The trip was short and he was back by noon.
Premier Doug Ford has addressed his visit to the family cottage on Fawn Lake Easter Sunday, a move that’s drawn criticism in light of the Province’s prior messaging that people shouldn’t visit their vacation homes if they don’t have to due to Covid-19.
Ford says he went to check on the cottage pipes, because they had burst before.
“On Sunday morning of Easter, my teen told me I got the morning off and it was the first time I got off in two months,” said Ford. “And it was weighing on me, because a couple years ago we had burst pipes and (it) made a terrible mess – thousands of dollars in damage. And that night I was thinking about it. I woke up early in the morning at 5:30. Then I just got ready and hopped in the pickup truck myself at 6:30 am. I drove up there and checked (it) out, made sure everything was ok and it was. I literally hopped back in my truck and drove right back. I was back by noon.”
In a message to cottagers this week, Ford said “cottage country residents are known for their hospitality and normally they would be welcoming tourists with open arms right now. This year, however, they are asking visitors to help them fight the spread of COVID-19 and hold-off travelling to these regions until it is safe to do so.”
Today, the Premier added that he probably won’t be returning to the cottage now for at least a couple of months.