The average age of Canadians who died of COVID-19 in 2020 was 83.8 years and typically they had 2 to 3 co-morbidities. Yet governments chose to deal with the pandemic with catastrophically damaging lockdowns of the economy instead of focusing protection on the vulnerable older population. For that reason Harvard epidemiologist Martin Kulldorf’s describes the recent Covid 19 lockdowns as the greatest healthcare fiasco in history. Yet there is increasing agitation and pressure from the media and medical interest groups to bring them back and as Covid cases increase once again. Governments are implementing vaccine mandates and passports for a respiratory virus with a 99.5% survival rate if you are 65 or younger.
Our discussion with David Redman, former head of Alberta Emergency Management and retired judge Brian Giesbrecht will consider best practices policies moving forward based on key facts and information from both domestic and international approaches to Covid policies.
Our guests:
David Redman had a distinguished military career before becoming the head of the Alberta Emergency Management Agency in 2004 and led the Provincial response to the devastating floods of June 2005. He also led the development of the 2005 Provincial Pandemic Influenza Plan. After retiring from EMA he continued to work as an expert in Emergency Management provincially, nationally and internationally until 2013 when he fully retired.
Brian Giesbrecht received his education at United College and The University of Manitoba, where he obtained his LLB in 1972. Appointed to The Provincial Court (Family Division) in 1976, he heard child welfare cases and general family matters until he until he transferred to the Criminal Division in 1989. During his career he served on the National Family Court Committee, and various provincial court committees. He was an Associate Chief Judge from 1991 to 2005, and he became Acting Chief Judge in 1993. Following his retirement from the Bench in 2007, Mr. Giesbrecht has written extensively for various publications.
Background material:
– Brian Giesbrecht commentary on vaccine passports -https://fcpp.org/2021/06/23/pallister-passports/
– David Redman paper –A Covid Briefing note for Premiers – -https://fcpp.org/wp-content/uploads/BriefingNote-COVIDresponse.pdf
– David Redman paper – Canada’s Deadly Response to Covid 19 – Canada’s Deadly Response to COVID-19 | https://fcpp.org/2021/07/19/canadas-deadly-response-to-covid-19/
