Who we are

Protect Our Province BC is a grassroots group of physicians, nurses, health scientists, health policy specialists and community advocates. We are working together to help people in BC stay safe by sharing accurate information about the COVID-19 pandemic in BC, and advocating for evidence-based policies. Our ultimate goal is to end this pandemic. 

PoP BC formed out of a growing concern about the health policies being implemented in British Columbia. These policies are often in conflict with what is supported by evidence from around the world. A very important part of PoP BC’s work is to make the growing body of credible evidence on COVID-19 easy to access and understand. We believe that it is important for people in BC to be able to stay up-to-date with the latest available science so they can make the best decisions for themselves and their families. 

Members of PoP BC are not paid for this work and provide their time to this cause without remuneration or political agenda. The top goal is to keep people in BC safe. 

The pandemic will end faster if everyone contributes. Because of that, PoP BC does not work alone. We collaborate with other community-based organizations and experts that are aligned with our goals of preventing COVID-19 transmission and infection, and ending the pandemic.

Steering Committee

  • Dr. Karina Zeidler, Co-Founder, MD, and Family Physician, Clinical Instructor, UBC Faculty of Medicine
  • Jen Heighton, Co-Founder, Teacher (BSc Physics), Co-Founder of Safe Schools Coalition BC
  • Kerri Coombs, Community Organizer, Webmaster & Broadcast Technician
  • Jaclyn Ferreira, Researcher & Disability Inclusion Advocate
  • Dr. Lyne Filiatrault, MD, Retired Emergency Physician
  • Dr. Brenda Hardie, MD, Family Physician, Clinical Assistant Professor, UBC Faculty of Medicine
  • Dr. Susan Kuo, MD, Family Physician, Clinical Associate Professor, UBC Faculty of Medicine
  • Kara McNair, BSc (Cmpt Sci), MBA, Software Engineering Leader

Steering Committee members do not receive remuneration and serve on a volunteer basis. Some members are not publicly identified due to concerns of reprisals by employers.

Expert Advisors

  • Dr. Amit Arya, MD, Palliative Care Physician and Lead, Kensington Health, Toronto; Lecturer, Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of Toronto; Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University; Co-Founder, Doctors for Justice in LTC
  • Dr. Amy Tan, MD, Palliative Care & Family Physician, Clinical Associate Professor, UBC Faculty of Medicine
  • Dr. Jens von Bergmann, PhD (Mathematics), Data Scientist & Member, BC COVID-19 Modelling Group
  • Dr. Damien Contandriopoulos, PhD (Public Health) Professor, University of Victoria School of Nursing & former CIHR Applied Public Health Chair
  • Joey Fox, P. Eng, M.A.Sc, HVAC Engineer, Ontario Society of Professional Engineers Indoor Air Quality Advisory Group Chair
  • Dr. Colin Furness, MISt PhD MPH MEd(c), Assistant Professor, Knowledge Management and Information Management, Faculty of Information & Institute for Health Policy Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
  • Dr. Malgorzata (Gosia) Gasperowicz, Developmental Biologist, University of Calgary
  • Dr. James Heilman, MD, BC Emergency Physician
  • Dr. Rob James, PhD (Epidemiology), Member, BC COVID-19 Modelling Group
  • Andrew Longhurst, MA, Health Policy Researcher and PhD student (Political Geography), Simon Fraser University
  • Dr. Tara Moriarty, B.A. B.Sc Ph.D. Associate Professor University of Toronto, faculties of Medicine and Dentistry, Infectious Disease Research Laboratory
  • Dr. Manya Sadouski, MD, Family Physician
  • Dr. Ashleigh Tuite, PhD, Assistant Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto.

Expert Advisors do not necessarily endorse the statements, activities, or content produced by POP-BC. Expert Advisors have agreed, on a volunteer basis, to serve in an advisory capacity to POP-BC. We express our gratitude.

Our Goals

Our goal is to keep BC safe during the COVID-19 pandemic by limiting the spread of COVID-19 to prevent short-term and long-term illness and death for all BC people.

+ Short-Term Goals

To provide an accurate and up-to-date assessment of the pandemic by drawing on the knowledge of subject matter experts, frontline health care workers, and people with lived experience.

To help connect and engage the public with other community-based groups working to fight COVID.

To offer people clear ways that they can fight COVID-19 and protect their communities, and communities across BC.

To advocate for a strategic policy of best-practice elimination as opposed to mitigation which leads to ongoing waves of community transmission. we support reducing and eliminating community transmission to the fullest extent possible.

To provide a public space to talk about the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on marginalized communities, as this information is absent from official briefings from BC Public Health, government, and public policy responses.

+ Long-Term Goals

Eliminate COVID-19 to the greatest extent possible.

Bring about long-term systemic public health policies to make sure that BC is prepared for future pandemics.

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