Horwath wants more detail about Hamilton's dose of the new 'hot spot' vaccine rollout

Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says the province's pledge to send 25 per cent of its COVID-19 vaccines to 13 "hot spot" areas is too vague to know how it will impact Hamilton.

The Hamilton Centre MPP says Premier Doug Ford's announcement Friday didn't have much detail, and "I'm going to look for that detail."

"Throwing out a number like the 25 per cent increase in vaccines going to the hot spots doesn't really give us a lot of information," she said after Ford's news conference.

"We know that this government has not performed well when it comes to moving with any urgency."

Horwath's comments came after a dramatic news conference during which Ford announced new measures aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19.

The measures include directing 25 per cent of COVID-19 vaccines to 13 public health units with the highest number of cases. Hamilton is frequently in the top five provincial areas for high case numbers. On Friday, the city reached a new daily record with 247 new cases. 

So far, 145,321 doses have been administered in Hamilton, although recent public health numbers show 12 per cent are people from outside Hamilton who came here via the province's online booking system. 

Other measures Ford announced include extending a stay-at-home order for two weeks and setting up checkpoints between border provinces. Ontario is also giving police additional powers to stop people, and ask for ID and the reason for leaving their home.

Horwath said stopping people concerns her. She worries it will disproportionately impact Hamilton's essential workers, shift workers and marginalized populations.

Hamilton workers need paid sick days, she said, not additional enforcement.

"We don't give them what they need to stop the spread, but we increase policing," she said.

"It's something we have to keep a sharp eye on. The last thing any of us want to see is negative repercussions, fines or criminalization of people who are trying to eke out a living."

Police have been sensitive so far

Ford, meanwhile, said the latest measures are necessary to reverse an increasingly dire situation in Ontario, which reported 4,812 more cases on Friday, a single-day record. Hospital admissions have climbed to 1,955 and 701 people are in intensive care, all-time highs. 

"I've never shied away from telling you the brutal, honest truth," Ford said. "We're losing the battle between the variants and vaccines."

Dr. Jill Wiwcharuk, who works with Hamilton's homeless population, said she'll be watching to see if the expanded police powers impact that group.

So far, she said, Hamilton police have been "really quite sensitive to the issues of homelessness" during the pandemic.

"They have not stopped homeless people, for the most part, during the pandemic. They have not stopped people who don't have homes who are outside, so I don't expect any change. I would be very disappointed if there was any change in their approach.

"I can tell you we will be watching closely because if the police start targeting homeless individuals for being outside when they actually have no home to stay in, they will be hearing from us."

Kojo Damptey, executive director of the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, worries the move will disproportionately impact people of colour. He also doesn't see how it will stop the spread of COVID-19. 

"Police are not health workers," he said.

"It's the wrong idea in terms of giving police carte blanche to just stop anybody and ask them where they're going. That is definitely not how we get through this pandemic. Lots of doctors have called for paid sick days and looking at different ways to get hot spots addressed.

"Those are the responses people are looking for, not to have police officers stop people when people are going to buy groceries."