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Premier Doug Ford's Ontario

Jonny5 said:
The knives are out, or perhaps I should say scalpels, as the goal is to remove only the cancerous part of the government.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1383449398793826307
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From the above link:

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Police in Ontario say they won't conduct random spot checks despite new powers​

From link.

London police board questions constitutionality of expanded powers

Saturday marks the first day of at least six weeks of enhanced policing powers in Ontario in an attempt to curb an exponential rise in COVID-19 cases.

However, several police forces across the province have already said they do not intend to make use of additional powers that allow them to ask anyone outside their residence — including stopping vehicles — to indicate their purpose for leaving home and provide their address.

A ticket if individuals refused would cost roughly $750.
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Peterborough Police and London Police Service tweeted "we will not be randomly stopping people." Both Waterloo Regional Police Service and Niagara Regional Police Service similarly tweeted, "We will not be conducting random vehicle or individual stops."

The president of the Peel Regional Police Association also took to Twitter to urge the government, "Don't make cops the bad guys here!"

In a subsequent statement, Peel Police confirmed they would not conduct "random vehicle or individual stops."

In a statement, the Ottawa Police Service said it will also not be conducting random checks.

"We are very mindful of the perception of the broader public as well as within our more marginalized, racialized and/or Indigenous/Aboriginal/Inuit peoples," said Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly.

"We do not want these powers to impact public trust," Sloly said.

While Toronto police initially said it needed more time to review the changes, the force tweeted on Saturday morning that it "will continue to engage, educate and enforce, but we will not be doing random stops of people or cars."

"Prior to any change in our enforcement strategy we will notify the public on how we plan to implement the new provincial orders," its spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for the Toronto police declined to answer a question from CBC News about where this leaves people legally given an individual officer could still decide to pull over a person randomly and the law would be on their side, despite the force's official position statements.

The spokesperson deferred reporters to the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, in addition to declining to answer whether Toronto police were in contact with the provincial government about their approach to random stops.

CBC News has reached out to the police chiefs association for comment.

A spokesperson for the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), which is tasked with enforcing interprovincial border closures and has also been empowered to conduct random checks, said the force is "still working out the logistics and details."

It expects to share more with the public about its enforcement approach in the coming days.

Hamilton Police Service released its own statement, saying it will also not be randomly stopping citizens.

Police officers "remain committed to providing the highest quality of policing services and want to assure Hamilton citizens that our members will not be conducting arbitrary vehicle and person stops for the sole purpose of enforcing the Stay-at-Home order," the statement reads.

Windsor Police, Cornwall Police Service, and York Regional Police added their names to the growing list of police forces that say they will not conduct random checks.

"Members of the CPS will not be conducting random pedestrian or vehicle stops. We will continue to respond to complaints on a calls-for-service basis, using officer discretion, with the objective of gaining compliance," reads a statement from Cornwall police.

"Officers will not be randomly stopping people or vehicles," Windsor police tweeted.

"We all need to do our part for the health and safety of our community. Everyone has a role and a responsibility to keep our City safe. Stay home and do not gather with people outside your household."

In a statement, York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween said enforcement efforts would "continue as they have since the beginning of the pandemic."

He said, "We will not be conducting random vehicle or individual stops."

The London Police Services Board says it has "serious concerns" about whether the provincial government's expanded police powers are even constitutional.

"We cannot enforce our way out of the pandemic," said the board's chair Dr. Javeed Sukhera in a statement released Saturday morning.

Sukhera said the board "would encourage the Provincial government to shift their focus to stabilizing the health system, ensuring equitable access to vaccines, and following the advice of health experts."

CBC News has reached out to the solicitor general's office for comment but has yet to receive a response.
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The expanded police powers have quickly raised alarm bells across the province.

"It's a Black Friday of rights slashing by Queen's Park," said Michael Bryant, executive director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association in a statement.

"A hodge-podge of pandemic restrictions cannot be policed like this because overzealous enforcers overshoot the mark, based on Canada's 1st Wave experience," Bryant's statement said.

He called random police stops "unconstitutional" since they wouldn't be "indiscriminate, stopping everyone in a single location" like a RIDE program does.

"Blanket powers for police to stop vehicles like this bends our constitutional freedoms too far, and will cause a rash of racial profiling," Bryant said. "These new restrictions… may face a court challenge."

Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie tweeted his own reaction, saying he'll be "checking out our Charter [of Rights and Freedoms]" and that the city will be reviewing it.

"I'm concerned about this," his tweet said. "Either way, we're not going to be policing our way out of this pandemic, that's for sure."

In Toronto, Mayor John Tory tweeted that he was "very concerned about arbitrary stops of people by police at any time." He later tweeted his gratitude that Toronto police will not be conducting random stops.
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Same should be done with the playgrounds, golf courses, tennis courts, and other non-contact sports or activities.
 
tiffer24 said:
Playgrounds are now open...

JUST IN: Premier Ford says regulations will be amended to allow playgrounds.

https://www.cp24.com/news/play-outs...on-to-ban-playgrounds-amid-backlash-1.5391532
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A useful, if belated correction.

But still....

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From:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1383500826455408640

This remains contrary to the advice of infectious disease specialists throughout Ontario.

***

We have such a pattern with this government; don't do what should be done; do something that shouldn't be done; partially walk back the dumb idea, deny the dumb idea was theirs..........rinse, repeat.
 
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lenaitch said:
I get what he is trying to say, but equating it to martial law is a bit much.
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I'm going to have to disagree.

The key element is the power to arbitrarily detain a citizen without any 'just cause'; and demand identification and purpose of being outside the home.

That's a pretty solid read for the essence of martial law.

Yes, in its most extreme form that might mean a total ban on public movement, but usually, it is not (if only because prohibiting access to food/medicine will get you more public disorder than whatever you started with).

While it may well be the case that police would not have enforced it in that manner. I've already been made aware of several arbitrary traffic stops during the pandemic, prior to yesterday.

That's not something with which I was ever comfortable; and something I never hope to be comfortable with.

I will grant, that the term typically refers to the military enforcing 'public order'; but the police as an armed force of the state, serve as a reasonable proxy.
 
Northern Light said:
I'm going to have to disagree.

The key element is the power to arbitrarily detain a citizen without any 'just cause'; and demand identification and purpose of being outside the home.

That's a pretty solid read for the essence of martial law.

Yes, in its most extreme form that might mean a total ban on public movement, but usually, it is not (if only because prohibiting access to food/medicine will get you more public disorder than whatever you started with).

While it may well be the case that police would not have enforced it in that manner. I've already been made aware of several arbitrary traffic stops during the pandemic, prior to yesterday.

That's not something with which I was ever comfortable; and something I never hope to be comfortable with.

I will grant, that the term typically refers to the military enforcing 'public order'; but the police as an armed force of the state, serve as a reasonable proxy.
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I have to disagree. While there maybe some argument regarding similar elements, any reasonable definition I can find is the substitution of civil law and civil government by the military and the suspension of civil liberties. Like them or not (mostly not it seems), we still have elected government with and elected opposition, functioning courts and civilian law enforcement oversight. Push come to shove, the court can be asked to determine whether any state action falls under the 'reasonable limitation' provision of the Charter. For cops who may have overstepped their authority, there remains recourse to legal and administrative processes, a free press and generally unfettered social media.

I doubt much of that is happening in Myanmar right now.

The SCC has long ago ruled that police have wide discretion in random vehicle stops for the purposes of licencing, registration, insurance, sobriety and vehicle safety, and a 'traffic stop' is not generally considered detention under those circumstances. I won't be naïve and say that balloon has never been stretched, but to compare the certain provisions of the current emergency order to a military junta I think is a stretch as well.

It is clearly emerging that police organizations don't want to touch this third rail.
 
Videodrome said:
globalnews.ca

Scarborough PC MPP speaks out against new government measures: ‘This is not the way to help people’ | Globalnews.ca

"As the doctors have made it clear they do not feel the data supports this, I cannot help but wonder how this decision came to be made without data and without their support?"
globalnews.ca globalnews.ca

Seems that my MPP is speaking out against these stupid restrictions. She also happens to be a PC party member, so Doug will probably just kick her out of caucus soon...
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Something tells me that Doug will be on a short leash coming into an election year
 
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