Some policy changes brought on by pandemic should be permanent, say Canadians

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – While many aspects of normal life remain restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s also a list of things governments have loosened up on, from alcohol delivery, to court proceedings, to virtual health care.

And while the crisis isn’t expected to end any time soon, it some new polling data from the SecondStreet.org think tank finds most of us want those loosened restrictions to continue post-pandemic.

That’s especially true when it comes to health care. Second Street found that 91 per cent of Canadians want home delivery of medication by pharmacies to be a permanent option.

There’s also strong support — 87 per cent — for virtual doctor appointments, and high demand — 81 per cent — to continues allowing prescription renewals without a physician’s sign-off.

The highest level of support for most of these measures was recorded in Quebec, Manitoba, and New Brunswick, with women over the age of 35 across the board more likely to favour continued relaxation of these medical and pharmacy services.

[pdf-embedder url=”https://www.citynews1130.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/sites/9/2020/05/13/Policy-brief-–-Red-tape-poll-results.pdf”]

A smaller majority have been enjoying the ability to order alcohol with take out meals, or having cannabis delivered to their homes legally.

“Support for these moves is more likely among those in households earning over $80K annually,” the survey results read.

Second Street wants to take this one step further, and is pushing governments to consider appointing standing red tape committees to seek out regulations that need to be updated or removed.

“This could help ensure government regulations are amended regularly and are responsive to society’s evolving needs,” the survey authors add.

The think tank notes it’s common for governments to establish temporary committees, which provide recommendations that are implemented at a later date. However, the implementation phase often takes place years after reviews are conducted.

These findings are sourced from a national online survey of 1,526 adult Canadians between May 1st and May 3rd.