“Stalker” Terry Polevoy;  The Quackbuster’s Nut Case?…

Opinion by Consumer Advocate Tim Bolen 

Just a little north of the US border, in Waterloo/Kitchener, Ontario,  is the home, and acne care business, of Terry Polevoy MD, Canada’s number one self styled “quackbuster.”   Polevoy, well versed in bigotry and scare tactics, operates a “hate” operation.  His hatred is for those that espouse “alternative medicine,” in any form.  His website, healthwatcher.net, is a miasma of crazy talk, odd colors and combinations, and a presentation that seems clearly out of the mind of a seriously disturbed individual.

Polevoy’s favorite tactic is “stalking” his intended victims.Today, I’m filing a formal criminal complaint against Polevoy for his recent actions against me.  Knowing something of Polevoy’s history I fear for my safety, and the safety of my family. I’m basing the complaint on a rash of activities by Polevoy over the last few months.  Polevoy, I believe, has serious mental problems.

Polevoy’s history shows that when frustrated in his attempts to damage someone he sees as an adversary, Polevoy, like a true “stalker,” escalates his activities.

In his rabid attack against Canadian radio personality Christine McPhee several years ago, Polevoy began his stalk with e-mails and phone calls.  When McPhee resisted Polevoy’s interests, Polevoy began an e-mail and letter writing campaign to her business associates with obvious intent to do her harm.  When McPhee resisted this, Polevoy began to physically follow her around.

At this point McPhee called in the police.  Polevoy stopped physically following her after that (as far as she knows) but increased, voluminously, his letter and e-mail attacks to her business associates.

McPhee had the largest “Alternative Medicine” radio show in Canada, simultaneously broadcasting on the five largest Canadian stations.  When the radio station company asked McPhee to “deal with this issue,” McPhee made every attempt to mollify Polevoy, to no avail.  Polevoy made it clear that he wanted her life, her interests in alternative medicine, and her business, destroyed.

McPhee was so physically afraid of Polevoy, and his rabid intensity, that she was unable to properly deal with the accusations Polevoy made against her, and the radio station company shut down her show.  McPhee told me “He terrified me.  I couldn’t fight him.  I never knew what he’d do next.  I was afraid, all of the time, and the police couldn’t stop him.  I think he threatened the police too, and THEY seemed to be afraid of him.”

I filed a complaint against Polevoy, several years ago, about Polevoy’s activities concerning McPhee, and his rabid website, with the Ontario College of Physicians – to no avail.  Their response was to indicate pretty much that “we don’t care what he does in his personal life.  We only monitor what he does in his office.”

This last year, research scientist, and author, Hulda Clark PhD was scheduled to speak at a convention in Canada.  On my recommendation, because of Polevoy’s mentally unbalanced vehemence against Clark, at the last minute, Clark felt the need to cancel. I believe that Polevoy, in his frustrations I’ll describe below, would attempt to harm Hulda Clark, if he was provided the opportunity.  Polevoy has a liking for disguises, and with as many people as there are at health conventions, it is almost impossible to provide adequate security.

To share my concerns about Polevoy’s mental state, and his obviously mentally deranged depiction of this world famous research scientist, author, and health humanitarian, Hulda Clark PhD, you have only to look at Polevoy’s website writings about Clark.  What’s really scary is that right beside Polevoy’s rant about Clark he offers her book for sale.

Getting on Polevoy’s website is like climbing down into a sewer under a leprosy hospital.  You can’t put on enough protective clothing for the experience.

Who is this guy?

Polevoy is an anomaly in the “quackbuster” operation.  Apparently banned from a leadership role in the North American conspiracy, Polevoy is conspicuously absent from the NCAHF’s Board of Directors, or Advisors, and is missing from the any Boards at quackwatch.com.  The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) has no listing for him.  It’s obvious he’s been rejected form the main group – probably because of his obsessive behavior.

Speaking of “obsessive behavior,” I found ninety-eight (98) references to him in the Waterloo “The Record,” his local newspaper.  Most of those references are comments, by local citizens, made about Polevoy’s bizarre behavior.  It is apparent that Polevoy is at odds with a major segment of his home town.

Polevoy apparently has deep seated psychological problems regarding his personal identity.  Ilena Rosenthal, the head of the Humantics Foundation, feels she has been stalked by Polevoy for years.  She tells me that , recently, Polevoy apparently hired a private detective to find her.  Why would he do that?  Rosenthal also tells me that she has evidence, gathered on her website, that Polevoy has been using a fake identity “Vera Teasdale” on the internet to harass and intimidate her.  Polevoy, she says, has also used that identity to bash Hulda Clark.

“Vera Teasdale,” one of Polevoy’s identities (alter-egos?) on the internet, I think, is a sample of Polevoy’s mental deterioration.  I think he feels so un-reinforced in his ludicrous arguments, even from his fellow “quackbusters,” about cancer therapies, or whatever, that he invents, or calls from his psyche, an identity to back him up.

I have no idea whether Polevoy actually has multiple personalities, and really becomes “Vera Teasdale” or whether he’s just trying to reinforce a dubious commentary.

And that’s scary…

The last few days I’ve been on the phone with other recent Polevoy victims, and it appears to me that Polevoy is escalating his attacks to a dangerous level.  I’m very concerned, and am setting up my defensive perimeter.

Defining “Stalking”…

An interesting anti-stalking website says that:

In Canada, stalking is defined under a general heading of Criminal Harassment.

The Canadian Criminal Code [ Section 264. Criminal Harassment (2) ] prohibits the following conduct:

(a) repeatedly following from place to place the other person or anyone known to them;
(b) repeatedly communicating with, either directly or indirectly, the other person or anyone known to them;
(c) besetting or watching the dwelling-house, or place where the other person, or anyone known to them, resides, works, carries on business or happens to be; or
(d) engaging in threatening conduct directed at the other person or any member of their family.

and punishes it with imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years.

The Canadian Bar Association, on its website defines stalking as follows:

What is stalking?

Stalking is criminal harassment, contrary to Section 264 of the Criminal Code of Canada. That section makes it illegal for a person to do any of the following things that cause you to reasonably fear for your safety or the safety of anyone you know:

repeatedly follow you, or anyone you know, from place to place,
repeatedly communicate with you, or anyone you know, directly or indirectly repeatedly watch you, or anyone you know, or your home, workplace, or any other place you happen to be.
engage in any threatening conduct directed at you or a member of your family.

Although stalking sometimes includes other criminal conduct, it doesn’t have to. A person can stalk even if they don’t physically hurt anyone or damage any property. The law is designed to protect psychological, emotional, and physical safety.

Stalking may start with conduct that seems more annoying than dangerous. Often, the conduct is legal and even socially acceptable, if it’s just an isolated incident. But when it’s repeated, it may cause fear in the victim. Conduct such as following someone, or sending gifts or letters may become intimidating if done continually and against someone’s wishes.

Once a person knows that their conduct is not welcome, if they continue, their conduct may be criminal harassment and may result in a criminal conviction.

Click here to read the whole Bar Association article.

Polevoy’s actions are NOT welcome.  Reading through the description above, there are MANY people, I think, who should be contacting their local police authorities.  I checked with the Kitchener/Waterloo Police department this morning on the proper way to handle this situation.  They know who Polevoy is.  They told me that each, and every complainant should file their concerns at their own police location – not in Kitchener.  There is a North American police network system that the information will go into – and it’ll end up in Kitchener for investigation.

As you can tell, if and when Polevoy decides to ESCALATE, I hope I’m READY..

Stay tuned…

Tim Bolen – Consumer Advocate