Your weekly reminder that you are witnessing the largest social policy diaster in Canadian history. And we have the numbers to prove that. But this week, lets focus on one of root causes of this blunder. "Science as Authority". 1/
This excellent video by Dr. John Lee starts to frame this issue. Thoughtful as usual but the last 5 mins caught my attention. He starts to identify "Govt's dysfunctional relationship with science" as a source of our C19 problems. 2/

What does he means by this? Science is a process whereby we open our thoughts/ideas to external verification. Testing follows the so called "scientific method" and if validated, thoughts are elevated in importance and gain societal sway. 3/
These facts/ideas are remarkably useful as markers/guide posts to policy makers. Science, however, is inherently incomplete and subject to constant revision. Scientists rarely think in absolutes, its antithetical to our sense of being. 4/
The strange thing with the C19 response was that science was given the "authority" to lead. Ideas/facts were transformed into absolutes and debate was vanquished. These absolutes cemented into place a new ideological foundation which one could call "scientism". 5/
Here is a video clip from "Unherd" digging into this concept in greater detail. Remarkably fascinating and well worth the time. 6/

unherd.com/2021/05/how-sc…
Strange thing, the leaders of this new religion weren't scientists per se but those who transformed themselves into administrators of science, with a particular alignment around social responsibility. The Ontario Science Table is representative of this phenomenon. 7/
This was topically noted in a tweet by Mark Towhey (local TO media) who satirically noted the slick appearance of the OST letterhead and the inclusion of web profiles more fitting of "Linked In" or a corporate brochure. 8/

Thus, it seems to me the OST's problem is that their lack of intimate contact with the foundational science yet politicians have abdicated them "authority" to lead. Additionally, their narrow expertise prevents them from seeing the consequences of their actions. 9/
The solution to Ontario's mess would seem to center on reestablishing the old normal. A broad array of scientists/community stake holders providing insight for politicians to consider. Politicians should lead as they are the one's with electoral validation. 10/
Its long past due for Ontario to "right the ship" and to dig itself out of this disaster. The "righting process" requires the OST to be viewed as an advisory body, nothing more. Politicians should lead and establish policy, and the MOHs should follow accordingly. End.

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More from @DonaldWelsh16

2 May
Good point brought up by Kelly Brown on the vague messaging from @BogochIsaac, @PattyHajdu and @JustinTrudeau. Lets dig into the details of vaccine passports. 1/
Lets start with medical science. Does this make sense? The answer is No. C19 is a seasonal respiratory virus whose transmission dynamics is unknown and impossible to control. Its endemic in most of the world so there is nothing to control per se. 2/
The preceding reasoning also applies to variants. To date, they have been a non-issue and I don't see gov't committing further resources to this futile endeavor. 3/
Read 10 tweets
1 May
A staffer at the Ontario Legislature said 7 months ago that C19 was over but that the real fight was to save gov't as an institution. I didn't fully comprehend those words at the time but I do now. 1/
The dizzying parade of events his week leaves one shocked but underneath is a simple political reality. We are witnessing a large scale system wide policy failure and no one in politics wants to be left holding this hot potato. 2/
Plenty of blame to go around and an equal amount of scorn should be heaped onto the Feds, the OST and the provinces. Media and academia, normally reliable sources of criticism, have remained compliant or silent. 3/
Read 6 tweets
26 Apr
Your weekly reminder, we are in the midst of the largest public health blunder in Canadian history. Why do I say that? Lets educate and go through some data. 1/
Large public health campaigns take one of two approaches.

1) Educational. These campaigns work with the public and entail modifying behavior and focused protection. Focus vaccination is viewed as an end point. This is embodied in the Great Barington Declaration (GBD). 2/
2) Coercional. These campaigns use manipulative behavioral techniques (to strike fear) and large scale societal modifications (lockdowns) as a means of population control, with mass vaccination as an end point. 3/
Read 12 tweets
25 Apr
A kind thanks to everyone who reached out with support, especially those unable to speak publicly on C19 policy. I'm a bit surprised but clearly many sense something is deeply wrong in Canada. 1/
As an academic, I believe in owning my thoughts. I realize my comparators are sometimes too strong and need tempering. I apologize for that. But lets be clear, C19 has revealed that Canada is on a deeply troubled path and public health is driving that. 2/
I knew I would be targeted when speaking out. I'm not naive and I know how this game works. But C19 data is stunning clear and our policies are neither aligned with, nor effective for, the viral threat. It is draining this country of its richness day by day. 3/
Read 5 tweets
24 Apr
A few weeks ago, we put forward the idea that short term issues were arising with vaccination as a correlation between vaccination, cases and hospitalization was observable (Canada). A similar trend can be seen around the world. A couple more examples. 1/
Here is one from the Seychelles, a island state with no previous sign of C19 spread. 2/
Here is a more interesting one from Pakistan which shows traits similar to Canada. 3/
Read 4 tweets
23 Apr
We are in the midst of a highly charged public health campaign without precedent in modern history where measures are extreme and without scientific foundation. 1/
We are moving down a very dangerous path that deeply troubles me as a scientist. My tweets are designed to mitigate this trajectory, one pointing out the tragic history of public health in the dark times of the holocaust. 2/

I appreciate that some felt this parallel is too strong and I do apologize for that, particularly given the abbreviated format of twitter. 3/
Read 6 tweets

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