A few days ago, after reviewing statistics, scientific data, political pressure and economic implications, the WHO withdrew their advisory against travel to Toronto.
Unfortunately, the removal of the WHO advisory doesn't automatically erase the ex-officio private travel advisories of families, and friends who are not so quick to trust politicians and bureaucrats.
In a way I can't blame them. Would you have blind faith in a system which, in our province, doesn't count some patients stuck in hallways because there's an empty bed in a room somewhere else? Across our country, confidence in the health system erodes as people sense that politics has taken precedence over patients.
A few weeks ago, an older friend of mine went to “Urgent Care” at the hospital after a painful fall. She waited for 4 hours and eventually sat with a doctor for about 5 minutes. He advised her to take some Tylenol for a bruised muscle. A little over a week later, she went somewhere else. They actually ordered an x-ray and discovered the arm was broken. She commented on her loss of confidence in the system.
Even doctors disagree. One doc at a local clinic still wore her mask this week. Is she overly cautious or are others overly careless?
I know some skeptical folk are still advising family and friends against travel to Toronto. I guess it'll take more than official pronouncements and $1 Blue Jay tickets to alleviate the fear of SARS.
This whole situation parallels another “travel advisory” which has haunted my neighbourhood for years.
I have reacted strongly to outsiders who advise against travel to my neighbourhood because it's “too dangerous there.”
I've heard it often. They'll cite anything from crime, drugs, HIV, Hep C, prostitution, gangs, cockroaches, cons, crooks and panhandlers as reasons to avoid our fair community.
Several years ago, I met a young couple in a local coffee shop. They were “researching” our community before deciding whether or not they would move here.
The only things they knew about our neighbourhood was what they saw in the media or heard from friends and family. Unfortunately, most of that information was negative. Before dismissing the idea, however, they decided they would meet with some residents. They had some basic questions for me.
They asked, “Is it safe to come down here?” I answered, “Yes!” I couldn't offer an ironclad guarantee, but I wouldn't do that in any neighbourhood. I did, however, introduce them to healthy and happy families living without fear in the West End.
We discussed the convenience, affordability, services, and ethnic diversity of the neighbourhood. We checked out a few large renovated character homes. I could tell they were falling in love with our neighbourhood.
After awhile, they asked their toughest question. “How do you handle caring parents and friends who warn us against living here or threaten not to visit if we move?”
I asked if she had any specific examples. Apparently, this woman's mom warned that if this couple moved into our “bad” neighbourhood she might call CFS because she considered that a move which would put her grandkids “at risk.”
Now that's an ominous travel advisory!
It’s not just official bureaucratic “travel advisories” that hurt communities. These ex-officio and mis-informed travel advisories can have a serious detrimental impact on the economy, self-perception and social fabric of a city like Toronto or a neighbourhood like mine.
I'm not in denial. We definitely have some problems in our neighbourhood.
But it doesn't seem to matter to these outsiders that 95% of all people in our neighbourhood have no involvement in those problems.
It doesn't matter that these things are not normally communicable through casual contact. Most crime in our neighbourhood befalls those already involved in criminal activity or rotten relationships.
Sometimes the desire to protect ourselves takes priority over any desire to educate ourselves about real or imagined risks. You can spend a lifetime avoiding “bad” neighbourhoods, shunning suspicious people, dodging mosquitoes and every other imaginable risk. Or you could take a little time to check the facts about those perceived risks.
In case you're wondering about that couple I met in the coffee shop - they've been living in the area for several years now.
As we fix homes, fight crime, and start businesses we're grateful for those who help us spread the good news. We continue to work to abate every risk, and joyfully anticipate the lifting of every travel advisory.
Rev. Harry Lehotsky
514 Maryland Street
Winnipeg, Mb R3G 1M5
(204) 775-4929
lehotsky@escape.ca