As the federal government was promising to tackle harmful false claims about the pandemic spreading online, it was giving thousands of dollars to a magazine spreading vaccine misinformation — including unsubstantiated claims that COVID-19 vaccines could cause cancer in children.
The Department of Canadian Heritage, which helps to oversee the government’s response to a rising tide of false information online, confirmed it provided more than $17,000 to Common Ground magazine through a special program of the Canada Periodical Fund intended to help publications weather the pandemic.
The B.C. publication calls itself “Western Canada’s biggest and best-loved monthly magazine dedicated to health, wellness, ecology and personal growth.” It has
