These are Still Surreal Times

The following was published in the Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal on July 24, 2020.

In the first month of The “pandemic” lockdown I, when asked what I thought about what was going on, often responded that it was “surreal”;  a time marked by an intense irrational reality as if in a dream. Why is that you ask? There was no rational thought being applied. For example, when it first became well established that Wuhan, China, was the epicentre of a previously unknown virus what did the government of Canada do? They proposed chartering aircraft to ferry Canadian citizens from there, and elsewhere in China, back to Canada. You know, take people that may have been exposed and now are potential carriers of the contagion and bring it back with them to our home country. That was near the end of January. And what did our dastardly neighbour south of us do at the same time? They shut the border down to all traffic to and from China, a rational move. Unfortunately for all involved fewf other countries shut down contact with China in a timely manner and so it spread in all directions.

Soon after an issue related to what is now described as Covid-19 was: “should people wear face masks”? A rational response would have been yes. We all know that medical personnel, including dentists, wear masks whenever there is a chance that they can pass on a pathogen to their patient; it is not to protect them from the ill, especially if the issue is a virus which is so small that on its own very few masks, only if worn properly, can stop them. But viruses can be spread in drops of moisture when you speak, cough or sneeze and those drops can easily be captured by those same masks. What did our “experts” say? As WHO reported on their website:  "if you are healthy, you only need to wear a mask if you are taking care of a person with suspected [COVID-19] infection." While at face value that statement has a grain of truth, at the time people who were infected yet were not showing any signs of that infection and so thought they were “healthy. Plus those who we knew who were infected were not asked to wear masks. That indeed was the time that we all should have been wearing masks when in public places! Over in Asia those countries all know this and without being ordered to, just about everyone did wear a mask and look at how that worked out; much fewer people died because of fewer being infected!

Come March, well after the virus had become established in Canada, we were put into lockdown. Note that at that time Sweden took a much more rational approach and just asked its populace to minimise travel and contact with others. Did things work out differently? No, they did not. Why would that be we all wonder? Here we were mandated by threat of penalty to not get closer than 2 metres of one another. A number seemingly plucked out of the air when all that was needed was to tell everyone to avoid physical contact as it was still uncertain at the time how this pathogen was transmitted. Another forced rule was the limit on the number of people in a group setting. Again, no rational reason why the number 5 was chosen. Why not 4, or 6 or any other number?

At that time too in just about every jurisdiction, especially here in Canada, hospitals were closed except for caring for those with serious problems brought on by Covid-19. The result? Near empty hospitals yet with people with non-covid issues told to wait until further notice because no matter what, their problem was not as important. People died as a result yet all that had to be done was to keep going as usual, other than suspected covid cases wearing masks to reduce the chance of sharing their special gift, and only if Covid-19 cases started to overwhelm, then cut back on other services. In other words, be flexible. To help us accept this irrational choice we are told to honour our “heroes” in the front-line medical services doing exactly what they are paid to do. The last time I checked a “hero”’ is someone noted for doing some special achievement, something over and above what was expected of them. That does not cover people doing exactly what they are paid to do.

Here we are, months after the lock down was enacted. Deaths from the virus, in this country is almost down to single digits; the end is almost upon us. So, what does the Thunder Bay District Health Unit do? Again, something totally irrational. They demand that masks or face coverings are required for indoor public spaces. At a time where there is 1 reported case within the District. When deaths are virtually non-existent during a time of year that our immune systems are working at their best? Most importantly, when virtually no one in the district is even carrying the virus?  Months after when such an order would have been logical? Like I said at the beginning, and I will say again; surreal. When did we as Canadians start going insane?

A Covid-19 Review

There are a lot of diseases caused by human viruses. These can be deadly to most infected by the virus, such as Ebola, or to those with weakened immune systems who are unable to cope with the symptoms. There are several groups of viruses such as Herpes Simplex, Hepatitis, Dengue and Yellow Fever, Rhinoviruses, Rotaviruses, Noroviruses, and of course Influenza. Vaccines are available for some, but not all. For example, there are no vaccines for any of the Common Cold viruses. 

Before we continue we should quickly review two items; what is the “immune system” and what is a “vaccine”?

The human immune system is the bodies natural defence system against germs, whether viruses, bacteria, fungi or parasites. While there are multiple mechanisms within the body, including the skin which acts as a protective barrier, an important part are special cells in our blood stream, white blood cells. These attack abnormal cells, antigens, then damage and kill those cells using antibodies. They are key players when infected by viruses. But the body may take too long creating antibodies in reaction to antigens and thus we die. This is where vaccines come in. They stimulate the immune system to react to a weakened or killed form of the germ and in doing so get the body to create the antibodies needed to rapidly defend itself, if and when a person becomes infected with the fully active germ. In effect they “kick start” the immune system so that it is in full readiness to repel and destroy the new germ.

While vaccines are important tools in ensuring the largest number of people are fully prepared to fight a new germ there is a downside. Some viruses are always evolving such that the immune system is unable to recognise the antigen and thus must start from scratch the process of creating appropriate antibodies and thus a vaccine is unattainable.

Enough of a brief preamble. Let us look at the current situation in Ontario. As of July 12^th there have been 2,722 deaths reported that are attributed to Covid-19. Note that I am not going give the number of “cases” as that number is irrelevant as it reflects the number of people tested, not those who may be infected. Of those deaths, 1,730 were residents of Long Term Care (LTC) Homes, or 64% of all deaths attributed to Covid-19. In order to compare these numbers with others we need to normalise and the typical method is to report as deaths per million. First let us set the bar; in 2018, in Canada, there were 8,511 deaths attributed to flu/pneumonia, or 232 per million. Here in Ontario with the number of deaths per day well below 10 (on July 14^th it was 1) we are almost out of the woods and the total normalises to 189 per million (120 per million in LTC Homes and 69 per million not) or 20.4% less than the number of deaths from the flu/pneumonia in 2018.

To see a visual representation of the statistics for Ontario go to https://covid-19.ontario.ca/data. The two graphs to pay most attention to are: Daily Deaths, and Cases by Age. The latter is very revealing! Only 36 people under the age of 50 succumbed to Covid-19 in all of Ontario! That is a very insignificant number! Meanwhile 69% of all those that died were 80 or older. Did they die from Covid or was it just the last straw?

What conclusions can we draw from the above? First, while the initial lock down may have been warranted since we knew very little about this particular virus, it didn’t take long for the evidence to begin piling up that it was not the scourge it was first made out to be. Early evidence included the reports on the quarantining of the Diamond Princess cruise ship and the US Navy aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt. In the former about 10% ended up being infected and all who died were the elderly (70 years or older). For the latter approximately 20% were found to have been infected by the virus with no reported deaths. With the epidemic pretty much over there is no longer any evidence that any lock down conditions should even remain in place.

In closing I want to note that a significant number of people, who under normal circumstances, are pretty level headed, are so caught up in the fraud this “pandemic” has turned out to be that even with the glaring evidence that it is pretty much over, want to force people to wear masks. This is the dark side of what we have experienced; it has brought out the Fascist tendencies (a tendency toward, or actual exercise, of strong autocratic or dictatorial control) in so many, especially in Government worldwide. Here in Canada we have had our Rights and Freedoms that supposedly were guaranteed to us in our Constitution revoked with no push back by the general populace and cavalierly accepted by all political parties. To think that the last World War was fought against Fascism and here we are in the throws of accepting it without thought or care! The world George Orwell forecasted in his book, 1984, is almost upon us. If you have never read it, you should do so very soon before it gets “cancelled” like so much else we had previously taken for granted as being a citizen of a “free” country.

Untapped Potential

About 15 years ago Janice and I made the decision to move back to Northwestern Ontario. At the time we were living in Northern Manitoba. One thing for certain, especially for me, was that we would not remain there as the winter’s are too long and the summers too short. For me returning to the area I grew up in was easy; I like the temperate climate with its full four seasons, the general beauty and the broad spectrum of outdoor activities available, even if not as broad as before we left for Manitoba back in 1991.

Having returned I have noted many changes, some subtle and others not, but none that are positive. An illustration is the state of the forest industry that was the keystone of the local economy. A simple illustration is that when we left Ontario there were 10 operating paper and/or pulp mills operating in Kenora and Thunder Bay Districts. Now there are only 3. In a related fashion I have been on the Lake Nipigon Forest Local Citizens Committee on a volunteer basis. Over time on the committee I have come to realise a major impediment to the forest industry is over regulation, including the fact that any business interested in a forest-based activity has no choice but to follow the rules set out in the “Forest Management Planning Manual” and its related guides. Together all regulate how forestry practices must be done with little if any consideration of economic sustainability. In other words, the government, rather than just providing a framework of targets to guide development, through the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, is telling people how to run their business. And we all know, or should, that the one organisation that does not know how to do things efficiently is government.

The past Liberal government is largely to blame but unfortunately that even if the current Conservative government had any desire to roll back these impediments, the current bureaucracy will not help as they love these restrictive regulations.

To illustrate, I tried writing the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry about the above and several other matters and included a suggestion on increasing revenues. I proposed that more recreation lots be made available. First, I doubt very much that the letter was ever seen by the minister and secondly the response to my suggestion was “Crown land is no longer actively marketed, rented or sold for private recreational or residential use”. As most of the land in our area is “Crown Land” that does not bode well.

We look at what has taken place in Minnesota just south of us and it is like night and day. While very anti-mining even though Northern Minnesota was developed by mining and it still provides a significant contribution to the local economy, they have developed their tourism industry immensely whether through government or private development. The Sibley Peninsula closer to home has some development but not much. Then we get to the Black Bay Peninsula, a true gem in the rough with fantastic and impressive natural features that few can see. 

Through much lobbying by some local interests Nipigon Bay has been declared a significant part of the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area, managed by Parks Canada. A “park” conserving what, I do not know. But why not transfer the Black Bay Peninsula and even the Nipigon Bay bounding islands to the Federal government to make a real “National Park” rather than the current ephemeral “Conservation Area”? That, I think, would truly be a great boon as an area of profound beauty would become accessible by the general populace, even if under controlled access. Our very own Banff.

An alternative that could have similar positive benefits for our area is if those signatories to the Robertson Superior Treaty, the Ojibwe of the north shore of Lake Superior, decided to negotiate for a modernisation of said treaty. Why do I even suggest this? Read the treaty and you quickly see that it amounts to putting all Ojibwe on welfare and under protection of Queen Victoria and her successors. In effect treating them as children. Back in 1850 there is no question that the two cultures were quite different. I will not comment as it simply was a different world then. But 170 years later it is time it be updated as both sides now are now on equal footing when it comes to deciding what is right and without question the Ojibwe are “all grown up” and should not be treated as children any more. They are very capable of being much better managers of their own future. A key to life in the present is control over the land you live on. So why don’t the Ojibwe trade getting annual welfare payments and have title restored to them of lands that they can then take responsibility for, such as the Black Bay Peninsula and associated islands?

Of the “modern” treaties, those signed in the latter half of the twentieth century, such as the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement or the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement set the precedent; self-management of some of the “Crown” land. Just a thought for my fellow citizens of this country who are Ojibwe. I for one am open to anything that foretells of a future of hope. Not the current one of despair thanks to disdain of those at Queens Park.