Re: COVIDD-19 'Pandemic'
Perfect..
freedom is lost inch by inch (or 6 feet at a time)
Coronavirus: Oakville, Ont., family hit with $880 ticket after going rollerblading
https://globalnews.ca/news/6810568/coronavirus-oakville-ontario-rollarblading-fine/
Good morning,
Thank you for your email.
The following is from Mayor Burton:
Thank you for letting me know how you feel about the Global News story. You and I were not there. Neither of us knows all of what happened. The reporter gave us one person’s side of that story.
In his side of this story, the gentleman who got the ticket says he got the ticket after seeking to debate the matter with the officer. However, I can tell you the gentleman was fined for refusing to obey an order under the Ontario Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. Municipal enforcement does first warn individuals that they must leave and only issues a ticket when they don’t comply. Municipal enforcement responded to over 300 incidents on the weekend and only issued 6 tickets for non-compliance so the vast majority of the public are complying with requests to leave.
The Premier ordered municipal parks and recreation areas closed (that includes even parking lots) and deputized municipal by-law officers to enforce the order with first a request and where anyone resists, then with fines. Mayors and Councils cannot overrule a Premier.
The gentleman has 15 days to indicate he wants to dispute the Premier's orders and there is a legal process for him to do so. A by-law officer and a mayor cannot ignore the Premier's orders. The Premier is the boss.
The official Provincial word is, stay home, don't go out for more than basic necessities, and if you go out for exercise, take a walk in your own neighborhood, stay at least 2 metres away from people you don't live with, wash your hands a lot, and municipal parks and recreation facilities are closed (even their parking lots).
The medical authorities are advising the Premier that the virus can be caught from objects outdoors. The global recorded daily death numbers from COVID-19 (between 5,000 and 7,000 per day so far) are running many times the global daily death numbers from seasonal flu (between 800 and 1700 per day, depending on the year).
The growth rate of this virus is very powerful. Consider the growth of US coronavirus deaths:
Feb. 12: 0 deaths
Mar. 12: 41 deaths
Apr. 12: 22,073 deaths
I am optimistic that if we all obey the Premier we will turn the corner on this pandemic and get back to normal. Here in Halton, public cooperation has resulted in some of the lowest numbers in the GTA. The peak is expected later this month, sooner if everyone cooperates more. Together, we can win the race against time to get the peak of the virus cases delayed long enough to expand our local healthcare capacity to handle what’s coming.
Please reach out anytime you need information or help, keep well, and stay safe.
Mayor Rob Burton
Thank you again for contacting ServiceOakville.
Sincerely,
(omitted)