Doug Ford is asking people to stop texting him at night on the one device he uses for government work, constituency matters and personal calls because the buzzing keeps him awake. He says he can’t put it on silent in case there’s an emergency
Ford asks people not to text him at night, complaining ‘all I hear is the buzzing’
Ontario Premier Doug Ford has asked people to stop texting him during the night because he says a barrage of messages is interrupting the few hours of sleep he is able to get.
At the end of a news conference on Tuesday, Ford addressed people he said had texted him personally and were waiting for him to respond, estimating he had more than 4,000 unread text messages he needed to reply to.
“Please, have patience with me. Don’t get insulted if I don’t get back to you,” Ford said. “They’re coming in hundreds, if not a thousand a day and I cannot keep up.”
The premier controversially uses the same device for government work, personal and party business and recently lost a transparency battle involving the device in front of the province’s privacy watchdog.
Late last year, the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario ruled Ford was using his personal phone for government business and ordered civil servants to begin the work to access and disclose his personal call logs.
The decision handed down by the privacy watchdog agreed with a position taken by Global News that Ford was using his personal device for government work. The ruling said the premier would need to make those calls public under Ontario’s access to information laws.
“The affected party chose to make these calls on his personal cell phone and not his government-issued cell phone,” the adjudicator wrote in their 2024 decision.
“It would be contrary to the purposes of the Act to permit the affected party to shield information relating to government-related phone calls by simply making or receiving those calls on his personal device.”
The Ford government has appealed the ruling, asking a court to grant a judicial review. That appeal will be heard later this year.
On Tuesday, Ford appeared to acknowledge some of the difficulties of using a single device to handle his various responsibilities, including as Ontario’s premier. He suggested receiving calls and texts to just one device was keeping him up at night because he can’t turn his phone off in case an emergency strikes and he needs to be summoned in his role as premier.
“And for the people that text me throughout the night — please, wait until the morning time because I have to keep my phone on and the four or five — I’m lucky if I get five hours sleep — the four hours sleep I get every night, all I hear is the buzzing beside me,” he said.
“The reason I keep it on is for emergencies, in case there’s something happening (that is) catastrophic in the province.”
Opposition parties have previously called on Ford to make his cellphone records public but he has refused, citing the privacy of residents who text and call him.
On Tuesday, the premier promised to try and return the thousands of messages left for him on his phone.
“I respect you calling me — but please just have patience for me to get back to you,” he said. “I’m doing everything I possibly can to get back to you on your cellphone.”
Got Constipation? Call Doug Ford.
Here is some expert advise for Premier Ford by CanuckAI:-
How to silence your phone at night to get more sleep
Silencing your phone at night can help you get better sleep by minimizing distractions. Here are some effective ways to do it:
1. Enable Do Not Disturb (DND) Mode
- iPhone: Go to Settings > Do Not Disturb and turn it on. You can schedule it to activate automatically during specific hours (e.g., 10 PM to 7 AM).
- Android: Go to Settings > Sound > Do Not Disturb and customize the schedule or turn it on manually.
- This mode silences calls, notifications, and alerts, but you can allow exceptions (e.g., calls from specific contacts).
2. Set a Schedule for Silent Mode
- Use your phone’s built-in settings to automatically switch to silent or vibrate mode during your sleep hours.
3. Turn Off Notifications
- Go to Settings > Notifications and disable notifications for non-essential apps (e.g., social media, email).
4. Use Airplane Mode
- Turn on Airplane Mode to disconnect from cellular networks, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. This ensures no calls or notifications come through.
5. Place Your Phone Face Down
- If you keep your phone nearby, place it face down to avoid being disturbed by any light or vibrations.
6. Keep Your Phone Out of Reach
- Place your phone in another room or across the room to reduce the temptation to check it.
7. Use a Bedtime Mode
- Many phones have a Bedtime Mode (e.g., Digital Wellbeing on Android) that silences notifications and dims the screen during set hours.
8. Enable Grayscale Mode
- Some phones allow you to set grayscale mode during specific times, making the screen less visually stimulating.
9. Use a Dedicated Alarm Clock
- Instead of relying on your phone as an alarm, use a traditional alarm clock to avoid keeping your phone by your bed.
10. Customize Exceptions
- If you’re worried about missing important calls, customize your DND settings to allow calls from specific contacts (e.g., family or work emergencies).
By implementing these strategies, you can create a quieter, less distracting environment that promotes better sleep.
Let’s hope Emperor Ford will try to adhere to the above fatherly advise and get some serious sleep, so that he could stand up like a real man to defeat Emperor Trump and make U.S.A. a new province for Greater Canada… Good Luck.
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