Three lessons learned from the COVID-19 global pandemic and how we can prepare for the next one
As a health educator and academic leader at Dalhousie University, I have seen first-hand and contributed to the massive effort to adapt all of our systems of teaching and research over the past year to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic and ensure that the highest standards of health education are met within our faculty. […]
A ‘once-in-a-generation’ chance to reset vaccine innovation in Canada
The $925-million public-private partnership to enhance the manufacturing capacity of Sanofi’s influenza vaccine facility in Toronto is only the latest in a string of deals meant to protect Canada against this, if not future, pandemics. Occupying the grounds of what was once “Connaught Labs,” Canada’s famed, publicly controlled vaccine manufacturer, the transfer of $470-million in […]
The problem is pandemics and Canadian university research is the solution
For more than a year now, the world has been on a crisis footing after the emergence of a frightening new virus for which there was no known prevention, treatment, or cure. The pandemic’s ravages—including illness, death, economic upheaval, and social isolation—have hit Canada hard, and other countries, with fewer resources, even harder. Though the […]
The COVID-19 vaccine rollout debacle: how did we get here?
In 1957, Herbert Simon came up with the idea of “Bounded Rationality,” for which he eventually won the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1978. Bounded rationality states that, because of cognitive limitations, we do not make decisions rationally, but only try to get by or manage. The term that was coined in this context is “satisficing” […]
We need to open the black-box relationship between public health officers and politicians
OTTAWA—Did you know that about 140 countries had zero new COVID cases last week? Canada has suffered about 67 deaths per one million population and ranks 60th in the world. Canada is falling behind with poorly executed and politicized public health measures, complicated by each jurisdiction making up its own rules. Some provinces and territories […]
Canada will need ‘intensive collaboration’ between provinces, territories, and federal government for next pandemic, say experts
In the fall of 1918, thousands of Canadians were dying on the battlefields of Europe in the First World War. Once the war ended on Nov. 11, 1918, however, the dying continued on the home front. The Spanish flu was reaching its crescendo that fall having first appeared in the spring, though it went “basically […]
Invest in charities, non-profits for an equitable recovery that works for everyone
As the vaccine rollout gathers steam, the long-awaited economic rebuild is finally around the corner. But what form will economic recovery take? Will we return to the status quo or will we put people first by implementing economic reforms to correct the systemic inequalities so glaringly showcased by the wrath of COVID-19? The pandemic laid […]
Scathing audit highlights PHAC failures
The federal government’s failure to prepare for the gravest public health crisis in a century is something that should concern every Canadian. Recently released audit reports reveal a litany of errors and omissions by PHAC that led to a profound inability to respond effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most alarming, this happened despite decades of […]
Learning from the mental health challenges of the pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to concerns about potential mental health impacts globally. In Canada, various interventions have been implemented by the federal government intending to mitigate these repercussions. Now a year later, we can reflect on what has been seen, done, and what can be learned to better inform future policy. Several dire predictions made by […]
Health Policy Briefing
