Queen’s Park Today – Daily Report June 26, 2020

Quotation of the day

"It’s a massive, massive error.”

Premier maintains his hard line against defunding the police. ​ ​

Today at Queen’s Park

On the schedule The house reconvenes on Monday, July 6, for the start of three-day sitting weeks. Next week is the Canada Day constituency break.

In the park A group of "small-ownership residential landlords" will rally against the temporary halt on evictions today on the legislature's lawn.

Premier watch Premier Doug Ford and Associate Small Business Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria were at Tre ​ ​ ​ ​ Rose Bakery in Etobicoke, the heart of , to launch the Canadian Federation of Independent Business's new campaign to encourage local shopping through COVID-19 recovery.

Ford disputes Sun column suggesting Treasury Board shot down LTC ​ ​ minister's pre-Covid funding request Premier Doug Ford is denying a report that suggests his cabinet ministers rejected funding ​ ​ requests to shore up staffing in long-term care homes before COVID-19 hit in favour of cost savings.

According to Sun columnist Brian Lilley's Wednesday night report — which is based ​ ​ ​ ​ on unnamed sources — Long-Term Care Minister Merrilee Fullerton twice asked for cash to ​ ​ stabilize staffing levels in the run-up to the pandemic, first in February as part of internal

pre-budget consultations and again as COVID-19 revved up. Fullerton's requests were reportedly rejected by Treasury Board.

But by midnight, Lilley's column had been yanked from the Sun website — though it still ​ ​ appeared on some other Postmedia sites including the Kingston Whig-Standard and Simcoe ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Reformer. The article reappeared moments before the premier's daily presser at 1 p.m., and ​ ​ ​ Ford addressed it unprovoked.

"I've got to address a story that was floating out there, first of all, that's what I want to do," Ford said in response to a question about prepping LTC homes for a potential second COVID-19 wave. He didn't name the story explicitly, but strongly hinted at it.

"We all have a responsibility to do our due diligence, and I guess Postmedia, they ended up ​ ​ scrapping it, but it kind of got out there anyways, and it was riddled full of errors and it's simply not true — about us saying we aren't going to fund hiring staff at long-term care," Ford said.

The has long ties with the Ford camp. Ford's chief of staff Jamie Wallace is the ​ ​ ​ ​ paper's former editor-in-chief.

The premier went on to say the government has already put up $243 million to help the sector cope.

Asked to clarify what specific problems Ford had with the original article, his spokesperson Ivana Yelich said "the premier's comments stand." ​

Opposition critics said Ford owes the public a better explanation.

Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca addressed the allegations in the story Wednesday night. ​ ​ "Doug Ford, [Treasury Board President] Peter Bethlenfalvy and [Finance Minister] Rod ​ ​ ​ Phillips were told urgent action was needed to prepare for COVID-19. They put the lives of our ​ seniors at risk and many paid with their lives. All to save a few dollars."

The next morning NDP Leader Andrea Horwath scoffed at the "iron ring" Ford promised to ​ ​ protect the elderly. "While Doug Ford talked in public about putting an 'iron ring' around seniors, behind the scenes, insiders are saying he repeatedly rejected the funding and staffing measures that would have saved lives."

As of Thursday, 1,689 long-term care residents in Ontario have died from COVID-19.

'A little unfair': Canada ranks worst among OECD countries for COVID-19 long-term care deaths The Sun column wasn't the only report Ford took issue with on Thursday. ​ ​

Per an analysis from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, Canadians in LTC are dying at almost double the rate of their counterparts in the 16 other OECD countries. As of May 25, LTC residents made up 81 per cent of the country's COVID-19 deaths, compared to an average of 42 per cent among all the countries studied.

The premier called the analysis "unfair," saying he prefers to weigh straight numbers instead of a proportionate comparison.

"I just don't think it's fair, the percentages. But that's my opinion," Ford told reporters.

Prime Minister punted the issue to the provinces, adding he is willing to discuss ​ ​ whether Ottawa should play a bigger role in elderly care.

The report "highlights a need to have very significant conversations with the provinces, while of course respecting their area of jurisdiction and their own specific responsibilities for seniors homes," Trudeau said. "But it's important to realize that somewhere the provinces have failed to properly care for their seniors."

Ford said he was taken aback at Trudeau's comments, saying he needs the support and "real partnership" from the feds to fix a system he considers broken. "Put your money where your mouth is. Help us out, we can't do it alone," he quipped.

Meanwhile, two new studies suggest crowding fuelled high death rates in LTC homes and lives ​ ​ might have been saved if all four-bed rooms were converted to two-bed rooms.

The Ontario Long-Term Care Association is also calling on the PCs to implement an action plan in preparation for a second wave of COVID-19.

Today’s events

June 26 around 1 p.m. – Toronto ​ Premier Doug Ford is expected to hold his daily briefing at Queen's Park. ​ ​

Topics of conversation

● Another 189 coronavirus cases were reported in Ontario Thursday, pushing the overall tally to 34,205. That includes at least 2,641 deaths (10 new) and over 29,500 resolved (192 new, narrowly outstripping new daily infections). ○ Most of 's 34 public health units saw less than 10 cases, with the exception of Toronto (58), Peel (50), York (19) and Waterloo (10).

Windsor-Essex, all of which is in Stage 2 save for Kingsville and Leamington, reported three new cases. ○ Fear not, fellow data dorks: Health Minister Christine Elliott said Ontario will not ​ ​ go the way of Quebec and scale back the daily case reports to once a week. "That's something that we believe that people of Ontario are entitled to know on a daily basis," she said.

● Premier Doug Ford has taken a hard line against cutting police budgets but left a little ​ ​ wiggle room to potentially open up the Police Act for review, which is something Toronto ​ ​ Mayor wants as part of his new police reform motion. ​ ​ ○ "I'd be more than happy to sit down and talk to the mayor, and talk to other mayors within Ontario and get their input. But I also want to sit down and talk to the police as well," Ford said. "I'm not saying it's right or wrong, I just don't believe in cutting front-line police officers. What I do believe in is supporting them, through the province or the feds, to address these issues." ○ Tory says the sweeping motion, which will be debated by city council next Monday, would improve community safety particularly for Black and Indigenous communities. ○ The PCs have yet to proclaim their policing act from last year, which replaced a Liberal-era version that also had never been proclaimed.

● Also on the docket for next week’s meeting: a motion from councillors and requesting the province ensure funds for ​ ​ ​ ​ daycare don’t go bust while they are mandated to operate at just 30 to 40 per cent capacity during the pandemic.

● Families visiting loved ones in care won't have to prove that they've tested negative for the coronavirus to get in the door, despite a provincial directive stating visitors must first show they're healthy. Chief coroner Dr. Dirk Huyer, who is leading Ontario's testing ​ ​ strategy 2.0, clarified the confusion earlier this week, saying the guidance "doesn't require the documents."

● Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli is eyeing a proposal for a fund to match ​ ​ venture capital investments, in order to help startups survive COVID-19, The Logic ​ ​ ​ reports. ​

● The Migrant Workers Alliance of Canada poked holes in the Ford government's ​ ​ three-point plan to protect the farm scene in Windsor-Essex, which has become a cradle of infections. The advocacy group points out that some of the points are already the law of the land, so reaffirming that foreign workers are automatically covered by employment standards and protections doesn't actually do anything to curb the current outbreaks.

● A joint investigation by Ontario and B.C.’s privacy watchdogs concluded a 2019 cyberattack on Lifelabs, a private laboratory testing firm, resulted in a “significant privacy breach” of millions of Canadians’ health data. ○ The probe found the company failed to implement safeguards in its computer system, violating three provincial laws. The investigation’s final report remains under wraps, as Lifelabs is arguing its release would reveal privileged and confidential information. The privacy commissioners said they plan to make it public within 14 days unless Lifelabs obtains a court order blocking its release. ○ B.C. privacy commissioner Michael McEvoy said the incident reveals the need ​ ​ for laws that impose financial penalties on companies that violate privacy rights.

● “Pride will always rise.” NDP Leader Andrea Horwath and her caucus hosted a virtual ​ ​ Pride cabaret show with comedy, drag and musical performances Thursday night. ​

Funding announcements

● Premier Doug Ford highlighted recipients of the $13-million Youth Opportunities Fund at ​ ​ his Thursday presser. Winning organizations include Black Moms Connection, which works to economically empower Black mothers in the GTA; a group that helps newcomers from francophone African countries navigate Canadian financial systems; and Earthling Art Collective, which offers mentorship opportunities for young folks exiting the provincial care and justice systems in Thunder Bay.

Lobbyist registrations

Consultants who registered as lobbyists from June 19 to 25

● Rob Leone, Earnscliffe Strategy Group ​ o Clients: Tamwood, Nova Chemicals Corporation

● Alanna Newman, Earnscliffe Strategy Group ​ o Clients: Ontario Hockey Federation, Canadian Beverage Association

● John Whitehead, Earnscliffe Strategy Group ​ o Clients: Western Union

● Francesca Grosso, Grosso McCarthy ​ o Clients: Canadian Healthcare Management Information Services

● Daniel McIntyre and Francesca Grosso, Grosso McCarthy ​ ​ ​ o Clients: Novari Health

● Cozette Dagher, 2Traverse ​

o Clients: MH Care Medical

● Don Huff, ECO Strategy ​ o Clients: Pikangikum First Nation

● Jeff Silverstein, Radius Public Relations ​ o Clients: MHCare Medical

● Daniel Bordonali, Sutherland Corporation ​ o Clients: Cradlepoint Inc.

● Paul Sutherland, Sutherland Corporation ​ o Clients: Conduent Transportation

● Brett McDermott, Collaborative Ideas ​ o Clients: MHCare Medical

● Dan Mader, Loyalist Public Affairs ​ o Clients: Tamir Foundation

● Amir Remtulla, Amir Remtulla ​ o Clients: Workbench Corp., Enwave Energy Corporation, 2686796 Ontario Ltd (Tien De Religion Canada), Diamond Corp.

● Caroline Pinto, Carol Mitchell, Jaskiran Shoker, Stephanie Gawur, Counsel Public ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Affairs o Clients: Bayer Inc.

● Ralph Palumbo, The Hillcrest Consulting Group ​ o Clients: HVE Healthcare Assessments Inc., Gathering of Ontario Developers ​ ​

● Matthew Henley, Wellington Dupont ​ o Clients: Protoplast

● Andrew House, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP ​ o Clients: Micron Digital Corp.

● Bart Maves, Sterlingbridge Marketing and Communications ​ o Clients: Mountainview Homes

● Kate Moseley-Williams, Crestview Strategy ​ o Clients: Entertainment One Ltd., Breakfast Club of Canada / Club des petits déjeuners du Canada

● Mark Spiro, Crestview Strategy ​ o Clients: Junior Achievement Central Ontario

● Andrew Brander, Crestview Strategy ​

o Clients: True North Imaging

● Christine McMillan, Crestview Strategy ​ ​ ​ o Clients: Association of Canadian Distillers/Spirits Canada, Tenaris SA, Amazon Corporate LLC

● Chris Benedetti, Sussex Strategy Group ​ o Clients: EPCOR Utilities Inc.

● John Penner, Garry Keller and Erik De Lorenzi, StrategyCorp ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ o Clients: Ambershaw Metallics

● John Perenack, StrategyCorp ​ o Clients: Ontario Independent Boarding Schools Coalition

● Stephen Adler, Sara Bourdeau, and Gabriel Sekaly, StrategyCorp ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ o Clients: Mondelez Canada

● Christopher Loreto, StrategyCorp ​ o Clients: Miziwe Biik Aboriginal Employment & Training

● Saad Baig, John Matheson and Troy Sherman, StrategyCorp ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ o Clients: The Corporation of the Town of Tecumseh

● Stephen Adler and Aidan Grove-White, StrategyCorp ​ ​ ​ o Clients: Walker Aggregates

● Gabriel Sekaly, StrategyCorp ​ o Clients: Choice Properties Limited Partnership

● Fraser Macdonald, Stosic & Associates ​ o Clients: Kohl & Frisch, Functionability Rehabilitation Services

● Alan Heisey, Papazian Heisey Myers ​ o Clients: 2636676 Ontario Inc

● Kirsten Krose, Pathway Group ​ o Clients: Foodservice Packaging Institute

● Christina Leys, Rubicon Strategy ​ o Clients: Ontario Medical Association

● Jan O'Driscoll, Rubicon Strategy ​ o Clients: South Essex Fabricating Inc.

● Michael Coates, Rubicon Strategy ​ o Clients: Teranet

● Frank Klees, Klees & Associates Ltd. ​ o Clients: Geranium Corporation

● Shay Purdy, Summa Strategies Canada ​ o Clients: Google Canada Corporation

● Kenzie McKeegan and Dan Mader, Loyalist Public Affairs ​ ​ ​ o Clients: Equinoxe Virtual Clinic Corporation

● Jonathan Rose, Policy Concepts ​ o Clients: Fontbonne Ministries, Sisters of St. Joseph, Toronto

● Barry Campbell, Campbell Strategies ​ o Clients: Power Workers' Union

● Vivek Prabhu, Hill+Knowlton Strategies ​ o Clients: IKEA Canada Ltd. Partnership, Valard Construction, Nespresso

● Kenneth Stewart, The Capital Hill Group ​ o Clients: BMC Software

● Maddy Stieva, The Capital Hill Group ​ o Clients: Mihealth Global Systems Inc., RedMane Technology

● Katie Robinette, Winette Strategies ​ o Clients: Federation of Ontario Law Associations

● Philip Dewan, Counsel Public Affairs ​ o Clients: Community Living Toronto, Batay Reena ​ ​

● Stephanie Gawur, Counsel Public Affairs ​ o Clients: National Coalition of Commercial Property Owners

● Raj Rasalinga, Protocol Plus Inc. ​ o Clients: Grand River Enterprises

● Peter Van Loan, Aird & Berlis ​ o Clients: Oakville Developments

● Matt Hiraishi, Afterimage Strategies ​ o Clients: Gathering of Ontario Developers

● Regan Watts, Fratton Park Inc. ​ o Clients: FreshBooks Inc.

● Danielle Peters, Magnet Strategy Group ​ o Clients: Safehaven Project for Community Living

● Andrew Boddington and Amy Boddington, Policy Concepts Inc. ​ ​ ​ o Clients: Fontbonne Ministries, Sisters of St. Joseph, Toronto

Organizations that registered in-house lobbyists from June 19 to 25

● YMCA of Greater Toronto ● Brock University ● Quality Continuous Improvement Centre for Community Education and Training ● Canada ● Evergreen ● Ontario Motor Coach Association ● Canadian Association of Direct Relationship Insurers ● Ontario Agri Business Association ● George Brown College ● Canadian Independent Music Association ● Canadian Consumer Speciality Products Association ● Boating Ontario Association ● Canadian Steel Producers Association ● Direct Sellers Association of Canada ● Libro Credit Union ● IAMGOLD Corporation ● Janssen ● Allstate Insurance Company of Canada ● Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada ● Smucker Foods of Canada ● FCA Canada

Queen's Park Today is written by Sabrina Nanji, reporting from the Queen's Park press gallery.

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