Premier Doug Ford is hopeful invoking the Emergencies Act will give police the tools they need to clear out the occupation in Ottawa so the country can start moving on from it and COVID-19.
During a news conference in Hamilton, Ford said his number one priority is protecting jobs and the families throughout the province.
“It’s critical that all levels of government work together. It’s critical that our police forces have every single tool needed to resolve the situation and restore order,” said Ford. “Any special powers need to be extremely targeted, only used for as long as necessary to resolve the situation and not one minute longer.”
However, he made it clear he is ready to move on from COVID-19 mandates.
“Everyone is done with this. Let’s get moving on, cautiously. We’ve followed the rules, all of us, 90 per cent of us, for over two years. The world is done with it, let’s just move forward,” said Ford.
On Monday, Ford announced the province will start removing some restrictions Thursday and, if public health indicators are favourable, will be scrapping the vaccine certificate program as of March 1.
“We just have to be careful. We have to make sure we always wash our hands and move forward. We can’t stay in this position forever. We need to learn to live with this and get on with our lives,” said Ford.
