Regional dissonance

Cedric’s Correct Opinions
3 min readApr 16, 2021

Ontario is, for the moment, totally screwed when it comes to Covid-19 and how the provincial government is responding to it. We’ve been screwed even before the first state of emergency when our premier told us to just enjoy our March Break and don’t worry.

I have been incredibly blunt in my criticism of the provincial government and our premier. You may have seen my post on all three major social media sites (yes, even Facebook when I once used it) that the premier of Ontario can kiss my Black ass. I still maintain that statement, some 400 days into the pandemic running its course through our province. I absolutely have a deep contempt for this provincial government and you can find millions of people like me around the province who definitely agree with me.

I was born in London, in this province, nearly 30 years ago. I have lived in this province for my entire life. What you may not know is that I have roots in another province. Nova Scotia, three provinces east of us, is where most of my mother’s own family lives. My mom is one of literally a handful of people in the family who have left the province. After the first wave in Ontario seemed to subside, I took a look at the “Atlantic bubble” concept that kept cases low in the four provinces east of Quebec. Apparently, you have to isolate for two weeks upon entering the Atlantic provinces. Aside from that, you can travel across provincial borders of those four without having to isolate.

It feels beyond parody to sticker on a car with Ontario license plates to “go home” without understanding the context of why that car is there. It also feels like something out of The Onion that on Twitter, a Halifax regional councillor implied that Atlantic Canada’s success against Covid had a lot to do families who have been there for 4–5 generations who know each other, always follow the rules. It felt like the word “white” could have been slipped in there somewhere and have been redundant. 4–5 generations of you people, compared to my own family who has been there for hundreds, on top of the fact that we’re all on stolen land? It also feels like an absolute joke that in Ontario, we’re getting talked down to by people who don’t bother to understand the nuances of this province. Getting talked down to by people I share a common culture with.

While it is honourable that these four provinces were able to pursue this Covid Zero strategy, we need to admit that it kinda has some xenophobic tinges in it. In Ontario, we enjoy comparing Doug Ford to Donald Trump, but perhaps the comparison could be warranted somewhere else.

I shouldn’t have to get defensive about the province I live in, especially when it is helmed by an asshole like Doug Ford. To the rest of the country, either help us as best you can or get out of the way.

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