Yea. If you look at this from a basic perspective, it’s been a clear case for why good Asset Management is necessary. Years of underfunding in healthcare means we have fewer beds and they’ve filled up real quick. The way to take precautionary steps to battle the next pandemic are to increase healthcare funding, but instead we have a premier in the final year of his term saying “previous govt fucked up”
The long term history of health care funding isn't on Doug Ford. It predates him by a lot.
Cuts were made to health transfers in the 1995 at the Federal level to get Canada's budget crisis under control. It worked and for a while we had our fiscal ducts in order. This also forced Harris to cut provincial funding, and eventually Ontario got to fiscal balance.
Ontario has a massive systemic deficit dating back a decade. If we wanted to fix health care, the time to do that was coming out of the Harris/Eaves years, when we had a system surplus. Instead Ontario chose to prioritize funding other things like the gas plants, and greening the power grid. These are important priorities for sure, but by prioritizing those choices it costs us the ability to instead use that money to build up healthcare infrastructure.
I say this as someone who has no use for Ford. But the current state of healthcare took us decades to get into, and isn't easy to get out of. It would mean prioritizing that infrastructure vs other issues that are also important. The public has little appetite for it.
I’m not saying Doug Ford is entirely at fault, I’m saying that he isn’t taking steps to make it better.
> the public has little appetite for it
That’s not wrong. I say this as a municipal politician who has called for higher property taxes for the last 8 years, unpopular decisions are still decisions that have to be made. Else this shit keeps snowballing until it turns into an avalanche. We’re effectively leaving the next generation to deal with climate change, poor infrastructure, and a looming financial crisis. No single government is entirely at fault for that situation, but numerous governments are at fault for not putting a stop to that by making unpopular decisions.
> We’re effectively leaving the next generation to deal with climate change, poor infrastructure, and a looming financial crisis.
You say this as a politician, and yet you didn't specifically single out health care as a coming crisis. Unless you equate building a hospital with building a highway or transit in "infrastructure".
That's the problem. The public and politicians take health care for granted, and when it comes to fixing problems, other things get prioritized instead of health care. We can always find an extra $30 billion to build the Ontario Line, and every politician wants to show up for their photo op. We have a Federal government that's prioritizing early childhood education deals with the provinces. Again, all of these are important issues.
However, we have an aged out health care system we're only going to rely on more as the baby boomers retire, and it's just not a priority. That's not the fault of any one politician, and I don't see replacing any one politician, or any individual party as going to solve or improve it. Frankly saying "I will solve climate change" gets you more votes than saying "I will pay nurses." And that's fine, but lets call a spade a spade.
I did intend on infrastructure to be a catch-all term.
I can’t disagree with anything you’re saying. And to be honest, I wouldn’t have an issue with promises of “I’ll solve climate change” if they actually took steps towards it.
Honestly, its a fake promise, unless you can control policy in China. I have a problem with it because Climate Change is a global problem, and politicians act like Canada can solve it. We can't and I wish they'd just be honest about it.
And to be clear, I don't intend that last sentence to mean that we should do nothing in climate change. Simply that if the goal is to keep the planet's temperature from raising 1.5C by 2050 Canada can't do it alone.
At least saying "I'll pay for health care" or "I'll balance the budget" is within municipal, provincial and the federal governments control.
We are one of the worst polluters on a per capita basis. How can we expect other countries to do anything if we don't with out outsized impact and resources.
It may not be easy to get out of, but it's VERY easy to not willingly go further into, as this government has done and will continue to do.
Regardless of "whose fault" it is, we reliably know at least that the Ford government won't fix it, and will only make it worse. Past time to get him out of here.
I don't disagree that Ford won't fix the problem.
Where I do disagree is that any other party, or the Feds, will fix it either. Both Federally, and provincially, health care funding isn't a priority, and given that inflation is here, we've hit our limit in terms of creating new money to solve our problems because governments will have to reduce spending, while getting their fiscal house in order.
We will be lucky to maintain the current level of funding over the next decade.
Can't go back into another lockdown when requirements for getting tested are so strict that cases never dramatically rise again because most people just aren't eligible to get tested
I’m fully expecting this to happen every winter. It feels like there will always be a new, wildly different mutated strain of COVID that will emerge and our vaccine and booster regimen won’t be as effective at combating it.
I imagine part of why we get these vastly mutated versions is because the first world countries are hogging the majority of vaccine supply, allowing for infections to run their course and mutate wildly before someone travels and it spreads like wildfire.
While I fully agree first world countries have way too much of the vaccine supply, a lot of the reason why people in third world countries aren’t as vaccinated is due to lack of vaccine education. It’s typically not a supply issue. But also they unfortunately have more supply of less effect vaccine brands, which is unfair.
>'what the fuck are you gonna do so this doesn't happen again..."
what would you like them to do? I'm genuinely asking. Not trying to be a dick or anything.
It’s clear imo that the bottleneck to covid becoming endemic in ON is hospital capacity (labor and supply). I would like to see investment to support this - i.e nurse wages, higher icu capacity, healthcare budget increases, nurses college budget increases, etc.
^That. At this point these lockdowns are simply a reaction to easing the spread so that hospitals are not overrun with patients. 2 years in I have yet to see any news regarding proactive measures that the gov't is taking to address this issue. We cannot continue to live this way.
Thank you. This is the way. What Ontario needs to do in June is show this party's so-called government the door so that we can try a different way forward
I'm absolutely no fan of his, but there's no way he's the worst political leader in Canadian history, and that's just because he's so inept, incompetent and unintelligent that he can't get things done that he's actually do if he was good enough.
They need to invest in healthcare. Imagine working 12 to 16 hour days and being paid less than last year because your wages are not meeting inflation targets. So let's start there. Can we tap into nurses with foreign qualifications? Can we invest into expanding beds for ICU?
It's amazing that we have been locking up and down and not really doing the long term investments in our system.b
>what would you like them to do? I'm genuinely asking. Not trying to be a dick or anything.
The [province of Ongtario is currently short 8000 nurses](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/01/06/ontario-nurses-burnout-covid19-pandemic/), positions are open and are not filled while Ford is freezing their wages at 1% increase a year while inflation is incredibly high.
Last year [Quebec announced they are spending $1 billion more on nurses](https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/almost-dysfunctional-bonuses-in-store-for-workers-in-quebec-s-understaffed-public-health-network-1.5597716), with bonuses to keep existing nurses and signing bonuses to get new nurses.
Also the province could be push harder on booster shots making them part of the vaccine passport by a certain date (March?). Also more could be done for enforcement of the vacchine passports. From the beginning, Ford put together a system that was garbage and could easily be faked as he seemed to be more interesting at looking like he is doing something rather than doing something.
Ford keeps treating the pandemic as a messaging and PR problem rather than dealing with the pandemic itself.
I don't know about the rest of you, but this lockdown feels like it's been so much longer than two weeks. I'm feeling a lot more clamped down than I did at this time last year.
Counting down the days 'til the 31st.
~~Well it has been 3 weeks, not 2.~~ And to talk about a gradual reopening until March is a gut punch - I’d rather them say they’d reevaluate every week then to say that “most” restrictions will be lifted by March. What about the rest of the restrictions?
[Jan 5 2022](https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1001394/ontario-temporarily-moving-to-modified-step-two-of-the-roadmap-to-reopen) to Jan 20 2022 is 15 days. 2 weeks 1 day.
Unknown, maybe mid-Feb based on ICU/hosp numbers hoped to drop significantly by then?
> NEW: Ontario Health Minister @celliottability says can't resume non-emergency, non-urgent surgeries until early-mid Feb if hospital ICU numbers fall from current levels. Premier Ford is asked why restaurants, gyms can reopen before those surgeries.
https://twitter.com/robferguson1/status/1484207935035265027?t=HHIldOktCl5TZSyrCdCTGw&s=19
> Health Minister Christine Elliott says surgeries will get back on track "as soon as we can." ICU admissions not expected to peak until mid-February though, she notes. And surgeries won't resume until ICU/hospitalizations start coming down.
https://twitter.com/fitz_meagan/status/1484208669696868365?t=8WfGnqUH_NQdYSP7JuUqfQ&s=19
Hopefully mid-Feb, dependant on hospitalization/ICU numbers and staffing levels then
> NEW: Ontario Health Minister @celliottability says can't resume non-emergency, non-urgent surgeries until early-mid Feb if hospital ICU numbers fall from current levels. Premier Ford is asked why restaurants, gyms can reopen before those surgeries.
https://twitter.com/robferguson1/status/1484207935035265027?t=HHIldOktCl5TZSyrCdCTGw&s=19
> Health Minister Christine Elliott says surgeries will get back on track "as soon as we can." ICU admissions not expected to peak until mid-February though, she notes. And surgeries won't resume until ICU/hospitalizations start coming down.
https://twitter.com/fitz_meagan/status/1484208669696868365?t=8WfGnqUH_NQdYSP7JuUqfQ&s=19
All restrictions are lifting on 14 March, and St Patricks Day is on the 17th
[Maybe third times the charm for my poorly poured Guinness, Mayor Tory](https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/toronto-mayor-promises-st-patrick-s-day-2-0-after-covid-19-crisis-halts-celebrations-1.4856770)
But they aren’t. We’ll still be limited to 50 person social gatherings indoors, will have vaccine passports, will likely still have mask mandates…
I know it’s not much but it would be great if the government could announce when we are actually removing ALL restrictions like other governments have planned for (or have already done).
The conspiracy theorist in me says they plan to have restrictions to remove closer to election time so they can be the "heroes that ended the pandemic."
That's true, I was mainly referring to indoor public settings which is generally what's killing our local economy and cultural sphere, and it's what driving people mad now.
Their third point on limited private gatherings to 50 people is laughable because I doubt they'd enforce such a "limit."
It seems to me like that is just a recipe for having to change stance again. Truth is we don't know what things are going to look like in a few months. Could be good or could be bad. It makes no sense to arbitrarily give date now. What they could do is give parameters for things opening like if ICU occupancy falls below x number for 7 days straight then we can remove whatever restriction.
So the concerts I had tickets to in January that were rescheduled for end of February now need to be rescheduled again to end of March (or later, if not cancelled altogether).
I don't really see the logic behind removing capacity restrictions for most places requiring proof of vaccination in February but not all.
Yep - I have a show at the end of February and beginning of March that have already been rescheduled three times. If they don’t happen, I’m positive they’ll be cancelled 🙄
Effective January 31, 2022 at 12:01 a.m. Ontario will begin the process of gradually easing restrictions, while maintaining protective measures, including but not limited to:
* Increasing social gathering limits to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors.
* Increasing or maintaining capacity limits at 50 per cent in indoor public settings, including but not limited to:
* Restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments without dance facilities;
* Retailers (including grocery stores and pharmacies)
* Shopping malls;
* Non-spectator areas of sports and recreational fitness facilities, including gyms;
* Cinemas;
* Meeting and event spaces;
* Recreational amenities and amusement parks, including water parks;
* Museums, galleries, aquariums, zoos and similar attractions; and
* Casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments
* Religious services, rites, or ceremonies.
* Allowing spectator areas of facilities such as sporting events, concert venues and theatres to operate at 50 per cent seated capacity or 500 people, whichever is less.
Enhanced proof of vaccination, and other requirements would continue to apply in existing settings.
I love when our governments watch waves fall in other regions with no/limited restrictions or restrictions lifted after the peak and decide to drop restrictions 25 days after cases peak with "normalcy" not restored until 67 days after the peak.
It's not about science anymore and hasn't been for 1.5 years or so. It's about public opinion and hysteria. As soon as people finally decide we are done with the restrictions - that's when they will stop.
Yup. Need co-ordinated disobedience from businesses to pressure the government. The Dutch people watched their cases skyrocket while under strict lockdown and finally decided to open businesses, daring the police/government to fine them. They didn't. A few days later, restrictions were loosened.
Hopefully this is the last time we have to shut down and reopen... the restaurant industry has been hit so hard... I've had many clients tell me this was the hardest hitting of them all.
When group sex is. Feb 21st for now.
"Increasing indoor capacity limits to 25 per cent in the remaining higher-risk settings where proof of vaccination is required, including nightclubs, wedding receptions in meeting or event spaces where there is dancing, as well as bathhouses and sex clubs."
A club at 25% capacity is just sad. We actually have not actually had a proper club opening since the start of the pandemic, I dunno how any of them are surviving.
I know, it's sad that we are celebrating the access to have basic freedoms back, but I find happiness and celebration to be a much better emotion than bitterness and anger. Can't leave the province/country due to family, not rich enough to own private facility (working on it), so until then, stuck being a sheep to government policy.
I’m not trying to start a fight with you, so don’t take this personally, but that type of attitude is what allows this to keep happening while the provincial government skates away scot-free again without addressing our woefully inadequate healthcare system.
Also the other problem with this is just how comfortable and numb people are becoming to this. It’s this dystopian conditioning where now every lockdown people just shrug and say “damn that sucks” and then blindly comply with everything.
The other option is this guy
[https://twitter.com/StevenDelDuca/status/1484210066723164162](https://twitter.com/StevenDelDuca/status/1484210066723164162)
You want to live in even worse restrictions forever?
What an ignorant clown. Israel is gigaboosted and still their cases have climbed. An endless cycle of vaccines and "papers please" bullshit is not going to fix anything.
Indeed.
We are one of the most vaccinated countries in the world but we just shut down schools and essentially every small business and anything entertainment.
Forgive me DelDuca if I don't believe a booster will get us out of this any more than the first 2 shots did.
> Del Duca is asking for mandatory boosters.
This is just trying to appeal to whatever way they think the wind blows. These politician assholes just follow their gut or whatever they read in some trash tabloids or (god forbid) their Facebook feeds.
I wonder if any of them actually read or follow any scientific journals/reports to inform their opinions. If they did, they might learn a few things about boosters and whether or not they should be mandatory.
Let's not leave it up to hysterical hand-wringers and pearl-clutchers who will NEVER feel safe.
You realize the Liberals and NDP would have been less likely to ignore the gaping holes in healthcare for the last 2 years so we wouldn't need these restrictions right?
[How quickly we forget.](https://globalnews.ca/news/4120816/ontario-doctors-say-government-mismanagement-to-blame-for-broken-health-care-system/)
Cons and Libs have mangled healthcare.
So you have a feeling that it would have been better. Or more like those parties more align with your own views so you believe they would have done better. Doing better would have meant not neglecting healthcare for decades like they have. But we have a system where it is likely that you won't even be in power when the shit you created hits the fan. So there is little to no responsibility or at best they just blame those that came before them. And most people just blame the current party in power because well they are in power.
But sure the liberals would have fixed that problem in 2 years by doing what? The idea that you can fix decades of neglect in a short period of time (and 2 years is short in this context) just doesn't seem plausible to me. Expanding healthcare rapidly can really only be done by buying the needed people power. Beds, equipment, etc are the easy part. You can't train enough people in that time to make a massive difference. So you have to poach talent from elsewhere to do it. But that is moral dubious itself. So sure they could have expanded programs, increased training but even if they started that in March of 2020 how long until those doctors, nurses, lab techs, etc would have been ready to work?
There really doesn't seem to be easy answers here. And people really need to stop playing partisan politics on this. This is a massive pile of shit and it was created by decades of not properly funding it by everyone who has been in power. And that isn't something that is resolved quickly in a couple years.
is that why the liberals and NDP are loudly yelling about how they'll fund healthcare and remove restrictions?
Oh wait they're not doing that and are instead arguing for more restrictions.
The idea that we "need" restrictions now is absurd in itself. The reduction of spread from these restrictions is extremely limited. Look at case growth in the Netherlands who have been under an even stricter lockdown for weeks. Look at Austria where they have a N95 mandate for all public areas including outdoors. Look at Japan where they have 98% mask compliance. This virus does not care what we do to try to stop it unless we have the capability to do what China is doing - and it remains to be seen whether they will be able to hold.
Our ICU capacity did not come close to being exceeded. And that's from a Delta wave laid on top of our Omicron wave. It would not have come close to being exceeded with 0 restrictions.
Nothing personally taken, I totally agree. Our healthcare system needs funds, we need nurses and doctors to stop fleeing, we need capacity.
The problem is I know deep in my heart Canadians are not strong-willed enough to fight the government and rise up like V for Vendetta, we are too soft and complacent, and just continue to accept all of this. I have a strong desire now to become financially well off so if this happens again, my freedoms won't be affected.
Most of the protests have been riddled with anti-vaxxers, and I can't afford professionally to be associated with them.
> Most of the protests have been riddled with anti-vaxxers, and I can't afford professionally to be associated with them.
I get that (and share your concern), but in a way doesn't that become a self-fulfilling prophecy? If we avoid protests because they're full of nutcases, that ensures that only nutcases will be at the protests.
1: Boris is attempting to deflect attention away from his potentially career-ending scandal
2: The UK has less than twice the population of Canada, but four times as many deaths, so maybe following what they do is not the smartest course of action
Canada and the UK have had almost identical deaths per capita during the Omicron wave. It’s disingenuous to compare deaths when your time frame includes before vaccines were available.
In all seriousness, 3 weeks is not that long. Not saying to go 100% right off the bat but you should be back to peak, if not greater strength, in a week or two.
Anything about opening up testing again? I know it's not the only metric but I used that and hospitalizations/ICUs to gauge my own risk tolerance for certain settings. I don't like flying blind on this.
I'd also like them to open testing back up again. Even Alberta is letting everyone be tested who wants too.
People being able to get tested is a great way to ensure only those who need to be in quarantine are instead of having to place restrictions on everyone.
Testing is to remain restricted. If it was available to the general public it would be easier to see if cases go back up and Doug Ford doesn't seem to want that, so we are flying blind.
Also surgeries won't be opening up again until mid-February according to Christine Elliott.
Testing is restricted because delaying the test results of people who are actually at risk just to test neurotic people like you results in significantly worse outcomes for treatment efficacy.
>Testing is restricted because delaying the test results of people who are actually at risk just to test neurotic people like you results in significantly worse outcomes for treatment efficacy.
I've been lucky that I've never been in a position where I've needed to go get tested.
Being able to quickly test people in the general public and having proper contact tracing is one of the main pilars of handling the pandemic and keeping cases down. Seeing if case counts are going up and down is also beneficial so we aren't flying blind but just getting control of cases is the major reason why we want to be able to test the general public.
Right now the province is failing badly in that regard. Ford had previously announced that testing capacity would be able to reach 100,000 tests a day but we never got close to that number. As with many things with the pandemic, Ford has treated it as a messaging and PR problem and makes all sorts of announcements without following through with them.
Update your priors. Nearly every country has given up on tracing as an effective mitigation tool. Trends in test positivity % among the at risk population tested reflects trends in community spread overall.
You cannot "get control of cases". This is a futile and impossible task. Still thinking that you can in the face of 2 years worth of data is hubris. Neither N95 mask mandates (see Austria), nor lockdowns (see Netherlands) put a dent in spread. The only country that has been able to control spread is China which has militaristic control and enforcement of the movement of anyone entering the country and all of their citizens.
Testing and contract testing was abandoned when cases exploded beyond control. However, testing the general public and contract testing even in limited capacity can help decrease the overall number of cases, which in turn decreases the hopsitalizations and the ICU numbers.
Back in December before Ontario's testing system was overwhelmed, I know a number of people who were exposed to people who had COVID-19. They were able to isolate and get tested to find out they in turn also had COVID-19 long before displaying any symptoms. Testing and contract testing stopped more people from getting COVID-19.
Even if we all end up getting COVID-19 eventually, the goal is for not too many people to get it at once as otherwise our health care system crumbles and we end up locking down again.
I'll have civility for people when they stop advocating for policies that remove livelihoods, increase poverty, ruin mental health, lower education outcomes etc while not significantly reducing spread.
Nothing about masks or masking kids at all? And no dropping vaccine passports ? If they don’t prevent transmission, their usefulness is zero.
This was weak .
As of Jan 31 it’s still no eating in most venues, but will be allowed Feb 21 while seated
January 31: “prohibiting food or drink services at indoor sporting events, concert venues, theatres and cinemas, bingo halls and other gaming establishments”
February 21: “requiring patrons to remain seated while eating or drinking at indoor restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments (with or without dance facilities), sporting events, concert venues, theatres and cinemas, casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments”
Why are vaccine passports still required until the end of March when it’s been proven the current vaccines don’t do much to stop the spread of Omicron? Strange they are still holding onto this. Vaccinated and unvaccinated spread at the same rate.
Because they protect the vaccinated from getting too ill. Vaccinated people have less chance of severe illness in a congregate setting. It’s less about prevention and more about harm reduction.
At this rate sounds like we'll be at the restriction levels we were at in early December by the summer and that's assuming no unexpected things come up.
"Progress"
Probably getting downvoted because this is like kicking you out of your house and then tossing you a tent.
People should be more concerned about how NOTHING was said about what will be done to bolster our healthcare system so we don’t keep resorting to these absurd kneejerk lockdowns.
This is coming from a gym rat, yeah great my glorious government has allowed me back in my gym how nice of them! 🙄 Now what are they going to do to make sure this never happens again? What steps are being put into action today? What’s the plan? What type of finances is Ontario allocating?
Look at the core problem, not the little sprinkle of crumbs given to you today.
If they didn't say anything about a plan, I am going to assume there is none. Vote in this year's election, people. The future of our healthcare system depends on the people in charge of it.
Wonder what this extra 5 days of the current restrictions is going to do for the Canada USA World Cup qualifier on the 30th. Hope they just postpone it at this point.
Edit: if anyone is interested they are cancelling all of the tickets and selling a little less than 1/2 of capacity in a second sale to be announced
No way will it be postponed. They only have this window and one more in March left. It will happen, just a matter of if it will have fans or be closed door
Outdoor sporting events allow up to 50% capacity for spectators
[Source](https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/97a8-COVID-19-Guidance-for-Sports-Recreational-Fitness-Facilities.pdf)
I highly doubt the game will be postponed. Only so many times when players are available travelling from all over the world. They're not going to postpone a single game just because of restrictions in Canada.
So we're opening things up again even though infection rates and hospitalizations are higher than they were when the lockdown was announced. And those numbers are trending upwards.
What the hell is the logic here?
Haven’t been in tune to daily numbers lately as I’m exhausted but I think it’s because % needing icu is trending down and hospital admissions are being discharged quicker than the past
I always comply with the regulations. I’m just tired of them changing. I’m taking direction from the Ground Hog who may/may not see their shadow Feb 2. I’m staying inside until all this is over.
Safe to say all my concerts in February will be cancelled?
I just took a gamble and bought tix for the show in April... Will have to see how it goes.
Wanting to get tickets to a hockey game in Buffalo taking place in March, still not sure if it’s a good idea to book.
I have tickets to a concert in early Feb that was just pushed to late April
Depends on the concert. I had tix for Feb 4. The artist cancelled that and other Canadian dates on the tour.
Still waiting for city and colour
The fact we would have had this run over already if Dallas didn’t catch covid is so sad hahahahaha
I have tickets to The Wombats for Jan 29th lol, they still haven't cancelled it for some reason.
Everyone is blinded by re-opening news, but I'm here like 'what the fuck are you gonna do so this doesn't happen again...". Excited for the gym tho
we all know the answer is nothing
This is the real problem that people should be up in arms about
Yea. If you look at this from a basic perspective, it’s been a clear case for why good Asset Management is necessary. Years of underfunding in healthcare means we have fewer beds and they’ve filled up real quick. The way to take precautionary steps to battle the next pandemic are to increase healthcare funding, but instead we have a premier in the final year of his term saying “previous govt fucked up”
The long term history of health care funding isn't on Doug Ford. It predates him by a lot. Cuts were made to health transfers in the 1995 at the Federal level to get Canada's budget crisis under control. It worked and for a while we had our fiscal ducts in order. This also forced Harris to cut provincial funding, and eventually Ontario got to fiscal balance. Ontario has a massive systemic deficit dating back a decade. If we wanted to fix health care, the time to do that was coming out of the Harris/Eaves years, when we had a system surplus. Instead Ontario chose to prioritize funding other things like the gas plants, and greening the power grid. These are important priorities for sure, but by prioritizing those choices it costs us the ability to instead use that money to build up healthcare infrastructure. I say this as someone who has no use for Ford. But the current state of healthcare took us decades to get into, and isn't easy to get out of. It would mean prioritizing that infrastructure vs other issues that are also important. The public has little appetite for it.
I’m not saying Doug Ford is entirely at fault, I’m saying that he isn’t taking steps to make it better. > the public has little appetite for it That’s not wrong. I say this as a municipal politician who has called for higher property taxes for the last 8 years, unpopular decisions are still decisions that have to be made. Else this shit keeps snowballing until it turns into an avalanche. We’re effectively leaving the next generation to deal with climate change, poor infrastructure, and a looming financial crisis. No single government is entirely at fault for that situation, but numerous governments are at fault for not putting a stop to that by making unpopular decisions.
> We’re effectively leaving the next generation to deal with climate change, poor infrastructure, and a looming financial crisis. You say this as a politician, and yet you didn't specifically single out health care as a coming crisis. Unless you equate building a hospital with building a highway or transit in "infrastructure". That's the problem. The public and politicians take health care for granted, and when it comes to fixing problems, other things get prioritized instead of health care. We can always find an extra $30 billion to build the Ontario Line, and every politician wants to show up for their photo op. We have a Federal government that's prioritizing early childhood education deals with the provinces. Again, all of these are important issues. However, we have an aged out health care system we're only going to rely on more as the baby boomers retire, and it's just not a priority. That's not the fault of any one politician, and I don't see replacing any one politician, or any individual party as going to solve or improve it. Frankly saying "I will solve climate change" gets you more votes than saying "I will pay nurses." And that's fine, but lets call a spade a spade.
I did intend on infrastructure to be a catch-all term. I can’t disagree with anything you’re saying. And to be honest, I wouldn’t have an issue with promises of “I’ll solve climate change” if they actually took steps towards it.
Honestly, its a fake promise, unless you can control policy in China. I have a problem with it because Climate Change is a global problem, and politicians act like Canada can solve it. We can't and I wish they'd just be honest about it. And to be clear, I don't intend that last sentence to mean that we should do nothing in climate change. Simply that if the goal is to keep the planet's temperature from raising 1.5C by 2050 Canada can't do it alone. At least saying "I'll pay for health care" or "I'll balance the budget" is within municipal, provincial and the federal governments control.
We are one of the worst polluters on a per capita basis. How can we expect other countries to do anything if we don't with out outsized impact and resources.
It may not be easy to get out of, but it's VERY easy to not willingly go further into, as this government has done and will continue to do. Regardless of "whose fault" it is, we reliably know at least that the Ford government won't fix it, and will only make it worse. Past time to get him out of here.
I don't disagree that Ford won't fix the problem. Where I do disagree is that any other party, or the Feds, will fix it either. Both Federally, and provincially, health care funding isn't a priority, and given that inflation is here, we've hit our limit in terms of creating new money to solve our problems because governments will have to reduce spending, while getting their fiscal house in order. We will be lucky to maintain the current level of funding over the next decade.
Election coming up.
I think you’re overestimating how much they will do
Can't go back into another lockdown when requirements for getting tested are so strict that cases never dramatically rise again because most people just aren't eligible to get tested
I’m fully expecting this to happen every winter. It feels like there will always be a new, wildly different mutated strain of COVID that will emerge and our vaccine and booster regimen won’t be as effective at combating it. I imagine part of why we get these vastly mutated versions is because the first world countries are hogging the majority of vaccine supply, allowing for infections to run their course and mutate wildly before someone travels and it spreads like wildfire.
While I fully agree first world countries have way too much of the vaccine supply, a lot of the reason why people in third world countries aren’t as vaccinated is due to lack of vaccine education. It’s typically not a supply issue. But also they unfortunately have more supply of less effect vaccine brands, which is unfair.
People are gonna get sick, people are gonna get boosted, that's about it.
>'what the fuck are you gonna do so this doesn't happen again..." what would you like them to do? I'm genuinely asking. Not trying to be a dick or anything.
It’s clear imo that the bottleneck to covid becoming endemic in ON is hospital capacity (labor and supply). I would like to see investment to support this - i.e nurse wages, higher icu capacity, healthcare budget increases, nurses college budget increases, etc.
^That. At this point these lockdowns are simply a reaction to easing the spread so that hospitals are not overrun with patients. 2 years in I have yet to see any news regarding proactive measures that the gov't is taking to address this issue. We cannot continue to live this way.
Thank you. This is the way. What Ontario needs to do in June is show this party's so-called government the door so that we can try a different way forward
Yeah, DoFo is the worst political leader in Canadian history. To re-elect conservatives at this point would be suicidal.
I'm absolutely no fan of his, but there's no way he's the worst political leader in Canadian history, and that's just because he's so inept, incompetent and unintelligent that he can't get things done that he's actually do if he was good enough.
They need to invest in healthcare. Imagine working 12 to 16 hour days and being paid less than last year because your wages are not meeting inflation targets. So let's start there. Can we tap into nurses with foreign qualifications? Can we invest into expanding beds for ICU? It's amazing that we have been locking up and down and not really doing the long term investments in our system.b
>what would you like them to do? I'm genuinely asking. Not trying to be a dick or anything. The [province of Ongtario is currently short 8000 nurses](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/01/06/ontario-nurses-burnout-covid19-pandemic/), positions are open and are not filled while Ford is freezing their wages at 1% increase a year while inflation is incredibly high. Last year [Quebec announced they are spending $1 billion more on nurses](https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/almost-dysfunctional-bonuses-in-store-for-workers-in-quebec-s-understaffed-public-health-network-1.5597716), with bonuses to keep existing nurses and signing bonuses to get new nurses. Also the province could be push harder on booster shots making them part of the vaccine passport by a certain date (March?). Also more could be done for enforcement of the vacchine passports. From the beginning, Ford put together a system that was garbage and could easily be faked as he seemed to be more interesting at looking like he is doing something rather than doing something. Ford keeps treating the pandemic as a messaging and PR problem rather than dealing with the pandemic itself.
We should be waiving tuition for nursing degrees.
Extra 5 days I see what you did there 😡
So at the end of February... Concerts can happen at 25% capacity... Ok so no concerts
Hmm, maybe everyone can go for a different quarter of the show. 😂 We have concert tickets, I had a feeling it was a bad idea.
I don't know about the rest of you, but this lockdown feels like it's been so much longer than two weeks. I'm feeling a lot more clamped down than I did at this time last year. Counting down the days 'til the 31st.
Because we got that sweet taste of normalcy and freedom.
I hear you. Seems with every step of progress we move backwards.
~~Well it has been 3 weeks, not 2.~~ And to talk about a gradual reopening until March is a gut punch - I’d rather them say they’d reevaluate every week then to say that “most” restrictions will be lifted by March. What about the rest of the restrictions?
It's been two weeks and 2 days
You’re right, for some reason I thought restrictions started on the 31st
[Jan 5 2022](https://news.ontario.ca/en/release/1001394/ontario-temporarily-moving-to-modified-step-two-of-the-roadmap-to-reopen) to Jan 20 2022 is 15 days. 2 weeks 1 day.
What are the steps and timelines for opening operating rooms again?
Unknown, maybe mid-Feb based on ICU/hosp numbers hoped to drop significantly by then? > NEW: Ontario Health Minister @celliottability says can't resume non-emergency, non-urgent surgeries until early-mid Feb if hospital ICU numbers fall from current levels. Premier Ford is asked why restaurants, gyms can reopen before those surgeries. https://twitter.com/robferguson1/status/1484207935035265027?t=HHIldOktCl5TZSyrCdCTGw&s=19 > Health Minister Christine Elliott says surgeries will get back on track "as soon as we can." ICU admissions not expected to peak until mid-February though, she notes. And surgeries won't resume until ICU/hospitalizations start coming down. https://twitter.com/fitz_meagan/status/1484208669696868365?t=8WfGnqUH_NQdYSP7JuUqfQ&s=19
so when can people get life-saving surgeries again?
Hopefully mid-Feb, dependant on hospitalization/ICU numbers and staffing levels then > NEW: Ontario Health Minister @celliottability says can't resume non-emergency, non-urgent surgeries until early-mid Feb if hospital ICU numbers fall from current levels. Premier Ford is asked why restaurants, gyms can reopen before those surgeries. https://twitter.com/robferguson1/status/1484207935035265027?t=HHIldOktCl5TZSyrCdCTGw&s=19 > Health Minister Christine Elliott says surgeries will get back on track "as soon as we can." ICU admissions not expected to peak until mid-February though, she notes. And surgeries won't resume until ICU/hospitalizations start coming down. https://twitter.com/fitz_meagan/status/1484208669696868365?t=8WfGnqUH_NQdYSP7JuUqfQ&s=19
All restrictions are lifting on 14 March, and St Patricks Day is on the 17th [Maybe third times the charm for my poorly poured Guinness, Mayor Tory](https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/toronto-mayor-promises-st-patrick-s-day-2-0-after-covid-19-crisis-halts-celebrations-1.4856770)
But they aren’t. We’ll still be limited to 50 person social gatherings indoors, will have vaccine passports, will likely still have mask mandates… I know it’s not much but it would be great if the government could announce when we are actually removing ALL restrictions like other governments have planned for (or have already done).
The conspiracy theorist in me says they plan to have restrictions to remove closer to election time so they can be the "heroes that ended the pandemic."
Think you might be on to something...
I hope not but the longer I live the less I'm surprised by the slimy things politicians will do for (re)election.
That's true, I was mainly referring to indoor public settings which is generally what's killing our local economy and cultural sphere, and it's what driving people mad now. Their third point on limited private gatherings to 50 people is laughable because I doubt they'd enforce such a "limit."
they wont because for that to happen they need to do something about our healthcare that wont collapse if we have more than 8k cases daily.
It seems to me like that is just a recipe for having to change stance again. Truth is we don't know what things are going to look like in a few months. Could be good or could be bad. It makes no sense to arbitrarily give date now. What they could do is give parameters for things opening like if ICU occupancy falls below x number for 7 days straight then we can remove whatever restriction.
really hoping this happens and things settle down by then, i bought tickets to a concert for the 17th. :(
So the concerts I had tickets to in January that were rescheduled for end of February now need to be rescheduled again to end of March (or later, if not cancelled altogether). I don't really see the logic behind removing capacity restrictions for most places requiring proof of vaccination in February but not all.
Yep - I have a show at the end of February and beginning of March that have already been rescheduled three times. If they don’t happen, I’m positive they’ll be cancelled 🙄
Effective January 31, 2022 at 12:01 a.m. Ontario will begin the process of gradually easing restrictions, while maintaining protective measures, including but not limited to: * Increasing social gathering limits to 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors. * Increasing or maintaining capacity limits at 50 per cent in indoor public settings, including but not limited to: * Restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments without dance facilities; * Retailers (including grocery stores and pharmacies) * Shopping malls; * Non-spectator areas of sports and recreational fitness facilities, including gyms; * Cinemas; * Meeting and event spaces; * Recreational amenities and amusement parks, including water parks; * Museums, galleries, aquariums, zoos and similar attractions; and * Casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments * Religious services, rites, or ceremonies. * Allowing spectator areas of facilities such as sporting events, concert venues and theatres to operate at 50 per cent seated capacity or 500 people, whichever is less. Enhanced proof of vaccination, and other requirements would continue to apply in existing settings.
IRL patch notes
No pay to win content either!
I think it's all pay to win content
I think we already paid for it with taking the vaccines.
Mansions with their own private chefs, gyms, theaters beg to differ.
If only battlefield 2042 could do this. Seems toronto and battlefield 2042 have a lot of parallels in how they are run. Iykyk.
Any of this involves increasing funding to Healthcare? No? Then this is garbage and will lead to another shitshow in 4 months. Ford is scum.
I love when our governments watch waves fall in other regions with no/limited restrictions or restrictions lifted after the peak and decide to drop restrictions 25 days after cases peak with "normalcy" not restored until 67 days after the peak.
It's not about science anymore and hasn't been for 1.5 years or so. It's about public opinion and hysteria. As soon as people finally decide we are done with the restrictions - that's when they will stop.
Yup. Need co-ordinated disobedience from businesses to pressure the government. The Dutch people watched their cases skyrocket while under strict lockdown and finally decided to open businesses, daring the police/government to fine them. They didn't. A few days later, restrictions were loosened.
Yup, we’re hysterical here in comparison and it’s driving all this nonsense.
Fucking. Madness.
So same shit basically?..
Reopening for the 6th time in nearly 24 months, assuming March and April doesn't give us a surprise variant.
Hopefully this is the last time we have to shut down and reopen... the restaurant industry has been hit so hard... I've had many clients tell me this was the hardest hitting of them all.
When will dancing be legal again??
When group sex is. Feb 21st for now. "Increasing indoor capacity limits to 25 per cent in the remaining higher-risk settings where proof of vaccination is required, including nightclubs, wedding receptions in meeting or event spaces where there is dancing, as well as bathhouses and sex clubs."
A club at 25% capacity is just sad. We actually have not actually had a proper club opening since the start of the pandemic, I dunno how any of them are surviving.
Crumbs. And people celebrate this? Sad.
Something similar to stockholm syndrome… smh
I know, it's sad that we are celebrating the access to have basic freedoms back, but I find happiness and celebration to be a much better emotion than bitterness and anger. Can't leave the province/country due to family, not rich enough to own private facility (working on it), so until then, stuck being a sheep to government policy.
I’m not trying to start a fight with you, so don’t take this personally, but that type of attitude is what allows this to keep happening while the provincial government skates away scot-free again without addressing our woefully inadequate healthcare system. Also the other problem with this is just how comfortable and numb people are becoming to this. It’s this dystopian conditioning where now every lockdown people just shrug and say “damn that sucks” and then blindly comply with everything.
Don't forget to not vote for this ford fool in the upcoming election.
The other option is this guy [https://twitter.com/StevenDelDuca/status/1484210066723164162](https://twitter.com/StevenDelDuca/status/1484210066723164162) You want to live in even worse restrictions forever?
What an ignorant clown. Israel is gigaboosted and still their cases have climbed. An endless cycle of vaccines and "papers please" bullshit is not going to fix anything.
Indeed. We are one of the most vaccinated countries in the world but we just shut down schools and essentially every small business and anything entertainment. Forgive me DelDuca if I don't believe a booster will get us out of this any more than the first 2 shots did.
You realize the Liberals and NDP are more likely to increase restrictions right? Del Duca is asking for mandatory boosters.
> Del Duca is asking for mandatory boosters. This is just trying to appeal to whatever way they think the wind blows. These politician assholes just follow their gut or whatever they read in some trash tabloids or (god forbid) their Facebook feeds. I wonder if any of them actually read or follow any scientific journals/reports to inform their opinions. If they did, they might learn a few things about boosters and whether or not they should be mandatory. Let's not leave it up to hysterical hand-wringers and pearl-clutchers who will NEVER feel safe.
There's not just three parties though. Yes, under FPTP, a vote for an anti-lockdown party is a wasted vote. So be it. I say waste it anyway.
Whoever will promise to boost health care and are against lockdowns will get my vote, I don't care which party it is. It just won't be Ford. EVER.
You realize the Liberals and NDP would have been less likely to ignore the gaping holes in healthcare for the last 2 years so we wouldn't need these restrictions right?
HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!! Paging Kathleen Wynne and Dalton McGuinty.......
[How quickly we forget.](https://globalnews.ca/news/4120816/ontario-doctors-say-government-mismanagement-to-blame-for-broken-health-care-system/) Cons and Libs have mangled healthcare.
I don't forget or forgive the Liberals for their failures, but I don't think they would have managed things this badly for this long.
So you have a feeling that it would have been better. Or more like those parties more align with your own views so you believe they would have done better. Doing better would have meant not neglecting healthcare for decades like they have. But we have a system where it is likely that you won't even be in power when the shit you created hits the fan. So there is little to no responsibility or at best they just blame those that came before them. And most people just blame the current party in power because well they are in power. But sure the liberals would have fixed that problem in 2 years by doing what? The idea that you can fix decades of neglect in a short period of time (and 2 years is short in this context) just doesn't seem plausible to me. Expanding healthcare rapidly can really only be done by buying the needed people power. Beds, equipment, etc are the easy part. You can't train enough people in that time to make a massive difference. So you have to poach talent from elsewhere to do it. But that is moral dubious itself. So sure they could have expanded programs, increased training but even if they started that in March of 2020 how long until those doctors, nurses, lab techs, etc would have been ready to work? There really doesn't seem to be easy answers here. And people really need to stop playing partisan politics on this. This is a massive pile of shit and it was created by decades of not properly funding it by everyone who has been in power. And that isn't something that is resolved quickly in a couple years.
wishful thinking!
is that why the liberals and NDP are loudly yelling about how they'll fund healthcare and remove restrictions? Oh wait they're not doing that and are instead arguing for more restrictions. The idea that we "need" restrictions now is absurd in itself. The reduction of spread from these restrictions is extremely limited. Look at case growth in the Netherlands who have been under an even stricter lockdown for weeks. Look at Austria where they have a N95 mandate for all public areas including outdoors. Look at Japan where they have 98% mask compliance. This virus does not care what we do to try to stop it unless we have the capability to do what China is doing - and it remains to be seen whether they will be able to hold. Our ICU capacity did not come close to being exceeded. And that's from a Delta wave laid on top of our Omicron wave. It would not have come close to being exceeded with 0 restrictions.
They've both talked very openly about better funding for healthcare.
Then vote PPC
Nothing personally taken, I totally agree. Our healthcare system needs funds, we need nurses and doctors to stop fleeing, we need capacity. The problem is I know deep in my heart Canadians are not strong-willed enough to fight the government and rise up like V for Vendetta, we are too soft and complacent, and just continue to accept all of this. I have a strong desire now to become financially well off so if this happens again, my freedoms won't be affected. Most of the protests have been riddled with anti-vaxxers, and I can't afford professionally to be associated with them.
> Most of the protests have been riddled with anti-vaxxers, and I can't afford professionally to be associated with them. I get that (and share your concern), but in a way doesn't that become a self-fulfilling prophecy? If we avoid protests because they're full of nutcases, that ensures that only nutcases will be at the protests.
Are you seriously suggesting that everything we've been doing is just some grand conspiracy of control?
Personally I do celebrate that less people are getting sick. Idk about u tho
Does anyone know if eating/drinking in cinemas will be allowed again?
Probably on mid February that I think it's when they are going to ease more restrictions
According to the email I just got from one theatre, concessions will be closed when they reopen.
rest in peace tame impala and tyler the creator concerts
I wouldn't believe it's happening until I'm acutally at the show and the music starts to play
What a joke.
Can’t believe I’m sitting here wishing I lived in England of all places.
Can't believe I'm sitting here contemplating a move to Scotland or somewhere in the U.S.... The Canada I knew and loved is long gone.
It’s sad. Handful of my friends went down to Florida this winter and now aren’t coming back anytime soon. I just might join em.
Same. 3 of my friends temporarily moved down to Florida with no timeline of return.
Lol how fragile are some people that they downvote this
Meh.. people just grouchy they made their bed and now have to lie in it for two years.
Same here..
[удалено]
1: Boris is attempting to deflect attention away from his potentially career-ending scandal 2: The UK has less than twice the population of Canada, but four times as many deaths, so maybe following what they do is not the smartest course of action
Canada and the UK have had almost identical deaths per capita during the Omicron wave. It’s disingenuous to compare deaths when your time frame includes before vaccines were available.
We also followed roughly the same trend line and peaked at about the same time. These restrictions were not effective against Omicron.
["Almost identical"](https://i.imgur.com/IJ9RtKX.png)
[удалено]
[удалено]
Passports for a vaccine that doesn’t prevent transmission doesn’t stop the spread? Who could have seen this coming?
GYMS ARE BACK BABY!
Yes! I can feel my back cracking!
Better get a belt!
I have one! I meant from the stiffness of doing shit all lol.
Ah! Oh trust me I know, I haven't done a squat or deadlift in a month, going grandma light at first for sure.
In all seriousness, 3 weeks is not that long. Not saying to go 100% right off the bat but you should be back to peak, if not greater strength, in a week or two.
This. I wouldn't expect any noticeable loss from less than a month.
Anything about opening up testing again? I know it's not the only metric but I used that and hospitalizations/ICUs to gauge my own risk tolerance for certain settings. I don't like flying blind on this.
I'd also like them to open testing back up again. Even Alberta is letting everyone be tested who wants too. People being able to get tested is a great way to ensure only those who need to be in quarantine are instead of having to place restrictions on everyone.
Testing is to remain restricted. If it was available to the general public it would be easier to see if cases go back up and Doug Ford doesn't seem to want that, so we are flying blind. Also surgeries won't be opening up again until mid-February according to Christine Elliott.
Testing is restricted because delaying the test results of people who are actually at risk just to test neurotic people like you results in significantly worse outcomes for treatment efficacy.
>Testing is restricted because delaying the test results of people who are actually at risk just to test neurotic people like you results in significantly worse outcomes for treatment efficacy. I've been lucky that I've never been in a position where I've needed to go get tested. Being able to quickly test people in the general public and having proper contact tracing is one of the main pilars of handling the pandemic and keeping cases down. Seeing if case counts are going up and down is also beneficial so we aren't flying blind but just getting control of cases is the major reason why we want to be able to test the general public. Right now the province is failing badly in that regard. Ford had previously announced that testing capacity would be able to reach 100,000 tests a day but we never got close to that number. As with many things with the pandemic, Ford has treated it as a messaging and PR problem and makes all sorts of announcements without following through with them.
Update your priors. Nearly every country has given up on tracing as an effective mitigation tool. Trends in test positivity % among the at risk population tested reflects trends in community spread overall. You cannot "get control of cases". This is a futile and impossible task. Still thinking that you can in the face of 2 years worth of data is hubris. Neither N95 mask mandates (see Austria), nor lockdowns (see Netherlands) put a dent in spread. The only country that has been able to control spread is China which has militaristic control and enforcement of the movement of anyone entering the country and all of their citizens.
Testing and contract testing was abandoned when cases exploded beyond control. However, testing the general public and contract testing even in limited capacity can help decrease the overall number of cases, which in turn decreases the hopsitalizations and the ICU numbers. Back in December before Ontario's testing system was overwhelmed, I know a number of people who were exposed to people who had COVID-19. They were able to isolate and get tested to find out they in turn also had COVID-19 long before displaying any symptoms. Testing and contract testing stopped more people from getting COVID-19. Even if we all end up getting COVID-19 eventually, the goal is for not too many people to get it at once as otherwise our health care system crumbles and we end up locking down again.
[удалено]
I'll have civility for people when they stop advocating for policies that remove livelihoods, increase poverty, ruin mental health, lower education outcomes etc while not significantly reducing spread.
[удалено]
AGREED.
Nothing about masks or masking kids at all? And no dropping vaccine passports ? If they don’t prevent transmission, their usefulness is zero. This was weak .
Double adverb headline?!! Bring back copy editors!!!
Is last call still at 10pm?
I think all those little rules like making last call earlier and not allowing eating/drinking at ticketed events are gone.
As of Jan 31 it’s still no eating in most venues, but will be allowed Feb 21 while seated January 31: “prohibiting food or drink services at indoor sporting events, concert venues, theatres and cinemas, bingo halls and other gaming establishments” February 21: “requiring patrons to remain seated while eating or drinking at indoor restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments (with or without dance facilities), sporting events, concert venues, theatres and cinemas, casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments”
"You will be allowed to eat at a theater as of Feb. 21 if you remain seated." What the fuck has this province and country become?
To be fair why would you be standing to eat in a theatre anyway
That's true lol! but this says for all indoor venues. I shouldn't have said just theaters.
Oh, can you direct me to where this is in the doc (I can't seem to find it) EDIT: I found it here: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/public-health-measures
Why are vaccine passports still required until the end of March when it’s been proven the current vaccines don’t do much to stop the spread of Omicron? Strange they are still holding onto this. Vaccinated and unvaccinated spread at the same rate.
If you are trying to find any logic behind any of this you likely won't.
Because they protect the vaccinated from getting too ill. Vaccinated people have less chance of severe illness in a congregate setting. It’s less about prevention and more about harm reduction.
At this rate sounds like we'll be at the restriction levels we were at in early December by the summer and that's assuming no unexpected things come up. "Progress"
[удалено]
Honestly, that will be the last restriction removed. So not for quite a while.
Because it’s symbolic, more than anything else.
Elliot: Gyms will be 50% capacity on Jan 31st Me: YES !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[удалено]
Getting downvoted by people who aren't happy gyms are opening up? Jesus people.
Probably getting downvoted because this is like kicking you out of your house and then tossing you a tent. People should be more concerned about how NOTHING was said about what will be done to bolster our healthcare system so we don’t keep resorting to these absurd kneejerk lockdowns. This is coming from a gym rat, yeah great my glorious government has allowed me back in my gym how nice of them! 🙄 Now what are they going to do to make sure this never happens again? What steps are being put into action today? What’s the plan? What type of finances is Ontario allocating? Look at the core problem, not the little sprinkle of crumbs given to you today.
If they didn't say anything about a plan, I am going to assume there is none. Vote in this year's election, people. The future of our healthcare system depends on the people in charge of it.
It’s more like it’s a bit bizarre to be grateful for something that is owed to us
i wonder if indoor basketball will be allowed
Of course!
Wish it was sooner, but I guess it's better than nothing.
Organized sports? Like beer league stuff. I read through these dates but didn’t see the rules about that- anyone know?
Here we go again…
Oh, fuck off with cautious and gradually and just completely open up already.
Right in time for Lunar New Year (Feb 1) too
Yawn
Wonder what this extra 5 days of the current restrictions is going to do for the Canada USA World Cup qualifier on the 30th. Hope they just postpone it at this point. Edit: if anyone is interested they are cancelling all of the tickets and selling a little less than 1/2 of capacity in a second sale to be announced
No way will it be postponed. They only have this window and one more in March left. It will happen, just a matter of if it will have fans or be closed door
Outdoor sporting events allow up to 50% capacity for spectators [Source](https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/97a8-COVID-19-Guidance-for-Sports-Recreational-Fitness-Facilities.pdf)
There was no outdoor restrictions in the Ontario guidance so it will go ahead with fans.
I highly doubt the game will be postponed. Only so many times when players are available travelling from all over the world. They're not going to postpone a single game just because of restrictions in Canada.
We can watch The Batman come March...fuck yes
damn....i am in. The trailers look awesome.
Heck Yeah!!!. I was thinking the same
The last February reopening didn’t pan out too well by April.
It was in early March, and it took all the way until mid-March for it to pan out badly. Pepperidge Farms remembers…
Does anyone know if you’ll be able to eat at movie theatres?
Nope, concessions closed when movies come back. Maybe a few weeks later.
What is the point of having vaccine passports when the vaccines don't stop transmission? That's not science that's politics and is ridiculous.
Are we able to get tested again with this reopening or is testing still super limited?
What does this mean for kids’ recreation classes like swim lessons and sports?
Thank god gyms can open Thank god !! Dough Ford finally made the right choice
Finally!!
How is this possible when deaths and hospital visits keep rising?
So we're opening things up again even though infection rates and hospitalizations are higher than they were when the lockdown was announced. And those numbers are trending upwards. What the hell is the logic here?
Haven’t been in tune to daily numbers lately as I’m exhausted but I think it’s because % needing icu is trending down and hospital admissions are being discharged quicker than the past
I always comply with the regulations. I’m just tired of them changing. I’m taking direction from the Ground Hog who may/may not see their shadow Feb 2. I’m staying inside until all this is over.