Ontario to gradually loosen restrictions starting with indoor dining Jan. 31, sources say
Ontario will allow restaurants to reopen at 50 per cent capacity on Jan. 31 as part of the province's plan to lift restrictions over the next few weeks, sources say.
The Doug Ford government is expected to make the announcement Thursday at Queen's Park.
Ford is expected to announce he will replace closures with capacity limits that were in place in December.
According to sources, a gradual loosening of restrictions will happen through February and Ford is pushing for a full reopening in March.
Earlier on Wednesday, Ford said "restaurants, gyms and other folks" should expect a positive announcement from the province later this week.
This is the second time Ford has referred to "positive news" coming soon regarding loosening the province's current public health restrictions.
Health Minister Christine Elliott also said the province would have "more to say about any movement with respect to restrictions later on this week."
“We know that people and businesses need certainty on what the future looks like and as the premier mentioned yesterday, we will be providing more clarity later this week,” Elliott said.
Elliott described "glimmers of hope" in the province’s COVID-19 data and said infections are expected to peak within days.
Meanwhile, business owners in Ontario have been desperate for details about the reopening, saying the lack of direction is causing them confusion and distrust.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police officer hit by driver of fleeing vehicle in Toronto
York Regional Police say they are continuing to search for a suspect in an auto theft investigation who was captured on video running over a police officer in Toronto last month.
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
TD worst-case scenario more likely after drug money laundering allegations: analyst
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
Premier Legault reiterates that McGill pro-Palestinian camp must be dismantled
Quebec Premier François Legault reiterated that the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University must be dismantled while police remain 'on the lookout for new developments.'
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Video shows suspect setting Toronto-area barbershop on fire
Video of a suspect lighting a Richmond Hill barbershop on fire earlier this week has been released by police.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
'I have the will to live': N.B. woman needs double lung transplant
A New Brunswick woman suffering from sarcoidosis, a disease that limits your lung capacity, is in need of a double lung transplant.
Hulk Hogan, hurricanes and a blockbuster recording: A week in review of the Trump hush money trial
Crucial witnesses took the stand in the second week of testimony in Donald Trump's hush money trial, including a California lawyer who negotiated deals at the center of the case and a longtime adviser to the former president.