The release of donors to the controversial truck convoy protests indicates about two dozen North Simcoe residents donated to the cause.
Included in the list obtained by MidlandToday are ShopCity entrepreneur Colin Pape, who donated $25 with the note 'Go truckers, go!' and Adrian Sauvageot, one of six community representatives on the Economic Development Corporation of North Simcoe (EDCNS) board of directors, volunteering since May of 2020 for the role.
The not-for-profit EDCNS organization advocates for business attraction and retention in the towns of Penetanguishene and Midland and the townships of Tay and Tiny.
On February 5, Sauvageot donated $32 to Freedom Convoy 2022 through the GiveSendGo crowdfunding platform website, a fundraising campaign which was publicly exposed by hackers earlier this week to reveal the names, postal codes, email addresses, and donation payments and methods of donors to the cause.
During the pandemic lockdowns of April 2021, Sauvageot advertised a Penetanguishene rental property on Airbnb, asking visitors on his Facebook page: “Are you looking for a weekend getaway where you can discover what it's like to live in a communist country?”
As recently as December 21 of last year, Sauvageot’s social media included a Facebook post stating, “This new round of lockdowns will be the final nail in the coffin for many businesses, both small and large. RIP Canadian Business…” A post made a day earlier stated, “Justin Trudeau is a criminal who should be charged for his crimes against Canada.”
MidlandToday reached Sauvageot by phone for comment.
He confirmed that the $32 USD GiveSendGo donation – a doubled amount from his previously-cancelled $20 CAD GoFundMe donation – was never hidden, and he had donated to the cause of “ending government mandates by removing their overreach."
“I’ve been public about it since the beginning and all I’ve had is a lot of support from a lot of locals,” said Sauvageot, adding that “the community that rallies around the freedom convoy is being distorted by legacy media” in coverage.
When asked of the role of community representative for the EDCNS, Sauvageot responded: “Our role is to promote businesses and try to find investments both national and international to come into the area.”
Of Penetanguishene being within a communist country, he felt the comment didn’t reflect his EDCNS position. “It’s a joke made out of a jest against the current government and their policies.
“I believe the Prime Minister has broken several laws, and while I don’t believe in overthrowing the government by any means, I think he needs to be held accountable for the several laws he has broken since he has been in power,” providing the 2019 corruption scandal involving SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. as one example.
Sauvageot noted that the views of the EDCNS didn’t impact his own personal views.
“EDCNS is a grouping of a lot of individuals with different views, and we constantly have debates within EDCNS which creates for a very good, strong democratic approach to how we can improve our economy locally. And I would hope that the federal government could learn something from how municipalities act in the democratic process to better themselves,” Sauvageot replied.
MidlandToday contacted EDCNS director Sharon Vegh and Pape for comment, but didn't receive a response in time for publication.
Recently, the tangible metrics of the EDCNS were brought to the interest of Midland council during their ask for approximately $169,000 in the 2022 draft budget discussions, approved by council on the praise of several members who promoted the organization; a similar request for financial records was made a year prior.
