Alberta physician listed on provincial COVID report says he disagrees with findings, demands his name be removed

An expert listed as a contributor to a pandemic review commissioned by the Alberta government has demanded his name be removed from the task force’s report recommending a stop to COVID-19 vaccines, while doctors across the country rejected the document as dangerous bunk.

John Conly, a physician and former head of the University of Calgary’s medical department, on Monday told The Globe and Mail he was not on Alberta’s COVID review panel and never consented to his name being associated with its 269-page report. Further, the Canadian Medical Association and the Alberta Medical Association issued separate statements dismissing the $2-million project as “misinformation.”

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has been a vocal critic of how authorities, including her predecessor Jason Kenney, managed COVID and the report supports many of her positions, including her skepticism toward vaccines and embrace of purported remedies such as ivermectin that lack scientific evidence. The report, which was published on the government’s website Friday afternoon and first reported by The Globe, has reignited the debate over how best to manage pandemics – both past and future.

The report names Dr. Conly as one of its 13 contributors, but the Calgary physician on Monday distanced himself from the document and its recommendations.

“It was a gross error,” Dr. Conly said.

The task force, he added, is working with the Alberta government to delete his name from the report and issue an apology or error notice.

“I’m a big promoter of vaccines,” he added. Dr. Conly said he did a one-hour interview with the task force, just as he did with a federal panel and the World Health Organization.

Shelley Duggan, the president of the Alberta Medical Association, criticized the report on Monday, arguing that the evidence that guided decisions during the pandemic saved millions of lives.

“This report is anti-science and anti-evidence. It advances misinformation. It speaks against the broadest, and most diligent, international scientific collaboration and consensus in history,” she said in a statement Monday. “This report sows distrust. It criticizes proven preventive public health measures while advancing fringe approaches. It makes recommendations for the future that have real potential to cause harm.”

The Canadian Medical Association endorsed Dr. Duggan’s assessment. “This report promotes misinformation and has the potential to create mistrust of the medical and scientific communities,” CMA president Dr. Joss Reimer said in a statement.

Gary Davidson, a physician who opposed Alberta’s pandemic response, spearheaded the review. He defended the document’s contrarian findings, which critics argue lack credible supporting evidence.

“Science is not a narrative or consensus but thoughtful, public discourse,” he said in a statement to The Globe. “An ‘international scientific collaboration and consensus’ sounds like a conspiracy, and I stand firmly against conspiracy theories.”

Dr. Davidson encouraged Dr. Duggan to “read the report and reach out to the task force so we can go over the results with her.”

He did not address Dr. Conly’s inclusion as a contributor.

Spokespeople for Ms. Smith and Alberta Health Minister Adriana LaGrange did not acknowledge a request seeking comment.

Two people listed among the 13 panelists confirmed their participation in the review and said they support the final report. Other members of the task force did not respond to requests for comment, although The Globe was unable to contact two listed participants.

David Speicher, a molecular virologist who is running in the upcoming federal election for the People’s Party of Canada on a promise to support vaccine-injured Canadians, said he was asked last June to review the task force’s chapter on testing.

“It is my expert opinion that the information in the review are the facts,” he said in a statement to The Globe. “Ultimately, the findings may not be what mainstream media or government officials want to hear, but these are the facts.”

Frank Byl, who was named as a contributor and provided IT support to the task force, told The Globe he created infrastructure to help organize data, meetings, documentation and security. He said he agreed to have his name included in the report and supports its findings.

The Globe first reported the existence of the task force and its mandate last April.

The task force was originally advertised as a 10-person group of health professionals from diverse specialties, but its makeup changed over time. Four of the initial members – two doctors who held more conventional views of the pandemic and two others who were critical of vaccines – resigned early on.

The final group, according to the report, includes Jay Bhattacharya, a vaccine-skeptic who is U.S. President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the National Institutes of Health, and two Alberta doctors, Justin Chin and Blaine Achen, who faced professional repercussions during the height of the pandemic for their skepticism of, or refusal to receive, COVID vaccines. Most others on the task force have expressed opposition to pandemic public health restrictions and vaccinations.

Duane Bratt, a political scientist with Mount Royal University in Calgary, said while the report has the appearance of an in-depth study, gaps emerge when the purported evidence and citations are examined closely.

For example, the authors cite a YouTube video of a doctor presenting a report on the use of ivermectin, but fail to mention this report was retracted because of fraudulent data. The task force also emphasized Sweden’s approach to COVID, which did not include lockdowns, but did not compare the country’s death rate to Canada’s, Mr. Bratt said.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that David Speicher is a molecular biologist who has run for the People’s Party of Canada. He is a molecular virologist who is running for the party in the upcoming federal election. This version has been updated.