Police in the cities of Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, on Saturday refused to make random stops, approved by the provincial government, which is trying to impose a residence order, amid an increase in COVID-19 cases.
Toronto, the country’s largest city, Ottawa, Hamilton, Windsor and at least 19 other municipal police forces have said they will not carry out random vehicle or individual stops, although they have been given the power to do so.
“The Toronto police service will continue to engage, educate and enforce, but we will not make random stops of people or cars,” the force said on Twitter. Mayor John Tory supported the move.
Ontario, which hosts 38% of Canada’s population, had 4,362 new infections on Saturday, after a record 4,812 cases on Friday, and projections indicate the virus could rise to 10,000 a day in June without stricter health restrictions.
Ontario Prime Minister Doug Ford, increasingly on fire for mishandling the province’s pandemic response, on Friday gave police the authority to stop anyone driving or walking to ask them to explain why they left. from home and put their tickets in if they break the rules. Read more
Steven Del Duca, the opposition leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, said Ford was imposing “martial law” and that the action was a “dangerous attack on racial Ontarians” who would be unfairly targeted.
The extended police powers risk causing “a racial eruption and extensive police powers, assuming that all outsiders are guilty until proven otherwise,” the Canadian Civil Liberties Association said.
Ford also said it would block non-essential travel from neighboring provinces from Monday to Monday. Ontario provincial police said Saturday they were preparing to enforce the order.
In recent weeks, Ontario has closed schools, restaurants, restricted shopping in stores and canceled elective operations because a wave of hospitalizations has threatened to overwhelm hospitals. On Friday, it also closed some construction works, but not warehouses or factories.
Critics say Ford dropped an earlier home stay order too early, allowing the current increase in cases that put hospitals under pressure. On Friday, Ford blamed the federal government for the third wave, saying it was too slow to increase vaccinations and that it was too lenient at the borders.
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