You Can't Have Your Cake and Eat it Too

Tuesday, 9 June 2020 14:45

Premier Ford blasted the Mayors of Haldimand and Norfolk as hypocrites for defying Provincial orders and getting their haircuts today in protest, just two weeks after they said they were going to fine cottagers for visiting their properties.

HALDIMAND NORFOLK - You can't have your cake and eat it too.

That was the message from Doug Ford in response to Haldimand Mayor Ken Hewitt and Norfolk Mayor Kristal Chopp who both got their haircut today. They got the haircut to protest Haldimand Norfolk being forced to stay in Stage 1 in response to a recent spike in the amount of active COVID-19 cases in the region. The Mayors are worried about the business owners that will have to stay closed and will have an even harder time trying to reopen.

Premier Doug Ford was asked about the haircut today and he didn't pull any punches.

"I understand this thing is fluid, this thing is moving constantly and I understand one day you may say something and then your stance might change. It wasn't too long ago, about 2-3 weeks ago that we had the two Mayors from there on TV yelling and screaming, saying they are going to fine any cottager who comes up. We didn't have the capacity they were saying, we have one ventilator, we have a small hospital, we don't want anyone up there and now all of a sudden they are getting a haircut saying they want everyone to come up. I get it, things change, but you can't have it both ways and they had a massive spike."

Ford says when you have a massive spike, you have to do the right thing.

"The people who live in that area are incredible, salt of the earth, I have been up that way a number of times and they are incredible people. You can't be telling everyone to stay away and we are going to fine you if you go to a cottage that you pay taxes for, they were the most outspoken in the entire Province, and a couple of weeks later, sitting there getting a haircut and going against the protocol. Give me a break, I mean really, we will get it straightened out, hopefully in the next week or 2 weeks, we will be able to go up there and have a lot of fun."

Ford says he was shocked by the Mayors actions today.

"The ironic thing about this, they were the same mayors, who were shouting and screaming, in the whole province, they were the only two saying they were going to fine cottagers for coming up to their own residence. They were really getting out there and voicing there opinion, that's fine, god bless them but then all of a sudden, to do a complete 180 in a couple of weeks as the numbers are going up in your area. It would be totally irresponsible for us to say, ok open things up. They were the last two mayors I would have thought would have been doing this but this pandemic does strange things to people, I can't figure it out myself but you can't have your cake and eat it too."

You can listen to the Premier's comments on the matter below.