The Ontario NDP Leader says the damage is already done in Windsor-Essex when it comes to economic recovery.
Speaking on Wednesday afternoon after it was announced by the Ford Government that Windsor-Essex, with the exception of Leamington and Kingsville, would move into Stage 2, Andrea Horwath says the announcement is far too late and calls it "political damage control."
“We've seen what’s been happening in the Windsor and Essex region for sometime now and I can tell you that the damage is already done,” she says
Horwath blames Ford for doing what she calls “just standing by” week after week after week.
“And as result, lives have been lost, businesses have been lost and the community has become very divided and Mr. Ford stood by while all of that rolled out and the city and the farm communities ended up being pitted against each other,” she says.
Speaking directly to the residents of Kingsville and Leamington who remain in Stage 1, Horwath says people know what to do to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“I would expect that they would be being very responsible in that regard going forward but the point is, they shouldn't have to be the outliers, they shouldn't have to be the last communities in Ontario to get to Phase 2. It’s not their failure, it’s the failure of the Ford Government.”
Speaking alongside Horwath, Essex MPP Taras Natyshak says today's announcement bring us closer to some normalcy but he doesn't agree that it excludes Kingsville and Leamington.
"My responsibility and my commitment is that I will not stop fighting for those communities until we feel safe, secure and we are supported by our upper tiers of government," says Natyshak.
Natyshak was also facing some heat after what he called "unparliamentarily language" directed at Premier Doug Ford, that he retracted immediately after he spoke.
During his announcement on Wednesday afternoon, Premier Doug Ford said his focus is on protecting the people of Windsor-Essex and added he is making it clear that if a temporary foreign worker tests positive for COVID-19, they will not lose their job.