by: brian platt
ontario premier doug ford is escalating his battle with prime minister justin trudeau over the border, demanding that more be done to stop variants coming in and complaining that his government’s previous requests haven’t been acted on.
trudeau, meanwhile, accused ford of playing political games instead of working together to extinguish the third wave.
in a letter to trudeau dated may 12, ford said his government has made three requests since april 22 around reducing incoming international flights, mandating pre-departure testing for domestic air travellers entering ontario, and requiring a three-day hotel quarantine for land border crossers at canada’s busiest entry points.
“to date, there has been no action on any of these requests and no indication that anything is coming,” said ford’s letter. “in the past two weeks alone, 40 domestic and 24 international flights landed at toronto pearson international airport with confirmed cases of covid-19.”
the letter also said 172,000 individuals, excluding essential truck drivers, have crossed canada’s international border in the past two weeks.
ford has put ontario into a strict lockdown to fight a massive third wave that hit the province this spring. he’s faced heavy criticism both for not acting earlier to stop the spread, and for shuttering outdoor activities such as golf and tennis despite many experts arguing these are safe activities.