As trucker protests spread and other provinces lift restrictions, Ontario's Doug Ford stays the course

Even before any truckers started their engines to join the Ottawa-bound convoy against COVID-19 restrictions, Ontario Premier Doug Ford laid out a timeline for easing the latest round of the province's public health measures. 

In the three weeks since that timeline was announced, the political situation has changed, much more so than the pandemic situation. 

None of this has prompted Ford to change his plans for reopening Ontario, at least not yet. 

Multiple sources close to the government tell CBC News that the Ministry of Health is preparing options for cabinet to speed up the timeline of ending existing capacity limits in indoor spaces. 

Under the current timeline, Ontario is due to take its next step on Monday, by lifting all capacity limits in restaurants, bars, cinemas and gyms, and allowing large spectator venues to increase attendance to 50 per cent of capacity. The remaining capacity restrictions are due to lift three weeks later, on March 14.  

The sources did not provide any proposed new dates for easing restrictions, but one of Ford's senior political advisers said any changes to the timeline would not be dramatic. 

"People like it when you have a plan and when you stick to the plan," the adviser said. "I don't see any upside to going in a different direction." 

That's why you won't see Ford follow Alberta Premier Jason Kenney's lead and announce an immediate dropping of restrictions or a quick end to Ontario's indoor mask mandates and proof of vaccination requirements. 

"We have no plans currently to drop the (vaccine) passport situation or masking. We believe that masking is going to be important for some time to come," Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott told a news conference Wednesday. 

Which brings us back to the trucker-led protests, since their many demands include ending all vaccine mandates and mask mandates, most of which fall under provincial jurisdiction. 

There are growing calls for Ford to get more involved in bringing the protests to an end. After all, Ottawa and Windsor are in Ontario.  

"I call on the government of Ontario to join us in securing an end to these illegal blockades in several Ontario cities and to apply the law," Transport Minister Omar Alghabra told a news conference Wednesday. 

Ford appears anything but eager to get involved or to toss a political lifeline to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.  

Ford and his top advisers "want to leave this to be Trudeau's problem," a source close to the premier's office told CBC. That echoes language from Candice Bergen, now interim leader of the federal Conservative Party.