Anglais
Mefloquine and ‘Somalia Affair’ raised as part of Saskatoon sexual assault trial
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The spectre of a controversial antimalarial drug given to Canadian soldiers starting three decades ago emerged earlier this month in a Saskatoon courtroom during the waning days of a sexual assault trial.
Mark Donlevy was previously found guilty at Court of Queen’s Bench of sexually assaulting a woman he met online in 2004. As the Crown and defence were making sentencing submissions to Justice Heather MacMillan-Brown last week, the former massage therapist’s military past was brought up.
Donlevy’s defence lawyer Alan McIntyre gave a character sketch of his client, describing how he was raised in Saskatoon, is now married, has no criminal record and has contributed to his community and country.
McIntyre then mentioned that Donlevy had served in Somalia in 1992, and had been given an antimalarial drug as part of that mission. Donlevy had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, he said, adding that the drug had exacerbated that condition.
That drug, he later said, was mefloquine.
It was the first time during the trial that Donlevy’s military background had been raised. No expert witnesses had been called at trial, and no medical or military records tendered.
It was also the first suggestion that the antimalarial may have been an element influencing his behaviour.
The mention of mefloquine raises issues that still haunt the Canadian military today: Did the drug affect the soldiers who were given it as part of a clinical trial? Are those effects still felt today?
The Somalia Affair
In December 1992, the Canadian Airborne Regiment was sent to Somalia to help with a United Nations humanitarian mission. Four months after they arrived, a Somali teen named Shidane Abukar Arone was beaten and tortured to death by Canadian soldiers from the 2 Commando unit.
One of the two soldiers eventually charged in Arone’s death, Master Cpl. Clayton Matchee, of Saskatchewan, was later found hanging in his cell, and suffered irreparable brain damage as a result of the suicide attempt.
The Somalia Affair marked one of the darkest chapters in Canada’s military history, leading to court martials, a public inquiry and the disbandment of the Airborne regiment in 1995.
CAF veteran Dave Bona crossed paths with Mark Donlevy in Somalia. (CBC News)
It came out at the time that the soldiers in Somalia had been given mefloquine as part of a clinical trial before their deployment. Questions about whether the antimalarial may have played a role in the soldiers’ violent crimes were raised at the inquiry — but it wrapped up before those questions were answered.
Matchee’s wife has alleged that mefloquine drove her husband to « madness » and played a role in the torture.
Dave Bona, another Airborne veteran who has pushed the federal government to help soldiers who may have suffered side effects from mefloquine, remembers Donlevy being in Somalia with 2 Commando.
« I knew him in passing, through the junior ranks. You hung out with your own crew: I hung out with the 3 Commando guys, he was with the 2 Commando guys, » he told CBC News.
« He was pointed out to me in the junior ranks club, sort of, ‘Hey, there’s another guy from Saskatchewan.' »
Changing views
It’s taken almost three decades for the government’s views on mefloquine to evolve.
In 2016, Health Canada took a significant step in regards to mefloquine, said Cathay Wagantall, the Conservatives’ Veterans Affairs critic and MP for Yorkton-Melville in southeastern Saskatchewan.
« Two years ago … Health Canada quietly updated our monogram on [mefloquine] to include far more detail about serious problems that could impact an individual. Heart problems, mental problems, nervous system problems, » she said.
« Those symptoms or reactions could occur at any time, and may actually last for months or even years — and some may become permanent. »
Conservative MP Cathay Wagantall says Ottawa should be doing more to let soldiers who took mefloquine know about the drug’s potential side effects. (Steve Fischer/CBC)
In response to the growing scrutiny around mefloquine, the Canadian Armed Forces launched a review of the drug’s use, publishing a report in June 2017. Ultimately, the Forces found that while there is no evidence to suggest mefloquine causes long-term adverse effects on human health, it should not be prescribed as a first option for soldiers being deployed to malaria-affected regions.
Two other commonly prescribed antimalarials — Malarone (AP) and doxycycline — are now considered the preferred options.
Dr. Remington Nevin, a Vermont-based physician and military veteran, is at the forefront of research on mefloquine. He has studied the chronic effects of the drug, especially as a contributor to criminal behaviour, for more than a decade.
« In general, these cases involve an individual committing criminal acts some time distant from their exposure to mefloquine. Until recently, it was not felt it could not have any plausible, long-term effect, » he said.
« What does tend to occur is that individuals will suffer from delusions that may be seemingly mild, but could be sufficient to inform behaviour that could be criminal. These could be criminal delusions, these could be grandiose delusions. And the individual might otherwise seem fine, but they still could labouring under the effects of these mild delusions. »
Nevin said he’s not aware of any cases where the courts accepted mefloquine use a defence in a criminal case, even as a mitigating factor.
Donlevy case returns next month
Donlevy is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 15. Justice MacMillan-Brown may address whether his PTSD and mefloquine exposure were mitigating factors in her sentencing, or she may not touch on it all.
Donlevy, however, is not done with the courts.
In February 2019, he’ll stand trial at Saskatoon Court of Queen’s Bench on 11 counts of sexual assault alleged to have happened in his home between 2009 and 2016, when he worked as a massage therapist.
It’s not yet known whether his lawyer will again raise his experiences in the military, or mefloquine, as part of the defence.
Wagantall knows nothing about the specifics of Donlevy’s conviction and outstanding allegations. But she said she’s « absolutely not surprised » that a former Airborne member exposed to mefloquine is now before the courts facing serious criminal charges.
The drug damaged people and they need help, she said.
A first step, she suggested, is for Ottawa to contact soldiers who were given the drug and let them know of possible long-term effects, emphasizing that it is different than PTSD.
« We have a situation where, for years, 20 years, mefloquine was the go-to drug for our Canadian Armed Forces. They were required to take it, » she said. « And we know that it does potentially have this huge impact on people.
« And there’s been no communications to them to say, ‘You know what? If you are having any of these symptoms, go see your doctor.’ Because it mimics PTSD to a certain point, and that’s what they have basically been diagnosed with. »
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In downtown Montreal, it’s festival season.
In the city’s entertainment district, a musical act was conducting a sound check on stage Friday evening — the second day of the French-language version of the renowned Just For Laughs comedy festival. Tickets for many of the festival’s free outdoor shows — limited by COVID-19 regulations — were sold out.
Two blocks away, more than 100 people were watching an acoustic performance by the Isaac Neto Trio — part of the last weekend of the Festival International Nuits d’Afrique, a celebration of music from the African continent and the African diaspora.
With COVID-19 restrictions continuing to limit capacity, festival organizers say they’re glad to be back but looking forward to next year when they hope border restrictions and capacity limits won’t affect their plans.
Charles Décarie, Just For Laughs’ CEO and president, said this is a “transition year.”
“Even though we have major constraints from the public health group in Montreal, we’ve managed to design a festival that can navigate through those constraints,” Décarie said.
The French-language Juste pour rire festival began on July 15 and is followed by the English-language festival until July 31.
When planning began in February and March, Décarie said, organizers came up with a variety of scenarios for different crowd sizes, ranging from no spectators to 50 per cent of usual capacity.
“You’ve got to build scenarios,” he said. “You do have to plan a little bit more than usual because you have to have alternatives.”
MONTREAL — MELS Studios will build a new film studio in Montreal, filling some of the gap in supply to meet the demand of Hollywood productions.
MELS president Martin Carrier said on Friday that MELS 4 studio construction will begin « as soon as possible », either in the fall or winter of next year. The studio could host productions as early as spring 2023.
The total investment for the project is $76 million, with the Quebec government contributing a $25 million loan. The project will create 110 jobs, according to the company.
The TVA Group subsidiary’s project will enable it to stand out « even more » internationally, according to Quebecor president and CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau. In the past, MELS Studios has hosted several major productions, including chapters of the X-Men franchise. The next Transformers movie is shooting this summer in Montreal.
Péladeau insisted that local cultural productions would also benefit from the new facility, adding that the studio ensures foreign revenues and to showcase talent and maintain an industry of Quebec producers.
STUDIO SHORTAGE
The film industry is cramped in Montreal.
According to a report published last May by the Bureau du cinéma et de la télévision du Québec (BCTQ), there is a shortage of nearly 400,000 square feet of studio space.
With the addition of MELS 4, which will be 160,000 square feet, the company is filling part of the gap.
Carrier admitted that he has had to turn down contracts because of the lack of space, representing missed opportunities of « tens of millions of dollars, not only for MELS, but also for the Quebec economy. »
« Montreal’s expertise is in high demand, » said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who was present at the announcement.
She said she received great testimonials from « Netflix, Disney, HBO and company » during an economic mission to Los Angeles in 2019.
« What stands out is that they love Montreal because of its expertise, knowledge and beauty. We need more space, like MELS 4, » she said.
There is still not enough capacity in Quebec, acknowledged Minister of Finance, the Economy and Innovation Eric Girard.
« It is certain that the government is concerned about fairness and balance, so if other requests come in, we will study them with the same seriousness as we have studied this one, » he said.
Grandé Studios is the second-largest player in the industry. Last May, the company said it had expansion plans that should begin in 2022. Investissement Québec and Bell are minority shareholders in the company.
For its part, MELS will have 400,000 square feet of production space once MELS 4 is completed. The company employs 450 people in Quebec and offers a range of services including studio and equipment rentals, image and sound postproduction, visual effects and a virtual production platform.
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