The Current for Feb. 17, 2021
Today on The Current:
Countries like Iceland, Sweden and Denmark are moving forward with plans to roll out so-called vaccine passports for individuals who have been inoculated against COVID-19. But some experts say the idea raises ethical and logistical concerns. Matt Galloway is joined by Brian Behlendorf, managing director of blockchain, health care and identity at the Linux Foundation, which is working on vaccine passport software, while Alison Thompson, a bioethicist and associate professor at the University of Toronto, weighs in on some of the concerns around equity.
And last month, 34-year-old Kimberly Squirrel was found frozen to death in Saskatchewan, three days after she was released from prison. Activists and lawyers say her death is part of a bigger trend of how women, particularly those who are Indigenous, are treated when they're released from custody. We speak with Aleida Oberholzer, a criminal defence lawyer in Saskatoon; Patti Pettigrew, executive director and founder of Thunder Woman Healing Lodge Society in Toronto; and Sen. Kim Pate, former executive director of the Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies.
Plus, we speak with New York Times technology reporter Kashmir Hill about her investigation into a Canadian woman now charged with harassment and other offences in connection with years of defaming dozens of people online.