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Kinda weird to see the PHO warning "racialized people and those living in poverty or homeless" would likely be disproportionately impacted by enforcement of mask orders while seeming pretty blase about the fact BC doesn't know how the pandemic is affecting those same people, no?
I'm still not 100% clear on what kind of identifying information BC is and is not collecting about Covid cases - gender and age, usually, at least.
I've asked different sources several times over the past few months and gotten non-answers, no answers and contradictory answers.
I've asked different sources several times over the past few months and gotten non-answers, no answers and contradictory answers.
Reporters started asking about this issue in the spring (Mayish) and were told the province was working on it - developing guidelines for disaggregated data collection about racialized groups (at least) with Ottawa.
Since then? Very little info.
Since then? Very little info.
In June, the premier asked BC's human rights commissioner to provide some recommendations on how BC could collect and use disaggregated "race and ethnicity-based data" with input from the privacy commissioner
https://bchumanrights.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2020-06-16-Commissioners-Govender-McEvoy.pdf
https://bchumanrights.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/2020-06-16-Commissioners-Govender-McEvoy.pdf
In September, the HRC released her recommendations on how BC could collect such data in a non-harmful way.
Less than a week later, the election was called. I have not been able to get any info about the status of this report and its recommendations since https://bchumanrights.ca/publications/datacollection/
Less than a week later, the election was called. I have not been able to get any info about the status of this report and its recommendations since https://bchumanrights.ca/publications/datacollection/
The last time Dr. Henry was asked - Nov 7 - she said BC still isn't collecting race-based data about Covid cases, is still working with Ottawa to develop a unified system.
She also said it would be too difficult, time-consuming to add those questions to case investigation forms
She also said it would be too difficult, time-consuming to add those questions to case investigation forms
And even if we were:
"We don't, frankly, have a coordinated information technology system that allows us to easily transmit and share that information either across the province or across the country," Dr. Henry said.
"We don't, frankly, have a coordinated information technology system that allows us to easily transmit and share that information either across the province or across the country," Dr. Henry said.
The province knows this info is important.
"We absolutely believe that if you don't measure and look at those differences that we are going to be missing inequities," Dr. Henry said in her Nov 7 answer. She referenced data collected by public health in Toronto that shows this
"We absolutely believe that if you don't measure and look at those differences that we are going to be missing inequities," Dr. Henry said in her Nov 7 answer. She referenced data collected by public health in Toronto that shows this
BC is still missing those inequities. Has been for months now with no sign as to when that data hole will be addressed.
