Nickel Belt MPP France Gélinas called on Premier Doug Ford to declare the Public Health Sudbury & Districts region a COVID-19 hotspot.
During Question Period Wednesday, Gélinas first referenced what she called inadequate communication and inconsistent messaging regarding vaccine booking that created confusion in the North this week.
“This week has been difficult in our area,” the MPP said. “During a pandemic, clear communication is critical. When the Premier makes an announcement and fails to mention that it does not apply to many areas of our province, he does a lot of damage to our overall goal of motivating as many people as possible to get the vaccine.
“The announcement last week that people over 75 could register to get the vaccine and that people over 60 could go to a pharmacy to get vaccinated did not recognize the realities of multiple Ontario jurisdictions,” she continued. “Monday morning, hundreds of residents of the North East desperately called pharmacies, public health, my office, even the media asking where were the vaccines that the premier announced. This caused unnecessary stress for residents and a waste of health provider’s time.”
Gélinas accused Ford and the Ontario government of “misleading” the public.
“The Premier’s statements regarding who could receive the vaccine were misleading. Premier Ford had many opportunities to clarify his statements, but he chose not to,” Gélinas stated.
She also referenced the rising case counts the Greater Sudbury region has been experiencing lately.
“Sudbury and district has been in a grey zone lockdown since March 12. We have outbreaks in our hospital, our homeless shelter, our long-term care homes, our mines, our schools, even in apartments building. The virus is everywhere and 48-per-cent are variant of concerns.” she said.