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The member of Provincial Parliament for Cambridge showed her support for anti-lockdown protesters on Sunday in Waterloo Square.
Belinda Karahalios was one of the speakers during the cool midday, sharing her concerns which primarily are with the Ford government's pandemic response, as well as her concern with Bill 195.
"As you know, that was why I was kicked out of the PC party caucus last July," Karahalios told 570 NEWS, saying the Ford government has 'contempt for working peoples and the democratic process.'
"Ontarians need a consistent strategy, not policies arbitrarily applied that change within hours. So far, Ford and the PC party have done reckless and arbitrary things like forcing masks on children, most recently giving police arbitrary powers, and then closing some businesses over others, choosing essential products over non-essential. That's not a strategy, and we need a strategy."
Karahalios explained that strategies for vaccine rollout, hospital capacity ramp-up, and treating those who are more at-risk are long overdue.
"Instead we're getting measures that are making it look like the Ford government is controlling something, when they're not actually doing anything."
Ford was not the only target of criticisms, however. In recent weeks, Mayor of Waterloo Dave Jaworsky has called out anti-lockdown protests as irresponsible and irrelevant.
"It is quite ridiculous, truly, that local politicians like Mayor Dave Jaworsky is ridiculing and criticizing protests like this when he had nothing to say at protests that occurred last year in Waterloo Region," said Karahalios, referring to the Black Lives Matter solidarity march.
Jaworsky had a brief response to the comment.
"It's simple. The BLM rally was about improving people's lives through societal change, and participants took health precautions by wearing masks," he said. "The Anti-lockdown rallies are the opposite. They are mask-free which can add health risks to people's lives, impacting our hospitals, health care workers, and possibly prolonging the negative impact to local businesses."
Jaworsky has also said that, even with masks, now is not the time to be gathering.
"Everybody is certainly entitled to their own opinion, and I think that free speech is enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. At this point in time, though, there's a lot of opportunity through the virtual world to share you ideas safely, and to get your message out there. There's certainly other options, we don't need to be risky and go mask-free and gather, doing the exact opposite of what the medical officers of health want us to do."
Tickets were served to organizers of the rally in its first week. Jaworsky said that bylaw and police would continue to take action on those flaunting laws and endangering the healthcare system. He recently called on protesters to help end the pandemic by following public health measures, and supporting local businesses financially.
"There are many individuals who don't have the luxury of a vehicle to do curbside pickup," said Karahalios. "There are small businesses that have been forced to close on three different occasions that have no way to feed their families. There are lives that are being lost to these shutdowns due to suicide, due to drug overdose. These are people who are, by and large, not feeling supported. When I voted 'no' to Bill 195, I knew that a lot of these measures were going to be implemented that would continue to harm families, and people of Ontario. For the most part, aside from some media outlets, are showing one side of the story. A lot of those people are feeling very abandoned, very alone."
Karahalios said she felt the need to represent those against lockdown measures in the name of democracy. "They should have a voice, and they should realize that yes, they do have a right to protest if they disagree with something. They do have a right to open their businesses to support their families."
