Thought of the Day - January 20 - Atlantic Lessons

Elsewhere in the world the word of the success in managing the COVID crisis by our Atlantic provinces is spreading. Phases like the "New Zealand of North America" are being used.

The simple truth is that, despite significant outbreaks in all but PEI, the Atlantic Provinces have achieved a death-rate that is fifteen times less than the Canadian average, and thirty times less than neighbouring Quebec. Sure geography and low population density has helped, but fairly sensible policies that focused on travel restrictions and of course solid community response were the main reasons.

Moreover, while their economy has suffered significantly, unlike much of Canada it is more from external factors (shutdown of global tourism and world demand/prices for resources) rather than being self-inflicted. As a result, the Atlantic Provinces also managed to fare slightly better economically in 2020 than Canada overall.

Atlantic Canada captured our imagination with the "Atlantic Bubble". While this burst late last year (a testament to proactive travel management), I am sure it will be resurrected again this spring. Meanwhile BC seems to be mulling over how to restrict travel from other parts of Canada. The news is reporting we are seeking legal advice as to what is and isn't allowed. Rather than reinventing the wheel we should look at what worked on the other coast. The first step is to implement a two-week quarantine for any travelers to the Province, enforced on the major routes from Alberta and, as much as provinces are allowed, at the airports. The second is to properly implement geographic zones with understandable restriction levels that people can fully get behind. And the list goes on. At present BC has the lowest per-capita numbers outside of the Atlantic Provinces - if we emulate them this may be our chance to join them in their success.

Cheers

Cliff