Faith in a Higher Power

Within a few months, Bill and Elisabeth lost two of their nearest and dearest.

Part 1: The Church in the Greenhouse (trucker Bill’s story)

The sign on the back of Bill’s truck. Screen capture from a Tim Jonker video.

For Bill and Elisabeth, Pam was only the first casualty of an off-the-rails medical system. Bill's older brother, Gerben, was next. Also a truck driver, he'd married Elisabeth's sister five decades earlier. In late 2021 Gerben became seriously ill. It's unclear if he had pneumonia, COVID, or both. An ambulance was called to his home. Bill and Elisabeth believe he received second class care from the paramedics and then from hospital staff because he was unvaccinated.

During his time in hospital, they learned he was treated with Remdesivir. The World Health Organization had recommended against the use of that medication a year prior since there's little evidence it works. Worse, it's known to cause kidney damage. Amongst nurses, Remdesivir was quietly nicknamed 'Run, death is near.' Nevertheless, it was administered extensively in Canada during a time in which COVID protocols prevented family members from being at the bedside of their hospitalized loved ones.

Gerben, a 75-year-old father of five and grandfather of 10, perished on December 5th. The last time his wife saw her husband alive was when he was loaded into the ambulance.

In a few short months, therefore, Bill and Elisabeth lost two of their nearest and dearest. In both instances, they sincerely suspect medical malpractice. A rushed vaccine. Discriminatory care. Dubious treatment protocols. For them these aren't abstract conversations. Their anguish is real.

The calendar flips over into 2022. The Canadian government's January 15th vaccine mandate for cross-border truckers looms, after which Bill will be required to quarantine for 14 days every time he crosses back into Canada. The US ostensibly adopts a similar vaccine mandate, but in Bill's experience it’s an illusion. "Since day one," he insists, "the Americans have never asked the trucker anything. I hand them my normal paperwork. Boom, boom, have a good day."

Harold Jonker, Bill's boss, invites him to participate in a convoy heading to the nation's capital. After hearing that many of the wives are going, Elisabeth packs her bag. "We have two cats, but I said, 'You know, what? Let's do it.'"

On Thursday, January 27th, the Niagara contingent of the Freedom Convoy gathers in Fort Erie, close to the America border. Bill isn't pulling a trailer. Instead, there's a huge sign bolted to the back of his bobtail that reads: "God's given immUNITY works best." Still grappling with personal trauma, that sign is an expression of his faith in a higher power. 

Bill's spot in the Convoy is well behind Harold's lead truck. After leaving Fort Erie, he says, "I don't think I saw him again" that day. When they stop for the night in Kingston, Bill stands outdoors in the cold with Tim Jonker and another driver. Tim remembers those moments vividly:

I'm 'Hey, Bill. You wanna beer?' So I grabbed some, we went behind the truck. We were shooting the breeze. His brother had just passed away. And he says, 'Oh, my brother would have loved this.'

I get emotional even thinking about it, because there I was having fun with my own brother.

next installment: Smack Dab in Front of Parliament