Hi Koliver,
I can fully appreciate the sentiments of coastal BC residents, regarding the statements made in Dr. Henry's briefing. And I don't doubt for a minute the metric stated by yourself that "...there is a significant influx of cases (of Covid) from Washington State, (that) reduced dramatically when the border closed to non-essential tourism." My concern for this sentiment is the lack of supporting metrics regarding the influx of cases of (common colds, tuberculosis, other viral pulmonary infections, hepatitis, etc. pick your poison of choice here) that ALSO reduced dramatically when the border closed.
The reduction of Covid illness attributable to the border exactly matches the definition of a red herring-true unto itself, but misleading or distracting. If you take this border closing to its limit (i.e. close the BC border permanently), undoubtedly the health of the BC population will, at least in the short term, continue to improve. That's a good thing for BC residents, yes? But in the long term, what irreparable damage will have been done to your overall quality of life by the loss of non-essential travellers?
And should this current border closing not be lifted in the near future, coastal BC might well be a cruising paradise for BC residents, but only in the short term. Will you mourn the loss of the Broughton marinas such as Lagoon Cove, Echo Cove, Kwatsi Bay, and others that may well not survive even a single summer of the income from us pesky colonials that admittedly crowd your waterways, but also buy art from your First Nations, support your most excellent marinas, shop in your stores, and take advantage of your (up to now!) famous hospitality?
Something to think about. I'm getting the sense of Not In My Backyard here from many of my BC brethern.
Regards,
Pete
