Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's former top doctor, hired by B.C. public health service
Alberta's former chief medical officer of health has landed a new role in British Columbia.
Dr. Deena Hinshaw, who led Alberta's COVID-19 response, was named a deputy provincial health officer for B.C. on Wednesday.
Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.'s provincial health officer (PHO), says Hinshaw is joining B.C.'s public health leadership team on a six-month contract while one of the province's deputy health officers is away on assignment.
"In her new role, Dr. Hinshaw will support the work of the office of the PHO, while Dr. Martin Lavoie, a deputy provincial health officer, is on temporary assignment," Henry said in a statement announcing the new hire.
"The toxic drug crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing responses to heat, wildfires and outbreaks have shown just how critically important the work we do in public health is in supporting and protecting people and communities throughout B.C.," Henry added.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who has aligned herself with those questioning the mainstream science approach to the pandemic, removed Hinshaw as the province's chief medical officer of health in November, shortly after Smith took office.
The Alberta government paid Hinshaw a salary of $363,633.92 in 2021, while she also took home an additional $227,911.35 in "cash benefits," which can include overtime pay, vacation payouts and a vehicle allowance.
B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix, when asked about Hinshaw's hiring during a news conference in Vancouver, riffed on the "Alberta is Calling" campaign that was launched last year to attract skilled workers to the province.
"B.C. is calling," Dix quipped, adding that he was delighted to welcome Hinshaw to B.C.
"She's not the first doctor to be recruited here from Alberta and certainly won't be the last," the health minister said.
In a written statement, Alberta Health Minister Jason Copping said: "We thank Dr. Hinshaw for her service and wish her well in her new role."
Alberta Opposition NDP Leader Rachel Notley said Hinshaw's sojourn west highlights a disturbing trend of health professionals rejecting the chaos and questionable policy direction in her province's health system under the United Conservative Party government.
"We're seeing and talking to and hearing from more and more doctors who want to work within a stable health-care system, one where science and evidence is the driving force of decision-making and, of course, where they are able to practise their profession in a stable and respectful environment," Notley told reporters in Edmonton.
Alberta has not named a full-time replacement for Hinshaw. Dr. Mark Joffe is serving on an interim basis while continuing in his clinical oversight role as a vice-president with Alberta Health Services.
Smith has also said she wanted to hear advice from Paul Alexander, a one-time adviser to former U.S. president Donald Trump. Alexander has rejected COVID vaccines as “bioweapons.”
Smith blamed both Hinshaw and the leadership of Alberta Health Services for failing to deliver the best advice and care for Albertans as the hospital system came close to buckling in successive waves of the pandemic, which the premier said forced the province to impose freedom-busting vaccine mandates and restrictions.
Shortly after Hinshaw's departure, Alberta's two deputy medical officers of health resigned.
Hinshaw, an Alberta-trained public health specialist, became a celebrity of sorts during the pandemic's first wave in the spring of 2020, as she delivered regular, sometimes daily, updates on the virus, its spread and methods to contain it.
Her face on was on T-shirts, a dinosaur skeleton was named after her and there was a run on a periodic-table-themed dress she wore at a news conference.
But as hospitals were pushed to capacity and mandates were imposed, Hinshaw faced criticism along with the rest of then-premier Jason Kenney's government.
Dr. Andrew Larder, who previously served as a medical officer of health at both Fraser Health and Interior Health, has also joined B.C.'s public health leadership team on a temporary assignment over the next several months, Henry announced.
"I feel very fortunate to work alongside such talented and dedicated public health experts and I know their expertise will be a great assistance as we emerge from the pandemic and continue to address the many public health challenges facing the province," the provincial health officer said.
- With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
'I killed four people': Trial hears video evidence of Jeremy Skibicki at Winnipeg trial
“I killed four people,” alleged serial killer Jeremy Skibicki told two homicide detectives during a recorded interview played as evidence in his trial Wednesday.
AstraZeneca says it will withdraw COVID-19 vaccine globally as demand dips
AstraZeneca said on Tuesday it had initiated the worldwide withdrawal of its COVID-19 vaccine due to a 'surplus of available updated vaccines' since the pandemic.