Maxwell Smith, PhD
@maxwellsmith.bsky.social
Bioethicist, Associate Professor, and CIHR Applied Public Health Chair in Ethics & Health Emergencies at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. Also Associate Director of Western's Rotman Institute of Philosophy. Views are my own.
maxwellsmith.ca
maxwellsmith.ca
Reposted by Maxwell Smith, PhD
Given the sheer size of this past year's outbreak, I suspect Canada will be able to regain its measles elimination status sooner rather than later. But this must serve as a reminder of how important it is to remain proactive and vigilant against communicable diseases.
It's official: Canada has lost its measles elimination status because of an outbreak that has persisted for more than 12 months. Country can regain status only if on-going spread is of measles interrupted for more than a year. www.cbc.ca/news/health/... via @cbcnews.ca
November 10, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Given the sheer size of this past year's outbreak, I suspect Canada will be able to regain its measles elimination status sooner rather than later. But this must serve as a reminder of how important it is to remain proactive and vigilant against communicable diseases.
Given the sheer size of this past year's outbreak, I suspect Canada will be able to regain its measles elimination status sooner rather than later. But this must serve as a reminder of how important it is to remain proactive and vigilant against communicable diseases.
It's official: Canada has lost its measles elimination status because of an outbreak that has persisted for more than 12 months. Country can regain status only if on-going spread is of measles interrupted for more than a year. www.cbc.ca/news/health/... via @cbcnews.ca
November 10, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Given the sheer size of this past year's outbreak, I suspect Canada will be able to regain its measles elimination status sooner rather than later. But this must serve as a reminder of how important it is to remain proactive and vigilant against communicable diseases.
Reposted by Maxwell Smith, PhD
A new @ca.theconversation.com article, co-authored by @juliamwright.bsky.social (FRSC), explores how updated CSA standards for respirator use can better protect health-care workers and patients — and why adopting evidence-based safety measures is vital for all Canadians. #RSCVoices
The CSA’s revised standard on respirators should help us all breathe easier
The CSA Group — a not-for-profit standards organization — released for review a new draft standard on the “Selection, Use, and Care of Respirators” (CSA Z94.4:25) for workplaces, specifically includin...
rsc-src.ca
November 10, 2025 at 5:13 PM
A new @ca.theconversation.com article, co-authored by @juliamwright.bsky.social (FRSC), explores how updated CSA standards for respirator use can better protect health-care workers and patients — and why adopting evidence-based safety measures is vital for all Canadians. #RSCVoices
Reposted by Maxwell Smith, PhD
BREAKING: "The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has notified the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) that Canada no longer holds measles elimination status."
Statement from the Public Health Agency of Canada on Canada’s Measles Elimination Status
Following over 12 months of transmission across the country, PAHO confirms Canada's loss of measles elimination status. We are coordinating efforts with provinces and territories to restore the status...
www.canada.ca
November 10, 2025 at 2:36 PM
BREAKING: "The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has notified the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) that Canada no longer holds measles elimination status."
Reposted by Maxwell Smith, PhD
I am so very excited about this new chapter of my life. Looking forward to working alongside talented colleagues to find creatives ways to leverage knowledge for the benefit of Canadians www.dal.ca/news/2025/11...
Dalhousie’s Dr. Françoise Baylis begins new chapter as president of the Royal Society of Canada
Global bioethics leader steps into a pivotal national role, aiming to deepen public trust in research, amplify Canadian voices on the world stage, and champion science for societal good.
www.dal.ca
November 6, 2025 at 9:17 PM
I am so very excited about this new chapter of my life. Looking forward to working alongside talented colleagues to find creatives ways to leverage knowledge for the benefit of Canadians www.dal.ca/news/2025/11...
Reposted by Maxwell Smith, PhD
An update on my column: Parliamentary committee drops most contentious parts of its demand for data on research funding. It now wants aggregated, not disaggregated data. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
November 6, 2025 at 2:29 AM
An update on my column: Parliamentary committee drops most contentious parts of its demand for data on research funding. It now wants aggregated, not disaggregated data. www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...
Reposted by Maxwell Smith, PhD
If you are a Canadian scientist 🧪 alarmed by the unfair targeting of academics working on research related to EDI in the US ➡️
Turn your attention to our own House of Commons' Standing Committee on Science and Research and consider signing this open letter:
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Turn your attention to our own House of Commons' Standing Committee on Science and Research and consider signing this open letter:
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Open Letter to Protect Tri-Council EDI Data
Why do we need urgent action to protect our data?
The mandate of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Science and Research is to review and report on topics relating to science and research in ...
docs.google.com
October 30, 2025 at 9:41 PM
If you are a Canadian scientist 🧪 alarmed by the unfair targeting of academics working on research related to EDI in the US ➡️
Turn your attention to our own House of Commons' Standing Committee on Science and Research and consider signing this open letter:
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
Turn your attention to our own House of Commons' Standing Committee on Science and Research and consider signing this open letter:
docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
If you wash your hands, why does it matter if I wash mine?
Here she is.
Tucker Carlson: “If the vaccine is effective and you take it, then why does it matter if I take it?”
Cheryl Hines: “It doesn’t make any sense.”
Tucker: “So ‘my body, my choice’ was not a real thing, it turned out.”
“It’s your body, my choice.”
Cheryl: “Yeah, your body, my choice.”
Tucker Carlson: “If the vaccine is effective and you take it, then why does it matter if I take it?”
Cheryl Hines: “It doesn’t make any sense.”
Tucker: “So ‘my body, my choice’ was not a real thing, it turned out.”
“It’s your body, my choice.”
Cheryl: “Yeah, your body, my choice.”
October 27, 2025 at 1:49 PM
If you wash your hands, why does it matter if I wash mine?
Reposted by Maxwell Smith, PhD
10th Circuit rejects assortment of legal theories challenging workplace vaccine mandates (not religion - due process and equal protection). www.denvergazette.com/2025/10/23/1... via @denvergazette.com
10th Circuit rejects assortment of legal theories challenging workplace vaccine mandates
The Denver-based federal appeals court rejected an array of legal theories on Tuesday that challenged employers’ ability to impose COVID-19 vaccination requirements under the U.S. Constitution, laws g...
www.denvergazette.com
October 24, 2025 at 9:30 PM
10th Circuit rejects assortment of legal theories challenging workplace vaccine mandates (not religion - due process and equal protection). www.denvergazette.com/2025/10/23/1... via @denvergazette.com
Reposted by Maxwell Smith, PhD
AMA Journal of Ethics will cease publication at the end of this year. journalofethics.ama-assn.org/home
Journal of Ethics | American Medical Association
Explore peer reviewed ethics content on clinical ethics, medical professionalism, and health equity. Free monthly issues in the AMA Journal of Ethics.
journalofethics.ama-assn.org
October 21, 2025 at 8:30 PM
AMA Journal of Ethics will cease publication at the end of this year. journalofethics.ama-assn.org/home
"Why should some have to bear the costs of others' freedom?"
NEW: The Idaho Medical Freedom Act makes it illegal to require anyone to take a vaccine or receive “medical intervention.”
Leslie Manookian, the activist behind the law, hopes to make it a “societal norm” for the rest of the country.
Leslie Manookian, the activist behind the law, hopes to make it a “societal norm” for the rest of the country.
Idaho Banned Vaccine Mandates. Activists Want to Make It a Model for the Country.
The Idaho Medical Freedom Act makes it illegal to require anyone to take a vaccine or receive “medical intervention.” Leslie Manookian, the activist behind the law, hopes to make it a “societal norm” for the rest of the country.
www.propublica.org
October 20, 2025 at 10:30 PM
"Why should some have to bear the costs of others' freedom?"
Reposted by Maxwell Smith, PhD
October 15, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Reposted by Maxwell Smith, PhD
"No IRB in the world would approve it." That's what every researcher has told me about saline placebo trials to test vaccines we already have.
The CDC just got rid of its entire IRB. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
The CDC just got rid of its entire IRB. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
‘Instability and whiplash’ as CDC slashes 1,300 jobs before reinstating half
Trump administration says 700 notices were sent in error, while former top CDC officer says ‘they didn’t think through what they were doing’
www.theguardian.com
October 14, 2025 at 8:56 PM
"No IRB in the world would approve it." That's what every researcher has told me about saline placebo trials to test vaccines we already have.
The CDC just got rid of its entire IRB. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
The CDC just got rid of its entire IRB. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
"Staff with the CDC’s institutional review board, which reviews the design of studies, and the ethics office, which oversees all conflicts and interests for CDC leaders and advisory committee members, were also let go."
👀👀👀
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
👀👀👀
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
‘Instability and whiplash’ as CDC slashes 1,300 jobs before reinstating half
Trump administration says 700 notices were sent in error, while former top CDC officer says ‘they didn’t think through what they were doing’
www.theguardian.com
October 15, 2025 at 12:09 AM
"Staff with the CDC’s institutional review board, which reviews the design of studies, and the ethics office, which oversees all conflicts and interests for CDC leaders and advisory committee members, were also let go."
👀👀👀
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
👀👀👀
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Reposted by Maxwell Smith, PhD
"A key aspect of the way we lived with each other before these self-styled epochal developments [post-2020] involved exactly the “social shame and cultural pressure” that Klein and other influential voices now come to condemn"
tapping the 'bring back shame' sign
www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...
tapping the 'bring back shame' sign
www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...
October 14, 2025 at 10:37 PM
"A key aspect of the way we lived with each other before these self-styled epochal developments [post-2020] involved exactly the “social shame and cultural pressure” that Klein and other influential voices now come to condemn"
tapping the 'bring back shame' sign
www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...
tapping the 'bring back shame' sign
www.bostonreview.net/articles/how...
"These findings suggest that COVID-19 may have created a new year-round baseline for work absences that is similar to influenza season conditions before the pandemic"
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
Enduring Outcomes of COVID-19 Work Absences on the US Labor Market
This cohort study examines the extent to which COVID-19 continues to generate work absences and decrease labor force participation beyond the pandemic period in the US.
jamanetwork.com
October 14, 2025 at 1:04 PM
"These findings suggest that COVID-19 may have created a new year-round baseline for work absences that is similar to influenza season conditions before the pandemic"
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...
DEI counters prejudice and discrimination that otherwise bias evaluations of merit. DEI *is* a merit principle.
"Restore the merit principle," I scream, having apparently developed selective amnesia about losing my job based on a complete and total lack of merit
October 14, 2025 at 2:08 AM
DEI counters prejudice and discrimination that otherwise bias evaluations of merit. DEI *is* a merit principle.
It should be easy to commit to collecting speed data for one year following the ban, compare with historicals, and remove the ban if speeds were found to have increased. Also, keep track of lost revenue.
A pilot ban, if you will.
(Not that we really need more evidence.)
A pilot ban, if you will.
(Not that we really need more evidence.)
Doug Ford announced the banning of speed cameras & this is the frame & key msg the PCs want us to remember.
"Folks, we're putting money back in your pockets & we're going to make the streets a lot safer because we're investing in the proper infrastructure that will make your community safer."
1/?
"Folks, we're putting money back in your pockets & we're going to make the streets a lot safer because we're investing in the proper infrastructure that will make your community safer."
1/?
Ontario to introduce legislation banning speed cameras – September 25, 2025
YouTube video by cpac
www.youtube.com
September 30, 2025 at 12:32 AM
It should be easy to commit to collecting speed data for one year following the ban, compare with historicals, and remove the ban if speeds were found to have increased. Also, keep track of lost revenue.
A pilot ban, if you will.
(Not that we really need more evidence.)
A pilot ban, if you will.
(Not that we really need more evidence.)
Reposted by Maxwell Smith, PhD
Sheer hypocrisy from Kennedy as he derails UN declaration on non communicable chronic diseases eg diabetes , lung disease, autoimmunity instead making accusations about abortion and gender that have nothing to do with declaration.
US refuses to back UN declaration on noncommunicable diseases
General assembly backs new targets on cancer, diabetes and heart disease but Robert F Kennedy Jr objects
www.theguardian.com
September 27, 2025 at 7:10 AM
Sheer hypocrisy from Kennedy as he derails UN declaration on non communicable chronic diseases eg diabetes , lung disease, autoimmunity instead making accusations about abortion and gender that have nothing to do with declaration.
Are red light cameras next? Stop-arm cameras on school buses? License plate readers? Motion detectors? Laser tripwires in museums???
September 26, 2025 at 11:59 AM
Are red light cameras next? Stop-arm cameras on school buses? License plate readers? Motion detectors? Laser tripwires in museums???
Reposted by Maxwell Smith, PhD
Wakefield taking a victory lap.
September 24, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Wakefield taking a victory lap.
Reposted by Maxwell Smith, PhD
Trump’s attack on vaccines yesterday — delivered from the White House — “was the most dangerously irresponsible press conference in the realm of public health in American history” @pauloffit.bsky.social told us.
More on Trump’s false claims with @lenasun.bsky.social
More on Trump’s false claims with @lenasun.bsky.social
‘Based on what I feel’: Trump escalates attack on childhood vaccines
Trump promoted long-debunked claims that vaccines can cause autism as he called for changes to the childhood immunization schedule sought by anti-vaccine activists.
www.washingtonpost.com
September 23, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Trump’s attack on vaccines yesterday — delivered from the White House — “was the most dangerously irresponsible press conference in the realm of public health in American history” @pauloffit.bsky.social told us.
More on Trump’s false claims with @lenasun.bsky.social
More on Trump’s false claims with @lenasun.bsky.social
Reposted by Maxwell Smith, PhD
Covid vaccines protect children from severe disease. Here is the evidence www.statnews.com/2025/09/19/c... via @statnews.com
"Over & over again, Covid-19 has shown it can cause severe disease in children, disease that is preventable by a safe and effective vaccine."
#VaccinesWork
"Over & over again, Covid-19 has shown it can cause severe disease in children, disease that is preventable by a safe and effective vaccine."
#VaccinesWork
Covid-19 vaccines protect children from severe disease. Here is the evidence
“Over and over again, Covid-19 has shown it can cause severe disease in children, disease that is preventable by a safe and effective vaccine,” writes former CDC Director Rochelle Walensky.
www.statnews.com
September 19, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Covid vaccines protect children from severe disease. Here is the evidence www.statnews.com/2025/09/19/c... via @statnews.com
"Over & over again, Covid-19 has shown it can cause severe disease in children, disease that is preventable by a safe and effective vaccine."
#VaccinesWork
"Over & over again, Covid-19 has shown it can cause severe disease in children, disease that is preventable by a safe and effective vaccine."
#VaccinesWork
Reposted by Maxwell Smith, PhD
“You used to be able to say anything” comedians never been more quiet in their lives
September 18, 2025 at 2:14 AM
“You used to be able to say anything” comedians never been more quiet in their lives