Goodbye to masks and vax passes

Plus: Ford hits the fundraising circuit, back-to-back cabinet and first ministers meetings, new DM at Transpo, Q3 finances drop, convoy chaos continues, Wynne's favourite rapper

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Breaking over the weekend — Lots of action at Queen’s Park to close out a long week of convoy politics — but first, cabinet is gearing up to talk about easing Covid measures, including the vax pass and mask mandates.

As you’re reading this, ministers are meeting this morning to consider fast-tracked timelines for lifting all remaining pandemic measures — something both Premier DOUG FORD and top doc KIERAN MOORE hinted at last week, saying the Omicron wave is “behind us.” Official word is expected as soon as today.

Rumour has it all restrictions will lift by the end of March, with capacity caps for retail and restaurants easing this week, a few days earlier than planned. Context: The initial timeline would have seen most restrictions gone by mid-March — but the province didn’t offer a new date for lifting mask and vax pass rules.

A possible wrench in all this: To deal with ongoing protests in Ottawa and Windsor, the feds are considering invoking emergency powers of their…