The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario says Ontario's new contact tracing app fails to go far enough to ensure safety and create jobs.
President Fred Hahn said the provincial government must immediately increase funding for local public health authorities and municipalities. He said they need support in their role of leading the critical work on the ground in local communities.
The app – COVID Alert – will notify individuals when they have had close contact with a COVID-positive case and direct them to self-isolate.
But the app is voluntary and Hahn is concerned it will not be used on a wide enough scale.
“Techno-fixes that Ontarians are supposed to navigate on a voluntary basis are wholly inadequate replacements for making sure there are boots on the ground,” said Hahn. “We need to invest in people, not apps. The provincial government must immediately increase funding for local public health authorities and municipalities and support them in their role of leading this critical work on the ground in our communities.”
CUPE Ontario’s recommendation would instead create jobs, both in recalling front-line municipal workers who have been laid off and for Ontarians who can be recruited to do contact tracing. Rigorous contact tracing, as opposed to the use of voluntary measures like personal apps, is known to be an effective tool in the fight to flatten the curve, recommended by the World Health Organization during this pandemic and over the course of others.
With parts of Ontario entering Phase 2 of reopening, the need for widespread contact tracing is greater than ever, according to CUPE Ontario.
