Roundup: Ford is steering Ontario into the third wave

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Ontario is seeing the biggest rise in the B117 variant of COVID – known colloquially as the UK variant – and yet Doug Ford is promising to start lifting restrictions later this week. We’ve only just gotten first doses to residents of long-term care facilities, and even those vaccinations won’t have a dent in ICU admissions, and yet, Ford and company are barrelling ahead with nonsensical plans. Another example was to delay March Break until April, ostensibly to prevent travel (because there is always travel over holidays), but it seems to also fly in the face of measures related to closing schools to prevent more spread, and that it could have had that utility.

Nevertheless, the province’s own modelling shows a disastrous third wave oncoming because of these more transmissible variants, and point to the need to keep up current restrictions. Ford plans to go ahead with loosening them. And then there was this remarkable exchange where a TVO reporter asked if the province was headed for disaster on this current course, and the public health officials essentially confirmed it.

Ontario is being governed by a group of murderclowns. There is no other explanation.

Good reads:

  • Justin Trudeau says that if provinces don’t step up, he will start going around them on improving long-term care, rapid-testing, and data-sharing around vaccinations.
  • Here’s a look at the current size of the vaccine gap between what has been delivered and what we contracted for by the end of the quarter.
  • Bardish Chagger announced $15 million in funds being distributed to some 76 LGBT community organisations across the country.
  • Omar Alghabra has given the approval to let Air Canada buy out Air Transat.
  • The CRA is hiring 2000 new agents and hiring outside help to answer calls for the upcoming tax season, given the likely complexities with pandemic benefits.
  • The Chief of Defence Staff tweeted about diversity and inclusion in the Canadian Forces, and accompanied it with a photo of all white guys. Sounds about right.
  • DND has said that the Military Police did investigate General Jonathan Vance in 2015 over allegations of inappropriate conduct, but no charges were laid.
  • It looks like Payette’s former secretary, long-time friend Assunta di Lorenzo, confirmed everything in the investigation, and now they are not on speaking terms.
  • The Supreme Court of Canada denied Senator Mike Duffy’s appeal, meaning his attempt to sue the Senate for his suspension is now dead.
  • The CBC has filed a suit in Federal Court accusing the Conservatives of copyright infringement in using their footage in attack ads.
  • Erin O’Toole called up the Acting US ambassador to advocate for Line 5 and Keystone XL (because why not continue to peddle false hope?)
  • O’Toole also told the Vancouver Board of Trade that the Conservative environment plan will get faster reductions without a carbon tax. Sure, Jan.
  • The Bloc have given their demands for the spring budget, and you guessed it – it’s unconditional healthcare transfers to the provinces!
  • Annamie Paul says she’s going to run again in Toronto Centre, instead of actually finding a winnable riding (which is not a sign she’s serious about leadership).
  • Doug Ford insists that (finally deploying) rapid tests will be a “game changer,” but experts dispute that, saying they are only good in limited circumstances.
  • Manitoba performatively contracted to buy the Providence vaccine – which only just started trials and wouldn’t be available until the end of the year at the earliest.
  • Here is a longread about what went wrong with Jason Kenney’s premiership.
  • Heather Scoffield listens in to some of Chrystia Freeland’s budget consultations, and hopes that the plight of marginalized Canadians will be addressed with the recovery.
  • Robert Hiltz boggles at how it took the government two months to waive the CERB repayments they didn’t give correct information on, and the bigger picture it paints.

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