FILE PHOTO - Kelowna city councillor Ron Cannan consulted with a Kelowna business that appears to be behind new anti-vaccine billboards. He claims he has not consulted with the business in "a couple years."

(JOHN MCDONALD / iNFOnews.ca)

A Kelowna city councillor was listed as a "consultant" for the business behind new anti-vax billboards near Kamloops.

Ron Cannan said he hasn't consulted for the business in years, but his bio remained on its website until iNFOnews.ca started asking questions about it Thursday, Dec. 1.

"I don't know anything about this," Cannan said. "I volunteered as an (advisor) with him. He was working with the school district at one time."

The business then removed his bio from the website.

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"The media is going after some of out consultants," the Marketedge.Pro business consulting website reads. "Let me know if you are interested in taking a stand against this evil system by being a face on our wall of boldness."

It was removed again by Friday morning, Dec. 2.

A screenshot of the Marketedge.Pro website from Dec. 1, 2022, where Ron Cannan's bio was once listed. A message claiming "the media" is going after its consultants replaced it after Cannan was questioned about the business relationship.

(LEVI LANDRY / iNFOnews.ca)

Marketedge.Pro, owned by Andrew Lauman, appears to be behind an effort to advertise anti-vaccine messaging and COVID-19 misinformation on billboards in B.C. The business is based in Kelowna, but the billboards are, so far, only in the Thompson region.

Residents in the Kamloops area may have seen these billboards on Highway 5N or the Trans Canada Highway near Chase, with the website getawake.ca printed on it.

One appears to claim COVID-19 vaccines are causing blood clots, heart disease, low sperm count and sudden adult death "syndrome."

The other asks "what's your number?" and appears to signify vaccine syringes.

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A billboard along the Trans-Canada Highway near Chase was erected on Oct. 27, 2022, promoting COVID-19 vaccine misinformation.

Image Credit: Getawake.ca

Getawake.ca asks the public for donations to keep the billboards standing, along with requests for future anti-vaccine or anti-SOGI 123 messaging ideas (sexual orientation and gender identity). One anti-Sogi 123 billboard is also planned for the West Kelowna area.

According to the website, it's "crowdsourcing the narrative."

Ironically, the website says the group behind the billboards chose physical advertising because social media creates "silos" of information, which is commonly blamed for deeply entrenching people into believing conspiracy theories and misinformation.

iNFOnews.ca reached out to Lauman about the connection between his business and the billboards, but he refused to immediately comment.

Cannan's bio still remains on a separate healthcare-related page on the Marketedge.Pro website, which includes several links to articles skeptical about the validity of the COVID pandemic and the vaccines, then claims its consultants can help those where COVID-19 regulations are "killing" their business.

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Cannan said he worked with the business consultant company a "couple years ago." When iNFOnews.ca explained the business is connected to anti-vaccine billboards, he diverted and asked whether we had any questions about City government-related issues.

A screenshot from the Marketedge.Pro website on Nov. 30, 2022, shows Cannan's bio listed as one of its consultants.

Image Credit: iNFOnews.ca

He said he would "not be having anymore interviews with iNFOnews" until a public apology was issued for a previous editorial about him and his KelownaNow column about vaccine skepticism.

He then remained on the phone another ten minutes.

Cannan's KelownaNow column was published in November 2021, in which he questioned why doctors against COVID-19 vaccines were being "muzzled" and claimed vaccine mandates had "more to do with politics than science." 

The vast majority of COVID-related mandates have since been dropped by both the provincial and federal governments.

Former Kelowna MP Stephen Fuhr later told KelownaNow Cannan made a "tactical error" by writing his column, but Cannan went on to be the top vote-getter among councillors in the 2022 municipal election.

When asked whether the politics around COVID-19 will affect his politics now, Cannan refused to answer.

"You're talking about an article that was written over a year ago. We're dealing with an issue that has all kinds of perspectives on it," he said. "I believe that people can choose how you want to read that article and interpret however you want. At the end of the day, I've said clearly that I support people to get vaccinated, but first seek professional medical help for assistance and advice from their family doctor if they have that."

To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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