We need a smart approach to using tech in patient contact tracking during public health emergencies
Globally, the most effective way to flatten the coronavirus curve has been physical distancing. It slows the spread of the virus and ultimately leads to fewer deaths. In an ideal world, everyone would have the opportunity to practice physical distancing as prescribed by public health officials. Unfortunately, for many people, doing so can be challenging, […]
Tough questions, and no easy answers, for how best to bounce back from COVID-19
OTTAWA—To open or not to open? At what pace? What happens if we get it wrong? These questions on transitioning back to something resembling what we knew after COVID-19 are ones politicians and health officials across the country are asking themselves. Some political careers may be defined by the answers, particularly if it all goes […]
The Nobel for Trump? Why not the Booker Prize for fiction instead?
The recent roller coaster of American stock market performance, with a precipitous increase in market values coming during the same week as more than 30 million had Americans filed for unemployment, has starkly revealed the fiction of President Donald Trump and his congressional cheerleader’s contention that the economy’s fundamentals are strong. Nothing could be further […]
Protecting the core of Canadian values in the digital realm
COVID-19 has forced a digital transformation, with offices sitting empty, the entire non-essential workforce (that can do so) working remotely, and students furthering their education at kitchen tables around the country. Data is also being used by governments to conduct “contact” tracing, though this means different things in different countries. Some states are looking for […]
Yas, (welfare) queen: Conservatives revive myth in attempt to curb the CERB
OTTAWA—Does the Conservative Party of Canada actually like Canada, or Canadians? Not even Michelle Rempel Garner could be bothered to stay in the country during lockdown, given she’s buggered off to the U.S. #AndrewScheer was trending and that never turns out well for him. Turns out, he wants to kick Canadian workers off the welfare […]
Not all apps are created equal: privacy and ethics should impact design, adoption of contact tracing tools
As governments world-wide contemplate COVID-19 “return-to-normal” strategies, contact-tracing apps have become part of the conversation. Tracing and notification of those who have had contact with an infected person is a major public health role in a pandemic. Contact-tracing apps are meant to supplement often-overwhelmed public health agencies. In Canada, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) has announced […]
Gun control ends don’t justify the order-in-council means
OTTAWA—On May 1, the prime minister and cabinet announced the government would ban the sale of 11 “military-style” weapons, in 1,500 versions. The response from most Liberals was enormous satisfaction at this “swift, courageous measure.” Except from this corner. Now, as regular readers know, I support some gun control. In a 2018 column, I wrote, […]
Don’t be so quick to sign away privacy rights in the face of the pandemic
In a recent Washington Post op-ed, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg declared data is “a new superpower” to counter the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically “the ability to gather and share data for good.” Zuckerberg and other tech giants are offering their services to track the pandemic’s progression using social media data and trace the contacts of infected […]
Don’t forget global commitment to vaccines during COVID crisis, says reader
The COVID-19 crisis is wreaking havoc around the globe and its impact on poor countries will likely be catastrophic. It casts a large shadow with risks of famine, loss of income, and the failure of fragile health-care institutions. The numbers are staggering according to the United Nations: 10 countries in Africa have no ventilators, and […]
Canadians shouldn’t have to give up privacy rights to prevent the spread of COVID-19
As governments around the world look for strategies to slow the spread of COVID-19, there have been increasing questions about how Canada will do the same. One common acknowledgement is that in order to lift mass isolation measures while containing the spread of the virus, jurisdictions must have robust systems for testing and rapid contact […]
