Expert medical testimony from the disciplinary hearing of a Calgary chiropractor who treated patients while unmasked has been unsealed and is driving debate around the efficacy of masks in preventing the spread of COVID-19..Dr. Curtis Wall, a Calgary chiropractor, fought and won the right to have the transcripts unsealed and made public after months of testimony in front of a tribunal tasked with determining whether he is guilty of “unprofessional conduct” for not following the ACAC’s masking protocols..The Alberta College of Chiropractors (ACAC) implemented public health policies in the spring of 2020, ordering all practitioners to wear a mask at all times, even those with a disability or religious belief affecting their ability to do so..Wall attempted to wear a mask while working for the first several weeks, but found it caused him anxiety and other health problems that he said impacted his patient care. He stopped wearing a mask while working in June of 2020..Although there is no evidence any of his patients were harmed by Dr. Wall’s decision to not wear a mask, a complaint was registered with Alberta Health Services (AHS) in November 2020, his clinic was immediately closed and AHS reported the complaint to ACAC..Wall informed the ACAC he hadn’t been wearing a mask while working due to his health conditions, but the ACAC responded by attempting to suspend his license to practice..Even after Wall provided medical verification of a disability that renders him unable to wear a mask, the ACAC demanded the matter be heard by a five-member tribunal for a full hearing to determine if Wall acted unprofessionally and if he should be disciplined..As part of his defence, Wall submitted scientific evidence in the form of expert reports demonstrating the ineffectiveness of masking for the prevention of transmission of a respiratory virus and the harms caused by masking..Reports in Wall’s defence were submitted by virologist Dr. Byram Bridle, a respirologist and workplace safety expert Chris Schaefer..A hearing was set for July 19, 2021, and although Wall said he provided his expert evidence by the end of April, the ACAC in early July said it had not yet prepared its evidence and requested an adjournment..The hearing started in September and after eight days of hearing evidence over the span of four months, the hearing is set to conclude with two days of closing arguments on April 11 and 12, 2022. .Transcripts of the testimony of each witness were produced and following the last day of testimony, Wall informed the ACAC he would be releasing the transcripts publicly, under his constitutionally-protected right within the open court principle..The ACAC objected citing it had unspecified concerns about the timing of the release and applied to the tribunal for a publication ban..At a hearing in February, Wall’s lawyer James Kitchen — a Calgary civil liberties lawyer — opposed the ban and on March 15 the Tribunal denied the ACAC’s request for a publication ban..Wall was permitted to publish the transcripts — which consist of nearly 1,000 pages of scientific and medical evidence — from his court hearings that show masks are “utterly ineffective and harmful.”.Dr. Bao Dang, an expert in the area of respiratory, said it was “ridiculous” to mandate the entire public to wear masks during the pandemic..In Dang’s report, he pointed to several studies that show masks are not effective at preventing transmission in an operating room setting and thus would not be effective for public use..Dang said masks “do block transfer of large particles” but “the evidence that they are good at reducing infection is not conclusive and is in fact disputed.”.Based on a comprehensive review of masks published in 2014, Dang referenced the literature that concluded, “there is a lack of substantial evidence to support claims that facemasks protect either patient or surgeon from infectious contamination.” .“There has been data showing how incorrect mask applications can actually be harmful,” said Dang in his report..Dr. Byram Bridle provided evidence stating masks “lack the ability to prevent the spread of aerosols” which the SARS-CoV-2 virus is..Bridle said the low-cost masks don’t “seal properly around the face” and most “exhaled and inhaled air will leave and enter via these gaps in the masks.”. Bridle also included details on a recent review of masks during the pandemic which “concluded there are numerous other harms associated with masking” and show they have not been “effective in preventing transmission of SARS-CoV-2.”.An infectious disease specialist provided testimony that included a statement from the World Health Organization saying, “there is only limited and inconsistent scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of masking of healthy people in the community to prevent infection with respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2.”.Since the release of the transcripts, Kitchen informed the Western Standard on Thursday, the ACAC complaints director has accused Wall of breaching the Tribunal’s order..“Since publication of the transcripts in Dr. Wall’s case, the (ACAC) complaints director has taken the position that Dr. Wall has breached the tribunal’s order by publishing the names of his expert witnesses and by commenting on the transcripts,” said Kitchen, calling it a “scandalous accusation.”.“In response, Dr. Wall is seeking to have the complaints director removed for prosecutorial misconduct.”.Kitchen also noted the complaints director has “admitted on the record to having spent over $200,000 of the college’s funds on prosecuting this case.”.All transcripts can be found on the Liberty Coalition Canada website — a Christian-based organization helping fund legal actions through the Liberty Defence Fund to defend rights and freedoms..Melanie Risdon is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.mrisdon@westernstandardonline.com
