Anthony Furey

LATEST STORIES BY ANTHONY FUREY

FUREY: Fact-free Ford strikes again with York Region restrictions

“I hate doing this my friends,” said Ontario Premier Doug Ford as he announced he was plunging York Region into a modified version of Stage 2 lockdown, shutting down indoor dining, fitness centres and more, effective Monday.

October 16, 2020 Toronto & GTA

Rachel Aitken works out at Hone Fitness after indoor dining restaurants, gyms and cinemas re-opened under Phase 3 rules from COVID-19 restrictions in Toronto, July 31, 2020.

FUREY: Ontario tracking lower than lowest COVID-19 projections

Two weeks after the Ontario government released alarming COVID-19 modelling that anticipated a considerable rise in positive cases and intensive care unit (ICU) occupancy, those numbers have not come to pass.

October 13, 2020 Ontario

People wait in line for hours at a COVID assessment centre at Mount Sinai Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Thursday, September 24, 2020.

FUREY: Where is the evidence for the latest restrictions? They don't have it

“I have to see the evidence before I take someone’s livelihood away,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the other day. “I want to exhaust every single avenue before I ruin someone’s life.”

October 9, 2020 Columnists

Ontario death count includes people who didn't die of COVID-19, but exactly how many is unknown

The daily pandemic death counts in Ontario include people who have tested positive for COVID-19 but have not necessarily died from the virus.

with Video

October 8, 2020 Ontario

Ontario Premier Doug Ford holds a press conference with his medical team regarding new restrictions at Queen's Park during the COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto on Friday, October 2, 2020.

'We have to learn to live with' COVID rather than react to numbers: Top public health expert

It’s time to broaden the conversation in Canada around COVID-19 from one focused on just the daily case numbers to one that’s about maximizing the overall health and well-being of society.

October 3, 2020 Canada

FUREY: Toronto Public Health calls for restrictions on day they release inflated numbers

On Friday morning, Ontarians were subjected to another series of shocking headlines about the latest COVID-19 case counts.

October 2, 2020 Columnists

Dr. Eileen de Villa is the city's medical officer of health.

FUREY: Government’s job is to manage the pandemic, not manage the people

It was exactly 10:28 a.m. on Monday morning when Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott posted to social media that the province was reporting 700 new cases of COVID-19. Two minutes later, the latest comprehensive data on the numbers went live at the Ontario government’s online information portal.

September 28, 2020 Columnists

Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier of Ontario and Minister of Health, speaks at the daily briefing at Queen's Park in Toronto, May 20, 2020.

FUREY: What’s Canada’s pandemic objective? Our leaders don’t seem to have a clue

It’s not a rhetorical question. What is it that Canada’s political leaders and top public health officials are hoping to accomplish right now in managing the pandemic?

September 26, 2020 Columnists

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of Public Services and Procurement Anita Anand listen to Chief Public Health Officer of Canada Dr. Theresa Tam during a news conference on the COVID-19 pandemic on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Friday, Sept. 25, 2020.

FUREY: 'The Justin Trudeau Show' primetime special was a total dud

Taking over the nation’s airwaves to give a political address is a pretty big deal. It must only be done under the most exceptional of circumstances.

with Video

September 24, 2020 Columnists

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau listens to Governor General Julie Payette deliver the Throne Speech in the Senate, as parliament prepares to resume in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada September 23, 2020.

Trudeau plastics ban may violate USMCA and hinder pandemic response: Industry groups

A United States trade organization representing 3,000 manufacturing facilities has written a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lightizer warning that a 2019 campaign promise by the Trudeau Liberals may be in violation of the United States-Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA).

September 17, 2020 Canada

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to media following a cabinet retreat in Ottawa September 16, 2020.