Ontario stay-at-home order in effect but police won’t randomly stop people
Province plans an inspection blitz of big-box retailers over the weekend to ensure they are complying with COVID-19 public health rules
TORONTO — A stay-at-home order went into effect in Ontario on Thursday but the government said police would not have the authority to randomly stop residents on the street to ensure compliance.
The measure, imposed in an effort to bring down soaring rates of COVID-19, means Ontarians are to venture out only for essential purposes such as health-care, food and exercise.
A spokesperson for Solicitor General Sylvia Jones said the order doesn’t give police the power to enter homes or stop vehicles solely to check if the measure is being followed. Residents travelling to work are also not required to have proof from their boss that they are doing so.
“On its own, being outside is not sufficient evidence of a failure to comply with the stay-at-home order,” spokesperson Stephen Warner said.
Critics have called the order unclear but Premier Doug Ford has asked residents to use their “best judgment” in deciding whether to go out.
Several police forces said they were still reviewing the details of the measure on Thursday.
A government memo sent to police chiefs Wednesday provides guidance to police and bylaw officers after initial confusion over officers’ role.
As of Thursday, the province’s stay-athome order permits Ontarians to only leave the house for essential reasons, which include going to the grocery store or pharmacy, attending a health care appointment, work, or getting exercise outside.
Under the emergency measures, police and bylaw enforcement officers can issue tickets to individuals who do not comply with the stay-at-home order. Fines can include $750 for offences defined as “failing to comply with an order.”
According to the memo, the new measures do not allow police to enter any dwellings or give them the authority to stop a vehicle solely to check compliance with the stay-at-home order.
“In addition, individuals are not compelled to explain why they are out of their residence,” states the memo, which notes that being outside should not automatically be considered “evidence of a failure to comply with the stay at home order.”
The document also notes that workers do not have to provide proof from their employer that they are travelling to or from their workplace.
A spokesperson for the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police confirmed officers will not be stopping people solely to ask about the stay-at-home order.
Joe Couto said officers will target large social gatherings.
“When people understand that our officers are not going to be looking for people who happen to be out like me walking my dog, I think they will then feel a lot better,” Couto said.
“Simply getting into their car and going to the grocery store, wondering if they going to see the lights in their back windows is not going to happen.”
A spokesperson for Peel Regional Police said the service planned to respond to complaints about violations of the order but would not be stopping drivers and pedestrians to see where they are going.
“It will be for the most part responding to calls,” Const. Sarah Patten said in a statement.
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath called the order a “half-measure” that has confused people.
“We can’t be successful if the Ford government continues to withhold meaningful supports, and instead only offers a stayat-home order rife with contradictory loopholes and exemptions,” she said.