'Bizarre' fictional COVID-19 report, penned by Preston Manning, resurfaces on social media
CTV
The man Alberta is paying $253,000 to find out what went right – and wrong – with the province's pandemic response has already come to his own conclusions in a report published online last spring.
The man Alberta is paying $253,000 to find out what went right – and wrong – with the province's pandemic response has already come to his own conclusions in a report published online last spring.
The report, posted online by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, a think tank that has been tied to controversies involving Canada's residential school system and climate change denial, contains a fictional account of a review of the federal government's COVID-19 response.
It's written by Preston Manning, 80-year-old retired politician who served as Calgary MP and leader of the Reform Party of Canada for 13 years.
Manning's been on his own fact-finding mission since last year, but Alberta Premier Danielle Smith appointed him last week to head a $2-million review into Alberta's handling of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
The FCPP's publication, called the Report of the COVID Commission was posted on May 11, 2022 along with a YouTube video Q&A with Manning. Both drew little attention – until now.
Manning calls the work "a fictional, futuristic description of relevant political developments in the post-COVID period in Canada."
While admitting it is fiction, he adds the purpose of publishing it is "non-fictional."
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Ontario is moving to outlaw the resale of tickets for more than their original value, following through on legislation hat was promised after a string of in-demand events in Toronto saw ticket resale prices skyrocket out of reach for many.