The 100-plus people who were caught partying in a self-storage unit in Etobicoke over the weekend show just how creative and sneaky residents are willing to get to defy Ontario's health and safety measures amid the pandemic, and Doug Ford is simply not having it.
As he's done in the wake of other other get-togethers that flouted provincial gathering limits, the premier was quick to criticize those who organized and participated in the illicit birthday event near Kipling and Bloor late Sunday night — and though he surprisingly didn't call them yahoos, his exasperation was palpable.
"Did you see the ridiculous things happening in Etobicoke? Folks, this is what I'm talking about," Ford said at his daily presser on Tuesday. "Like, come on... I just give my head a shake when I hear these things. One hundred people in a storage unit, really? Nothing ceases to amaze me now with the behaviour of some people."
Why would anyone go to a party in a storage unit? Why would ONE HUNDRED people go to a party in a storage unit? https://t.co/bztbCmBe1r
— Matt Elliott (@GraphicMatt) November 16, 2020
He went on to speculate that given continuously high new daily case count numbers across the province, it's possible that at least one attendee went while infected.
"We know a certain percentage of those people, just going by the data we see, someone in that group is probably positive and was spreading it around, and those people are going to go out and spread it around... it's absolutely ridiculous."
Under the Reopening Ontario Act, an individual who hosts a social function of more than 10 people indoors or 25 outdoors can be fined $10,000 — definitely nothing to shrug at. And, anyone who simply takes part in such an event faces a penalty of $750.
For this event in particular, Toronto police said one 27-year-old woman was fined the latter amount, but that the investigation is ongoing, and includes a look into whether fire codes were violated as the space was quite evidently not designed for a hundred-person bash.
It was a 27yr old girl who threw a party at the storage unit with 100ppl. My goodness. And they fined her $750. That’s laughable. SMH
— Drey (@whereisaudrey) November 17, 2020
"This is frustrating for all Ontarians when you have these people that just recklessly ignore the regulations and guidelines that the Chief Medical Officer has put out there," Ford said when he announced the new provincewide caps back in September.
He added, in classic Ford speak, "They must be a few fries short of a happy meal."
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