Ontario premier says 'positive news' coming this week on COVID-19 restrictions
Premier Doug Ford says his government will announce “some positive news” this week on loosening COVID-19 restrictions.
“We’ll have a good announcement by the end of the week,” Ford told Newstalk 580 CFRA’s The Morning Rush with Bill Carroll on Tuesday.
“We’ll have some positive news. I believe we’re going to make some announcements later this week about going back to other levels of restrictions.”
Ontario has been in a modified Step 2 of COVID-19 restrictions since Jan. 5, closing restaurants, gyms and other businesses, introducing capacity restrictions and limits on gatherings. The measures are scheduled to remain in effect until at least Jan. 26.
Dr. Kieran Moore, the province’s chief medical officer of health, said Monday that he was “starting to have much more hope” that the spread of the Omicron variant was slowing. But he said the decision to lift restrictions was a government one.
Ontario reported 578 COVID-19 patients in ICUs on Monday.
Schools reopened on Tuesday after shifting to remote learning for the first two weeks of January.
“There’s no one that dislikes these lockdowns more than I do. I actually despise them,” Ford said on Tuesday.
Ford responds to criticism after snowstorm
Ford said he spent 10 hours on Monday out and about in Toronto helping people who were trapped by the snowstorm.
Videos shared online showed him digging people’s cars out of the snow and towing them out with his truck.
However, the premier faced criticism for conducting a live television interview while driving, as well as giving someone a ride in his truck without wearing a mask.
Ford said Tuesday he wasn’t holding his phone while driving.
“My phone is positioned in the car, so I wasn’t driving and carrying it,” he said. “I was looking at the road and going about a mile an hour.”
Ontario’s distracted driving laws prohibit the use of a phone or other handheld wireless communication device to text or dial. You can only touch a device to call 911 in an emergency.
As for giving someone a ride without wearing masks, Ford said the man was stranded about five kilometres from home, so Ford offered him a lift. He said he kept the truck’s windows open
“It was a little different circumstance yesterday. Everyone was in desperate need,” he said. “I threw my mask on the next guy I drove.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
RCMP not investigating possible foreign interference cases related to Chiu, Dong: Duheme
Canada's federal police force is not investigating any possible instances of foreign interference in the cases of former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu and Liberal-turned-Independent MP Han Dong, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme says.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Air France flight from Paris to Seattle lands in Iqaluit after heat smell in cabin
A plane travelling from Paris to Seattle was forced to make an emergency landing in Iqaluit after there was a heat smell in the cabin during the flight.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca