A wise statesman doesn’t diminish the moral choices of the people he serves
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney recently posted on social media his reaction to protests on the steps of the legislature and GraceLife Church just west of Edmonton. Hundreds gathered at the legislature in Edmonton on April 12, including many other parts of the province. Those who know Kenney would recognize his style and tone in the…
The Great Reset is a financial plot dreamed up by economists. It's a catalyst to facilitate a social agenda from radical progressives
The Great Reset is often labelled a conspiracy theory but it’s real. All it takes is a cursory Google search to see that the World Economic Forum (WEF) and other global economic bodies have adopted the term with precisely the same meaning as the one used by those people called conspiracy theorists. Openly contemplating the…
It amounted to short-term pain for long-term gain. A small price to pay when you consider the alternative
The number of Canadians who have received a COVID-19 vaccine is slowly increasing but it took a painfully long time to get there. Slightly less than 30 per cent of Canadians have received one COVID-19 dose of a vaccine from Pfizer, Moderna or AstraZeneca. Only 2.7 per cent, or 1,018,381 people, are fully vaccinated as…
200,000 young people have lost complete touch with their schools
There are fewer students at my school this year. There are also fewer disciplinary issues, but it has become even more difficult to establish and maintain contact with our at-risk students and their families. I didn’t realize until recently, however, that this is a global issue. There’s no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted…
Political messages that flip-flopped. Controversial policies announced, modified and removed at a mere snap of the fingers
Seventy-two hours – 4,320 minutes – three days. Doesn’t sound like an enormous stretch of time. In most cases, it’s not. Yet what Ontario experienced from Friday, April 16, to Sunday, April 18, could easily be described as an insane roller-coaster ride for the ages. Wild highs and lows. Political messages that flip-flopped and flop-flipped. Controversial…
While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge Canada’s health-care system and economy, a University of Alberta economist has been awarded $1.25 million by the federal government to start planning for the next public health crisis. Christopher McCabe, professor in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry and CEO of the Institute of Health Economics, will lead a cross-Canada team…
Dental offices are safe, says U of A periodontist who urges people not to put off appointments that would prevent problems
Dental issues such as broken and fractured teeth are on the rise as COVID-19 pandemic stress continues to affect our lives. Dentists at the University of Alberta’s School of Dentistry Oral Health Clinic are warning patients that postponing treatment will only escalate the problem. “It’s a very stressful time, and we are grinding and clenching our teeth…
A serious blow to our delusion we are better than Americans
When it comes to health care, Canadians only seem to care about one thing: Are we better than the United States? As long as we “beat” the U.S., we remain smug about our performance, although this attitude can be hard to square with the tens of thousands of Canadians who get quick access to top-level…
Health experts and politicians camouflage their failure by using the only weapon left in their arsenal - instilling fear
We recently marked the anniversary of the COVID-19 confinements that were only supposed to last for only a few weeks. In many ways, fear became the pandemic. Different people drive the COVID-19 fear, but its principal generators are statisticians and the medical bureaucrats – the experts ‘advising’ the politicians, who in turn display appearances of…
Enough is enough
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed more than ever that those who trade freedom for security can’t stand people preferring the former. By ignoring rules they force onto others, such as travel restrictions, politicians reveal the primary goal was power all along, not safety. Earlier this year, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau instituted additional travel restrictions…
U of A choral director conducts live performances in a parking lot, with singers performing from the safety of their cars
In a year when in-person concerts have been next to impossible, U of A choral director Tim Shantz has found a way for the university’s Madrigal Singers to perform live before an audience. And it doesn’t involve Zoom. Gathered in a parking lot, the members of his choir sing into microphones from their cars – all safely contained in…The proven determinants of scientific progress – collaboration, a plan, guaranteed funding, transparency – are nowhere to be found
The Human Genome Project (HGP) stands as one of mankind’s most remarkable achievements. Its significance is easily equal to, or even eclipses, James Watson and Francis Crick’s discovery of DNA’s helical structure, or Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon. The goal was to determine the position and function of the more than 100,000 genes…
12 months in, health-care system still can't provide Canadians with timely care while dealing with COVID-19
It has been a year since the world was brought to its knees by a microscopic particle known as COVID-19. Since then, the virus has taken the lives of more than 22,000 Canadians and infected another 940,000. But those are just the numbers that show up on media screens and government paperwork. The real human…
We'll likely be able to celebrate a more normal December holiday season in 2021. The hard part's getting there
We’ve just marked (I won’t say celebrated) the first anniversary of the pandemic. And we have a long way to go – but we need to stay diligent. A year ago, when it was just starting, most of us expected that the resulting fear, uncertainties and restrictions would be over in a few weeks. As…
There has been a 73 per cent increase in calls to Alberta Poison and Drug Information Service in 2020
Our obsession with killing germs during the COVID-19 pandemic has had an unintended and dangerous consequence, according to the University of Alberta’s Injury Prevention Centre: a sharp increase in unintentional poisonings due to hand sanitizers, disinfectants and household cleaners. Calls to Alberta’s Poison and Drug Information Service (PADIS) related to these products have increased by 73 per cent…