What Is China Really up to on Canadian Soil? A Woman’s Brutal Murder Sheds Light on a Cult and a Disturbing Chinese Spy Network
By Bryan Preston
by Scott McGregor, Ina Mitchell, and Bryan Preston
It’s a sunny day and you’re driving down a backcountry road far from any military bases. Out of nowhere, you spy several dozen adults in camouflage marching together as if they’re a military unit on patrol. That would be out of place enough by itself. Add to it that they appear to be clad in gear resembling that of another nation’s military. You’d probably grab your phone and capture video of the incident.
Salt Spring Island is a sleepy resort island off the Vancouver coast in British Columbia, Canada. You can only get there by ferry or seaplane. In June 2020, Canadians woke up to a pair of bizarre, seemingly unconnected events two years and 100 miles apart, including a mysterious murder.
The first incident was actually two years earlier, on St. Patrick’s Day in 2018. On that day, a man by the name of “Banana Joe” Clemente was driving down the road on Salt Spring Island when he spotted something very much out of place. Canadians are legendarily nice and not at all militarized. They don’t walk around carrying guns. In fact, the ownership of many firearms is prohibited by law. So imagine “Banana Joe’s” surprise when he spotted several dozen Chinese adults marching together down the road in camouflage gear as if they’re some kind of invasion force. He captured a brief video of the sighting, posted it to YouTube, and more or less forgot about it. The world took no notice of the strange camo troop marching double-file on Salt Spring Island.