We Still Have a Government, Right?: Canadian Politics 2020

I’m expecting the restrictions to expand to more areas pretty soon. We’re Halton here, right next to Peel and judging by the unusually crowded state of our local malls right now, the regional approach hasn’t stopped most from going shopping and is only facilitating spread. I’ll be surprised if the schools reopen on schedule as well.

MB, with less than 1.5x the population of NB, reported 238 new cases on Saturday fwiw.

Sund4r - it's just much fewer initial cases before control measures were put in place.

Quebec had tons of COVID basically from the start, then it increases exponentially.

The cautionary tales are places like SK or AB: things can still get out of control to the point you have "too many initial cases before control measures are put in place."

An anti-vaxxer/covidiot protest is currently underway here. The fines will no doubt comfort them in their belief that a medicalized dictatorship has taken us hostage.

An anti-vaxxer/covidiot protest is currently underway here. The fines will no doubt comfort them in their belief that a medicalized dictatorship has taken us hostage.

This week was quite cold, but we're at -1°C today, which may have encouraged them.

I expected an extended school break, not this:

https://toronto.citynews.ca/2020/12/20/all-regions-in-ontario-to-enter-lockdown-starting-christmas-eve-source/

Regional approach is failing hard and cellphone data metrics confirm that very few are staying put right now. Reasons for that are debatable, but it’s an obvious enough problem that a blanket time out seems like the most effective counter measure. The dopes are going to lose their minds though.

If anything was learned from the spring lockdown, I hope at the very least panic-buying doesn't start up again.

For essentials? I doubt it’ll be the same as spring - but the regular retail outlets that are still open now are going to get absolutely slammed with people suddenly realizing there will be no Boxing Day sales.

I meant in terms of grocery stores--which obviously are staying open, but that didn't stop people in the spring. Anyway, lockdown already happened for much of the province weeks ago, so that question has probably already been answered. This'll be the first time for St. Marys since the spring, though.

Ugh, hope this doesn't happen. Ottawa currently has literally no one in the ICU and has had one death in the four days.

RIP Leo Panitch: https://www.facebook.com/CDNDimension/photos/a.1043081479039043/5404877109526103/

That makes sense btw, sean.

Word is that it’s set to be a 28 day lockdown, except northern on which gets 14 days, elementary schools closed til Jan 11, and high schools til the 21st, but with online learning. Unconfirmed tho.

more on the horrific digital eviction process

https://www.vice.com/en/article/epdavj/20-hours-of-watching-canadians-get-evicted-over-zoom-court-shows-a-system-under-strain

(I'm definitely just out of frame in that photograph, incidentally)

Ontario shutdown is official now: 14d in Northern Ontario starting Boxing Day, 28d in the rest of the province

He gave a shout-out to Ottawa's successes but said we need to shut down to keep out Quebecers fleeing their shutdown (?)

That actually made sense to me...am I missing the obvious flaw in that hypothetical?

No, the logic makes sense; was just confirming that I heard and understood right when listening and typing

Was also just frustrated. Although I'm actually not sure - is QC going to be locked down for the same length of time?

Lockdown in Quebec is only until January 11th for now. I expect it to be prolonged, but who knows with this government.

Breaking : @VeraEtches and @JimWatsonOttawa push back asking province to reconsider lockdown to make it 14 days in Ottawa not 28 because of lower numbers here #COVID19 #ottnews @ctvottawa

— Graham Richardson (@grahamctv) December 21, 2020

Is that a first - a city's chief medical officer asking the province to loosen restrictions?

Seems like closing the bridges to Gatineau might be simpler if the main concern is people coming from Quebec.

St. Marys will be locked down too. We've had eight total cases since this began; zero active; no new cases in two months.

I guess pissed that effective policy garnered not enough recognition? Interesting for sure. May be a fair request - if having Quebec next door is such a problem as Ford said, why is Ottawa doing so well so far?

In contrast here we had a helicopter hovering over the area all day, possibly because of extreme congestion at places like the premium outlets.

I guess pissed that effective policy garnered not enough recognition? Interesting for sure. May be a fair request - if having Quebec next door is such a problem as Ford said, why is Ottawa doing so well so far?

Gâtineau and the whole Outaouais region around it is among the places with the lowest amount of cases in Quebec currently, so there's probably not that much covid19 coming in from Quebec to Ottawa.

That being said, having spoken to a couple of people in the last couple of days who do not seem to be taking this particularly seriously even now, I'm not feeling particularly optimistic about the next couple of months for Quebec and Ontario probably should close the border with us (though I'm not sure this is logistically possible).

The new mutant strain seems to have arrived in Ontario. It was only a matter of time, I suppose.

You all following the Rod Phillips thing? I’m just catching it now. His own posts meant to mislead about being at home instead of St Barts are ridiculous enough, but it looks like other MPPs were also in on it. At least it appears that way. Infuriating.

Good timing, Rod Phillips: just shy of 3,000 cases in Ontario today. I'm not sure how much that is attributable to Christmas, and how much to the possibility that the new variant has been here for a few weeks (which would help explain how everything started to unravel).

this is nuts:

Rod Phillips on a Zoom call supposedly on Dec 16th - which would be from St. Barts. Sweater and all. With the Ontario legislature building in the background. You can hear the waves from the ocean at the beginning of the video. Several times. pic.twitter.com/oQ2gqIRPbZ

— KC (@kci2013) December 30, 2020

his little speech is perfect too

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-rod-phillips-caribbean-vacation-1.5857535

He'll learn his lesson when he experiences the almighty wrath of a very tough conversation.

3,300 cases today, and St. Marys has its third new case in a week (after three months without a single case). It has to be the new strain. Even if you account for Christmas and less vigilance, that should have been offset by lockdowns that have been in place for three or four weeks now in Toronto and Peel.

Anyone know how this story actually broke? Like who figured out that the twitter posts were bs - I can’t seem to find the info.

Yeah, numbers are rising here too. I was reluctant to share this here but, for personal context, my partner made the paper last week: https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/we-deserve-for-our-needs-to-be-part-of-the-plan-for-some-pools-are-not-a-luxury . I really wouldn't have a problem with the lockdown if it was done with reasonable accommodations for vulnerable people whom this should be designed to protect in the first place.

Best wishes...I ran my theory by a friend, and he believes behaviour is still the driving factor in the worsening upswing (and related an example from the other day). I hope that's what it is. If it's behaviour, I feel in control; if it's some new strain that spreads rapidly, I don't.

It could easily be behavioural reasons still. I really do believe that having regional lockdowns in place during the years busiest retail season had a lot of backfire effect because a huge amount of people jdidn’t stop shopping and dining, they just travelled to less affected areas do it. Nothing was in place to stop them. Would have made a better strategy if they were trying to disperse a thing rather than contain it.

Been thinking about your/her situation there a lot, sund4r. Have there been any developments since it got published? It’s certainly not any more acceptable to let vulnerable people suffer under lockdown than it is to have no precautions at all. There needs to be room to voice concerns without being pegged as anti this or pro that, but I can imagine it’s become very difficult to navigate.

Harden (our NDP MPP and official disability critic) is still trying with the Minister, it seems. He reached out to Carleton U, who are willing to grant access to their facility if/when the Minister agrees to make an accommodation. There's also a possibility with a(n expensive) private facility next week.

St. Marys is at 15 cases now; we reached 8 around late summer, were still at 8 on Christmas Day, and have added 7 now in two weeks.

Hm, can't vouch for the credibility of this but

I work FT at the Civic, where I'm a supervisor of covid screeners. I'm usually at the main entrance, where I interact with hundreds of people per shift. I have heard nothing about the vaccination. Even the screeners who work in the vaccination clinic are not vaccinated yet. pic.twitter.com/woAvVjY6p7

— Marnie Wellar (@okaymarnie) January 5, 2021

(thread)

Incoming total lockdown in Quebec: 3-4 weeks, starting on Saturday. Good news, as far as I'm concerned. Legault will confirm the government's plans tomorrow.

what can they lock down beyond what's already closed?

They won't be lifting the current one, more like, with some added rules: 1) remote working will be made compulsory; 2) primary schools will remain closed for an extra week, until the 18th (25th for secondary schools); 3) a curfew (7:30 pm - 6 am) is in the cards. Skimping on schools will come back to bite us in the ass imo.

interesting. my cousin just went back to primary school on monday (online), wonder what will happen with that

No word on extending online in Ontario schools yet; surely they will, this statement from Lecce notwithstanding.

https://www.wrdsb.ca/blog/2021/01/05/a-message-from-the-minister-of-education-for-ontario-families/

"To ensure a better learning experience, every teacher in this province received mandatory training on remote learning, before the school year began" has been greeted with amusement and ridicule from teacher friends on Facebook. They received none.