COVID-19: Canada Responds
Ontario Premier Doug Ford Apologizes for Controversial COVID-19 Measures
Ontario Premier Doug Ford holds a news conference while in self-isolation at his late mother’s home in Etobicoke. The premier is currently self-isolating after he was in close contact with a staff member who tested positive for COVID-19. He has tested negative, but is isolating as a precaution. These are Ford's first public remarks since announcing a number of new restrictions on April 16 that generated a furor in the province, including the forced closure of playgrounds, a ban on most outdoor recreational activities, the closing of interprovincial borders to non-essential traffic, and increased police powers. Ford's government has since backtracked on many of those measures and today the premier issued an apology for going "too far" in trying to stem the third wave of COVID-19. He also announces that his government is working on a paid sick-leave program for Ontario workers affected by the pandemic, after months of refusing to consider such a program. (April 22, 2021) (No interpretation)
