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blogcutterMy partner today expressed the opinion that Ontario is re-opening too quickly. I'm not so sure. Remember back in the days of mass government cutbacks, the folks in power would say things like:
We don't necessarily have to work harder; we have to work smarter
OR
We've got to learn to do more with less. We'll have to put a little water in our wine!
Until the put-upon workers managed, at least in a limited way, to point out that when all the fat has been trimmed, you can still cut some of the meat but then you'll have to limit yourself to just a few priorities and do less with less.
With the pandemic, some have asked "Why are we re-opening bars and casinos before we've properly re-opened schools?" Are they making a valid point or is it just another divide-and-conquer tactic? Or is it both or neither?
In Denmark, they've managed to re-open schools without masks or physical distancing, although they definitely have some strict safety protocols:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/denmark-schools-covid-19-pandemic-1.5720508?cmp=rss
Denmark is not Canada, of course (Hans Island notwithstanding) but there are some similarities. Both have winter, for example, which is one potential obstacle in the way of year-round outdoor schooling.
Denmark is well-respected for its progressive social programs. Canada is... well, working on it. Federalism poses multiple challenges for all the various Canadian jurisdictions. I suspect that's not nearly as true for Danish society, although indigenous issues figure into both countries' institutional frameworks.
Fall and winter are likely to bring a second wave and then we may have to adjust our priorities yet again. On the other hand, we're learning more about the virus all the time and I would hope that that would help. And I do see some hopeful signs. For instance, the Liberals have decided that their first policy priority at their November caucus meeting will be the matter of a Universal Basic Income:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/guaranteed-basic-income-priorities-liberals-1.5721943?cmp=rss
If it ends up being the only lesson learned from the pandemic, it could still have a huge impact!
We don't necessarily have to work harder; we have to work smarter
OR
We've got to learn to do more with less. We'll have to put a little water in our wine!
Until the put-upon workers managed, at least in a limited way, to point out that when all the fat has been trimmed, you can still cut some of the meat but then you'll have to limit yourself to just a few priorities and do less with less.
With the pandemic, some have asked "Why are we re-opening bars and casinos before we've properly re-opened schools?" Are they making a valid point or is it just another divide-and-conquer tactic? Or is it both or neither?
In Denmark, they've managed to re-open schools without masks or physical distancing, although they definitely have some strict safety protocols:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/denmark-schools-covid-19-pandemic-1.5720508?cmp=rss
Denmark is not Canada, of course (Hans Island notwithstanding) but there are some similarities. Both have winter, for example, which is one potential obstacle in the way of year-round outdoor schooling.
Denmark is well-respected for its progressive social programs. Canada is... well, working on it. Federalism poses multiple challenges for all the various Canadian jurisdictions. I suspect that's not nearly as true for Danish society, although indigenous issues figure into both countries' institutional frameworks.
Fall and winter are likely to bring a second wave and then we may have to adjust our priorities yet again. On the other hand, we're learning more about the virus all the time and I would hope that that would help. And I do see some hopeful signs. For instance, the Liberals have decided that their first policy priority at their November caucus meeting will be the matter of a Universal Basic Income:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/guaranteed-basic-income-priorities-liberals-1.5721943?cmp=rss
If it ends up being the only lesson learned from the pandemic, it could still have a huge impact!
