What’s next? Vaughan has highest number of jobs in York Region that can't be done remotely

Who should be prioritized when it comes to vaccination amid its intermittent supply?

Yorkregion.com
April 26, 2021
Dina Al-Shibeeb

Vaughan continues to have the highest confirmed and active COVID-19 cases in York Region. As of April 20, there are 17,727 confirmed cases in Vaughan, out of the total of 42,505 in York Region.

While there are a myriad of reasons over why this is the case, data from new research by the Toronto Region Board of Trade’s Economic Blueprint Institute could possibly explain why COVID-19 incidents are higher in Vaughan.

Their data shows how there are nearly 75,000 jobs related to manufacturing, warehousing and logistics in Vaughan that cannot be done remotely, making the city having the highest number of these sectors’ employees who cannot work from home in York Region.

The board’s data shows how there are more than 105,000 manufacturing, warehousing and logistics jobs, constituting 57 per cent of more than 183,000 jobs at the Goods District in York Region, that cannot be done remotely. 

While manufacturing in Vaughan had long-flourished due to the city’s proximity to the Toronto Pearson Airport and other major highways, making it home to several large distribution centres and warehouses, even before the pandemic fewer people were able to work from homes with their Vaughan jobs.

Pre-pandemic, there were over 470,000 overall jobs in York Region with just over 52 per cent of the jobs having no capacity to work remotely. Vaughan had about 58 per cent of its overall 170,000 jobs that couldn't be done remotely.

The data, however, is seen as helpful in charting how to prioritize vaccines amid its intermittent supply as countries around the world race to jab their residents.

“Early research suggests that workplace-based vaccination would be more effective than an only vocation-based vaccine rollout strategy,” said Marcy Burchfield, VP of the Economic Blueprint Institute. “Meaning we should be prioritizing regions of essential work like Peel if we want to be successful at reducing transmission of the virus.”

In its April 7 press release, the institute’s findings mainly focused on the region of Peel, which has confirmed cases of at least 86,255 as of April 21.

“The reality is that the people of Peel have taken on a disproportionate share of the risk of COVID-19 exposure, because the Peel region is where many of our essential workers live and work,” it said.

The institute’s data shows how Peel Region has one of the lowest capacities for remote work in the entire Toronto Region with 53 per cent of the 608,000 workers in that region needing to be on-site for work.

“As evidenced by the spike in COVID-19 cases in Peel, the missing link in Ontario’s vaccine rollout strategy is that the government and employers should work together to deploy the vaccine to those who are the most exposed,” Jan De Silva, President and CEO of the Toronto Region Board of Trade, said.

As debate continues over vaccine rollouts, local residents too have contacted the Vaughan Citizen to express their concerns over COVID-19 rules violations.

Before Ontario’s lockdown, a reader sent a photo of a soccer match at Woodbridge College Park in early April. The reader said there were 21 men at the park.

Vaughan-based Julie Pauletig recalled an experience when she visited a gelato or café bar and noticed a gathering where none of the patrons were wearing masks.

Since March last year, York Region’s Public Health Inspectors, municipal bylaw officers and other enforcement agencies completed 54,591 inspections, resulting in 1,157 charges and 26,415 compliance education activities.

Violating rules or the concentration of manufacturing jobs in Vaughan continue as reasons on what’s the main COVID-19 driver in the city, but the institute’s data brings a much-stronger explanation.