2021-13

Friday April 9, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday April 9, 2021

Canada’s public health data meltdown

For weeks, Canadians have been casting their envious eyes to Israel, where more than half the country has been inoculated against COVID-19. Israel, less than a quarter the size of Canada, has administered nearly twice as many doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

December 11, 2020

The Middle Eastern country has some innate advantages: It is small and centralized, and offered top dollar to ensure vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna would come fast, and in large volumes. But geography and money aren’t the reason why Israel is outpacing Canada by 10-to-one.

Israel has the vaccines because it has the data.

In its shrewd deal with Pfizer, Israel offered to turn the country into one giant clinical trial: Providing the vaccine manufacturer unprecedented large-scale visibility as to the vaccine’s efficacy. It’s all made possible because of the country’s state-of-the-art information technology and robust national vaccination database.

The rest of the world is currently benefiting from that incredibly granular information.

December 21, 2016

Canada could never have struck such a deal. Its health technology is, charitably, a decade out of date. It lacks the ability to adequately track infectious disease outbreaks, efficiently manage vaccine supply chains and storage, quickly administer doses, and monitor immunity and adverse reactions on a national basis.

Even though all the shipments of vaccines arriving in Canada come with scannable barcodes, to make tracking and logistics easier—with some manufacturers even barcoding the vials themselves—no Canadian province can scan them. In many provinces, pharmacies can’t access the provincial vaccine registry. Provinces do not automatically submit reports on COVID-19 cases or vaccines into the federal system, and must submit reports manually. Many crucial reports are still submitted by fax: Where fax has recently been phased out, they have been replaced by emailed PDFs.

March 31, 2021

Ours is a dumb system of pen-and-paper and Excel spreadsheets, in a world quickly heading towards smart systems of big data analytics, machine learning and blockchain. It’s unclear how Ottawa will be able to issue vaccine passports, even if it wants to.

At the core of the omnishambles is a simple fact that Canada has no national public health information system, but 13 different regional ones. Many of those regional systems have smaller, disconnected, systems within: Like a Russian nesting doll of antiquated technology.

But there’s good news: It doesn’t have to be this way. In some parts of the country, real progress is being made. Small technology start-ups are figuring out cheap, scalable and innovative solutions. In some provinces, progress can be as simple as updating operating systems.

If we are ever going to build efficient, cost-effective, and effective health infrastructure, Ottawa needs to take the lead. We need to abandon the idea that federalism requires us to have each sub-national government run entirely independent, walled-off, health databases.

We need data sharing. We need shared infrastructure. We need a national public health system. (Continued: MacLean’s) 

 

Thursday April 8, 2021

 

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday April 8, 2021

Ford government pandemic spin is wearing very thin

If you had the pleasure of watching Wednesday afternoon’s media briefing, in which the Ontario government announced its latest stay-at-home-order to fight the spread of COVID-19, you might have noticed two competing narratives.

May 29, 2020

The first came courtesy of Premier Doug Ford and Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams, along with Health Minister Christine Elliott. It goes like this: Even though the province has been listening to health experts from the outset, and has acted accordingly, the COVID variants are proving even more contagious and deadly than originally predicted. So in spite of everything the government has done, more is necessary, hence the one-month stay-at-home-order with new restrictions and clear directions to Ontarians; Stay home except for food and pharmacy needs, health-care appointments and outdoor exercise. 

From Ford and Elliott in particular, you would have heard the word “decisive” used repeatedly along with “nimble” several times. In short, the government has done all the right things, but the darned variants are more nasty than anyone predicted, so this one big last push is needed. 

November 12, 2020

The competing narrative came from journalists questioning the three. One asked what took so long when health experts were saying even before Ford pulled the emergency brake six days ago that a hard lockdown is essential to even put a dent in spread. Modelling weeks ago predicted the hospital admission and ICU overload we are now seeing. Local medical officers of health and public health experts including the government’s own science table have pushed for another stay-at-home lockdown, the kind we had after Christmas through until February.

There is a mountain of advice from health experts, all of it unanimous that the half measures imposed by Ford and his advisers a week ago wouldn’t be enough to slow the spread.

April 3, 2021

Yet it didn’t move aggressively to vaccinate vulnerable essential workers, it didn’t adequately lock down retail, leaving big box stores open with reduced capacity. It chose not to close schools, leaving the difficult call to local medical officers of health resulting in a patchwork of open and closed schools across the province. The government saw the frightening hospital admission and ICU capacity numbers, and the accompanying dire predictions.

March 1, 2012

Now, six days after it pulled the half-baked emergency brake, Ontario is under a stay-at-home order for the next month. And there is no guarantee that won’t be extended. Some form of lockdown is predicted for hot zones until the end of June.

You can make your own judgment on which of the two narratives is closest to the truth. But this has to be said: Had the government done what it was being advised to do much sooner, we would not be in this position. But it didn’t and here we are.

Somewhat lost in Wednesday’s news cycle was one of the most stark, potentially terrifying, developments to date in the pandemic. Government sources say the provincial cabinet will soon have to pass an order indemnifying intensive care doctors from liability for making decisions about which critically ill patients get treatment, and which do not. As they did in Italy at the height of the first wave, and in New York state. 

The question came up in the briefing, and Elliott was quick to minimize it, saying that if Ontarians do the right things, those terrible measures won’t be needed. But the fact that the government recognizes the need for such protection is a brutal indicator of just how bad things have become.

Let’s hope critical care doctors don’t need to employ that protection. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial) 

 

Wednesday April 7, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday April 7, 2021

So tired of the Pandemic

November 27, 2020

Folks, just because you’re legally allowed to go into malls doesn’t mean that you should go into malls — especially not for the purpose of “doing a little wander around” and leaving without shopping bags.

I mean, if you’re going to literally risk your life by entering the jam-packed Yorkdale Shopping Centre or Eaton Centre amid a pandemic, you should at the very least stimulate the economy while you’re at it.

This is just common sense, or so it appears to be in the eyes of Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who on Tuesday went off on the many people who flocked to malls in and around Toronto this past weekend, as they were fully permitted to do under existing lockdown rules.

As many on Twitter are now pointing out in the wake of Ford’s comments, consumers weren’t necessarily being irresponsible on purpose by going to malls this weekend: Current shutdown rules still permit shopping centres to operate at 25 per cent capacity. (blogTO)  

April 1, 2021

Meanwhile, more than 30,000 people attended the Texas Rangers home opener Monday against the Toronto Blue Jays, in the first major, full-capacity sporting event in the U.S. in more than a year.

The Rangers announced a sellout crowd of 38,283 tickets sold for their 2021 home debut at Globe Life Field in Arlington, where Toronto scored a 6-2 victory.

Masks are mandated inside the new ballpark, though pictures from Monday’s game showed many spectators not wearing them.

One noted fan not in attendance Monday was Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who declined to throw the ceremonial first pitch because Major League Baseball moved its All-Star Game out of Atlanta in protest of Georgia’s move to restrict voter access.

The $1.2 billion Arlington stadium, which has a retractable roof and a listed capacity of 40,518, was the site of 30 Rangers homes games in 2020, a truncated campaign that did not allow fans inside. (NBC)  

July 18, 2020

Meanwhile, a Leamington restaurant is defying the provincial COVID-19 shutdown orders and remaining open for in-person dining.

Kristy Leathem, the owner of Family Kitchen at 73 Erie Street South, says her doors have been open for dine-in restaurant during regular business hours since February.

“If Walmart down the street can remain open at 50 per cent capacity why can’t I?” said Leathem.

Her establishment has a capacity for 100 people, but Tuesday morning she said she had about 50 customers.

She says she is not planning on exceeding capacity rules at 50 per cent, but wants a more even playing field when it comes to rules for the shutdown.

Ontario issued a province-wide emergency brake shutdown on Thursday. Under the new rules, restaurants are prohibited from in-person dining and are allowed to be open for takeout and delivery only. (CTV)  

March 11, 2021

Meanwhile, Ontario is reporting 3,065 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the provincial total to 367,602.

Tuesday’s case count is higher than Monday’s which saw 2,938 new infections. On Sunday, 3,041 new cases were recorded and 3,009 on Saturday.

According to Tuesday’s provincial report, 955 cases were recorded in Toronto, 561 in Peel Region, 320 in York Region, 165 in Ottawa, 132 in Niagara Region, 128 in Hamilton, 119 in Halton Region and 101 in Durham Region.

All other local public health units reported fewer than 100 new cases in the provincial report.

The death toll in the province has risen to 7,458 as eight more deaths were recorded. (Global) 

 

Tuesday April 6, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday April 6, 2021

Mark Carney would be a welcome addition to a Canadian political class

September 28, 2012

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Mark Carney entering politics, if that’s what he wants to do. But before taking the leap, Mr. Carney might want to ask himself: Am I Dwight Eisenhower or am I Michael Ignatieff?

The former governor of the Bank of Canada and then of England has a new book out and will deliver the keynote address at this week’s Liberal policy conference. Twitter is clucking.

“The beginning of a journey that will end in deep regret and the erosion [of] a critical independent pillar of a modern economy – the central bank,” declared Ken Boessenkool, who was an aide to former B.C. premier Christy Clark and prime minister Stephen Harper.

Liberals “don’t see – or care, really – how this could erode our institutions; they only see partisan gain,” Laval University Professor Stephen Gordon said.

But there are precedents, of sorts. Oliver Mowat quit his job as a judge to become Ontario Liberal premier. Lester Pearson moved without fuss from undersecretary of state (deputy minister) for External Affairs to secretary of state (minister).

February 11, 2009

Mr. Carney has been away from the Bank of Canada for eight years. He is superbly qualified for public office. He has views on the role of markets and governments in combatting climate change. If he wants to enter the arena, good on him. The political class in Canada needs all the talent it can find.

That said, Mr. Carney should bear a few things in mind (and is certainly already bearing them). First, he could seek to become a Liberal member of Parliament, only for the Liberal Party to lose the next election. Would he enjoy four years on the backbench?

Perhaps his ambition is to lead the party, if and when Justin Trudeau decides to depart. But that might not be soon. Mr. Trudeau rescued the federal Liberals from the brink of extinction, so while an effort by some disaffected cabal to push him out of the leadership would be in the finest tradition of the party, it’s unlikely to happen anytime soon.

If he does run for the Liberal leadership someday, Mr. Carney would make a formidable candidate. But not an invincible one.

Some figures have successfully taken over a party’s leadership from another field without difficulty. Mr. Eisenhower, who commanded the Allied forces in Europe during the Second World War, was so sought after that Harry Truman offered to step down as president if Mr. Eisenhower would seek the Democratic nomination in 1948. Instead, Ike chose the Republican Party in 1952, serving two terms as president.

May 2, 2009

Others have not fared so well. Mr. Ignatieff, a distinguished public intellectual, was supposed to rescue the Liberal Party from its unaccustomed sojourn in opposition. Instead, he led the party to a third-place finish in 2011.

Could Mr. Carney’s ego withstand the daily pummelling of Question Period? Could he dish out the political dirt when required? Leading a party is about more than crafting an environmentally sustainable fiscal policy. Speaking to a few dozen of the party faithful in Prince Albert on a cold February night is also part of the job.

And Mr. Carney would have a formidable political rival: his friend Chrystia Freeland, the Finance Minister, who is also rumoured to be contemplating a bid for the leadership if and when it comes open.

November 28, 2012

Both potential leaders appeal to the political, bureaucratic and cultural elite of Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. Since they would be chasing the same voters (and dollars), it’s hard to imagine both of them seeking the Liberal leadership. If one runs, the other probably won’t.

Canada has benefited greatly from non-politician politicians. David Emerson was so interested in reviving Canada’s moribund trade policy, and so uninterested in politics, that he switched from the Liberal to Conservative front bench when Mr. Harper defeated Paul Martin in 2006.

Maurice Strong had a career in the oil business before taking on a variety of assignments for governments and the United Nations. C.D. Howe was a wealthy engineer before becoming “minister of everything” under Mackenzie King and Louis St. Laurent.

If Mr. Carney truly wishes to lead the Liberal Party and the country, Canadians of all political stripes should welcome the decision. If only all politicians had his chops. (Globe & Mail) 

 

Saturday April 3, 2021

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday April 3, 2021

Ontario’s COVID-19 ’emergency brake’ shutdown takes effect on Saturday

January 13, 2021

An Ontariowide “shutdown” will be put in place to combat an “alarming” surge in COVID-19 infections, Premier Doug Ford said Thursday as intensive care admissions related to the virus surpassed those of the second wave of the pandemic.

Citing the need for drastic action, Ford said the change will take effect Saturday and continue for at least four weeks.

The government is asking Ontarians to limit trips outside the home to necessities such as food, medication and other essential services, but stopped short of imposing a stay-at-home order like it did in January.

Retail stores will see limits on capacity while restaurants will be restricted to takeout, delivery and drive-through service, the premier said.

April 11, 2020

The government has said schools will also remain open because they are crucial to students’ mental health.

“The decision was not made lightly,” Ford said in announcing the new measures. “I know the toll these restrictions continue to take on people’s mental health and well-being.”

The announcement came hours after the province’s science advisers said stay-at-home orders are needed to control the third wave driven by more contagious and deadly COVID-19 variants.

The Ontario Science Advisory Table said that otherwise, the province could see up to 6,000 new infection cases by mid-April. With the restrictions in place, the modelling data shows there will still be about 800 people in ICUs by the end of April.

December 1, 2007

“The decision was not made lightly,” Ford said in announcing the new measures. “I know the toll these restrictions continue to take on people’s mental health and well-being.”

The announcement came hours after the province’s science advisers said stay-at-home orders are needed to control the third wave driven by more contagious and deadly COVID-19 variants.

The Ontario Science Advisory Table said that otherwise, the province could see up to 6,000 new infection cases by mid-April. With the restrictions in place, the modelling data shows there will still be about 800 people in ICUs by the end of April. (Global News)

Every cartoon starts as a scrappy sketch