It seems that there are mixed reactions to Doug Ford's $2.5 million investment in contract-tracing bracelets that beep. Both the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association and the Ontario Parent Action Network have taken aim at his government for the decision. Editor's Choice: Sears Canada Is Giving Some Customers Their Money Back Over 3 Years After Closing For some reason, the Ford government has chosen to invest $ in beeping bracelets instead of #PaidSickDays, smaller classes for physical distancing, etc. 🤔Pretty sure no one asked for this. https://t.co/Y67FQEOTXd— Catholic Teachers (@OECTAProv) February 22, 2021 During Monday's press conference, the premier was grilled about the decision by reporters, who pointed out that he's also denied personal support workers a pay raise and paid sick days. "Frankly, a lot of people are calling this a complete waste of money," the CityNews reporter said. Ford defended it, however, calling it a "good investment" that will create new jobs in "software, firmware and hardware engineers and machine learning." "You have to look at the long-term investment and we felt like it was a good investment, so we moved forward on it," he said. The TraceSCAN bracelets, made by a company called FaceDrive in partnership with the University of Waterloo, are designed to beep or vibrate when users are within six feet of one another. If COVID-19 cases are reported, health officials can check an online dashboard to see who may be at risk of exposure. Those who are at risk will then receive a notification, similar to Canada's COVID-19 Alert app. The bracelets are intended to be used by airlines, schools, construction sites, and long-term care homes. They will not be made mandatory, says the government, and are now undergoing pilot tests.
