Ford needs to explore alternatives to lockdowns

[impact]

Lilley hits all the right points offering a direct comparison with BC. No escaping the facts.
Note: According to Stats Can over 800 people in Canada die each and every day for various reasons including influenza.
This is steadily increasing due to population growth.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/...ths-in-canada/

"The old saying goes, when the only tool you have is a hammer, then everything looks like a nail. When it comes to dealing with COVID-19, it all too often appears the only tool the Ford government has is a lockdown."

"Sure, they agreed to minor changes, like allowing restaurants to serve on patios, but that’s hardly ending the restrictions that make Toronto the most locked down major city in North America. Every gym, barbershop, hair and nail salon, and many other businesses remain closed or severely restricted."

"This week I proposed to both Ford and Dr. David Williams, the chief medical officer, that we look at British Columbia and what they’ve been doing. B.C. never imposed the strict lockdowns that Ontario has and yet they have better COVID-19 results."

"Retail stores, restaurants, gyms, youth recreational sports have all remained open – with restrictions – while at times Ontario has imposed full shutdowns. How do you explain that despite this, B.C. has just 1,749 cases per 100,000 of population compared to 2,196 in Ontario and 28 deaths per 100,000 in B.C. compared to 49 in Ontario?"

"Both Ford and Williams tried to claim the same thing, we have a denser population."

“We’re kind of comparing apples and oranges,” Ford told me Friday during his news conference. “We have a much denser population here.”
"The Vancouver area has a much higher population density than the Toronto area and still, they’re doing better than the perpetually locked down GTA. The answers from Ford and Williams tell me they haven’t looked at what is happening in B.C. and don’t want to — they’re wedded to the lockdowns."


"According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, just 55% of small businesses across Ontario are fully open. In lockdown weary Toronto and Peel it’s just 36% that are open."

"Yes, some people are worried about variants and the 1,745 new cases announced Friday, but that’s still less than half of what we were dealing with in mid-January and deaths are down from a high of 100 a day to 10. In long-term care there were no deaths reported Friday."

"Ford has to stop acting like we are in the same situation we were months ago; his cabinet needs to stop being silent and push back on these never-ending lockdowns."

https://ottawasun.com/opinion/columnists/lilley-ford-needs-to-explore-alternatives-to-lockdowns/wcm/6c15dc49-c129-462b-9f1e-ff6a66332b16

[impact]

To put things in perspective.....

[Badenoch]

Ford is going to lean toward the advice given him by public health officials. His choice is listening to business lobbyists about the money being lost or listening to doctors and hospital administrators about the lives being lost. One thing that is certain he's not going to listen to people like Brian Lilley who write in newspapers.

[JBen]

Part of what drives me nuts.

I have zero issues with measures that make sense, etc. And don't or wouldn't mind some pretty strict measures, providing those strict measures are counter balanced. Meaning those being sacrificed for everyone else's well being were adequately compensated. But to do that, everyone would need to ante up. Which they won't. Too many are happy to skate to shore not sacrificing a penny. Especially those in PS/Healthcare officials etc...

So it begs the question, what or who is Ford so afraid of.....Ironic given his election campaign and mantra of being for "the people".

You look at some other jurisdictions that have or haven't be they places like BC or Australia, Hong Kong and others. In many ways we are getting saddled with the worst of both worlds. Worst unemployment, worst debt, worst vaccine rollout etc etc.And the people paying the prices, actually sacrificing as always are forgotten by the left.

So many other things they could have or tried. But nope, lets just throw people overboard.

if there’s a silver lining at least people have stopped saying “we’re all in this together”

[fishermccann]

What would be an appropriate response? Those that have continued working, give up 10-20 % of their earned income to those that have been laid off? Tear up collective agreements? All contracts? Further tax cuts for those that have less income this year? Take more tax from those that continued working? What would have to be done, to those still working full time hours, to make it fair to those who were shut down? Take all the extra income made by big box stores, and give it to the small business that had to shut down? Is everyone still working a liberal supporter and those out of work all conservatives? Not from what I hear, on here. Forgotten by the left? I thought we have a majority conservative government running Ontario?

[impact]

Ford is going to lean toward the advice given him by public health officials. His choice is listening to business lobbyists about the money being lost or listening to doctors and hospital administrators about the lives being lost. One thing that is certain he's not going to listen to people like Brian Lilley who write in newspapers.

What lives being lost? Please provide data.
Ontario Public health officials more intelligent than counterparts in the rest of the country or the world?
Who are these people? What is their credentials? Why do they not provide supporting documentation when requested?
Where is the proof?

All that is shown is fear mongering on their part.
The population is entitled to answers.

[Jakezilla]

Florida and South Dakota the places no one wants to talk about because their numbers go against the mainstream narrative of fear.

[fishermccann]

Why then, were they breaking up crowds on the street , Saturday night in Florida, with pepper spray, for ignoring the 8 PM curfew?

[WillieBeno]

Why then, were they breaking up crowds on the street , Saturday night in Florida, with pepper spray, for ignoring the 8 PM curfew?

Was/ is due to spring break crowds.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertg...h=2c75a9a52a53

[MarkB]

I very much think for Ford (and anyone facing this) ... it's a you're screwed if you do, you're screwed if you don't scenario.
If he doesn't do enough ... then someone starts blaming him for more deaths. If he does too much, business blame him for bankruptcy.
What everyone needs to realize is that people WILL die from this thing ... no one can stop it completely like a switch ... impossible. And I think
MOST would agree there has to be a balanced view ... especially now that much of the FEAR has subsided (people are getting sick of lock downs
even though we still have like 1500 cases a day ... we've come a long way from a year ago, where there were 20 cases total, and everyone didn't
want to step out of their homes).

For me ... the thing that irks me the most is the inconsistency in the rules ... there just isn't any logical reason that you can't TRUST adults to visit their own LOVED ones (parents) safely, but it's okay to be in a Walmart with 1000 strangers brushing each other ... and no the conditions are not safe, people handle/inspect food with their bare hands and then return things to the shelf that they decide not to get, people don't keep 6' apart and often encroach on someone's space because they are impatient, they NEVER clean the credit card machines ... just a piece of plastic over the number pads ... like that will somehow kill the virus.

The government is reacting ... and not thinking things through ... it's like they make panic decisions ... and then use blanket approaches to everything. Why not establish monitoring systems and determine where the virus is breaking out, and employ rules customized to an area? Too much effort? Well then we'll have to keep living with the status quo ...