Author of the article:Jason Herring
Publishing date:Sep 25, 2021
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi speaks with media on Monday, July 5, 2021.
PHOTO BY GAVIN YOUNG/POSTMEDIA
A recent meeting of Calgary-area municipalities turned heated after a rural reeve shared misinformation on COVID-19 vaccines, leading to a sharp rebuke from Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi.
The confrontation took place during the Sept. 17 Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB) meeting, when Foothills County Reeve Suzanne Oel called into question the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.
She said her statements reflected the views of her constituents, many of whom are opposed to the vaccines and province’s then-newly announced vaccine passport system.
“While some people believe the vaccine will protect them, others disagree. A note is that the experimental vaccine does not prevent infection or transmission. The safety trials have not been completed,” Oel said.
Those statements are false. Vaccines have been shown in clinical trials to reduce COVID-19 illness, a fact which is reflected in Alberta data, which has found vaccines are more than 90 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic illness due to COVID-19.
It’s also inaccurate to call the vaccines experimental, as both mRNA COVID vaccines approved for use in Canada — manufactured by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna — went through rigorous safety testing and use technology developed over the course of decades.
Nenshi jumped into the fray after Oel falsely claimed the vaccine was only tested on animals before being made available.
“What she has just said is 1,000 per cent false, and this is not a place for us to abide by those extremist views that are putting people in danger,” Nenshi said in the exchange, which was first reported by LiveWire Calgary.
“I was with an ICU nurse yesterday. People are dying every day. Yes, we have to have a diversity of views. We don’t have diversity of BS like that. That is completely untrue and saying things like that puts people at risk and you should be ashamed of yourself, Reeve Oel.”
The terse exchange continued when Oel said she had taken a risk in sharing the views in the forum, before Nenshi interrupted her, saying, “Lies are not opinions, Reeve Oel, and that is a lie. Stop educating yourself from YouTube videos, read the science.”
The CMRB consists of 10 Calgary-area municipalities, with a mandate to support the long-term sustainability of the region.
Elsewhere in the meeting, officials discussed confusion over the province’s vaccine passport plan as well as the acrimonious public climate around vaccines and mask use.
jherring@postmedia.com
A recent meeting of Calgary-area municipalities turned heated after a rural reeve shared misinformation on COVID-19 vaccines, leading to a sharp rebuke from Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi.
The confrontation took place during the Sept. 17 Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB) meeting, when Foothills County Reeve Suzanne Oel called into question the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.
She said her statements reflected the views of her constituents, many of whom are opposed to the vaccines and province’s then-newly announced vaccine passport system.
“While some people believe the vaccine will protect them, others disagree. A note is that the experimental vaccine does not prevent infection or transmission. The safety trials have not been completed,” Oel said.
Those statements are false. Vaccines have been shown in clinical trials to reduce COVID-19 illness, a fact which is reflected in Alberta data, which has found vaccines are more than 90 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic illness due to COVID-19.
It’s also inaccurate to call the vaccines experimental, as both mRNA COVID vaccines approved for use in Canada — manufactured by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna — went through rigorous safety testing and use technology developed over the course of decades.
Nenshi jumped into the fray after Oel falsely claimed the vaccine was only tested on animals before being made available.
“What she has just said is 1,000 per cent false, and this is not a place for us to abide by those extremist views that are putting people in danger,” Nenshi said in the exchange, which was first reported by LiveWire Calgary.
“I was with an ICU nurse yesterday. People are dying every day. Yes, we have to have a diversity of views. We don’t have diversity of BS like that. That is completely untrue and saying things like that puts people at risk and you should be ashamed of yourself, Reeve Oel.”
The terse exchange continued when Oel said she had taken a risk in sharing the views in the forum, before Nenshi interrupted her, saying, “Lies are not opinions, Reeve Oel, and that is a lie. Stop educating yourself from YouTube videos, read the science.”
The CMRB consists of 10 Calgary-area municipalities, with a mandate to support the long-term sustainability of the region.
Elsewhere in the meeting, officials discussed confusion over the province’s vaccine passport plan as well as the acrimonious public climate around vaccines and mask use.
jherring@postmedia.com
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