On Sat, Oct 22, 2022 at 12:10 PM Kris Langenfeld <kris@mayorkris.ca
<mailto:kris@mayorkris.ca>> wrote:
Hi Yvonne
Apologies for taking so long to respond.
Thank you for your questions. I have provided my answers to them
*below*.
─────────────
Kris Langenfeld
Candidate for Mayor of the City of Toronto
/Because the people of Toronto deserve better…/
*MayorKris.ca* <
https://MayorKris.ca
------------------------------------------------------------------------
On 2022-10-11 3:09 pm, Yvonne Garson wrote:
Hi Kris:
Thank you for running for Mayor.
I have a few questions for you below.
Yours Respectfully
Yvonne Garson
Scarborough, Ontario
1.Are you for or against COVID-19 mandates?
I oppose vaccination *mandates* for a combination of reasons;
COVID-19, while extremely serious and potentially deadly, has
around a 2% death rate and, while that is far from trivial, it is
also far from something like Ebola with a mortality rate in excess
of 90%; secondly, the COVID vaccines that we have are nowhere near
as effective as, for example, vaccines for polio, small pox,
measles, etc, particularly when it comes to preventing infection
and transmission (although they are relatively effective at
reducing hospitalizations and deaths); thirdly, existing COVID
vaccines require repeated annual, or even more often, vaccination;
and finally, government acting to compel or coerce people into
medical treatment is an exercise of power that represent the
upmost limit of government authority, and as such it requires the
most irrefutable of justifications; and for the preceding reasons,
compulsory COVID-19 vaccination doesn't meet that very high bar of
justification.
1.a Are you for or against MRNA vaccine mandates?
mRNA is a comparatively new treatment which, despite many decades
in development, hasn't yet amassed the irrefutable study results
such as those that exist for traditional vaccines; that reality
would tend to mean that an even higher level of justification is
necessary for governments to compel citizens to take them. But,
of course, no one is being compelled to take an mRNA vaccine as
traditional, non-mRNA, vaccines are also being offered for
COVID-19. I do recommend that everyone should seriously consider
getting vaccinated for COVID, as vaccination is shown to reduce
the strain on our hospitals and could also potentially benefit
others in our society; on the other hand, it is wholly
inappropriate to seek to address the chronic under-funding of our
hospitals by taking away individual freedom of choice and informed
consent around any types of medical treatment.
1.b How do you feel about Toronto Public Health pushing these
vaccine?
Public Health's mandate is to protect the health of the people of
Toronto; so them “pushing” vaccines, and other health related
issues, really is the reason they exist. Unfortunately, the
unrefuted report of Chief Medical Officer Dr. Eileen de Villa
being in a conflict of interest, having failed to disclose and
recuse herself from decisions regarding vaccine manufactures that
reportedly funded her husband's research, and the subsequent
failure of Toronto Public Health to follow its own guidelines in
regard to that apparent conflict of interest, calls into question
the integrity of that board's members, and therefore all their
decisions and actions. Sadly however, an apparent lack of
integrity seems connected to everything John Tory has a hand in,
even long before COVID; and it is as a result of that reality that
I felt compelled to run against him.
1.c Are you for or against MRNA vaccines for children?
I consider that to be a decision for the parent(s)/guardian(s) of
each child to make. The refusal of government and public health
officials at all levels to engage in conversation, and failure to
share scientific justification, seems to create doubt where none
might otherwise exist. If I had children, I would have a
difficult time making that decision, but I would certainly give
very serious consideration to having them vaccinated.
1.d How do you feel about Toronto Public Health pushing these
vaccines for children?
Again, “pushing” what they believe is the correct course of action
is Toronto Public Health's mandate; but, as mayor, I would require
a complete change of tactics, requiring TPH to engage in
conversation, answering questions, and presenting scientific
justification for their recommendations, as opposed to the
strategy under the current administration, with them apparently
believing that government exists to order citizen to comply with
government opinion.
2.Are you for or against COVID-19 lockdowns?
I consider lockdowns to have been justified during the first year
or so of COVID, before vaccines were approved and available to the
at-risk public. Prior to widespread vaccine availability those at
risk had no viable means of protecting themselves, and, therefore,
draconian measures temporarily limiting all our freedoms were
justified by the lack of alternatives. Particularly so when one
considers that, for example, in April/May 2020 New York City was
reporting a death rate of 9–10% for those COVID infected, with
people literally dying outside while waiting to be admitted to
overwhelmed hospitals. Once vaccines became available however,
and those who wanted to were able to get vaccinated, despite the
vaccines' less that perfect effectiveness, the justification to
restrict people's freedoms came, for the most part, to an end;
“for the most part” because some situations (hospital workers,
long-term care workers, etc) could potentially continue to justify
restrictions which aren't justified for the rest of the population
as a whole.
3.How do you feel about the truckers freedom convoy to Ottawa?
It began as a protected exercise of protest. Some aspects crossed
the line into illegality (particularly: horns at night, blocking
streets to prevent the freedom of movement of others, threatening
and/or violence where that reportedly occurred, etc); but the
proper response to those illegal activities was for law
enforcement to enforce the law in relation to the violations of
the law (some of which is reportedly what was happening), but not
to declare an end to the right to protest by declaring the Freedom
Convoy, as a whole, illegal. Responsibility for the problems
lands at the feet of the politician(s) who treated, what began as
a wholly lawful exercise of democratic rights, with distain and
ridicule rather than the respect each elected official owes to the
population they represent. In that, and every other similar
situation, the proper response would have been for police to
repeatedly and clearly notify those present of the specific
actions that the protesters were engaging in that were deemed
illegal (e.g. blocking the public use of roads) and police should
have been ticketing/arresting/towing those engaged in illegal
activities while leaving those engaged in lawful protest to
continue their lawful, vital to democracy, Charter protected,
activities.
4.How do you feel about media censorship?
Typically, “media censorship” refers to government acting to limit
the ability of media to report, and in that context I support the
common belief that freedom of the press is vital to a healthy
democracy. But from the context, I get the feeling that you are
asking about media self-censoring; and in that context, I would
have to say that freedom of the press includes the right of media
to decide what it does and doesn't consider worthy of reporting or
appropriate to report. We are fortunate, in this day and age,
with the technology that we have, to be in a situation where
literally anyone can become a media outlet; and, subject to
publication of the truth which is regulated largely by lawsuits
for defamation and liable, the willingness of people to support
alternative media sources determines whether or not they continue
to persist. Any other alternative would ultimately involve
government telling media what to do, which is bound to turn out
poorly for society as a whole.
4.a How do you feel about Toronto Public Health censoring Dan
Harman talking about the death of his son Sean?
I just watched the video
<https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/all-he-wanted-to-do-was-play-hockey-grieving-dad-says-pfizer-shot-killed-his-17-year-old-son/>
of the Toronto Board of Health - Jan 17th/22 and I don't see what
you call “censoring” him from talking; quite the opposite in
fact. I don't mean to imply that they were particularly helpful
to him, and they naturally weren't able to give him the answers he
is seeking, but I don't believe, in that example that I found,
there was any censorship occurring. Sadly, I can point to far
more pointed examples of censorship by Toronto boards under John
Tory's leadership; and the reality of that truth causes me concern
for the future of our society.
4.b How do you feel about report of conflict of interest related
to Eileen Devilla?
I was surprised when I initially heard of it; I was disappointed
when it wasn't denied when I brought it up at the May 2022 TPH
meeting in Dr. de Villa's presence; and I think the fact that the
undenied illegal activity is simply ignored, treated as if it is
acceptable, is indicative of the widespread corruption associated
with John Tory's leadership of the city.
5.How do you feel about schools teaching gender identity related
matters?
It is appropriate for schools to discuss the subject of gender
identity with children to the extent that children should be
taught that, as in all other cases, no one should be mistreated or
suffer harm at the hands of others because they are different than
the rest. It is however inappropriate for school systems to force
teachers to go beyond that very low requirement, into what some
have argued amounts to promotion of alternative identification. The last census reported 0.3% of Canadians identify as other than
the binary gender they were born to; I certainly don't see any
reasoning to support discussion of the topic in schools exceeding
that percentage of total time/resources allocated to all
sex/sexuality related matters discussed with students.
6.How do you feel about farms being forced to reduce their
nitrogen fertilizer usage?
That isn't a municipal issue (I don't know of any substantial
farming operations within Toronto); and, as such, I really don't
believe that I am informed enough on the topic to render an
opinion here.