The retired military general who was chosen to lead Ontario’s vaccine rollout will complete his duties at the end of the month, leaving the job vacant as millions of residents still wait for their turn to roll up their sleeves.
Premier Doug Ford said during a news conference on Monday that General Rick Hillier has not agreed to extend his appointment past March 31 when it is currently set to expire.
Ford said that Hillier has been “absolutely incredible” but feels as though he has done the job he was tasked with by getting “everything set up.”
“I think I am going to put a ball and a chain around his ankle to keep him but his OIC (order in council) is running out and I tried to get him to renew it but as he said ‘Doug, I did the job I came for and we got everything set up and now,’ and I agree with him. We have all the confidence in communities across the province to take the bull by the horns and just run with it (now),” Ford said.
Hillier, a former Chief of Defence Staff for the Canadian Forces, was appointed as chair of Ontario’s vaccine task force back in November.
At the time, Ford said that Ontario needed “military precision” to help with the vaccine rollout and said that there was “no one better in the county than General Hillier to make sure this distribution happens.”
Hillier’s early days on the job were mired by numerous challenges as delivery delays slowed the pace of vaccinations in Ontario and forced the City of Toronto to shutter a trial mass vaccination clinic after just two days.
The retired general also had to issue a public apology after pausing vaccinations over the holidays to give staff a break.
On Monday, Ford called Hillier a “champion” and said that he would “have that guy on my team any day, all day long.”
Ford also expressed optimism about the coming weeks and months, noting that Hillier’s estimate that everyone in Ontario who wants a vaccine could receive a first dose by the middle of June could indeed be possible so long as the supply of vaccines continues to improve.
At this point it remains unclear whether Hillier will be replaced as chair of the vaccine task force.
“The general was tasked with overseeing the development of Ontario’s vaccine rollout plan and associated infrastructure. The plan and infrastructure are now in place, and the province is administering more and more vaccines each day,” a spokesperson for the premier’s office told CP24 on Monday afternoon. “We will continue to rely on the expertise of our taskforce members as they continue to advise (Health) Minister (Christine) Elliott and Solicitor General (Sylvia) Jones.”
