Lack of leadership is hurting

Re: Is Niagara ready to reopen its economy? Not according to Public Health Ontario, Feb. 23

Evidence is piling up that the Conservative Doug Ford government has no real plan to protect the citizens of Ontario from further deaths and sickness due to COVID-19 and its quickly spreading variants.

Joined by his right-wing allies in other provinces such as Alberta’s Jason Kenney, Ford’s so-called plan to defeat the virus at times seems to have been drawn up on a napkin in some bar on Bay Street. Confusing lockdown rules, premature opening up of the economy by region and ignoring the advice of the medical experts all directly led to unnecessary deaths and sickness.

His latest action of downloading distribution of scarce supplies of vaccine onto the local health units and family physicians apparently without prior consultation is another example. With the lame excuse that needs differ from region to region, it is really an admission that, after one year of this plague, he is still playing a cowardly game of shift the blame and responsibility.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau does not come out looking good either. “Mr. Nice Guy” seemed a welcome change from Steven Harper, but a pandemic requires some of his late father’s straightforward talk and action. Leadership from Ottawa in a co-ordinated nationwide response is desperately needed now that we see the province-byprovince method is failing.

Richard Murri

Niagara Falls