COVID-19
Be Prepared Not Scared – Dr. Abdu Sharkawy
Dr. Abdu Sharkawy is a Canadian Infectious Disease Specialist
Being prepared does not mean you have to be scared. Being concerned doesn’t mean you have to panic. And being both scared and panicked doesn’t mean you can’t seek an avenue to cope with the uncertainty that Covid-19 is undoubtedly causing.
This is NOT a contest between the complacent and the reactionary nor between those who “care” and those who are (allegedly) indifferent to the suffering this virus has delivered and will continue to in weeks and months ahead.
How about we focus on deciding how to support each other even if we disagree about the best way to get through this ride…one of unpredictable turns and unforgiving surprises?
In coming weeks there will be countless public meetings and events that will be postponed or outright canceled owing to concerns regarding the potential for a germinating seed of Covid-19 to spread to unsuspecting masses. Some of these decisions will be rational and thoughtfully arrived at. Others may seem unnecessarily formed. I am of the opinion that in the interest of the public trust and sense of security, a more cautious approach may be the better route…at least until we see what lies ahead more clearly. I won’t predict when that will be, nor can anyone.
Here’s what I DO know. Watching the news hourly and cringing at the numbers of cases that continue to mount won’t help. Hoarding anything and everything from Costco and Home Depot won’t help. Blaming others of a certain race, ethnicity, state of wealth or poverty won’t help. Blaming government? Still….won’t help. When did this cease to become just a pandemic and instead evolved to “panic-demic”??
Here’s what will help.
How about making a commitment to understand that 95% of all respiratory viruses cannot be transmitted if your hands are clean?
How about sanitizing that iPhone or S10 that is likely teeming with more viruses and bacteria than your toilet bowl?
How about being kind to others in your family, your schools and work environments and trying to support one another and encourage these healthy practices rather than recoiling in isolation from one another?
This virus IS SERIOUS. Make no mistake about it. We will have difficult decisions ahead in terms of how we navigate living our lives rather than fearing our fate. But we CAN do this. The decline in rate of spread in the most devastated core of this crisis, Wuhan itself, has already been witnessed. Those who say it matters not choose nihilism. I choose pragmatism. I choose optimism. I choose altruism.
Keep breathing everyone. Instead of falling apart, let’s come together. Even if it’s not in a crowded room, we can bond in our collective fight.
I wish you all peace, patience and strength. We can’t do it alone. And we won’t.
“Dad, is the Coronavirus going to make humans extinct?” Time to talk to our children!
From LifeSiteNews
The Crown’s appeal claims the judge made a mistake in her verdict on the intimidation charges, and also in how she treated aggravating and mitigating factors regarding sentencing.
Government lawyers for the Crown have filed an appeal the acquittals of Freedom Convoy leaders Tamara Lich and Chris Barber on intimidation charges.
The Crown also wants their recent 18-month conditional sentence on mischief charges replaced with harsher penalties, which could include possible jail time.
According to the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), it is “asking the Ontario Court of Appeal to enter a conviction on the intimidation charge or order a new trial on that count,” for Barber’s charges.
Specifically, the Crown’s appeal claims that the judge made a mistake in her verdict on the intimidation charges, and also in how she treated aggravating and mitigating factors regarding sentencing.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, both Lich and Barber have filed appeals of their own against their house arrest sentences, arguing that the trial judge did not correctly apply the law on their mischief charges.
Barber’s lawyer, Diane Magas, said that her client “relied in good faith on police and court direction during the protest. The principles of fairness and justice require that citizens not be punished for following the advice of authorities. We look forward to presenting our arguments before the Court.”
On October 7, Ontario Court Justice Heather Perkins-McVey sentenced Lich and Chris Barber to 18 months’ house arrest after being convicted earlier in the year of “mischief.”
Lich was given 18 months less time already spent in custody, amounting to 15 1/2 months.
Lich and Barber were declared guilty of mischief for their roles as leaders of the protest against COVID mandates in April 2022, and as social media influencers. The conviction came after a nearly two-year trial despite the non-violent nature of the popular movement.
The Lich and Barber trial concluded in September 2024, more than a year after it began. It was originally scheduled to last 16 days.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, the Canadian government was hoping to put Lich in jail for no less than seven years and Barber for eight years.
LifeSiteNews recently reported that Lich detailed her restrictive house arrest conditions, revealing she is “not” able to leave her house or even pick up her grandchildren from school without permission from the state.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, Lich, reflecting on her recent house arrest verdict, said she has no “remorse” and will not “apologize” for leading a movement that demanded an end to all COVID mandates.
From LifeSiteNews
Lawyers will argue that there is no evidence linking Tamara Lich ‘to the misdeeds of others.’
Freedom Convoy leader Tamara Lich said she will appeal her recent mischief conviction in an Ontario court, with her lawyers saying “there was no evidence linking her to the misdeeds of others.”
In a press release late yesterday, Lich’s legal team, headed by Lawrence Greenspon, Eric Granger, and Hannah Drennan, made the announcement.
“Lawyers for Tamara Lich filed Notice of Appeal in the Ontario Court of Appeal of the conviction for mischief arising out of the Freedom Convoy,” the release stated.
Lich’s legal team noted that there are two reasons for the principal grounds of appeal.
“While there was substantial evidence that Tamara encouraged the protesters to be peaceful, lawful and safe, there was no evidence linking her to the misdeeds of others,” they said.
The second reason for the appeal, according to Lich’s lawyers, is that the “trial judge failed to give effect to the principle that communication that would otherwise be mischief is protected by section 2(b) of the Charter, freedom of expression.”
On October 7, Ontario Court Justice Heather Perkins-McVey sentenced Lich and Chris Barber to 18 months’ house arrest after being convicted earlier in the year of “mischief.”
Lich was given 18 months less time already spent in custody, amounting to 15 1/2 months.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, the Canadian government was hoping to put Lich in jail for no less than seven years and Barber for eight years for their roles in the 2022 protests against COVID mandates.
Interestingly, Perkins-McVey said about Lich and Barber during the sentencing, “They came with the noblest of intent and did not advocate for violence.”
As reported by LifeSiteNews, Lich, reflecting on her recent sentencing of over a year’s house arrest for her role in the 2022 Freedom Convoy, laid bare the fact that when all is said in done, seven years of her life will have been spent in a government-imposed “lockdown” in one form or another.
LifeSiteNews recently reported that Lich detailed her restrictive house arrest conditions, revealing she is “not” able to leave her house or even pick up her grandkids from school without permission from the state.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, Lich, reflecting on her recent house arrest verdict, said she has no “remorse” and will not “apologize” for leading a movement that demanded an end to all COVID mandates.
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