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Canadian Woman at Center of CIA Mind Control Lawsuit After Decades of Silence
Lana Ponting, now a grandmother in Manitoba, was just 16 when a judge sent her to Montreal's Allan Memorial Institute in 1958-not for medical care, but as part of the CIA's covert MK-Ultra program. On Thursday, a Canadian court rejected an appeal from the Royal Victoria Hospital, clearing the way for a class-action lawsuit filed by Ponting and another plaintiff on behalf of victims of the Cold War-era experiments, which subjected thousands to LSD, electroshock, and psychological torture without consent.
The Judge's Order and the 'Treatment'
Ponting's ordeal began after a judge ruled her "disobedient" behavior-running away and socializing with friends her parents opposed-warranted psychiatric intervention. At the Allan, a former mansion repurposed as a hospital, she was placed under the care of Dr. Ewen Cameron, a McGill University researcher unknowingly funded by the CIA. Cameron's methods, later dubbed "psychic driving," included forcing patients to listen to repetitive audio loops-sometimes thousands of times-while under the influence of drugs.
"It ran over and over: 'You're a good girl, you're a bad girl,'" Ponting recalled in an interview with the BBC. Medical records obtained decades later reveal she was administered LSD, sodium amytal (a barbiturate), desoxyn (a stimulant), and nitrous oxide. One entry notes her violent reaction to the gas: "By April 30th, the patient had explorations... she had become quite tense and extremely violent, throwing herself half out of bed and starting to scream."
The Experiments: Drugs, Depivation, and 'De-patterning'
MK-Ultra, exposed in the 1970s, spanned over 100 institutions across the U.S. and Canada, testing mind-control techniques on unwitting subjects. Cameron's work at the Allan focused on "de-patterning"-erasing memories and behaviors through a combination of drug-induced comas, sensory deprivation, and electroshock. Jordan Torbay, a doctoral researcher studying the experiments, describes the approach as "manipulating patients' minds using verbal cues and chemical interventions."
Ponting's files show she was subjected to weeks of these procedures. The long-term effects, she says, included chronic mental health struggles, nightmares, and a lifelong reliance on medication. "Sometimes I wake up screaming because of what happened," she admitted. "I spent my life wondering, 'Why do I think this way? What happened to me?'"
A History of Lawsuits-and Limited Justice
The MK-Ultra scandal first surfaced in the 1970s, prompting lawsuits in both countries. While U.S. cases largely failed, Canada reached two settlements: in 1988, the U.S. government paid $67,000 each to nine victims; in 1992, Canada compensated 77 survivors with C$100,000 ($80,000 USD at the time) but did not admit liability. Ponting was excluded-she only discovered her involvement years later, after obtaining her medical records.
The Royal Victoria Hospital and McGill University declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation. Canada's government referred to the 1992 settlement as a "humanitarian" gesture, not an admission of wrongdoing.
'I Want Closure': The Fight for Accountability
For Ponting, now a mother of two and grandmother of four, the lawsuit is about more than compensation. "Every time I see a picture of Dr. Cameron, it makes me so angry," she said. While Cameron-who died in 1967-claimed ignorance of the CIA's role, researchers like Torbay argue his methods were "inherently unethical", regardless of funding sources.
Torbay hopes the case will serve as a reckoning: "It's not about restoring what they lost-that's impossible. It's about ensuring their suffering wasn't in vain, that we learn from this." The lawsuit's progression follows Thursday's court ruling, which dismissed the hospital's attempt to block the claims. A trial date has not yet been set.
MK-Ultra's Legacy: What We Know
- Scope: Over 100 hospitals, prisons, and schools participated in MK-Ultra (1953-1973).
- Tactics: LSD, electroshock, sensory deprivation, and psychological abuse.
- Aftermath: Most U.S. lawsuits failed; Canada's 1992 settlement excluded victims like Ponting, who only recently uncovered their involvement.
"Sometimes I sit in my living room, and my mind goes back to those tapes, those drugs. I was an ordinary teenager. I didn't deserve this."
Lana Ponting, MK-Ultra survivor
