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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, A pr il 30 ,2 02 0 | 4 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca editorial@waterloochronicle.ca facebook.com/waterloochronicle @wlchronicle WHO WE ARE VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional General Manager Nelson Parreira nparreira@metroland.com Regional Director of Media Heather Dunbar hdunbar@starmetrolandmedia.com Advertising Representatives Cassandra Dellow, Jan Bodanka, Matt Miller, Lisa Humphreys, Sheri-Lyn Blair, Chris Rego Managing Editor Robyn Wilkinson Online Editor Adam Jackson Reporters Bill Jackson Namish Modi CONTACT US Waterloo Chronicle 475 Thompson Dr. Cambridge, ON N1T 2K8 Phone: 519-886-2830 Fax: 519-623-9155 Web: www.waterloochronicle.ca Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Published letters will appear in print and/or online at waterloochronicle.ca Delivery For all delivery inquiries, e-mail customerservice@metroland.com or call 519-894-3000 OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA LETTERS & COMMENTARY SIDEWALK ETIQUETTE MORE THAN COMMON COURTESY Sidewalk etiquette should be simple these days with fewer people us- ing the sidewalks yet it is not as common as one would appreciate, especial- ly as seniors. My wife, a senior, was walking down Father Da- vid Bauer Drive in Water- loo recently and was ap- proached by a young cou- ple walking their two dogs. Rather than yield to my wife, they evidently thought they had the right of way. My wife had to step off the sidewalk to let them pass, resulting in her los- ing her balance, twisting her ankle, and falling on her face. The fall drove a tooth through her lower lip, cut her chin and bruised her arm. Fortunately, no bones were broken. When the couple asked her if she was all right she said they should have let her pass, to which they re- plied how "rude" she was! Pity that with so many seniors taking the brunt of COVID-19 that those who simply want to get out for some fresh air every few days should risk their safe- ty due to lack of common courtesy regarding side- walk etiquette. BILL BRUBACHER, WATERLOO SOCIETY MUST DECIDE WHAT KIND OF CARE WE WANT FOR OUR ELDERS Having worked in long- term care for over 35 years, I have witnessed many changes: in the type of resi- dent, the level of care, stan- dards and monitoring of quality of life, education demanded of caregivers, design and structure of new builds, to name a few. Nursing in long-term care has become a growing specialty, invaluable in a society demanding profes- sional caregiving for our elders. But some things have not kept pace. Our premier uses the phrase "our valued and most vulnerable." These workers were our valued and most vulnera- ble prior to COVID-19. Where was the concern then? In recent years working conditions, in addition to inadequate remuneration, have not reflected the value of work provided. Many of us have known for some time the situation was a disaster waiting to happen. It is up to us as a society to decide what kind of care we want for our elders. For government to add more legislation is not the answer. Grassroots care provid- ers of all levels need to be consulted and involved in policy formation -- from structure and design of fa- cilities to thoughtful ap- proaches to the quality of life therein. JUDY BAYLY-HANNA, KITCHENER Canadians only had to look abroad, Italy to be spe- cific, to know exactly what we didn't want to risk hap- pening here. A health-care system so overwhelmed that the sick weren't able to get into a hospital, let alone get the care they needed to sur- vive COVID-19. So when governments told people to stay home, stop the spread, flatten the curve, Canadians did just that. And it's been working. But here's the bad news: We're fighting two pandem- ics -- and only one seems to be under control. The other one is happen- ing inside long-term-care homes, homeless shelters, prisons and other group set- tings where people live in close quarters. Those num- bers are growing and, tragi- cally, more deaths will follow. While the call on citizens to be diligent in following public health advice to pro- tect themselves and others goes a long way in determin- ing what happens in the community, it does far less to affect the outcome in those group or "congregate" set- tings. What happens inside those facilities is deter- mined by the regulations and standards governments put in place to control every- thing from staffing require- ments to living conditions. The existing rules (and funding) have clearly not been up to the task and many of the new measures Ontario introduced have come too late or been incomplete. We're witnessing the dire consequences of that, with more than 60 per cent of CO- VID-19 deaths in Ontario oc- curring in long-term care homes alone. Health officials have ac- knowledged that staff work- ing in these homes inadver- tently spread the disease to residents but the Ford gov- ernment was slow to stop staff from working in multi- ple homes. And despite the govern- ment's repeated claims that all the necessary personal protective equipment and staffing help is available, some homes still say they don't have what they need to keep staff and residents safe. Long-term care, with its particularly vulnerable pop- ulation, is the first canary in the coal mine. But outbreaks in shelters and correctional facilities have been on the rise. As Premier Doug Ford put it: "If there was ever a time to see the cracks in the system this is the time that the cracks are showing up. And it's our job as govern- ment to make sure we fix it." He's right. And nothing short of getting Ontarians back to some semblance of normal life depends on his government getting on top of the pandemic in group set- tings. By complying with pub- lic health directives and put- ting their business and per- sonal lives on hold, Ontari- ans are doing what needs to be done to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the general community. What's happening inside long-term care and other group settings is a different problem. And that one is up to government, not the rest of us, to solve. ONE OF TWO PANDEMICS SEEMS TO BE UNDER CONTROL SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA