Just Before the Second Wave Hits

A tree falls in Queen's Park and there's no one there to hear it.

I used my spare time this week to mull over the policy response to the pandemic. Here's where I've gotten to on that.

I can't say I did not see COVID-19, or something like it, coming. Experts have warned about pandemic threats for years.

What I did not see coming was what governments and the public would do in response to the virus. I say this as someone who, for her entire public service career, worked on measures to protect public health from the environmental impacts of pollution.

Air pollution kills about 9,500 Ontarians a year. Since January 2020, COVID-19 has killed about 1,200. If current numbers prevail (but they won't, thankfully) COVID-19 might kill almost as many people in a year as air pollution. 

COVID-19 has killed about a quarter of a million people globally, which is the number of people conservatively estimated to die every year due to climate change.

In theory, human lives are at stake whether you are talking about pandemics or pollution. But, when I used public-health-based arguments as a rationale for government action on air pollution or climate change, the response was always, "whatever we do, we can't hurt the economy." 

Conditioned as I am to trade off one thing (human health) for another (jobs and prosperity) I am utterly stunned that to save lives this time, governments have slammed the lid down on the economy and thrown millions out of work.  

Imagine a government saying about climate change: "We can solve this problem. All we have to do is shrink the global economy by 10% over a three month period and then deal with the fallout, whatever that may be, after that."


Still Not A Member of the Doug Ford Fan Club

A lot has been written recently about Ontario's Premier, Doug Ford, who has shown even he can't screw everything up all the time. He's been praised because he listens to his expert advisors (though he got rid of about 14% of them over the past year) and because he shows compassion for those suffering (but ignored the risk to care home residents for more than a month) and because he can muster a genuine response to the yobs protesting social distancing on the lawn of the legislature (good for him). 

It is true that crises bring out the best in people, but, once the crisis has passed, everyone settles back to their own less-than-best selves. 

For the government, the lingering effects of the lock down are going to create as many, if not more, policy challenges as the virus. But by then, Doug Ford will have gone back to being the guy with no ideas except to cut taxes, deregulate and downsize government. 

He should enjoy his positive press while he can.

More Previously Non-Ironic Signs and Advertisements

Richmond Street: would have been perfect if the beer were a Corona.

Richmond Street: ad copy writers should avoid this phrase for the next few years.

College Street: when did yogurt become a "fix"? 

Spadina Ave: the fine print on the door says:
"A great place to start. A better place to finish."

Thanks for reading!

Order some take out!

Karen