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.
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.
