COVID-19 update: Quebec coroner says many people are to blame for high first wave death toll | Increased surveillance, concerns about loss of privacy -

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Thursday

The judge reserves the decision whether to release the Coutts protester, who is charged with murder conspiracy, pending trial

The roadblock on Highway 4 outside of Milk River towards the Coutts Border Crossing on Tuesday February 8, 2022. Photo by Darren Makowichuk /mail media

A Lethbridge judge on Thursday reserved her decision on whether a suspect charged with conspiracy to murder Mounties during a lockdown against COVID-19 public health measures will be released pending trial.

Judge Johnna Kubik heard comments from Crown prosecutors Matt Dalidowicz and Steven Johnston, and defense attorney Balfour Der, on whether Chris Carbert is a suitable candidate for a judicial provisional release pending trial.

At Der’s request, the Court of Queen’s Bench Judge banned the proceedings, which include all the evidence presented, the defense attorneys’ submissions and their ultimate reasons for allowing or denying bail.

Carbert, 45, of Lethbridge, was charged in February with three other men on conspiracy to murder and mischief by obstructing the lawful use of property by others and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

The arrests followed an RCMP raid on three trailer homes in the village of Coutts near the Montana-Alberta border crossing.

Thursday

Another threat from COVID – increased surveillance and loss of privacy

David Lyon is the author of a report on privacy during the pandemic. The report found that Ontario police forces had been accessing data collected for epidemiological purposes through a first responder portal for several months. Photo by Blair Crawford/Postmedia

Loss of taste and smell are well-known symptoms associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

And you can add one more, surveillance and “big data” experts say — loss of privacy.

How Canadians’ personal information has been used – and misused – during the pandemic is the subject of a report by David Lyon of Queen’s University’s Surveillance Study Centre, presented at a conference on “Big Data” at the University of Ottawa on Wednesday . The rush to collect data during the pandemic is different than it has been since the September 11 terrorist attacks, writes Lyon.

Advancements like StingRay cell phone trackers, facial recognition technology, and powerful machine learning programs give police more tools than ever before to collect personally identifiable information.

The report identifies the risk of so-called “information biases,” which occur when companies and governments accumulate large amounts of personal information without the knowledge or consent of private individuals.

Thursday

The Quebec coroner says many people are to blame for the high death toll in the first wave of COVID-19

The Quebec coroner says there are many culprits in the deaths of 47 residents at a private long-term care home in the Montreal area in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coroner Gehane Kamel says the provincial government, local health authority and owners of Herron nursing home “passed the ball around” while residents were left to die.

She spoke to reporters today for the first time since she released her account of her investigation into 53 deaths at multiple care homes – including Herron – during the first wave of the pandemic earlier this week.

Kamel says her job wasn’t to blame specific people, but to make recommendations so a similar situation doesn’t happen again.

Thursday

Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich jailed again, Crown argues in Ottawa court

Tamara Lich, organizer of a protest convoy of truckers and supporters demanding an end to COVID-19 vaccine mandates, makes a statement during a news conference in Ottawa on Thursday, February 3, 2022. Lich has been accused of breaching her bail conditions and The Crown argues she should be put back in jail pending her trial. Photo by Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press

A crown prosecutor argued Freedom Convoy organizer Tamara Lich should be returned to jail pending her trial after he accused her of violating her bail conditions by accepting an award for her leadership during the Ottawa protest .

A judge initially refused to release Lich after her arrest during the massive protests that swept downtown Ottawa for more than three weeks in February, but she was released in March after reviewing the court’s decision.

Lich and his co-organizer Chris Barber are jointly charged with mischief, obstructing police, advising others on mischief, and intimidating.

She was released with a long list of conditions, including a ban on all social media and orders not to “support anything related to the Freedom Convoy.”

The Crown says Lich breached one of her bail conditions by agreeing to accept a “liberty award” from the Justice Center for Constitutional Liberties, a legal advocacy group that supported the protest.

Thursday

Cisco plunges to 18-month low as China lockdown raises supply doubts

A commuter walks away from a bus stop as traffic is light on the road during the evening rush hour near the central business district after the local government issued a work-from-home order May 9, 2022 in Beijing, China. Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

Cisco Systems Inc shares hit an 18-month low on Thursday after the company warned of an ongoing shortage of components, worrying Wall Street over how exports are suffering due to China’s COVID restrictions and the Ukraine crisis could.

Shares of the company, which lowered its full-year growth forecast, fell about 13 percent to $42.4, trailing peers Juniper Networks, F5 Inc and Arista Networks 1 percent to 3.1 percent in early trade below.

Enterprise-focused companies like Cisco, which have benefited from companies being spent upgrading technology infrastructure to integrate hybrid work, have faced challenges from a shortage of components that has worsened since key supply hub China imposed strict COVID lockdowns in April .