Credit: Govt. of B.C.

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Is it time for a new face and voice on B.C.’s pandemic response?

Nov 25, 2020 | 4:44 AM

KAMLOOPS — DARE I SAY IT? Dare I utter the words?

Is it time for Dr. Bonnie Henry to turn over the reins of B.C.’s pandemic response to someone else?

Yes, the Bonnie Henry with the fan clubs and folk songs, whose funky shoes and statement necklaces and “Be calm, be kind, be safe” advice have become such a part of pandemic-era lore.

But she’s losing control of the anti-COVID-19 battle.

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Remember, early this year when, as if speaking patiently to a child, she told us masks were of no value? We forgave her because other experts were making the same mistake.

Since then, though, she continues not to trust us with specifics on where cases are occurring, except for identifying certain bars and long-term care homes.

She refuses, too, to approve use of the federal contact-tracing app.

Henry is also capable of parsing words when it suits her, such as her insistence that public schools are not actually public so shouldn’t be included in the masking mandate for public and retail premises.

Dr. Henry believes she can convince people to do the right thing but that approach alone doesn’t work. The result is an inconsistent mish mash of decrees about who can do what, who can close and who can stay open and under what conditions.

This week, seniors advocate Dr. Isabel Mackenzie’s proposal to use rapid testing on staff at long-term care homes got the brush-off from Henry.

Indeed, the biggest scar on Henry’s record is the long-term care situation. Those facilities continue to be hardest hit despite measures that were supposed to fix the problem. That’s on Henry’s shoulders.

She could, conceivably, stay on as health officer, but maybe John Horgan has to step up, as other premiers have.

At the least, Henry needs a break. She has been our hero, just what we needed, but bringing in some new energy seems like a good idea.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.