Canadian COVID-19 News

[Macblaze]

Whoa!

Provinces could make vaccination mandatory, says federal health minister
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/duc...-way-1.6307398

But I won't hold my breathe

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

We should combine the two streams of this thread and put some beer on the line with our predictions. Me? I will put a six of craft beer on April/May before this current round of restrictions relaxes. And another six on the bet it will all be back before September.

I'm with Macblaze on April/May. I think Valentine's day is just too soon.

But Gawd I hate the thought of it all being back before September. I very much hope you are wrong on this one.

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by danstanford

Of course you don't and neither do I despite being pretty healthy and quite a few years younger. I have resigned myself to the fact that I will get it before it has run its course and that the numbers say I have a fairly low likelihood of getting very sick. I currently have a friend 15 years older than me who smokes and has spent the last 5 years getting various cancer treatments just get easily over Covid and an ex-brother in law a year younger than me who is currently likely dying from Covid along with his daughter.

My point was that few of the 670,000 people you referenced would be in that dangerous category. It is quite similar to people shrinking back from someone unvaccinated when the chance of them having Covid is, or has been prior to Omicron, vanishingly small.

It wouldn't take a big percentage of 670,000 to completely overwhelm our health-care system (after all, there are other people to take care of too) - especially with the staffing crises we are experiencing.

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by AiniA

Note that the comparison highlighted is between US doctors' net income (after taxes and expenses) and Canadian doctors' gross income (one assumes before taxes and expenses). I know several doctors and none of them have boats worth more than a million dollars. More likely to be a 30 year old Nonsuch or CS worth CA$50,000 +/-.

No, there's an adjustment in there for Canadian doctors' expenses. Whether 20% is the right number or not I don't know - but it's in there.

[danstanford]

Here in Ontario there is a very wide split between GP's and most specialists.

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by danstanford

Here in Ontario there is a very wide split between GP's and most specialists.

I'm sure that's true pretty well across the country. It's a major reason cited for there being such a shortage of "family physicians" as I guess GP's are now called.

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

Whoa!

Provinces could make vaccination mandatory, says federal health minister
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/duc...-way-1.6307398

But I won't hold my breathe

I expect the feds could too. So why don't they? Political optics probably. Nobody wants to take the heat.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

Whoa!

Provinces could make vaccination mandatory, says federal health minister
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/duc...-way-1.6307398

But I won't hold my breathe

Yeah... I read this story. Gave me a shudder. First off, I just think it plays into the hands of the anti-vaxxers who are already screaming HITLER!! And unless we're willing to send police around and forcibly inject people, or issue massive fines which will then result in clogged courts and jails, I really can't see how we could do this.

Beyond this, I'm not in favour of the state forcing people to get vaccinated. I'm fine with making access to non-essential services contingent on being vaccinated. But the idea of forcing an injection on them strikes me as a bridge too far.

A good analogy here is smoking. We as a society progressively restricted where and how people can light up, but we've never outlawed it. Even though smoking produces second-hand exposure which is shown to be harmful, and even though smokers are much more likely to use public healthcare resources, we've not forced people to quit.

We can further restrict access to non-essential services, such as to booze and pot outlets. But using the powers of the state to force someone to do something like this seems to me to cross a line.

[Midnight Son]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

You gotta admire a guy who still has faith in the WAGs that surround Covid "knowledge"

At least one health analyst has gone that route.
Check out Dr. John Campbell.

[AK_sailor]

3 airlines refuse to fly home Canadians who partied maskless on flight to Mexico

MONTREAL — Passengers who filmed themselves partying without masks aboard a chartered flight from Montreal to Mexico face being stranded after three airlines refused to fly them home to Canada.

Sunwing Airlines canceled the return charter flight from Cancun that had been scheduled for Wednesday and Air Transat and Air Canada also both said they will refuse to carry the passengers.

Adding insult to injury, they were branded “idiots” Wednesday by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Videos of the Dec. 30 flight shared on social media show unmasked passengers in close proximity while singing and dancing in the aisle and on seats. In one video, a large bottle of vodka appears to be passed among passengers and a a woman appears to be smoking an electronic cigarette.

[sv_pelagia]

Originally Posted by AK_sailor

3 airlines refuse to fly home Canadians who partied maskless on flight to Mexico

Sunwing passenger files sent to Quebec prosecutor, says federal health minister
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montr...307634?cmp=rss

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by AK_sailor

3 airlines refuse to fly home Canadians who partied maskless on flight to Mexico

Yeah, a similar, although lesser and less consequential event occurred last year (or was it two years ago?) on BC Ferries when an anti-mask rally was held in Vancouver and a group of supporters came over from Victoria in support. While on the ferry they started hassling other passengers who were wearing masks as required by Transport Canada and the WCB. Not only were they arrested as they got off the ferry but BC Ferries banned them. There are other ways for people to get back to Victoria but it's pretty hard (and expensive) to get a car back without going on a BC Ferry. I never did hear if or how they were able to do it.

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by Midnight Son

At least one health analyst has gone that route.
Check out Dr. John Campbell.

Been there, done that, rolled my eyes.

I like the term analyst though, make him and his ilk seem more like stock brokers and money managers ... just enough expertise that they don't go broke too often...

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Yeah... I read this story. Gave me a shudder. First off, I just think it plays into the hands of the anti-vaxxers who are already screaming HITLER!! And unless we're willing to send police around and forcibly inject people, or issue massive fines which will then result in clogged courts and jails, I really can't see how we could do this.

Beyond this, I'm not in favour of the state forcing people to get vaccinated. I'm fine with making access to non-essential services contingent on being vaccinated. But the idea of forcing an injection on them strikes me as a bridge too far.

A good analogy here is smoking. We as a society progressively restricted where and how people can light up, but we've never outlawed it. Even though smoking produces second-hand exposure which is shown to be harmful, and even though smokers are much more likely to use public healthcare resources, we've not forced people to quit.

We can further restrict access to non-essential services, such as to booze and pot outlets. But using the powers of the state to force someone to do something like this seems to me to cross a line.

I agree. But I also don't. I've spent my young life bitching about helmet laws and seatbelt laws and mandatory healthcare payments (back when we had to pay them here in AB) and my refrain was always "Fine, just don't give me the benefits if I choose not participate." But society (as I well know) doesn't work that way. You can't "choose" to opt out...

So my petulant response is if I have to wear an helmet on my bicycle (not even on my motorcycle which was what I was b*tching about as a young'un) then they should have to get a vaccine.

Sigh. But we live in the world we live in. So let's just close off anything taxed as a luxury item to the non-vaccinated. They don't believe in paying the taxes anyway....

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Macblaze

I agree. But I also don't. I've spent my young life bitching about helmet laws and seatbelt laws and mandatory healthcare payments (back when we had to pay them here in AB) and my refrain was always "Fine, just don't give me the benefits if I choose not participate." But society (as I well know) doesn't work that way. You can't "choose" to opt out...

So my petulant response is if I have to wear an helmet on my bicycle (not even on my motorcycle which was what I was b*tching about as a young'un) then they should have to get a vaccine.

Sigh. But we live in the world we live in. So let's just close off anything taxed as a luxury item to the non-vaccinated. They don't believe in paying the taxes anyway....

I disagree with mandatory bicycle helmet laws as well, which are still all over the map in Canada. Some jurisdictions have no requirements. Many require it for minors only, and some are for all. I don't think this requirement is supported by the data, unlike seatbelts which clearly do reduce injury.

I get your point. But in the case of helmets, people still have the choice of not wearing a one if they choose not to ride a bike. In the case of legally compulsory vaccinations, you can't opt out -- not unless you leave the country.