There are many great reasons to live in the riding of Parkdale – High Park. One of them is accessibility to vaccines. Such as the Healing Source Pharmacy on Bloor West near Runnymede which now has Covid-19 vaccine walk-ins. Another one is responsible businesses such as my favourite Korean restaurant Ka Chi on Bloor West near Windermere which advertises that all their employees are fully vaccinated.
I say responsible because a vaccinated person is far less likely to contract Covid and spread it. So, while vaccination is a personal decision, not vaccinating can have serious consequences resulting in hospitalization, long-term illness and death. Therefore, it makes sense to encourage vaccination to protect the public.
Unfortunately, in T.O. not everyone has easy access to vaccines. Some people work long hours, cannot afford to take time off, or have small children to take care of. Consequently, both employers and governments could do more to promote vaccination. For example, the US is already providing tax credits to encourage people to get vaccinated. It would be great if similar policies were to be adopted here in Canada. We are in the middle of an election campaign, so, if you meet your local candidates it might be a good idea to ask them, what is your party going to do to encourage vaccination if elected?
Insurance companies are already providing discounts to those that get vaccinated. It is only fair since those that choose not to get vaccinated pose a higher public risk and therefore a higher insurance risk. Consequently, anyone getting a vaccine may receive financial remuneration, while anyone deciding to not get vaccinated will not receive this economic benefit. Furthermore, anyone not getting a vaccine will have to pay for expensive Covid tests to attend public gatherings such as a concert, sporting event, or to travel by plane or train. While those fully vaccinated will not require tests. So, it will become very expensive to not get vaccinated soon.
Those claiming that using financial incentives to encourage vaccination is somehow tyrannical should note that tyrannies take arbitrary measures, and these incentives are not arbitrary. These are fair and reasonable incentives made with the sole purpose to protect the public. It only makes sense that anyone taking an unreasonable risk should be held at a minimum financially accountable for that risk. While those getting vaccinated should receive compensation for spending their valuable time to help protect our community.
High Park Engineer 