Ford Says It ‘Kills Him’ To Cut Off Outdoor Dining With Provincewide Shutdown

"My heart breaks for these people," he said during Thursday's announcement.
Contributor

On Thursday afternoon, Premier Doug Ford announced a four-week provincewide shutdown set to go into effect on Saturday, April 3 at 12:01 a.m.

During this period, both indoor and outdoor dining across the province will be prohibited entirely, prompting the premier to confess that it broke his heart to make that call.

Editor's Choice: Here's How Ontario's New Shutdown Is Different Than The Lockdown Zone

"I can tell you, it kills me to cut off the outdoor dining. It does. I'm getting calls [on] my phone, blowing up. And my heart breaks for these people," said the premier during the announcement.

Businesses will still be permitted to operate take-out and delivery services during this time.

Ford assured business owners that there was support available to them, urging them to apply for the Ontario COVID-19 small business grant, which could provide them with up to $40,000 in support.

  • Abby Neufeld was a writer at Narcity Canada. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English and Professional Communications at the University of Victoria. Her past work has been published in The Toronto Star, Bitch Media, Canadian Dimension, This Magazine, and more. In 2019, Abby co-founded The New Twenties, an environmentally-focused literary and arts magazine.

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