PETITION: No COVID Jails
A petition has been launched to protect Canadians from what it calls “state-sanctioned kidnappers” and to put an end to the controversial COVID jails. The petition, which aims to gather 20,000 signatures, highlights concerns about the alleged misappropriation of federal funds by Sukhminder Rai, a part-owner of a COVID quarantine hotel in Calgary.
Rai, who owns the Westin Calgary Airport hotel, is accused of keeping approximately $16 million in federal funds meant for quarantining COVID-positive travelers. The hotel’s other owners, Satnam Rai and Siksika Calgary Airport Limited Partnership, have filed a lawsuit against Rai and his PHI Hospitality corporation, claiming that he orchestrated a fraudulent scheme. They allege that Rai negotiated taxpayer payment for all 247 rooms but informed his partners that compensation was only given for 100 rooms, resulting in a revenue difference of $15.7 million.
According to legal documents, Rai opened a bank account in his name, not affiliated with his corporation, just one month before receiving the funds from Health Canada. From June 2020 to October 2022, the federal health agency deposited between $27.74 million and $29.07 million into that account, with only $12.05 million going to the Westin. RBC financial records allegedly show that Rai funneled the missing money to offshore accounts and other entities.
Rai has stated that he intends to defend himself vigorously against the accusations and maintains his innocence. He claims that the lawsuit is a result of a business dispute over the distribution of funds among the hotel owners and alleges that the financial and legal documents exaggerate the amounts in question.
The plaintiffs are seeking at least $18 million in damages from Rai for breach of contract, conspiracy to defraud, or restitution of the misappropriated funds. A judge has granted an application to freeze Rai’s assets during the legal proceedings.
The COVID quarantine hotels have been the subject of controversy throughout the pandemic due to concerns about civil liberties, high costs, and poor tracking measures for the deposited funds. It was revealed earlier this year that only 15 people stayed at the Westin Calgary Airport hotel in 2022, costing taxpayers $453,000 per person. Health Canada reportedly spent $6.7 million to quarantine Canadians at the facility last year. Between June 2020 and October 2022, taxpayers paid a total of $26.8 million to quarantine 1,490 travelers at the Westin.
Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner criticized the excessive spending of taxpayer money on the quarantine program, especially considering that the mandatory COVID quarantine requirement ended on August 9, 2021. The order paper document released by Rempel Garner revealed that the total cost for forced quarantine incarcerations in designated quarantine facilities (DQFs) reached $334 million over three years.
Under the Quarantine Act, Health Minister Patty Hajdu had the power to designate any place in Canada as a quarantine facility and impose mandatory quarantine measures on returning travelers. Cabinet approved the establishment of quarantine facilities in 38 hotels across 14 cities in January 2021.
The quarantine hotels imposed significant costs on taxpayers, with each traveler staying for 72 hours costing over $17,000. In June 2021, the Federal Court of Canada ruled that it was unconstitutional to bill travelers for their quarantine stays.
A Department of Health briefing note revealed that a total of 22,188 travelers were quarantined at designated facilities between March 22, 2020, and September 30, 2022, at a cost of $338.7 million. The Public Health Agency managed 17 quarantine hotels with a capacity of 1,465 rooms until the border measures were lifted on October 1, 2022.
The petition against COVID jails highlights the concerns surrounding the alleged misappropriation of funds and calls for accountability and transparency in the management of taxpayer money. Canadians are urged to take a stand against what they see as an excessive and wasteful program. With thousands of signatures expected, the petition aims to bring attention to the issue and demand action from the government to address these allegations of financial misconduct.
It remains to be seen how this legal battle will unfold and what impact it will have on the future of COVID quarantine measures and the allocation of federal funds.
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