Hinshaw defends ‘limits to personal freedoms’ in court
Posted April 5, 2022 7:30 pm.
Alberta’s top doctor was back in court Tuesday for the second day of cross-examination in a case questioning whether or not Alberta’s COVID-19 public health orders infringed on individual rights and the Constitution of Canada.
Chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw pushed back against Lawyer Leighton Grey who suggested: “there is no real data” that public health restrictions worked to limit spread and save lives.
“I disagree,” Hinshaw told a Calgary courtroom via video link from Edmonton, “there is a great deal of data.”
Plaintiffs include a gym owner and two Baptist churches. Filled in 2020, the lawsuit questions the constitutionality of public health restrictions from the first three waves of COVID-19 in Alberta. These include capacity limits for faith-based facilities, the closure of some businesses and limits on personal gatherings.
On questions of leaving health up to personal responsibility, Hinshaw highlighted how during the fall of 2020, attempts at voluntary restrictions were not effective at slowing the spread, and mandatory restrictions were needed to protect the healthcare system.
Testifying that you can’t weigh the effectiveness of restrictions only on the number of Albertans who were admitted to hospital with COVID-19, but also reminding of the impacts of long-COVID and those who saw medical procedures delayed as the healthcare system adapted to support the acute need of COVID-19 patients.
This lawsuit is limited to the first three waves of COVID-19 in Alberta meaning vaccine mandates, and the hindsight of new research, are not included.
Hinshaw will be back in court Wednesday for continued cross-examination.
