Nearly two weeks after the so-called “Freedom Convoy” set up residency in Ottawa, and almost a week after a solidarity blockade began at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Premier Doug Ford announced action against the protest in the form of the third state of emergency he’s declared during his premiership. Protest is fine, Ford said, but the events in Ottawa and Windsor no longer fit that definition. Continue reading “Ford Declares State of Emergency to Deal with Convoy Protests”
On Thursday, members of the Ontario Nurses Association met with Premier Doug Ford in-person to discuss the help that their 60,000 members need right now to hire, retain, and assist nurses through to the end of the pandemic and beyond. “We just need someone to respect us,” ONA First Vice-President Angela Preocanin said in an interview with Guelph Politico after their meeting with Premier, which she says was actually hopeful. Continue reading ““We Just Need Someone to Respect Us.” Nurses Hopeful After Meet with Premier”
Politicians and the public are still trying to make heads or tails of a weekend of protest and chaos in the nation’s capital. From the Prime Minister of Canada to the MPP for Guelph, there was widespread condemnation of the actions of the so-called “Freedom Convoy”, whether it’s the flaunting of public health rules, the use of hate symbols, the desecration of national monuments, and the generous misuse of support for homeless people. Continue reading “Condemnation and Regret After a Weekend of Madness in the Capital”
After being teased through several media sources of Wednesday night, Premier Doug Ford announced (on time) on Thursday morning that the re-emergence from lockdown will begin on January 31. The phased approach will see three-weeks between the initiation of each part of the plan, which Ford and company believes will give Ontario the best strategy to manage both the virus and the economy. Continue reading “New Framework Alert: Ontario Starts Re-Opening on January 31”
Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark held a virtual housing summit on Wednesday with municipal leaders from across Ontario. The goal was to find ways to solve the province’s housing crisis, the twin furies of limited supply and sky-high prices, and all parties say some good progress was made. Guelph’s MPP though has his doubts. Continue reading “Housing Summit Heralded for Progress, Schreiner Still Skeptical”
Remember the Province’s second step in their Roadmap to Reopen? The last time we were down to step two was last July, but Omicron has forced another step backward in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Premier Doug Ford announced on Monday that Ontario will be returning to step two as a “time-limited measure needed to preserve capacity,” and that includes no in-person school for until at least the middle of the month. Continue reading “Ontario Kicks Off 2022 With “Time-Limited” Measures to Stop Omicron”
Yesterday’s announcement from Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore outlined the next phase of the pandemic fight: Kids are going back to in-person school next Wednesday, not everyone will be able to be tested now, capacity limits at large indoor settings will be reduced further, and fourth doses are coming to long-term care residents. Not everyone was pleased with the new directions though, or thinks they go far enough. Continue reading “Lots of Criticism for Ontario’s New Year Pandemic Planning”
This is a politics website, and it’s hard to escape the knowledge that an election is coming next year. Actually, there are two elections coming in 2022, but for the purposes of this lengthy analysis piece, we will focus on the first one, the Ontario provincial election. It’s hard to believe it’s been almost four years since Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives were elected, but let’s look back at how this term began, look at where we are now, and then look at what might be coming next… Continue reading “2022 Election Preview: Pandemic Politics and How Ontarians Will Vote”
In less than two weeks, we enter the year 2022, and that’s an election year in Ontario. In the spring, Premier Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives will aim to make a case that they should be re-elected for a second term, but the knives will almost certainly be out for them. But what about the one Green MPP in the legislature? What kind of year will 2022 be for him? Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #303 – Christmas With Mike”
It’s starting to feel a lot like… earlier this year. Less than 48 hours after announcing the expansion of booster COVID-19 vaccine shots, and a 50 per cent cap on capacity limits at venues for more than a thousand people, Premier Doug Ford announced some additional caps to capacity on Friday afternoon. In other words, one day after saying he didn’t need to put more protocols on restaurants, the Premier has but more protocols on restaurants. Continue reading “Government of Ontario Announces Further Capacity Restrictions”
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