There are two distinct phases of the fasaad in the Masjid in the Park: pre-2018, during the design and construction and post-2018, when the Masjid opened its doors.

Pre-2018 Fasaad: A couple hijacked the idea of the Masjid, which was shared with them in 2000, in a meeting attended by many members of the Edmonton Muslim community.

The presentation I gave at that meeting had plans and details. The Masjid was part of an Institute of Islamic Studies.
As the first step, Center for Islam and Science (CIS) was established in 2000.
As CIS established itself as a global leader in academic field of Islam and Science, with its journal, Islam & Science, publishing high-quality articles by top scholars in the field, the need for a physical building was felt more and more.
In 2009, when CIS initiated the project to produce the first English-language Encyclopedia of the Qur’an, The Integrated Encyclopedia of the Qur’an, the need for an actual place became even more clear and urgent.
CIS started to look for a lot. The Vice-President of CIS, a doctor by profession, became very active in the search and finally located the plot, where now Masjid in the Park stands.
But he insisted that plot will only be bought, after the county approves the rezoning and issues building permit.
This created the first fasaad, because the County required architectural drawings, architectural drawings required an architect, soil testing, geo-tech reports, plumbing and electrical drawings, etc.
All of this was to happen within 90 days! The time given by the seller.
This rush was supplemented by a major fasaad by the deviant couple: In a meeting held in my home, the couple produced a drawing in which men and women were standing next to each other, with 18″ of space between them!
When this was forcefully rejected, they came up with the idea of a few plants between them.
When this was rejected, they came up with a planter between men and women.
When this was rejected, they started to have design- meetings at their home.
They rushed through the design process and a permit was issued by the County.
idea developed and over the next few years

Post-2018 Fasaad

The doctor who hijacked the Masjid, appointed himself in charge of arranging khateebs.

He found one young man, who is a self-help professional. He started to give khutbas based on his secular self-help training. His khutbas would preach a deviant version of Islam. Examples:

I just read this book by a holocaust survivor. Muslims need to learn patience from holocaust survivors.
Munkar is what a group of people decide to be munkar.

The young man was quietly told this is not our Islam. A private meeting was arranged, but he did not show up.

The doctor was asked not to invite him; he would not listen.

“I cannot take your word on his khutbas. I need to talk to Mufti Imran.” Mufti Imran Sahib (Quba Masjid) got involved. Then a two-mufti committee was established. Weeks passed. Finally, the young man was told by the Mufti sahib to submit his khutba to him, before delivering; he quit.

But the doctor found others, to preach other deviant views. When an attempt was made to correct this, first privately, then publicly, he and “his board, which has his wife in it” issued a cease and desist notice.