P.E.I. Green Leader says Tory premier's scolding him on COVID-19 revealed as improper
Prince Edward Island's Opposition leader says a rise in COVID-19 cases has revealed the inappropriateness of a public scolding dished out by the premier over criticisms of the government's back-to-school pandemic policies.
Green Party Leader Peter Bevan-Baker put out a YouTube video on Friday recalling that Tory Premier Dennis King had said critics "pissed him off" when they called for the province to keep mandatory masking requirements for schools.
In late August, King said he'd heard politicians asking him to "this or that," and continued, "if you were in my job, would you take the advice of a partisan politician or the chief public health officer who is a Rhodes scholar, who is an infectious disease expert?"
The Green leader is now saying he's angered by the premier's lack of consideration of his critique, and notes that infections have occurred at multiple schools.
Health officials reported three new cases of COVID-19 on the Island Saturday, including two that involved close contacts of an outbreak at West Royalty Elementary School. There have also been recent outbreaks at Ecole La-Belle-Cloche in Rollo Bay and Charlottetown Rural High School in Charlottetown.
Bevan-Baker noted he had called for improvements to school ventilation systems and wanted to see students continue to wear masks at all times, arguing these suggestions didn't warrant King's rejection and outburst.
In his video statement to students, parents and teachers, Bevan-Baker said he strongly supports recent measures that included closures of all Charlottetown schools and a large testing effort, but he also called on King to stop ignoring his views in the future.
"What pisses me off is that when Islanders brought forward real concerns about their health and safety, they got a scolding from the premier," he said in his video statement.
The province announced Saturday it has 46 active cases, the highest level seen since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are about 540 close contacts of the school cases who are in self isolation.
Two of the three new cases announced on Saturday were close contacts associated with the outbreak at West Royalty Elementary School, and have been in isolation. The other new case was associated with travel outside the province.
The province has announced that all schools on the Island are shifting back to cohorting and masking for students in Grades 4 through 12.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.