Dear Editor:
It was most likely “reasonable” that Steven VanLeeuwen was cancelled as deputy mayor.
You see, VanLeeuwen didn’t know it was not “reasonable” to question or debate COVID-19 policies. Lockdowns do work, as long as you stay locked down, I guess.
From the John Hopkins University and Computer Science and Software Engineering study, as of Feb. 28, in Canada there were 867,000 cases of COVID-19 with 814,000 recovered, giving a 94% recovery rate so far. Number of deaths at that time were 21,994.
So, it must be “reasonable” to assume that lockdowns enable an impressive recovery rate, I guess.
The Canadian Patient Safety Institute and the University Health Network (Toronto) estimates that 28,000 people die from medical errors, many from medications, each year. That is six thousand more than have died from or with COVID-19 so far but the medical errors happen each year.
Medical errors in the U.S. are estimated at 250,000 or more each year, so, in two years the same amount of people die as the numbers recorded for those who have died from or with COVID in the U.S.
You can argue or debate the information I researched as suspect or selective, by all means.
Mr. VanLeeuwen made the mistake that on some narratives and issues, science must be the sword wielded, but in other sensitive topics, feelings and emotions are the rule of law.
Even though he felt that the lockdowns could be modified to support small business, the science says you can’t question or debate.
By the way, 97.9% of businesses are small, 1.8% are medium and .3% are large. Seventy percent of the private work force is from small business producing over 30% of the Gross Domestic Product for Canada.
These stats are from a “reasonable” source, Statistics Canada.
With enough public shame and government legislation, Mr. VanLeeuwen should come around.
Michael Thorp,
Mount Forest