockdown goes on, the more lucrative it is for people in the lockdown signage business.

00:33:00.060 Anyways, let's see what we'll find.

00:33:01.820 Well, the first thing that greets our eyes is some signage.

00:33:07.540 It's pretty ratty looking for a company that specializes in signage, wouldn't you say?

00:33:12.820 In any event, it says due to the current COVID-19 situation, the doors to our facility will be locked.

00:33:19.480 Please call this number to reach reception.

00:33:22.400 All right, let's give it a call, shall we?

00:33:25.820 Good afternoon, Deco.

00:33:27.180 Yes, hi there, sir.

00:33:28.440 My name is David Menzies with Rebel News.

00:33:31.820 And I'm just outside your door here.

00:33:34.060 It's locked.

00:33:34.960 I was just hoping to interview somebody at Deco Labels.

00:33:38.040 Can you leave the property?

00:33:40.080 It's private property.

00:33:41.800 Oh, can we leave the property?

00:33:43.420 Yes, please.

00:33:44.340 Okay, I just wanted to get one question answered.

00:33:46.980 Is Premier Ford in a conflict of interest situation in that your company supplies these signs and decals and labels for the COVID-19 protocols?

00:33:58.560 I want you to leave the property or I'll have the police here. 0.95

00:34:04.020 Oh, who are you, sir?

00:34:08.440 Okay.

00:34:09.340 Hmm, that's interesting.

00:34:12.120 Hi, ma'am.

00:34:12.840 Do you work at Deco Labels?

00:34:15.480 You don't work here?

00:34:18.100 That's interesting.

00:34:19.580 She doesn't work here either, but she wants me to leave the property.

00:34:23.100 Hmm.

00:34:23.740 Hi, sir.

00:34:25.280 I'm just here to find out if the Premier's in a conflict of interest position.

00:34:29.120 Well, there you have it, folks.

00:34:33.980 I think this is a textbook case of what the hell happened to Doug Ford?

00:34:39.760 It was only a few short years ago that Doug Ford, before he became Premier Ford, he actually proposed a weekly show at Rebel News.

00:34:48.900 And it's gone from that to not returning our calls to banning us from press conferences.

00:34:58.020 And as you just saw, we went to the door and whoever that man was on the other end of the phone, they said they were going to phone the police if we didn't get off the property.

00:35:07.960 So, again, I have a question that is going unasked, which is simply this.

00:35:15.060 Could it be that the Premier is in a conflict of interest position?

00:35:18.820 Because, obviously, the longer the lockdown continues, the more need there is for the kind of signage his company, Deco Labels, produces.

00:35:28.340 Wow.

00:35:29.240 Talk about customer service excellence.

00:35:32.320 And you had plenty to say about the guy who used to be the common man driving the common van, only to show his true colours once he got into the Premier's office.

00:35:44.420 How disappointing.

00:35:46.000 Gary D. writes, nothing like good customer service when Deco threatens potential customers.

00:35:51.500 Yeah, really, I bet the late, great Rob Ford is turning in his grave watching this sorry spectacle.

00:35:58.200 And that's one takeaway we've learned in the past three years, folks.

00:36:02.320 Doug Ford, sadly, is not Rob Ford.

00:36:06.900 Fluffy Ann writes, as they say, follow the money. 0.98

00:36:10.400 Well, we followed the money, all right, right to a dead end.

00:36:13.520 You know, maybe I'm missing something here.

00:36:15.420 Maybe there is no conflict of interest.

00:36:18.040 But it would be smashing if the Premier or someone at his company would grant us an interview.

00:36:24.380 But these days, that only happens if you're a rank-and-file member of the mainstream media, it would seem.

00:36:30.300 Incredible.

00:36:30.740 Hunter Black writes,

00:36:33.260 I'm sure this store is deemed essential, right?

00:36:35.920 Like Walmart, right?

00:36:37.740 Yes, maybe.

00:36:39.260 Doug Ford's former War Room staffer, Melissa Lantzman, lobbied for Deco Labels,

00:36:45.120 just as she had successfully lobbied for Walmart to ensure that that corporation wouldn't be affected by any lockdown monkey business.

00:36:53.680 Yeah, no conflict of interest there either, right?

00:36:56.880 Oh, and by the way, Lockdown Lantzman, she's vying to be the Conservative Party of Canada candidate for the riding of Thorne Hale. 0.99

00:37:04.800 I'm pretty sure Erin O'Shear thinks she's got the right stuff.

00:37:09.780 Aisha 9696 writes,

00:37:11.740 Well, Aisha 9696, we see this strategy all the time for many players.

00:37:22.580 The thinking is this, I think.

00:37:25.000 We won't say anything and that will effectively kill the story. 0.86

00:37:28.040 Well, it doesn't kill the story, and the scaredy cats who won't come on record just come across as cast iron jerks.

00:37:36.800 A Canadian tradition writes,

00:37:38.620 Sounds like a Ford on the intercom, you know?

00:37:42.200 Canadian tradition, I went back and listened again,

00:37:45.100 and the worst thing I can say about this story is, you know, you might be right.

00:37:49.340 And to think Doug Ford, four years ago, actually pitched a weekly rebel news show called Ford Nation.

00:37:56.020 I was going to be the host for that show.

00:37:58.280 What happened?

00:38:00.040 And Fred Calbent writes, 1.00

00:38:02.140 I've got a few labels for Doug Ford, bully, dictator, and hypocrite. 1.00

00:38:06.920 Good one, Fred. 0.99

00:38:07.760 And I'm sorry to say, with those labels, talk about truth in advertising.

00:38:13.200 Well, that wraps up another edition of Rebel Roundup.

00:38:15.780 Thanks so much for joining us.

00:38:17.000 See you next week.

00:38:18.080 And hey, folks, never forget, without risk, there can be no glory.

00:38:22.220 Good night.

Rebel News Podcast - March 13, 2021

Birthday Party Crashed by COVID Cops, Alberta's Barbershop Rebellion

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