S36 E3: The Other Side | The Cult Queen of Canada

Summary

The Cult Queen of Canada (Uncover S36 E3): "The Other Side"

Release Date: March 9, 2026
Host: Rachel Brown (CBC)

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Episode Overview

In this gripping third episode of "The Cult Queen of Canada," host Rachel Brown investigates the deepening rift in the small Saskatchewan town of Richmound as the community grapples with the presence of Romana Didulo—a self-proclaimed “Queen of Canada” fueled by QAnon conspiracies—and her followers. As tensions escalate, Brown explores not just the struggle to oust the cult from local property, but also the emergence of surprising hometown support for the group. The episode dives into the motivations of both the cult’s local enablers and the anti-cult activists, revealing how a battle over bylaws and beliefs exposes the town’s long-festering social and economic divides.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Richmound Attempts to Expel the Cult (00:42 – 05:14)

• Bonnie Lingerfelter, a bylaw officer, is summoned after dangerous propane tank use is caught on a cult livestream.
  • Quote: “Running propane inside is dangerous, a fire hazard... more importantly for Brad, it’s a bylaw infraction.” (01:12, Rachel)
• As Bonnie tries to inspect the site, cult members begin filming her, and locals shout at her to leave—revealing divisions even in opposition to the group.
  • Quote: “There was two or three half tons parked across the road... hollering. I even heard F bombs.” (02:51, Bonnie)
• The cult abruptly moves their RVs off the school grounds, spurring celebration in anti-cult circles—until it’s discovered they’re just hiding nearby on land owned by local Tom Tookshore.

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2. Tom Tookshore and the Limits of Small-Town Solidarity (05:14 – 09:09)

• Tom, a former mayor, provides sanctuary to the cult out of neighborly goodwill but is unaware of the backlash this will cause.
  • Quote: “There’s a lot of propaganda out there how dangerous that group might be. I haven’t followed it... but from what I’ve seen of the people that are here, that doesn’t exist here.” (05:59, Tom)
• His attempt at hospitality rapidly sours when local farmers, opposed to the cult, intimidate the encampment overnight—firing flares and circling RVs—causing Tom to evict the group amid his own personal tragedy.
  • Quote: “There’s flare guns fired at them... People are circling them in my field all night long and harassing them.” (07:57, Tom)
  • Quote: “I was shocked out. My wife was dying. She was a week away from dying. And my patience was pretty thin...” (08:50, Tom)

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3. The Rise of Local Cult Support: Melinda Fisher’s Transformation (10:04 – 29:40)

• Melinda Fisher emerges as a surprising cult ally—first described as cantankerous, combative, and the creator of local Facebook drama, but then revealed as intimately involved with Romana’s group.
  • Quote: “When Melinda moved here, it all went for shit.” (12:37, Townsperson)
  • Quote: “She’s not a person that you can deal with or talk to. It’s just like a little kid.” (12:40, Tom)
• Melinda’s backstory: after returning home to her family’s farm, she quickly becomes mired in disputes with council over a fence, fueling her sense of local corruption and grievance.
  • Notable Facebook group: “Richmound and Area Scoop”—where she posts “nasty stuff… really ugly stuff… It was ugly. But you know what? They just wouldn’t quit.” (22:30, Melinda)
• Melinda’s opposition to town “elites” mirrors the cult’s language about ruling cabals, cementing her bond with Romana’s followers.
  • Quote: “We call them the elites of town... because nothing touches them.” (23:21, Melinda)
• Describes herself as not a cult member but says: “At this point, I call them my friends… She [Romana] hasn’t done me any harm.” (26:31 and 26:38, Melinda)
• Rationalizes her support as siding with the “hopeless” and being drawn to Romana’s promises of a new order.
  • Quote: “Queen Ramona is giving these people some hope... That’s a good world out there. I don’t want to have to pay income tax.” (27:05, Melinda)

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4. The Personal Toll and Escalating Conflict (29:40 – 34:04)

• Brown probes Melinda’s cognitive dissonance—her denial of the cult label despite her close ties and official “minister” title—and notes the real impact of the group’s influence.
  • Example: An elderly Quebec couple losing their home after refusing to pay taxes under a cult “decree.” (30:31)
• Tensions rise as the cult returns to the school, emboldened and flush with local support, leaving anti-cult residents demoralized and drained of resources after extensive legal expenditures.
• Former teacher Shauna, once a novice activist, grows more defiant:
  • Quote: “So I made a beeline to town. I was furious. And I just drove right up... Where’s the real queen who would actually talk to the people in the place that she’s occupying?” (32:55, Shauna)
  • Quote: “Ramona, go back to the Philippines. I suppose they don’t want you there either.” (33:18, Shauna)
• The anti-cult side becomes more radicalized as well, with some expressing willingness to take drastic action to reclaim the town.
  • Quote: “To hell with it... I’m taking my town back.” (34:04, Local)
  • Quote: “I would burn the school down.” (34:13, Local)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Tom on the community’s split:
  “We showed a side of this community that I never thought ever existed, which is what the anger and the violence... just our own community.” (09:29)
• Melinda explaining her grudge:
  “My experience? And a nightmare.” (19:17)
• Melinda confronting town corruption:
  “They’re dishing out everywhere else, but they can’t pay me for my fence repair... Wasting our money when our village is already going broke.” (20:51)
• Facebook drama escalation:
  “I posted some nasty stuff, some really ugly stuff... Like, maybe you should have gotten pregnant so young. Maybe we would have gotten an education... It was ugly.” (22:30)
• Host Rachel on Melinda:
  “It’s interesting to hear her argue she’s not a cult member when she’s literally hosting them on her land and... is a minister in Romana’s fantasy government.” (26:48)
• Local on town fear:
  “I fear some of the locals more than the cult. They’re more extreme, they’ve been far more vocal.” (34:18)

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Timestamps for Significant Segments

• 00:42: Bonnie the bylaw officer arrives at the scene
• 03:44: Cult leaves the school grounds, apparent victory for the anti-cult group
• 05:14: Introduction of Tom Tookshore and his initial support for the cult
• 07:57: Flare-gun intimidation incident, cult forced to leave Tom’s land
• 10:04: Transition to Melinda Fisher’s story
• 12:37: Local opinions on Melinda
• 17:43: Melinda finally agrees to a phone interview
• 19:17: Melinda calls her experience in Richmound “a nightmare”
• 22:30: Melinda’s Facebook group and escalation of community divisions
• 23:21: "Elites" versus "seniors" terminology explained
• 26:31: Melinda denies being a cult member but calls followers friends
• 27:05: Melinda explains why people are drawn to Romana’s promises
• 30:31: Example of financial harm from following the cult
• 32:55: Shauna’s furious confrontation as the cult returns to the school
• 34:04: Anti-cult side grows radical

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Summary & Takeaways

This episode paints a searing portrait of a small town divided not just by an invasive cult leader, but by old resentments, class divides, and a hunger for belonging. As local allies step forward to give the cult sanctuary, the distinction between insurgents and community protectors blurs, revealing how conspiracy can thrive where social wounds are left untended. The battle lines in Richmound are now as much about personal history and power as about ideology or truth. And with the cult’s return, the fight for the town’s soul seems destined to get even uglier.

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Next Episode Preview:
The story promises to escalate further, with both sides hardening their tactics and the town teetering on the edge of deeper conflict.

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For more background or to follow this season, subscribe to CBC’s Uncover or access CBC True Crime Premium.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

It's November 2023. Bonnie Lingerfelter, a regional bylaw officer, drives into Richmond. She's here to investigate the school and she's a bit on edge, with good reason.

[C]

I've had family members and stuff that you're not going. You know, my kids, you're not. It's like, yes, I am going, right? It could have been any of our communities.

[B]

She arrives at the school building. This is the school where Romana Didolo and her cult have been holed up for two months now. That whole time, Richmond's mayor, Brad Miller, has been brainstorming ways to get them out. But then Mayor Brad was sent footage of the cult running a propane tank with a heater on top inside the school. Romana had accidentally shown it to the world on her birthday. Livestream Running propane inside is dangerous, a fire hazard, a risk for carbon monoxide poisoning. But more importantly for Brad, it's a bylaw infraction. So Brad called Bonnie and now she's here. The second she approaches, cult members come out and start filming her.

[C]

Then right away, they have their cell phones. And then by the time we even got out and closed the fence, there was four more.

[B]

But on the other side of the road, she notices something strange. A group of locals are standing across the street from the school, staring daggers at her. She walks up to the fence. Now six of Romana's followers stand on the other side of it, all filming her in silence. Then one speaks up.

[C]

No, you can't come in.

[B]

She turns to leave, but before she can even get back to her car, she hears something. That group of locals are shouting at her.

[C]

There was two or three half tons parked across the road from where we were and they were hollering. I even heard F bombs. The community members, or whoever they were, they weren't in the compound. Were were swearing at us for being there.

[B]

Richmond locals swearing at Bonnie for investigating the cult. They're screaming, get out of here. Fuck off. Didn't Richmond want the cult? Isn't that why she was called here? Bonnie gets ready to drive home, but before she leaves, she takes one last look back at the school and sees something odd.

[C]

I look up the street and that's when they had moved. So all their motor homes were out of the fencing and it's like, oh my gosh, they're on the move.

[B]

That's right. The Colts RVs had pulled out of the school grounds and were leaving. Like leaving leaving. The very outcome Mayor Brad and former schoolteacher Shawna have been desperately working towards for months. As soon as the cult leaves the school grounds, Richmond group chats go nuts. Word then spreads to the media. Headlines race around the country. Then the world announcing the Queen is gone. Canada's Romana Didolo and her followers leave Saskatchewan Village. QANON Queen leaves village. It was an unexpected victory, but it wouldn't last for long because unbeknownst to people like Shawna and Mayor Brad, another group of Richmondians were keeping the cult hidden only a few minutes away. I'm Rachel Brown and this is the cult Queen of Canada from CBC's Uncover, episode three the Other side. Before the anti cult side can even get out, the noisemakers. To celebrate their win, they learn where the cult has really gone. And it's not far at all. They've driven just 10 minutes out of town to a piece of farmland owned by another Richmount local, Tom Tookshore.

[D]

I'm 65 years old, so I've been here pretty much every living day of my life.

[B]

Tom Took Shore is a short, stocky man with a thick white mustache. He was the mayor of Richmond for two years before Brad. And what made you want to become mayor?

[D]

There was a big void in town. Nobody wants to really step up to the plate. And there was a personal ambition maybe to keep the community intact.

[B]

But then there was some sort of rift between Tom and the others on council, so he quit halfway through his term. That's when Brad took over. And Tom does not approve of how Brad's been running the town, especially when it comes to the cult. That's because he sees them as essentially harmless.

[D]

There's a lot of propaganda out there how dangerous that group might be. I haven't followed it, I haven't researched it, but from what I've seen of the people that are here, that doesn't exist here. I know there's a lot of people that hate the fact that she's here, but we have to accept the fact they're human beings and they've taken up residency here.

[B]

So when the Cult left the school after Bonnie, the bylaw officer, stopped by. Tom figured he was helping out some neighbors in a tight spot. He had no idea the ripple effects that decision would have.

[D]

I gave him his place to stay for a couple of days. I was in the hospital with my wife. She was dying from cancer. I got a phone call from Rick asking if there was a property they could park their RVs for a couple of days until they figured things out.

[B]

He's talking about Ricky Manns. He's the local karate teacher slash qanon believer. Failed cannabis grow op entrepreneur who owns the school where the cult is staying. Ricky and Tom were friendly, so when Ricky called him, Tom agreed to let the cult crash on his farmland. It's an open field in a remote area. Romana and her followers parked their RVs and campers and set up for their first night on the road in months. But if the cult thought they'd found sanctuary for the night, they were wrong.

[D]

Did get a call the following morning from Rick, and he said, we have trouble here. You need to come out here.

[B]

So what did you do?

[D]

I left my wife's bedside and had a snout. The cancer clinic. I raced out here to calm the waters.

[B]

He arrived back on his field, and the cult members told him what had gone down. In the dead of night, two trucks had pulled onto the property. Four men had clambered out local farmers who were very much against the cult. They were on a mission. They'd approached the cult's RVs and started yelling and shouting, trying to scare them out of town.

[D]

There's flare guns fired at them. People are circling them in my field all night long and harassing them.

[B]

They shot off flares into dry grass in the middle of a drought.

[D]

I mean, they're scared because they were unprotected. They were vulnerable because they're an open field.

[B]

Tom is enraged. He's left his wife's deathbed to deal with this. That's when Tom loses it.

[C]

I am Tom. Yes.

[B]

This man has been very rude to us. This moment was filmed by the cult's press secretary, who published the recording on social media.

[C]

Get the fuck out here.

[D]

You're trespassing.

[C]

I'm trespassing?

[B]

Okay, you know what?

[A]

Because of our history and our family

[C]

and how long we've gone back, we pulled them to fuck off right now, and me and you will talk man

[A]

to man, like neighbors do.

[D]

I was shocked out. My wife was dying. She was a week away from dying. And my patience was pretty thin at that point. I was compelled to Make a tough decision that morning. I made it like that. You guys are out of here. Go, go, go. Everyone, I mean, the queen had to leave. Get out of my face. I need space. I need space.

[B]

The cult packed up and left Tom's property in a hurry. So did the farmers. Tom was left reeling. He couldn't believe his fellow Richmondians would treat him and his guests like this, especially while he was losing his wife. He had seen a side of them that he didn't recognize.

[D]

All I know is that this was a very tight knit community, friendly community. And we showed a side of this community that I never thought ever existed, which is what the anger and the violence that's been portrayed to those people and to each other in town. These splinter groups, the violence we've seen in house, just our own community.

[B]

And the town had seen another side of Tom too.

[D]

The people wanted Romana and her followers out of town. I gave them the opportunity to move out of town. And at that point, I became a target in the community.

[B]

After this one night, Tom's reputation in town forever changed. He was now labeled by the anti cult side as a cult supporter. After getting kicked off Tom's land, the cult moved to a property owned by Melinda Fisher. We've heard Melinda's name before. At the protest, she was in the middle of the street trying to stop it. But things have evolved since then. She's become a cult supporter. She might even be a cult member.

[C]

And so I wanted to, without any further ado, to of course, introduce our special guest, Her Excellency, Melinda Fisher.

[B]

Here she is appearing on QRTRV, the cult's livestream. Melinda is in her 60s. Her hair is in a tidy bob, and she's wearing her signature cat eye glasses. She is sitting beside Darlene Ondy, the cult's press secretary.

[C]

And thank you for allowing me to be on the show today.

[B]

On the broadcast, I learned that Melinda even has a special title in the cult. Minister of International and Internal Protocol.

[C]

I am Her Excellency, Melinda Ann Fisher. As Minister of International and Internal Protocol,

[B]

apparently she helps the kingdom create etiquette in case they ever host international diplomats.

[C]

I want to acknowledge you for your courage and bravery, but also, you are family.

[B]

Yeah, I'm gonna try to go up to Melinda's gonna try to knock on the gate. I've been trying to talk to Melinda since I first arrived in Richmond. I want to know, why is a local joining Romana's group? Is she a believer? Or if not, what does she hope to gain?

[C]

Hello.

[B]

Oh, hi. There. Is this Melinda?

[C]

It is.

[B]

Hi, Melinda. My name is Rachel Brown. I'm wondering if you might be available now or another time to speak with me for my story that I'm working on.

[C]

How did you get my number?

[B]

I'm sorry?

[C]

How did you get my number?

[B]

I got it from Open Source Information.

[C]

No, I will not speak. Right.

[B]

Why is that? She hung up.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

She won't talk to me. I've got to admit, I'm a bit bummed out because everyone else I talk to in town brings her up constantly.

[C]

When Melinda moved here, it all went for shit.

[D]

Oh, yeah. And she's not a person that you can deal with or talk to. It's just like a little kid.

[B]

The town foreman who supports Brad and Shauna, tells me he'd barely ever spoken to Melinda before she accosted him one day while he was working.

[D]

So I went out spraying, and I was spraying the weeds, and she was out in her yard, and all of a sudden she yells to me, I'm glad your son died. You know, I hope. He had a horrible, horrible death. And you know what? He probably deserved it.

[B]

The foreman's son had, in fact, passed away. A personal matter he'd certainly not shared with Melinda. What did you say?

[D]

I didn't say anything. I just. I just stood there. My jaw was on the ground, and then I just turned her on and walked back to my vehicle. And she called back, ah, fuck you.

[A]

And I said, you wish.

[D]

So, yeah, that's all I've ever said to her.

[B]

I learned she started this Facebook group, Richmound and Area Scoop, which seems to exist purely for drama. Picture the Boomer version of the Burn book. In Mean Girls, people post bad memes and snarky threads about each other as anonymous commenters, and it gets vicious. There's this one moment that goes especially viral on there. Or as viral as you can get in a town of 120 people. Brad's deputy mayor, a former pro hockey player whose name is Jig, was getting groceries in the nearest city medicine hat. Jig sees the cult's vehicle in the supermarket parking lot, and he goes inside. He spots Romana, and something in him snaps. He confronts her about the execution letters. Why do you want to execute me?

[A]

Am I safe?

[B]

Jig's wife starts filming. The cult, starts filming them right back. Romana tries to get the store's security involved, and it turns into this whole thing. At the end of the video, there might even be a physical altercation between Jig's wife and Romana, but it's tough to tell. Hey, you just hit me. Later, someone anonymously posts a video of it from the cult's perspective to that Facebook group, and the comments are vicious. I hear that locals think Melinda is behind many of the anonymous comments. Since Melinda isn't talking to me, I watch her live streams with the cult to hear what she's telling them.

[C]

I've had the opportunity of meeting you shortly after you arrived. The warmth and love that you show people as they enter the building. You get the feeling of everybody's on equal ground. When I go back out into Richmond, my energy goes right up. It's like, okay, now I'm on guard again

[B]

in Richmond. Everyone describes Melinda as volatile and combative, but the cult has embraced her with open arms.

[C]

You are also royalty. In the Kingdom of Canada, you're royalty, so you are treated as such.

[B]

I also hear that Melinda lives alone and almost all her friends are married. I can imagine that it might be very lonely in a town this small, so when a group of people many around her age arrive in town, it makes sense that she might have been curious. My trip to Richmond ends. I call Melinda a few more times and she doesn't pick up. I message her but get no reply. Then a few weeks later, my phone rings. Melinda is calling me and I am not prepared at all. I frantically hit record and get my husband to get the dog out of the room. Lou. Lou, I need you to come get him.

[C]

Lou.

[B]

And I finally get to hear Melinda's side of the story.

[A]

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[B]

You know that feeling when you reach the end of a really good true crime series. You want to know more more about the people involved, where the case is now, and what it's like behind the scenes. I get that. I'm Kathleen Goldhar and on my podcast Crime Story, I speak with the leading storytellers of true crime to dig deeper into the cases we all just can't stop thinking about. Find Crime Story wherever you get your podcasts. Melinda is in a very different mood than last time when she hung up on me.

[C]

I don't know if you remember, I

[B]

gave you a call.

[C]

Yes. I've been getting so many calls. I know I'm getting very rude and which is not in my nature, but I heard Tommy Took Sher actually talk to you.

[B]

Yes, yes, we spoke.

[C]

That's why I called you back.

[B]

It seems like the former mayor Tom Took Sher put in a good word for me. I now finally have the chance to figure out why Melinda has sided with the cult to the extent that she's willing to host them on her property. She told me that her property, this piece of farmland, has been in her family for decades, but she only moved to the area a few years before.

[C]

My sister and I own a third generation farm out here.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

And in 21, after my mom passed away in 2019, I thought, well, you know what? Let's go back and move back to my roots and, you know, quiet, simple life. Why was I in for a rude awakening?

[B]

Melinda and her twin sister Audrey were in their 60s when they moved to Richmond. They've both dealt with some chronic health issues and were ready to slow down. They moved in and met their neighbors, Ricky Manns and a few other newcomers to town, and they started to make a few friends. But it didn't take long for Melinda to run into trouble, too. And this is when her grudge against the town begins. What is your experience like living in Richmond and interacting with the people there? How would you describe it? It's.

[C]

And a nightmare.

[B]

I mean, when you first came in 2021, you know, things had a nightmare.

[C]

A nightmare since saying you must be a nightmare since I moved here.

[B]

From Melinda's perspective, what looks like a cozy small town on the surface is rife with lies, corruption, and mismanagement that goes all the way to the top.

[C]

I'll show you how corrupt the town is. Really?

[B]

Okay.

[C]

These people here in school are mild. They're nothing compared to what the village is.

[B]

Like many municipal dramas, the story starts with a fence.

[C]

Well, I was going to build a fence.

[B]

Yes.

[C]

So I called the village up and I said, you need to look at this. The road is sinking. The sidewalk is sinking. This needs to be fixed before I build my fence. I don't want my fence ripped out.

[B]

Melinda asked the council to fix up the sinking road, but they didn't. Turns out when the house next door had been abandoned, the village had simply shut off their water, and the old pipes had been leaking underground for years. So Melinda's fence project had become a bit more expensive. She hired her new friend Ricky Manns to dig A hole. She bills the village for exactly $623.97. The village offered to pay around $400 of the bill.

[C]

That didn't sit very well with me.

[B]

Melinda is furious. They won't pay the whole bill. So she starts investigating the village finances, and she is horrified by what she finds.

[C]

They're dishing out everywhere else, but they can't pay me for my fence repair. And I thought, whoa, you're paying a handyman $20 an hour for maintaining the village. But yet that same month, they're hiring just somebody in town here to trim the trees for $35 an hour. Wasting our money. Wasting our money when our village is already going broke.

[B]

This is Melinda's drain the swamp revelation. She thinks Mayor Brad is guilty of mismanagement to the point of corruption, and she wants to put him on blast.

[C]

So I started posting the minutes of the meeting on Facebook. On Facebook. Yeah.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

And writing like, hey, people, wake up. This is what they're spending our money on. But they can't pay me for 600. Come on, wake up. You know, so of course he didn't like it. And I. I opened up a big cat of worms because nobody ever questioned or stood up to them.

[B]

The council bends and pays Melinda the full $623.97, but it's too late. They're on her bad side now.

[C]

But that's the problem here. Nobody wants to speak up because they don't want to. They don't want to cause ruffles because they've lived here all their lives.

[B]

So she creates that Facebook group, Richmond and Area Scoop. There. She speaks her mind, and the back and forths get heated.

[C]

I posted some nasty stuff, some really ugly stuff. Like what? My thoughts about people like, you know, maybe you should have gotten pregnant so young. Maybe we would have gotten an education instead of that kind of stuff. Right. It was ugly. But you know what? They just wouldn't quit.

[B]

This is the moment when the division in Richmount really began. Lines are drawn. You're either with Melinda or you're against her and her allies.

[C]

They were being harassed because I was their friend.

[B]

Melinda says her friends are targeted for being associated with her. Now the citizens are divided into two camps. Melinda and her friends, who call themselves the seniors, versus Mayor Brad and his supporters, the elites.

[C]

They are called the elites of town.

[B]

They call themselves that.

[C]

Or is that what you. No, this is what we call them.

[B]

Okay. Is what you call them. Got it? Yeah. Okay.

[C]

Because nothing touches them.

[B]

The elites. This label applies to people Like Brad, Shawna, and anyone who Melinda sees as complicit in this grand conspiracy. And in some ways, it's apt. While Richmond is generally a lower income town, there is a clear wealth gap in Richmond, basically divided by the highway. On one side, there's Melinda and Ricky, who live in smaller, more rundown bungalows. And on the other side is Brad street, where the houses are more like suburban McMansions with manicured gardens. Elite is also the word you hear Queen Romana and the broader QAnon movement use to describe the secret cabal that she's trying to take down. So when the Queen arrived in town, it didn't take long for her and Melinda to find some common ground, or rather, common enemies. And it all started at the protest. A protest Melinda wanted. No pardon.

[C]

I don't need this garbage running down my street here honking their horns. So I blocked the road right there. Right in the middle of the road. Run me down if you're gonna.

[B]

She did more than stand in the road. She went on the attack, getting up in people's faces with her phone. She even targeted an independent reporter from Medicine Hat.

[D]

You weirdo. Look at you, following me everywhere as I go.

[C]

You're a pedophile.

[B]

She says. You're a pedophile. You don't seem like a crazy person at all.

[D]

Not one bit.

[B]

They both have cell phones in each other's faces and are throwing insults, all while the Richmond protest plays out around them.

[C]

Pardon the French, you little bitches. I was just recording him. I was in his face constantly to let him know that I don't like you. You, and get the hell out of here.

[B]

And it was at this moment that Romana saw a kindred spirit and summoned her to her court.

[C]

And after I was running after this little prick, Rick said, queen Romana wants to meet you. I went, oh, okay. So that's when I first met her.

[B]

What was your first impression?

[C]

Wonderful.

[B]

Melinda is welcomed into the cult's fold. She starts getting to know the group. She gets invited to the school for dinners, by the way.

[C]

They have wonderful food. They eat vegetarian, and I mean anything and everything. It's like a buffet. Constant. A buffet.

[B]

She's there for meals, and she even starts receiving mail for them. Melinda's getting friendlier and friendlier with the culture. Would you consider yourself a member of, you know, Queen Romana and her followers?

[C]

I don't consider myself a member, but at this point, I call them my friends.

[B]

Do you call Queen Romana a friend?

[C]

Why not? She hasn't done Me any harm. Like I say, unless somebody does something to me, I don't judge people. I've always been one of these people that will form my own opinion.

[B]

It's interesting to hear her argue she's not a cult member when she's literally hosting them on her land and. And is a minister in Romana's fantasy government. But Melinda says she's not a true believer, though she understands the appeal of Romana's way of thinking.

[C]

Because you gotta remember, some of these people that cannot afford are at the bottom of the barrel already. They're done, and I've seen it. So Queen Ramona is giving these people some hope. Like no income tax. No this, no, no that. You know, well, that's a good world out there. I don't want to have to pay income tax.

[B]

It sounds like you do agree with a lot of what she's saying.

[C]

Absolutely, I agree. Like, wouldn't you? But yet they're treating them like a cult.

[B]

Melinda doesn't think the group is a cult, and neither do they often railing against that notion in their broadcasts.

[C]

Now, let's debunk the fake news and in quotes, the cult narrative about Her Royal Majesty Queen Romana.

[B]

Digitalo and team, while we're here, a note on the word cult. It's not a word I use lightly, but I've said it a lot. I believe they are a cult, and they've been labeled one by academics. They follow the agreed upon criteria closely, indoctrination into a specific worldview, exploitation of their followers, and of course, a charismatic leader. But Melinda doesn't see it that way. Instead of a cult, Melinda sees the group as a sort of startup political party.

[C]

This is how I look at it. How did the Greenpeace party come in effect? How did the NDP come into effect? The Liberals and how did the Conservatives and whatever, the Communist party out there, how did they start? They have to start somewhere.

[B]

Okay, so then, are you.

[C]

Do you. Do you think she's a queen?

[B]

You're laughing.

[C]

I know I'm laughing. Well, I look at it this way. She wants to call herself a queen. She can be whoever she wants. So do you.

[B]

Do you see her as a queen?

[C]

You know, I really just don't know that answer yet. Honestly. I'm still. I'm still. I'm still regurgitating that one.

[B]

You're still thinking about it?

[C]

Yeah, I'm still. I'm still analyzing.

[B]

But while she's analyzing, she's also plotting. With Melinda, there's always a plan hatching. And this Time she has an idea to take Mayor Brad down.

[C]

My sister and I were talking about it to try and get rid of the corrupt council. I said, we need to get these SOBs out of office.

[B]

I'm surprised by how much I actually enjoy Melinda. I may not want her as my neighbor, but I like talking to her. She's funny, with a ton of personality. I know she's involved in a lot of conflict in town, but she's gotten a good deal of backlash, too. But there's one point Tom and Melinda have both made that I just can't let sit the idea that the cult is harmless. Putting aside the execution letters and their constant surveillance of the townspeople, the cult is doing real harm to their followers. Many of them have followed Romana's decrees to a T and lost their homes or gone into debt.

[C]

I owed them income taxes, threatening to cut off house.

[B]

I hear about a couple in their 70s from Quebec who lost their home, which was valued at over a million dollars. The couple refused to pay $11,500 in municipal taxes because of one of Romana's decrees. They were evicted and had to be forcibly removed from the home they'd lived in for 15 years. But every night, the cult's broadcast demands more donations from followers to keep their compound going. And the members are often older, worked around the clock, isolated from their families, and some even seem willing to sign everything over to Romana. Back in Richmond, it's late November 2023. The cult has been gone from the school for two weeks. Then suddenly, word spreads. Someone has spotted RVs driving back into town, back into the Richmond school grounds. For Mayor Brad and former teacher Shauna, this is the worst possible news. They find themselves right back where they started. Except now the cult is even more emboldened. They have a network of supporters in Richmond, people like Ricky, Tom, and Melinda. Plus, Mayor Brad has spent at least $20,000 of the town's little budget trying to get the cult out, getting the bylaw officer in, hiring lawyers to write warrants that have been slapped down. $20,000, and nothing's changed. Shauna tries to fundraise to cover some of the legal bills. She starts a gofundme that rakes in some pretty funny donations. $5 from an account calling itself Icky, Sticky, Tricky Ricky Mans, and $25 from one posting as Romana saying, even I want out of this place. All told, the GoFundMe raises about $13,000, which doesn't really come close to covering the bill Richmond has already spent. So now, when Shawna Hears the cult is back in her school. Something breaks inside her.

[C]

So I made a beeline to town. I was. I was furious. And I just drove right up. I got out of my vehicle, took my phone out and started recording. Where's the real queen who would actually talk to the people in the place that she's occupying?

[B]

Ramona is no queen of anything.

[C]

Ramona, go back to the Philippines. I suppose they don't want you there either. I was kind of vibrating that, like, not knowing, are they gonna come out and take me down, throw me down on the ground or shoot at me

[B]

or, you know, this is not the Shauna I first met. The small town school teacher who had never even been to a protest before. This Shauna is ready to do whatever she needs to to take back her town. And the other locals on her side are right there with her.

[D]

Just in the last little while, I've said, to hell with it, you know, I'll take one for the team if I have to. I'm taking my town back.

[B]

Next time on the Cult Queen of Canada. The battle escalates.

[C]

Cuckoo. Crazy people in this town. Nut jobs.

[D]

I would burn the school down. You know what they say, if you

[B]

can't do the time, you don't do the crime.

[D]

I fear some of the locals more than the cult. They're more extreme, they've been far more vocal.

[B]

And Richmond finds a way to finally settle this thing once and for all. Are you running for mayor in the next election? Tune in next week for an all new episode of the Cult Queen of Canada. Or you can listen ahead to the full series now by subscribing to CBC True Crime Premium on Apple Podcasts or by subscribing to the CBC True Crime channel on YouTube links in the description. The Cult Queen of Canada is a production of New Metric Media and Muse Entertainment for CBC Podcasts. The show is hosted by me, Rachel Brown. It's written and produced by Pippa Johnstone and Rachel Brown. The series producer is Chris Kelly. Sound design and original music by Mark Angley. Our senior producer is Jeff Turner. Our digital producer is Emily Kinnell. The series was developed by Chris Kelly, Courtney Dobbins and Rachel Brown for New Metric Media. The executive producer is Mark Montefiore. The vice presidents of podcasts are Chris Kelly and Pat Kelly for Muse Entertainment. The executive producers are Courtney Dobbins and Jonas Prupis for cbc. The executive producers are Cecil Fernandez and Chris Oak. Tanya Springer is the senior manager and Arif Narrani is the director of CBC Podcasts. If you're enjoying the show, consider checking out another series from cbc. One of my favorites is called Dirtbag Climber. Host Steven Chua takes us through a stranger than fiction story about a con artist whose twisted life story foreshadowed the darkest digital undercurrents of our time. You can find it along with all other CBC podcasts wherever you get your podcasts.

[A]

For more CBC Podcasts, go to CBC CA Podcasts.