Dear Reader,

I want to talk to you about behavior modification. Specifically, what motivates you?

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is increasing taxes on sugary drinks by an extra .20/litre. They say they want to become the healthiest province in the country by 2031.

It’s a laudable goal. The province has long been a national leader for obesity. And the healthcare costs of an unhealthy, aging population are more than N.L. can afford, either fiscally or demographically. But is a punitive tax sufficient to create the desired outcome in this case? I doubt it.

So, what does it take for people to change their ways for their own good?

Seat belts saved lives long before legislation was in place, but it wasn’t until there was a clear law with enforced penalties that people reliably buckled up. The same goes for a lot of criminal behaviors: people keep doing it as long as they’re getting away with it. Getting caught and paying the price, coupled with a classification that this is illegal behavior, seems to keep most people in line.

Which brings me, in a roundabout way, to Covid-19 vaccines.

An aggressive awareness campaign combined with free vaccinations and convenient mass clinics have been enough for most Canadians to line up for their shot in the arm. Still, a considerable number of people – including thousands here in Atlantic Canada – have refused to wear masks, let alone get vaccinated.

Alberta tried to cajole the reluctant with a $100 gift card incentive, but it wasn’t enough to prevent one of the highest per capita infection rates in Canada. For whatever reason, the deniers argue that it’s their body, their choice.

Canada’s laws are meant to balance individual freedoms with our collective obligations to society. As an example, smoking isn’t illegal - you just can’t smoke in someone else’s space without their adult-consent permission. The vaccines don’t just protect the individual; they help protect the larger population.

Failure to act in the interests of the greater good typically comes with punitive fines or imprisonment. Curiously, with the Covid vaccines, governments and employers are giving anti-vaxxers exactly what they asked for: freedom of choice.

With the vaccine passports that are increasingly mandatory around the world, you can choose to get double-vaxxed and continue to be part of the larger society. Or, you can choose to stay unvaccinated and live apart. Freedom or segregation: the choice is yours.

Dawn Chafe Executive editor & co-owner dchafe@atlanticbusinessmagazine.ca P.S. In case you were wondering, 100% of Atlantic Business employees chose to be double-vaxxed months ago. Proud to say no official policy or management directive required!