Between the lines: Ford's first presser

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ABOVE THE FOLD

NEW YEAR, NEW FORD? — We’re going between the lines of DOUG FORD’s first press conference of the year.

The Premier was at a Shoppers Drug Mart on his home turf in Etobicoke to re-announce the move allowing pharmacists to treat 13 common ailments, with an eye to easing the burden on physicians and hospitals.

Naturally, there was a barrage of off-topic questions from reporters. Here’s what went down — and why it matters:

— On further privatizing health care: Ford re-upped his line that the status quo just isn’t working, and insisted — unprovoked by reporters at the outset of the presser — that “no Ontarian will have to pay with a credit card — they will pay with their OHIP card.”

“But if we can take the burden and the backlog off the hospitals and have independent health centres with the same standards, the same actual docs, being able to go in there on their spare time…we need to have facilities like that,” he went on to say.

Oppo takeaways: The read, from Green Leader MI…