Phase 2 is on the horizon Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up here to get it delivered weekday mornings. A little optimistic news to kick off your Friday morning: Starting in April, Canada will be receiving a million COVID vaccine doses per week. The increase aligns with the nation's shift into the second phase of the vaccine rollout, after a majority of long-term care residents and health care workers will have received the vaccine. Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin is calling April the "ramp-up phase." In Maclean's, Patricia Treble answers burning questions about that second phase: "How will I know (and where do I go) when it's my turn to get the COVID vaccine?" Those answers, like so many these days, will depend on which province you live in—and even then, there will be complicated exceptions and seemingly contradictory rules. Deciding who gets their dose when seems guaranteed to become very complicated as competing interest groups jockey to be moved ahead of others. As a general rule, the Ontario government experts are putting age before setting, so it’s likely a 75-year-old will get a dose before a 50-year-old teacher or a 25-year-old construction worker, though that may not always be the case: If there’s a local vaccination drive at a commercial bakery or a school, then younger adults may be vaccinated before their parents. Add one more name to the ever-growing list of Powerful People Who Travelled This Winter: Michel Bissonnette, the head of Radio-Canada, the French arm of CBC Radio. The executive owns a condo in Miami, which he visited in December to "tend to business regarding this property," according to a spox email to the National Post, which got the scoop yesterday. This "business" kept Bissonnette in Miami from Dec. 2 to 27. Rehn away. Among the early roster of politicians found vacationing in Mexico was Alberta MLA Pat Rehn, who faced particular scrutiny for also, allegedly, being just plain bad at his job. His constituents wrote an angry letter to Premier Jason Kenney complaining about how infrequently Rehn spent time in his riding of Lesser Slave Lake; indeed, public records show Rehn spent much of last year in Edmonton, where he expensed three meals a day almost every day in April, May, June and July. Rehn's absenteeism is so bad that even Kenney himself says he couldn't get a hold of him—Rehn has been dodging calls from everyone, apparently. Yesterday, faced with few other options, Kenney finally booted Rehn from the UCP caucus. Kenney has also gone (lightly) rogue in disagreeing with federal Tory leader Erin O'Toole on the subject of COVID vaccinations for inmates. The feds have earmarked 600 doses for senior-aged inmates in federal custody, which the Opposition leader has framed as prioritizing criminals over front-line health care workers. Ontario Premier Doug Ford sided with O'Toole, but Kenney disagreed, calling the feds' decision "humane and ethical". Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave an interview to the Reuters Next conference yesterday, revealing a couple tidbits of new information. First was that he hopes (or expects) to govern for "a number of more years," which is maybe less news than wishful thinking. But the deeper insight came on the subject of COVID-19 vaccines: Trudeau made clear that he opposed creating a "vaccine passport," like the kinds being developed in Europe, which Canadian travellers could receive to prove they've been inoculated. What went wrong with Ontario's COVID messaging? A lot, writes Sarmishta Subramanian in Maclean's. The province yesterday entered a new kind of lockdown—supposedly distinct from the previous lockdown, which already discouraged non-essential trips outside one's home. But odds of it having any noticeable effect, due to muddled communication and bullshit political answers, are unfortunately slim. Authorities collectively told us for months to stay home, but there was no meaningful way for many people to do so. When hot spots, and later the province, did lock down, the choices seemed arbitrary . Toronto’s pseudo lockdown shuttered small stores that might only ever have a few customers at a time but enabled crowding at large retailers. Ice-cream shops were essential; bookshops and toy stores were not. In Peel region, 3 per cent of outbreaks were traced to restaurants, while industrial settings and schools/ daycares accounted for 22 and 20 per cent respectively; only indoor dining was addressed. And lockdown announcements seemed timed so residents could squeeze in a shopping spree or religious service before lifesaving emergency measures kicked in. Looming scarcity often provokes the impulse to binge, and the data showed many did, with disastrous results. A modest ceremony. In normal times, a change-of-command ceremony, swearing in the nation's new chief of defence, would be a big event, featuring much fanfare and thousands of attendees. Not so in 2021. A small gathering at the National Defence Headquarters saw Trudeau and Governor General Julie Payette webcamming in to the swearing-in ceremony of Admiral Art McDonald, who takes over the top military post from General Jonathan Vance, Canada's longest-serving chief of the defence staff. End of an era. To see what the final chapter of the Donald Trump presidency looks like, look no further than the U.S. Capitol, which set the stage for Maclean's latest Image of the Week. The U.S. National Guard became the second force in as many weeks to occupy the Senate HQ, after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building last week to delay the confirmation of Joe Biden as president. The guardsmen and women have been camping in the Capitol, the first time that's happened since the American Civil War. Hopefully things go more peacefully this time. —Michael Fraiman | 
