The role of government in a democracy isn’t to create barriers to free choice
As parts of the world begin to turn the corner with COVID-19, the discussion related to mandatory COVID-19 vaccine passports has started to intensify. A vaccine passport is a document that confirms an individual’s full immunization against COVID-19. It will contain a proper record of the COVID-19 vaccine doses that a person received and may…
Vaccination passports will restrict the rights of a minority of people to access services
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson revealed in May that he would establish an agreement on creating a universal vaccine passport system with the G7 countries – including Canada. He told CBC News that nations require “agreements” on “COVID status certification and the rest.” Johnson was referring to how travel and passports will work as the…
Common anti-inflammatory drugs could offer safer treatment than current options to help stop worst outcomes due to hyperinflammation
A University of Alberta pharmacologist is encouraging the trial of common anti-inflammatory medications such as aspirin to treat the most harmful outcomes of COVID-19. Most people infected with SARS-CoV-2 recover without serious symptoms, reported Ayman El-Kadi, professor in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, in a recently published academic paper. However, some patients develop inflammation in the…
We need to cut red tape so we can respond efficiently during times of crisis
The pandemic took many countries – governments and their citizens – by surprise. Many weren’t prepared to face such a crisis. Initially, most Western countries refused to panic and wanted to manage the situation like another flu epidemic. But the outbreaks in hospitals and other medical facilities in many countries led to chaos, forcing governments…
It’s time provincial premiers return to evidence-based policy and govern in alignment with our constitutional freedoms
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe recently urged his citizens to get vaccinated in a three-minute plea filled with dubious claims and faulty logic. It’s irksome that any executive assistant or speechwriter got paid to compose such nonsense. Moe said: “Those who have chosen to not get vaccinated, you will continue to be at risk of not…
From penalty kicks to the Academic All-Canadians, Kiera Fujimoto was a clutch player on the soccer pitch and in the classroom
The second-last time former University of Alberta Pandas midfielder Kiera Fujimoto took a penalty kick to decide a meaningful soccer game, she was a member of an under-15 Team Alberta playing in the final of the All-Star National Championship in Ontario. Unfortunately, her miss as the seventh shooter resulted in a loss in the final.…
The province is now the North American hotspot for a rare, potentially fatal disease
A rare parasitic infection imported from Europe continues to take root in Alberta. The province is now the North American hotspot for human alveolar echinococcosis (AE), which takes the form of a growth in the liver, causing serious and potentially deadly health complications. A recently published review of known AE cases in Alberta found 17 instances…
If we continue to value Canadian lives more than we value Congolese or Yemini lives, we put our well-being at risk
It’s certainly a relief to see COVID-19 restrictions eased and life returning to normal as more and more Canadians get vaccinated. The vaccines we have won’t provide 100 per cent immunity but should be sufficient to prevent further outbreaks. We’re told that soon travel restrictions and social distancing will be a thing of the past.…
Even many vaccinated people continue to live in fear. It’s bizarre
Great events in history usually have one picture that manages to capture their essence. The iconic photo of the American troops planting the flag on Iwo Jima does it for the Second World War, and the disturbing picture of the naked little girl running for her life from napalm perfectly captures the horror of the…
People have worked themselves into a frenzy because they haven’t been able to get a hair cut
What intellectual, hard-hitting and politically-charged topic are we tackling in this week’s column? My hair! That’s an unusual choice. How did it make the (ahem) final cut? Read on, brave and curious souls, and ye shall find out. Many Ontario-based businesses have been closed the past six months during COVID-19. In Toronto, this has included…