Thoughts on BC Politics and More

‘Roll up your sleeves and roll down the windows.’ The virus is here to stay, but that doesn’t mean we’re any safer. A Tyee Q&A.   Earlier this year the COVID-19 pandemic was downgraded from an emergency to an endemic disease, meaning society would have to learn to live with the risk.  But that’s not to say the risk is gone, health experts told The Tyee. It’s better to think of it like the risk of a car crash or, in other parts of the world, like malaria — in other words, still a relatively high risk, and one you should be taking precautions to avoid. To chew over how to best navigate this new COVID era, The Tyee invited three health experts to join a facilitated debate to discuss pandemic policy and ask how BC could better approach the no-longer-novel coronavirus ... CLICK HERE for the full Q & A

On Saturday, we shared the following post from regular commentator John Feldsted; “ The world will not stay ‘on pause’ awaiting a coronavirus vaccine ... there are better solution ”.   A regular reader of the blog posts, David Gibson, had his own thoughts on the situation, and John’s commentary, which he agreed to let me share with you ... That was a very dismal message. Complain, complain, complain. Remember that this is Canadians' first time around. We're ALL new to this. Pandemics aren't new, but this one came fast, and we are ALL doing our best. You write: " We are weary of the continual bickering, posturing, promises and ongoing failures to put the interests and welfare of Canada and Canadians first in our governance considerations ." There are many, many Canadians who agree with you. Millions, in fact. Every bit as weary and frustrated as you. Well then, do something about it instead of just moaning and groaning on the sidelines. ...

Politicians talk about a “new normal” following the relaxing of coronavirus regulations. There will be a “new normal” – for governments. We are weary of the continual bickering, posturing, promises and ongoing failures to put the interests and welfare of Canada and Canadians first in our governance considerations. Canadians were doing well caring for themselves, in spite of government meddling, and will do well caring for themselves as the coronavirus crisis passes. Our governments have no tools with which to eradicate or eliminate coronavirus. It is not the only uncontrolled virus we have to combat. The world will not stay “on pause” awaiting a coronavirus vaccine. There are better solutions. Government inaction was replaced with overreaction. Shutting down our economy and all social interactions was drastic and has serious financial repercussions. This aspect of the fallout was not given proper consideration when the decisions to shut down was made....

Things have changed ...   Only less than two months ago, I wrote about the challenges of today’s human nature and how difficult has become to communicate. At that time, the novel coronavirus (or COVID-19) was scourging China and a few other Asian countries. And then, a few days after my article, all hell broke loose.  Today, I am in my home office trying to stay safe from this new plague which, as of today, has infected almost 1.7 million people and killed more than 100,000. This is not the first, nor will be the last, time a new virus or a bacterium has brought havoc to the world. The Spanish influenza of 1918 is a scorching example of this.  Ebola, which has a mortality rate of 52% of those infected, happened only a few years ago. Ebola is not new, but it is real and lethal as well.  They say that COVID-19 has a much higher mortality rate than the flu. So, we need to be careful and find ways to fight back. However, we...

Why is our parliament missing in action during a “crisis”? Why have the grand pooh-bahs in political parties decided that democratic governance is not important during a time when provinces have curtailed our charter and human rights to combat a virus? Daily briefings by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are a mixture of regal speeches -- and brazen huckstering for the next election. Trudeau has manipulated his way into unfettered license to do whatever he pleases without having to answer to or consider suggestion from opposition Members. The PM, his Cabinet, and the remainder of the 338 Members of Parliament (MPs) are not paid from the public purse to sit silently at home, unconcerned over how our nation is governed. By not maintaining the democratic institution of parliament they are in violation of their oaths of office. Our dalliance with the global community, “progressive” ideas (initiating unproven concepts while ignoring consequences and fallout) and ...

Deadly rail disaster in Lac-Mégantic When people see a crisis, disaster, or tragedy that could as easily happen in their community, they act. Tens of thousands of people step up to lend a helping hand, or offer condolences or donations as needed. They are Canada at its very finest. We tend to take for granted how caring, generous and loving our neighbours are. The current coronavirus crisis has made us realize how much we depend on our neighbours, friends, relatives, and even those we encounter in our day to day interactions. Collectively, they are an integral part of our lives.  Most of us have a favourite barber, hair stylist, coffee shop and so on. It is not the space that attracts us, it is the personalities of the people we tune into. We change gears when someone falls victim to accident, illness or injury. We are caring, compassionate and try to help if we can. There is a bit of the Good Samaritan built into our psyche. It is never more eviden...

Back in the day, working on the ranch at Big Lake Which is it – There are NO jobs, or Just No “GOOD” Jobs? Two days ago, the Federal Liberal government announced 9 billion dollars in financial aid for post-secondary students and recent grads. Why? Because there are NO summer jobs available for them. So, applicants will get $1250.00 a month from May to August. Some will qualify for up to $1750.00 per month. To keep things fair, those who are already working but earn less than these amounts can apply for top-up. Kind of makes you wonder why any student would actually seek work this summer, doesn’t it?? And yet, farms in Canada cannot find local labour to harvest their crops. Instead, we import up to 60,000 temporary migrant workers from other countries like Mexico each year. Thanks to coronavirus (COVID-19), when these workers come into the country, each has to complete a 14-day quarantine. The federal government is giving Canadian farm...

When we are faced with a loss of much of our income our first priority is to stop spending on anything that is not absolutely necessary. We conserve what funds we have to stretch them as far as possible. We have a huge challenge ahead, not just to restart our economic engines, but to do so in a way that will strengthen the fabric of our society and nation. Governments have shut down our economy excepting for some essential services. Government efforts to mitigate the loss of income suffered by our workforce as a result of isolation is a necessity. However, there is no evidence that governments are curtailing other spending that is not absolutely necessary. Why not? My mailbox is suddenly filled with messages about someone pontificating about who is responsible for the coronavirus and pointing fingers at China and government officials who did not act with promptness. That is an irrelevant distraction. We have been handed a hard lesson in reality. We...

I mean no disrespect to ducks: but I’d be a quack, much like the nutbars peddling hydroxychloroquine as a cure-all .... Pastafarians, as adherents of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster call themselves, put the cause of global warming down to a paucity of pirates. There are substantially less pirates in the world, you see, compared with yesteryear.  And the planet is warmer than it used to be.  Hence, it’s obvious: the planet is warmer because there’s less pirates. Post hoc ergo propter hoc : “after this, therefore because of this”. It’s a common logical fallacy, one that plagues my medical practice. Non-immunized children present to my emergency department with depressing regularity.  The reason they aren’t protected by vaccines, more often than not, is because of parental fear of autism. Each of those kids is a fresh reminder of the inanity of post hoc, ergo propter hoc . Many autistic children exhibit symptoms ...

99% of us awoke this morning with no more that the usual aches and pains some of us have acquired through wear and tear. The people of my generation drank from a hose, rode bikes without chain guards or helmets on gravel roads, climbed trees (and fell out), used willow sticks to propel mud balls at targets, played ball without gloves, played hockey without shin guards or gloves, played football without armor. We froze our toes skating on outdoor rinks, drank and drove, smoked like chimneys, survived chicken pox, a couple of varieties measles, whooping cough, colds, the flu, pneumonia, and are still here. The 1918 influenza epidemic infected an estimated 500 million people -- or about one third of the world population at the time -- and resulted in about 50 million deaths. The polio virus first hit Canada in 1910. That virus hung around for decades, sometimes dormant sometimes not. Between 1949 and 1954 about 11,000 Canadians were left paralyzed. In 1959 the...

The pandemic is breaking down political barriers between provincial and federal governments.  Unity of purpose brings former foes together in ways that Canada has not always seen in past crises Éric Grenier -- CBC News -- Apr 05, 2020 While Canadians are being asked to keep their distance from one another to slow the spread of COVID-19, the pandemic is bringing Canada's leaders closer together . On Thursday night, there was a tangible spirit of goodwill around the virtual table when the prime minister and Canada's premiers took part in a teleconference on the novel coronavirus outbreak. Sources tell CBC News that gratitude and appreciation was expressed at both ends for the collaborative work the two levels of government have been doing. Meetings of first ministers can be acrimonious but there was no troublemaker at the table this time. One s...

The media has created a fervour over the mathematical models that allegedly help governments predict the future of Coronavirus infections in the general population. Mathematical modelling has limited use and value. We need to understand is that the data available on Coronavirus (COVID-19) infections in Canada is far too small for statistical reliability. The data available for the whole world is useless due to variables in how nations responded to Coronavirus infections. There is no commonality in steps taken to combat virus spread and no similarity in the age demographics of world nations, so the numbers you see on the daily tracking of world infections are not useful in developing a model of infection rates that can be relied on. Mathematical models of the future spread of Coronavirus are better than nothing, but not a whole lot better.  Mathematical models must include assumptions on virus spreads, and various factors involved. As they are used in projections, a small ...