Some northerners praise 'tough decision' to implement lockdown, others want to see 'northern bubble'

Northern Ontario will go into its second COVID-19 lockdown on Boxing Day, despite having far fewer infections than the south.

The lockdown will include closing most retail stores and forcing restaurants back to takeout business only. In the north, they'll be closed for two weeks, compared with four weeks in southern Ontario. 

The head of the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce says he and other business leaders have had some success convincing Queen's Park to treat northern Ontario differently during the pandemic.

"I think though that what has happened here is that there's been a reaction that's really being driven by the activity in southern Ontario and it's a really tough decision," Rory Ring said.

Ring says he would have liked to see looser restrictions on small businesses during the shutdown, including allowing more local shops to stay open.

Sudbury city councillor Mike Jakubo says instead of a lockdown, he'd like to see travel cut off between northern and southern Ontario. 

"I really cannot understand why he would not have us implement a northern bubble here. Cut off the non-essential travel to places north of Parry Sound, north of Deep River," he said. 

"We can then allow our business community to function at some level."

Jakubo, who is also an accountant, says he suspects many businesses in northern Ontario who were just getting back on the feet may now look at layoffs because of this new lockdown.

Dr. Lucas Castellani, the director of infection prevention and control at Sault Area Hospital, says there have been reports of a "large swath of folks coming in" from the south in recent weeks. 

"I actually think the timing might be a good one in terms of what some refer to as a 'circuit breaker,'" he said. 

But Castellani admits the lockdown likely won't stop people from travelling and urges people to follow the advice of public health officials. 

"If we want to keep our north safe, we have to all do our part," he said. 

The MPP for Nickel Belt and the opposition health critic says, while she supports the lockdown measures, she says she would have liked to see stronger measures sooner.

"Six weeks ago when the modelling came out," France Gelinas said.

"[But] this gives me hope that, finally, workers in precarious work will be able to stay home because their work will be shut down."

Gelinas says the province is making the right call by giving Ontario residents a few days of warning, rather than an immediate shutdown, as it's important to give businesses some time to prepare, and to avoid the same level of chaos as with the first shutdown.

Teachers frustrated

The shutdown will delay the return to school for students throughout the province as well.

In northern Ontario, in-person classes will be permitted to resume Jan. 11, much to the dismay of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario.

"The plan to reopen elementary schools in the midst of a province-wide lockdown doesn't make sense," said ETFO president Sam Hammond.

"These new provincial restrictions will not be effective unless every possible action is taken to prevent COVID-19 transmission in elementary schools when they reopen. It's time to do what is urgently needed, not what is politically convenient."

The organization says it's calling on the province to reduce class sizes to ensure two metres of physical distancing, establish mandatory caps on class size, fund supports for students engaged in virtual learning, along with several other items of concern.

The vice president of the Ontario Secondary Teacher's Association says communication between the province and the union has been "non-existent."

They will go to the microphone and they will say you know we're working with the unions," said Paul Caccamo.

"I mean that simply isn't represented in fact, and it is super frustrating. We're talking about a societal challenge here with this Covid-19 virus that partisanship and politics should not be a part of."

Without communication or collaboration, Caccamo say, it's difficult for teachers to plan and deliver their programs — and moral is down.

First vaccines in the north

Meanwhile, the first COVID-19 vaccine in northern Ontario is expected to be administered Tuesday The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre says it will start providing the vaccine in the morning.

Thunder Bay was one of 17 hospitals across Ontario announced last week as an immediate distribution site of the Pfizer vaccine. The province says Thunder Bay was chosen to test travel logistics in the north and support administration of the vaccine to Indigenous and remote communities.