November 23, 2020

Queen’s Park Today – Daily Report November 23, 2020

Quotation of the day

“A widening of the path of political influence on behalf of special interests.”

Greenbelt Council chair David Crombie calls on the PCs to pause their “excessive” use of Ministerial Zoning Orders to override public consultation on development.

Today at Queen’s Park

Written by Sabrina Nanji

On the schedule The house reconvenes at 9 a.m. for private members’ business. Topping today's agenda is Independent MPP Jim Wilson's motion calling on the Ford government to support the redevelopment of two hospitals in his riding of Simcoe—Grey.

Two motions will be voted on after question period: the government's time-allocation motion laying out next week's committee hearings for the budget bill, and NDP MPP Ian Arthur's motion calling on the PCs to designate Kingston an area of "high physician need."

The NDP's special Opposition Day motion is back on this afternoon's order paper (debate was held over from last week because leader Andrea Horwath had a conflicting medical procedure). The motion calls on the Ford government to "condemn the extreme and hateful invective of Charles McVety and oppose any efforts to make Canada Christian College into an accredited university."

This will be the second Opposition Day motion of the fall session; the NDP has three more to go before the session is up in about three weeks, or they forfeit those special motions. Motions are non-binding but have symbolic value.

Later on, MPPs will debate second reading of Bill 213, Better for People, Smarter for Business Act — the red-tape reduction legislation that also expands degree-granting powers for McVety's

Canada Christian College. Bill 213 has already clocked the six-and-a-half hours of debate required for a vote to send it to the committee stage.

The government could also call any of the following items for second-reading debate:

● The budget motion; and ● Bill 229, Protect, Support and Recover from COVID-19 Act (the omnibus budget measures act).

Committees this week Two government appointees will be in the hot seat at the government agencies committee Tuesday morning: Tom Porter will discuss his role as a member of the University of Windsor's board of directors, while Richard Boyes will testify about his gig on the Ontario Honours Advisory Council. Porter is a lawyer, former Windsor city councillor and ex-Port Authority board member who ran for the federal Tories in the 1980s and 1990s. Boyes is a former executive director of the Ontario Association of Fire Chiefs.

One of the Ford government's omnibus red-tape reduction bills is up for a possible makeover during the finance committee's clause-by-clause consideration on Wednesday: Bill 215, Main Street Recovery Act. Bill 215 scraps municipal noise bylaw-making powers to allow 24/7 deliveries, hikes fines for illegal taxicabs and shakes up the operations of the Ontario Food Terminal.

PC MPP Sam Oosterhoff's private member's Bill 3, Compassionate Care Act — which would establish a provincial framework on hospice palliative care — is up for public hearings starting Monday, followed by clause-by-clause on Thursday. The witness roster includes the Canadian Cancer Society and Hospice Palliative Care Ontario. Bill 3 has been languishing on the committee’s agenda since July 2018.

A backbench bill to make daylight saving time permanent year-round will go for clause-by-clause consideration at the legislative assembly committee on Monday. That's PC MPP Jeremy Roberts's Bill 214, Time Amendment Act.

The Standing Committee on Regulations will also consider a slew of private bills on Wednesday.

Lockdown in Toronto and Peel Most non-essential businesses — including gyms, hair salons and in-person dining — will be shuttered in Toronto and Peel today as the Covid hotspots grapple with soaring infections.

Those are the rules for the next 28 days under the province's "Grey-Lockdown" zone, which the Ford government detailed on Friday. Durham and Waterloo regions were also moved into Red-Control, the penultimate level in the five-tier framework.

Grey-Lockdown also means no indoor organized public events and social gatherings with those beyond your household, and a maximum of 10 people at outdoor events with physical distancing. Places of worship, including wedding and funeral ceremonies, are capped at 10 people indoors and outdoors. Butlers, nannies, cooks, cleaners and personal assistants can still work in people’s homes.

Non-essential retail shops are back to curbside pickup and delivery only; ditto cannabis stores. Strip clubs can only operate as food and drink establishments, to offer takeout and delivery along with bars and restaurants.

Airbnbs and short-term rentals are banned as of November 22, unless individuals are "in need of housing" (pre-existing reservations will be honoured). The ban doesn't apply to hotels, motels and student dorms.

Ontario also laid out the criteria for when a region would be deemed Grey-Lockdown — though the parameters are vague compared to the lower levels. Health officials will be looking for "adverse trends" to drag on after a region enters Red-Control, including an increasing weekly incident and test positivity rate, especially among those over 70.

The province also re-upped its emergency-level orders until at least December 21.

'Confusing and inconsistent:' Business groups, teacher unions up in arms The Canadian Federation of Independent Business called the lockdown "devastating" for small businesses in particular because it allows big-box stores like Walmart and Costco to stay open ahead of the busy holiday shopping season.

"That large department stores can be open while small retailers are forced to close during the busiest season of the year is a direct punch to the gut of independent businesses," CFIB president Dan Kelly said in a statement.

The CFIB is calling on the Ford government to develop a "small business first" strategy that would allow Main Street shops to stay open with capacity limits. It also wants the Tories to show the data behind the decision.

"Too many business owners feel they are being unfairly targeted so the government can send a signal to the public that they need to take the pandemic seriously."

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce's Rocco Rossi said he's heard complaints about "confusing and inconsistent" public health guidelines, "insufficient data on the sources of community spread," and "a lack of timely and accessible supports for businesses."

Premier Doug Ford acknowledged folks in hotspots may be tempted to shop more on Amazon, but he encouraged them to buy local using curbside pickup and delivery options. The government is also doubling relief measures for hotspot businesses to the tune of $600 million, which will provide a temporary break on property tax and energy bills.

Meanwhile, teacher unions are scratching their heads over the decision to keep schools open.

Liz Stuart, president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association, said she's "confused and dismayed" that the lockdown restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of Covid did not include any new measures for schools.

"As school-related cases of COVID-19 are increasing rapidly, Premier Ford and Minister [Stephen] Lecce are making the ludicrous claim that all is well … Teachers and education workers are picking up the slack for the Ford government's half-measures," Stuart said, adding, "this is not sustainable."

The head of the elementary teachers’ union, Sam Hammond, echoed Stuart’s remarks. “It makes absolutely no sense to have more provincial restrictions without working to ensure that public schools have every measure possible in place to prevent COVID-19 transmission,” he said.

Today’s events

November 23 at 1 p.m. – Ontario Premier Doug Ford will hold his daily press conference.

November 23 at 3 p.m. – Toronto Health officials will provide their regular COVID-19 update in the media studio.

Topics of conversation

● The province logged 5,750 new Covid cases since Thursday, including another record-high of 1,588 on Saturday. Another 71 deaths were reported on the weekend. There are 484 hospital admissions and 147 ICU patients, although that could be an underestimation due to the weekend reporting lag.

● Ontario is lagging behind other provinces when it comes to inspecting workplaces for Covid safety. Last week, Premier Doug Ford boasted the Ministry of Labour had

conducted almost 1,000 such inspections — but B.C.’s labour department has more than 20,000 under its belt and Quebec has clocked at least 12,800.

● Criticism is mounting over the PC’s proposed changes to conservation authorities, which advocates say could undermine their role in watershed planning and allow developers to bypass certain checks and balances for approval. The Greenbelt Council, an advisory agency, wants the government to scrap the changes from the budget bill, arguing they "are unlikely to be good for public safety, the environment or speedier approvals." ○ The Greenbelt Council is also raising concerns about the PC’s "excessive" use of Ministerial Zoning Orders, which sidestep public consultation and local planning processes. "They were never intended to become simply tools of convenience for moving developments through the planning process," chair David Crombie wrote to Housing Minister Steve Clark last Thursday. ○ There has been an “extraordinary increase” in the use of MZOs, despite the fact the PCs already made “substantial” changes to planning law over the past two years, Crombie noted. He said the more MZOs rise, so too will special interest groups’ influence over the political process.

● Panic-buying is rearing its head again, as people in the 416 and 905 brace for another lockdown. But despite the Progressive Conservatives' crackdown on price gouging, only one business has faced charges since the pandemic began. ○ That proves Premier Doug Ford’s “tough guy act” was “all for show,” says NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.

● The federal Conservative battle for Thornhill is on, featuring some familiar #onpoli faces. PC MPP Gila Martow officially threw her hat in the ring for the nomination Sunday, moments after veteran Ford campaign adviser Melissa Lantsman announced her bid. The pair are vying to take up the mantle from Conservative MP Peter Kent, who announced he won't seek re-election last week. If Martow wins the nomination — expected to be held early next year — there could be a byelection to replace her at Queen's Park, as MPPs cannot be federal election candidates. ○ Conservative Party of Canada Leader Erin O'Toole has already opened up a handful of nomination contests in Ontario, sources tell Queen's Park Today.

● Over at the provincial level, the Ontario NDP kicked off its 2022 nomination spree. Faisal Hassan, one of 40 incumbents, was the first to be renominated in York South—Weston on Saturday. ○ Meanwhile, the Grits continue to knock off their nominations, giving ex-Toronto councillor Mary Margaret McMahon the nod in Beaches—East York. McMahon beat out former provincial Liberal staffer Brandy Huff and ex-municipal candidate Veronica Stephen-Allen.

● The PC Party is closing out 2020 with a virtual fundraising push. At least three $1,000-plus Zoom events are slated for the rest of the year, featuring Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli, PC MPP Mike Harris Jr. and Associate Small Business Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria. The latter event reportedly features Finance Minister Rod Phillips; tickets are the maximum $1,625 each.

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

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