In early 2021, as Canadians reeled from the relentless COVID-19 pandemic, Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam rolled out draconian measures, mandating quarantine hotels for returning travellers.

These facilities quickly became notorious for being infection breeding grounds, serving exorbitantly-priced meals that made prison food seem gourmet (if one could get food at all), and chilling allegations of sexual assault. Yet, beneath the headlines, a more insidious scandal festered: a fleet of luxurious limousines in Nova Scotia, contracted at taxpayer expense, to ferry these weary souls to their government-mandated confinement.

Internal documents paint a picture of bureaucratic excess run amok. Limo drivers were instructed to dial 911 if passengers dared defy orders—were they transporting dangerous rebels or just jet-lagged families?

Correspondence reveals the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) cozying up with contractors, extending agreements while casually remarking on Nova Scotia’s relative ‘luck’ amid the global turmoil amplified by news outlets worldwide. Most galling, activity logs show these so-called “COVID cavalry” vehicles idled over 90% of the time, burning through public funds while waiting for… what, exactly? A VIP patient demanding a chauffeured quarantine ride?

The operation was absurdly theatrical. Limos rolled up sanitized to the hilt, complete with disposable seat covers, gloves, masks, and single-use blankets—invoiced separately, of course. This, while the Liberals decried single-use plastics as environmental villains.

Sanitation protocols read like a hazmat team’s playbook: every surface, from door handles to key fobs, doused in Lysol, with human contact avoided as if the plague itself were lurking. Passengers, limited to three per SUV with prescribed seating arrangements, handled their own luggage, led by the belief that they were following ‘the science.’

The financial toll is staggering. Initial budgets of $215,000 spiralled to $238,000, then $387,000. Buried in the documents is a jaw-dropping $3 million—a 1,000% increase—justified by PHAC’s Material and Asset Management Division’s pandemic spending frenzy to ‘stop the spread.’

Yet much of it appears indefensible. Flimsy claims of “urgency” and, astonishingly, “national security” appear throughout the correspondence, with limousines deemed a matter of national security, as if a stretch limo could save the day. The sole-sourced contract bypassed competitive bidding, further eroding accountability. When questioned about the need for two vans on constant standby, officials brushed off cost concerns, doubling down on the extravagance.

The absurdity peaks with a contractor’s bid to cover New Brunswick border crossings—provided they could dodge the very border rules they were tasked with enforcing.

Another document reveals a frantic rush to finalize this contract in a single day because an unnamed VIP needed a limo “tomorrow.” Who was this mystery passenger, and what justified such urgency?

While Canadians endured lockdowns, masked up, and pinched pennies, their government squandered millions on limos that barely moved, cloaked in flimsy excuses of security and haste. This wasn’t about public health—it was a cash grab, enabled by a bureaucracy unchecked and accountability discarded.

As the dust settles on the pandemic, taxpayers are left questioning: How many more scandals lurk in the shadows of crisis?

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