COVID-19
– Lockdowns - Curse or Blessing?
I know I ruffled a few feathers with my last article
on COVID but I will repeat, “closing down the economy simply means we will have
no money in the near future to create the resources we need to fight this
silent and deadly disease”. Besides,
lockdowns of any kind seem to be indiscriminate and “throw out the baby with
the bath water approach”. For example, churches and restaurants implemented
effective protocols at the start of this and have the lowest infection rates
but now are highly restricted, killing their businesses and a few souls along
the way. The reason lockdowns don’t work is that there is no such thing as a true
lockdown. Are you/we willing to close the hospitals, close all stores including
food and drug stores, shut down the emergency services, close all the highways,
shutdown all your municipal services like water and sewer and restrict everyone
to their home and lock themselves in and wait two weeks? That would be a
lockdown. I will guarantee that would alleviate the short term problem but
there would be a lot more dead people than ever killed by the virus! These new
Regional Coding Levels from Grey to Green simply shift people around and are
causing a greater spread rather than reducing the spread. Have you noticed as
Toronto, Peel and Brampton are in the Grey and York Region in Red that everyone
from there is now driving a little further north and guess what is happening?
Our infection rates are increasing dramatically (why are we surprised?) If we
go into Red, we will drive people further North. It is ludicrous. Instead of
focusing our efforts on fighting and treating the disease where it is, we are
simply making it more widespread infecting more people and negatively impacting
everyone’s health and wellbeing under the guise of a concern for others. It is
also making it more difficult to treat and control. Write this down. If we
continue with this up and down of restriction levels and lockdowns, we will see
this virus impact us all and will see no signs of significant decline (even
with the vaccine) until 2023. Why? It is because we, through our erratic
control mechanisms, have simply spread the disease. If we allowed COVID-19 to
run its course and aggressively dealt with the hot spots and if we all focused
on wearing masks, physical distancing and observed proper hand washing and hygiene,
I do believe the light would start shining and we would see the end of this by
early 2022. That is my prediction. On this point I would like to be wrong!
Springwater Budget – A Different Direction?
I was so pleased to see the leadership at the budget
meetings in the last two weeks being provided by Councillors Cabral, Ritchie,
Hanna and Moore. They seem to understand that this year is not like any other
and that control needs exercised. Through a motion by Councillor Ritchie,
Council provided direction to staff to go back to the drawing board and come
back with a zero tax rate increase. As usual the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and Ward 3
Councillor opposed this move. Even a zero tax rate increase will not mean your
tax bill won’t increase as your assessment might have increased and the tax
rate is applied against that. However, a zero tax rate increase would soften
the blow. I know the senior staff can do it and I hope they heed the direction
of Council rather than skirting around the request and cherry picking
reductions that none of Council would support. That is an old trick that has
been used in the past. In particular, even though supported by a majority of
Council (Cabral and Hanna opposed the recommendation), why would we add dollars
to the library budget for an early education specialist. Education is a Provincial
Tax dollar responsibility and with COVID-19 the Province has ramped up and have
great online learning opportunities that you are paying for with your
provincial tax dollars. Another subject that would add dollars was adding a
surcharge tax for improved broadband service in Springwater. We all agree that
the internet services in Springwater and other rural municipalities is terrible,
but communication is a Federal responsibility and we pay them to provide these
services. The County of Simcoe along with other Counties and Regions have been
lobbying for five years committed big dollars and little has been accomplished
as this is a federal responsibility. Our pittance would make little difference
except adding a burden on every taxpayer in Springwater and like most taxes
would never disappear. Springwater needs to stay focussed on the delivery of
the local services we are responsible for such as Policing, Fire and Emergency
Services, roads, recreation and leave these other “wants” to the levels of
government that are responsible. I thank the four Councillors for being aware
of the challenges residents are experiencing and very disappointed that our two
heads of Council still seem to be disconnected with the reality we are
currently living in.
Virtual Meetings – What do you think?
I know we are all participating in virtual meeting with
various organizations to be safe. However, I belong to an organization that as
soon as restrictions were lifted in June we developed hybrid models to host in
person and virtual participants, and the leadership is attending the live
setting. It is held in a supervised facility. I attend and am in that three
quarter of a century age bracket and I feel safe. We have had about 20 meetings
since then and no issues, as we have well defined protocols and follow the
three Musts (Distancing, Wear Masks and Wash and disinfect hands). As a former
elected official, I find it odd that the current Springwater elected leaders want
to be safe, but have no problem having their emergency services, some
administrative staff, recreation, library and public works perform their modified
functions in the real world. If you have ever attended a meeting in the
Springwater Council chambers, it is ideal to have a physically distanced live
meeting. If nothing else, it shows an appreciation and understanding for
everyone else that must perform their jobs and take calculated risks everyday
to service the needs of us taxpayers along with the many residents that have to
work each day outside their home. But alas, that would take leadership and vision
and, as I have said, there is giant void at this time in Springwater. I raised
the question some time ago during a Council Question Period about live meetings
but the answer was deflected by our Mayor to the CAO who had to parrot that
they are following an option (not a directive) of the Simcoe Muskoka District
Health Unit. That seems to make sense, sort of. If that is the case and policy,
why does the Committee of Adjustment meet in the chamber for their meetings?
Type this link into your browser to view their last meeting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4pxbIdRd-I&ab_channel=SpringwaterTownship
??? Do the two heads of Council think that they and Council are more important
and above everyone else?
