October 14th, 2020

FACT CHECK: Doug Ford’s “lackadaisical” summer

ESSEX — Wednesday, Doug Ford was quick to blame others for the size of the second wave of the pandemic.

  • “Everyone got a little lackadaisical.” - Doug Ford, Oct. 14, 2020

NDP Ethics critic Taras Natyshak said Ford’s blame game is especially callous, since Ford spent his summer on a feel-good summer vanity tour, while ignoring warnings that the second wave was coming, because he didn’t want to invest in public health, long-term care or schools.

“Doug Ford spent the summer ignoring hospitals, understaffed long-term care homes, worried parents, teachers and educators, and overwhelmed labs that were all pleading with the government to make investments and prepare for a second wave,” said Natyshak. “He has no right to call the people of Ontario lackadaisical.”

According to the Toronto Star, multiple sources confirm that Ford was ignoring expert recommendations for action throughout the summer.

Multiple sources familiar with the decision-making process tell the Star that expanding testing capacity was strongly recommended to the government by various parties in the past five months, to no effect. Had the province decided to fund expanded testing beyond the still-unachieved goal of 50,000 per day earlier — as early as April, as late as June or even early July — the system would already be capable of handling the surge.

“There’s 100 per cent no question that’s true,” said Dr. Kevin Katz, the medical director of infection prevention and control at North York General, who oversees the Shared Hospital Lab there between Sunnybrook, Michael Garron and other hospitals.
Toronto Star, October 3, 2020