Tis the week before Christmas and all through the province, the 905 was asking…are we going into a lockdown? The Mayor of Mississauga, Bonnie Crombie has come out requesting that lockdown be extended for all red zones in the 905 to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
In response, the mayors of Halton issued a statement refuting the claims:
We’ve been down this road before. The talk of increasing restrictions starts to boil and the Mayors of Halton chime in to say that Halton is unique and special and shouldn’t be lumped in with other regions and municipalities. However, this time we have hindsight on our side. The last time the Mayors stood up and said that Halton was uniquely special and had a handle on COVID-19 that was not found in our neighbouring regions…our numbers went up. If you recall back in the fall, as talk of tightening restrictions was popular, our Mayors issued a letter. Their argument was that Halton is controlling the spread of COVID-19. However, shortly afterwards, our COVID-19 numbers skyrocketed and we were sent into further restrictions.
It seems though, that the Halton mayors are hoping you don’t remember that little fact. However, this isn’t the fall. And there seems to be a chink in their armour this time around. The Mayors rely on the tried and true statement of listening to the advice of public health officials in the region. I’m not sure they actually are. As today the President of Joseph Brant Hospital, joined other leaders in the Ontario Hospital Association in calling for lockdown measures in the region:
I don’t know how to reconcile these two lines of thought. The Mayors claim that they are following the advice of public health officials. And yet the public health officials are publicly issuing calls for stricter measures. There is a disconnect here bordering on hypocrisy. To further inflame the disconnect from what is happening on the ground is this statement:
The statement comes after Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie said a GTA-wide lockdown is needed to bring the number of COVID-19 cases down, saying there is evidence people are “region-hopping.”
The Halton mayors and chair however, do not agree.
– Mayors in Oakville and Burlington along with Milton and Halton Hills against GTA-wide COVID-19 lockdown, saying Halton ‘should not be punished for the health conditions in other regions’ Inside Halton December 17, 2020
If you can, I’d suggest actually talking to any small business owners of shops or boutiques in Halton. Especially in Mapleview Centre. You’ll hear the stories of line ups of folks from Peel and Toronto driving out here to finish their Christmas shopping. If the mayors need to hear evidence they are welcome to reach out to me. I’ll be happy to point them in the right direction.
The last time the Halton Mayors decided to give their advice on this subject, numbers in Halton rose dramatically. There is not a uniform message from all parts of our public leadership on what is the best course of action going forward. The fact that the mayors track record on these statements isn’t stellar. They’ve been wrong more than they’ve been right. As well, the blatant ignorance of the fact on the ground that in fact people are region hopping is staggering. I think it’s safe to say the Halton mayors are anti restriction. At every step of the way, the Mayors of Halton have resisted any and all calls for restrictions, while wrapping themselves in the cloak of the Halton Public Health Officer. All while at the same time, getting it very wrong.
They’ve managed to get away with it so far, because they claim that they are following the instructions of Dr. Hamidah Meghani. It might be time for us to hear from her directly on her thoughts on this, instead of relying on the Mayors.
Joel MacLeod.ca 
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