PROACTIVE TIMES

I have been highly critical of the Ontario Provincial Government recently regarding their "response" to the covid 19 pandemic. They haven't done much right over the last few weeks and months and I've been loud and eager to point out their shortcomings. I have also been expressing my wish for a government to become more "proactive" in their thinking, rather than "reactive", which is what we've been plagued with. I have also challenged many facebook friends with my views and have engaged in somewhat heated debates with them about this topic. Today, I challenged them to become more proactive and think ahead 6 months and come up with ideas to get us safely to the beginning of summer in these "pandemic" times. I have challenged myself as well, and this is my 6 month ( or longer ) proactive view.

1) In 6 months, the pandemic will still be with us. And I believe that we will be preparing for a third wave of covid 19. I can only hope the third wave will be less severe than the second wave, but we can't be certain of this. So, I am going to assume that, as we enter the summer 2021 and head towards fall, we need to plan for a third wave. And, even if a third wave doesn't materialize, we know that there will be a new pandemic just a few years ( decades ? ) away. So this alone makes me proactive. But there's more.

2) There is plenty of empty or even abandonned real estate in Ontario. If a third wave arrives, these spaces should be put to use. We know that Long Term Care ( LTC ) in Ontario has been a disaster ( more about this later ), so these empty buildings should be taken over NOW by the province and renovated/repaired to become new LTC facilities. We also know that our hospitals and especially their ICU's have been overwhelmed by covid patients. We should set aside some of these buildings as exclusively ICU hospitals dealing with covid patients. This will free up our existing hospital spaces for regular patients. Let's get at this NOW instead of waiting for the third wave.

3) LTC has been a gong show. We need to move NOW to remove LTC from private corporations and put them all directly under the control, ownership and supervision of the province. Make them an offshoot of the Ministry of Health. Make all workers at these facilities well trained, well paid professionals who work at ONE facility only. Make sure these workers have all the PPE they need to do their jobs. Remember, I'm thinking of 6 months down the road, but we should do these things NOW. We have failed our elders, and this is a stain on our society. We must fix it, regardless of cost. 

4) Six months from now, the weather will be warmer and the temptation to gather in larger groups for parties, and in bars and restaurants will be stronger. If our numbers of covid infection begin to decline, we still have much to worry about because not enough of these partiers will have been vaccinated against covid 19. Thus, the risk will still be there and the spread will happen, contributing to the third wave I discussed above. NOW is the time for the province to get serious about these large gatherings. Let's discuss enforcement and consequences for those who flagrantly disregard the established protocols. Let's talk about cottagers on the Canada Day weekend, or backyard barbeques, or bush parties. Let's establish tough penalties for those who attend these things. Let's throw people in jail and give them permanent criminal records for offenders. Let's raise fines of businesses who operate in contravention of provincial rules. Let's get tough NOW and then let everyone know what risks they run of they flaunt protocols .... and let's actually DO these tough measures instead of just talk about them.

5) We need to force people to get vaccinated against covid 19. No more talk of making it "optional" and "respecting people's rights" when they refuse the vaccine. We got rid of polio in the 50's and 60's because we forced people to get their children vaccinated. Let's do the same now. In six months, I want to see the majority of the province vaccinated, and those who refuse to vaccinate hit with severe fines and even jail time for this refusal. If they feel that their rights are being violated, they should be reminded that, with rights, comes repsonsibility. Also, if they feel that they are living in a Draconian society, we should encourage them to leave by making their names known so that they become ineligible for education or employment in Ontario. And we should deny them any health coverage under OHIP or other provincial medical insurance programmes. Time to get tough, people.

I humbly submit these for your consideration. These are my efforts at being proactive in the case of covid 19. Now, it's your turn.