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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, Ja nu ar y 6, 20 22 | 6 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 70 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 Donna Luelo Director of Content Lee Ann Waterman Regional General Manager Nelson Parreira Regional Director of Media Heather Dunbar Advertising Representatives Fran Hendry, Katrina Anderson, Jan Bodanka, Matt Miller, Lisa Humphreys, Cassandra Dellow, Zaid Shahabuddin, Managing Editor Robyn Wilkinson Online Editor Loraine Centeno News Editor Ned Bekavac Reporter Bill Jackson CONTACT US Waterloo Chronicle 219 Labrador Dr. Suite 203, Waterloo, On., N2K 4M8 Phone: 519-886-2830 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 EDITORIAL The best thing we can do to get through the COVID-19 pandemic and this latest Omicron surge is to get vacci- nated and follow public health protocols. To those still unvaccinated, we say in all good faith that the evidence is irrefutable for joining the great majority who have followed the advice of experts around the world. There is a difference between private and public health. Choose not to take your heart meds, that's up to you, because the consequences are on you. But the conse- quences of declining to be vaccinated are on everyone. You are more likely to get the virus and spread it. You are far more likely to end up in hospital or an ICU bed, forcing cancellations of other vital procedures. With the Omicron wave, that's already happening again. To understand the dangers of exponential growth, consider the story of the chessboard and the grain of rice. There was an emperor who loved chess. A wayfarer came to the realm. The emperor challenged him to a game. When the traveller won, the emperor asked what he wanted as a prize. The wayfarer asked only that the emperor put a sin- gle grain of rice on the first square of the chessboard and double it for each ensuing square. One, two, four, eight, 16. It seemed like a modest prize. But by the 20th square, the deposit was a million grains. By about the 30th, a billion. The reward for the final square alone was more than 18 quintillion grains. In all, about 230 billion tons of rice. That is exponential functioning. That's the risk of viral spread unchecked. That's what craters health-care systems. The best ways to prevent it? Physical distancing and masks to limit transmission. Vaccines to reduce the chance of contraction and to diminish the consequences if we do. This is not just a personal decision. It is a decision made for the public good, which trumps individual freedoms in all manner of ways. There is, granted, the matter of trust. The vaccine was developed quickly. We are being asked to step into terra incognita. It would be nice to have 100 per cent guarantees that there is no risk. But certainty is rarely on the menu in life. What we do, generally, is rely on the expertise of others and trust that regulators do their best to ensure standards are met. We get on highrise elevators without insisting on seeing the maintenance chart. We board airplanes with- out demanding to inspect the pilot's flying record. If we insisted on doing our own research on every daily decision, we'd do nothing, go nowhere and end up huddled beneath the bed in terror -- assuming, of course, we'd assembled it ourselves. There may be reasons to be hesitant about vaccina- tion. But there are virtually no good reasons. Get vaccinated, just as quickly as you can find a shot. It really is the very least you can, and should, do. VACCINATION MORE CRITICAL NOW THAN EVER It's about trust. Our rela- tionship with our readers is built on transparency, hon- esty and integrity. As such, we have launched a trust initiative to tell you who we are and how and why we do what we do. This article is part of that project. A specific concern was heard in 2021 when Torstar formed 16 advisory councils to meet with editorial lead- ership teams across Onta- rio to discuss community issues: local charities and non-profits are in need of support. The issue was heard across Ontario among the nearly 400 community lead- ers participating, and to ad- dress the growing need, Torstar is launching a spe- cial program to provide lo- cal charities and non-prof- its with $2,022,000 in free ad- vertising in the next calen- dar year. "This is a massive under- taking and commitment for us, but we heard from every advisory council the chal- lenge that small- and medi- um-size charities have in reaching the people who need their services. We're hoping to help change that," Jordan Bitove, co-owner of Torstar and publisher of the Toronto Star, shared in a newsletter to community advisory members. The program will assist Ontario charities and non- profits through the provi- sion of $2.022 million in free Torstar advertising in 2022 to help communities ad- dress issues that surfaced through Torstar's network of Community Advisory Councils. Readers of Metroland publications in Guelph and Waterloo Region can keep an eye on local advertising in your community paper promoting this initiative and are encouraged to ap- ply by sending an email to TorstarGivesBack@tor- star.com, indicating in which newspaper(s) they would like promotion. Applications will be re- viewed, and once a selected organization has been ap- proved, they will be allotted a nominal budget and will work directly with a local advertising department to book ads. This is an exciting pro- gram that we know will make a difference in our communities, and we're are excited to ring in a new year by giving back. Robyn Wilkinson is the managing editor of Tor- star Community Brands in Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph and New Hamburg and a member of the Tor- star Community Brands trust committee. Reach her at rwilkinson@metro- land.com. We welcome your ques- tions and value your com- ments. Email our trust com- mittee at trust@metro- land.com. TORSTAR GIVING BACK WITH NEW PROGRAM WE'RE ARE EXCITED TO RING IN A NEW YEAR BY GIVING BACK TO OUR COMMUNITIES, WRITES ROBYN WILKINSON ROBYN WILKINSON Column