Roundup: Ford playing up the pandemic theatre

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The state of pandemic theatre in Ontario continues to ramp up as Doug Ford’s current campaign about railing about a) vaccine doses, and b) international travellers reaches a fever pitch. Ford is currently making a big dog and pony show about invoking a section of the province’s Health Protection and Promotion Act to mandate testing for air travellers when they arrive because the federal government has not yet done so (they have made the rule that people must get tested before they get on the plane), but what is telling is that Ontario still has done precious little about increasing lab capacity, and we are still lagging far behind on the kind of genomic testing that would help us identify which strains of the virus are being contracted. Additionally, the number of cases traced to international travel has been around one percent, while other case growth remains exponential, which is more proof that this is about theatre, not deal with the real problems.

https://twitter.com/sproudfoot/status/1354498471198416904

In the meantime, Ford government and their allies in certain media outlets have begun waging a campaign against doctors who are critical about the government’s lack of response, particularly about the carnage in long-term care facilities. One doctor has had his contract terminated from his position because of his criticism, and the Toronto Suntargeted another doctor that Ford later expressed “concerns” about (completely disingenuously) – though it’s worth noting that Chrystia Freeland has come to this doctor’s defence. It has been noted that this is not the first time that Ford and his people have used these particular tactics against their critics, but the fact that they are doing this to the very doctors and health experts who are trying to chart a course out of this pandemic is galling and rather telling about how this government is more concerned about their egos than they are in doing the right thing to protect the lives of people in this province.

Good reads:

  • Justin Trudeau says that he spoke to the president of the European Commission and was reassured that the vaccine transparency measures wouldn’t affect Canada.
  • Attempts to get COVID immunity data from the population with serological testing is proving slow, in part to the structural barriers of provincial health care delivery.
  • There is a scramble to get smaller syringes that can get six doses instead of five out of the Pfizer vials, but this could also lead to fewer vials being shipped.
  • Bill Blair says that the government is close to a decision on designating some Neo-Nazi and white supremacists groups as terrorists.
  • Steven Guilbeault says new police powers and an independent appeal process could be part of the upcoming plans for social media regulation.
  • A redacted version of the report into Rideau Hall has now been released, that gives more details into the yelling, screaming, and public humiliation reported there.
  • A Federal Court decision just posted lays out how CSIS require warrants to use information collected from some kind of mobile devices (which aren’t specified).
  • The governor of Michigan looks to be making some trouble around Enbridge’s Line 5, which carries crude from Alberta over to Sarnia, and isn’t an export line.
  • Ousted Liberal MP Ramesh Sangha complains his comments were “taken out of context” and he didn’t get due process – but wouldn’t say what that context was.
  • Robert Hiltz makes the case to end for-profit long-term care homes, given the worse outcomes in the pandemic in those facilities.

Odds and ends:

For the CBA’s National Magazine, I took a look into the new round of delays for the government’s promised regulations to lower prescription drug prices.

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5 thoughts on “Roundup: Ford playing up the pandemic theatre”

  1. Some advice for Thug Ford.. do a lot more for LTC facilities, You are presiding over a blood bath, spend the money Trudeau gave you or return it and have your health minister do the job required on testing. Lastly shut up!

  2. I guess this marks the end of Dougie’s camaraderie with his “therapist.” Then again, Freeland used actual words and coherent sentences in her statement expressing solidarity with Dr. Fisman, so it’s possible Dougie didn’t understand. Perhaps to get the message across, she should have threatened Dougie with firecrackers up da wazoo. Now that’s what I call shock therapy.

  3. The CBC has embraced the Ford line and promotes it constantly on the news, casting shadows on the Gov of Canada and the PM. Susan Bonner on the news at 6 is near hysteria and in tears, it’s all about Toronto and Ontario as if that was Canada. No mention of how well places like PEI, Nunavut, NWT and Yukon are doing with vaccinations. Maybe if Ford worked harder and focused instead of attacking those with knowledge things might be different.

    • Larry,

      I am not sure if you are aware, Susan Bonner hosts six editions of The World At Six four nights a week. The first edition is broadcast at 6:00 P. M Atlantic Time (and 6:30 P. M. Newfoundland Time) which would be 5:00 North America Eastern Time. Most likely, most of the vaccination news on that first edition would have been about the Atlantic Provinces.

      Ronald A. McCallum

    • “…how well places like PEI, Nunavut, NWT and Yukon are doing with vaccinations.”

      Really, you are using the four jurisdictions with the smallest populations in Canada as your measure of success?

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