Am Ontario Politician Takes a Vacation During COVID
December 30, 2020 1:13 PM Subscribe
But he made these plans months ago!
Ontario finally goes into a more restrictive lockdown after the conservative government didn't bother preparing for the second wave, came out with a laughable COVID-19 Response Framework, which set thresholds of government mandated Covid responses based on numbers that were, of course, quadrupled.
Continued growth in Covid cases and deaths has finally forced Doug Ford to implement further restrictions, including advising Ontarians to remain indoors as much as possible, don't visit other people's houses, social distance, wear a mask, only go out for absolutely essentials, as well as actual restrictions, delayed four days to allow businesses to prepare (people went shopping), which may have resulted in a recent significant rise in cases.
Vaccinations were shut down for the holidays but have now resumed.
Then Rod Phillips, the Finance minister, left the country for a vacation to St. Barts and while out of the country, had posts on Twitter about the pandemic and Christmas, as if he were in the country.
People who rightly restricted themselves at this time in a collective effort to get through the pandemic are not pleased. He's been asked to return but now people are wondering if he and his family will be subject to Canada's terribly delayed requirement for a negative test to enter the country. It won't likely be implemented until after Rod Phillips return. The Premier and the Mayor of Toronto seem to have forgiven him. Some Americans, to no surprise, have went into full disinformation mode, labeling Phillips a left wing politician who broke the rules.
Ontario finally goes into a more restrictive lockdown after the conservative government didn't bother preparing for the second wave, came out with a laughable COVID-19 Response Framework, which set thresholds of government mandated Covid responses based on numbers that were, of course, quadrupled.
Continued growth in Covid cases and deaths has finally forced Doug Ford to implement further restrictions, including advising Ontarians to remain indoors as much as possible, don't visit other people's houses, social distance, wear a mask, only go out for absolutely essentials, as well as actual restrictions, delayed four days to allow businesses to prepare (people went shopping), which may have resulted in a recent significant rise in cases.
Vaccinations were shut down for the holidays but have now resumed.
Then Rod Phillips, the Finance minister, left the country for a vacation to St. Barts and while out of the country, had posts on Twitter about the pandemic and Christmas, as if he were in the country.
People who rightly restricted themselves at this time in a collective effort to get through the pandemic are not pleased. He's been asked to return but now people are wondering if he and his family will be subject to Canada's terribly delayed requirement for a negative test to enter the country. It won't likely be implemented until after Rod Phillips return. The Premier and the Mayor of Toronto seem to have forgiven him. Some Americans, to no surprise, have went into full disinformation mode, labeling Phillips a left wing politician who broke the rules.
Every time I think these absolute fucking shitstains have reached their nadir, they find a way to sink to a new low. The premier should accept the minister’s resignation and then tender his own.
posted by rodlymight at 2:15 PM on December 30, 2020 [11 favorites]
posted by rodlymight at 2:15 PM on December 30, 2020 [11 favorites]
IIRC, it was "extremely" disappointed, which is another, deeper level of disappointment, so you know things are serious. Additionally, John Tory feels that Phillips can learn from his mistake, so despite these so very trying times, the future will be bright and positive and upbeat.
posted by sardonyx at 2:15 PM on December 30, 2020 [8 favorites]
posted by sardonyx at 2:15 PM on December 30, 2020 [8 favorites]
The only mistake any of these fuckers perceive themselves making is getting caught.
posted by seanmpuckett at 2:16 PM on December 30, 2020 [13 favorites]
posted by seanmpuckett at 2:16 PM on December 30, 2020 [13 favorites]
Doug Ford has spent most of the year using the words "I won't hesitate to lock down" while hesitating to lock down.
posted by allegedly at 2:17 PM on December 30, 2020 [11 favorites]
posted by allegedly at 2:17 PM on December 30, 2020 [11 favorites]
mmm, these marshmallows are so tasty . . .
yet so few??
posted by Heywood Mogroot III at 2:20 PM on December 30, 2020 [4 favorites]
yet so few??
posted by Heywood Mogroot III at 2:20 PM on December 30, 2020 [4 favorites]
From The Beaverton: Ford slams feds for not testing his finance minister returning from vacation [satire, but who knows these days?]
Jason Kenney is leaving absolutely everything on the dance floor, but Ford is busting out some creative last-minute moves in this season's finale of So You Want To Be Canada's Worst Pandemic Premier.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 2:20 PM on December 30, 2020 [11 favorites]
Jason Kenney is leaving absolutely everything on the dance floor, but Ford is busting out some creative last-minute moves in this season's finale of So You Want To Be Canada's Worst Pandemic Premier.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 2:20 PM on December 30, 2020 [11 favorites]
Vaccinations were shut down for the holidays
WTF?
posted by Splunge at 2:20 PM on December 30, 2020 [6 favorites]
WTF?
posted by Splunge at 2:20 PM on December 30, 2020 [6 favorites]
WTF?
So Mark Towhey was Rob Ford's chief of staff in the early days of the Rob Ford/Doug Ford mayor/city councillor days here in Toronto. While he was and continues to be a fellow ideological traveller of the Ford's brand of conservatism, he was bounced from his job for the crime of being the closest thing to an adult in the room when well-founded allegations of Rob Ford's crack use and impaired driving surfaced.
My pet theory is that what Towhey described as the "night shift" is still very much in play in the Ford provincial government -- you just need to swap out "chief of staff" for "public health experts" and "various medical officers of health" as far as who's being overridden with random bullshit.
Q: What was the “Night Shift,” and how did it affect your job?
A: That’s what we began calling an ethereal group of people whose names we didn’t know, but who clearly had influence with Rob and [his brother] Doug during the campaign. We’d sit at headquarters with Rob and Doug, and come up with the plan for the next day, or the next couple of weeks. Everything would be set. Then we’d come in the next morning, and Rob and Doug had been on the phone with God knows who. The plan had changed completely. These were people who were not on the campaign team, but the brothers would come in, ready to put their ideas into action. In many cases, they were good ideas we had already considered and discounted because they weren’t workable. Others were complete hare-brained schemes. We were just, like, “No, this is stupid.”
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 2:28 PM on December 30, 2020 [20 favorites]
So Mark Towhey was Rob Ford's chief of staff in the early days of the Rob Ford/Doug Ford mayor/city councillor days here in Toronto. While he was and continues to be a fellow ideological traveller of the Ford's brand of conservatism, he was bounced from his job for the crime of being the closest thing to an adult in the room when well-founded allegations of Rob Ford's crack use and impaired driving surfaced.
My pet theory is that what Towhey described as the "night shift" is still very much in play in the Ford provincial government -- you just need to swap out "chief of staff" for "public health experts" and "various medical officers of health" as far as who's being overridden with random bullshit.
Q: What was the “Night Shift,” and how did it affect your job?
A: That’s what we began calling an ethereal group of people whose names we didn’t know, but who clearly had influence with Rob and [his brother] Doug during the campaign. We’d sit at headquarters with Rob and Doug, and come up with the plan for the next day, or the next couple of weeks. Everything would be set. Then we’d come in the next morning, and Rob and Doug had been on the phone with God knows who. The plan had changed completely. These were people who were not on the campaign team, but the brothers would come in, ready to put their ideas into action. In many cases, they were good ideas we had already considered and discounted because they weren’t workable. Others were complete hare-brained schemes. We were just, like, “No, this is stupid.”
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 2:28 PM on December 30, 2020 [20 favorites]
It never ceases to amaze me that the primary thing people seem to want from their government is entertainment.
posted by rikschell at 2:37 PM on December 30, 2020 [10 favorites]
posted by rikschell at 2:37 PM on December 30, 2020 [10 favorites]
Doug Ford didn't get to where he is by admitting wrongdoing or error, ever. I guess it's possible this asshole will have to fall on his sword to protect Douggie, but the Fords had already mastered the Power of Shamelessness when Trump was still just some guy on Twitter.
posted by The Card Cheat at 2:44 PM on December 30, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 2:44 PM on December 30, 2020 [4 favorites]
The thing I really want to know about Doug and the pandemic is how much money he and his family have made printing "6-feet apart" stickers. Yes, I know it's a private business, and regular citizens aren't entitled to know exactly what Dougie's personal financial dealings are, but I get the feeling the situation hasn't been a money-losing one for the Ford clan.
And fine, if Doug can't fire that idiot MPP in Kingston who posted photos of his 15-person Christmas party (because he is not longer part of the PC caucus), he can certainly fire the finance minister and make him cautionary example about not using common sense and exhibiting moral failings and being an entitled, pompous ass.
posted by sardonyx at 2:46 PM on December 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
And fine, if Doug can't fire that idiot MPP in Kingston who posted photos of his 15-person Christmas party (because he is not longer part of the PC caucus), he can certainly fire the finance minister and make him cautionary example about not using common sense and exhibiting moral failings and being an entitled, pompous ass.
posted by sardonyx at 2:46 PM on December 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
Looks like Premier Ford’s director of media relations broke their government’s own advice and travelled to Saskatoon for the holidays based on the geotag in this now-deleted tweet. Everything is do as I say, not as I do with this government. #onpoli
#skpoli gov’t confirms Minister Joe Hargrave was in Palm Springs, Calif. on a biz trip since Dec. 22. @PremierScottMoe said it defies Xmas stay-at-home public health order, was informed by Hargrave and expects him to isolate for 14 days.
Every Manitoba minister is in the province right now following public health advice against non-essential travel, according to Blake Robert, the Tories’ media relations director for executive council.
Pallister's troop of apes need to up their game or they're gonna get kicked out of The Resistance
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 2:49 PM on December 30, 2020 [4 favorites]
#skpoli gov’t confirms Minister Joe Hargrave was in Palm Springs, Calif. on a biz trip since Dec. 22. @PremierScottMoe said it defies Xmas stay-at-home public health order, was informed by Hargrave and expects him to isolate for 14 days.
Every Manitoba minister is in the province right now following public health advice against non-essential travel, according to Blake Robert, the Tories’ media relations director for executive council.
Pallister's troop of apes need to up their game or they're gonna get kicked out of The Resistance
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 2:49 PM on December 30, 2020 [4 favorites]
Also:
> “I deeply regret travelling over the holidays. It was a mistake and I apologize,” Phillips said in a statement.
A mistake is when you buy ketchup instead of mustard at the grocery store. Going on a vacation in violation of your own government's Covid restrictions, pre-taping video segments for scheduled tweets to give the impression that you are still in Canada and taking part in a Zoom call with a generic background to hide the fact that you're within earshot of the fucking beach is not a "mistake." But he and Tory are chums, so it's okay, he's only human.
posted by The Card Cheat at 2:54 PM on December 30, 2020 [42 favorites]
> “I deeply regret travelling over the holidays. It was a mistake and I apologize,” Phillips said in a statement.
A mistake is when you buy ketchup instead of mustard at the grocery store. Going on a vacation in violation of your own government's Covid restrictions, pre-taping video segments for scheduled tweets to give the impression that you are still in Canada and taking part in a Zoom call with a generic background to hide the fact that you're within earshot of the fucking beach is not a "mistake." But he and Tory are chums, so it's okay, he's only human.
posted by The Card Cheat at 2:54 PM on December 30, 2020 [42 favorites]
Not to be outdone, Quebec has its own travelling politician.
posted by sardonyx at 2:55 PM on December 30, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by sardonyx at 2:55 PM on December 30, 2020 [3 favorites]
This Rod Phillips thing is such bad judgement because fine he may have decided to book his non-essential travel before the lockdown was announced but why the hell is Ontario's finance minister spending his vacation dollars in the Caribbean when Ontario's own tourism industry has been savaged by Covid? At a time where we should be doing what we can to prop up our local businesses for the goddamn Minister of Finance to do something like this is pretty obscene. He should have booked a lodge or chalet up near Thunder Bay or something and then had to cancel it once the lockdown was announced. Ford should strip him of his cabinet post for this.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 2:58 PM on December 30, 2020 [8 favorites]
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 2:58 PM on December 30, 2020 [8 favorites]
He also went to Switzerland in August. So this is strike two. And this is one of those cases where we shouldn't have to wait on a third strike. (Gee, John, I guess he didn't learn anything the first time he did this. Or was that just because he got away with it?)
posted by sardonyx at 3:02 PM on December 30, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by sardonyx at 3:02 PM on December 30, 2020 [6 favorites]
Shop Local is all well and good but I'd chew my own foot off before having a Thunder Bay Staycation
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 3:02 PM on December 30, 2020 [12 favorites]
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 3:02 PM on December 30, 2020 [12 favorites]
I'm sure we have other politicians travelling who haven't been caught yet; I'm also sure many of them are secretly seeing family at their homes and won't be caught. The rules are not for them.
posted by jeather at 3:13 PM on December 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by jeather at 3:13 PM on December 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
Doug Ford acknowledges he knew finance minister was away before news broke of Caribbean vacation
"My mistake, and I take full responsibility. At that time, I should have said get your backside back into Ontario and I didn't do that."
The premier now says a "very tough conversation" is in store when Phillips returns
oooooohhhhhh.... "very tough"
you tell 'em Dougie.
posted by GuyZero at 3:15 PM on December 30, 2020 [5 favorites]
"My mistake, and I take full responsibility. At that time, I should have said get your backside back into Ontario and I didn't do that."
The premier now says a "very tough conversation" is in store when Phillips returns
oooooohhhhhh.... "very tough"
you tell 'em Dougie.
posted by GuyZero at 3:15 PM on December 30, 2020 [5 favorites]
By "very tough" does he mean calling him a "yahoo?"
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:21 PM on December 30, 2020
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:21 PM on December 30, 2020
I’ve said this elsewhere, but you need to remember that accusing conservatives - and anyone else whose politics boil down to the domination of others who aren’t part of their in-group - of hypocrisy is worse than just pointless. It encourages them. It’s egging them on. Of course they don’t think the constraints that apply to you - honesty, decency, some respect for the common good, some vestigial moral consistency - should apply to them. That’s not a failure, it’s a victory condition. It’s the the entire point of the conservative exercise. That you are bound, you are constrained, and they are not. That is what the conservative conception of power is, and why they seek it; so they can be hypocrites, so they can enjoy their hypocrisy without limit or consequence.
posted by mhoye at 3:26 PM on December 30, 2020 [74 favorites]
posted by mhoye at 3:26 PM on December 30, 2020 [74 favorites]
Please allow me a few minutes' rant.
I laid off 10 staff this week, and I am most likely on the list for next week. Since August, I have created schedules for my clients with: 2m distancing, 3m distancing, max 10 per room, max 10 per building, daycare room open, daycare room shut, and fully online.
Our revenue is down down down. Part of it is just - fitness. Part of it is the continuous spinning around. We had to create classes for everyone at max of 10, so we had to cut our class times and change our schedules /4 times/.
Because the Ontario government wasn't doing open/shut, they were doing their goddamn 5 step plan, PLUS Toronto modifying red, PLUS adding new colours. (My locations are in two municipalities.)
And we've done it, even though some the changes seemed more like playing at public health/science than actually doing it, because we want to stay healthy (and stay open, and our competitors down the street were certainly open) and of course, follow the rules.
So this was spitting in our goddamn faces, that this dipshit cannot even stay in Ontario, plus has his social media set up in advance to pretend he's here.
I have brought up online registration, Zoom links, staff schedules, billing, Codes of Conduct, screening protocols, class protocols, and class reminder emails for each variation, pretty much. Where people stand, where they stand when they are getting their shoes on, where their parents stand, how they pick their kids up at the doorway...each. time. Plexiglass barriers. Masks.
I am exhausted.
Rod Phillips and Doug Ford can just go fuck themselves sideways. Next election I will be on the street sharing this story.
posted by warriorqueen at 3:53 PM on December 30, 2020 [72 favorites]
I laid off 10 staff this week, and I am most likely on the list for next week. Since August, I have created schedules for my clients with: 2m distancing, 3m distancing, max 10 per room, max 10 per building, daycare room open, daycare room shut, and fully online.
Our revenue is down down down. Part of it is just - fitness. Part of it is the continuous spinning around. We had to create classes for everyone at max of 10, so we had to cut our class times and change our schedules /4 times/.
Because the Ontario government wasn't doing open/shut, they were doing their goddamn 5 step plan, PLUS Toronto modifying red, PLUS adding new colours. (My locations are in two municipalities.)
And we've done it, even though some the changes seemed more like playing at public health/science than actually doing it, because we want to stay healthy (and stay open, and our competitors down the street were certainly open) and of course, follow the rules.
So this was spitting in our goddamn faces, that this dipshit cannot even stay in Ontario, plus has his social media set up in advance to pretend he's here.
I have brought up online registration, Zoom links, staff schedules, billing, Codes of Conduct, screening protocols, class protocols, and class reminder emails for each variation, pretty much. Where people stand, where they stand when they are getting their shoes on, where their parents stand, how they pick their kids up at the doorway...each. time. Plexiglass barriers. Masks.
I am exhausted.
Rod Phillips and Doug Ford can just go fuck themselves sideways. Next election I will be on the street sharing this story.
posted by warriorqueen at 3:53 PM on December 30, 2020 [72 favorites]
To be fair, he did the right thing as soon as he was caught.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 3:55 PM on December 30, 2020 [14 favorites]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 3:55 PM on December 30, 2020 [14 favorites]
Always making us Ontarians so proud, those Fordites. I think I will just go back to thinking of myself as British Columbia for awhile.
posted by jacquilynne at 5:10 PM on December 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by jacquilynne at 5:10 PM on December 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
It'd be nice if Ford would turn Phillips out of caucus or have Phillips resign but I suspect all we're gonna get is, at best, reducing him to back bencher. Maybe he'll decide not to run in the next election.
secretly seeing family at their homes
Ford has admitted, on more than one occasion, of having his non-residing daughters visit them. But to be honest politicians aren't the only ones breaking the rules. We met a relative in a Tim's parking lot in Niagara late last week to exchange gifts (all masked, all distanced, all outside, spent less then 10 minutes with them) so we thought it might be fun to cruise by the Falls as they had their winter lights on. There were thousands of people walking around - most without masks, few distancing, loads of out of province license plates - it looked like a concert and a hockey game just let out into a parade during rush hour. Clifton Hill, a place that during normal years gives me a slight panic attack, was filled with people. I get that we're all tired but we have a long way to go yet before we can do that sort of thing again.
Jason Kenney is leaving absolutely everything on the dance floor
Of the premiers, Kenney's the one to beat for his spectacular race to the bottom but Palliser, no stranger to destination vacations, is definitely giving him a run for the money. I really do hope people remember how their politicians performed in 2020 when their next election times come up and they turfed these knuckleheads.
posted by Ashwagandha at 5:20 PM on December 30, 2020 [6 favorites]
secretly seeing family at their homes
Ford has admitted, on more than one occasion, of having his non-residing daughters visit them. But to be honest politicians aren't the only ones breaking the rules. We met a relative in a Tim's parking lot in Niagara late last week to exchange gifts (all masked, all distanced, all outside, spent less then 10 minutes with them) so we thought it might be fun to cruise by the Falls as they had their winter lights on. There were thousands of people walking around - most without masks, few distancing, loads of out of province license plates - it looked like a concert and a hockey game just let out into a parade during rush hour. Clifton Hill, a place that during normal years gives me a slight panic attack, was filled with people. I get that we're all tired but we have a long way to go yet before we can do that sort of thing again.
Jason Kenney is leaving absolutely everything on the dance floor
Of the premiers, Kenney's the one to beat for his spectacular race to the bottom but Palliser, no stranger to destination vacations, is definitely giving him a run for the money. I really do hope people remember how their politicians performed in 2020 when their next election times come up and they turfed these knuckleheads.
posted by Ashwagandha at 5:20 PM on December 30, 2020 [6 favorites]
MPP Randy Hillier Posts Photo Of 15-Person Holiday Gathering
Fine his ass. Fine everyone who pulls an Oosterhoff.
posted by Capt. Renault at 5:21 PM on December 30, 2020 [4 favorites]
Fine his ass. Fine everyone who pulls an Oosterhoff.
posted by Capt. Renault at 5:21 PM on December 30, 2020 [4 favorites]
I feel like I've been made a fool. I feel like I'm a sucker for having followed all the rules as best as I can, when clearly -- if those leading by example obviously don't give a fuck, why should I?
Why the fuck did I give up Christmas at Dougie's request?
posted by Capt. Renault at 5:30 PM on December 30, 2020 [5 favorites]
Why the fuck did I give up Christmas at Dougie's request?
posted by Capt. Renault at 5:30 PM on December 30, 2020 [5 favorites]
Capt. Renault you're not alone in feeling that way, this is about BC but it might as well be about everywhere in Canada:
Why the 'sucker's payoff' is one of B.C.'s biggest obstacles this Christmas
posted by Ashwagandha at 5:41 PM on December 30, 2020 [4 favorites]
Why the 'sucker's payoff' is one of B.C.'s biggest obstacles this Christmas
posted by Ashwagandha at 5:41 PM on December 30, 2020 [4 favorites]
I feel like I've been made a fool. I feel like I'm a sucker for having followed all the rules as best as I can, when clearly -- if those leading by example obviously don't give a fuck, why should I?
Why the fuck did I give up Christmas at Dougie's request
Because you don't want kill people.
posted by srboisvert at 5:48 PM on December 30, 2020 [31 favorites]
Why the fuck did I give up Christmas at Dougie's request
Because you don't want kill people.
posted by srboisvert at 5:48 PM on December 30, 2020 [31 favorites]
Whenever I hear "Rod Phillips" I think about the Edmonton Oilers games I'd listen to on the radio that I build with my 160-in-1 Radio Shack kit.
Anyway, back to your regular programming...
posted by clawsoon at 6:00 PM on December 30, 2020 [5 favorites]
Anyway, back to your regular programming...
posted by clawsoon at 6:00 PM on December 30, 2020 [5 favorites]
Because you don't want kill people.
Well, they obviously don’t give a shit about us, and the message of ‘we’re all in this together’ is a bunch of hooey.
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:00 PM on December 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
Well, they obviously don’t give a shit about us, and the message of ‘we’re all in this together’ is a bunch of hooey.
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:00 PM on December 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
→
He hasn't resigned yet, so no.
posted by scruss at 6:28 PM on December 30, 2020 [7 favorites]
To be fair, he did the right thing as soon as he was caught.
He hasn't resigned yet, so no.
posted by scruss at 6:28 PM on December 30, 2020 [7 favorites]
I could say 3 things:
1) In the summertime Doug Ford basked in summer praise for not being as awful as could be otherwise. I even said this myself.
2) Elderly care homes in Ontario are often really horrible.
3) I personally hate Conservative governments. (well, there was Bill Davis, but that was a long time ago).
posted by ovvl at 6:52 PM on December 30, 2020
1) In the summertime Doug Ford basked in summer praise for not being as awful as could be otherwise. I even said this myself.
2) Elderly care homes in Ontario are often really horrible.
3) I personally hate Conservative governments. (well, there was Bill Davis, but that was a long time ago).
posted by ovvl at 6:52 PM on December 30, 2020
well, there was Bill Davis, but that was a long time ago
And several notches of the Overton window ago. When his government cancelled the Spadina Expressway that would have levelled much of the Annex and Chinatown, Davis spoke in the legislature:
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:13 PM on December 30, 2020 [10 favorites]
And several notches of the Overton window ago. When his government cancelled the Spadina Expressway that would have levelled much of the Annex and Chinatown, Davis spoke in the legislature:
“If we are building a transportation system to serve the automobile, the Spadina Expressway would be a good place to start. But if we are building a transportation system to serve people, the Spadina Expressway is a good place to stop."That sort of rhetoric marks Davis as virtually an NDP member by current standards.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:13 PM on December 30, 2020 [10 favorites]
Praise for and positive comments about Bill Davis in this thread have really shocked me, because even NUNS went to strike against Bill Davis. He was that bad. Okay, the nuns had an agenda and a particular point of view, but still, think about it: striking nuns. How many politicians, especially in Canada, can cause nuns to strike?
"In the fall of 1973, having reached an impasse in negotiations, teachers from OECTA and OSSTF – still lacking the right to strike – submitted letters of resignation effective for December, exercising their right to mid-year resignations as a form of protest. In response, the Davis Administration through Education Minister Tom Wells introduced Bill 274, which changed the effective date of mid-year resignations to August, and Bill 275, which mandated compulsory arbitration without the right to strike. No longer non-militant, on the 18th of December teachers all over Ontario walked out in a massive one-day strike that included not only schoolteachers, but nuns and service staff as well. It was this and a general shift in popular thought with regards to teachers’ rights that ultimately led to the government passing Bill 100, the School Boards’ and Teachers’ Collective Negotiations Act, which became law in July 1975. Teachers could now enforce their demands, and had won the right to legally strike." (Quote taken from a PDF linked here.)
If he didn't write the playbook the PCs are still using today, he was certainly a master of it.
posted by sardonyx at 7:38 PM on December 30, 2020 [4 favorites]
"In the fall of 1973, having reached an impasse in negotiations, teachers from OECTA and OSSTF – still lacking the right to strike – submitted letters of resignation effective for December, exercising their right to mid-year resignations as a form of protest. In response, the Davis Administration through Education Minister Tom Wells introduced Bill 274, which changed the effective date of mid-year resignations to August, and Bill 275, which mandated compulsory arbitration without the right to strike. No longer non-militant, on the 18th of December teachers all over Ontario walked out in a massive one-day strike that included not only schoolteachers, but nuns and service staff as well. It was this and a general shift in popular thought with regards to teachers’ rights that ultimately led to the government passing Bill 100, the School Boards’ and Teachers’ Collective Negotiations Act, which became law in July 1975. Teachers could now enforce their demands, and had won the right to legally strike." (Quote taken from a PDF linked here.)
If he didn't write the playbook the PCs are still using today, he was certainly a master of it.
posted by sardonyx at 7:38 PM on December 30, 2020 [4 favorites]
Praise for and positive comments about Bill Davis in this thread have really shocked me, because even NUNS went to strike against Bill Davis.
It is possible to believe a theoretical Premier Stephen Lewis might have been preferable to an actual Premier Bill Davis, while recognizing that both are superior to Premier Doug Ford.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:06 PM on December 30, 2020
It is possible to believe a theoretical Premier Stephen Lewis might have been preferable to an actual Premier Bill Davis, while recognizing that both are superior to Premier Doug Ford.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:06 PM on December 30, 2020
Why the fuck did I give up Christmas at Dougie's request
Because you don't want kill people.
posted by srboisvert at 8:48 PM on December 30
It's still a good thought, but at least for me that rationale has changed. I'm no longer staying isolated for anyone else's benefit. Here in Alberta, a horrifying percentage of my neighbours and political leaders have shown zero care or interest for others and I'm pretty past done with being what feels like the only person on this sinking boat who's still bailing.
If I can't count on enough of my community to act responsibly or with a thought to the people around them, then I'm taking myself out of that community until I'm vaccinated. To hell with appealing to people's better angels; maybe I had that optimism in April, but at this point I'm in survival mode. I'm not staying home for the benefit of the people who crowded our local malls on Boxing Day or our politicians on international holidays. I gave up Christmas and stayed isolated for the benefit of the person I least want to kill with COVID - me.
posted by ZaphodB at 10:12 PM on December 30, 2020 [18 favorites]
Because you don't want kill people.
posted by srboisvert at 8:48 PM on December 30
It's still a good thought, but at least for me that rationale has changed. I'm no longer staying isolated for anyone else's benefit. Here in Alberta, a horrifying percentage of my neighbours and political leaders have shown zero care or interest for others and I'm pretty past done with being what feels like the only person on this sinking boat who's still bailing.
If I can't count on enough of my community to act responsibly or with a thought to the people around them, then I'm taking myself out of that community until I'm vaccinated. To hell with appealing to people's better angels; maybe I had that optimism in April, but at this point I'm in survival mode. I'm not staying home for the benefit of the people who crowded our local malls on Boxing Day or our politicians on international holidays. I gave up Christmas and stayed isolated for the benefit of the person I least want to kill with COVID - me.
posted by ZaphodB at 10:12 PM on December 30, 2020 [18 favorites]
The Card Cheat: "taking part in a Zoom call with a generic background to hide the fact that you're within earshot of the fucking beach is not a "mistake.""
Oh my god, I assumed you were being hyperbolic... But no, you can actually hear the waves.
posted by Secret Sparrow at 10:16 PM on December 30, 2020 [11 favorites]
Oh my god, I assumed you were being hyperbolic... But no, you can actually hear the waves.
posted by Secret Sparrow at 10:16 PM on December 30, 2020 [11 favorites]
The thing I really want to know about Doug and the pandemic is how much money he and his family have made printing "6-feet apart" stickers.
Turns out ol' Dougie is, much like his fellow traveller down south, actually terrible at business. Deco Labels hasn't been doing well since Doug took over the family business from dad.
posted by thecjm at 10:17 PM on December 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
Turns out ol' Dougie is, much like his fellow traveller down south, actually terrible at business. Deco Labels hasn't been doing well since Doug took over the family business from dad.
posted by thecjm at 10:17 PM on December 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
And thus
It ever was
One set of rules for them
And one set of rules for us.
posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 10:19 PM on December 30, 2020 [3 favorites]
It ever was
One set of rules for them
And one set of rules for us.
posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 10:19 PM on December 30, 2020 [3 favorites]
Two more Beaverton (satire) articles...
Update: Ontario Finance Minister staffers prematurely tweet staged quarantine photos before he arrives home
Ford on seeing Phillips’ tropical Zoom background: “I thought that was Ajax!”
posted by Secret Sparrow at 10:21 PM on December 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
Update: Ontario Finance Minister staffers prematurely tweet staged quarantine photos before he arrives home
Ford on seeing Phillips’ tropical Zoom background: “I thought that was Ajax!”
posted by Secret Sparrow at 10:21 PM on December 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
My mom is dying and I haven't been able to go and see her; we sold dad's house and I haven't been able to help clearing it out; I have not held my best friend's kid WHO IS ADORABLE and you are in god damned mother fucking st barts. This is class warfare. and we are losing.
posted by PinkMoose at 10:31 PM on December 30, 2020 [29 favorites]
posted by PinkMoose at 10:31 PM on December 30, 2020 [29 favorites]
if those leading by example obviously don't give a fuck, why should I?
Because you're better than them.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 12:21 AM on December 31, 2020 [4 favorites]
Because you're better than them.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 12:21 AM on December 31, 2020 [4 favorites]
PinkMoose, I am so sorry to hear about your mother. What a nightmare. That must be incredibly hard. You are right, this is class warfare but in the US, at least, the losing class gets yelled at every time they bring it up.
(Here in Sweden, the prime minister and several other politicians got caught shopping after the government had urged citizens to stay home except to visit grocery stores and pharmacies. Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson was caught on camera visiting a ski resort; Dan Eliasson, the head of the Civil Contingencies Agency which is heavily involved in the country's coronavirus communication, was seen on a flight to the Canary Islands in mid-December. As a local tabloid put it, "Neither is illegal, but non-essential travel is discouraged." Eye roll.)
Do as I say, not as I do has a long and dishonourable history. Like ZaphodB, I am sticking close to home to save my own skin and protect my loved ones. Even so, fuck those assholes.
posted by Bella Donna at 2:26 AM on December 31, 2020 [6 favorites]
(Here in Sweden, the prime minister and several other politicians got caught shopping after the government had urged citizens to stay home except to visit grocery stores and pharmacies. Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson was caught on camera visiting a ski resort; Dan Eliasson, the head of the Civil Contingencies Agency which is heavily involved in the country's coronavirus communication, was seen on a flight to the Canary Islands in mid-December. As a local tabloid put it, "Neither is illegal, but non-essential travel is discouraged." Eye roll.)
Do as I say, not as I do has a long and dishonourable history. Like ZaphodB, I am sticking close to home to save my own skin and protect my loved ones. Even so, fuck those assholes.
posted by Bella Donna at 2:26 AM on December 31, 2020 [6 favorites]
My mom is dying and I haven't been able to go and see her
That is fucked. I'm so sorry.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 7:11 AM on December 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
That is fucked. I'm so sorry.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 7:11 AM on December 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
Doug's model for governing seems to be based, at least in part, by the model set by Mayor Tommy Shanks, with the addition of unfathomable rage and bullying.
He continues to gut environmental protection laws as well so developers can build condos that most of us could never afford and likely will never be able afford.
Ontario sets a new record in COVID cases (and just shy of the record of deaths in day). We're setting records every day. The only graphs conservatives may be able to understand are those displaying profit. Seeing COVID cases rise in graph form is probably porn to them.
posted by juiceCake at 7:41 AM on December 31, 2020 [3 favorites]
He continues to gut environmental protection laws as well so developers can build condos that most of us could never afford and likely will never be able afford.
Ontario sets a new record in COVID cases (and just shy of the record of deaths in day). We're setting records every day. The only graphs conservatives may be able to understand are those displaying profit. Seeing COVID cases rise in graph form is probably porn to them.
posted by juiceCake at 7:41 AM on December 31, 2020 [3 favorites]
This is what my fellow citizens of Ontario voted for. Of course I don't mean the specifics of the pandemic and how badly the response has been botched (intentionally, I think, in some ways), because I couldn't have foreseen that in 2018, but belligerent incompetence, unearned entitlement, cruelty and indifference to the suffering of people who cannot be used to Doug Ford's advantage had already been cemented as his brand during his and his moron brother Rob's misrule of Toronto. They either should have known, or knew and didn't care. Either way, I'm planting my flag right here and predicting the Conservatives win the next election, too, because thousands of people will always choose death (preferably of people they don't know, but not necessarily) over, say, a modest tax hike.
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:53 AM on December 31, 2020 [12 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:53 AM on December 31, 2020 [12 favorites]
This past May, I was set to go on a special vacation - my first ever to a tropical destination. I cancelled it (of course), and won't have another chance to go until the COVID pandemic is over. But this supposed "leader" just skips out and enjoys his trip like there are no consequences.
Screw this entitlement.
posted by jb at 8:18 AM on December 31, 2020 [4 favorites]
Screw this entitlement.
posted by jb at 8:18 AM on December 31, 2020 [4 favorites]
If I can't count on enough of my community to act responsibly or with a thought to the people around them, then I'm taking myself out of that community until I'm vaccinated.
I hear you and I often feel this anger too. But it is important that you realize and remember that the bad people are the ones you are more likely to be seeing and noticing. The good people right now are close to invisible because they are minimizing their exposure to others as much as they can.
posted by srboisvert at 9:48 AM on December 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
I hear you and I often feel this anger too. But it is important that you realize and remember that the bad people are the ones you are more likely to be seeing and noticing. The good people right now are close to invisible because they are minimizing their exposure to others as much as they can.
posted by srboisvert at 9:48 AM on December 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
The resignation saves Ford from firing him and I agree with Card Cheat and have been saying every time I discuss Ford and conservatives with family and friends (currently over remote connections of course), he'll be reelected in Ontario. I have no doubt of it. From speaking to a friend, it seems Alberta has a better chance of ridding itself of Jason Kenney than Ontario does of Ford. We'll see.
posted by juiceCake at 10:15 AM on December 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by juiceCake at 10:15 AM on December 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
...and Phillips has resigned.
Cool, now Ford. He did say he takes “full responsibility” after all.
posted by rodlymight at 10:23 AM on December 31, 2020 [2 favorites]
Cool, now Ford. He did say he takes “full responsibility” after all.
posted by rodlymight at 10:23 AM on December 31, 2020 [2 favorites]
Either way, I'm planting my flag right here and predicting the Conservatives win the next election, too
Yeah, as long as the minuscule provincial Liberals continue to faff about (Steven Del Duca is their leader so I don't expect much from them), as long as the Tories in other provinces do shittier jobs then Ontario's Tories (Kenney is truly the master of mishandling the pandemic) and unless something changes radically rural Southern Ontario and the suburbs aren't really interested in the other parties (they have a long memory for the parties they hate especially the NDP) so I think that will likely happen... Unless Ford screws up spectacularly we'll have another term with the Tories.
posted by Ashwagandha at 11:16 AM on December 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
Yeah, as long as the minuscule provincial Liberals continue to faff about (Steven Del Duca is their leader so I don't expect much from them), as long as the Tories in other provinces do shittier jobs then Ontario's Tories (Kenney is truly the master of mishandling the pandemic) and unless something changes radically rural Southern Ontario and the suburbs aren't really interested in the other parties (they have a long memory for the parties they hate especially the NDP) so I think that will likely happen... Unless Ford screws up spectacularly we'll have another term with the Tories.
posted by Ashwagandha at 11:16 AM on December 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
Just to make this explicit, there is no chance whatsoever - none - that Ford was not aware of, and did not approve, of this minister's vacation. The idea that the premier did not know that one of his ministers was in another country ahead of time is obviously ridiculous.
posted by mhoye at 11:19 AM on December 31, 2020 [8 favorites]
posted by mhoye at 11:19 AM on December 31, 2020 [8 favorites]
The idea that the premier did not know that one of his ministers was in another country ahead of time is obviously ridiculous.
One of the largest elements of the conservative brand is incompetence. They seem to revel in it and wear it as a badge. Bullshit is also part of the brand and this is clearly an example of both. Ford and his minions probably spent our tax dollars on getting their colons rerouted from their behinds to their mouths.
posted by juiceCake at 12:01 PM on December 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
One of the largest elements of the conservative brand is incompetence. They seem to revel in it and wear it as a badge. Bullshit is also part of the brand and this is clearly an example of both. Ford and his minions probably spent our tax dollars on getting their colons rerouted from their behinds to their mouths.
posted by juiceCake at 12:01 PM on December 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
This is what my fellow citizens of Ontario voted for.
I'd say its more like they (we, because I live here too, although Tories would be my last choice) voted against the Liberals. And the Liberals themselves had come to power a decade and a half previously because people voted against the incumbent Tories*. Dry white toast observed a few months ago that becoming a leader of government mostly is a function of being in the news often enough that you have name recognition and waiting until the scandals on the incumbent reach critical mass.
*Possibly because of their explicit statement that starving a pregnant woman to death was good policy?
posted by ricochet biscuit at 12:04 PM on December 31, 2020 [7 favorites]
I'd say its more like they (we, because I live here too, although Tories would be my last choice) voted against the Liberals. And the Liberals themselves had come to power a decade and a half previously because people voted against the incumbent Tories*. Dry white toast observed a few months ago that becoming a leader of government mostly is a function of being in the news often enough that you have name recognition and waiting until the scandals on the incumbent reach critical mass.
*Possibly because of their explicit statement that starving a pregnant woman to death was good policy?
posted by ricochet biscuit at 12:04 PM on December 31, 2020 [7 favorites]
Just to make this explicit, there is no chance whatsoever - none - that Ford was not aware of, and did not approve, of this minister's vacation. The idea that the premier did not know that one of his ministers was in another country ahead of time is obviously ridiculous.
On another board, a conservative fellow pre-emptively disputed this: he pointed out that your boss has no right to control where you spend vacation time, and that if his own boss tried this with his employees, people would get all Johnny Paycheck on him.
I asked how many of his coworkers were cabinet ministers of a province in lockdown during a global pandemic. He cleverly retorted by asking how many of mine were, then added "lol" to show that he had said something funny. Well, we got to laughing.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 12:12 PM on December 31, 2020 [2 favorites]
On another board, a conservative fellow pre-emptively disputed this: he pointed out that your boss has no right to control where you spend vacation time, and that if his own boss tried this with his employees, people would get all Johnny Paycheck on him.
I asked how many of his coworkers were cabinet ministers of a province in lockdown during a global pandemic. He cleverly retorted by asking how many of mine were, then added "lol" to show that he had said something funny. Well, we got to laughing.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 12:12 PM on December 31, 2020 [2 favorites]
I hear you and I often feel this anger too. But it is important that you realize and remember that the bad people are the ones you are more likely to be seeing and noticing. The good people right now are close to invisible because they are minimizing their exposure to others as much as they can.
posted by srboisvert at 12:48 PM on December 31 [+] [!]
Yes, my object permanence reminds me that there are still good people out there even if they are socially isolating. But this province has both the highest rate of COVID-19 cases in the country, and the highest percentage of people who say they won't get the COVID-19 vaccine. When I see people around me acting irresponsibly, it's not just or mostly because irresponsible people are more visible right now; it's because there really are an incredible number of them.
posted by ZaphodB at 12:56 PM on December 31, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by srboisvert at 12:48 PM on December 31 [+] [!]
Yes, my object permanence reminds me that there are still good people out there even if they are socially isolating. But this province has both the highest rate of COVID-19 cases in the country, and the highest percentage of people who say they won't get the COVID-19 vaccine. When I see people around me acting irresponsibly, it's not just or mostly because irresponsible people are more visible right now; it's because there really are an incredible number of them.
posted by ZaphodB at 12:56 PM on December 31, 2020 [4 favorites]
But this province has both the highest rate of COVID-19 cases in the country, and the highest percentage of people who say they won't get the COVID-19 vaccine.
It's as if a lot of people in Ontario are wearing Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatic Peril Sensitive Sunglasses and are thus, not alarmed.
posted by juiceCake at 1:14 PM on December 31, 2020 [4 favorites]
It's as if a lot of people in Ontario are wearing Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatic Peril Sensitive Sunglasses and are thus, not alarmed.
posted by juiceCake at 1:14 PM on December 31, 2020 [4 favorites]
But this province has both the highest rate of COVID-19 cases in the country, and the highest percentage of people who say they won't get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Here in Onterrible, the underlying message of all COVID-19 stories is, “Hey, it’s a disaster but we’re still doing better than [Alberta]/[Quebec].” My senior citizen father wears a mask only grudgingly and lives in Calgary, so I appreciate any efforts to reduce the spread there.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 2:07 PM on December 31, 2020 [5 favorites]
Here in Onterrible, the underlying message of all COVID-19 stories is, “Hey, it’s a disaster but we’re still doing better than [Alberta]/[Quebec].” My senior citizen father wears a mask only grudgingly and lives in Calgary, so I appreciate any efforts to reduce the spread there.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 2:07 PM on December 31, 2020 [5 favorites]
Alberta: Hold my beer
Alberta municipal affairs minister took Hawaii vacation, sources say
posted by hangashore at 4:13 PM on December 31, 2020 [3 favorites]
Alberta municipal affairs minister took Hawaii vacation, sources say
posted by hangashore at 4:13 PM on December 31, 2020 [3 favorites]
And another one: Facebook photos show Alberta UCP MLA spent Christmas in Mexico
posted by hangashore at 11:13 AM on January 1, 2021
posted by hangashore at 11:13 AM on January 1, 2021
I am curious as to exactly how many Canadian politicians and CEOs are nervously browsing news sites in their rented properties in Bermuda or Turks and Caicos right now, and calling to see if they can arrange a private charter to quietly get back home this weekend.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 11:52 AM on January 1, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 11:52 AM on January 1, 2021 [3 favorites]
Quick update on the Alberta situation, and my earlier comments saying how bad things are here.
CTV News: Premier Kenney refuses to discipline Alberta MLAs, government staff over international travel
posted by ZaphodB at 12:47 PM on January 1, 2021
CTV News: Premier Kenney refuses to discipline Alberta MLAs, government staff over international travel
posted by ZaphodB at 12:47 PM on January 1, 2021
The only way this could be worse is if AHS quietly removes the recommendation against international travel, so presumably we've got that to look forward to in the next few days.
posted by figurant at 2:17 PM on January 1, 2021
posted by figurant at 2:17 PM on January 1, 2021
Manitoba NDP MP Niki Ashton: Wishing everyone a better year ahead. Bonne année à tous.
After spending Christmas alone with our family at home in MB, now I am with my ailing grandmother, my γιαγιά, in Greece. Χρόνια Πολλά με υγεία. 4:36 PM · Jan 1, 2021
CBC: Manitoba New Democratic Party MP Niki Ashton loses critic positions after travelling to Greece to see a sick relative. Party statement says while NDP is sympathetic to Ashton's situation, Canadians expect elected representatives to 'lead by example.' 5:43 PM · Jan 1, 2021
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 4:33 PM on January 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
After spending Christmas alone with our family at home in MB, now I am with my ailing grandmother, my γιαγιά, in Greece. Χρόνια Πολλά με υγεία. 4:36 PM · Jan 1, 2021
CBC: Manitoba New Democratic Party MP Niki Ashton loses critic positions after travelling to Greece to see a sick relative. Party statement says while NDP is sympathetic to Ashton's situation, Canadians expect elected representatives to 'lead by example.' 5:43 PM · Jan 1, 2021
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 4:33 PM on January 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
Flightshaming x 100. I'm glad that the message that flying implies one is not fit to serve in public office.
Every little bit helps.
posted by ecco at 5:06 PM on January 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
Every little bit helps.
posted by ecco at 5:06 PM on January 1, 2021 [1 favorite]
Continuing on the AB front, Calgary Herald columnist Don Braid - a frequent UCP water carrier - takes a strip off Kenney
Meanwhile, the Deputy Opposition leader has her own thoughts :
I love a good family tradition. One of ours is that when someone dies we hold a funeral. That wasn’t possible when my great uncle died this fall. Everyone is giving up traditions this year... well almost everyone. #COVID19AB #ableg
posted by nubs at 6:23 PM on January 1, 2021 [3 favorites]
Meanwhile, the Deputy Opposition leader has her own thoughts :
I love a good family tradition. One of ours is that when someone dies we hold a funeral. That wasn’t possible when my great uncle died this fall. Everyone is giving up traditions this year... well almost everyone. #COVID19AB #ableg
posted by nubs at 6:23 PM on January 1, 2021 [3 favorites]
And two more UCP MLAs have been confirmed to have either travelled or (in the case of my MLA) are still out of the country.
My father-in-law died in mid-November from COVID. We haven’t had a funeral, nor have I seen my mother-in-law except by Zoom.
These fuckers.
posted by nubs at 8:54 PM on January 1, 2021 [5 favorites]
My father-in-law died in mid-November from COVID. We haven’t had a funeral, nor have I seen my mother-in-law except by Zoom.
These fuckers.
posted by nubs at 8:54 PM on January 1, 2021 [5 favorites]
According to a former Conservative Deputy Premier, "@jkenney has a dilemma. He can’t punt his Cabinet Ministers, MLAs and Staffers for #covid vacationing. Reliable @Alberta_UCP senior Staffer tells me that if Kenney did, he would have to fire a third of his ministers, several MLAs and many senior Staffers."
posted by No Robots at 9:13 PM on January 1, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by No Robots at 9:13 PM on January 1, 2021 [3 favorites]
PM's office issues statement that PM at second official residence at Harrington lake after the MAGA-lites got #whereisTrudeau trending on twitter. (With tin foil hat theory that plane of same type as used by PM office landed in Barbados; surprisingly Challenger made more than one jet). He's been in the Capital Region throughout the holiday.
posted by Mitheral at 7:25 AM on January 2, 2021
posted by Mitheral at 7:25 AM on January 2, 2021
Maybe this isn’t the point, but instead of issuing recommendations and getting mad when people don’t follow them, why not turn them into rules? Why were these flights allowed at all (most were probably commercial)? Because there’s always going to be someone who thinks their travel is ok and their travel won’t hurt anyone. Why are people even given the choice?
I personally think it’s bullshit to say travel is “discouraged” but not disallowed, and then get pissed at people who decided the recommendation didn’t apply to them. Granted, the people we’re talking about in this article are public figures who should be setting examples to the constituents. But again, they decided that their travel was not harmful.
posted by LizBoBiz at 1:55 PM on January 2, 2021 [2 favorites]
I personally think it’s bullshit to say travel is “discouraged” but not disallowed, and then get pissed at people who decided the recommendation didn’t apply to them. Granted, the people we’re talking about in this article are public figures who should be setting examples to the constituents. But again, they decided that their travel was not harmful.
posted by LizBoBiz at 1:55 PM on January 2, 2021 [2 favorites]
I don't understand the federal government on this. The constitution guarantees the right for Canadians to enter/leave the country, but it doesn't say they have to make it easy/practical. We already closed the USA/Canada land border, I don't see how closing commercial passenger aviation is that much different.
We're keeping it open but the federal and the provinces are recommending against, and the quarantine/isolation process is pretty much "honor system" at the moment, which means that even if we were to get things under control we'd keep importing new cases. It makes no sense at all.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 3:20 PM on January 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
We're keeping it open but the federal and the provinces are recommending against, and the quarantine/isolation process is pretty much "honor system" at the moment, which means that even if we were to get things under control we'd keep importing new cases. It makes no sense at all.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 3:20 PM on January 2, 2021 [1 favorite]
#ResignKenney trends as the vacation list grows. 8 of Jason Kenney's MLAs vacationed not only outside their homes, cities, and province, but outside the country. Outside of public opinion and rage, they have faced no significant consequences. Most have offered excuses you'd expect from a 4 year old. Jason Stephan's for example.
Perhaps the most egregious activity was that of Kenney's chief of staff, Jamie Huckabay. Huckabay traveled to the U.K. On December 20, flights from the U.K. were banned. Huckabay booked a flight to the States (only U.K. nationals are forbidden to travel to the States as apparently the variant stays away from all other nationalities) and then from the States to Canada to get around the restriction. Wonderful.
posted by juiceCake at 5:27 AM on January 3, 2021 [2 favorites]
Perhaps the most egregious activity was that of Kenney's chief of staff, Jamie Huckabay. Huckabay traveled to the U.K. On December 20, flights from the U.K. were banned. Huckabay booked a flight to the States (only U.K. nationals are forbidden to travel to the States as apparently the variant stays away from all other nationalities) and then from the States to Canada to get around the restriction. Wonderful.
posted by juiceCake at 5:27 AM on January 3, 2021 [2 favorites]
Because there’s always going to be someone who thinks their travel is ok and their travel won’t hurt anyone. Why are people even given the choice?
The answer is “money” — not tourist dollars or leisure travel, but deal-making travel. I know someone whose business is in manufacturing equipment and almost all his clients are in the US and Mexico. During March and April people were understanding about remote meetings but by the summer it was back to “whoever wants my business will show up.” Plus they have to then send teams down to measure things, plan installation, etc. He’s tried teaming up with local people but sometimes they take the business (or at least he worries they will) so they travel. He’s as responsible as he can be given he is putting keeping his business open as a top priority, he gives his staff the time for self-isolation with full pay, etc. He’s not a denier.
I’m not defending that — my own business is really getting closer to the brink and physically closed and I feel the unfairness. In my case at one point we weren’t convinced it was safe to operate even under Ontario rules but we knew the guy down the street was — which meant if we closed we wouldn’t just lose the revenue for now, we’d lose our most motivated clients forever. (As far as we know we have transmitted no cases and we had public health come in and say we were following the rules in an exemplary way, so that’s a good. We’re closed now for the lock down.)
I mention this because if I were not in a business that is so directly do or die I would think closing and laying off all my staff was obvious. But it’s not when the rules are inconsistent.
If there were a *North American* understanding of the pandemic it would help. Since there isn’t, I think our government has chosen these half travel bans to try to keep some Canadian businesses that depend on US clients operating. I can’t say that I agree or disagree, but I do think that the line they’ve drawn. If they closed travel entirely it would definitely put all the Canadian businesses on a level field but the field might mean they all close.
As members of government I would have expected these individuals to put collective good over their family traditions or whatever, and to set an example.
posted by warriorqueen at 7:16 AM on January 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
The answer is “money” — not tourist dollars or leisure travel, but deal-making travel. I know someone whose business is in manufacturing equipment and almost all his clients are in the US and Mexico. During March and April people were understanding about remote meetings but by the summer it was back to “whoever wants my business will show up.” Plus they have to then send teams down to measure things, plan installation, etc. He’s tried teaming up with local people but sometimes they take the business (or at least he worries they will) so they travel. He’s as responsible as he can be given he is putting keeping his business open as a top priority, he gives his staff the time for self-isolation with full pay, etc. He’s not a denier.
I’m not defending that — my own business is really getting closer to the brink and physically closed and I feel the unfairness. In my case at one point we weren’t convinced it was safe to operate even under Ontario rules but we knew the guy down the street was — which meant if we closed we wouldn’t just lose the revenue for now, we’d lose our most motivated clients forever. (As far as we know we have transmitted no cases and we had public health come in and say we were following the rules in an exemplary way, so that’s a good. We’re closed now for the lock down.)
I mention this because if I were not in a business that is so directly do or die I would think closing and laying off all my staff was obvious. But it’s not when the rules are inconsistent.
If there were a *North American* understanding of the pandemic it would help. Since there isn’t, I think our government has chosen these half travel bans to try to keep some Canadian businesses that depend on US clients operating. I can’t say that I agree or disagree, but I do think that the line they’ve drawn. If they closed travel entirely it would definitely put all the Canadian businesses on a level field but the field might mean they all close.
As members of government I would have expected these individuals to put collective good over their family traditions or whatever, and to set an example.
posted by warriorqueen at 7:16 AM on January 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
As members of government I would have expected these individuals to put collective good over their family traditions or whatever, and to set an example.
The UCP's track record clearly indicates the collective good is the least of their priorities. Ensuring that all the tax dollars that the citizens of the province pay into are not used to support the same people is a priority.
posted by juiceCake at 7:46 AM on January 3, 2021 [6 favorites]
The UCP's track record clearly indicates the collective good is the least of their priorities. Ensuring that all the tax dollars that the citizens of the province pay into are not used to support the same people is a priority.
posted by juiceCake at 7:46 AM on January 3, 2021 [6 favorites]
“They didn’t think about those who were staying at home, of the economic problems of many people who have been hit hard by the lockdown, of the sick people – only about going on holiday and having fun,”Even Pope Francis thinks it was a bad idea.
posted by Ashwagandha at 10:16 AM on January 3, 2021 [3 favorites]
BREAKING: Alberta Government urges you to avoid non-essential travel, so you avoid running into them travelling
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:18 AM on January 4, 2021
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:18 AM on January 4, 2021
Two resignations and five demotions.
Albertans is mad.
posted by mazola at 12:01 PM on January 4, 2021 [1 favorite]
Albertans is mad.
posted by mazola at 12:01 PM on January 4, 2021 [1 favorite]
Kenney is fucked on this, I think. After his news conference on Friday, in which he refused to discipline anyone, now he's issuing demotions and talking about the lack of judgement of these individuals.
Why should anyone in the party have any loyalty to him after this? He said one thing on Friday, did another on Monday. He looks weak and indecisive.
From a public perspective, I'm loving the fact he decided to announce this over FB rather than actually show up in person and answer some questions; he's obviously too scared to be out in public right now.
posted by nubs at 12:22 PM on January 4, 2021 [4 favorites]
Why should anyone in the party have any loyalty to him after this? He said one thing on Friday, did another on Monday. He looks weak and indecisive.
From a public perspective, I'm loving the fact he decided to announce this over FB rather than actually show up in person and answer some questions; he's obviously too scared to be out in public right now.
posted by nubs at 12:22 PM on January 4, 2021 [4 favorites]
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