General Canadian Politics eh.

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ShatsBassoon

Throwing bombs & banging moms
First 100
Jan 14, 2015
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The criticism would be that they should have foreseen the upcoming pandemic and medical supply shortages.
People are idiots and want a reason to bitch about anything.
China is doing the exact same thing now, sending supplies to nations that need it.
It's called foriegn aid and is a okay imo
 

ShatsBassoon

Throwing bombs & banging moms
First 100
Jan 14, 2015
18,555
33,607
Well colour me shocked

Boris Johnson Has Tested Positive For The Coronavirus
The UK prime minister announced he was self-isolating after developing mild symptoms of COVID-19, but would continue to lead Britain's response to the outbreak.
 

Freeloading Rusty

Here comes Rover, sniffin’ at your ass
Jan 11, 2016
26,916
26,743
3M says Trump halting mask exports to Canada has 'significant humanitarian implications'
Manufacturing giant 3M says the White House has requested it cease exports of U.S.-made N95 face masks to Canada.

"The Administration also requested that 3M cease exporting respirators that we currently manufacture in the United States to the Canadian and Latin American markets. There are, however, significant humanitarian implications of ceasing respirator supplies to healthcare workers in Canada and Latin America, where we are a critical supplier of respirators," 3M said in a statement released Friday.
 

Freeloading Rusty

Here comes Rover, sniffin’ at your ass
Jan 11, 2016
26,916
26,743
Ottawa reports progress in talks with U.S. over medical supplies as 3M strikes deal to send masks to Canada
Canadian officials working behind the scenes to secure a full exemption from the Trump administration for imports of critical medical equipment say they've made some progress as 3M announces that it has struck a deal with the U.S. government to allow the export of N95 respirator masks to Canada.

Canadian ministers and officials have been trying to reverse the United States' decision to invoke the Defense Production Act to force Minnesota-based 3M to prioritize orders from the U.S. government for N95 respirators at the expense of foreign orders, including some from Canada.

Earlier today, U.S. President Donald Trump said he had reached an agreement with the company and was now "very proud to be dealing with 3M."

A statement from the company said it has struck a deal to import 166.5 million respirators into the U.S. over the next three months, primarily from its manufacturing facility in China.

"The plan will also enable 3M to continue sending U.S. produced respirators to Canada and Latin America, where 3M is the primary source of supply," the statement said.
Smart call considering we are the only producers of the specific soft pulp used in the much needed medical supplies.
 

Freeloading Rusty

Here comes Rover, sniffin’ at your ass
Jan 11, 2016
26,916
26,743
Why is B.C. flattening the COVID-19 curve while numbers in central Canada surge?
The COVID-19 outbreak is currently more severe in Canada's two largest provinces than it is in British Columbia.

That's not opinion, it's fact — whether you go by confirmed cases or hospitalizations, by raw numbers or a per capita comparison, the virus has steadily grown in Ontario and Quebec.

But in B.C., hospitalizations and active cases have been flat for the last week. The curve, at least at this point, has been flattened.

So what's the explanation?

"It's very hard to know exactly why," said B.C.'s chief medical health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, when asked about the difference on Monday. "Some parts of it are luck, and some parts of it are being prepared."

It's undoubtedly true that B.C. was able to learn from having a few isolated cases in January and February. It's also true the province has been lucky not to have a viral "super-spreader," as has been the case in other places.

However, there's a little bit more to it than that.

Preparation, preparation, preparation
Dr. David Fisman, an epidemiology professor at the University of Toronto, said British Columbia's institutions for disease control have long been a model for the rest of the country.

"You've got a functioning public health system, with integration of lab and epidemiology and service in British Columbia," he said. "Here in Ontario, we have had difficulties with public health leadership culture for a long time."

Fisman believes B.C. was able to, as Henry put it, "take a lot of measures early" because they had the lines of communication to quickly scale up a unified response relatively early.

It meant there was a unified response and messaging to the public underway before COVID-19 was on the radar for many politicians.

Whereas in Ontario, it took a little longer for everyone to get on the same page.

Premier Doug Ford "has actually stepped up as a leader," said Fisman. "[But] one has to realize Doug Ford's not a public health physician, he's not a microbiologist and he's not an epidemiologist. So he's very much dependent on the advice he's given."

Timing of spring break
One way that played out was over spring break.

On March 12, B.C. recommended against all non-essential travel outside of Canada, while Ford told families to "go away" and "have fun" during the week-long holiday.

"You could see this coming," said Fisman. "There was talk in the epidemiology field that we really can't have a million people return to Ontario from places with unfettered COVID transmission. It's gonna be a very bad thing for us, but we didn't use that opportunity."

At the same time, British Columbia was fortunate that the scheduled spring break for students was later than in other jurisdictions — allowing health officials to adapt.

"We learned from Quebec," said Henry.

"Their March break was two weeks earlier than ours, and people were coming back … from places like France, and coming home from March break and getting sick."

Henry's role
Fisman also credited B.C. for putting in an early measure to stop health-care workers from working at multiple care homes, which was a big factor in preventing community transmission.

But ultimately he believes a big part of B.C.'s fortune comes from the person who speaks to British Columbians at every news conference.

"Bonnie Henry stays at press conferences and answers the questions … and doesn't shade the truth. She's frank and honest and emotional with people," he said.

"And given that part of this response depends on being altruistic and doing the right thing to help other people who we will never meet, having a leader who can articulate how we're all in this together and make a convincing case for why you need to do your part … is very important."

Playing 'the hand we're dealt'
Henry's direct experience in overseeing Toronto's SARS and H1N1 outbreaks is the type of background that's impossible to quantify in a situation like this. Henry herself doesn't mention it at news conferences.

"Part of [curve-flattening] was the system we had in place to detect cases … and part of it was luck, and part of it was timing," she said.

But Fisman believes it has been crucial.

"We all play the hand we're dealt. [British Columbia] has played the hand they've been dealt very, very well. And you can see it in the numbers," he said.

"Ontario has played the hand that it's dealt in a way that is not the United States … but I think Ontario is lagging."