A member of Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s caucus is speaking out against his own government’s policies and calling for an end to the province-wide pandemic lockdown.

“The lockdown isn’t working,” writes York Centre Progressive Conservative MPP Roman Baber in a letter to Ford.  “It’s causing an avalanche of suicides, overdoses, bankruptcies, divorces and takes an immense toll on our children. Dozens of leading doctors implored you to end the lockdowns.”

Baber, who was born and raised in the Soviet Union and left there as a child, also explores historic ICU occupancy rates in the detailed letter. The province’s ICU beds, a graph in the letter shows, were at 86.66% average daily occupancy in December 2018, 83.51% in December 2019 and 80.84% in December 2020. For the first part of January, it now sits at 81.60%.

York Centre Progressive Conservative MPP Roman Baber. Photo by Twitter /Roman Baber

Baber says in the letter that this data was provided to him by the Ministry of Health on Jan. 12.

“Today, there are 385 COVIDICU patients, that’s less than one patient per Ontario’s 492 hospitals. Risk can be minimized with transfers and good management. Urban area hospitals are always above capacity at this time of year – that’s why we campaigned on ending Hallway Healthcare.”

The MPP, who serves as Chair of the Justice Policy Committee, includes a special appeal to Ford based on the effects of the pandemic on kids: “Premier, we should stop scaring children. This generation of kids will grow up with an anxiety disorder and will be afraid of normal life. Kids need to be kids again, back in school with their friends. They should not believe that coming close to another child may result in someone’s death. It’s false and unwarranted.”

Baber’s letter ends with a “proposed exit strategy” that includes: a focus on long-term care facilities; proper [infection prevention and control] instead of imprisoning 15 million Ontarians;” building additional hospital capacity and training more ICU nurses.

“The lockdowns aren’t working. They are killing lives instead of saving lives. I plead with you to accept this reality and end the lockdown.“

In October, PC MPPs Parm Gill and Jane McKenna wrote an open letter to provincial officials pushing back against Halton Region being moved into further lockdown.

But Baber’s letter is the first such one opposing the province-wide lockdown in general.

Ford’s response to Baber’s letter is not yet known.