Caution with Covid Precaution Relaxation

Nova Scotia has announced it will lift all COVID-19 restrictions on March 21. In an interview on CBC Information Morning, Dr. Lisa Barrett, an infectious disease specialist and a member of Nova Scotia's expert vaccine panel, urges caution because  'This virus is still changing far more quickly than most virologists and immunologists expected'

There's uncertainty around how quickly this virus is going to [rise again] and how well having no public health measures will protect our most vulnerable. And because we don't know those things, it's very different than where we are with a virus that's been with us for many years, like influenza. It does seem a bit challenging to take away basic and non-harmful, non-invasive precautions altogether at this high point of uncertainty where we have had some success and that includes masking, testing and, of course, social distancing.1

Dr. Barrett commented that we have a responsibility to help protect the most vulnerable in our community. We all share air.  She hopes Nova Scotians, for the next few months while we're figuring this out, can take that approach. In a recent tweet

HIGH UNCERTAINTY: the impact of removing all public health measures (especially without real support for sick pay) on absenteeism, population wellness, and chronic illness beyond ‘just’ hospitalization and death (7/11)

— Lisa Barrett (@LisaBarrettID) February 23, 2022

 

, she identified her concern about the high uncertainty about the impact of removing all public health measures (especially without real support for sick pay) on absenteeism, population wellness, and chronic illness beyond ‘just’ hospitalization and death. Statements like ‘we must learn to live with this’; ‘we cannot live in fear’; ‘we must move forward’; ‘people are done with the pandemic’ are not a rationale for viral pandemic response, according to another tweet from Dr. Barrett.

Evidence not "tag lines"

 

They are really just taglines. 

Statements that are not a rationale for viral pandemic response, but instead are tag lines: ‘we must learn to live with this’; ‘we cannot live in fear’; ‘we must move forward’; ‘people are done with the pandemic’ (9/11)

— Lisa Barrett (@LisaBarrettID) February 23, 2022

Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an Antibiotic Doc, tweets that we shouldn’t learn to live with the virus. We should strategize how to live, adjust how to live, invest, and shore up to protect people so they can live.

Contrary take.
We shouldn’t learn to live with the virus.
We should strategize how to live, adjust how to live.
Invest, shore up to protect people so they can live.
A COVID19 thread, sparked by terrible world events adding layers of trauma to a traumatized world.
We can’t…
1/

— Dr. Lynora Saxinger 🇨🇦- IDologist (@AntibioticDoc) February 24, 2022

Continue a Covid strategy

 

Lisa Barrett has concerns about removing altogether basic things like masking. We need to do standard testing and standard surveillance. Many expert groups are considering enhanced surveillance and quite a bit of testing. If we get to another wave and high hospitalizations we will have missed the boat somewhat.

Evidence to monitor

 

We have easy ways of going forward that keep not just our vulnerable, but other people in our population, safe while we get through the next three to six months. It makes great sense to understand more about what the virus is going to do.

 

References

 

1(2022, February 25). As Nova Scotia prepares to drop COVID-19 restrictions, Dr. Lisa .... Retrieved February 25, 2022, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/lisa-barrett-covid-restrictions-removed-interview-1.6364471

Economic and Social Capital in Freedom Convoy

The decision to invoke the Emergency Act in response to the “Freedom Convoy” activities in Ottawa will be debated in Parliament and reviewed by a commission under the terms of the Act. Some voices have urged us to look deeper at some of the underlying social and economic conditions that may underlie these turbulent times. Temitope Oriola, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Alberta, and his research team received SSHRC funding to study police use of force in Canada. He writes about what the ‘freedom convoy’ reveals about the ties among politics, police and the law. He notes that the “freedom convoy” protesters have been able to draw on a level of political capital that most people who take to the streets to fight for their rights rarely have.

Former Conservative party leader Erin O'Toole met with some of the protesting truckers before being ousted. CTV reported that his interim successor, Candice Bergen, ‘pushed’ O'Toole to show support for the “freedom convoy” protest, arguing there were “good people on both sides.” It was an unoriginal statement, but emblematic of the thinking at the highest echelons of the Conservative Party. Bergen also told MPs that she thought the “issue should be turned into a problem for the prime minister,” a polarizing statement in advance of an election. The truckers and their anger may be used as a catalyst for electoral mobilization, and their protest is being approached with greater circumspection. Bergen and other MPs and MLAs who have voiced their support are aware of the social and political value of the protesters…1

Regina Bateson, reporting for Slate News, argues that the “Freedom Convoy” was an armed occupation of a G-7 capital.

As the rule of law retreats into the distance, what’s the takeaway? Both the right and the left seem weirdly tempted to objectify Ottawa, slotting the city’s plight into preexisting debates about big tech, freedom of speech, and the perverse consequences of social capital… Full-fledged rebellions in advanced industrialized democracies are rare. Either would-be rebels are deterred by the power of the state, or governments react swiftly. But just because a state has the capacity to resist an insurrection doesn’t guarantee that it will. Democracy and security are intricately linked and more tenuous than we might like to think—even in Canada. 2

David Deane, faculty member at the Atlantic School of Theology, asks in a YouTube presentation, “Are the freedom protesters racist? And if not, why are we so desperate to say they are?”

My answer draws on some Marxist analysis and suggests two things (1) That our demonization of them helps retain trust in our capitalist society and preserve our capital, and (2) it 'covers up' and justifies the inherent disgust the bourgeoisie have for those without capital. On the basis of this analysis I then claim that Christians can not continue to despise these people, especially when such despising serves to elevate the social capital of Christians. Instead, following Christ, we are called to love them – this does not mean agree with them – but loving them, and refusing to dehumanize them by supposing them to be racist, is essential to being a faithful follower of Christ at this time.3

Leah Gazan, MP for Winnipeg Centre, in her speech in the debate about the Emergency Act makes the connection of the “Freedom Convoy” to wealthy Canadian elites. She claims these elites are not concerned about the needs of the working class in Canada. She urges Canadians to shift our focus to make lives better and defend democracy.

 Equality vs. Equity - by the Interaction Institute for Social Change | Artist: Angus Maguire.” Image Found: interactioninstitute.org

Regardless of the outcome of the vote to approve the Government use of the Emergency Act, we need to work to achieve greater equity in Canada for groups who suffer as a consequence of their lack of economic and social capital.

It's time to tell some hard truths about what is happening to our country and to our democracy. We can't afford to be complacent any longer.

My speech from this morning's debate on the Emergencies Act. #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/hXUIV49UMw

— Leah ProudLakota (she/her) (@LeahGazan) February 20, 2022

 

References

1	(2022, February 8). What the 'freedom convoy' reveals about the ties among politics .... Retrieved February 19, 2022, from https://theconversation.com/what-the-freedom-convoy-reveals-about-the-ties-among-politics-police-and-the-law-176680
2	(2022, February 17). The “freedom convoy” was never just a protest.. Retrieved February 19, 2022, from https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/02/ottawa-canada-trucker-convoy-protests-militia.html
3	(n.d.). Uploads from Catholic Theology with David Deane - YouTube. Retrieved February 19, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UUpIQeUSMcKxD9hh0mip-Jbw

 

Serious critique includes alternatives

Brendan Steven, reporting for theHub, comments that on its most fractious and divided days, the Conservative Party seems more united by a shared rejection of the Liberal Party than any other core principle. One of the dangers of being the opposition is to always be seen as opposing.

Pope Francis is hugged by a boy at the end of his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021. Alessandra Tarantino/AP Photo.

 

Steven offers the techniques of Pope Francis as a useful example from whom the Conservative might take some lessons.

Catholics love “both/and” truths—seemingly contradictory concepts that are co-relational complements. In this spirit, opposition is bereft without proposition. Pope Francis finds much to condemn in the world these days, often deriding what he calls throwaway culture—an attitude that everything is disposable, from material goods to human life. But his criticism is married to vision. He offers concrete alternatives reflecting his own proposal. He refuses to disconnect the environmental crisis from the human crisis. He welcomes refugees, encourages economic development—saying that we must “prioritize the goal of access to steady employment for everyone”—all while advancing the goal of ecological sustainability.1

Back in the 80’s I participated as an instructor in a program, the Christopher Leadership Course, to build confidence and community through the practice of effective public speaking. The evaluation of the efforts of the learning community was based on a model of Praise, Evaluation, and Praise. Every effort to practice public speaking received an evaluation that first recognized progress in the development of the speaker’s ability, second, it pointed out one aspect for the speaker to work on to improve speaking skill, and third concluded with another affirmation of the speaker’s presentation. Can you imagine politicians, in the House of Commons, using such a format during Question Period? Maybe a small change would involve the opposition party's “critic” being renamed as the opposition “alternative advisor” or “amendment advisor”. This might encourage the seemingly forgotten role of “critique” to propose positive actions rather than only cite the negative aspects of the proposals at hand??

 

References

1(2022, February 15). Brendan Steven: What the Conservative Party can learn from Pope .... Retrieved February 17, 2022, from https://thehub.ca/2022-02-15/what-the-conservative-party-can-learn-from-pope-francis/

 

COVID Compared in Canada and USA

Bernd Debusmann Jr  reporting for BBC News, asks the question of why is Canada's Covid death rate so much lower than the US?

 

The BBC article has a number of graphic presentations comparing case rates, reported COVID deaths and ICU patients over the past year.

Canadian public health experts and many government officials believe that the more gradual relaxation of these rules - which are dependent on improvements in public heath data - has allowed it to avoid the same the high levels of infections and deaths that have been experienced in the US, where numbers spiked in a number of locations that rushed to ease regulations.1

The categories of data reported by the BBC, especially numbers of ICU patients and deaths, are trends that public health must monitor to modulate our relaxation of COVID restrictions as we move to living with COVID using an abundance of caution.

Watching with abundance of caution

 

 

References

1(2022, February 14). Why is Canada's Covid death rate so much lower than US? - BBC. Retrieved February 16, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60380317

Temporary and Fulfilled

The decision of the Government to use the Emergencies Act as a temporary measure to control the illegal aspects of the “Freedom Convoy” occupation of areas of the country may become a permanent example to anarchists of extreme government overreach.

A man waves a flag while taking part in the convoy protest against vaccine mandates in Ottawa. (CBC / Radio-Canada)

John Paul Tasker, of CBC News, explains what the Emergencies Act means.

In this instance, the act is being invoked to deal with a public order emergency. This means the cabinet has the power to prohibit "public assembly that may reasonably be expected to lead to a breach of the peace," to prohibit travel to, from or within any specified area, to forbid the use of a "specified property" and to secure "protected places." The cabinet can also direct any person or class of person to "render essential services" and gives the government the power to regulate the "distribution and availability of essential goods."... Trudeau said the federal powers will be used to prohibit people from illegally gathering in the city's downtown core and to order tow truck companies in the area to help remove big rigs used in the protests… The cabinet is also directing banks and financial institutions to halt the flow of funds to protest organizers through amendments to the Proceeds of Crime and Terrorist Financing Act.1

 

On the other hand, the predictable, controlled, and monitored lifting of temporary COVID restrictions by provincial public health authorities was an opportunity for anarchist elements who know frustration with these measures might be both a rallying point and an opportunity to claim a win. Being mindful of the TEMPORARY nature of the Emergencies Act and the Covid restrictions is extremely important to avoid overreaction to these events.

Monitor the trends

 

Steve Scherer and Nichola Saminather report, for Reuters, on how the Emergencies Act can squeeze funding for the trucker protests.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday invoked rarely-used special measures to end protests that have shut some border crossings and paralyzed downtown Ottawa. He said he would invoke the Emergencies Act to deal with the "Freedom Convoy" protests, started on Jan. 28 by Canadian truckers opposing a vaccinate-or-quarantine mandate for cross-border drivers. They have turned into a rallying point for people opposed to a range of Trudeau's policies, including COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and a carbon tax. The demonstrations shut a main economic corridor between Canada and the United States for six days before it was reopened on Sunday2

 

The majority in Canada respect the value of enjoying an environment of peace, order, and good government where they live and the respect the rights of people to demonstrate for change through the democratic processes that protect us all. This is not a right respected by anarchists who act by denying freedom to fellow citizens and seek replacement of democracy with autocracy.

 

References

1	(2022, February 14). The federal government has invoked the Emergencies Act ... - CBC. Retrieved February 15, 2022, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/emergencies-act-explainer-1.6351504
2	(2022, February 14). Factbox: Canada's Emergencies Act: how will it squeeze funding of .... Retrieved February 15, 2022, from https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canadas-emergencies-act-what-it-would-allow-quell-protests-against-pandemic-2022-02-14/

 

Planned to Manipulate Populism

The scope and organization of the “Freedom Convoy” protests in Canada have raised concerns about the possibility that a populist appeal to persons frustrated by the COVID restrictions may be the surface of serious attempts to undermine democracy on both sides of the Canada/US border.

 

Populist Manipulation

 

A report on CBC News by Judy Trinh includes a photo taken by a drone on Monday Feb 7, 2020.

 

It shows an overview of a logistics camp set up by protesters in an Ottawa parking lot on Coventry Road between the RCGT baseball stadium and the Courtyard by Marriott hotel.

Experts say the co-ordination of protesters shows they may have military, police or survivalist training. (Eric Laporte/Ottawa Drones)1

As Omicron recedes, an Ipsos poll shows Americans are unsure on how to live with the COVID pandemic in the long-term.

 American support for restrictions declining

The detailed planning of the Ottawa occupation would have seen an opportunity in this trend to rally support around a lessening of restrictions that the poll indicates the population is moving toward. 

New Axios/Ipsos poll shows two-thirds do not believe it’s possible for the U.S. to eradicate the coronavirus within the next year2

Wesley Wark, a national-security expert and a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation, offers the opinion that the Ottawa Occupation shows that democracy under extremist occupation isn’t democracy at all.

Online propaganda, social-media disinformation campaigns, and fundraising websites ranging far beyond our borders have transformed the Ottawa occupation into an international affair, with a motley assortment of U.S. Republican politicians and far-right and white-supremacist figures jumping on the digital anti-vax bandwagon. American flags are in evidence to symbolize the idea that the Ottawa occupation follows in the bloody footsteps of the January 6 Capitol Hill riot.… The occupation will fail, but its denouement has yet to be written and sadly may not be entirely peaceful, owing to enforcement failures in the initial stages. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau may ultimately have to summon the ghost of his father — who, when asked what he intended to do in the face of the FLQ crisis in 1970, famously said, “Just watch me,” declaring an apprehended insurrection, then sending the military into the streets of Montreal. Signs claiming the occupiers are on the right side of history will be banished to the wrong side. The sooner this happens, the better. When the smoke clears, we will see the occupation for what it is — an assault on democracy and on our collective rights.3

NPR News reports, from the Associated Press, that Ontario premier, Doug Ford, is calling on COVID restriction protesters to end their 'occupation'.

 

Demonstrators rally against provincial and federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates and in support of Ottawa protestors on Friday outside the Manitoba Legislature in Winnipeg.4

The insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 demonstrated the danger to democracy of populist movements initiated and supported by individuals and organizations who manipulate public concerns to promote deeper anti-democratic objectives.

 

References

1	(2022, February 9). How organizers with police and military expertise may be helping .... Retrieved February 11, 2022, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/convoy-protesters-police-tactical-knowledge-1.6345854
2	(n.d.). As Omicron recedes, Americans unsure on how to live with ... - Ipsos. Retrieved February 11, 2022, from https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/news-polls/axios-ipsos-coronavirus-index
3	(2022, February 9). Ottawa shows that democracy under extremist occupation isn't ... - TVO. Retrieved February 11, 2022, from https://www.tvo.org/article/ottawa-shows-that-democracy-under-extremist-occupation-isnt-democracy-at-all
4	(2022, February 4). Ontario premier calls on COVID restriction protesters to end their .... Retrieved February 11, 2022, from https://www.npr.org/2022/02/04/1078415610/covid-canada-gofundme-protests

 

Insuring our Society

We may purchase insurance to minimize the financial impact of events which disrupt the normal rhythm of our lives. Typically insurance contracts are purchased for our residence and vehicles.

Tough on Insurance Premiums

 

Insurance companies are often involved in advocating change in society that will reduce the claims that are made against insurance policies. Policy holders are aware that increased claims will cause an increase in insurance premiums. Reducing claims benefits both the insurance company and the policyholder. As a consequence, involving insurance companies in campaigns for increased safety, proper operation, and harm mitigation is likely to be effective.

The Canadian Encyclopedia article reminds us of the War Measures Act that was invoked by Pierre Elliott Trudeau. The only use of the War Measures Act in a domestic crisis occurred in October and November 1970. A state of “apprehended insurrection” was officially declared to exist in Quebec as of 15 October 1970. Emergency regulations were proclaimed in response to two kidnappings by the terrorist group Front de Libération du Québec (FLQ). The FLQ had kidnapped British trade commissioner James Cross and Quebec labour minister Pierre Laporte. Laporte was found dead on 17 October.1 

The War Measures Act is currently an overreach in the Occupation of Ottawa and the blockage of vital international trade but some provincial jurisdictions have taken actions that will penalize participants as they try to continue to operate their vehicles and acquire the necessary insurance coverage. The Insurance Bureau of Canada advises that a Good Driving Record can reduce our premium.

License suspensions, parking tickets and convictions for driving offenses all add up to higher car insurance premiums. In fact, after being convicted of a driving offence, it can take up to 6 years for your record to be considered clean again by insurers. Over the years, building a consistently accident-and conviction-free driving record can help reduce your premium.2

Judy Trinh of CBC News reports that those involved with organizing the Ottawa protest include former RCMP and military officers.

Police have called those heavy trucks potential weapons, but they are also essential tools used to transport supplies such as two-by-fours to build shelters, firewood and burn barrels to keep protesters warm and propane tanks for barbecues. In the core, abandoned cars and trucks with their tires removed are blocking streets. To Michael Kempa, a University of Ottawa criminology professor,, the placement of these vehicles is not random but rather strategic in that they may prevent police infiltration… Residents have noticed protesters taking shifts getting into the cabs of idling trucks to blare air horns. The ear-piercing sound rang out at all hours, until a court injunction earlier this week forced a temporary pause.3

The nature of the occupation of Ottawa and the blocking of international trade routes certainly goes beyond the usage of vehicles likely considered when the insurance policies for these vehicles were established. It is time for enforcement officials to suspend licences, revoke vehicle permits, issue parking tickets, and initiate convictions for risking public safety.

 

References

1	(2013, July 25). War Measures Act | The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 10, 2022, from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/war-measures-act
2	(n.d.). Welcome to Insurance Bureau of Canada. Retrieved February 10, 2022, from http://www.ibc.ca/
3	(2022, February 9). How organizers with police and military expertise may be helping .... Retrieved February 10, 2022, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/convoy-protesters-police-tactical-knowledge-1.6345854