On March 13th, we declared a State of Emergency. I was in support of giving the Premier the authority to make swift decisions to handle the COVID-19 outbreak while the Legislature was in recess. Now, three months later, I can see this power has been abused to the detriment of the people of Ontario.

Throughout this outbreak we have seen groups come together in defence of democracy, with the hope of keeping our economy from ruin, and to protect those left behind by our shuttered healthcare system. Phone call after phone call, I began to learn the damages this lockdown has created for countless people in my riding. From business closures to bankruptcies, ignored medical procedures to unnecessary deaths; none a result of COVID-19 but rather the orders put by this government to fight it. Has the cure become more dangerous than the disease?

While the media has focused all their attention on COVID, what has gone unseen are the many, many tragedies of everyday people who don’t have COVID, but have been substantially harmed by government policies targeted at COVID. In response, and at every opportunity, I have been raising the alarm in the Legislature about these tragedies, be that the negligence, tragic outcomes, and unnecessary deaths in LTC homes, or the forgotten business owners who have lost everything. In response the media has ignored and this government has bobbed and weaved questions while ignoring the tragedies they have created; and while protests have been growing outside the Legislature, these people who are calling for a return to representative democracy are then called “Yahoos” by our Premier.

Enough is enough.

There is a petition that has been started by a grassroots organization named Fearless Ontario, who also invited me to speak at their rally. This petition calls for the end of the State of Emergency, a reopening of our businesses and healthcare, and rejects the unworkable health standards this government wants to put on our schools, childcares, public services, and businesses.

This petition is not only justified, but is an expression of what I have heard from many of my constituents. I have agreed to table this petition in the Legislature and encourage you to also sign if this is a reflection of your perspective. If you want to see Ontario reopen and reject the new normal our Government is trying to force on us, please sign below. In order to have this petition tabled you must download and print the petition from my website, once signed by you, your family, and friends, mail in the complete petition to the address at the bottom of the petition.

Together we can reject the new normal of unchecked government, unjust shutdowns of our businesses and healthcare, and demand our rights and freedoms be restored to all Ontarians.