Questions, Doubts, Lack of Accountability Undermine Coutts Fundraising

Coutts Four Fundraising Chaos

Declaration by Donald Best

I, Donald Best, am the sole author of this Investigation Report concerning Fundraising for the accused men commonly known as the ‘Coutts Four’: Anthony Olienick, Chris Carbert, Chris Lysak, and Jerry Morin.

I verily believe that everything in this report is accurate and true to the best of my professional abilities, and considering the sources and information available to me at the time.

Should the need arise or be required, I am willing to create a sworn affidavit based upon this report and / or testify under oath if subpoenaed.

If any person or group objects to anything in this report or that I have published or broadcast anywhere regarding the subjects and issues at hand, I can be contacted via email at:

[email protected]

I will professionally consider all communications and especially any relevant evidence or exhibits sent to me. Should new evidence disprove anything in this report or cause me to change any reported fact or my analysis, I will prominently publish that evidence and a revised report at my website: DonaldBest.CA

This report is the result of requests from almost a hundred people (witnesses) who contacted me starting in July, 2023 and expressed concern with the fundraising activities of what I call ‘The Margaret MacKay Group’ or for brevity ‘The MacKay Group’. Some friends and family members of the four accused also contacted me.

I have never directly spoken with any of the four accused, although I have received messages through others.

The intent of this report is twofold:

1/ To document the Coutts Four joint fundraising controversy that is undermining the ability of the Coutts Accused to raise funds, and,

2/ To restore public confidence in fundraising through a recommended ‘Clean Start’ for the individual fundraising efforts of each accused. As detailed later, it is my belief that the current situation has destroyed the viability of joint fundraising for the foreseeable future.

Note: I will be further copying the text of the report into this post, but for now here is the full report in .pdf format…

20231119 – COUTTS FUNDRAISING FINAL

Donald Best

Sunday, November 19, 2023

23:20 hours Eastern

Tom Marazzo – An Open Letter to Canadian Law Enforcement: The Crisis of Confidence

Canadian Police handcuff visibly pregnant mom behind the back for refusing to reveal her medical vaccination status while watching her son play hockey.

“If the trust between law enforcement and the public isn’t re-established soon, we will find ourselves in a society where the concept of policing by consent is a relic of the past”

Let’s have a real talk about a real issue that’s affecting our beautiful nation from St. John’s to Vancouver. I’m a part of a brave group of people—current and former EMS, military and police officers called Police On Guard For Thee, or POG for short.

We stand for the principles embedded in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. But what’s happening now in our nation is an affront to these principles.

“What do you do when the very institution that is designed to protect your freedom starts to erode it… When unchecked power becomes the gateway drug to corruption and government overreach?”

Make no mistake; this is not an isolated phenomenon. It’s widespread, and it’s terrifying. If our law enforcement officers can disregard the rule of law with zero repercussions, then what does that say about the state of justice in Canada? The POG Officers have seen this devolution and are vocal in their opposition to what they rightfully see as an abuse of power.

I pose a question to those in the ranks of our so-called “law enforcement”… If you disregard our Constitution, our Rule of Law, and our Charter of Rights and Freedoms, then why should any Canadian citizen continue to respect your authority?

It’s simple: they shouldn’t.

To the virtuous officers who have been on the side of justice, I say this: Your time to be silent is over. If you truly honor your oath to serve and protect, then you must become vocal in your opposition to the unions and the managers who allow this to continue. You see, the silence of the good is more damaging than the brutality of the bad.

It’s time for a reckoning. If the trust between law enforcement and the public isn’t re-established soon, we will find ourselves in a society where the concept of policing by consent is a relic of the past. This is a reference to the Peelian Principles, the foundational ethical guidelines for law enforcement that stress the importance of a mutually respectful and consensual relationship between the police and the public.

Canada, we are at a crossroads.

For the police who still hold a sense of duty and righteousness, the time is now. Take a stand, be heard, and act in a manner that reflects the principles upon which our great nation was built. We need you now, more than ever.

 

Guest Column by Tom Marazzo

Tom Marazzo was a volunteer for the Canadian Trucker Freedom Convoy 2022 and was integral in helping to coordinate truck movements and logistics, as well as negotiations with Police Liaison Teams from the city of Ottawa. A retired officer of the Canadian Army, his advice on how to safely and responsibly achieve the objectives of the Convoy was instrumental in the success of the Convoy which can be measured by the mandates removed in the province of Ontario. Tom acted as the main spokesperson, doing press conferences, almost daily, on behalf of the Freedom Convoy.

Witnessing Canadians losing their inalienable human rights is not something to ignore or abide by. Tom’s unwavering commitment to Canadians is the reason he’s written a highly person and detailed account of his life experiences leading up to, during and in the after math of the Freedom Convoy.

Tom’s Book – The People’s Emergency Act: Freedom Convoy 2022
 – Available on Amazon Now

Famed NYPD Detective Frank Serpico Slams Ottawa Police Cover-up In Grus Case

“Incompetence or criminality will go to any length not to be exposed even at the cost of innocent infant lives.

Legendary New York Police Detective and Medal of Honor recipient Frank Serpico has slammed the Ottawa Police Service for covering up an investigation into the potential connection between mRNA ‘vaccines’ and Sudden Infant Deaths.

Detective Serpico says this cover-up is proceeding even though it puts “innocent infant lives” at risk.

OPS Detective Helen Grus faces internal Police Act charges for conducting “unauthorized” investigations into the sudden deaths of nine infants – where she sought to know the vaccine status of the mothers in January, 2022.

Detective Serpico’s powerful comment highlights the ongoing Ottawa Police cover-up that is operating at several levels:

1. Detective Grus’s inquiries into potential connections between mRNA and nine Sudden Infant Deaths (SIDS) ended when she was suspended and charged for ‘unauthorized’ investigations. Her investigation was stopped cold and the cover-up began.

2. During the April 28, 2023 hearing, citizens and journalists heard confirmation that the original Ottawa Police investigations into the nine SIDS deaths were substandard – even shoddy – with incomplete reports and sloppy investigations. The original assigned detectives did not even consider the possibility that the mothers’ Covid vaccine status could impact the baby in the womb, or through breastfeeding. This, despite numerous studies (including CDC VAERS data) confirming injuries and deaths of breastfed infants.

3. The Ottawa Police refuse to release written decisions in the case made by the Trials Officer Superintendent (Retired) Chris Renwick. The OPS also refuses to release the motions made by the prosecution or defense counsel. In effect, a good portion of the trial is being conducted secretly and out of the public view and knowledge.

4. The Ottawa Police falsely informed the public and journalists that Trials Officer Renwick had not made a decision on a certain motion, when he had in fact made the decision some two months previously in January.

5. The Ottawa Police cancelled the ‘Teams’ internet broadcast of the Grus case – despite continuing to broadcast other disciplinary cases scheduled as far in the future as November 29, 2023. This limits the ability of citizens to view the Grus case, and limits the news media to only those journalists who are able to personally attend the hearing. This is a deliberate Ottawa Police strategy to limit transparency and media coverage.

Ottawa Police cancelled broadcast of Grus Trial – while continuing to broadcast others.

Detective Serpico had earlier praised the Ottawa Police for internet broadcasting the Grus hearings as a “breakthrough in police transparency” – but now suspects that a cover-up is in progress and says “innocent infant lives” are at risk due to the Ottawa Police failure to investigate the potential connection between mother’s vaccine status and the SIDS deaths of newborn and breastfeeding infants.

The only Ottawa Police Detective to properly investigate these infant deaths now faces charges for doing so.

Whether the Grus Trial is broadcast on the internet or not, the world will be watching this most important legal event.

Detective Frank Serpico testifies at the Knapp Commission into Police Corruption

New York Police Detective Frank Serpico

Retired NYPD Detective Frank Serpico rose to fame with his whistleblowing on widespread police corruption in 1970. His testimony before the Knapp Commission resulted many indictments against corrupt New York police officers. He also testified in court to convict corrupt police officers.

In 1971, Detective Serpico was shot in face during a drug raid that had the hallmarks of a set-up by corrupt cops as revenge for his testifying against fellow officers.

Contrary to public belief, Detective Serpico was not awarded the Medal of Honor for his anti-corruption work, but for bravery during a shootout where he was wounded, and then shot the man who attempted to murder him.

A best-selling biography by author Peter Maas (Serpico, The Valachi Papers, King of the Gypsies, Underboss) brought Serpico’s story of police corruption to the world. In 1973 actor Al Pacino – fresh off his success in The Godfather – played the role Serpico in the award-winning movie of the same name.

At 87 years of age, Frank Serpico continues his decades of activism – speaking out about civil liberties, police brutality and corruption.

Detective Serpico inspired an entire generation of young police officers to stand against corruption and was probably single-handedly responsible for the end of general ‘beat collections’ in New York City and throughout North America – including in Toronto, Canada where I was sworn as a Police Constable in 1975. (And yes, Toronto once had corrupt ‘beat collections’ from shop owners.)

NOTE: This article is available in French here.

Former Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly’s Testimony Trainwreck – Panel Commentary

Jason Lavigne, Kris Eriksen, and Donald Best comment on the first morning of testimony from former Ottawa Chief of Police Peter Sloly…

“What dysfunction. What a complete mess. And this was the Chief.”

… Jason Lavigne, Candidate Federal Parliament

“It’s a shame… when you have someone like (Sloly) who is supposed to be a leader – the strain that it puts onto the other officers who were trying to do their jobs and were looking for direction… It seems like so much chaos… So much disorganization, so much Keystone Cops…”

… Kris Eriksen, former staff to Speaker, BC Legislature.

“What an unmitigated disaster of a trainwreck. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen such testimony – such a disaster – from someone with so much experience and at such a high rank…”

“It’s obvious that despite his experience, his training, his C.V., and his wonderful use of police-management lingo… Peter Sloly was unable to meet the challenges of being the Chief of a major policing organization…”

“Compare (former Chief Peter Sloly) to the professionalism and the leadership qualities of the other police witnesses that we’ve seen so far – and he just falls short, let alone being the Chief of Police of our nation’s capital.”

… Donald Best

Why Donald Best was Imprisoned for 63 Days in Solitary Confinement

In this lunch hour panel Jason Lavigne, Kris Eriksen, and Donald Best discuss the first morning of Emergencies Act Inquiry testimony from former Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly.

Then Donald Best tells how he was convicted of Contempt of Court and sentenced to three months in prison – because three corrupt Ontario lawyers fabricated evidence, lied to the courts, and bribed a police officer to provide additional false evidence during a secret court hearing that Donald was not notified of.

(Donald’s full story can be found at: Donald Best Receives the 2018 OCLA Civil Liberties Award)

Famed NYPD Detective Frank Serpico: Helen Grus Case “breakthrough in Police transparency”

NYPD Detective Frank Serpico following case of Ottawa Police Detective Helen Grus

Legendary New York Police Detective and Medal of Honor recipient Frank Serpico has praised the Ottawa Police Service for publicly broadcasting the disciplinary hearing against Detective Helen Grus.

On September 9, 2022, Frank Serpico posted on his Twitter account that the public broadcasting of the Detective Grus Internal Hearing was a “breakthrough in Police transparency.”

Detective Grus faces internal Police Act charges for conducting “unauthorized” investigations into the sudden deaths of nine infants – where she sought to know the vaccine status of the mothers.

Public Invited to View Online Hearing Thursday, September 15, 2022

The next hearing date for Detective Grus is Thursday, September 15, 2022 at 1pm. The public is invited to watch online. (The links to the video and audio broadcast appear at the end of this article.)

Frank Serpico has been following the Detective Grus case since at least August 26, 2022 when he first posted a link to a one-hour broadcast by First Freedoms Foundation lawyer Barry Bussey in conversation with Donald Best.

During that interview, Donald Best stated…

This Detective Grus case is going to be far more important, and garner far more public interest than the Ottawa Police ever thought possible… Thousands and thousands of people have seen the articles I’ve written. (Many) contacted me and discussed it. And that’s from all over the world. Because this is a police officer whose investigation has been shut down.

(Former Toronto Police Sergeant Detective Donald Best)

The transcript and link to the Bussey – Best video can be found here:

Barry Bussey Interviews Donald Best About Ottawa Police Detective Helen Grus

New York Police Detective Frank Serpico

Retired NYPD Detective Frank Serpico rose to fame with his whistleblowing on widespread police corruption in 1970. His testimony before the Knapp Commission resulted many indictments against corrupt New York police officers. He also testified in court to convict corrupt police officers.

In 1971, Detective Serpico was shot in face during a drug raid that had the hallmarks of a set-up by corrupt cops as revenge for his testifying against fellow officers.

A best-selling biography by author Peter Maas (Serpico, The Valachi Papers, King of the Gypsies, Underboss) brought Serpico’s story of police corruption to the world. In 1973 actor Al Pacino – fresh off his success in The Godfather – played the role Serpico in the award-winning movie of the same name.

At 86 years of age, Frank Serpico continues his decades of activism – speaking out about civil liberties, police brutality and corruption.

Detective Serpico inspired an entire generation of young police officers to stand against corruption and was probably single-handedly responsible for the end of general ‘beat collections’ in New York City and throughout North America – including in Toronto, Canada where I was sworn as a Police Constable in 1975.

An overview of the Helen Grus case can be found in our previous article here…

Worldwide Interest in Ottawa Police Detective’s Sudden Infant Death Investigations

 

Online Access to the September 15, 2022 1pm Helen Grus Hearing

The hearing will be conducted using MicroSoft Teams software – so be sure to start early to download the videoconferencing program if it is not already installed on your computer.

There is also an audio-only feed available for those who wish to call into the hearing. (See below)

The Helen Grus hearing is scheduled for September 15, 2022 at 1 pm.

Click here to join the meeting [teams.microsoft.com]

Meeting ID: 243 524 493 109

Passcode: iq8eQ8

Download Teams [microsoft.com] | Join on the web [microsoft.com]

Or call in (audio only)

+1 343-803-4734    (Canada, Ottawa-Hull)

Phone Conference ID: 612 496 313#

For any problems, please contact Ottawa Police Service Media Relations via email…

[email protected]

Barry Bussey Interviews Donald Best About Ottawa Police Detective Helen Grus

Ottawa Police shut down SIDS investigation by Detective Helen Grus

“If other (Ottawa Police officers) did not consider whether the vaccine could have had an impact in these nine Sudden Infant Deaths, then I say that their investigations were incomplete, maybe even shoddy.”

“This Detective Grus case is going to be far more important, and garner far more public interest than the Ottawa Police ever thought possible… Thousands and thousands of people have seen the articles I’ve written. (Many) contacted me and discussed it. And that’s from all over the world. Because this is a police officer whose investigation has been shut down.”

Former Toronto Police Sergeant Detective Donald Best in conversation with lawyer Barry Bussey on August 11, 2022.

Posted below are the video and transcript of my conversation with Ontario lawyer Barry W. Bussey of the First Freedoms Foundation.

For those interested in how three corrupt Ontario lawyers fabricated evidence, lied to the court, and bribed police to convict me of Contempt of Court and imprison me in solitary confinement for 63 days… that’s covered in the first ten minutes.

We then discuss how there is a Canada-wide tolerance by judges, lawyers, and law societies, of corruption in the legal profession.

At 15 minutes, we start to discuss the case of Ottawa Police Detective Helen Grus, who faces internal charges for conducting “unauthorized” investigations into sudden deaths of nine infants – where she sought to know the vaccine status of the mothers.

Barry and I have a wide-ranging discussion about Detective Grus – and some of the recent developments that might impact the prosecution’s case against this officer.

Transcript PDF is here: Barry Bussey – Donald Best Interview 2022Aug11 V2

Video at First Freedoms Foundation.

Sign up for the First Freedoms Foundation newsletter.

PLUS – the transcript also appears after this embedded video…

 

Previous Posts about Detective Helen Grus

https://donaldbest.ca/detective-helen-grus-sent-email-to-ottawa-police-service-questioning-vaccine-adverse-effects-and-deaths/

https://donaldbest.ca/worldwide-interest-in-ottawa-police-detectives-sudden-infant-death-investigations/

 

Transcript

Barry Bussey – Donald Best Interview

August 11, 2022 • Recording length: 1:01:33

Transcript first pass. Check against recording. Not suitable for court.

SPEAKERS

Donald Best, Barry Bussey

 

Donald Best  00:00

During the initial trials of the Pfizer vaccine, 28 out of 29 babies in the womb, didn’t survive the vaccine. And all that was hidden from millions and millions of people who were forced into taking these vaccines. They can say it’s your, it’s your choice. All you have to do is… not feed your family, lose your job, lose your home, and be destitute. So hey, it’s your choice! That has undermined, I think, faith in institutions and in the government.

 

Barry Bussey  00:45

Welcome, everyone to Freedom Feature. I’m your host Barry Bussey. today. Our special guest is Donald Best. Donald Best is a former Sergeant Detective with the Toronto Police. And he was responsible for investigating Canadian police, lawyers and politicians involved in organized crime, and is a leading Canadian anti-corruption whistleblower, and activist. Welcome to our program, Donald.

 

Donald Best  01:11

Thanks, Barry. Great to be here. I just want to say I’ve read some of your pieces in Law Times and Epoch Time. Tough to disagree with any of it. So it’s good to be on your show.

 

Barry Bussey  01:11

Well, thank you so very much. You know, Donald can, can you just share with our audience a little more about your background and what’s motivated you and your work?

Read more

Donald Best Story – TV Documentary in production

Award-winning journalist Aaron Maté let the cat out of the bag during a live interview the other night when he revealed that a TV Documentary is in production about … The Donald Best Story.

In response to so many inquiries from my readers after they watched Aaron’s interview with Ryan Cristian (The Last American Vagabond) – yes, this is an actual TV production for the ‘Untold Stories’ Series. (Watch the excerpt above)

And yes – our American friends will probably be able to see the documentary through some American venues and broadcasters. ‘The Donald Best Story’ is only the working title, and it will likely be called something else by the time it hits the little screen.

The show was filmed across Canada this summer and is largely complete. I am fascinated by the filming and production process and the myriad of details that go into a professionally produced documentary for television.

It all takes time but we are getting ready for editing – which like everything else in the business has to be scheduled months in advance if you want the best. Our editor is among the best in Canada if not further afield.

I was invited to meet some folks at TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) this year and had some excellent conversations with a few visiting doc producers and exhibitors.

Thanks for your good wishes, and I’ll update you when I can.

Donald Best

Have you ever defended someone who actually was framed?

My answer to the question – originally published at Quora.com…

by Donald Best, former Sergeant, Detective, Toronto Police

I was framed by corrupt lawyers and police – and was forced to self-represent and act as my own lawyer. I can freely tell you everything because what happened to me is a matter of public record – widely published and supported in court records and news media articles available on the internet since 2014.

My website https://donaldbest.ca has all the documents, recordings and other evidence available for public scrutiny – as well as a list of my supporters including lawyers, organizations and a former Commissioner of Police and Canadian Federal Cabinet Minister who filed sworn affidavits in my support.

This is the true story of how several corrupt lawyers from some of Canada’s largest law firms fabricated false evidence, bribed police and lied to the courts to convict me of Contempt of Court in a civil lawsuit costs hearing that I was unaware of and not present for as I was not in Canada.

This is also the true story of how the Canadian legal profession and courts, when confronted with forensically certified telephone recordings and other irrefutable evidence proving the lawyers fabricated evidence and lied to the court to convict me – closed ranks to save the corrupt lawyers, even when that meant knowingly sending an innocent man to prison.

But first a little background…

As a Sergeant (Detective) with the Toronto Police and later in private industry, for over thirty years I hunted organized crime members and their enablers including corrupt police, politicians and members of the legal profession.

Now I’m an independent journalist, documentary filmmaker and an anti-corruption advocate.

I am the sole recipient of the 2018 Ontario Civil Liberties Award for my work in exposing and fighting corruption of the police, the legal profession and the judiciary.

Oh… I also served 63 days incarcerated in a Canadian prison; spending every day in solitary confinement.

Senior Ontario lawyers Gerald Ranking (center), Lorne Silver (right) and junior Sebastien Kwidzinski (left) lied to the courts to convict Donald Best.

The Frame Job

In November of 2009, I was traveling in Asia – but this didn’t stop a group of corrupt Bay Street lawyers from falsely swearing to the court that they had served me in Canada with a certain civil court order and that during a subsequent telephone call with them I admitted to receiving that court order.

Twelve times during that telephone call, I denied receiving the court order and asked that it be sent to me. After the call, the lawyers immediately created a formal ‘Statement for the Record’ document that falsely indicated I had informed them during the call that I had indeed received the court order the day before. This was a deliberate fabrication of evidence, a lie – but they submitted their false statement as evidence to court.

Later, during a hearing that I was not notified of, and was therefore not present for, the lawyers doubled down on their false Statement for the Record by confirming it orally on the court transcript. Further, they submitted a sworn affidavit – falsely stating that they had couriered the order to me at an address in Canada. The judge convicted me of contempt of court upon the lawyers’ false evidence, sentenced me to three months in prison and issued a warrant for my arrest.

The Secret Telephone Recording

The corrupt lawyers didn’t know that I had secretly and legally recorded my telephone conversation with them.

The recording proved they fabricated evidence and lied to the court to convict me.

Evidence from the courier company showed that – contrary to their sworn affidavit – the lawyers had never sent the court order to me in Canada or anywhere else and they couldn’t produce any courier record, tracking number, invoice or receipt for delivery.

They lied to convict me, a self-represented person who did not have a lawyer. They lied because they knew they could, because they had the power, authority and credibility as Officers of the Court and as senior partners of large and respected law firms. They did it because they were corrupt and wanted to win a civil case so badly that they would commit criminal offenses to do so.

Senior Ontario lawyers Gerald Ranking, Lorne Silver and junior Sebastien Kwidzinski placed their false evidence before the court, swore it was true both in writing and orally on the transcript record, convicted me of Contempt of Court and obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs against me based on their false evidence.

Ah… but I had my secret recording of the telephone call that irrefutably proved the lawyers lied to the court in writing and orally on the record. ‘No problem’ I said to myself – I’ll just return to Canada and play the recording for the court, who will overturn my conviction and justly imprison these corrupt lawyers for perjury, obstruct justice and fabricating evidence.

Abandoned by the legal profession and the Law Society of Ontario

When I voluntarily returned to Canada from Asia to appeal my conviction and present my evidence, over one hundred Ontario lawyers refused to represent me even as they acknowledged the veracity and power of my evidence. Many told me that while they personally sympathized with my situation facing injustice and corruption, they feared backlash and opprobrium from the profession if they harmed or even challenged the involved senior lawyers and their large Bay Street law firms.

Even the Law Society of Ontario refused to assist in finding a lawyer to represent me and chose to not investigate the wrongdoing that I reported in writing. The Law Society chose to not seize and preserve evidence from the corrupt lawyers and their law firms. Some Law Society senior benchers actively covered up for their fellow Bay Street cabal members at the highest levels.

So I was forced to represent myself before the court.

Self-Represented in the Ontario Courts

The judges did not allow me to appeal my conviction that was obtained while I was not in court. I was not even allowed to cross-examine the lawyers and other witnesses that the courts relied upon to convict and imprison me.

I was not allowed to cross-examine the corrupt Ontario Provincial Police officer, Jim Van Allen, who worked illegally for the lawyers as an unlicensed private investigator, and whose ‘expert’ evidence was also used to convict and sentence me.

Not Allowed to Cross-Examine Witnesses against me

As a Canadian facing prison, I was not allowed to cross-examine the witnesses who provided the evidence the court used to convict and sentence me.

Let me repeat that: As a Canadian facing prison, I was not allowed to cross- examine the very witnesses who provided the evidence the court used to convict and sentence me.

Right now, many of you are thinking, “That can’t be true. No way. Not in Canada.”

How naïve you are.

Ontario Superior Court Justice J. Bryan Shaughnessy

A Corrupt Judge takes his Revenge

On May 3, 2013 after refusing to even consider my recordings and other new evidence that proved my innocence, and after sending me off to prison and ending court for the day, Justice J. Bryan Shaughnessy went to a backroom.

There in that backroom, off the court record and without a hearing, trial or transcript, Justice Shaughnessy secretly and illegally increased my prison sentence by fifty percent without notifying me. He secretly created a new warrant of committal that he gave only to the prison authorities. He did not file the new secret warrant with the courts or make mention of it anywhere in the records.

Several senior lawyers and a retired Crown Attorney describe the Judge’s misconduct as “despotic”, “disgusting”, “reprehensible”, “malicious” and “worthy of his removal from the bench.”

Later, I was denied the right to appeal my conviction and Justice Shaughnessy’s actions to a higher court because I could not pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in court costs earlier awarded to the other side on the basis of their provably fabricated and false evidence.

Solitary Confinement prison cell very much like the one Donald Best spent 63 days in. Lights on 24 hours a day and the screams of other prisoners never stop.

Solitary Confinement

I spent 63 days in prison – every day in solitary confinement as I am a former Toronto Police Officer. The prison authorities told me that solitary was the only place they could keep me alive – and from what I saw, they spoke the truth. In my solitary cell I had to clean the faeces and blood of previous occupants from the floor and walls. The lights in the cell were on 24 hours a day – but the screams and moans of my fellow prisoners didn’t allow for much sleep anyway.

All this is still celebrated online as a victory by the group of corrupt Bay Street lawyers and their large law firms who wanted to win, and did win, a high-value civil case by any means possible – including fabrication of evidence, perjury, obstructing justice and bribery of police to illegally obtain confidential police records.

How the Courts protect fellow members of The Legal Club

But as disgusting as all that is, there is much worse. The Canadian legal profession, the Law Society of Ontario and the Courts themselves, when confronted with legally made certified voice recordings and other irrefutable evidence proving that the Bay Street lawyers deliberately fabricated false evidence and lied to the court to convict me while I was out of the country…

… when confronted with that irrefutable evidence, the legal profession, the Law Society and the Courts closed ranks to save the corrupt Bay Street lawyers – even when that meant knowingly sending an innocent man – a self-represented person in a civil case – to prison.

In response to my solid evidence of criminal wrongdoing by senior Law Society of Ontario lawyers, the courts refused to consider my evidence, my exhibits and refused to even listen to the voice recordings. In all these years before various levels of courts, no judge has ever listened to the voice recordings – at least officially.

When faced with a choice of ignoring irrefutable evidence of lawyers’ corrupt activities – or of receiving that evidence and then holding accountable senior partners from some of Bay Street’s largest legal firms – the Law Society of Upper Canada, the legal profession and the courts betrayed their duty to Canadians.

Canada’s Legal Profession & Courts cover-up legal system corruption

The worst though, is that my personal story is just one small part of a much larger disaster involving thousands upon thousands of Canadians who have been denied access to justice and justice itself because of systemic failings in our justice system.

Those systemic failings in our justice system include a Canada-wide tolerance by judges and lawyers for corruption in the legal profession.

There is an unwillingness in the Canadian legal profession to even talk about corrupt acts by lawyers and judges. When a lawyer actually presents evidence of corruption in specific terms, naming names… look out! The rest of the pack will turn and attack as my current lawyer and so many other Canadians have discovered.

My false conviction and imprisonment was possible only because there is a level of tolerance by judges and lawyers for corruption in the legal profession and in the courts. There is strong reluctance to damage the careers of fellow lawyers and judges – or to tarnish the profession itself by acknowledging serious deliberate wrongdoing.

Tolerance of corruption in our justice system is systemic and deep-rooted. It is fed by the low integrity of some individuals in positions of influence and authority, who are empowered by the total lack of courage and the unwillingness of our legal profession to hold fellow Club Members accountable in any meaningful manner.

Not a week goes by that I do not hear from five or ten other Canadians (totalling many hundreds in the past few years) who write to tell me their own stories of lawyers and judges committing serious acts of misconduct with impunity; confident that they will never be held accountable.

Many of the writers are desperate because they cannot afford a lawyer and must represent themselves in court – knowing as they do that the courts are set up to overwhelmingly favour and benefit the legal profession, not to provide justice to ordinary Canadians as purported.

Losing Faith in the Justice System

For a variety of well-founded reasons, ordinary Canadians are fast losing their faith in our justice system. Many believe that justice is now simply unattainable through the courts. This is a dangerous situation, the extent and seriousness of which has yet to be acknowledged by those entrusted with operating our justice system.

Unless individual police officers, lawyers and judges start to act with courage, integrity and a sense of duty towards ordinary Canadians and the Rule of Law – this situation will continue to deteriorate.

Much of the unrest, protests and violent flareups that we see in our cities has origin in the fact that people have lost faith in the professions and institutions charged with upholding the rule of law.

When the police, lawyers and courts are not to be trusted – anything goes.

Donald Best

Barrie, Ontario Canada

Supporting court evidence, documents, news media articles and much more can be found online at DonaldBest.CA | Access to Justice. Anti-corruption.

Twitter: @DonaldBestCA

Read Donald Best’s original answer on Quora.

Court hears of Donald Best story as mobster jailed for threats to murder former Toronto Police Chief Julian Fantino.

Former federal Cabinet Minister Julian Fantino “Abuses in the Donald Best case could undermine public confidence in the administration of justice.”
  • Mobster Delio Manuel Pereira jailed for 18 months for credible threats to murder former federal Cabinet Minister and Police Chief Julian Fantino.
  • Pereira, 66 years old, is a career thug who previously spent years in prison for his role in the 2001 murder of mafia enforcer and boxing champion Eddie Melo.
  • Ontario Judge Elaine Deluzio heard evidence that Pereira tacked news articles about  Julian Fantino on his wall, including one from a December 2017 edition of the Star.
  • That article, headlined “Fantino takes aim at judge, police and lawyers,” described Fantino’s allegations that a Canadian judge, lawyers and several polices forces acted improperly in the conviction of Donald Best on contempt of court charges.

Story of corruption, coverup by Canadian lawyers, police & judges in the news again.

by Donald Best

The ongoing Donald Best case concerning how corrupt lawyers, police and a corrupt judge acted improperly to convict and jail Best received a brief mention in a recent Toronto Star news article by crime journalist and author Peter Edwards.

The Toronto Star article ‘Man sentenced to 18 months for threats to kill former Toronto police chief Julian Fantino’ relates how mobster Delio Manuel Pereira threatened to murder former Toronto Police Chief Julian Fantino.

The court heard how Pereira had a December 2017 Star news story tacked to his wall – ‘Ex-federal cabinet minister Julian Fantino takes aim at judge, cops, lawyers’. That article told of Julian Fantino’s legal efforts to intervene in the case of Donald Best.

Judge Elaine Deluzio

After hearing all the evidence, including about the Toronto Star article pinned to Delio Manuel Pereira’s wall, Ontario Judge Elaine Deluzio sentenced the mobster to 18 months in prison.

The Toronto Star report of Pereira’s trial and sentencing makes no mention of what Judge Deluzio said or thought about Fantino’s accusations of corruption by lawyers, police and judges in the Donald Best case. Here is an excerpt from that article…

Former Federal Cabinet Minister Julian Fantino alleges wrongdoing by Justice J. Bryan Shaughnessy, lawyers & police

Former Conservative cabinet minister and provincial police commissioner Julian Fantino has accused a Canadian judge, lawyers and several police forces of acting improperly and even illegally in the conviction and jailing of a man for contempt of court.

In his submission, Fantino maintains that Justice J. Bryan Shaughnessy convicted Donald Best “upon the presentation by lawyers of provably false evidence.” He also argues that “disturbing” evidence suggests police resources and personnel were “improperly retained, used and co-opted” to help one side in the private civil dispute.

“The court also convicted Mr. Best based upon affidavit evidence that was the product of illegal actions by a serving officer of the Ontario Provincial Police at the time that I was OPP commissioner,” Fantino states. “Had I known about it at the time, I would have immediately ordered an investigation to gather all evidence … with a view to possible provincial and/or criminal charges.”

Fantino, who could not be immediately reached for comment, explains in his 33-page affidavit filed along with 100 exhibits why he wanted to get involved. The “abuses,” he said, could undermine public confidence in the administration of justice.

“I notice that, in this matter, no one represents the people of Canada,” Fantino states. “No one speaks for me and other Canadians who believe in and rely upon fairness, courtesy and honourable treatment within the justice system.” 

… Above from the Toronto Star article Ex-federal cabinet minister Julian Fantino takes aim at judge, cops, lawyers’.

Donald Best story gaining traction in the mainstream & online news media.

With increasing frequency in the mainstream media, the story is being told to the public of how corrupt lawyers Gerald Ranking, Lorne Silver, Sebastien Kwidzinski, corrupt OPP officer Jim Van Allen and corrupt Federal Court Justice J. Bryan Shaughnessy convicted and knowingly sent an innocent Donald Best to prison for Contempt of Court – to protect the corrupt Bay Street lawyers (Ranking, Silver, Kwidzinski) who fabricated provably false evidence and lied to the court.

Donald Best’s story has now been covered by every major Canadian newspaper. His interview on The Jimmy Dore Show attracted international attention by both the public and the news media.

Watch for more public exposure in the coming weeks as Donald Best appears in more video interviews and mainstream press articles.

Further Reading

Summary of Julian Fantino’s September 28, 2017 affidavit.

January 1, 2018 News Media censorship of Julian Fantino’s Canadian Judicial Council intervention crumbles.

Notice to readers, including Persons and Entities mentoned in this article

As always, if anyone disagrees with anything published at DonaldBest.CA or wishes to provide a public response or comment, please contact me at [email protected] and I will publish your writing with equal prominence. Comments left on articles are moderated at least once a day. Or, of course, you can sue me and serve my lawyer Paul Slansky. You can find Mr. Slansky’s information here.

Readers are also encouraged to thoroughly study all the evidence available here at DonaldBest.CA, to perform independent research on the Internet and elsewhere, to consider all sides and to make up their own minds as to the events reported on DonaldBest.CA.

Photos have been included to put context to the article. Their use is the same as with other Canadian news outlets.

Donald Best
Barrie, Ontario, Canada

Donald Best is a former Toronto Police Sergeant (Detective) who is now an independent journalist, documentary filmmaker and an anti-corruption advocate. He is the recipient of the 2018 Ontario Civil Liberties Award, and has been called “One of Canada’s most methodical and well documented whistleblowers.”

Famed NSA whistleblower William Binney to be honoured by Allard Prize March 14, 2019

All invited to open forum at Allard School of Law at University of British Columbia.

William Binney, NSA whistleblower

In the late 1990s William Binney, a top US National Security Agency (NSA) intelligence official, led the development of ThinThread, a sophisticated signals intelligence system with built-in encryption technology allowing the NSA to collect and analyze communications data without violating privacy laws. Around the time of the September 11 attacks, ThinThread was shelved in favour of the Trailblazer Project, a wasteful, inefficient alternative with no privacy protections.

Binney left the NSA and blew the whistle in an effort to hold the agency accountable for waste and corruption, as well as for illegal and unconstitutional spying on the US population. For doing so, he was harassed and undermined, and further development of his technologies was suppressed.

Today, he advocates worldwide for the adoption of “smart selection,” a disciplined, focused intelligence method that protects citizens’ privacy rights.

Hear Bill Binney speak at free noon-hour forum

Don’t miss this Thursday March 14, 2019 noon-hour event honouring legendary whistleblower William Binney – at Franklin Lew Forum, Allard Hall at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia. (RSVP here)

An audience Q&A will follow Binney’s telling of his fascinating and troubling story of the surveillance state, individuals’ rights to privacy, and what it means to blow the whistle on a powerful government agency.

FBI Raid on William Binney’s home

After retiring from the NSA, Binney founded, together with fellow NSA whistleblower J. Kirk Wiebe, Entity Mapping, LLC, a private intelligence agency to market their analysis program to government agencies

In September 2002, Binney, along with J. Kirk Wiebe and Edward Loomis, asked the U.S. Defense Department Inspector General (DoD IG) to investigate the NSA for allegedly wasting “millions and millions of dollars” on Trailblazer, a system intended to analyze mass collection of data carried on communications networks such as the Internet.

Binney was one of several people investigated as part of an inquiry into a 2005 The New York Times exposé on the agency’s warrantless eavesdropping program. Binney was cleared of wrongdoing after three interviews with FBI agents beginning in March 2007, but in early July 2007, in an unannounced, armed, early morning raid, a dozen agents armed with rifles appeared at his house, one of whom entered the bathroom and pointed his gun at Binney, who was taking a shower.

The FBI confiscated a desktop computer, disks, and personal and business records. The NSA revoked his security clearance, forcing him to close a business he ran with former colleagues at a loss of a reported $300,000 in annual income. The FBI raided the homes of Wiebe and Loomis, as well as House Intelligence Committee staffer Diane Roark, the same morning.

The Edward Snowden Connection

Several months later the FBI raided the home of then still active NSA executive Thomas Andrews Drake who had also contacted DoD IG, but anonymously with confidentiality assured. The Assistant Inspector General, John Crane, in charge of the Whistleblower Program, suspecting his superiors provided confidential information to the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), challenged them, was eventually forced from his position, and subsequently himself became a public whistleblower. The punitive treatment of Binney, Drake, and the other whistleblowers also led Edward Snowden to go public with his revelations rather than report through the internal whistleblower program. (Above sections starting with ‘FBI Raid on William Binney’s Home’ copied from Wikipedia Binney Article)

1 2 3 5