"Outlier city": NDP edges out PCs

Plus: Unpacking the polls, teachers speak out, SCFEA heads southwest, hydroelectric generation up north, going it alone in Niagara, hot housing report, and the latest on reopening

ABOVE THE FOLD

A wild week of provincial polling continues with fresh data from Angus Reid putting the NDP on top — but first, the latest on reopening — and the not-so-pretty public reaction that ensued.

After some leaks, Premier DOUG FORD dropped the official word that restaurants, gyms and other venues shuttered during this round of pandemic restrictions will be able to open their doors at 50 per cent capacity on January 31. A bunch of other measures will be eased up in the coming weeks, and by March 14, all capacity caps for indoor settings will be lifted, while proof-of-vaccination will remain for existing settings. Here’s a handy roundup of the specific changes.

Cue the criticism. Many were left scratching their heads over why indoor dining is getting the green-light while there’s no end in sight for the “time-limited” hospital directive postponing non-urgent surgeries and diagnostic procedures, which was put in place to preserve already-strained critical care capacity.

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