Good Vaccine Hunting
It is challenging to overcome the apparent limitations of the glossary of the terms that pervade urban policy. This week we were faced with the concept of the region. When asked what the Toronto region was, my peers and I came up with questionable characterizations of the region, pointing to factors such as the scope of typical commutes, the attributes of the land that could be seen by the map, the proximity to the city and more. The answer is that the Toronto region can be defined in a multitude of ways (including the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area, the Greater Golden Horseshoe, and the Toronto-Waterloo Innovation Corridor).
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, I hadn’t thought about regional governance, but as a self-proclaimed vaccine hunter, I quickly become familiar with the regional jurisdictions and more specifically their public health units.
While I understand that regions with higher population densities, areas with a higher proportion of commuters and regions that have more people that are unable to work from home will have higher positivity rates, it was naïve of the government to think that regional distinctions would be the best route to manage the spread of the virus. A study conducted on the regional lockdowns found that people left a higher restriction zone and visited a lower restriction zone in order to engage in in-person economic activity (visiting local businesses like malls and restaurants) and the rate at which this travel occurred depended on how close an individual was to the boundary of the restricted region (though the study noted that the lockdowns generally had no impact on mobility except when fatigue with lockdown measures reduced compliance and increased movement). Without restrictions on individual movement, which would likely be highly unpopular from the public and elected officials, not to mention virtually unenforceable, this approach might not be the best choice available.
COVID-19 crosses borders. That is something that has become abundantly clear over these past few years. Consequently, thinking that using a binary and restrictive border approach within the country for a city that has over 25 municipalities and 4 (or more depending on your definition of the Greater Toronto Area) regions that rely on the work and opportunities within that city was just not feasible.
Regional action could be the answer to solving the COVID-19 spread but in collaboration with one another and without decisions that create divisions between neighbours. Regional governments have scope beyond municipalities and if used efficiently and effectively a COVID-19 response that works can prevail.
