NDP demands earlier release date for vaccine roll-out plan

QUEEN’S PARK — The official opposition is demanding a release date for Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine plan no later than Dec. 14, as well as transparency right now on who is making decisions on the priority list.

“Other provinces and countries have already released roll-out plans for the COVID-19 vaccine. Premier Doug Ford says our plan won’t be ready for another month,” said NDP Deputy Leader Sara Singh. “Dec. 31 is not good enough.

“Federal officials say the vaccine will arrive early in the new year. We need a rollout plan a heck of a lot earlier than the eleventh hour.”

Singh said the lack of transparency on who is writing the plan and the priority list isn’t acceptable, either.

“Ford said it was General Rick Hillier. Hillier said it was Ford. Today, Stephen Lecce said it was the command table – the bloated 500-member mess populated with political staff. There’s a vaccine task force, but it’s membership list is secret. This is about people’s health and their lives – they deserve better than Doug Ford’s shell game.”