Police in Ontario Balk with new powers under virus emergency law

Photographer: Cole Burston / Bloomberg

Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford said he had no choice but to impose some of North America’s toughest restrictions to curb a surge in Covid-19 cases. Some police forces have pushed back.

Canada’s largest province new measures Friday in the context of an emergency call to stay at home prompted by a jump in serious virus cases. The Ford government gave police extraordinary powers to stop vehicles and individuals, to ask why they are not at home.

But police in Toronto, Waterloo and other cities were quick to issue statements that they would not conduct random checks. And on Saturday, the government withdrew, saying power will only hold when the police suspect people of participating in a meeting or event.

In the country’s capital, the Ottawa Police Department said late Friday that it will not make arbitrary stops and does not want its powers to affect public confidence. But it will be involved in setting up checkpoints on bridges between Ontario and neighboring Quebec, after Ford’s government announced new restrictions on travelers from other provinces. People are still allowed to cross the county border for work.

The Prime Minister of Ontario almost all public gatherings outside, closed golf and tennis courts and some construction sites closed. The government said it would close children’s playgrounds, and then rescinded that edict on Saturday.

The new rules come on top of previous decisions to close schools and non-essential retailers. In some parts of the province, including Toronto, hair salons and restaurant dining areas have been closed for several months.

“Friends, we are losing the battle between the variants and vaccines,” Ford said at a news conference Friday after reporting 4,812 new cases in 24 hours, a record. “The reality is that there are very few options left.” The province currently has 2,065 patients hospitalized with the virus, 726 of whom are in intensive care units.

Ford’s new measures have divided opinions in the county of 14.7 million people. Some say his government should have acted earlier and taken measures to reduce activity in warehouses, factories and other areas of activity, dozens of virus outbreaks. Others argue that the restrictions go too far, curbing civil liberties in the face of evidence that most outdoor activities are safe.

Covid Claims that 3 million lives are shifting as a burden to poorer countries

Canada is facing a vaccine shortage, hampering the country’s efforts to control a third wave of the virus. About 22% of Canadians have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, versus 39% in the US and 49% in the UK, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker.

This week Canada overtook the US for the first time in the number of new Covid-19 cases per capita. In Ontario, with the exception of emergencies, surgeries will be canceled in most of the province as intensive care units focus on treating Covid-19 patients.

Updates the third and fifth paragraphs to reflect the changes made to the lines on Saturday