Dr Peter Juni feels like he has been screaming into the void for the past year.
The scientific director of Ontario’s Science Advisory Table has spent the past dozen months advising the politicians of Canada’s largest province on how to get through the pandemic.
So when the provincial government announced restrictions last week that went against much of his advice, Dr Juni was shocked.
It was not the first time his advice went unheeded. In January, he and his colleagues warned the government that a third wave of Covid-19 cases was coming.
But instead of listening, the provincial government eased restrictions in February. Now the province is in the middle of its worst outbreak of the pandemic.
On Sunday, 4,250 new cases of Covid-19 were reported across Ontario. The province’s seven-day average of new cases has been about 4,300.
That is up from around 3,500 cases a week ago. Hospitals are stretched to capacity and critical care and emergency departments are struggling to cope.
“We are in a really serious situation,” Dr Juni said. “It could have been avoided.
"Anybody who suggests it could not have been avoided is not being truthful. We said so, we warned early.”
On Friday Ontario’s leader, Premier Doug Ford, announced sweeping measures intended to curb the rising cases.
They included banning outdoor recreation such as golf, tennis and soccer, and closing playgrounds.
Mr Ford also extended a stay-at-home order for another two weeks and gave police powers to question anyone outside as to why they were not at home.
Ontario's latest restrictions
- Stay-at-home extended until May 20
- As of April 19, only essential travel from Quebec and Manitoba will be allowed
- Religious, wedding and funeral services limited to 10 people
- Organisers of events that break rules may be fined a minimum of $10,000
- Those attending may be fined $750
The measures were roundly condemned and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association said on Saturday that it was preparing to challenge them in court.
Some local police departments criticised the measures and said they would not be using their new “powers”.
“The service will not be randomly stopping vehicles for no reason during the pandemic or afterwards,” tweeted Steve Tanner, the chief of police for the municipality of Halton, west of Toronto.
On Saturday, the government quickly relented and said police would no longer be allowed to stop people without cause, and that playgrounds would remain open.
“Black and brown communities are still feeling like they will be targeted," Dr Dosani said.
"We’ve already had incidences where this has happened and this is not the answer to get us through Covid-19. We cannot police our way out of this pandemic.”
He called the current situation in Ontario a “humanitarian catastrophe.”
When Dr Juni heard the government’s plans, he was dumbstruck.
“It was clearly pointing to a misunderstanding of the epidemiology of this disease,” he said of the new restrictions.
Dr Juni contemplated resigning from his position on the advisory board but ultimately felt compelled to keep advocating for a better, more scientific approach to fighting the pandemic.
"It would create a vacuum, which could potentially make things considerably worse," he told The National.
New Covid-19 modelling released on Friday suggested Ontario could top 20,000 cases a day if strong measures were not imposed.
But many in the medical and epidemiological fields criticised the government for not focusing on how Covid-19 was being transmitted across the province.
“What I was hoping for was a compassionate approach to supporting essential workers, including paid sick leave,” Dr Dosani said.
“We have workers who are going to work sick and having to choose between their health and paying their bills.
"They can’t afford to go for a Covid test or take one day off. We’re also hoping for paid time off for vaccinations.”
Experts say that by not offering paid sick leave, the government is putting vulnerable people at even more risk. It is also leaving it up to businesses to try to protect their employees.
Jamal Severin-Watson, who owns a cafe in Toronto, decided to close his business for the next two weeks to protect his staff after listening to Mr Ford’s announcement.
“It just felt like the right move for me,” Mr Severin-Watson said. “There was not an amount of money I could make where I could justify [keeping the business open].”
He is doing what he believes the government should be doing and paying his staff for the two weeks they will be out of work.
“If [the government] is serious about this, pay us to stay home and we gladly will,” Mr Severin-Watson said.
Two days after the province announced its new restrictions and a day after they were forced to amend them, Dr Juni is still upset.
“I’m somewhere between sad, heartbroken and still very angry. It's just not right,” he said.
Dr Juni said the government must correct its muddled plan by issuing new directives that better serve its population.
“This needs to be done within hours,” he said. “We need now a strict, uncomplicated, clear definition of essential workers and completely clear communication about what is essential and what is not essential, with shutdowns of everything that is not essential.”
Dr Juni is not sure why the provincial government missed the mark with the new restrictions.
“This is like a case of broken telephone,” he said.
“If you still after all this time, after all the experience, after all the scientific evidence that has accumulated, to suggest that you could actually get this under control without addressing the root causes, this points towards severe communication issues."
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Afghanistan fixtures
- v Australia, today
- v Sri Lanka, Tuesday
- v New Zealand, Saturday,
- v South Africa, June 15
- v England, June 18
- v India, June 22
- v Bangladesh, June 24
- v Pakistan, June 29
- v West Indies, July 4
Top goalscorers in Europe
34 goals - Robert Lewandowski (68 points)
34 - Ciro Immobile (68)
31 - Cristiano Ronaldo (62)
28 - Timo Werner (56)
25 - Lionel Messi (50)
*29 - Erling Haaland (50)
23 - Romelu Lukaku (46)
23 - Jamie Vardy (46)
*NOTE: Haaland's goals for Salzburg count for 1.5 points per goal. Goals for Dortmund count for two points per goal.
FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
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Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books
Company%C2%A0profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Director: Romany Saad
Starring: Mirfat Amin, Boumi Fouad and Tariq Al Ibyari
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Empire of Enchantment: The Story of Indian Magic
John Zubrzycki, Hurst Publishers
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
