Police in cities in Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, declined on Saturday to make arbitrary stops that were given the green light by the provincial government seeking to impose a restraining order amid an increase in COVID-19 cases.
Toronto, the nation’s largest city, Ottawa, Hamilton, Windsor and at least 19 other municipal police forces said they would not make arbitrary vehicle or individual stops even though they were given the power to do so.
“The Toronto police will continue to engage, educate and enforce, but we will not arbitrarily detain people or cars,” police said on Twitter. Mayor John Tory supported the move.
Ontario, home to 38% of the Canadian population, had 4,362 new infections on Saturday, following a record of 4,812 cases on Friday, and projections indicate the virus could reach 10,000 a day by June without tougher health restrictions.
Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford, who is increasingly under fire for mishandling the province’s pandemic response, on Friday gave police the power to stop anyone driving or walking to ask them why they are leaving the house and tell them send a card if they break the rules. read more
Steven Del Duca, the leader of the opposition Liberal Party in Ontario, said Ford imposed “martial law” and that the move was a “dangerous attack on racialized Ontarians” who would be unfairly attacked.
The expanded police powers run the risk of “sparking a wave of racial profiling and overwhelming police powers, with everyone being held guilty until proven otherwise,” said the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.
Ford also said he would block non-essential travel from neighboring counties starting Monday. Ontario provincial police said on Saturday they were preparing to enforce that order.
In recent weeks, Ontario has closed schools and restaurants, curtailed retail stores and canceled elective surgeries as a wave of admissions threatened to overwhelm hospitals. On Friday, some construction work was also halted, but no warehouses or factories.
Critics say Ford prematurely relinquished a previous stay-at-home order, which could increase power surge in cases that put pressure on hospitals. On Friday, Ford blamed the federal government for the third wave, saying it had been too slow to ramp up vaccinations and too lenient at the borders.
Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Principles of Trust.