A frustrated Doug Ford is making one final attempt to convince the federal government to conduct pre-departure tests at all Canadian airport.
The Premier says this has to be done to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and prevent a mutating strain from the United Kingdom from entering our country.
“We’ve been in talks with the Federal government for weeks upon weeks about doing testing at the airport. And we’ve been great partners. We’ve collaborated all the way. Why they are ignoring us on this is beyond me.”
Ford says “We have 64,000 people that went through Pearson last week. Basically unchecked. And through cell service we can see people are not quarantining. We saw about 25%, roughly, I don’t care if it’s 10%. These people are roaming the streets and we’re letting it happen.”
Ford notes that’s just International travellers, stressing domestic traffic is much higher.
He states too many people are arriving in the province and not self-isolating for 14 days.
“If the Prime Minister doesn’t want to do it. I’m going to do it. I’m not going to put the people of Ontario at risk just because the federal government doesn’t want to do tests. We will be doing tests no matter if they support us, which I hope they do, or if they don’t support us, which just boggles my mind why they wouldn’t.”
The Public Health Agency of Canada says there have been at least 1,300 flights that have either landed or taken off in Canada since the start of September with potential COVID-19 exposures on board.
This includes at least 200 flights during the past two weeks, including five flights from the U.K., where a new strain of the coronavirus is spreading rapidly.
Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam notes the new variant has not yet been detected in Canada.
The federal government is defending its plan.
Health Minister Patty Hajdu says “It total, from all cases so far of COVID-19, International travel has represented 1.3% of those cases. So what that says to me is that its community spread that is driving our incredibly high caseloads in Ontario.”
The Thunder Bay-Superior North MP adds the Ontario plan is the same border testing pilot from Alberta.
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says Canada’s border controls are among the strictest in the world.
“Over the past few days, we’ve heard a number of comments which, frankly, are an unfortunate misrepresentation of what is actually happening at our borders.”
