I am absolutely heartbroken. I have been a #StaySafeAmbassador since the summer. I’ve helped so many others to access free rapid antigen tests, including parents of my kid’s classmates, family and friends, folks in my community, and local business owners. 1/14
I’m a huge advocate for asymptomatic rapid antigen testing to keep our community safer, and our schools and economy OPEN, and today I felt like I was punched in the gut. 2/14
While I value the work that @Communitech does in our community, Matthew Bondy’s messaging on their behalf this a.m. was extremely disappointing and frankly lacked integrity. It felt like volunteers and ambassadors were completely gaslit and thrown under the bus. 3/14
It was implied that we somehow lied or broke the rules in order to get our tests. I filled out my application honestly about what I was planning to use them for-to keep my family safe, to help stop spread in schools and the community, to help inspire local businesses to test. 4/
I’m proud to say I’ve accomplished all of these goals, and not through any deception or rule-breaking. Through social media and person-to-person outreach, like thousands of other ambassadors, I've helped to keep our community safer through rapid antigen testing. 5/14
I would have preferred that the Communitech spokesperson had relayed that the rules had changed and that the ambassador program was no longer in alignment with the goals of the GOVERNMENT. That would have been the honest response. 6/14
Even though I’m now fully vaccinated, I’m still a person with multiple pre-existing conditions that put me at higher risk for complications. I’m also the parent of a child who is too young to be vaccinated, and I know that she has classmates with preexisting conditions. 7/14
Having these rapid tests has given me peace of mind when working with vulnerable populations, and has allowed us to confidently send our child to in-person school. It’s also allowed us to visit with loved ones, which has been huge. 8/14
Without access to rapid tests, we’ll have to go back to cutting off visits, and to a state of high anxiety, worrying every single time someone in our household has a dry throat. It will mean more missed school, more missed work, and more disruption in our lives. 9/14
I don’t understand why the provincial government keeps taking away layers of support for families. First @Sflecce told private schools to stop using rapid tests rather than expanding the program to allow them to be used in public schools. 10/14
Now the Ontario government is taking tests away from people like me who were trying to keep our communities safer. They are pitting community members against businesses with this move, and proving once more that they value profits over people... especially vulnerable people. 11/
Waterloo region was simply trying to step up and fill in the gaps left by this government. We were organized, we were doing good work, and now we are being punished for it. 12/14
Schools and daycares are the business, the essential work of our children, and they deserve to be treated as such. Schools, daycares, and families in Ontario desperately need access to rapid testing. 13/14
Rapid tests literally stop transmission in schools, daycares, and the broader community BEFORE it starts. When Dr. Moore says that one case in a school is leading to 2-4 infections and calls this a WIN, we know we are all being set up to lose. #OntEd 14/14 /fin
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