Ontario anti-lockdown MPP freed on bail

Randy Hillier gets bail – but also gets silenced | Western Standard - Karen Selick: 

Hillier at anti-lockdown protest, Photo: Beth Baisch, Dreamstime

March 29, 2022 -"I’ve known Ontario MPP Randy Hillier for about 20 years. I’ve found myself in agreement with him on every important issue I can think of over that time. The pandemic was no exception. I admired his courage in publicly opposing Ontario’s official government narrative about lockdowns, mask mandates and vaccination mandates. I applauded his denunciation of the tyrannical federal policies that led to the Ottawa Freedom Convoy. 

"Therefore, when I received a message early Monday morning (March 28) saying that Randy was being charged with nine Criminal Code offences ... and would be surrendering to the Ottawa police that day, I was alarmed. I knew he had been accumulating provincial charges for various No More Lockdowns protests he had organized and attended around the province, but sources have been telling me that many charges of this kind are being delayed and ultimately dropped by prosecutors who don’t want to face a well-thought-out Charter challenge. Criminal Code charges by the Ottawa police were a different kettle of fish. My concern, of course, was Randy might face the kind of treatment that had been given to convoy organizer Tamara Lich, who spent two weeks in jail before finally receiving reasonable bail conditions.

"Randy retained Ottawa criminal lawyer David Anber, and a bail hearing was held via Zoom on Monday afternoon. Anber had already negotiated with Crown counsel Tim Wightman and they had hammered out an agreement under which Randy would be released on bail subject to 15 conditions he’d have to comply with. Counsel were able to agree on the wording of 14 of those conditions: standard bail terms such as posting a bond (in this case, $35,000), residing with his surety at a fixed address, not communicating with other people who have been charged with offences also arising out of the Freedom Convoy, and so on. However, they couldn’t agree on the wording of the fifteenth condition, namely what Randy would be permitted to say on social media pending trial about the issues he has been expounding on over the past two years.

"I managed to get into the Zoom call and listened to the legal arguments. The Crown wanted to restrict Randy from posting anything 'on social media of any type' regarding not only the Freedom Convoy, but also provincial policy on mask mandates, vaccination mandates, 'or the Anti-vaccine cause [sic].' He also wanted to prevent Randy from attending or providing 'any type of support (including financial support) to the freedom convoy or any anti mask/vaccine organization or causes [sic].' Anber pointed out as an elected member of the legislature, it was actually Randy’s job to comment precisely on important issues like this before the legislature. He also argued that in a free and democratic society, it’s important to have competing voices saying different things about the issues.

"The Crown prosecutor then seemed to narrow down what he was asking for. It’s forbidden on Ontario court Zoom calls to make your own recordings of the proceedings, so I had to type furiously in an effort to catch what he was saying. He seemed to concede that the wording of the disputed bail condition would not prevent Randy from making his views heard in the mainstream media or in the legislature only on social media, which the Crown described as his primary tool of communication.

"This isn’t much comfort. For starters, how is social media defined nowadays? I no longer get paper copies of major daily newspapers delivered to my door. I read them online, and frequently participate in the online comment sections. Does the electronic interaction between a newspaper and its readers nudge the paper over the line into the social media category? Is clicking a 'like' button part of 'posting?' What about sharing someone else’s post? It’s not entirely clear what will be forbidden, and the stakes would be high if Randy were to be accused of violating his bail conditions. But more importantly, I can’t see the difference in 'risk to the public' between the two types of media.....

"Justice of the Peace Logue took only a 10-minute break before deciding in favour of the Crown, demonstrating she has apparently bought the government’s pandemic narrative hook, line and sinker. Although she paid lip service to the Charter, she gave short shrift to Randy’s freedom of expression and freedom of assembly. Randy and his lawyer are contemplating whether or not to appeal.

"Meanwhile, there’s one other aspect of the bail hearing that struck me as grossly unfair.... When Randy was brought into the call at the end from his jail cell to be asked whether he accepted the conditions the judge had ordered, it was apparent that the police officer had just brought him to the phone for that purpose, and he hadn’t been allowed to listen to or watch the entire proceedings. Accused people can normally attend their bail hearings, which allows them to listen carefully to the allegations being made against them by the Crown, inform their lawyer of any important points he or she might need to know, and evaluate their own lawyer’s performance in the courtroom. Randy was denied the benefit of all of these."

Read more: https://westernstandardonline.com/2022/03/selick-randy-hillier-gets-bail-but-also-gets-silenced/

Bill Gates: Omicron variant immunizing the world

Pandemic Lessons Learned: Omicron Versus Bill Gates | Epoch Times - Joe Wang:

February 26, 2022 - "At the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 18, Bill Gates was asked to assess where we are at in beating the pandemic. He replied: 'Sadly, the virus itself, particularly the variant called Omicron, is a type of vaccine. That is, it creates both B-cell and T-cell immunity.' Maybe Mr. Gates read my Jan. 5 opinion piece, 'Omicron May Help End the Pandemic This Winter'? I’m glad he agrees with me that Omicron is like an effective vaccine that is helping end the pandemic. As a veteran vaccine scientist who spearheaded a vaccine project in 2003 against the original SARS, I was quite confident projecting where Omicron would lead the pandemic, given its characteristics after it emerged late last year. But knowing that the world’s most famous influencer looks at it the same way is quite satisfying. 

"But why did Mr. Gates say 'sadly'? I have to admit that I wrote my article with mixed emotions. On one hand, I was delighted because I knew that after two long years, Omicron could provide a way out of the pandemic. On the other, it was still relatively virulent and many people could die as it swept through the world. Maybe Mr. Gates, whose foundation funded the development and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines around the world, was sad because of any deaths that occurred? It doesn’t appear so, as he continued, '[Omicron] has done a better job getting out to the world population than we have with vaccines. … That means the chance of severe disease — which is mainly associated with being elderly and having obesity or diabetes — those risks are now dramatically reduced because of that infection exposure.'

"Since reduced risk is good for humanity and something to be desired, what is there to be sad about? Was Gates sad because Omicron beat the vaccines in generating protective immunity, thereby preventing the ability of COVID to spread — meaning there would be no need for any future COVID vaccines? If vaccines achieve sterilizing immunity, great. If not, and instead naturally occurring Omicron brings an end to the pandemic, equally great. It’s not a competition, it’s whatever gets the job done — that is, unless you value the success of vaccines more than ending the pandemic.

"Almost from the beginning of the pandemic, we were told that the only way out was via vaccination. Vaccines were rapidly developed and the emergency use of them was pushed out. There were vaccine drives and clinics, and before long boosters became part of the scenario. Then came vaccine mandates, even for people who had acquired natural immunity, followed by vaccination of children.... All along it has been all about vaccines, and less about the disease. As a former vaccine scientist, I should be happy that vaccines have taken the center stage in the world. But I am not, as I am clear that vaccines are not the goal — they are merely the means to help humanity overcome the pandemic. The means should never become the goal.

"When it turned out that vaccination failed to defeat COVID and [the pandemic] was instead conquered by Omicron, Mr. Gates found it sad. Humans missed a great opportunity to show that we are the true masters of the world.

"Human history is a history of survival in harsh, natural conditions. Some in their efforts to survive discovered how to live in peace and harmony with nature, while others who fought and won regarded themselves as triumphant against nature. Mao Zedong famously said, 'It is so rewarding (with endless joy) to fight against heaven, against earth, and against people.' According to Mao and his comrades, when dealing with natural disasters, humans must win, and win decisively, through cleverness and persistence. It would not be a complete win if humans got help from nature, which would instead bring shame to all involved. When I grew up in communist China I believed that, guided by Mao’s teachings, science and technological advancement could provide solutions for all the problems humanity could possibly face.... 

"As a young man brainwashed by the doctrine of communism, I dreamt of engineering genes to solve all the world’s problems, such as diseases, food shortages, environmental disasters, etc. I thought that since nature caused so much trouble for humans, it was up to geneticists like myself to change nature by engineering the genes of all creatures to be exactly what we humans would like them to be. Call it arrogance, naiveté, or stupidity, that was what I believed, as did millions of other young people in communist China at that time....

"It was actually after I came to Canada that I found my roots in traditional Chinese culture. The idea that man and nature are one harmonious body, as ancient Chinese believed, makes more sense than the fighting mentality the communist system taught me. I have learned to appreciate nature and accept whatever it has in store for me. When outbreaks of infectious diseases occur, we should find ways to cope with them, as humans have done for thousands of years. Today, we have advanced technologies to better navigate the situation, as well as vaccines and therapeutics. But we should also try meditation and other holistic approaches to improve our immune system and seek harmony with our surroundings.

"It seems that Mr. Gates and many others of his ilk have not yet found peace with nature. Using their money and power, they want to achieve a complete win in a war against nature. My advice to Mr. Gates, for a better approach, is that humans work in tandem with nature and find harmony with nature. Do not pick fights with nature. We may win a fight here and there, but we will never win in a war against nature. Omicron has played a decisive part in assisting human efforts to end the pandemic, so be grateful, thank Mother Nature for the gift, and happily move on."

Read more: https://www.theepochtimes.com/pandemic-lessons-learned-omicron-vs-bill-gates_4302529.html

China's largest city locked down for Covid

China's biggest COVID-19 lockdown in 2 years prompts new supply chain concerns | CBC News - Meegan Reed & Associated Press:

King of Hearts, Pudong, Shanghai panorama, 2017. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

March 28 - "China's most extensive COVID-related lockdown in two years is underway in Shanghai, as the city of 26 million people undergoes a series of phased shutdowns to test a growing outbreak of the coronavirus. China's financial capital and largest city has implemented a two-phase partial lockdown for the next 10 days, starting with the Pudong financial district and nearby areas from Monday to Friday. This will allow mass testing to get underway after 3,500 new cases of COVID-19 were reported Sunday. In the second phase of the lockdown, the vast downtown area west of the Huangpu River that divides the city will start its own five-day lockdown.

"Residents will be required to stay home and deliveries will be left at checkpoints to ensure there is no contact with the outside world. Offices and all businesses not considered essential will be closed and public transport suspended. Bridges and tunnels in and out of the area are being strictly monitored....

"Already, many communities within Shanghai have been locked down for the past week, with their housing compounds blocked off with blue and yellow plastic barriers and residents required to submit to multiple tests for COVID-19. Shanghai's Disneyland theme park is among the businesses that closed earlier. Automaker Tesla is also suspending production at its Shanghai plant, according to media reports. Panic-buying was reported on Sunday, with supermarket shelves cleared of food, beverages and household items. Additional barriers were being erected in neighbourhoods Monday, with workers in hazmat suits staffing checkpoints....

"Some workers, including traders at the city's stock market, were preparing to stay within a COVID-19 "bubble" for the duration of the lockdown. Li Jiamin, 31, who works in the finance industry, said she had packed several days of clothing and supplies, and her company was sorting out sleeping and eating arrangements. 'The overall impact is still great,' Li told The Associated Press, pointing especially to losses suffered by workers in the informal sector, who have no such support....

"Shanghai has converted two gymnasiums, an exhibition hall and other facilities to house potential infected patients.

"China has called its long-standing 'zero-tolerance' approach the most economical and effective prevention strategy against COVID-19. The new measures being enforced in Shanghai aim to 'curb the virus spread, protect people's life and health, and achieve the dynamic zero-COVID target as soon as possible,' the city's COVID-19 prevention and control office stated in an announcement Sunday evening. That requires lockdowns and mass testing, with close contacts often being quarantined at home or in a central government facility. The strategy focuses on eradicating community transmission of the virus as quickly as possible.

"Still, Shanghai's announcement of the dates when the two lockdowns would be lifted appeared to show a further refinement in China's approach. Previous citywide lockdowns had been open-ended."

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/shanghai-lockdown-mass-testing-covid-19-1.6399546

Lockdown narrative called into question

Why more and more experts say lockdown didn't prevent people dying of Covid - and call it a 'monumental mistake on a global scale' | Mail on Sunday - Jo MacFarlance: 

March 26, 2022 - "It was 'a simple instruction' to the British people, said the Prime Minister: 'You must stay at home.' With that sombre televised address, shown on March 23, 2020 – two years ago last week – the country was plunged into its first national lockdown. After weeks of surging Covid infections, and horrified by the staggering scale of hospitalisations and deaths in Spain and Italy, the Government had concluded there was no option but to issue an unprecedented order ... a legal mandate that permitted people to leave their homes only for specific purposes: to shop for basic supplies, for medical purposes, for exercise or for work. This lasted seven weeks, and led to some of the most heartbreaking and damaging moments of the pandemic. 

"And it wasn't the last. In November 2020 there was a second national lockdown, lasting four weeks. And then, in January 2021 came the big one: a lockdown that lasted almost three months. The true toll won't be known for some time. However the general scientific consensus, rarely challenged, is that these measures were a necessary evil that saved lives. But just how true is that? While there is no doubt that robust measures were necessary against a new and devastating virus, was lockdown truly the only route through those dark days of the pandemic, or the right one?...

"Professor Mark Woolhouse, an epidemiologist at the University of Edinburgh, ... has recently published a book, The Year The World Went Mad, about the UK's pandemic policy failures. Speaking this week on The Mail on Sunday's Medical Minefield podcast, Prof Woolhouse said: 'I think that lockdown will be viewed by history as a monumental mistake on a global scale, for a number of reasons. The obvious one is the immense harm the lockdown, more than any other measure, did in terms of the economy, mental health and on the wellbeing of society. Clearly things needed to be done to bring waves of infection under control. But many analyses suggest that lockdown itself didn't have a huge impact on reducing the health burden. That was achieved in other ways.'

"Analysing the effect of any single Covid measure is difficult, and researchers have managed it with varying degrees of success. In the UK, 'lockdown' refers specifically to the stay-at-home order. But some studies also include school and border closures, business closures and curfews in their definition of lockdown....

"One paper that did attempt to tease out the benefits of individual measures, published last month, found stay-at-home orders reduced global Covid deaths by just 2.9 per cent. By comparison, business closures cut deaths by ten per cent and school closures by nearly five per cent. The authors, economists linked to Johns Hopkins University in the US, have been accused of bias – one has repeatedly equated lockdown measures with fascism – and 'cherry-picking' papers to suit their hypothesis. 

"'If you start with a premise and select studies which are likely to back that premise, you don't come to an objective answer,' says epidemiologist and Government adviser Dr Raghib Ali, at the University of Cambridge. But intriguingly, Dr Ali and others also admit the researchers have a point....

"Another study ... published in Science in February last year, found 'stay at home' measures reduced Covid transmission by an average of 13 per cent on top of other measures such as closing schools and non-essential shops, and banning small gatherings. The study, which looked at evidence from 41 countries around the world, concluded this was a 'small effect' and meant 'some countries could control the epidemic while avoiding stay-at-home orders'. It also found something intriguing: lockdowns could, in a worst-case scenario, actually increase transmission of the virus by up to five per cent. This may be an effect of allowing it to spread within households, experts say.

"Prof Woolhouse has argued that, if the aim was partially to protect society's most vulnerable, lockdowns failed. 'We focused on this idea that if we stopped the virus transmitting among everybody, that this would somehow be sufficient to protect those who were at risk,' he says. 'And it wasn't.' Prof Woolhouse also argues that for lockdown to have had an effect it would need to have been imposed earlier. This is what worked in Australia and New Zealand, which pursued a 'zero Covid' strategy.... 'Lockdown as an intervention only makes sense in the context of zero Covid, and by the time it was imposed it was no longer the appropriate tool.

"'There are ways we could have responded to the pandemic that would have avoided most of the lockdown, and saved more lives. But lockdown happened anyway because by that stage no one – including me – was prepared to risk waiting to find out if [restrictions introduced prior to our full lockdown on March 23] had worked.' But that stay-at-home order was, for most, the hardest part of the pandemic. 'It made everything so much harder than it might have been,' he adds.

"Countries that had earlier lockdowns, better testing capacity and were able to identify and isolate cases fared better during the initial wave of the pandemic.In the UK, lockdown was seen – at a point of desperation – as the only option left remaining. But Prof Woolhouse argues people had already become more cautious. Studies using anonymised mobile phone location tracking data show contacts between people plummeted in early March (although the biggest drop was March 24, the day after lockdown).

"Dr Ali says: 'The purpose of lockdown is to reduce contacts, but if people are doing that anyway, the additional benefit [of making it a legal requirement to stay at home] is obviously somewhat reduced.'

Read more: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-10655171/Englands-lockdown-did-NOT-prevent-people-dying-Covid-say-growing-number-experts.html

Israeli data shows vitamin D efficacy vs Covid

Israeli study offers strongest proof yet of vitamin D’s power to fight COVID | Times of Israel - Nathan Jaffay:

3 February 3, 2022 - "Israel scientists say they have gathered the most convincing evidence to date that increased vitamin D levels can help COVID-19 patients reduce the risk of serious illness or death. Researchers from Bar Ilan University and the Galilee Medical Center say that the vitamin has such a strong impact on disease severity that they can predict how people would fare if infected based on nothing more than their ages and vitamin D levels.

"Lacking vitamin D significantly increases danger levels, they concluded in newly peer-reviewed research published Thursday in the journal PLOS One. The study is based on research conducted during Israel’s first two waves of the virus, before vaccines were widely available, and doctors emphasized that vitamin supplements were not a substitute for vaccines, but rather a way to keep immunity levels from falling.

"Vitamin D deficiency is endemic across the Middle East, including in Israel, where nearly four in five people are low on the vitamin, according to one study from 2011. By taking supplements before infection, though, the researchers in the new Israeli study found that patients could avoid the worst effects of the disease.

"'We found it remarkable, and striking, to see the difference in the chances of becoming a severe patient when you are lacking in vitamin D compared to when you’re not,' said Dr. Amiel Dror, a Galilee Medical Center physician and Bar Ilan researcher who was part of the team behind the study. He noted that his study was conducted pre-Omicron, but said that the coronavirus doesn’t change fundamentally enough between variants to negate vitamin D effectiveness. 'What we’re seeing when vitamin D helps people with COVID infections is a result of its effectiveness in bolstering the immune systems to deal with viral pathogens that attack the respiratory system,' he told The Times of Israel. 'This is equally relevant for Omicron as it was for previous variants.'

"Health authorities in Israel and several other countries have recommended vitamin D supplements in response to the coronavirus pandemic, though data on its effectiveness has been sparse until now. In June, researchers published preliminary findings showing that 26 percent of coronavirus patients died if they were vitamin D deficient soon before hospitalization, compared to 3% who had normal levels of vitamin D. They also determined that hospitalized patients who were vitamin D deficient were 14 times more likely, on average, to end up in severe or critical condition than others. 

"While the scientific community recognized the importance of the results, questions arose as to whether recent health conditions among the patients might have been skewing the results. The possibility was raised that patients could have been suffering from conditions that both reduce vitamin D levels and increase vulnerability to serious illness from COVID-19, meaning the vitamin deficiency would be a symptom rather than a contributing factor in disease severity.

"To zero out that possibility, Dror’s team delved deeper into the data, examining each of its patients’ vitamin D levels over the two-year stretch before coronavirus infection. They found that the strong correlation between sufficient vitamin D levels and ability to fight the coronavirus still held, and the level of increased danger in their preliminary findings remained almost identical....

"A flood of dubious claims about natural remedies to the coronavirus, including a theory that Israelis had immunized themselves with lemons and baking soda, have left some skeptical about claims of vitamins warding off the virus. But Dror insisted that his team’s research showed that the importance of vitamin D was not based on incomplete or flawed data. 'People should learn from this that studies pointing to the importance of taking vitamin D are very reliable, and aren’t based on skewed data,' he said. 'And it emphasizes the value of everyone taking a vitamin D supplement during the pandemic, which, consumed in sensible amounts in accordance with official advice, doesn’t have any downside.'"

Read more: https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-study-offers-strongest-proof-yet-of-vitamin-ds-power-to-fight-covid/ 

Read study: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0263069

New Zealand gov't to end most Covid restrictions

‘A new beginning’: New Zealand to drop Covid vaccine passes and mandates | The Guardian - Eva Corlett:

23 Mar 23, 2022 - "New Zealand will do away with vaccine passes and vaccine mandates for some of the workforce in early April, in a major loosening of the country’s tough Covid-19 restrictions. The prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, announced the changes on Wednesday morning, citing high vaccination rates, better data to identify which environments are high risk, and modelling that suggests the country’s Omicron outbreak would peak in early April.

"The country reported 20,087 new cases on Wednesday, 960 people in hospital and a further 11 deaths, bringing the total number of Covid-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic to 210. New Zealand has officially recorded more than 500,000 cases of Covid-19 – nearly all of them during the Omicron wave – but modellers expect the true figure could now could be as high as 1.7 million. Modelling suggests Auckland has now reached peak cases, with numbers slowly dropping, and the rest of the country is expected to reach its peak by 5 April....

"The changes include scrapping all gathering limits in outdoor settings and removing requirements for people to use the Covid-19 tracer app to scan in when entering businesses. Hospitality and other venues can increase their indoor gathering limit from 100 to 200 from Friday. From 4 April, vaccine passes will no longer be needed to get into shops and venues, and vaccine mandates will be dropped for workers in education, police and the defence force. Those working in health, corrections, aged care and at the border will still need to be vaccinated to work.

"Ardern said she was initially not in favour of vaccine passes and mandates, but following the Delta outbreak that lead to a three-month lockdown in Auckland, it became clear mandates were needed to boost vaccination levels.... The mandates were 'undoubtedly' one of the reasons New Zealand reached a 95% vaccination rate for the eligible population and achieved the near-elimination of Delta over summer, she said.

"Today’s decision to loosen the mandates were not because of a weeks-long protest outside parliament ... Ardern said. The Covid protection framework, known as the traffic-light system, will stay in place but will remain flexible to change, including if new variants of the virus emerge. Mask-use will also remain to keep vulnerable communities safe, she said. 'This is not the end, but in some ways it is also a new beginning'....

"Leading health professionals and modellers have cautiously welcomed the announcement, saying that while vaccine passes made sense with Delta, Omicron has changed the game. 'Vaccines are still hugely effective at preventing severe illness, but less effective at stopping people catching and spreading the virus,' said Covid-19 modeller Michael Plank, from Te Pūnaha Matatini and the University of Canterbury. '“At the same time, we now have increasing levels of infection-acquired immunity in the population. This means that allowing unvaccinated people into places like cafes and bars doesn’t substantially alter the risk of catching Covid there.'"

"While Omicron may be nearing its peak, there is still 'a difficult journey ahead', he said. 'At least as many people will be infected on the way down the mountain as on the way up, and pressure on our healthcare system is likely to remain high. Keeping mask rules is crucial to limit transmission.'"

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/23/a-new-beginning-new-zealand-to-drop-covid-vaccine-passes-and-mandates

Trudeau criticized in European Parliament

Majority of seats empty during Trudeau's speech to European Parliament | Post Millennial - Roberto Wakerell-Cruz:

March 23, 2022 - "Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had trouble filling out the seats of European Parliament during his speech [March 23]. Video posted by Global News's David Akin shows the majority of seats in Parliament empty.... 'As [Justin Trudeau] enters the European Parliament, I count about 200 of the 705 MEPs are in their seats. Gallery however is packed,' tweeted Akin with the video. The prime minister addressed the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium during a two-day visit, where he will attend meetings of G7 and NATO leaders concerning the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.... 

"Trudeau also took time to criticize the Freedom Convoy protests that took place in Ottawa throughout February. 'They pretend to have easy solutions that play on people's fears. Even in Canada, where 90 percent of people are vaccinated, and our motto as a country "peace, order, and good government," we saw anti-vaccine and antigovernment protest evolve into illegal occupations of our communities and blockades of our borders,' said Trudeau, who said that the leaders of the convoys were 'effective in turning citizens with real anxieties against the system bet suited to allay those concerns.' Trudeau said that democracy 'isn't a game,' and that there are no easy solutions to the 'big, complex problems we're all facing.'"
Read more: https://thepostmillennial.com/majority-of-seats-empty-during-trudeaus-speech-to-european-parliament

'DICTATORSHIP OF THE WORST KIND': European MPs blast Trudeau for COVID 'rights violation' | Toronto Sun - Eddie Chau: 

March 24, 2022 - "During a plenary session of parliament Wednesday in Brussels, several MEPs called Trudeau out, accusing him of violating human rights over the handling of the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa last month. 

"In one speech that has gone viral online, MEP Mislav Kolakusic of Croatia criticized Canada’s leader, stating, 'There are those among us who trample on those fundamental values'.... 'For many of us are fundamental human rights for which millions of citizens of Europe and the world have laid down their lives,” Kolakusic said in front of Trudeau, who had addressed parliament. 'To defend our rights and the rights of our children, which we have acquired over the centuries, many of us, including myself, are willing to risk, our freedom and our own lives.' 

"Kolakusic said Canada was once a symbol of the modern world but in recent months has become a 'symbol of civil rights violation' under Trudeau’s 'quasi-liberal boot.' 'We watched how you trample women with horses, how you block bank accounts of single parents so they can’t even pay their children’s education and medicine, that they can’t pay utilities, mortgages for their homes,' said Kolakusic.... The Croatian MEP had previously stated vaccination should be a choice for residents of the European Union, comparing vaccine mandates to capital punishment and murder....

"MEP Christine Anderson of Germany said Trudeau shouldn’t be allowed to speak to the European Parliament over the handling of the Freedom Convoy, calling him a 'disgrace for any democracy.' 'A prime minister who openly admires the Chinese basic dictatorship, who tramples on fundamental rights by persecuting and criminalizing his own citizens as terrorists just because they dared to stand up to his perverted concept of democracy should not be allowed to speak in this house at all,' said Anderson. Anderson — whose critics have accused her of being part of a right-wing movement in Europe — has been criticized for refusing to wear a mask in parliament and committee meetings in 2021.

"Another MEP, Cristian Terhes of Romania, refused to attend the meeting because of Trudeau. In a Facebook post, Terhes said Trudeau can’t come and 'teach democracy lessons to Putin from the European Parliament when you trample with horse hooves your own citizens who are demanding their fundamental rights be respected. The difference between democracy and tyranny is not determined by the geographical location of political leaders, but by the values they promote,' said Terhes.

"German MEP Bernhard Zimniok also blasted Trudeau, stating he valued democracy highly and welcoming Trudeau is 'an invitation to someone who has been trampling on democratic rights.' Zimniok said Trudeau has been 'cracking down on people who protested against disproportionate corona measures, people who were supporting a non-sanctioned movement coming under criticism.... Clearly the values of democracy are being despised by this individual,' he said. 'Let us not give someone like this any speaking time in this house of democracy.'"
Read more: https://torontosun.com/news/world/dictatorship-of-the-worst-kind-european-mps-blast-trudeau-for-covid-rights-violation

Freedom Convoy "arson" story debunked

BREAKING: Freedom Convoy arson hoax spread by Canadian media debunked | Post Millennial - Mia Cathell:

March 21, 2022 - "A man has been charged in connection with the Feb. 6 botched arson attempt at an Ottawa apartment complex during the Ottawa Freedom Convoy protests.... Police wrote in a news release on Monday that 'There is no information indicating [the suspect] was involved in any way with the Convoy protest which was going on when this arson took place'.... 

"There were widespread claims that [the] fire was deliberately set by pro-convoy supporters ... as the Freedom Convoy entered its second week of demonstrations in Ottawa's downtown core.... Apartment resident Matias Muñoz took to Twitter — despite self-proclaimed hesitation on making the 14-tweet Twitter testimony public —to detail the 'facts' after resolving he 'must' disclose what he knows for the community's 'safety.'

"Muñoz said that Sunday evening that the two arsonists brought a full package of firestarter bricks into the building's lobby at approximately 5 am. Two male suspects, who then began lighting the fire-starting material, were captured in screengrabs of security footage that Muñoz posted online. Muñoz was quick to emphasize just two tweets into the detailed social media disclosure that the apartment building, which he stressed is old and has wood paneling on the complex's walls, resides 'at the epicentre of the convoy protests.' A suspect taped the door handles so no one could get in or out, Muñoz said....

"As the package fire was being lit, a tenant walked by the scene unfolding and 'nervously' asked who the pair of suspects were. One of the men allegedly admitted to being part of the Freedom Convoy protests, Muñoz claimed. The resident entered the elevator and the suspects continued to ignite the package. Once lit, the fire grew and almost touched the building's wood panel walls. Then the arsonists escaped out of the side door while recovered surveillance video shows the blaze growing, Muñoz said, providing only still images on Twitter.... A good Samaritan was walking by the door outside and saw the fire, Muñoz said. 'Luckily the door opened after some struggle with the taped handles' and he was able to get inside the apartment's lobby to extinguish the flames, he stated. 

"'It is clear to us, as residents, that this was a blatant reprisal by protesters,' Muñoz said. 'Not only have they subjected Ottawa residents to widespread harassment, assault, and aggression, but now an attempt to light an entire building on fire'.... Responding to backlash a day later, Muñoz ... doubled down and claimed 'whoever it was that did it I firmly believe it was because of a prevailing sense of lawlessness downtown Ottawa caused by the convoy.' [sic] 'This terror needs to stop now,' Muñoz beseeched.

"Muñoz went on a media tour the next day, telling The Canadian Press that when he came downstairs Sunday morning, he saw that the carpet, as well as the floor, were charred and observed blackened fire-starter bricks strewn across the lobby. 'On top of all that, somebody trying to do something as insidious as taping the door shut so people can't leave if there's a fire in the main lobby — it's terror, is what it is,' Muñoz said to reporters, also describing the audible protests outside. Muñoz called the incident 'a perfect example of the situation that can arise when this kind of lawlessness happens' in a Feb. 7 video interview with Global National.... Muñoz said there was a confrontation between some of the residents and a few anti-vaccine mandate protesters outside just hours before the fire, CBC News reported.... 

"During a virtual press conference, Ottawa Deputy Police Chief Steve Bell confirmed the following Tuesday that authorities don't have any direct connection whatsoever between the early morning arson and the Freedom Convoy protesters. 'Is there any reason to believe there is a connection with the trucker protests...?' Globe and Mail political reporter Kristy Kirkup asked Bell at the Feb. 8 presser.... 'Although we don't have any direct linkage between the occupation — the demonstrators — and that act,' Bell established while speaking with reporters remotely, 'the community is at a heightened risk because of those activities'....

"Ottawa mayor Jim Watson condemned the alleged arson at a special council meeting that Monday afternoon, blaming the incident on the then-ongoing pro-medical freedom rally.... 'Yesterday we learned of a horrific story that clearly demonstrates the malicious intent of these protesters occupying our city,' Watson stated on Feb. 7. 'Thankfully no one was hurt, but this story could have ended very, very differently. It's extremely disturbing, and points to a desire to harm our residents.' Watson had declared a state of emergency that Sunday over the Freedom Convoy's presence, arguing that the declaration 'reflects the serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents posed by the ongoing demonstrations.'

Read more: https://thepostmillennial.com/freedom-convoy-arson-hoax-spread-canadian-media-debunked

Another city of 9 million locked down in China

China locks down city of 9 million and reports 4,000 cases as Omicron tests zero-Covid strategy | The Guardian - Agence France-Presse:

March 22, 2022 - "China has locked down an industrial city of 9 million people overnight and reported more than 4,000 virus cases, as the nation’s 'zero-Covid' strategy is confronted by an Omicron wave. Health authorities reported 4,770 new infections across the country on Tuesday, the bulk in the north-eastern province of Jilin, as the city of Shenyang in neighbouring Liaoning province was ordered to lockdown late Monday.

"China has moved fast in recent weeks to snuff out virus clusters with a pick-and-mix of hyper-local lockdowns, mass testing and citywide closures. It reported two Covid-19 deaths on Saturday, the first in over a year. More than 20,000 people have been infected in the wave of the Omicron strain, which has challenged China’s usually successful response strategies and forced authorities to make changes, including freeing up hospital beds from mild-symptom patients....

"Shenyang, an industrial base home to factories including carmaker BMW, reported 47 new cases Tuesday as authorities put all housing compounds under 'closed management' and barred residents from leaving without a 48-hour negative test result.

"On Monday, Shanghai Disneyland resort closed again until further notice, as the city’s case numbers continued to increase, reporting 758 for Sunday.

"Last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed the need to 'minimise the impact' of the pandemic on the country’s economy, but also urged officials to 'stick to' the current zero-Covid approach. Dozens of officials have been punished or sacked for failing to keep the virus under control, with the threat of harsh punishment reportedly spurring some officials to impose drastic measures....

"Some cities such as Shanghai have avoided a full lockdown and instead imposed a web of individual building lockdowns, even as new daily asymptomatic infections spiral into the hundreds.... Jilin ... province last week imposed strict travel curbs banning locals from leaving their cities and counties, while several cities have already confined residents at home.

"The southern tech powerhouse of Shenzhen on Monday announced it would lift its week-long lockdown 'in an orderly manner', after having partially eased measures on Friday to minimise the impact of virus shutdowns on factories and ports.

"Health officials last week revealed only around half of Chinese aged over 80 have been double-vaccinated, as the spectre of Hong Kong’s dire Covid mortality rates – mainly among the unvaccinated elderly – hangs over Beijing’s decision making."

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/22/china-locks-down-city-of-9-million-and-reports-4000-cases-as-omicron-tests-zero-covid-strategy

NH House votes for OTC sale of ivermectin

New Hampshire legislature as a shining star for medical freedom | Blaze News - Daniel Horowitz:

March 18, 2022 - ""With people still dying of COVID without effective treatment, the New Hampshire House became the first legislative body to pass a bill essentially allowing citizens to access ivermectin over the counter at a pharmacy. On Wednesday, by a vote of 183-159, the House approved HB 1022, legislation allowing pharmacists to make ivermectin available via standing order from a physician or nurse practitioner that allows a pharmacist to dispense a medication without an individual prescription....

"All but two Republicans voted for HB 1022, and all but two Democrats opposed it.... Legislat[or]s I’ve spoken to in New Hampshire credit Dr. Paul Marik, a prominent ICU doctor, who gave an impassioned testimony on how this drug has helped him save so many patients sick with COVID.

"The ivermectin bill wasn’t the only success this [session] for advocates of medical freedom. The New Hampshire House successfully passed the following bills seeking to redress the civil liberties issues from the past two years:

1. HB 1268: A ban on localities implementing mask mandates.
2. HB 1379: Repealing the health commissioner’s authority to add a vaccine to the school schedule of required shots.
3. HB 1439: Requiring hospitals to allow patients to have visitors.... 
4. HB 1455: Prohibiting state enforcement of vaccine mandates and data collection.
5. HB 1495: Prohibiting the state and its political subdivisions from requiring a private business to have a vaccine mandate.
6. HB 1044: Allowing the creation of new health care facilities that only take direct payment, thereby bypassing the medical cartel, federal COVID restrictions, and other onerous federal regulations.
7. HB 1280: Prohibiting judges from using a parent’s refusal to vaccinate their child as basis for abridging parental rights.
8. HB 1606: To become the first state to require a patient to opt in to the vaccine registry in order for his or her vaccination status to be recorded.
9. HB 1131: Prohibits public schools from requiring masks to attend....

"Three freshmen female representatives, Leah Cushman, Erica Layon, and Melissa Blasek, were instrumental in the push for medical freedom bills this session.... I asked Blasek why she felt there was more success in New Hampshire than in other states with far superior GOP majorities. The young mother, who works as a music teacher and ran for office exclusively on fighting for medical freedom, told me that there were numerous factors at play. 'New Hampshire has a strong tradition of freedom, and the voters on both sides of the aisle tend to be wary of government intervention,' said Blasek. 'It may have taken two years, but they’ve had it with the authoritarian response, and I think the politicians feel that.'

"Blasek notes that usually the grassroots fail at first and then get discouraged, but in New Hampshire they came back the second session to retry bills that failed last year.... She also credits the newly formed House Freedom Caucus, which was buttressed by representatives endorsed by Rebuild NH, an activist group she co-founded to fight the COVID response, for 'making a lot of noise in the House and pushing the rest of the Republican caucus in this direction.' Blasek also notes that, unlike in other GOP-controlled bodies, 'our leadership is liberty-minded and likely the best leadership anywhere in the country'....

"Whether the New Hampshire Senate will pass the bills with as much support as the House is yet to be determined. Gov. Chris Sununu has also been surprisingly quiet about all of these bills.... However, the strong show of force from New Hampshire House members and the grassroots involved demonstrates that the Granite State might serve as the cold-weather alternative to Florida for those seeking to preserve our most important liberties."

Read more: https://www.theblaze.com/op-ed/horowitz-new-hampshire-legislature-as-a-shining-star-for-medical-freedom

Conservatives moved to end Covid restrictions

More Freedom Convoy fallout

by George J. Dance

Remember Freedom Convoy 2022? The trucker's protest against vaccine and other Covid mandate that had the attention of the world a month ago? The Convoy's 15 days of fame are over, but the movement and its aftershocks will live on. Here on the blog, I have been chronicling the protest movement since the trucks left B.C., but I am still finding new information to add. Here is a new fact, which sheds light on the history and no doubt will affect future history as well. 

First, the context. The Convoy begun its protest/"occupation" on Jan. 28. The Liberal government of Justin Trudeau refused to meet with them or talk to them. So on the following Thursday, Feb. 3, the Convoy organizers took their case to the public, holding a press conference at which they set out one condition for ending their Ottawa protest: 

"We are calling on all levels of government in Canada to end all COVIDmandates and restrictions," said convoy co-organizer Tamara Lich. "We will continue our protest until we see a clear plan for their elimination."

Here is the new information, which I have never seen in the mainstream media. (I'm sure it was reported, but given no prominence.) On February 14, the Conservative Party moved in the House of Commons to have the government present 'a 2 week plan for the end of COVID-19 mandates and restrictions' – precisely what the Convoy had asked for. The Conservatives, the Bloc, and one Liberal voted for the motion; but the other Liberals, along with the NDP and Greens, did not, and the motion failed. 

Here's how that new fact affects past history. Passing the motion would have made it possible to end the protest / occupation, without violence and in a more timely manner. Had the Trudeau government been interested in doing either, it would have passed the motion and then told the Convoy to leave, which they probably would have. But it is clear that Trudeau's government had no interest in that – Trudeau's policy, in the words of the one Liberal to vote for the motion, has been "to wedge, to divide and to stigmatize." So, the same day he had the Conservative motion voted down, he invoked the Emergencies Act to solve the problem with violence instead.  

How that Conservative motion affects future history is less clear. But it looks as though the Conservative Party, after two years of pandemic acquiescence, is finally criticizing Covid mandates and restrictions. One can question whether they would end all Covid restrictions – we are, after all, talking about the party of Doug Ford and Jason Kenney – but they may realize that they at least have to campaign for ending them. Otherwise, if they go back to their previous acquiescence, they risk bleeding support to Maxime Bernier and the People's Party. 

Meanwhile, at least one poll has found that a majority of Canadians want Covid restrictions ended, and another found that a majority of young adults aged 18-54 supported the Freedom Convoy itself. The truckers' "small fringe minority" views may in fact end up prevailing. At the very least, the question of whether it makes sense (either scientifically or ethically) to try to control an infectious virus by controlling the citizens' movements may finally become a topic of real debate in this country. 

Liberal and NDP parties join together to reject Conservative motion that would have prompted end of COVID-19 mandates | Fairview Post - Breanna Driedger:

February 21, 2022 - "On Feb. 14, the House of Commons completed a vote on a motion put forth by the Conservatives ordering the Liberal Party to send out a 2 week plan for the end of COVID-19 mandates and restrictions. The motion was turned down, resulting in 151 yeas and 185 nays. The Liberal and NDP parties united in [opposition for] this vote.... Member of Parliament (MP) Arnold Viersen of Peace River — Westlock said, 'I’m not really certain why they didn’t support it [the motion]. We thought it was a significant out.'

"Bloc Québécois and one Liberal MP, Joel Lightbound, also voted for the motion. The motion demanded a plan (released by Mar. 4 as stated by Viersen) to end mandates and restrictions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

"'[It was a] pretty reasonable demand. And we thought that the government should be able to do that, given the fact that they’ve been dealing with this for over two years,' Viersen said. 'We’ve been frustrated with the fact that the goalposts continue to keep moving. First [the government said that we needed] two weeks to flatten the curve. [Then, they said at least 70% of people have] got to get vaccinated. Now, we’re at over 90% of folks being vaccinated and we still are under lockdown measures and they’re bringing in new mandates with the trucker mandate.'

"Viersen said that the Conservatives wanted the government to clarify objectives and thresholds that would end mandates, stating '[to] make that a firm thing instead of changing it as we go along.... They [the mandates] don’t have to end immediately. The trucker mandate, we think that one doesn’t have to be in place at all,' said Viersen. 'The truckers have survived for two years crossing the border safely. But the other mandates, we’d like to see them go.'"

Read more: https://www.fairviewpost.com/news/liberal-and-ndp-parties-join-together-to-reject-conservative-motion-that-would-have-prompted-end-of-covid-19-mandates

Masking Covid policy failure in Hong Kong

Anatomy of the Hong Kong Disaster | Brownstone Institute - Ian Miller: 

March 19, 2022 - "It’s hard to believe that after two years of government policies completely failing to prevent the spread of COVID, there hasn’t been universal acceptance that attempting to control a highly infectious respiratory virus is nearly impossible. Nearly every country that was once praised for their 'response' to COVID has seen their numbers rise dramatically over time....

"So it should come as no surprise that Hong Kong has joined the long list of jurisdictions to see their much praised policies collapse. Equally unsurprising is that media and Twitter promoted experts have yet again ignored the ramifications of Hong Kong’s startling increases. 

"Media reports have consistently attempted to credit masking and other interventions with stopping COVID, but Hong Kong provides a brilliant example of premature celebration. Back in May 2020, Vox published an article with the unequivocal headline: 'How masks helped Hong Kong control the coronavirus,' with the subtitle 'New research shows that universal mask-wearing may help slow the spread of Covid-19'....

If any city in the world was likely to experience the worst effects of the coronavirus, Hong Kong would have been a top candidate. The urban area is densely populated and heavily reliant on packed public-transit systems, and it has very few open spaces. Moreover, a high-speed train connects Hong Kong to Wuhan, China, where the coronavirus originated.

Hong Kong, it seemed, was doomed.

But almost as soon as the outbreak first began in the city, millions of residents started wearing masks in public. One local told the Los Angeles Times that the government didn’t have to say anything before 99 percent of the population put them on.

Experts now say widespread mask usage appears to be a major reason, perhaps even the primary one, why the city hasn’t been devastated by the disease.

"If not for universal masking once we depart from our home every day, plus hand hygiene, Hong Kong would be like Italy long ago,” K.Y. Yuen, a Hong Kong microbiologist advising the government, told the Wall Street Journal last month..... 

"These quotes illustrate how experts and their partners in the media have operated during COVID — present unproven claims with zero evidence, repeat them as stated fact, and use their assertions to enforce mandates based on appealing to their own (generally incompetent) authority.

"We may never learn the motivations behind the great mask wearing shift in early 2020, when experts disregarded years of carefully collected pre-pandemic planning by recommending universal masking, but this article does provides a helpful explanation....

"'Not wearing masks in Hong Kong is like not wearing pants' It’s important to highlight this quote from the Vox article, not just for the absurdity and horrifying ramifications of treating face masks as pants, but to illustrate just how dedicated the residents of the city have been to universal masking....

"So surely, SURELY if any jurisdiction on earth could achieve permanent elimination of COVID with masking, it would be Hong Kong. Mask wearing is as ubiquitous as wearing pants, we’ve been told. Those who do not comply were shamed and barred from life as far back as May 2020, when many US states hadn’t yet mandated [masking].... Survey data has confirmed that mask usage has remained remarkably high and demonstrably consistent over time. 

"So has it worked? Well, not exactly. In just a matter of weeks, cases in Hong Kong rose from a daily average of 1 per million to 5,089 per million, an increase of 508,800%. Mask compliance remained unchanged.... 

"Even with perhaps the world’s most dedicated mask wearing populace, the numbers have exploded. And unfortunately, it’s not just cases, deaths have risen to startling new highs:

"Despite Twitter promoted nutritionist Eric Feigl-Ding asserting that Hong Kong’s masking and interventions illustrated how to 'defeat COVID,' newly reported deaths there are nearly 4x higher than they’ve ever been in the US. Oh, and you may recall how the expert microbiologist advising the Hong Kong government claimed that without universal masking, Hong Kong would be like Italy… Deaths in Hong Kong are now 2.5x higher than they were in Italy’s first wave....

"Vox recently tried to explain how the numbers in Hong Kong and other Asian countries could have risen so rapidly — yet if you search the article for 'masks,' these are the only result[s]: 

The United States is coming out of its deadliest phase of the pandemic and new Covid-19 cases are dropping sharply from their winter high. But more than 1,000 people in the US are still dying every day from the disease. Meanwhile, much of the country is relaxing requirements to wear face masks, testing is declining, and Covid-19 vaccination rates are leveling off.... How severe the next Covid-19 wave will be also hinges on how much the public is willing to take precautions, and many people are already putting masking and social distancing behind them....

"Remarkable isn’t it? This same outlet said universal mask wearing stopped COVID in its tracks and that universal mask wearing was the key, the most important factor in limiting the spread of the virus. And in their article describing how Asia is failing to control COVID despite universal masking, they predictably call for MORE masking....

"While many have blamed Hong Kong’s low vaccination rate for the recent stunning increase in deaths, a look at their vaccination dashboard shows that 82% of the population 12 and up has been fully vaccinated, and 91.4% have had at least one dose The age specific breakdowns might provide better clues, although the fact that they report 100.32% of ages 40-49 have had at least one dose does not inspire confidence on their data collection....

"It’s certainly possible that increased vaccination rates among the extremely elderly would have helped Hong Kong, yet we’ve repeatedly been told that death rates in the US have passed other countries because not enough people have been vaccinated. A quick glance at vaccinations in the US by age group shows stunningly high uptake among elderly populations. And the focus on vaccinations ignores the fact that during previous surges elsewhere, Hong Kong has been specifically praised for controlling COVID with mask wearing. Why did that stop working?...

"No matter where you look, mask wearing hasn’t mattered. Hong Kong is the latest, and perhaps most severe example of this failure. The mad rush to credit masking exemplifies the desire of media members and Twitter pundits to declare their allegiance to the correct set of ideological principles. The religious mantra of 'believe in science' demands commitment to universal mask wearing, regardless of its unequivocal failure.

"Hong Kong tried to control COVID with masking, and those same voices told us repeatedly that it was successful. Where were the retractions when then they subsequently reported one of the highest current death rates we’ve seen anywhere on earth?"

Read more: https://brownstone.org/articles/anatomy-of-the-hong-kong-disaster/

or: https://ianmsc.substack.com/p/world-leading-mask-compliance-doesnt?s=r

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Critics' hysteria helped Freedom Convoy

Canada’s ‘Freedom Convoy’ was on a path to nowhere — until its critics overplayed their hand | Foundation against Intolerance and Racism - Jonathan Kay:

Maksim Sokolov  Freedom Convoy protesters, Ottawa, Feb. 12, 2022. CC BY-SA, Wikimedia Commons.

February 12, 2020 - "I can always tell when Canadian political news gets exciting, because these are the rare moments when foreign media outlets email me for commentary.... I’ve been asked for comment on Canadian truckers’ “freedom convoy” by the Washington Post, a Spanish-language radio network, and even a podcast based in Hanoi. Certainly, The New York Times has taken notice, grimly warning its readership of the 'far-right activists' embracing the truckers’ cause.

"There is certainly a grain of truth to the Times’ description. The convoy was originally conceived as a way to fight back against government rules mandating the vaccination of cross-border truckers. But some of the organizers were populist radicals, and there have been sporadic sightings of extreme right-wing symbols at the protests (even if the paucity of these embarrassing outliers seems to have disappointed the left-of-center pundits and politicians who were primed to treat the convoy’s arrival in Ottawa as Canada’s version of the January 6th Capitol riot).

"As I wrote in the National Post, there was no real reason to think this kind of disruptive stunt was going to be a successful act of protest. In early days, many of us associated the whole project with anti-vaccine activism (even if, technically, this was about mandates, not vaccination itself), a highly unpopular cause in Canada.... My own perspective in late January was pretty typical of most urbanites, I think: I live in a Toronto neighborhood where people get antsy if someone so much as double-parks a minivan for more than 10 minutes. I can’t imagine how much my neighbors and I would be freaking out if a whole truck convoy were lining our streets honking their horns. And so it didn’t surprise me when an early national poll showed that most Canadians didn’t have much time for the convoy.

"But something interesting happened.... Progressive critics of the convoy badly overplayed their hand, and their own divisive rhetoric became a story in itself. Social media has played a huge role in this: The depiction of the protestors as uniformly malevolent actors (and even white supremacists) has been deeply undercut by viral images of joyous and multicultural protest parties. Moreover, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s refusal to meet with the protestors (due to what he calls their 'hateful rhetoric') has earned him a clear (if implicit) public rebuke from an MP within his own party.... 

"On Tuesday [February 10], Liberal MP Joël Lightbound said, 'it’s time to stop dividing Canadians, to stop pitting one part of the population against another. I can’t help but notice with regret that both tone and the policies of my government changed drastically on the eve and during the last election campaign. From a positive and unifying approach, a decision was made to wedge to divide, and to stigmatize.' While Lightbound also threw in abundant denunciations of the radicalism evinced by some protestors, he also pointedly noted that some of their specific grievances — he named 'the vaccine requirement for truckers' explicitly — weren’t exactly crazy: 'If we forget about the demonstrations, and we forget about the convoy for just a second, and look at that policy for what it is. This is a policy that now goes against the World Health Organization’s recommendation and for which no epidemiological studies and projections have been provided.'

"We are witnessing what I believe is a significant inflection point in Canada’s political timeline — though I offer no predictions for what will become of it. Just a few months ago, when fear of Omicron ran hot, and the fight against COVID was still seen as a matter of great urgency, the freedom convoy wouldn’t have had a chance in the Canadian court of public opinion. But things have changed a lot since December, and provincial governments are starting to dismantle their lockdown measures without waiting for Trudeau’s blessing. As a result, the political taint associated with vaccine skepticism — which has, until now, throttled the forces of populist agitation on the Canadian right — has ebbed. Even many vaccinated-and-boosted centrist Canadians (I’d put myself in that category) are eager to get on with post-pandemic life, and don’t have much time for the hectoring of double-masked puritans who denounce all strong political dissent as emanating from (in Trudeau’s words) 'misogynists and racists'....

There are other signs that change is in the air, too.... Even the leadership of the CBC, which typically lumbers along obliviously in its own hyper-progressive taxpayer-bankrolled media silo, now seems somewhat dumbstruck by its inability to shape the country’s political narrative. In a February 8 essay, CBC News editor-in-chief Brodie Fenlon rightly denounced the harassment that some of his colleagues are now facing from angry viewers and listeners, while also channeling incredulity that there are those who 'harbor a deep and growing distrust of news organizations like ours.' This lack of institutional self-awareness is quite stunning. And if the blistering replies that his article elicited are any guide, even many Canadian leftists are becoming alienated by legacy media cliques that now operate as little more than relay stations for increasingly dubious orthodoxies about race, sex, and politics.

"The wild card here is the Conservative Party of Canada, which vies with the Liberals for power every time a federal election is called. Its affable leader, Erin O’Toole, fell victim to an internal revolt.... O’Toole had spent the last previous two years steering the Conservatives on a respectable center-right course, studiously avoiding any posture that the Canadian media might be able to seize upon as evidence of Trumpism. In part thanks to the convoy’s disruptive effect on Canada’s normally placid political order, it seems doubtful that his leadership replacement will find this kind of risk-averse strategy to be viable. No matter how Canadians feel about the convoy, there’s no doubt that these truckers have made their mark on the political direction of their country."

Read more: https://fairforall.substack.com/p/canadas-freedom-convoy?s=r 

Social media skewed lockdown debate, says study

Lockdown debate skewed because sceptical scientists were shunned on social media | MSN News - Sarah Knapton, The Telegraph:

Image: Johns Hopkins University, July 2020.

February 15, 2022 - "Anti-lockdown scientists were viewed as having ‘fringe’ ideas because those calling for draconian restrictions had more followers on social media, a study has shown. Professor John Ioannidis, of Stanford University, an expert in data science and the reliability of research, studied the expertise of authors who signed the Great Barrington Declaration (GBD) compared with signatories of the John Snow Memorandum.

"The GBD called for vulnerable people to be shielded while allowing immunity to build up in the rest of the public to avoid huge costs to society, education and public health. In contrast, the John Snow Memorandum (JSM) argued that such a policy of herd immunity was unethical.

"Prof Ioannidis said he wanted to examine the 'prevailing narrative' that the Great Barrington Declaration was a minority view among experts, and found that 'Twitter firepower" had helped shape the conversation. In an article published in BMJ Open Research, he found that both letters were authored by very influential experts, but that the John Snow Memorandum authors had a far greater reach on social media, which made it appear that their view had more support. By November 2021, just four key signatories of the GBD had more than 50,000 Twitter followers, compared with 13 of the key authors of the JSM.

"Prof Ioannidis concluded: 'Both the Great Barrington Declaration and John Snow Memorandum include many stellar scientists, but JSM has far more powerful social media presence and this may have shaped the impression that it is the dominant narrative. GBD is clearly not a fringe minority report compared with JSM, as many social media and media allude.

"'If knowledgeable scientists can have a strong social media presence, massively communicating accurate information to followers, the effect may be highly beneficial. Conversely, if scientists themselves are affected by the same problems (misinformation, animosity, loss of decorum and disinhibition, among others) when they communicate in social media, the consequences may be negative.'

"Prof Ioannidis also said signatories of the JSM had contributed to the vilification of authors of the GBD through their tweets and op-eds.

"Angus Dalgleish, professor of oncology at St George's, University of London, who was one of the GBD signatories, said: 'I am not at all surprised at this. Of course it is a problem that should not be. I personally have actively avoided using social media and Twitter accounts, initially because of data leaks but then due to this being no way to conduct science, nor influence policy.'"

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/lockdown-debate-skewed-because-sceptical-scientists-were-shunned-on-social-media/ar-AATTpYY

Read study: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/2/e052891

Record Covid cases & deaths in South Korea

South Korea COVID-19: Country records highest daily coronavirus deaths and more than 600,000 cases in 24 hours | Sky News:

17 March 17, 2022 - "South Korea has recorded the highest number of daily COVID-19 deaths since the start of the pandemic as the country continues to battle a surge of Omicron cases. Health officials reported 429 deaths in the latest 24-hour period, nearly 140 more than the previous one-day record set on Tuesday. More than 621,000 new infections were reported, another record daily jump, shattering Wednesday's previous high of 400,624.

"The latest figures pushed the national caseload to more than 8.2 million, with 7.4 million cases recorded since the start of February. Despite the rise, government health authorities have maintained their message that Omicron is no deadlier than seasonal influenza for vaccinated people and believes the strain of coronavirus is nearing its peak. 

"The country still has a much lower rate of COVID deaths than the US or some European nations, in relation to population size. Officials attribute this to high vaccination rates, with more than 68% of the population having received booster jabs. However, some experts have criticised the country's government for easing social distancing rules and communicating to the public that Omicron causes mild symptoms....

"Speaking during a briefing, Lee Sang-won, a senior Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency official, said that health authorities feel 'apologetic' over the explosion of Omicron cases, which has been bigger than they had anticipated. He said around 70,000 of the new cases reported on Thursday were infections that were mistakenly omitted from Wednesday's tally, and that the real daily increase would be around 550,000.

"As a result of the Omicron surge, the country has been forced to focus its limited medical resources on priority groups, meaning stringent COVID response tests, contact tracing and quarantine have been abandoned."

Read more: https://news.sky.com/story/south-korea-covid-19-country-records-highest-daily-coronavirus-deaths-as-omicron-cases-surge-12568421

New Brunswick lifts all Covid restrictions again

New Brunswick lifts all COVID-19 restrictions for 2nd time, hopes for different outcome | CBC News - Bobbi-Jean MacKinnon:

Jennifer Russell, March 2021. GovNB, Wikimedia Commons.  

March 14, 2022 - "No more provincially mandated masks. No more limits on gatherings or distancing rules. No more legally required isolation for people infected with COVID-19. New Brunswick lifted all remaining COVID-19 restrictions Monday with the end of the mandatory order, nearly two years after it began. ''It doesn't mean that the pandemic is over,' Dr. Jennifer Russell, chief medical officer of health, said Monday....

'Premier Blaine Higgs declared a state of emergency on March 19, 2020, in response to the pandemic. It was the first province-wide state of emergency in New Brunswick history and gave the government extraordinary powers, such as restricting travel into the province and ordering business closures, to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The province had seven confirmed cases of COVID-19 at the time and four probable cases. No one had been hospitalized. And no one had died.... On Friday, New Brunswick recorded another COVID-related death, raising the pandemic death toll to 317.... As of Friday, 50.6 per cent of the eligible New Brunswickers had received their COVID-19 vaccine booster dose, and 87.3 per cent had received two doses..... 

"In recent days, a number of experts have raised concerns about the government's decision to lift restrictions and questioned the independence of Russell's office, suggesting politics played a role. Russell said throughout the pandemic, decisions about whether to tighten or loosen restrictions have been made by government, based on information from her team. 'These are recommendations. It is up to cabinet to make the final decision. That's what governments do. That's how a democracy works,' she said....

"The province has not said whether any specific hospitalization or case rates would trigger a return of restrictions. 'Given information we have today, we can only talk about what's happening right now,' Russell has said.... 'When we poll the population, they're all very supportive of continuing to do the things that they've been doing all along, whether there's a mandatory order in place or not,' said Russell....

"Hospitals remain at the red alert level, which means masks are still required and general visitors are prohibited. Long-term care facilities, including nursing homes and special care homes, will continue to follow Public Health guidance, including masking and isolating those who are ill. While mandatory restrictions have ended, some businesses and facilities may choose to maintain their own COVID policies to protect their staff and patrons. These may include vaccinations, staying home when sick, proper hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, and maintaining ventilation systems.

"New Brunswick lifted all restrictions before, on July 30, [2021], when it entered the so-called green phase of COVID-19 recovery before reaching its original target to have 75 per cent of New Bruswickers aged 12 and older fully vaccinated. The move came just as Canada's top doctor warned of a variant-driven fourth wave.... Less than two months later, on Sept. 24, the emergency order was reinstated, after the province recorded three more deaths and 78 new cases — both record highs at the time....

"Just two months ago, Higgs announced a move to Level 3 of the COVID-19 winter plan, the most restrictive level, which limited social gatherings to single household bubbles, prohibited public gatherings, closed eat-in restaurants, gyms, salons, spas, entertainment centres and churches. He cited what was then a record-high of 104 COVID hospitalizations, the number of health-care workers off with COVID, and rising cases. The 16-day lockdown would give the province the time it needed to slow the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, and to administer booster doses and vaccinate children aged five to 11, he said.... BA.2 is believed to be about 30 per cent more transmissible than BA.1, which drove the surge in hospitalizations and cases during the fifth wave.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/new-brunswick-covid-19-restrictions-lifted-emergency-order-1.6382298

More than 50 million people locked down in China

China locks down city of 9 million amid new spike in COVID-19 cases | CBC News - Associated Press:

March 11, 2022 - "China on Friday ordered a lockdown of the nine million residents of the northeastern city of Changchun amid a new spike in COVID-19 cases in the area attributed to the highly contagious Omicron variant. Residents are required to remain home, with one family member permitted to venture out to buy food and other necessities every two days. All residents must undergo three rounds of mass testing, while non-essential businesses have been closed and transport links suspended.

"The latest lockdowns, which also include Yucheng with 500,000 people in the eastern province of Shandong, show China is sticking to the draconian approach to the pandemic it has enforced for most of the past two years.... Authorities have repeatedly pledged to lock down any community where one or more cases are found under China's 'zero-tolerance' approach to the pandemic. Another 93 cases were confirmed in the nearby city of Jilin that bears the same name as the surrounding province. Authorities have already ordered a partial lockdown in the city and severed travel links with other cities."
Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/china-covid-pandemic-lockdown-1.6381175

China orders 51 million into lockdown as COVID surges | ABC News -Britt Clennett & Karson Yiu:

14 March 14, 2022 - "China is facing its worst COVID crisis since early 2020.... China, the last major country to relentlessly pursue a Covid-zero policy, reported 1,437 cases across dozens of cities on Monday. That’s a fourfold jump in a week. The epicenter of the omicron variant outbreak is the Northeastern Jilin province, where 895 cases were recorded, but there are also outbreaks and containment measures in ... Shanghai, the financial powerhouse, and Shenzhen, the southern tech hub.

"Authorities announced on Monday afternoon that all 24 million people in Jilin province would go into lockdown, including the previously locked down city of Changchun. It's the first provincial lockdown since Wuhan and Hubei in January 2020.

"On Sunday, China ordered all of Shenzhen’s 17.5 million residents into a seven-day lockdown, with three rounds of testing. All public transport is halted and all businesses, except essential services, will be closed until March 20.... The lockdown and outbreaks threaten manufacturing and tech production in Shenzhen, known as China’s Silicon Valley. It’s home to Huawei and Tencent, and is home to one of the country’s key ports....

"There’s immense pressure on local authorities to contain the virus, with state media reporting that the Jilin City mayor and the head of the Changchun city health commission were dismissed from their roles over the weekend.

"Across the border from Shenzhen, neighboring Hong Kong ... recorded 26,908 cases and 286 more deaths on Monday, officials said. Hong Kong’s death rate is the highest in the developed world, in part because of sluggish vaccination rates among the elderly. Mega isolation facilities are being built across the Hong Kong for people with mild cases. One facility, with 3,900 beds, was built in a week. ABC News witnessed several busloads of people arriving at the facility from all over the city..... The mental-health strain of the strict lockdown has also becoming apparent. Last month, police reported three suicide attempts in 27 hours at one of the quarantine camps.
Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/International/china-orders-51-million-lockdown-covid-surges/story?id=83431247

Millions under lockdown in China as virus surges | Yahoo News - Poornima Weerasekara & Laurie Chen, AFP:

March 15, 2002 - "At least 13 cities nationwide were fully locked down on Tuesday, while various other cities had partial lockdowns. The northeastern province of Jilin was the worst-hit, with over 3,000 new cases on Tuesday, according to the National Health Commission. Residents of several cities there including the provincial capital of Changchun – home to nine million people – are under stay-at-home orders. Shenzhen – the southern tech hub of 17.5 million people – is three days into a lockdown with many factories closed and supermarket shelves emptying, while China's largest city Shanghai is under a lattice of restrictions – which fall short of a citywide shutdown....

"Jilin's governor vowed to go all-out to 'achieve community zero-Covid in a week' during an emergency meeting Monday night, state media reported. Residents of Jilin, which is on the border with North Korea, were banned from travelling out of and around the province Monday."

Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/nearly-30-million-under-lockdown-100428957.html