The Story of the Johnson family

Since the COVID plandemic began in 2020, almost everyone on the planet has been affected in one way or another. Some suffered financially, others mentally or physically, and many experienced strain in their personal relationships.

Countless relationships broke down, and old friends stopped speaking to one another. Yet, on the other hand, people who had never known each other came together, united by a shared pursuit of morality, truth, and justice.

The pandemic not only exposed divisions within society but also created new bonds among those who questioned prevailing narratives and sought common values in uncertain times.

And that is how I met Robert Johnson on the TCH during the rallies against what many of us viewed as the largest psychological operation and medical fraud in human history.

This is the story of his divorce, a legal battle that began in 2021 and has divided our community ever since. It is a story marked by allegations of immorality, deception, injustice, and corruption—one that raises difficult questions about the institutions and values that shape our society.

Dr. Robert Johnson met Dr. Melanie Johnson while they were both students at the University of Alberta in 2005. They married on August 6, 2007. Following Rob’s graduation in 2009, the couple moved to Salmon Arm, where they purchased a dental practice from a retiring dentist. They renamed the clinic Johnson Dental and began the challenging process of building both a business and a life together.

Within the clinic, they were widely known as “Dr. Rob” and “Dr. Mel.” For the sake of simplicity, however, I will refer to them throughout this article as Rob and Mel.

Their first daughter was born in 2010. Mel took six months of maternity leave before gradually returning to work—first one morning a week, then one full day a week, and eventually two days a week. During this time, Rob continued working five days a week, focused on servicing their debt and keeping the dental practice financially viable.

Their son was born in 2012, and a similar pattern followed. As the children grew older, the couple arranged for childcare one day a week so they could both work at the practice on the same day. By then, Rob had reduced his schedule to four days a week, while Mel had increased hers to two days a week.

Their second daughter was born in 2015, and the pattern repeated once again. This time, however, they did not rely on outside childcare. In the years between the births of their children, they had participated in business coaching and reorganized the practice to operate more efficiently.

Over time, they reached a point where both Rob and Mel were working two days a week. For Rob, this represented the realization of a long-held goal. He had structured much of his professional life around the desire to build a family and be actively involved in raising his children. Achieving a work schedule that allowed him to spend significant time with them was something he felt had come at a considerable personal and professional cost.

Meanwhile, Rob had spent years—both during and after dental school—repeating the same thought: there has to be a better way. Dental school had been his first real encounter with bureaucracy, and he found many aspects of it deeply frustrating.

Several developments between 2012 and 2014, in addition to the growth of their family, would significantly alter the course of Rob and Mel’s lives. In 2012, Rob was introduced to an alternative orthodontic philosophy known as Orthotropics and completed a “mini-residency” program between September 2012 and June 2013. The experience challenged many conventional assumptions and encouraged him to think differently about both dentistry and health care.

Later, in the fall of 2013, Rob was introduced to a business called Lyoness, which exposed him to the concept of residual income and the possibility of protecting wealth from the effects of inflation. Then, in the spring of 2014, Mel attended a presentation by dental practice consultant and coach Bill Blatchford.

Through their involvement with Blatchford’s coaching programs and Lyoness, Rob and Mel were introduced to the world of personal development. The ideas they encountered resonated deeply with Rob, who devoted considerable time to studying subjects such as personal growth, leadership, communication, and financial independence. These influences would gradually shape not only their professional ambitions but also their broader outlook on life.

This lifestyle allowed them to design their lives in a way that required each of them to work only about 90 days per year. By the standards of their profession, they were not earning extraordinary incomes, but they lived comfortably and enjoyed a remarkable degree of time freedom.

For several years, things appeared to be going well. With their business stable and family life established, they began making plans for the future. They purchased a lot and commissioned architectural drawings for a new family home, complete with a backyard swimming pool—something Mel had always dreamed of having.

From the outside, it seemed they had achieved the balance they had worked so hard to create: a successful practice, financial stability, ample time with their children, and plans for an even brighter future.

Then came 2020 and the COVID-19 plandemic, a period that profoundly affected societies around the world. For Rob, the events that unfolded during that time represented what he viewed as an unprecedented psychological and spiritual struggle, one that challenged many of his assumptions about institutions, public health, and society.

Despite the uncertainty and disruption, Rob and Mel managed to make productive use of the period. With normal routines interrupted, they found time to rest, focus on family, and complete several projects that had long been on hold. By most measures, they emerged from those years in relatively good shape, seemingly having weathered the storm better than many others.

However, in late 2020, Mel began training in a dental technique known as Bioclear, which required specialized equipment and supplies. These products were distributed by a company called Clinical Research Dental (CRD), whose sales representative was Aaron Honce.

According to Rob, Aaron and Mel quickly developed a friendship that extended beyond what he considered a typical professional relationship between a supplier and a client. Aaron was married at the time, yet he and his third wife, Tracy, soon became frequent participants in the Johnsons’ social life.

Rob recalls that invitations involving Aaron and Tracy became increasingly common. Whether it was dinner at the Johnson home, a trip to the beach, or an afternoon at Mel’s father’s pool, the two couples spent a growing amount of time together. What initially appeared to be a casual friendship would later become a source of concern and tension within the marriage.

Rob found the growing friendship difficult to understand. From his perspective, Aaron seemed to have little in common with Mel, and has nothing to offer her.

As his concerns grew, some friends expressed strong opinions about the situation and encouraged him to confront Aaron directly. Rob rejected that approach. Despite his unease, he believed in his marriage and trusted Mel. At the time, he did not believe she would be unfaithful to him, and he dismissed the possibility that the friendship represented a threat to their relationship.

In July 2021, Rob decided to take the month off to travel to Alberta with the children and spend time at his family’s cabin on the lake. The couple typically took about two weeks of vacation together, and given their reduced work schedules, Rob arranged for Mel to continue working for the first part of the month and then join them later for their usual family trip.

However, Mel did not end up joining them for the third week, leaving Rob to complete the trip alone with the children.

After returning home, the couple marked their anniversary on August 6. According to Rob, Mel’s behavior had changed noticeably following their time apart and reunion at the end of the trip. In mid-August, she informed him that the relationship was over and that she intended to separate. At that time, housing in Salmon Arm was extremely limited, and she did not secure alternative accommodation until October 1.

The couple had attended Shuswap Community Church together as a family for approximately 12 years, but over time they had become less connected with some members of their social circle. According to Rob, this distancing was partly influenced by disagreements with others regarding his views on the COVID-19 narrative.

Despite this, Rob reached out during the separation to several people within their shared community, including pastors from the church, long-time friends they had known for over a decade, Mel’s maid of honour, and one of her former dental school classmates.

Rob reports that while many of these individuals expressed sympathy and a willingness to help, they also indicated that reconciliation would require both parties’ participation. According to him, Mel was not willing to engage in efforts to repair the marriage at all.

Rob then learned about an organization called Marriage Helper International, which offers resources and workshops aimed at supporting couples in marital distress, including a three-day program that advertises a high rate of reconciliation among participants.

According to Rob, he suggested attending one of these workshops in an effort to save the marriage. However, Mel did not agree to participate.

The separation proceeded, ultimately leading to the end of the marriage and significant changes to the family structure and the lives of their children forever.

Mel moved out in October 2021, and Rob was left to adjust to the separation and the resulting changes in family life. During this period, he also faced additional professional pressures, including concerns related to his regulatory licensing body and broader tensions connected to his public views on COVID-19.

Rob describes the following months as a difficult period in which he had to reorganize his personal and professional life while attempting to minimize disruption for the children.

Christmas 2021 was particularly challenging. According to Rob, Mel spent the holiday with the children in Kelowna with her family, while he remained in Salmon Arm, separated from them during the holidays.

The year 2022 was, by Rob’s account, an intense and fast-moving period. He became increasingly visible in public discussions related to COVID-19 policy and participated in rallies, interviews, podcasts, and documentary projects. At the same time, he continued working in dentistry, operating from different offices and adjusting his schedule to manage school drop-offs and pickups for the children.

In August 2022, Rob left Johnson Dental, the clinic he had build, and Mel has operated the business ever since, despite Rob still holding a 50% ownership interest.

Christmas 2022 was again spent with the children primarily in Kelowna with Mel’s family. Rob describes the period following Christmas as particularly difficult and marked by escalating tension between the parties.

By early 2023, Rob reports that he was able to establish a greater degree of stability. He returned to working approximately two days per week (about 12 clinical hours) in order to maintain more consistent time with his children.

By this point, legal proceedings had begun. Mel retained counsel from Pushor Mitchell in Kelowna and filed a Notice of Family Claim, initiating formal family litigation. According to Rob, this marked the beginning of an increasingly adversarial legal process, including complaints made to regulatory or governmental bodies, which he believed were intended to interfere with his relationship with the children.

During that time, Rob says he was contacted by Aaron Honce’s wife, who informed him that she had separated from Aaron. According to Rob’s account of that communication, she alleged that Aaron had been involved in inappropriate relationships, including with Mel, and expressed concerns about his conduct.

She also wanted to warn Rob that Aaron is not a good man, and he needed to protect his children. She also conveyed a conversation she’d had with Aaron where she had asked Aaron why he was abusing Mel, because he had told his wife his wasn’t capable of loving anyone, and that’s obviously what Mel was looking for.

Later on, Aaron showed his true character.

Rob describes being deeply distressed by what he believed had been confirmed through the information he had received. He says he became increasingly concerned about the influence certain individuals may have had on his family.

At this point, Rob reached out again to Mel’s maid of honour, Sara, expressing his concerns and asking her to encourage Mel to seek support and consider the well-being of the children. According to Rob, Sara later informed Mel of the message.

Following this exchange, Rob reports that a complaint was made to the RCMP alleging that he had made threatening statements toward Aaron. Rob disputes this characterization of the message and maintains that no threats were intended.

According to Rob, the legal proceedings became increasingly adversarial over time, involving a series of applications and complaints made through various formal channels, including government and law enforcement-related processes. He also disputes the fairness and accuracy of certain reports obtained during the proceedings, including a “views of the child” report, which he believes did not reflect the situation appropriately.

Rob describes this period as one in which he felt overwhelmed by what he viewed as an escalating legal conflict, often referred to by him as “lawfare.”

During this time, he attempted to retain legal counsel on two separate occasions. However, he reports difficulty finding representation he felt was aligned with his preference for a resolution through mediation and a process focused primarily on the best interests of the children.

Over time, Rob find out that Mel was not primarily Aaron’s victim actually a covert narcissist, and an obsessive alienator. This was around the same time Leneigh finally recognized she was on the wrong side of history, and she decided to stop representing Mel. This is when Todd Bell took over.

In January 2025, a protection order was issued involving Mel and Rob. Shortly after the order was made, Rob contacted Mel by email. He acknowledges that this contact was contrary to the terms of the order and resulted in his arrest by the RCMP. He was subsequently released and faced conditions requiring him to report to probation services, with a court appearance scheduled.

The charges were later withdrawn, and no further conviction resulted from the matter without any explanation. Following this period, he describes having limited contact with his children.

At certain points during the proceedings, Rob also had supervised parenting time arranged through child protection services. He disputes aspects of the assessments and decisions made during this period, which he characterizes as unfair and not in the best interests of the children.

Lawyer Todd Bell took over representation in early May 2025, and the litigation continued to escalate.

In early June 2025, Rob was arrested at his workplace while seeing a patient and was detained for approximately 30 hours. The arrest was related to alleged breaches of court orders, including contact with Mel and attendance at soccer game involving his children. Rob disputes the characterization of his actions and maintains that his intent was related to his involvement in his children’s lives and communication regarding ongoing family matters.

Following this period, Rob has not had in-person contact with his children since June 2, 2025. He reports that criminal charges remain before the court, with trial dates scheduled for June and July.

Meanwhile, a nine-day trial was scheduled for November 2025, which coincided with Family Court Awareness Month. Rob attended the proceedings and describes advocating throughout for what he believed to be appropriate measures to support his relationship with his children.

During the trial Rob asked Judge Francesca Marzari to do the right thing, fulfill her professional obligations, and protect his children from their abusers.

Following the trial, an article about Rob was published by Ben Bulmer of InfoNews. Rob disputes the content and framing of the article and believes it presented an inaccurate account of events. He also states that he was not contacted for comment prior to publication.

https://infonews.ca/news/7527951/shuswap-dentist-who-belittled-his-family-harassed-his-wife-fined-100000-in-bitter-divorce-case/

Rob says he later reached out to the author in an effort to provide his perspective and request corrections. According to Rob, no changes were made following that exchange.

Rob further indicates that he has sought legal advice regarding the matter and is considering potential next steps.

Finally, Rob reports that an application has been made seeking a custodial sentence of approximately 45 days for alleged contempt of court, related to what is described as breaches of court orders, including communications made on social media.

Rob has raised concerns in court about the validity and fairness of the underlying orders, which he believes should not have been made. He maintains that his actions were taken in response to what he views as ongoing injustice in the proceedings.

Rob further asserts that the broader dispute has escalated over time due to ongoing legal and interpersonal conflict between the parties. He does not view himself as the primary source of escalation, and these claims remain contested within the ongoing court proceedings.

The matter continues to be before the courts, where issues related to parenting arrangements and compliance with court orders are being addressed. Both parties’ positions remain subject to judicial determination.

There are books, documentaries, and study about all of this. It has been going on for decades. Many children in the West are growing up in fatherless families, and numerous studies have shown the negative effects this can have on their development and well-being.

https://radiochristianity.com/the-fatherless-generation/

But nothing can stop the movement to hold these individuals accountable…

Thousands of families have been destroyed, many children have been affected for life, and numerous fathers have experienced bankruptcy or severe psychological distress, including reported cases of suicide, while seeking justice.

For a judge, it is not personal—just another court case; for a lawyer, it is just business. A business built on the pain, heartbreak, and suffering of men, women, and children. Too often, it seems that no one truly cares about justice or what is best for the children. Instead, children can become weapons in conflicts between parents, caught in battles they neither chose nor deserve.

Can we see how society is falling apart? Can we see how traditional families have been systematically undermined? Can we see how important it is, for the well-being of children and society, to support strong and stable families? In many ways, we have all failed as a society. Primarily for moral reasons…

If you want to show sympathy with Rob, please attend the Kelowna courthouse at 9 am on Tuesday, June 9th, to support Justice Hewson in helping Rob finally see some justice for his children so they can finally see the dad.

God bless you.

DB

Dr. Melanie Johnson was also contacted for comment regarding her perspective, but she did not respond.