Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
quarters of 2003. Industries that bore the brunt of the contagion included tourism
and hospitality and the film industry. Toronto's film, television, and commercial
business—the largest in canada—brought in a billion dollars per year, and it was
badly damaged by the epidemic of 2003, as foreign production houses withdrew
their operations. according to Joe Halstead, commissioner of economic development
for the city of toronto, the SarS epidemic resulted in a decline of production,
resulting in a loss of CA$163 million (roughly 18 percent) for the film sector in
2003 (Porter 2004). commercial production in the city exhibited a similar decline of
ca$32.8 million in 2003 (roughly 20 percent) (Porter 2004). these statistics were
compiled from permit applications that production houses must file with the City of
toronto. tourism in Ontario also took a significant hit as a result of the epidemic.
the city of toronto estimated a drop in tourism of 18 percent during 2003, largely
as a function of the epidemic and its after effects (Porter 2004). according to
Jeff Dover of KPMG, the SarS epidemic resulted in the loss of approximately
ca$993 million in the tourism sector of the canadian economy during the second
and third quarters of 2003 (Spears 2003).
Macro Level
SarS seems to have been largely responsible for a pronounced economic downturn
in ontario, canada's largest province, where it resulted in two consecutive quarters
of economic decline in 2003. Ontario finance minister Gregory Sorbara noted that
the widespread decline was 'an economic downturn that was driven by SarS'
(little 2004). according to Ministry of Finance estimates, ontario's real GDP fell
by 0.7 percent in the second quarter, and by a further 2.5 percent decline in the third
quarter of 2003. Fortunately, the economy rebounded in the fourth quarter when
growth reportedly increased at a rate of 4.5 percent (little 2004). the minister of
health for ontario during the epidemic, tony clement, revealed that SarS had
cost the province's healthcare system ca$945 million as of 27 June 2003. cost
increases were associated with extra staffing needs, special supplies required to
protect healthcare workers, and expenditures to build specialised SarS isolation
and treatment facilities (little 2004). altogether the best-guess estimate is that the
contagion cost Ontario at least CA$1.5 billion in 2003, a significant blow to
the canadian economy.
Effects on Domestic Governance in Canada
Given that the SarS epidemic would seem to have ushered in a new era of increased
cooperation between states for the purposes of health, it is ironic that the epidemic
revealed significant problems in governance within those sovereign states most
affected by the epidemic (namely canada and china). Fidler (2004) and Huang
(2003) have published exhaustive works regarding the effects of the SarS contagion
on governance within china. the effects of the contagion on governance in canada,
