David Fisman is a tenured professor in the University of Toronto’s Division of Epidemiology. On Twitter a day ago, Dr. Fisman accused British Columbia health officials of employing “decision-based-evidence-making.”
Decision-based-evidence-making
COVID-19 — panic, then neglect and harm
BC Government’s COVID panic began in March 2020, but was turning to neglect in the following year. It can be argued that neglect shifted to overtly harmful management of the pandemic…
Sociopathic political leaders
Moderating risks of viral illnesses depends on greater understanding of submicroscopic infectious agents. Political Leaders guided by business loyalties, myths and unfounded expectations will not support scientific resources needed for real solutions. Unfortunately, that description fits the people governing western Canadian provinces.
Malevolence, lies, and broken promises
As repugnant as protesting blockaders are, there is a connection between their behaviour and the lies and broken promises political operatives think unimportant.
Economic interests rank higher than human life
In this piece, I argue that political disdain for science endangers our lives. Evidence allows the inference that BC health policies known to be inadequate were followed to facilitate public gatherings, to continue spending on favoured megaprojects and to avoid spending on safer schools and public buildings. Not content with elevating short term dangers in the current pandemic, the BC government is a de facto climate change denier, elevating risks that threaten long term survival of humanity…
COVID-19 dead: 5 million or 20 million?
The official death toll from COVID-19 is about 5 million. According to mortality researchers, the real number is likely closer to 20 million…
Bonhoeffer on Stupidity
In 2021, we see strange people in BC — humans I suspect Dietrich Bonhoeffer would categorize as stupid — mobbing to prey on politicians, healthcare workers, hospital patients and now school children. For thousands, the restraints of decency are lost. Bonhoeffer’s words might help to explain the behaviour…
Laws of Karma
We have seen a steady stream of news reports about science deniers resisting measures to prevent the spread of a deadly virus. That disease is reported to have killed 4.3 million and may have killed millions more. For some reckless recusants, resistance ended badly. Is karma involved?
An old problem, not a new problem
This week, the Globe and Mail published a short article and podcast about a hospital staffing problem they believe has grown more acute during the pandemic. In fact, key staff shortages have plagued the healthcare system for years…
COVID-19 mortality burden may be 2x times higher than reported
Analysis suggests that COVID-19 was associated with many deaths in Canada that were not classified as such…
Covid-19 tales
Hostility to commonly accepted health practices does not come only from the foolish and the uniformed. The New Yorker published Sweden’s Pandemic Experiment, which shows highly educated policy makers can put more faith in hope and wishes than in science…
Anomaly
In the last 28 days, British Columbia has reported half the number of new Covid-19 cases as Alberta. Yet during those four weeks, more people in BC have died from coronavirus than in AB…
When a gun is not your tool
Wife Gwen, who’s practised as an RN for over 50 years, said much the same thing as the nurse in this Seattle demonstration. Perhaps it is time to disarm most of the police and assign nurses to train police in de-escalation techniques.
Too soon M. Legault
Premier François Legault has started to prepare Quebecers mentally for the gradual lifting of the province’s lockdown…
Apparently Sweden’s answer is no
Sweden has refused to join the rest of us in a lockdown. How’s that working?
Hidden cost of fighting Covid-19
Numbers are imprecise but in normal times, 10 to 12 thousand patients are in BC Hospitals. Around 1,500 of those are discharged each day and replaced by new people needing treatment. If 75% of now vacant hospital beds were occupied and a pandemic surge occurred, the current number of empty beds would be restored within three days. Trends experienced elsewhere show there will not be a massive single day spike…
One Of These Things (Is Not Like The Others)
BC is doing quite well but that is at risk if people don’t follow directions of Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, or if an outbreak occurs at one of the large industrial camps kept open by irresponsible companies like BC Hydro and Teck Resources.
Radioactive
We already knew the oil and gas business was poisoning land and water and polluting the atmosphere. Most people, including workers in the northeast gas fields, are probably unaware that people are being exposed to radioactivity as well.
Drug tragedy worsens
The reported number of BC’s overdose deaths in 2015 was 44 per month. That number seemed appalling but now, with the death rate almost three times higher, the situation in BC has deteriorated.
Liberal supports health system privatization
Candidates were asked a simple question at an April 20 Tri-Cities campaign meeting: Do you support the privatization of our healthcare system? Liberal incumbent Linda Reimer gave a revealing answer: I do […]
IN-SIGHTS 
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