Dark Poutine - True Crime and Dark History

Episode 368: Here, we delve into the life and crimes of Brigitte Denise Cleroux, examining how she repeatedly evaded regulatory scrutiny, the suffering she caused, and the systemic failures that enabled her persistence for so long. This story is a chilling tale of deception, exploitation, and the profound breach of trust within Canada’s health-care system. Cleroux masqueraded as a nurse for years in multiple provinces — British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, and Quebec. She treated hundreds of patients, administering drugs and even performing medical procedures, all without a single legitimate credential. Her actions left a trail of traumatized patients, betrayed colleagues, and a health system forced to reckon with the vulnerabilities she so ruthlessly exploited. Source: ⁠She worked as a nurse for decades. She wasn't who she said she was.⁠ [https://macleans.ca/society/the-nurse-imposter-brigitte-cleroux/]⁠2024 BCSC 2435 (CanLII) | R. v Cleroux | CanLII⁠ [https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcsc/doc/2024/2024bcsc2435/2024bcsc2435.html]⁠2023 BCSC 1275 (CanLII) | Massie v Provincial Health Services Authority | CanLII⁠ [https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcsc/doc/2023/2023bcsc1275/2023bcsc1275.html]⁠2022 ONCJ 188 (CanLII) | R. v. Cleroux | CanLII⁠ [https://www.canlii.org/en/on/oncj/doc/2022/2022oncj188/2022oncj188.html]⁠2022 QCCQ 8569 (CanLII) | R. c. Vallée Baillargeon | CanLII⁠ [https://www.canlii.org/fr/qc/qccq/doc/2022/2022qccq8569/2022qccq8569.html]⁠2011 ABPC 182 (CanLII) | R. v. Marier | CanLII⁠ [https://www.canlii.org/en/ab/abpc/doc/2011/2011abpc182/2011abpc182.html]⁠Unlicensed BC Nurse Class Action⁠ [https://slatervecchio.com/class-action/unlicensed-bc-nurse-class-action/]⁠Cleroux (PHSA) BC | Class Action | Murphy Battista LLP⁠ [https://www.murphybattista.com/practice-areas/class-action-lawsuits/cleroux-provincial-health-services-authority-class-action/]⁠Bogus nurse lawsuits continue to mount against B.C. health authorities⁠ [https://www.burnabynow.com/highlights/bogus-nurse-lawsuits-continue-to-mount-against-bc-health-authorities-10556502]⁠Assault with a weapon: Fake nurse pleads guilty to assaulting B.C. patients by IV injection | CBC News⁠ [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/brigitte-cleroux-fake-nurse-guilty-1.7269979]⁠West Shore RCMP - Nurse impersonator sentenced to 7 years in prison⁠ [https://bc-cb.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=2127&languageId=1&contentId=86573]⁠Fake nurse sentenced 7 years for impersonation, using needles on patients in Ottawa | CBC News⁠ [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/brigitte-cleroux-sentencing-ottawa-court-1.6425978]⁠B.C. ‘fake nurse’ Brigitte Cleroux sentenced to 7 years in prison⁠ [https://globalnews.ca/news/10927916/bc-fake-nurse-brigitte-cleroux-in-court-sentence/]⁠Fake nurse Brigitte Cleroux apologizes in court | CBC News⁠ [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/brigitte-cleroux-sentencing-1.7406541]⁠Woman who worked as a fake nurse in B.C. makes tearful statement in court⁠ [https://globalnews.ca/news/10911695/bc-fake-nurse-tearful-statement-court/]⁠Dozens of B.C. civil lawsuits filed in alleged bogus nurse case⁠ [https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/highlights/dozens-of-bc-civil-lawsuits-filed-in-alleged-bogus-nurse-case-7876293]⁠Public advisory: Melanie Smith is not a registrant of BCCNM⁠ [https://www.bccnm.ca/bccnm/Announcements/Pages/Announcement.aspx?AnnouncementID=274]⁠Fake nurse’s ’deep seated dishonesty’ adds four more years to prison term: B.C. judge⁠ [https://vancouversun.com/news/fake-nurse-prison-sentence-bc]⁠Serial Imposter Works as a FAKE Nurse For Two Decades | The Case of Brigitte Cleroux⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDlsQ18sPDQ]⁠Alleged B.C. nurse impersonator needs yet another lawyer⁠ [https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/highlights/alleged-bc-nurse-impersonator-needs-yet-another-lawyer-7741783] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Episode 367: In the early hours of Valentine’s Day 2013, the world awoke to the shocking news that South African Olympic and Paralympic hero Oscar Pistorius had shot and killed his girlfriend, a 29-year-old paralegal and model Reeva Steenkamp, inside his Pretoria home. Pistorius, celebrated for overcoming the loss of his legs to become a global sporting icon, now stood accused of a crime that would grip and divide a nation. The ensuing investigation and trial, marked by intense media scrutiny, conflicting testimonies, and a dramatic courtroom battle, would raise questions about celebrity, violence, and the quality of justice in South Africa. Sources: Reeva: A Mother's Story | Indigo.ca [https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/reeva-a-mothers-story/3a1150cf-982b-3100-9197-4680fde0b10a.html] Remembering Reeva Steenkamp: Her inspiring life and tragic death [https://closeronline.co.uk/celebrity/news/remembering-reeva-steenkamp-inspiring-life-tragic-death/] Reeva Steenkamp, my friend, shot by Oscar Pistorius [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-28349666] Here is Reeva Steenkamp, not just Oscar's girlfriend [https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-29707131] The Reeva I knew [https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2013-02-14-the-reeva-i-knew/] An untold story: all about Reeva Steenkamp [https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/an-untold-story-all-about-reeva-steenkamp-9813188.html] 1983 - The O'Malley Archives [https://omalley.nelsonmandela.org/index.php/site/q/03lv01538/04lv01539/05lv01573/06lv01577.htm] South Africa — Forced Removals | Overcoming Apartheid [https://overcomingapartheid.msu.edu/multimedia.php?kid=163-582-18] Formation and launch of the UDF | South African History Online [https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/formation-and-launch-udf] MAJOR NEWS IN SUMMARY; Changing South Africa 1983 (Published 1986) [https://www.nytimes.com/1986/04/27/weekinreview/major-news-in-summary-changing-south-africa-1983.html] Oscar Pistorius | Biography, Olympics, Conviction, & Facts | Britannica [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Oscar-Pistorius] Oscar Pistorius: The strange and dangerous world of the blade runner | MacLeans [https://macleans.ca/news/world/oscar-pistorius-from-the-podium-to-purgatory/] Oscar Pistorius - Athletics | Paralympic Athlete Profile [https://www.paralympic.org/oscar-pistorius] Oscar PISTORIUS | Olympic Athlete Profile [https://www.olympics.com/en/athletes/oscar-pistorius] The Pistorius Case and South Africa’s Gun Problem [https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/02/oscar-pistorius-gun-violence-south-africa/] Timeline - The trial of 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius [https://www.reuters.com/article/sports/timeline-the-trial-of-blade-runner-oscar-pistorius-idUSKBN0TM0U1/] Reeva's Death 'Ruined' Steenkamp Family, Cousin Says [https://www.voanews.com/a/steenkamp-family-surprsied-at-revelation-of-pistorius-payments/2484225.html] Family of Reeva Steenkamp searching for answers about shooting [https://www.si.com/olympics/2013/02/18/oscar-pistorius-shooting] Oscar Pistorius trial SABC News on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyxkBFYMs1vz9__Y-rCwab-htixelEcqS] Director of Public Prosecutions, Gauteng v Pistorius (950/2016) [2017] ZASCA 158; 2018 (1) SACR 115 (SCA); [2018] 1 All SA 336 (SCA) (24 November 2017) [https://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZASCA/2017/158.html] S v Pistorius (CC113/2013) [2016] ZAGPPHC 724 (6 July 2016) [https://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZAGPPHC/2016/724.html] Director of Public Prosecutions, Gauteng v Pistorius (96/2015) [2015] ZASCA 204; [2016] 1 All SA 346 (SCA); 2016 (2) SA 317 (SCA); 2016 (1) SACR 431 (SCA) (3 December 2015) [https://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZASCA/2015/204.html] S v Pistorius (CC113/2013) [2014] ZAGPPHC 924 (21 October 2014) [https://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZAGPPHC/2014/924.html] S v Pistorius (CC113/2013) [2014] ZAGPPHC 793 (12 September 2014) [https://www.saflii.org/za/cases/ZAGPPHC/2014/793.html] Inside the Oscar Pistorius trial [https://web.archive.org/web/20150924104809/http://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2014/03/03/inside-the-oscar-pistorius-trial] Reeva Steenkamp shooting | The Guardian [https://www.theguardian.com/world/reeva-steenkamp-shooting] Reeva Steenkamp | Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reeva_Steenkamp] Trial of Oscar Pistorius | Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_of_Oscar_Pistorius] Where Is Oscar Pistorius Now? Inside the Olympian’s Life After Murder Conviction [https://people.com/where-is-oscar-pistorius-now-former-olympic-runner-8638022] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Episode 366: On a cold night, March 14, 1980, the city of Toronto was shaken by an act of violence that would leave a deep scar on its police force and forever change the lives of one family. It was the kind of crime that, decades later, still echoes in the halls of justice and the memories of those who lived through it. This is the story of  Constable Michael Sweet, a dedicated police officer, loving husband, and devoted father of three young girls, all under ten years old, who lost his life in the line of duty at the hands of two brothers whose names would become synonymous with brutality: Craig Alfred Munro, 28, and his 21-year-old brother, James Scott Munro. Sources: ⁠1983 CanLII 3542 (ON CA) | R. v. Munro | CanLII⁠ [https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onca/doc/1983/1983canlii3542/1983canlii3542.html]⁠1984 CanLII 3608 (QC CA) | R. v. Vaillancourt | CanLII⁠ [https://www.canlii.org/en/qc/qcca/doc/1984/1984canlii3608/1984canlii3608.html]⁠Oct 20, 1983, page 19 - The Toronto Star at Newspapers.com⁠ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/948205172/?match=1&terms=Michael%20Sweet]⁠Oct 28, 1980, page 3 - The Toronto Star at Newspapers.com⁠ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/947920021/?match=1&terms=Michael%20Sweet]⁠Mar 21, 1980, page 9 - The Toronto Star at Newspapers.com⁠ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/947241046/?match=1&terms=Michael%20Sweet]⁠Mar 19, 1980, page 3 - The Toronto Star at Newspapers.com⁠ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/948434647/?match=1&terms=Michael%20Sweet]⁠Mar 17, 1980, page 14 - The Toronto Star at Newspapers.com⁠ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/948433158/?match=1&terms=Michael%20Sweet]⁠Mar 15, 1980, page 1 - The Toronto Star at Newspapers.com⁠ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/948432797/]⁠Mar 15, 1980, page 9 - The Toronto Star at Newspapers.com⁠ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/948432855/?match=1&terms=Michael%20Sweet] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Episode 365: On a humid August morning in 1873, the quiet, tight-knit community of Baker’s Settlement outside of Bridgewater in Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, was shattered by a crime so shocking that it would echo for generations. This is the story of Mary Ann Frauzel Mailman—a woman described by her contemporaries as strikingly beautiful, and by all accounts, a devoted mother—whose life ended violently at the hands of her husband, Peter Mailman. The murder and its aftermath would become one of the most infamous cases in the province’s history, both for its brutality and for the chilling window it offered into the darkness that can lurk behind closed doors. Sources: ⁠cihm_09620⁠ [https://ia800201.us.archive.org/10/items/cihm_09620/cihm_09620.pdf]⁠The trial of Peter Mailman for the murder of hi...⁠ [https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.09620/1]⁠Mary Ann Frauzel Mailman (1826-1873) - Find a...⁠ [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/173286173/mary_ann-mailman]⁠Bloodshed among the berries - 1873 Lunenburg, Nova Scotia⁠ [https://terynn19.wixsite.com/bluenoser-1/post/bloodshed-among-the-berries-1873-lunenburg-nova-scotia]⁠Large Fierce Mammal: The Trial of Peter Mailman⁠ [https://randy.whynacht.ca/dark-sentiments-season-8-day-21-the-trial-of-peter-mailman/]⁠Capital case, Peter Mailman tried before [Minister of] Justice DesBarnes at Lunenburg⁠ [https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/record?idnumber=e002241545e00224154510459&app=ordincou&ecopy=]⁠Hamilton Spectator -- Deaths, 1873⁠ [http://www.glanbrookheritage.ca/deaths1873.htm]⁠Dec 30, 1873, page 1 - The New York Times at Newspapers.com⁠ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/20507621/?match=1&terms=Peter%20Mailman]⁠Dec 10, 1873, page 3 - The Hamilton Spectator at Newspapers.com⁠ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/1004967832/?match=1&terms=Peter%20Mailman]⁠Dec 05, 1873, page 2 - The Hamilton Spectator at Newspapers.com⁠ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/1004967730/?match=1&terms=Peter%20Mailman]⁠Nov 27, 1873, page 2 - The Montreal Star at Newspapers.com⁠ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/743042954/?match=1&terms=Peter%20Mailman]⁠Oct 24, 1873, page 3 - The Gazette at Newspapers.com⁠ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/691020431/?match=1&terms=Peter%20Mailman]⁠Oct 21, 1873, page 3 - The Gazette at Newspapers.com⁠ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/691020175/?match=1&terms=Peter%20Mailman]⁠Aug 26, 1873, page 1 - The Rutland Daily Globe at Newspapers.com⁠ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/443162459/?match=1&terms=Peter%20Mailman]⁠Aug 25, 1873, page 2 - The Spirit of Democracy at Newspapers.com⁠ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/171442833/?match=1&terms=Peter%20Mailman]⁠Aug 22, 1873, page 1 - Democrat and Chronicle at Newspapers.com⁠ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/135076058/?match=1&terms=Peter%20Mailman]⁠Aug 22, 1873, page 3 - Hartford Courant at Newspapers.com⁠ [https://www.newspapers.com/image/369362572/?match=1&terms=Peter%20Mailman]⁠Aug 19, 1873, page 3 - The San Francisco Examiner at Newspapers.com [https://www.newspapers.com/image/457522275/?match=1&terms=Peter%20Mailman] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Episode 364: On June 17, 1958, a warm summer afternoon in Vancouver, British Columbia, the bustling construction site of the Second Narrows Bridge was alive with activity. Seventy-nine workers, including ironworkers, engineers, and painters, were perched high above the waters of Burrard Inlet, labouring to connect Vancouver to the North Shore. Little did they know that in mere moments, their world would come crashing down in what would become the worst industrial disaster in Vancouver's history. Several bridge spans suddenly collapsed as they attempted to join two chords of the unfinished arch. The disaster sent all the bridge builders on shift plummeting 30 meters into the waters below. Tragically, 18 workers lost their lives instantly or shortly after, possibly due to drowning from their heavy tool belts. The death toll rose to 19 when a diver searching for bodies also drowned in the days following the collapse. Sources: Collapse of the Second Narrows Bridge during Construction | Proceedings | Vol , No [https://ascelibrary.org/doi/10.1061/9780784481035.014] 1958 – BC Infrastructure Disaster – Ironworkers Memorial Bridge – Vancouver 1958 [https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/engineeringinsociety/chapter/infrastructure-disaster-ironworkers-memorial-bridge-vancouver-1958/] Time Traveller: 19 die in 1958 Second Narrows Bridge collapse and ensuing rescue [https://www.nsnews.com/in-the-community/time-traveller-19-die-in-1958-second-narrows-bridge-collapse-and-ensuing-rescue-5462583] Second Narrows Bridge Collapse [https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/second-narrows-bridge-collapse] Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironworkers_Memorial_Second_Narrows_Crossing] The Lions Gate Bridge [https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/lions-gate-bridge] The Lions Gate Bridge - And The Lions Who Guard It [https://forbiddenvancouver.ca/lions-gate-bridge-lions-guard/] Building a Vancouver Icon: The Lions Gate Bridge - Introduction - MONOVA [https://monova.ca/building-vancouver-icon-lions-gate-bridge-introduction/] Jun 18, 1958, page 35 - The Province at Newspapers.com [https://www.newspapers.com/image/501288197/] Last living survivor of Second Narrows Bridge disaster won't let pandemic stop him from honouring dead | CBC News [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ironworkers-memorial-bridge-collapse-1958-1.5615447] Check out this historical video report on the 1958 collapse of the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing (VIDEO) [https://www.vancouverisawesome.com/local-news/check-out-this-historical-video-report-on-the-1958-collapse-of-the-ironworkers-memorial-second-narrows-crossing-video-4961035] Tragedy at Second Narrows: The Story of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge [https://www.amazon.ca/Tragedy-Second-Narrows-Ironworkers-Memorial/dp/1550175300] Time Traveller: 19 die in 1958 Second Narrows Bridge collapse and ensuing rescue [https://www.nsnews.com/in-the-community/time-traveller-19-die-in-1958-second-narrows-bridge-collapse-and-ensuing-rescue-5462583] This Week in History: 1896: The Point Ellice Bridge collapses in Victoria, killing 55 [https://vancouversun.com/news/this-week-in-history-1896-the-point-ellice-bridge-collapses-in-victoria-killing-55] Looking Back: 126 years since 55 killed in catastrophic Victoria bridge collapse [https://www.goldstreamgazette.com/community/looking-back-126-years-since-55-killed-in-catastrophic-victoria-bridge-collapse-638837] The Point Ellice Bridge Failure [https://www.structuremag.org/article/the-point-ellice-bridge-failure/] The Point Ellice Bridge Disaster [https://www.focusonvictoria.ca/victoria-mapping-project/history/point-ellice-bridge-disaster/] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]