Ontario Premier Doug Ford gave an unequivocal “no” when asked if he would consider giving more regional powers to Kingston-area officials to lift COVID-19 restrictions. “We have to stick together, we’ve done such a great job, everyone in the province, the 14.5 million people, the businesses, the health teams, the health workers, everyone has to stick together, so the answer is no,” Ford said in his daily briefing on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, a letter addressed to Ford, signed by the mayor of Kingston, the wardens of Lennox and Addington and Frontenac County, and the head of KFL&A Public Health, asked the premier to consider allowing the region to ease lockdown measures based on local data.