The owner of Health and Wellness Expos of Canada is
defending his decision to invite David Stephan to speak at events in Saskatoon,
Winnipeg, Calgary, and Edmonton.
Sobeys and Saskatoon-based fitness equipment retailer Flaman
Fitness have withdrawn their sponsorships of the events after drawing criticism
online over Stephan's participation.
Stephan and his wife Collet were convicted in 2016 of
failing to provide the necessaries of life to their son Ezekiel, who died in
2012. The Stephans attempted to treat their 19-month-old son with natural
remedies when he fell ill with meningitis.
David Stephan was sentenced to four months in jail, while
Collet Stephan was given three months of house arrest, with each also ordered
to complete 240 hours of community service. The conviction was appealed and has
made it to the Supreme Court of Canada docket, where arguments are expected to
be heard in May.
A post on the Flaman Fitness Facebook page states
"Flaman Fitness engaged in the sponsorship of Health and Wellness Expos of
Canada with the intent of supporting Canadians to reach their health and fitness
goals. However, we will not support an event which has David Stephan as keynote
speaker and are withdrawing our sponsorship of this event and all future
associated events."
Sobeys Inc. has told CBC they have pulled their sponsorship
as well.
Cynthia Thompson, a spokesperson for Sobeys Inc., says the
company was not aware Stephan was a keynote speaker when the they decided to
sponsor the event.
"Supporting the well-being of Canadians is essential to
our purpose as a company and we entered this sponsorship with the best
intention of advancing our focus on eating well, but we can't support the
choice that Health and Wellness Expos of Canada has made on the selection of
David Stephan as keynote speaker," she said.
Thompson also said Sobeys Inc. will be taking a closer look
at events they sponsor in the future.
"All I can say on the front of making the decision is
that we're conducting a review of our process and governance on these types of
sponsorships," she said.
"This really should not have happened," Thompson
added.
Rick Thiessen, owner of Health and Wellness Expos of Canada,
said he knew all about Stephan's history before he booked him. Thiessen said he
judges his vendors based on their products, not on their personal lives.
"Having seen and looked at all the documentation and
had conversations about what happened, it's between them and their God, it's
not between me and them," he said. "The issue that Dave had in terms
of being arrested has nothing to do with his healthcare product that he's
selling."
Thiessen has been running the expositions for 24 years. He
said inviting controversial speakers like Stephan is an important part of what
he offers.
"In 24 years of doing this show, I've had some of the
most controversial speakers and products known to man come through our
doors," he said.
"I look for the most controversial thing I can,"
he added. "If it's out there and it's controversial, that means people are
talking about it. There's no better place to talk about something than at a
place where you can actually find out the facts from the original person."…
Stephan promotes EMPowerplus "daily multi-vitamin
replacement" capsules, which are marketed as helping with mental disorders
such as bipolar disorder, ADD/ADHD and stress. The product is distributed by
Truehope Nutritional Support, a company that was co-founded by Stephan's
father.
Truehope bills the product on its webstore as "the most
powerful daily supplement in the world."
Stephan spoke in Saskatoon on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday,
and is scheduled for to appear at next week's expo in Winnipeg, as well events
in Calgary and Edmonton later in the year.
Thiessen said Stephan's presentations in Saskatoon have been
well attended.
After Stephan's talk on Saturday afternoon, over a dozen
people lined up to speak with him. Stephan hugged everyone he greeted, and
attendees thanked him for sharing his knowledge.
Stephan declined to speak to CBC News.
http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/canada/saskatoon/david-stephan-son-meningitis-death-speaker-wellness-expo-1.4530355
Courtesy of a colleague
Courtesy of a colleague
See: http://childnervoussystem.blogspot.com/2016/04/when-adults-shun-modern-medicine-and.html
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