Justin McElroy Profile picture
Nov 11, 2021 12 tweets 6 min read Read on X
was not planning on reading a 72 page book tonight but i'm a sucker for punishment
The question to the government, if one remembers (I do! life was painful!) was simple:

- Did it collect #COVID19 data on a NEIGHBOURHOOD level on a weekly basis?

Seemed like basic information about a deadly pandemic the public would want to know.

So I asked.
Less than AN HOUR LATER, the BC Centre for Disease Control had a response: it didn't "produce a regular data file", but did once, and was balancing privacy concerns.

Which is not super satisfying, but a) was true, b) provided quickly.

You know, basic competent stuff.
The BC Centre for Disease Control communications person got a response from the Provincial Health Service Authority quickly — they could tell a reporter basic information about a deadly pandemic!

Now all that was left to do was get government signoff.
Five days pass.

While the BCCDC and the PHSA were okay allowing me know how basic data in a deadly pandemic was collected, the government did not approve that response.

I publish a story with what I have.
several internal emails are sent confirming that non-partisan health officials have not had their attempt to provide me information approved by the government communications apparatus

it's all very fun
11 days pass since I asked the straightforward question on whether the most transparent government in North America collects neighbourhood data.

I've received no response yet, but now deputy ministers and the deputy provincial health officer are trying to answer.

Very fun!
After more emails and back and forth, they seem ready to provide the data to me!

Unfortunately, under this government, pretty much every response about the pandemic requires approval from the very highest levels of power.

And "b" isn't on board.
Dr. Henry communicates her disapproval on May 5, 14 days after I first asked whether the government collects data about a global pandemic on a neighbourhood level.

On May 6, the Vancouver Sun publishes a leaked report with that very data.

vancouversun.com/news/local-new…
And that's where our story ends, as I alert the government to the fact the data has been leaked, and they start to plan a press conference.
In summary:

- The government does not allow non-partisan, arms length health departments to provide media straightforward information about a deadly pandemic without political approval

- This is a byzantine process that can last weeks with no clear outcome

- It sucks
Most of this was blindingly obvious for many, many months, but this was an illuminating look at how the sausage gets made.

Or more accurately, doesn't.

Thanks (I think) to @ty_olsen for making this FOI request.

anyways time to find a beer

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Justin McElroy

Justin McElroy Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @j_mcelroy

Oct 15, 2022
"Justin, once the election is over, what will you be doing?"

me: here is a pyramid of beer from the seven key municipalities we will be focusing on tonight
7. KELOWNA

It's a rematch of the 2018 election where Colin Basran won big — can he do so again in an environment where crime and growth concerns are greater than four years ago?

there were no kelowna beers in the bcl so we're going with a more geographically appropriate cider
6. LANGLEY TOWNSHIP

Can Rich Coleman make a return to politics, will controversial councillor Eric Woodward and his new party dominate — or will one of the other two plausible contenders sweet up the middle?

A 9% imperial sour is bold but by night's end you might need it
Read 9 tweets
Aug 20, 2022
it's a beautiful saturday in august

the pne has begun

it's a little cooler than the last few days

really the ideal time to enjoy the last good stretch of summer

who is ready for some charts
The rolling average of #COVID19 wastewater measurements fell in ALL FIVE Metro Vancouver treatment plants last week.

It's now about half what it was at the height of this wave.
Total hospitalizations were down about 10% in the last week, the biggest dip in more than two months, as we start to see the effects of this wave subsiding
Read 9 tweets
Aug 6, 2022
Vancouver's centre-right Non-Partisan Association has been one of the city's top two parties in 58 of its last 59 elections.

In 2018 they won the most council seats & came within 1000 votes of being elected mayor.

And then what happened?
First there was a battle for control of the board that seemed to get pretty nasty.

thebreaker.news/business/npa-t…
Among the people elected to the board were a former Rebel Media personality, and people who ran for less successful right-wing parties in the prior election.

vancouversun.com/news/local-new…
Read 18 tweets
Aug 5, 2022
who is ready for some charts
Four of Metro Vancouver's five wastewater treatment sites have seen a marked decline in #COVID19 concentration in the last three weeks, suggesting the third Omicron wave has peaked.

Outside of Langley, numbers are back to where they were in early June.
If we zoom into the last two months, we can more clearly see the slow but meaningful decline in the four sites, along with how much Northwest Langley is being an outlier at this point
Read 8 tweets
Aug 3, 2022
Today in "governments being accountable for the billion dollar organizations they oversee", a quick recap of hoping to speak to someone about the departure of BC Housing's CEO
Shayne Ramsay announced today he would be leaving BC Housing after two decades leading the organization.

It's a big, complex job, and has become bigger and more complex as time as gone on.

For a very basic metric of this, here's a chart. Image
BC Housing said Ramsay wouldn't be speaking on his departure today, or answer questions about his stated reasons for leaving.

When you go to BC Housing's media page, you're directed to phone a number that is no longer in service.
Read 7 tweets
Jul 26, 2022
Last weekend I went to the weirdest ghost town in Canada, a time machine to 1981, hundreds of kilometres from any major city.

Here's what it was like in Kitsault, British Columbia.

justinmcelroy.com/2022/07/26/vis…
RANKING THE SPOOKIEST PARTS OF CANADA'S ONLY FULLY PRESERVED 1981 GHOST TOWN

14. GYM

- great raised stage
- yes that's original gym equipment, this will only get weirder
- literally dozens of chairs stored for the school assemblies that will never happen
13. PLAYGROUNDS

- there are four of them, all overtaken by nature to various extents
- very solid wooden structures, two of which are quite interesting
- you're darn right i went down the slides
Read 19 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(