When I went for my annual eye check-up today at Heritage Optometric Clinic in nearby Carleton Place I hadn’t anticipated the thrill of political activism. It turns out that quite unknown to me (admittedly a small confession of ignorance on my part of local public affairs) we old fogeys are about to become embroiled in what I understand to be a face-off between the Government of Ontario and the Ontario Association of Optometrists. If I catch the drift of the dilemma correctly it boils down to enforcement by the government of health service (eye care) at reduced and unsustainable prices to be absorbed by optometrists. It is a significant undercurrent of this congress between the public and the optometrists that a large portion of eye care patients are elderly. Thus sadly am I embroiled in this modern day usurpation.
Before addressing the answer I prefer to reiterate the question; namely, how do Ontariens propose to manage resources for their universal well-being? I cannot think of a topic more deserving of attention than eye care. While I certainly support broadly based endorsement of commercial activity I believe it warrants attention that something as elemental as vision is here in question. Given the magnitude and legitimacy of vision care there is no doubt about the sustainability of its platform other than how not if.