Private COVID testing, vaccines for CBC staff? Emails reveal plans to skip wait times
CBC's front-facing position, presented to their long-suffering viewers, on private healthcare is that it is a sloppy, improperly regulated danger to public health where the privileged can pay their way to the front of the queue.
Story after story during the never-ending coronavirus news cycle sowed mistrust in private COIVD testing and private vaccine delivery.
But what do the people in charge at the bloated state broadcaster really think about private healthcare delivery behind closed doors?
They love it!
And the proof of it is in a new series of access to information documents, obtained exclusively by Rebel News, about the CBC's COVID testing and vaccination strategy for its television production teams.
In an August 2020 email, a middle manager at the CBC was looking for private COVID testing and vaccinations options from a company called MCI Medical.
We need to set up a private testing option for our film crews that are starting to travel again outside of Canada but must have a negative COVID test within a certain time frame before being able to travel.
Private vaccination options were also sought from the same company.
Do you have a document with all your locations in it across Canada? It may be easier to link to that instead of just showing the Toronto locations? I don't want it to look like you only have locations in Toronto. I can use the same document then for the vaccines process?
Another email indicates CBC was trying to use the private testing clinics to jump the public healthcare queue, explicitly inquiring about a private option:
I was under the impression that you cannot get tested privately and they need to use the Canada Health testing facilities and wait the required number of days. Can you confirm this is correct or if there is an alternative “private” option that we should consider?
Further emails detail CBC asking their travel agents to pre-book stays in COVID jails so that CBC staff didn't have to experience the booking wait times on the phone that regular Canadians do when returning from abroad.
In addition to the questions around support for testing/finding clinics, is there a way for our existing travel provider to assist with booking the government approved hotel rooms as opposed to having our staff wait on hold for many hours?
Other communication show CBC's company policy required employees to inform their managers if they were ever tested for COVID, for work or otherwise. CBC also inquired about vaccine queue jumping by having employees of the Mother Corp declared essential workers, like police, frontline healthcare workers and firefighters.
Will CBC/Radio-Canada employees have priority access to the vaccine (essential services designation)?
Lastly, another email made it clear that all the queue jumping, private healthcare options and essential services designations were not going to result in an easing of COVID regulations in CBC's workplaces.
Once the vaccine is widely available, will we remove existing Health and Safety measures within our workplaces and in the field? No.
Rebel News is opposing Trudeau's airport incarceration program that CBC privately seems to dislike as much as the rest of us.
To support our legal appeal of the COVID jail system wherein healthy Canadians are confined for three days against their wills and at their own expenses upon return to Canada from travels abroad, please donate at www.NoCovidJails.com
Sheila Gunn Reid
Chief Reporter
Sheila Gunn Reid is the Alberta Bureau Chief for Rebel News and host of the weekly The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid. She's a mother of three, conservative activist, and the author of best-selling books including Stop Notley.