'You're smart buddy, very smart': Your Ontario COVID-19 roundup

Premier Doug Ford was in Woodbridge Friday on a tour of manufacturing sites to promote an initiative to support "Ontario Made" products.

Ford lent his support to the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters' “Ontario Made” program, which will help consumers identify locally made products marked with a logo and listed on a website.

"Promoting locally made products will be essential to building a strong, self-sufficient province and key to our economic recovery," he said.

The province funded Ontario Made to the tune of $50 million through the Ontario Together Fund.

Ford also thanked the manufacturers who quickly retooled to make personal protective equipment for the pandemic effort and said the province is now self-sufficient in that area.

"Today we no longer have to rely on any other country, any other leader in the world, for our vital PPE," he said. "We can make it right here in Ontario, and we're going to keep stockpiling to make sure we're ready for anything."

Finished a week on call. Wore the Woodbridge level 3 mask all week. No itchy face, no urge to touch the mask, comfortable. Hey @BryanHerechuk I think we should consider @HamHealthSci for those who are intolerant of the usual mask. Thanks @MartinJMazza pic.twitter.com/QFrt0wugXQ

— Alison Fox-Robichaud, MD (@drfoxrob) July 10, 2020

Ford said he's planning to head to the Windsor-Essex area soon to get a haircut, something he said he'd do when the area joined the rest of the province in the second stage of economic reopening, which happened for the last two communities — Kingsville and Leamington — on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath is headed down that way as well. She's scheduled to speak with the mayor of Kingsville, go out for dinner with two NDP MPP who represent the area, hold a Zoom meeting with local business owners, visit a local food pantry and make a policy announcement.

Stage three?

Ford was either in the mood to flatter another journalist or there's some big news coming Monday. Lucas Meyer of Newstalk1010 asked Ford if he had any big announcements plans for Monday, the day of the week Ford has previously announced plans for new stages of economic reopening.

"I'm not too sure, I'll have to get back to you on Monday, but we're having some great announcements next week, but you just have to stay tuned," he replied. "Lucas, you're smart buddy, very smart."

I asked Premier Ford if a big announcement is coming Monday (govt. has previously laid out opening dates for next stages on Mondays)

Ford "we're having some great announcements next week, just have to stay tuned," adds: "Lucas you're smart buddy, very smart." #onpoli #covid19

— Lucas Meyer (@meyer_lucas) July 10, 2020

Professional sports

The NHL is reportedly set to announce Toronto and Edmonton as its hub cities, and the Blue Jays are finalizing plans to return to the Dome. Meanwhile, news of the serious penalties that can be laid under Canada's quarantine act made the rounds of professional sports Twitter Friday.

We were told two weeks... not all summer... all summer is a bit much https://t.co/6S7euLbHWA

— Travis Shaw (@travis_shaw21) July 10, 2020

Pro athletes appear to be collectively understanding how seriously we are taking this bubble concept... https://t.co/oJRmmcglNc

— Mario Elia (@supermarioelia) July 10, 2020

At his daily press conference, Ford expressed support for allowing players to travel to Toronto so fans can watch games on TV.

"Well, you know something, between the municipality and the province and the federal government, we've all agreed that they can come up, be confined, self-isolate for two weeks, get testing. In the case of the NHL, they're getting tested every single day," he said.

"I think, you know, people wouldn't mind seeing the Blue Jays on TV, in an empty stadium mind you, but I think we need a little bit of sports," he continued. "But they're going to be confined, [as] opposed to opening up the border internationally."

Opening up the border to people who aren't professional athletes is more of a concern, said Ford, adding that he fears that is what might trigger a second wave of the epidemic in Ontario.

'We're going to war'

Ford also reacted strongly to reports that U.S. President Donald Trump is considering reimposing tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel.

"You got to be kidding, we're the [United States'] number one customer in the world, Canada is," said Ford, emphasizing the close economic relationship between the two countries. "So I highly recommend President Trump, don't do it. Don't put tariffs on our aluminum or we're coming out swinging. We may be small, but we're your number one customer. Remember that. Don't forget it."

Ford said he loves and Americans and was in the states for years, where he'd note products made in America. "Well, guess what is going to be made in Ontario, made in B.C. made in Quebec. And folks, let's stick together because economically, we're going to war."

Public Health hires

Hamilton voted to hire 75 full-time equivalent positions in public health, with a hope and prayer that the province will step in to cover the costs.

Ford slammed the city's approach.

"It’s no way to operate, but I'm glad they're getting public health," he said. "But you can't — folks in the 444 municipalities and to the folks in Hamilton — you can't hire a whole bunch of people, and then turn to someone else to pay for it. It doesn't work that way in the private sector and it doesn't work that way in the public sector.

"I think everyone should have a good public health team," he continued. "But come on, you can spend other people's money. It’s actually the same people's money to be honest with you, I always say there's one taxpayer, they're paying municipal taxes, they're paying provincial taxes, and they're paying federal taxes. I don't think it's fair to everyone else in the province."

How much money will flow to municipalities from the higher orders of government has been a subject of much debate and consternation, with Ford saying earlier this week he is battling with the provincial government to get Ontario municipalities a bigger piece of the federal pie, without promising to open up the provincial purse.

Civil libertarians object

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is urging MPPs to vote against the legislation that would allow the government to extend and amend its emergency orders, after ending the state of emergency in the province, calling it an "undemocratic power grab."

Bill 195, the Reopening Ontario Act (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, "would effectively allow the provincial government to continue its extraordinary powers ... except without the need for an ongoing public health emergency and without the oversight and accountability mechanisms that are crucial when power is concentrated in the executive branch [the Premier and Cabinet]," the CCLA said in a statement Friday.

"Right now, the government has to return to the legislative assembly every 28 days if it wants to extend the state of emergency," it says. "It’s a way to insert democratic control over the executive branch’s emergency powers and the orders the premier and ministers make in response to an emergency. Bill 195 eliminates this requirement – leaving no meaningful democratic check on the government’s power."

The CCLA calls the bill's definition of an "amendment" of an order "excessively broad" and says it would allow the government to make those orders more onerous and extend them to other people and places than originally intended, and it could do so retroactively.

"In essence, Bill 195 would give the Premier and Ministers the power to impose emergency orders that drastically curtail basic rights and freedoms without the need to engage in the legislative process or involve members of the legislative assembly," said the CCLA.

The group argues there is no need for the bill in the first place — the government could simply extend the state of emergency as long as the emergency powers are needed.

PPE portal

Bruce Power and its Ontario-based suppliers have put together an online portal that will allow non-profits, businesses, and local groups to purchase PPE items at competitive rates directly from suppliers. The portal officially opens July 27, but pre-orders can be made by July 17.