Photo by Whitehorse Star
Dr. Brendan Hanley
Government talks rules relaxation, but no timeline
The Yukon government is taking some steps in explaining how it will relax the current pandemic health restrictions, but it still hasn’t set a timeline for doing so.
The Yukon government is taking some steps in explaining how it will relax the current pandemic health restrictions, but it still hasn’t set a timeline for doing so.
On Friday afternoon, the government released a strategy called “A Path Forward: Next Steps”, outlining how the Yukon will move forward through the next phases of the pandemic.
Pat Living, a government spokesperson, did not provide a direct answer to the Star as to when a timeline might be introduced.
In the announcement, the government said “the approach focuses on reducing or modifying COVID-19 restrictions.
“It is contingent on the territory’s overall vaccination rate, the new case count remaining low, the understanding and impact of the COVID-19 variants, and ongoing adherence to public health measures.
According to the news release, the strategy provides a framework as to how the Yukon will transition to the next phase of the pandemic response and “how citizens can begin living sustainably with the virus as part of our everyday lives.”
The new strategy replaces one released in May 2020.
The strategy stated “as spring approaches, this will allow the flexibility to provide some relief from restrictions that affect the daily lives of Yukoners and move us into the next phase of recovery.
“This may include: reducing constraints on the size of our social bubbles to allow us to connect with family and friends more easily; increasing indoor and outdoor gathering sizes when it is safe to do so, and increasing capacity for food and beverage businesses.”
According to the report, those adjustments to public health measures may also include determining how to make events, such as potlatches, weddings, funerals and celebrations of life, safer.
Self-isolation requirements may also be adjusted to “support businesses who rely on external clients or employees from outside the territory.”
“We are preparing to relax some restrictions for Yukoners when it is safe to do so,” Premier Sandy Silver said in the release.
“The coming weeks will be a balance between keeping some key measures in place while easing others.
“Restrictions will need to remain in place as we work to immunize as many Yukoners as possible. Measures such as the requirement to self- isolate upon entry to Yukon continue to be our best means of keeping the virus out of our communities.”
“The need to create and maintain the best balance between protecting Yukoners from the spread of COVID-19 and protecting their health and well-being will be our biggest challenge in the coming months,” added Dr. Brendan Hanley, the chief medical officer of health.
“We are facing very different circumstances today than when we released our original Path Forward plan in May. We will need to maintain some restrictions in order to reduce others. There is no quick or easy resolution to living with COVID-19.”
The release didn’t offer anything of concrete value to indicate when any of these changes might start to happen.
“A start date for this next phase is dependent on vaccinating as many adult Yukoners as possible, keeping new cases low and better understanding the impacts of the COVID-19 variants,” the release states.
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Comments (29)
Up 1 Down 10
Adam Smoth on Mar 12, 2021 at 8:55 pm
Maybe it is a multi-year contract. Grow up. Let him do his job. If you are going to throw spears, make sure you are informed. The irony is that we rely on him to be informed. Luddite.
Up 31 Down 4
melba on Mar 10, 2021 at 3:20 pm
For Mick: Maybe you should do a little research before making your declarations. I'm happy to share with you what's normal for a CMO.
1. Payscale.com Chief Medical Officer Salary in Canada
Base Salary C$152k - C$350k Total Pay C$208k - C$353k
2. Highest salary I could find, which Hanley outpaces by 50%: Economic Research Institute: Chief Medical Officer Salary in Vancouver, British Columbia: $361,714 (CAD) $104,354 Bonus
3. Theresa Tam: " will serve for one year at a salary that ranges between $226,100 and $265,000. Tam has been serving as deputy chief public health officer. ... 'Don't lose patience,' says Canada's top doctor as Ontario reports ... CBC
"Dr. Theresa Tam (born 1965) is the 3rd chief public health officer of Canada. She also serves as an official advisor to the WHO’s International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on COVID-19. As a physician she specializes in immunization, infectious disease, emergency preparedness and global health security.
Dr. Theresa Tam, chief public health officer of Canada, at a news conference in Ottawa (9 April 2020)
The Hong Kong-born physician has contributed to a number of World Health Organization emergency committees and has been involved in international missions to combat Ebola, MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) and pandemic influenza. Additionally, she has participated in the eradication of polio."
"As the chief public health officer of Canada, she is estimated to earn between $226,100 and $265,000 annually. "
Then Brendan Hanley, CMO of a territory with a population the size of a small town in the rest of Canada: $720,000 per year. Absolutely ridiculous and obnoxious.
Up 14 Down 11
melba on Mar 10, 2021 at 2:59 pm
Hey 'Mick', I do very well, thank you. I am sure you are accustomed to being wrong, but as you've probably heard many times in your life: I suggest relying on something other than your crystal ball to form your theories.
I make good money, which I earn, not by sitting on my butt reading policy releases from Ottawa. You are also wrong about my level of education.
Perhaps you should be the one to talk to some local doctors about their opinion of Dr. Hanley's expertise, work load and pay. I have.
Up 3 Down 19
Patti Eyre on Mar 10, 2021 at 2:19 pm
@Tired
If you hate Yukon and it’s beautiful citizens so much won’t don’t you find comfort in like minded people elsewhere?
Up 6 Down 33
Mick on Mar 10, 2021 at 1:17 pm
@ melba
He’s the CMO. Do a jurisdictional scan and see what other CMOs are making. It’s not out of line. You want good people, you pay the price. Would you expect a Doctor to come here and work for minimum wage?
I’m thinking your grade 10 hasn’t opened the same number of doors that Hanley’s education and experience has. It’s never too late to go back to school. Consider it.
Up 20 Down 6
Bronco on Mar 10, 2021 at 12:43 pm
More and more Canadian doctors are now speaking up against these lockdowns, and expose the scamdemic for what it is.
Here is a very interesting testimony from an ER doctor from Ontario.
Everyone needs to take a good look at this:
https://drtrozzi.com/dr-trozzi-covid-19-testimony/?fbclid=IwAR1VGKnvXpAGKp5QRv-Fxet9rmV-mLG82jmnhxsq4YR8avYhzC3tpyk0tI8
Up 34 Down 10
melba on Mar 10, 2021 at 9:51 am
Brendan Hanley is making over $60,000 A MONTH, so long as this pandemic continues. What does he do for that money? So far as I am aware, he is not a practising doctor. He reads reports from Ottawa telling us what to do, and that's about it. No wonder he is smiling. Who decided on that pay scale?! I don't know how he looks the public in the eye.
Up 37 Down 4
HJ on Mar 10, 2021 at 9:46 am
This is absolute nonsense. No cases, most people vaccinated, and STILL have restrictions in place? What is the justification for that?
Up 32 Down 4
Groucho d'North on Mar 10, 2021 at 9:01 am
They are making it up as they go. I have maintained from the beginning that there are far too many politcians involved with this pandemic. Their motives are all about being seen as smart and effective in a situation they have little to no experience in.
Most governments have staff trained in responding effectively to emergency situations. These are the people who should be running the show and the elected types have the job of supporting these people by providing the resources needed to deal with the issues. The Emergency Measures Act is all about having the extra-ordinary powers to do this. The biggest problems appear to be politicians who will not let go of the wheel and let the experts drive.
Up 35 Down 4
HJ on Mar 10, 2021 at 5:57 am
It's not a plan to reduce restrictions. It's a plan to keep them in place.
Up 20 Down 10
DL on Mar 10, 2021 at 1:18 am
Why isn't Brendan Hanley talking about things that people can do to improve their immune system, which is much better than any vaccine. Such as a healthy lifestyle... and inexpensive therapeutics such as Vitamin D, Zinc, Ivermectin which can prevent and/or treat covid infections. Is it because there is no profit for big pharma in such things?
Up 38 Down 9
Kathy on Mar 9, 2021 at 4:46 pm
Grinning like a Cheshire Cat. And like it, leading us on to the Mad Tea Party.
Just stop listening to him.
Up 41 Down 7
TIRED on Mar 9, 2021 at 1:29 pm
People need to stop voting the libs in - but I have no faith in the Yukon people to do that or Canada for that matter. This clown should never have had two terms.
Up 27 Down 9
DL on Mar 9, 2021 at 12:42 pm
Here’s how doctors who genuinely want to help talk to us.
“Press Release: Canadian Doctors Speaking Out”
https://www.libertycoalitioncanada.com/post/press-release-canadian-doctors-speaking-out?fbclid=IwAR0u3xRN0fjzz6qryC3tWWzvjyfVinKb5pNpDd4syt7IpZFCKtgJ_E7oQgg
“The CANADA HEALTH ALLIANCE is a non-profit collaboration of medical doctors, nurses, chiropractors, naturopaths, pharmacists, and other healthcare practitioners from across Canada whose common goal is to protect the rights of our patients to access the highest quality healthcare available, continued freedom of choice, and autonomy through informed consent.”
“Our goal is to halt the misuse of power by politicized public health “experts” currently being conveyed through damaging COVID-19 public health policies that are destroying Canadian society and the health of Canadians.”
Up 53 Down 5
Yukoner1 on Mar 9, 2021 at 10:56 am
Once 75% of the adult population has been vaccinated (or quite frankly, once every adult has been given the opportunity to get the vaccine) then we should be able to be 100% open. No self-isolation requirements, no barring tourists and family from outside. The entire point of all these measures was to allow us to keep the virus out of our territory until we had a vaccine that was effective and could be given to the entire population. We will be at that point at the end of April. I hope my fellow Yukoners expect the same as me: zero restrictions at that time.
Up 36 Down 11
It's really not our choice on Mar 9, 2021 at 9:38 am
"Depends on our vaccination rate"....so basically they're trying to force us to all get the vaccination otherwise we have to mask up forever.
Are they trying to officially establish a dictatorship?
Up 40 Down 3
Sheepchaser on Mar 9, 2021 at 9:11 am
Just go back to normal in your own life two weeks after the second dose of vaccine. They won’t give back what we don’t take back. Since the time before time, this is the way.
Up 33 Down 13
Jixed on Mar 9, 2021 at 12:11 am
Brendan Hanley’s shifty murkiness is still ongoing, and that's evidence of an agenda. Why should anybody take this risky vaccine that makes one sick and that never went through long-term testing, if the covid restrictions stay in place. Hanley, you’ve now given us a good reason to not take this risky vaccine.
Up 34 Down 5
DMZ on Mar 8, 2021 at 10:54 pm
That's a good question, what has the health system done for preparations to handle the pandemic better than they could have last year. All I can remember is they had four ventilators a year ago and at some point the federal government sent 15 here, or maybe sent 9 and now there's 15. Or maybe Sandy Silver just talked about getting 15. Clearly it wasn't that important to them, because in all their repetitive messaging, that never seemed to come up again since.
It looks to me like most public health found it's easier to raise restrictions on what people can do, which is kind of like going on the offense before they get asked more questions. Now when numbers rise, they can talk about, for instance, double masking and how that should be the standard. Social distancing nine feet instead of six (yes, they were talking about that for awhile). Hence their fervent opposition to governments lifting restrictions. Perhaps they didn't realize how compliant people would be and they seem to quite like it.
Public health is never, ever going to recommend lifting any restrictions. With the single exception of Bonnie Henry, I haven't heard any of them, and I heard many in the past few days, say anything except they have to stay in place for a "long time" even after vaccinations. This morning some random, self-appointed expert on exit strategy, pontificated that he couldn't see restrictions being lifted until sometime in 2022. That was on the CBC.
Bonnie Henry said numbers would have to be below 500 a day before relaxing restrictions could be considered. At least it's a number. Kind of puts our single digit to zero numbers in perspective, but what does that mean up here? How safe does Hanley have to feel? That's the question.
We aren't getting out of this while governments defer to public health. I don't know if restrictions are as warranted as they say, because the statistics are just incoherent, the way they're fed to us through the media. Governments will defer to public health as long as people follow restrictions without too much fuss. People don't complain about restrictions because they believe public health and nobody is asking public health anything too hard. It's the circle of life.
Up 30 Down 20
EJ on Mar 8, 2021 at 9:27 pm
We need a political party in power who will ignore the doctors and scientists. Get rid of the travel restrictions, put all the grade 10-12s back in school together, and allow bars to open to capacity again. If Texas can do it, Yukon can do it.
Vote Yukon Party for true freedom! The Yukon Party will also stop the deficit spending by cutting a bunch of programs and infrastructure like all good fiscal conservatives do.
Up 33 Down 8
NickyB on Mar 8, 2021 at 7:28 pm
Why won't the govt end the restrictions like they said they would on their Covid webpage? How can we believe anything they say since they don't keep their promises and keep moving the finish line?
If the people imposing these restrictions had lost their jobs or had their paycheck cut then this plandemic would have been over in weeks.
The LIBgov does not want this to end, they've never enjoyed so much power, and now they're drunk with the possibility of it never ending.
This plandemic will continue indefinitely until people say they've had enough and stop complying with these ridiculous restrictions that have no common sense or medical science basis.
Up 31 Down 4
Boil and bubble in the Liberal double, double-speak on Mar 8, 2021 at 5:20 pm
Dear Flatten the Curve - Many people have tried before, to ask the Liberals a question, but were met with verbal suppression. I have heard tell that the Liberals also have a well trained army of crickets ready, willing, and able to be deployed at the least indication of trouble... So off with you and back to your bubble!
Up 30 Down 7
Juniper Jackson on Mar 8, 2021 at 4:59 pm
The Liberals MIGHT be peeking out of their back patting arrogance and mildly suspecting they might lose the election over the extended martial law, lack of health care..for everyone except them. You tried to see a doctor lately? Well, you can't. If you are sick, NOT COVID for Gods sake, you have to go to emerge.. putting an incredible burden on that department. To see a Dr for a non emergency, diabetes? High BP? cancer followup? First you get a phone call.. then, MAYBE you get an appointment. How many battered women? ODs that were really suicides? Legal suicides? Alcohol? Drugs? I am not the only person who has complained about these issues, the Liberals did not listen to any of us. But, we did get a phone number. Halleluiah mama, we're saved.
Even if these liars suddenly say, ok.. you don't have to wear a mask, ok.. you can quarantine 9 days, 2 weekends and 1 -5 day work week and go see your kids. IF they get re elected, the first thing they will do is shut us down. Duplicitous POS.
I have read these posts for a LONG time, (and written) and the only I think I have ever seen people ask for that I thought was unreasonable, was giving tax money to private businesses. (Yukon Gardens, SIMA, Golf course). As for covid? No..I haven't seen anything being asked for that was unreasonable. Things I don't agree with. Masks. But, I understand if you are scared out of your tree, this is a reasonable request. Last time I looked, everyone still gets an opinion. And mine is, I speak for NO ONE but myself.. every Liberal in the country has got to go.
Up 22 Down 8
No opinion on Mar 8, 2021 at 4:30 pm
What hospital did Dr Brendan Hanley work at? I would like too know. Whitehorse General hospital ever seen him around ??? People should ask about that!
Up 29 Down 6
bonanzajoe on Mar 8, 2021 at 4:06 pm
In other words, the Libs will relax things when they feel it will be beneficial to them for the next election. It's called campaign tactics.
Up 84 Down 8
Flatten the Curve on Mar 8, 2021 at 3:50 pm
Can someone ask the Liberal Government and the CMOH what the Territory did to prepare our health care system for the pandemic? Did we add ICU beds? Did we offer education and upgrades to our healthcare workers so that we were better equipped as a Territory to help people who got sick?
A year ago, we were asked to 'help flatten the curve' so that we could prepare.
Did we?
Did we prepare anything, or did we just take Canadian tax dollars and spend it on relief programs and administrators 'working' from home? Is our health system ready for the next big crisis now? I'd feel better about the 'big spend' if they had invested the money in health care redundancies, training, and equipment - you know, the front line that everyone says they admire so much.
I'm fairly sure this would've come up at one of their lengthy and exhaustive press conferences over the past year...
I guess good governance isn't an attractive photo op.
Up 113 Down 22
hostage on Mar 8, 2021 at 2:33 pm
We are all hostages now, imprisoned here till the powers that be deem it 'safe' to release us into the big bad world.
What a joke. A strategy, Next Steps, with no timeline. Nothing whatsoever of any use. Awesome.
Up 113 Down 17
Lost In the Yukon on Mar 8, 2021 at 2:31 pm
... a grinning Chief Medical Officer of Health who is very well compensated to keep us under lock and key, is seemingly incapable of developing a plan forward for the territory other than one that says nothing other than broad meaningless statements.
Maybe if the “path forward” was developed by or with people affected by the pandemic as opposed to those that have “profited” from it the “plan” would actually say something.
Up 77 Down 10
Al on Mar 8, 2021 at 2:06 pm
What is missing from this article that was published on CBC North is the following:
"No specific dates of when the territory may start to ease restrictions were mentioned. The territory expects to remain in this next phase until the end of 2021.
The territory's state of emergency under the Civil Emergency Measures Act will continue to be in place "as long as there is significant risk to our population of COVID-19 infection, or until we establish another tool to enforce public health measures," according to the strategy."
Why the Star omitted this is anyone's guess. However, it does indicate clearly we are still going to be under the control of public Health for another 10 months at minimum.