Author Not Surprised About Controversy Over Former Alberta Chief Medical Officer Hinshaw

Then-Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw updates media on the COVID-19 situation in Edmonton on March 20, 2020. Jason Franson/The Canadian Press

A man who co-authored a book on government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic said he is not surprised about the recent controversy over Dr. Deena Hinshaw in Alberta.

Hinshaw was chief medical officer of health for the province through the pandemic, but was replaced in the fall of 2022, after Premier Danielle Smith came to power.

News recently broke she had been re-hired by Alberta Health Services (AHS), prompting an outcry by some. CBC News has reported the job offer was retracted after the hiring became public knowledge, but details remain cloudy—AHS has said little, other than a short statement on Twitter June 3 saying: “AHS doesn’t speak to personnel matters. Hinshaw is not employed by AHS.”

Marco Navarro-Genie, author and president of the Haultain Institute, said rightly or wrongly, Hinshaw had become a symbol of pandemic restrictions like masking and lockdowns, and for some in the province, a target of resentment.

“People were horribly upset, people had lost jobs … when Premier Smith came in, I think she had pretty much her finger on the pulse of that,” he said.

It didn’t start that way. Initially during the pandemic, said Navarro-Genie, Hinshaw was “lionized” by many in the public, pointing to a Facebook page set up in her honor.

“I don’t remember the exact number, but it was in the tens of thousands of fans,” he said.

But as Hinshaw continued to guide the government’s response to the pandemic, he said, things began to change. The tribute page was taken down after people started posting unkind comments.

Hinshaw gave advice throughout the pandemic to the government of Premier Jason Kenney, and while the provincial cabinet had the final say, both Kenney and Hinshaw started to become lightning rods for resentment over restrictions.

That eventually led to Hinshaw being replaced in November 2022, after Premier Danielle Smith replaced Jason Kenney as premier in October.

“On the question of whether it’s fair or not, the fact is, people wanted Kenney gone, and people wanted her gone. … They were both sort of the most visible part of the receiving end of the anger, because they were constantly on television,” said Navarro-Genie.

In spite of that, Navarro-Genie said he was not surprised when news surfaced earlier in June about the possibility Hinshaw might be coming back.

“I have often thought … even pre-pandemic, that the Alberta Health Services often behaves as though it is an independent entity,” he said. “And so I wasn’t all that surprised that someone would swing around and sort of bring her back in, in that sense, so I don’t think it was a mistake. It seems like a very deliberate attempt at bringing her back because they were upset that the premier had got her dislodged.”

Resignation

The AHS has said it won’t comment, but the controversy has also led to the resignation of a prominent indigenous physician, Dr. Esther Tailfeathers, who was senior medical director of the Provincial Indigenous Wellness Core of the AHS.

On June 20, the Alberta Medical Association Indigenous Health Committee (IHC) posted about her resignation on Twitter.

“Dr. Tailfeathers is a member of the IHC, a highly respected member of our community and a prominent advocate for indigenous health,” the group posted. “The circumstances that led to her resignation have raised questions from the IHC including Indigenous physicians and community members. The impact her resignation will have on indigenous health in Alberta moving forward is unknown, but there is confusion and concern among many.”

“It is critical that the voices and experience of Indigenous Peoples are honored and respected as we work to address health inequities,” it said.

Despite the concern, Navarro-Genie believes any decision not to rehire Hinshaw is unrelated to indigenous health.

“It’s got nothing to do with that … Hinshaw is the issue, and the horrible decision to try to bring her back, given the conditions under which she was let go,” he said.

But he added the provincial government could have done better in how it handled the controversy.

“I don’t think they did a very good job,” he said. “I think that the government was sort of willing to sweep it under the rug and pretend that it wasn’t happening … I think they could have done a better job by putting their foot down and saying that AHS is once again coloring way outside the lines … there’s this denial that that that it was even happening, right? And it’s a new government, people expect a little bit better.”

Meanwhile, the provincial government announced on June 23 that Dr. John Cowell, the official administrator of the AHS, is getting his term extended until at least the end of the year.

Last November, Cowell was hired as the administrator for the AHS to replace an 11-member board that was removed by Smith. That happened not long after Hinshaw was replaced.

In a media release, the government said that “there have been meaningful improvements in Alberta’s health care system, and Dr. Cowell’s appointment has now been extended to the end of the year to continue the work to further improve health care.”

The release quotes Alberta Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange saying: “We already have tangible results Albertans can see. I look forward to working with him over the next six months to continue improvements in health care delivery until a permanent governance structure for AHS is developed.”