Results for: Pandemic Data Review

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has defended her decision to have a physician who has accused the province of exaggerating the impact of COVID-19 on hospitals lead a review of pandemic-era health data. Dr. Gary Davidson, the former chief of emergency medicine at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre, was appointed chair of the task force a year ago. During the height of the fourth wave of the pandemic in 2021, Davidson claimed hospital admission numbers were overblown and being manipulated to justify public health restrictions. The provincial health authority, Alberta Health Services, rejected those accusations as false.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has appointed Dr. Gary Davidson, a physician who previously accused the province of exaggerating COVID-19’s impact on hospitals, to lead a review of pandemic-era health data. Smith defended her decision, stating that she wants to hear a range of viewpoints, including from those who have been silenced in the public sphere. The work of the task force is nearing completion, but few details have been made public since its creation in 2022. Smith’s decision has drawn criticism from the opposition New Democrat Leader Rachel Notley, who called it a waste of public money and an effort to legitimize fringe views.