Open Letter to Doug Ford

Dear Mr. Ford,

In press conferences you say you will stop at nothing to keep us safe. How are you planning on doing this?

I’m not going to pretend that I know what is best for our province or our country. I’m just the editor of a small community publication and I don’t know much about pandemics, or politics.

But, I do know this: my community, like many others, is suffering. Small business owners are struggling.

Why is Walmart allowed to have a Boxing Day sale when my mom & pop owned local electronic retailer can’t? Permitting big box stores to cash in while little retailers are closed is not right. With the current lockdown, one would think you could have done what Alberta did, and ordered Walmart, Costco and other large retailers to rope off all non-essential departments, limiting access to only groceries and pharmacy. That’s reality for everybody else, isn’t it?

Not only would this be the fair thing to do, it would also reduce the number of people going in and out of these stores, further limiting the spread of Covid. That’s the whole point, isn’t it?

Some local stores I know stayed open on Christmas Day in an attempt to get a slim piece of the Boxing Day pie, knowing they would lose it all otherwise. Christmas Day!!! I know they’re allowed to have curbside and deliveries, but let’s be real: people like instant gratification; if they can walk-in to Walmart to pick up a TV right now, why would they wait to organize a pick up with a local store tomorrow?

If 14 million Ontarians are confined to their households, limiting trips to the essentials, why are 14,000+ allowed to get on a plane and go on non-essential vacations? Covid doesn’t differentiate between being spread by someone driving through a border or flying over a border.  I’m reading that our hospitals are in danger of being overwhelmed. Borders need to be closed. REALLY closed. Isn’t travel for non-essential purposes banned right now?  I know, it’s a federal issue, but there is no logic at all behind this and you need to weigh in. Can’t all Premiers get together and make that message resonate with Trudeau?

And what about families and friends gathering? I was frustrated yesterday when I saw a Facebook friend post pictures of her Christmas dinner featuring her mom, dad, brothers and sisters, their kids, the in-laws, the step kids, etc. I was even more infuriated by MPP Randy Hillier’s family dinner photos plastered all over twitter, having a jolly time while his constituents hunker down. I didn’t see my kids at Christmas this year. I did what was asked of me. But when I see others not care at all and go on about their lives as if nothing is happening, without any repercussions, it sure seems unfair.

With the news of the higher transmission variant reaching Ontario, how will you keep us safe? How will you stop the spread from reaching catastrophic levels? How will you preserve our resources with a virus 50%-70% more infectious, when we are already stretched thin? How many cancer patients won’t receive treatment because of this new strain? How many heart attacks won’t make it to the ICU?

I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes. I know with every decision you make, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. But that’s the job you signed up for. While some people are loudly complaining about the “loss of their freedoms” the rest of us are worrying about what is next. Many fear that this little lockdown of yours will amount to nothing if you don’t push for stricter border control, more stringent enforcement on gatherings and seriously limiting in-person shopping to “essential” items.

But what do I know?

I’m just the editor of a small community publication and don’t know much about pandemics, or politics.