The AARC sect, with the complicity of the Calgary Police Service and the Alberta Government, has used SLAPP suits to intimidate survivors and defectors from the sect, and whistleblowers who have been trying to get the authorities in this province to meet their responsibilities by investigating AARC. AARC is intimiately intertwined with the "unorthodox" Pure North S'Energy Foundation of AARC backer Allan Markin.
It is my understanding that AARC's SLAPP suit against whistleblowers Brian Fish and Amy Sparks, and the CBC and Gillian Findlay, was recently settled out of court. The original AARC SLAPP suit against the survivors who spoke on the Fifth Estate and the CBC and Gillian Findlay, and other CBC employees associated with the show, is ongoing.
"Amy Sparks, Brian Fish, The CBC, Gillian Findlay, Tammi Brown and Greg Elliott
Respondents"
https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/abqb/doc/2019/2019abqb87/2019abqb87.htmlWould this judge be the Honourable Nancy Dilts?
"We therefore allow the appeal to the extent that the respondents, Sparks and Fish, are required to produce for inspection by a judge of the Court of Queen’s Bench, pursuant to rule 5.11, records of any communications between them in relation to the taking and distributing of AARC records. In doing so, we note that counsel for the respondent Sparks, when asked at the oral hearing of this appeal, conceded that she could not identify any harm or prejudice that might befall her client if a judge conducted an in camera examination of these communications."
https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/abca/doc/2018/2018abca177/2018abca177.html"AARC Society (Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre)
Plaintiff/Applicant
- and -
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Gillian Findlay, Morris Karp
David Studer, Christine Jane Lunn, Rachel O'Neill
Bodana Kibble and Simi Bate
Defendants"
https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/abqb/doc/2018/2018abqb324/2018abqb324.html "A non-profit preventative health care provider led by Mr. Allan Markin
Pure North provides nutritional supplements for clients during their stay at AARC. In our experience, addiction often leaves adolescents with severe deficiencies in important vitamins that might help in their recovery. The types of supplement provided vary according to need, determined by blood work undertaken by Pure North. The most common supplements are multivitamins, vitamin D and fish oils.
Clients can refuse these supplements and the blood analysis. There is no additional charge for the service, which is included in the fees paid by clients."
https://www.aarc.ab.ca/therapeutic-partnersAllan Markin is clearly very displeased with the attention that CBC has devoted to his health treatment projects:
https://www.cbc.ca/news2/interactives/unproven"A non-profit preventive medicine company founded by Calgary Flames co-owner Allan Markin is suing the CBC for what it claims is a series of defamatory articles.
Pure North S’Energy Foundation is seeking $6 million in damages from the national broadcaster and two of its reporters, Charles Rusnell and Jennie Russell."
https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/non-profit-suing-cbc-for-defamation-over-series-of-articlesCuriously, Kevin Martin was the only reporter to reveal that AARC had sued Christine Lunn in 2009. Even more curious is the fact that the headline over Martin's 2009 article entailed the inverse of the fact, stating that Christine had sued AARC. No retraction was ever printed, and the online version of the article did not include this false claim. This statement was however, consistent with AARC's claim that the dozens of people coming together in 2009 with complaints were just out to sue the sect.
Far be it from me to suggest that a great man like Allan Markin is using his wealth to undermine our democratic institutions and protect his own ego by crushing the people entrusted with keeping the public informed and taking a page from Von Clausewitz by making the enemy pay for his war. There must be more to the story.
