Alan Taylor

Lifetime learner and traveler. The only asset in life is time.

[Jas Johal @JasJohalBC]

Never forget it was Metro Vancouver Mayor’s who gave political cover to the NDP to kill the 10 lane Massey Bridge Project. The cost of of an 8 lane tunnel will be significantly higher than the $3.5B for the bridge. #bcpoli #vanpoli

[Warren Kinsella @kinsellawarren]

She flat-out lied about the law. He called her on it, and it was something to see.

[Lindsay Shepherd @NewWorldHominin]

The National Police Federation, representing approx 20,000 RCMP Members across Canada, has written to the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, @MarcMillerVM, to call for an urgent inquiry into the planning, approval, and funding of the CBC/APTN "prank" production.

[Alan Taylor @AlanRTaylor]

@Dave_Eby The @bcndp canceled the Massy Tunnel replacement and gave up hundreds of millions in sunk costs. Bridge would have been completed and paid for in 2022. What is the cost of your tunnel expected to be? When will those commuters have relief to be with their families?

[The Vancouver Sun @VancouverSun]

Vaughn Palmer: B.C. premier upset courts accepted his use of the word 'must' https://t.co/eIPE0RFo0U

[Althia Raj @althiaraj]

The five #NDP candidates unite to speak in favour of a policy resolution calling for a mixed member PR system with design recommendations via a citizenship assembly, and implemented without a need for a referendum. (It passed.)

[Selina Robinson @SelinaMRobinson]

And @KahlonRav called me ‘emotional’ when I pointed out that there was antisemitism in the @bcndp caucus …. Such hypocrites. #bcpoli

[Alan Taylor @AlanRTaylor]

@TealePB you said the sale price of townhouse project near Mount Doug Secondary would be $900K. Can you send me the link to support your comment?  The 4 townhomes on Ash Road are selling for $1.225 M each. What is the price of “Missing Middle” housing in your mind?

[Alan Taylor @AlanRTaylor]

https://t.co/PxHgEYy4Cd

[Alan Taylor @AlanRTaylor]

Ironic that @Dave_Eby was disappointed that the Federal budget did not allocate $ for the Massey Tunnel replacement. His government stopped the bridge that would have been finished in 2022, and paid for. Why ask all of Canada to fund your error? $100’s of millions wasted #bcpoli

[Alan Taylor @AlanRTaylor]

@ColinPlant2022 2026 Tax Hike Of 8.74%? In what world do you think Saanich citizens can continue to pay property tax increases each year that are well beyond the rate of inflation? 8.02% tax hike in 2025 and 7.93% hike in 2024. CPI is 2%. Council pay 🆙34% since 2018. #bcpoli

[Alan Taylor @AlanRTaylor]

@BCFerries 4 sailing wait at 3 PM….

[DrDemetre @dr_demetre]

My resignation letter from CDC.

Dear Dr. Houry,

I am writing to formally resign from my position as Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective August 28, 2025, close of business.   I am happy to stay on for two weeks to provide transition, if requested.

This decision has not come easily, as I deeply value the work that the CDC does in safeguarding public health and am proud of my contributions to that critical mission. However, after much contemplation and reflection on recent developments and perspectives brought to light by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., I find that the views he and his staff have shared challenge my ability to continue in my current role at the agency and in the service of the health of the American people. Enough is enough.

While I hold immense respect for the institution and my colleagues, I believe that it is imperative to align my professional responsibilities to my system of ethics and my understanding of the science of infectious disease, immunology, and my promise to serve the American people.  This step is necessary to ensure that I can contribute effectively in a capacity that allows me to remain true to my principles.

I am unable to serve in an environment that treats CDC as a tool to generate policies and materials that do not reflect scientific reality and are designed to hurt rather than to improve the public’s health.  The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people.   The data analyses that supported this decision have never been shared with CDC despite my respectful requests to HHS and other leadership.  This lack of meaningful engagement was further compounded by a “frequently asked questions” document written to support the Secretary’s directive that was circulated by HHS without input from CDC subject matter experts and that cited studies that did not support the conclusions that were attributed to these authors.  Having worked in local and national public health for years, I have never experienced such radical non-transparency, nor have I seen such unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people.

It is untenable to serve in an organization that is not afforded the opportunity to discuss decisions of scientific and public health importance released under the moniker of CDC.  The lack of communication by HHS and other CDC political leadership that culminates in social media posts announcing major policy changes without prior notice demonstrate a disregard of normal communication channels and common sense.  Having to retrofit analyses and policy actions to match inadequately thought-out announcements in poorly scripted videos or page long X posts should not be how organizations responsible for the health of people should function.  Some examples include the announcement of the change in the COVID-19 recommendations for children and pregnant people, the firing of scientists from ACIP by X post and an op-ed rather than direct communication with these valuable experts, the announcement of new ACIP members by X before onboarding and vetting have completed, and the release of term of reference for an ACIP workgroup that ignored all feedback from career staff at CDC.

The recent term of reference for the COVID vaccine work group created by this ACIP puts people of dubious intent and more dubious scientific rigor in charge of recommending vaccine policy to a director hamstrung and sidelined by an authoritarian leader.   Their desire to please a political base will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults.  Their base should be the people they serve not a political voting bloc.

I have always been first to challenge scientific and public health dogma in my career and was excited by the opportunity to do so again.  I was optimistic that there would be an opportunity to brief the Secretary about key topics such as measles, avian influenza, and the highly coordinated approach to the respiratory virus season.  Such briefings would allow exchange of ideas and a shared path to support the vision of “Making America Healthy Again.”  We are seven months into the new administration, and no CDC subject matter expert from my Center has ever briefed the Secretary.  I am not sure who the Secretary is listening to, but it is quite certainly not to us.  Unvetted and conflicted outside organizations seem to be the sources HHS use over the gold standard science of CDC and other reputable sources.  At a hearing, Secretary Kennedy said that Americans should not take medical advice from him.  To the contrary, an appropriately briefed and inquisitive Secretary should be a source of health information for the people he serves. As it stands now, I must agree with him, that he should not be considered a source of accurate information.

The intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines favoring natural infection and unproven remedies will bring us to a pre-vaccine era where only the strong will survive and many if not all will suffer.  I believe in nutrition and exercise.  I believe in making our food supply healthier, and I also believe in using vaccines to prevent death and disability.  Eugenics plays prominently in the rhetoric being generated and is derivative of a legacy that good medicine and science should continue to shun.

The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning.  My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so.  I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud.   I am resigning because of the cowardice of a leader that cannot admit that HIS and his minions’ words over decades created an environment where violence like this can occur.  I reject his and his colleagues’ thoughts and prayers, and advise they direct those to people that they have not actively harmed.

For decades, I have been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community when it comes to critical health topics.  I must also cite the recklessness of the administration in their efforts to erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research to support equity as part of my decision.

Public health is not merely about the health of the individual, but it is about the health of the community, the nation, the world. The nation’s health security is at risk and is in the hands of people focusing on ideological self-interest.

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunities for growth, learning, and collaboration that I have been afforded during my time at the CDC. It has been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated professionals who are committed to improving the health and well-being of communities across the nation even when under attack from within both physically and psychologically.

Thank you once again for the support and guidance I have received from you and previous CDC leadership throughout my tenure. I wish the CDC continued success in its vital mission and that HHS reverse its dangerous course to dismantle public health as a practice and as an institution.  If they continue the current path, they risk our personal well-being and the security of the United States.

Sincerely,

Demetre C. Daskalakis MD MPH (he/his/him)

[Craig Baird - Canadian History Ehx @CraigBaird]

On this day in 2016, The Tragically Hip gave their final concert. Performed in their hometown of Kingston, it aired live on CBC TV and radio, and streamed on the Internet.
The concert was watched by 12 million Canadians, one-third of the country.

📸 David Bastedo

[Alan Taylor @AlanRTaylor]

@MacLeodLisa @PierrePoilievre @MarkJCarney When your salary and living expenses are #Taxpayer funded, it’s easy to spend $$$.

[Karm Sumal @KarmSumal]

I don’t understand voters who can never criticize the party they voted for. This level of fiscal incompetence is beyond comprehension and the NDPs feet should be held to the fire. We aren’t stupid, the tariffs are a distraction and yet, some of you folks eat it up.

The BC NDP supporters who continue to support them no matter how badly this Province is run, who hurt you!?

You can’t pay for shit if you don’t build an economy. How is that so hard for people to understand? We should be expanding our Asia Pacific ties. Investing in our entrepreneurs. Keeping talented folks here.

Do we care about BC’s future? It can and should be the best Province in the country. The economic mismanagement has got us here. Let’s be better and get some fresh voices in the room. These old heads and their homies don’t have a clue. We definitely have money to piss away. Let’s use it to build the province, not whatever the hell is going on in BC right now. I’ve never seen it this bad. This is worse than the 90s NDP era.

[Leigh 🇨🇦🍁 @blackwidow_94]

I’m a Canadian woman and the only time I felt unsafe was when this person and her domestic terrorist friends organized an illegal occupation of Ottawa.

When they terrorized people and tried to overthrow our government. One we elected.

She needs to be in jail. Period.

[Alan Taylor @AlanRTaylor]

‘In the first budget introduced by Horgan’s finance minister Carole James, there was $550 million for contingencies. Over this year and the next two, Eby has budgeted $12 billion in unallocated funds.’

No accountability. #bcpoli https://t.co/hw43CdZ5xA