Canada

Were there empty ATMs and locked funds at all of the "Big Five" Canadian banks on February 17, 2022? No, that's not true: The claims are "baseless," the Canadian Bankers Association (CBA) told Lead Stories. The Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) confirmed it was experiencing trouble with online banking services on February 16, 2022, but there is no evidence that…

Wanted for Defamation On November 5, 2021, a website named Conservative Beaver published a false story about the CEO of Pfizer being arrested for fraud. It wasn't the first false story published by the website and it wouldn't be the last: Only a few days later the site falsely claimed Myriam Bourla (the wife of Pfizer's CEO Albert Bourla) died…

Did authorities send out an arrest warrant for Pope Francis on November 1, 2021? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that an arrest warrant for Pope Francis has been issued, that he is going to court for crimes against humanity or that he could be imprisoned any time soon. This is a completely fictional claim. The claim appeared…

Did the U.N. station armored vehicles outside a pharmaceutical company in Canada? No, that's not true: the tenant of the building has changed and the armored vehicles are parked at a company that builds and maintains armored vehicles, which are not part of a military operation in Canada. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on Facebook on…

Did 10,000 Canadian doctors say the COVID-19 pandemic was a "fraud"? No, that's not true: The petition listed as proof does not declare the pandemic a fraud. It is a protest against the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO), which cautioned doctors against spreading misinformation. In addition, more than 600 of the names on the petition do not…