Ontario Police Departments Refuse to Enforce Ford’s Police-State Measures

On Friday April 16th, 2021, Doug Ford announced new restrictions on all of Ontario, granting the police new powers essentially turning Ontario into a police state.

Among measures such as restricting outdoor gatherings to individual households, banning camping on crown land, further limiting the operation of retail establishments, closing outdoor parks, playgrounds, golf course, and shutting down “non-essential” construction; these latest measures would also seek to give police the authority to arbitrarily stop citizens, requesting identifying documents as well as a reason why one is out of the house.

Around this same time, the official Toronto Police Service Twitter account sent out the following,

They further stated that “The Toronto Police Service will continue to engage, educate and enforce, but we will not be doing random stops of people or cars.”

For many, this was a sign that the police were now backing citizens, as these latest provincial orders are a clear violation of the rights of individuals in a free and democratic society, but this would only be the first of many. 

Adrian Woolley, president of the Peel Region Police Association (PRPA), speaking on behalf of front line officers in Peel Region said that the restrictions “are in direct conflict with our Charter of Rights and Freedoms”, and that the province is putting the police service in an “untenable position”.

Woolley ensured the public that PRPA members would in fact not be conducting random stops, asking Doug Ford and Sylvia Jones, Ontario’s solicitor general, not to “make cops the bad guys here!”.

Toronto and Peel aren’t the only police departments taking a stand against these latest orders, the Ottawa Police Service (OPS), made the following statement, 

The OPS will not be conducting random stops. We will be taking a deliberate and careful approach that emphasizes equity, legality, and efficacy in the application of these authorities with the specific and exclusive purpose to support public health measures.

Similar statements were made by the police service from Niagara, Halton, Hamilton, Guelph, Durham, Waterloo, Stratford, St Thomas, London, Windsor, Kawartha Lakes, Peterborough, Kingston, Cornwall, Barrie, Simcoe, North Bay, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie, and Thunder Bay among others.

With such a widespread denouncement from the police as well as from citizens who have not forgotten about individual freedoms, some of whom have held ongoing protests across the province, it seems provincial officials are scrambling to update the measures.

Doug Ford tweeting the following:

Solicitor General Sylvia Jones also released a statement informing the public that officers would no longer have the right to stop pedestrians or drivers simply to ask why they’re out or request their home address; although, police will still be stopping individuals who they have reason to believe are participating in an “organized public event or social gathering.”

With such quick flagrant reversal in policy based on public outcry, it is hard to see where the science would have come in for these restrictions. Friday Ford said the province was “on its heels”, and that these measures were needed urgently for the province to be able to gain control of their infection numbers. 

Many have criticized Ford for focusing on outdoor activities, which has been found to carry a very low risk of transmission, as well as being necessary for the health of Canadians during lockdowns; even drawing criticism from doctors on his very own province Vaccine Distribution Task Force. 

Dr. Isaac Bogoch made the following statement regarding the newly introduced measures, “Outdoor activities are vital for mental and physical health, especially with stay-at-home orders… [The] Science is clear: Outdoor COVID transmission is extremely rare.”

Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) executive director Michael Bryant made the following remarks with regard to the reversal, “The new order rationalizes and narrows the unconstitutional Friday standard. The new standard is also tied to a public health objective, and avoids arbitrary detention,”

This was a clear example of government overreach, instituting measures not backed by science or rational in any way. It is refreshing to see that there is still a line Canadians will not allow their government to cross, despite how much has been taken from them throughout this pandemic, Canadians are resilient.

Protests were held provincewide yesterday and many were asking how, especially with these new measures, the police allowed this to happen, why no one was arrested, why there weren’t widespread fines or a shutdown of such rallies. 

Much like the reasoning as to why these draconian restrictions needed to be reversed, the answer to such questions can be found in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a document that grants Canadians the right to assembly, and to protest any cause we see fit. To believe otherwise is anti-democratic, anti-Canadian, and goes against everything millions of Canadian soldiers have fought and died for.

It is good to see the Canadian spirit alive and well today, despite all of the weaknesses in our system that have been exploited by those in charge throughout this pandemic, there is still a set of inalienable rights Canadians are willing to fight for; and so long as this remains the case there is still hope that we can come out of this even stronger.