Last Friday, the Toronto Argonauts hosted the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at BMO Field in Toronto. It was a gorgeous evening for football and the Argos, for a change, snatched victory from the jaws of defeat when a game-tying point-after attempt by the Ticats failed (the football hit the uprights and stayed out). Final score: Toronto 17, Hamilton 16.

But truthfully, it was a bittersweet trip to the stadium for my family and I, because the next Argonauts home game is on Sept. 24. And the provincial vaccine passport will be in effect, as that putrid policy kicks off on Sept. 22. (Of note: certain virtue-signalling uber-woke Ontario-based professional sports clubs just can’t wait to ban unvaccinated fans from their playpens. The Ticats implemented their internal mandatory vax policy on Labour Day; the Toronto Blue Jays implemented their mandatory vax policy on Sept. 13.) So it is that when it comes to those teams, in addition to having tickets to gain entry to the stadium, sports fans will be greeted at the gate by a bouncer stating, “Your papers, please!”

And so it was that in Premier Doug “Flip-Flop” Ford’s two-tier citizenship society, I bade farewell to the Boatmen and all the rest of Hogtown’s pro sports teams, given that “my kind” will no longer be welcomed at Ontario’s sports stadia and arenas come Sept. 22. So it is that when it comes to being a spectator, my butt will be occupying the living room’s easy chair as I watch the games on TV.

Then again, maybe these pro sports teams have done me a favour? After all, being denied the privilege of paying $18 for a beer? Paying hundreds of dollars for tickets to a meaningless regular season game? And for what? To watch a club that hasn’t won the silverware in more than a half century (yeah, I’m talking about you, Toronto Maple Laffs)?

But seriously, folks, as we left BMO Field for the last time, my wife, Loryn, had a profound sensation of déjà vu. She’s originally from South Africa. She emigrated to Canada in 1977. Loryn’s seen this sort of two-tier policy before back in her homeland: apartheid. How curious: the odious and racist system of apartheid rightfully made South Africa a pariah in the world for decades. And now this vax pass system is one being applauded by the political elites the world over? Sad. Shameful. Scandalous.