EDITORIAL: The Mayor, the Minion & the Media

Recent events (and not too recent events) indicate that Quesnel’s Mayor Bob Simpson and his underling, Councillor Scott Elliot, plus the local Cariboo Observer are all displaying collusive qualities designed to forestall any serious changes to the province’s current draconian restrictions on the people’s fundamental rights and freedoms as expressed in both Common Law and Canada’s falsely and long touted Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  

While south of border, as of March 10, 2021 we’ve witnessed the state of Texas, along with 16 other states including Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Tennessee displaying the required intestinal fortitude to eliminate all restrictions related to the Covid pandemic and thus ending the shutdowns and restoring restaurant capacities back to the normal 100% and even more importantly for the people ridding the state of all the mask mandates, back here in Canuckistan (aka Canada), we’re still being forced to bear the burden of all these irrational protective measures both by the actions of our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and by B.C.’s provincial NDP leader John Horgan.

Any attempt by local citizens to challenge these tyrannical, iron-fisted restrictions through communications with our local municipal governments and local media are met with blatant denial and overt denunciation as shown in the following e-mail exchanges between myself, Arthur Topham, and Quesnel City Council and Mayor. To date, since I first contacted the new Editor of the Observer, I’m still sitting here like the proverbial Maytag Repair Man awaiting a response to my communications with Cassidy Dankochick. 

The whole sorry event began last Tuesday, March 9th when I contacted the Editor of the Observer to notify him about an upcoming event of importance while at the same time soliciting him to assist the general public by advertising said event in the upcoming March 17th edition of his community newspaper.    

The event itself is the World Wide Rally for Freedom which has been slated to take place in LeBourdais Park on Saturday, March 20th, 2021. In my email I included a graphic image announcing the event and suggested to Mr. Dankochick that he run it on the front page of March 17th edition. I further stated that the event “is an example of what the people must do in order to deal with all the madness and disinformation and draconian rules and regulations that we are faced with during these times” and that “as the community newspaper I believe it behooves you to assist the citizens of Quesnel and the outlying areas to help spread the word about this pending Rally….”

I further added that “Now’s your chance to show us whether you have the mettle to meet the expectations of Cariboo residents or whether you will, as the msm has been doing since this crisis of epic proportions burst upon the world, simply go along with the globalist agenda that the NDP government is pushing on us all. It’s my hope that you will stand up for truth and the people.”

After sending off my email to Cassidy Dankochick I was checking my mail and found an email from an associate of mine in Vancouver who had forwarded to me an Open Letter addressed to Vancouver Sun, Adrian Dix, Bonnie Henry, Mike Farnworth, John Horgan. The substance of the letter, written by Connie Fogel of Vancouver Island, was her point blank criticism of precisely the issues that formed the basis for the upcoming Rally and were directed at the same major provincial players. 

My immediate reaction was to send the Open Letter to the Editor of the Observer. In doing so I suggested to Cassidy that he run Ms. Fogel’s letter in the Observer too as as I felt it encapsulated all that’s been wrong with the government’s approach to this massive hoax. When I sent it off I included in the CC list the emails of both Mayor Simpson and all the city Councillors. 

Within a very short span of time I received two email replies from Mayor Simpson and Councillor Scott Elliot.

The Mayor wrote:

“Bob Simpson” <mayor@quesnel.ca> wrote:

Do not add me to any of your emails of this nature.

Bob Simpson

Mayor, Quesnel BC

250-255-1433

this was followed by Councillor Scott Elliot who wrote:

“Scott Elliott” <selliott@quesnel.ca> wrote:

Arthur,

Please refrain from including me in your emails in the future.

Thanks,

Scott Elliott

Councillor

City of Quesnel

250-255-7925

WHAT???? I said to myself when I read both their emails. Have I committed some grave faux pa by actually having the audacity to send some important information to our local Mayor and Council? I then wrote a reply to the Mayor in which I stated the following:

You gotta be joking Bob. I’m just about to send you and the rest of council the notice about the upcoming Rally set for LeBourdais Park on March 20th.

I believe you’ve had enough time to deal with this massive hoax and if you wish to remain in denial (as I assume you will) then that’s your problem. As long as you’re a public figure you have a duty to deal with the public and I happen to be the public. Years ago I worked hard to get you elected to your first post with NDP. Now things have changed drastically and the world is no longer a safe place for the people.

You’re beginning to fit Connie Fogel’s description to a T Bob. People have had enough and if you can’t see this and what’s coming down the pike for sycophantic governments then maybe it’s time you looked for other employment. As a leader you’ve failed miserably. Your only consolation is that all the other Mayors and politicians and bureaucrats and public health officials around the province are in the same boat as you. I think it even has a name. It starts with “T”. Maybe you can figure out the rest of the letters.

I should also mention that this Rally appears to be a spontaneous event as it is happening around the world. No one will be dropping by your office for a permit. I trust it will be peaceful. If you wish to speak at the event let me know and I’ll see if I can arrange it.

Arthur  

I also replied to Councillor Scott Elliot’s demand with the following succinct retort:

“Like everything else Scott you’re too late.

Arthur”

After consideration of Mayor Simpson’s rather arrogant and pompous profusions I decided to send yet another email to both him and his Councillors. Titling the email as “WORLD WIDE RALLY FOR FREEDOM” Notice for Quesnel Mayor & Council” I stated the following:

“Dear Bob, et al,

Prior to writing to you all earlier I had sent an email to Cassidy Dankochick, Editor of the Quesnel Cariboo Observer in which I included a graphic image of a notice concerning an upcoming Rally being scheduled to happen in LeBourdais Park on Saturday, March 20th, 2021 at 12 pm. The event is billed as a “WORLD WIDE RALLY FOR FREEDOM” and people are asked to join in the International fight for freedom that has resulted from governments around the world falling prey to the machinations of the global elite who have orchestrated this specious and diabolical “Covid-19” hoax that’s brought the world to its knees in terms of the devastation and suffering it’s causing to the average person around the world.

My suggestion to Cassidy was that he publish the notice on the Front Page of the March 17th, 2021 edition of the Observer so that the general public might be further informed of the event and partake of it. There are still many elderly folks who don’t use Facebook and might not hear about the Rally otherwise.

I have already cc’d you and council the Open Letter from Connie Fogel so I don’t see the need to repeat all that she wrote about the matter. My purpose now is to send you the notice of the event that I sent to Cassidy so that you might see what it has to say.

[Editor’s Note: At the time of sending the email I was still not aware of the fact that the proposed Rally was actually being organized by some local citizens. That explains in part my initial comments in the following paragraph. A.T.]

No one person in particular or no organization is behind this Rally. I heard about it on social media and have contributed some computer skills to creating the notice that is all. It will be a spontaneous occurrence by those who are fed up with the lockdowns and the dangerous practise of having to wear masks that limit one’s intake of oxygen. I anticipate that it would be a peaceful gathering of concerned citizens and I trust that you won’t be getting on the blower and calling in a gang of RCMP to try and prevent this Rally from occurring. As the cliche goes, “We’re all in this together” and together we’re going to have to get out of it.

Sincerely,

Arthur Topham

A concerned citizen

Your feedback is appreciated.