Read on Twitter
Amid the discussion of ministers breaking the rules with international vacations, I’ve yet to hear the fact that there are Canadian hotels/resorts that have revamped their operations for guest safety and need money...and these people chose to spend it elsewhere.
You need a vacation? Great! Those businesses need your dollars! You need sun? Buy a SAD lamp like everyone else. Nobody needs to spend an extra .30 on every dollar in Hawaii just to relax. These ministers knew local places were hurting and they spent money elsewhere.
Ski resorts have changed their processes: https://cottagelife.com/outdoors/canadian-ski-resorts-brace-for-changes-during-covid-19/
Hotels have changed their protocols: https://www.allsafeandwell.com
Chambers of commerce have clearly communicated what changes tourists can reasonably expect: https://www.discovermuskoka.ca/covid-19/
I’ve personally never understood the “need” some Canadians have for sun vacations. (And I mean destination vacations, not trips to see family abroad.) But this year especially, “I’m sad! I need light and heat!” is dubious. Of course you’re sad. 15,600 people are dead.
I’m actually not against people with money spending it during times like these. If you have it to spend when so many don’t, it’s miserly to hoard it. But if you represent local interests and you know buying local is the very least you can do: DO THAT. It’s not rocket science.
Who will voters remember more fondly: the government that gave them a wage subsidy, or the ministers who spent their vacation dollars outside the country? Which story sounds better? This is 101 stuff. The only reason to screw up something so basic is apathy and disrespect.
