Queen’s Park Today – Daily Report September 14, 2020

Quotation of the day

“A clear warning sign that our hard-won progress is slipping away.”

Ontario Hospital Association CEO Anthony Dale urges people to adhere to public health ​ ​ guidelines as the daily Covid count cracks the 200-mark.

Today at Queen’s Park

Written by Sabrina Nanji

On the schedule Welcome back. MPPs return to the legislature today following a truncated summer break. There are 11 sitting weeks scheduled until the winter recess on December 10, including two constituency breaks in October and November.

The house convenes at 10:15 a.m. ahead of question period.

In the afternoon, the government could put forward its motion fast-tracking a handful of private member's bills, which was tabled on the last sitting day in July. Four commemorative backbench bills will be ordered for third reading, if the motion passes:

● NDP Bhutila Karpoche's Bill 131, Tibetan Heritage Month Act; ​ ​ ​ ​ ● PC 's Bill 154, Stop Cyberbullying in Ontario Day Act; ​ ​ ​ ​ ● NDP 's Bill 180, Somali Heritage Week Act; and ​ ​ ​ ​ ● PC 's Bill 182, Franco-Ontarian Emblem Amendment Act. ​ ​ ​ ​

There are no committee meetings scheduled this week. The Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs could table its final report following a massive summer study on the impact of Covid on various sectors.

In the park A rally for accessible housing is scheduled to take place on the south lawn this morning.

On Sunday, the legislature's flags were lowered to half-mast in recognition of Firefighters' National Memorial Day.

Premier watch Premier and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau broke ground on the new Cote Gold ​ ​ ​ ​ mining project in Gogama, roughly halfway between Sudbury and Timmins, on Friday. This was the lawmakers’ second joint news conference in recent weeks — they also addressed the public together at the 3M plant in Brockville three weeks prior.

Trudeau agreed to hold a virtual first ministers' meeting on federal health transfers to the provinces, after Ford and Quebec Premier François Legault called for an unspecified increase. ​ ​

Fall session lookahead: Full-on budget, rent freeze bill, emergency debate on the docket In an interview with Queen's Park Today, PC house leader mapped out the fall ​ ​ ​ ​ session, which will feature a full-scale budget by November 15 and rent-freeze legislation, among other things.

There will also be debate on the premier's post-emergency report, which he's legally required to table within 120 days of the end of the state of emergency. Calandra said the legislative schedule has built-in "flexibility" for unforeseen business related to the pandemic, citing potential measures to address the 180,000-backlog of surgeries or the reopening of schools.

The house leader is also hoping to mend the relationship with the official Opposition NDP.

When the house first sat this summer, all parties worked collaboratively to debate and quickly pass the government's emergency-related agenda — but that kumbaya attitude deteriorated by the time the house broke at the end of July.

"We always hope for the best," Calandra said of working with the NDP house leader Gilles ​ Bisson, who hasn't been shy about his criticism of the PC's handling of pandemic-era legislative ​ ​ ​ measures, like the function of the Select Committee on Emergency Management Oversight.

"We have had our challenges, specifically with Mr. Bisson, but he's got a job to do, so I don't hold it against him," Calandra said, noting he has a "fabulous working relationship" with Independents John Fraser and , and many NDP MPPs. ​ ​ ​ ​

Like Premier Doug Ford said last week, Calandra is hoping for less partisan theatre — like ​ ​ standing ovations — in the house.

"I don't have an issue with debate on legislation being fierce, as it should be, but also recognize the fact that, when it comes to the vital importance of Covid and economic recovery, people want us to work together," Calandra said.

Back-to-school and long-term care top of mind for opposition parties Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca demanded the Ford government release details of plans for ​ ​ coping with a potential second wave this fall, saying the premier has "had months to prepare." (Per CTV, the PC’s Covid plan 2.0 is already in the works, including strategies for dealing with a ​ ​ surge in cases this fall, flu season and the surgical backlog.)

Del Duca, who was christened leader in March and isn't planning to run for a seat in Vaughan until the next scheduled election, told Queen's Park Today he is waiting on Speaker ​ ​ ​ to rule on whether he can hold media conferences in the legislature this fall (the Speaker's office has tightened rules on who can host them amid the pandemic).

In a release, NDP Leader said her party will spend this legislative session ​ ​ zeroed in on class sizes, overhauling long-term care, and changes that not only restore jobs and services, but improve them.

"Returning to normal is not good enough," Horwath said. "People deserve action that doesn't just piece together some of what they lost. They deserve more security and better services than they had before the pandemic."

Green Leader Mike Schreiner also wrote to Premier Doug Ford last week laying out his party's ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ principles for a "Greener and More Caring COVID-19 Recovery."

It includes environmentally minded policies to support EV manufacturing, sustainable forestry and responsible mining; a "broad reset" in long-term care that puts "care and compassion over profit;" and protected wages and paid sick leave for front-line workers in women-led professions like nursing, teaching and the service industry.

List of school outbreaks goes live Ontario is now posting information on Covid outbreaks at schools and child-care centres.

Launched late last week, the website shows the number of confirmed student and staff cases, ​ ​ as well a breakdown by individual school and daycare. It will be updated every weekday.

As of Friday, there were 13 confirmed cases across schools in Ottawa, Oakville, Brampton, Mississauga, Waterloo and Pickering. There were four new confirmed cases in child-care centres and homes, for a total of 56 to date.

Premier Doug Ford promised the list last week, saying families deserve to know where the ​ ​ outbreaks are as schools reopen — all are expected to be in full swing by September 21. School boards are also supposed to send letters home informing parents of positive cases.

Meanwhile, more evidence that younger kids under 10 can spread the virus is piling up. A new study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control shows tots who likely contracted Covid at three child care centres in Utah transmitted the disease to their parents and siblings. ​ ​

Private school enrolment is also up "significantly," according to a Star survey of 17 elementary ​ ​ ​ ​ schools, adding to concerns about a widening canyon of socio-economic inequities in education.

Today’s events

September 14 at 8 a.m. – Mississauga ​ Health Minister will make an announcement at the Trillium Health Partners ​ ​ Mississauga Hospital.

September 14 at 1 p.m. – ​ Premier Doug Ford, Health Minister Christine Elliott, Finance Minister Rod Phillips and ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Education Minister will hold a presser at Queen's Park. ​ ​

September 14 at 3 p.m. – Toronto ​ Chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams and associate CMOH Dr. Barbara Yaffe will ​ ​ ​ ​ provide their regular COVID-19 update in the media studio.

Topics of conversation

● And three makes a trend. Ontario's daily Covid tally punched in above 200 for the past three days, for a total of 649 new cases over the weekend. For the most part, the case counts had come in below 200 since late June. ○ Wondering if you've already had the virus? Ontario has laid out who will be ​ eligible for an antibody test under OHIP, including for children with a rare ​ inflammatory syndrome, certain hospitalized patients who showed symptoms, and people with neurological disorders, who all keep testing negative.

● Metrolinx has hired contractors to demolish 21 vacant buildings it purchased in downtown Hamilton to accommodate the now-axed LRT project. The properties, including former residential housing, a bowling alley, and at least one restaurant, will be torn down for community safety reasons. ○ The PCs are still mulling over how to spend the $1 billion allocated for transportation in Steel Town; the government-appointed task force recommended

sticking with the LRT plan, or a truncated version.

● Plexiglas, masks and 15-people max: hearings at the Supreme Court will look a little ​ different when they kick off September 22, beginning with the hotly anticipated ​ carbon-tax challenge from Ontario and Saskatchewan.

● In Vogue magazine, Liberal MPP , runner-up in March's OLP leadership ​ ​ ​ ​ race, weighs in on the origins of Toronto's Black Lives Matter movement in a profile of its ​ ​ co-founder Janaya Future Khan. ​ ​ ○ Coteau points to a 2014 Toronto protest outside the U.S. consulate following the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, as a seminal moment. ​ ​ "They went through intense pressure....[But] they were strong, brave, and I think really thoughtful on how they brought this message to the people, and if it wasn't for them I don't think we'd be in this environment today," Coteau said.

Appointments and employments

Macdonald-Laurier Institute ● Jamil Jivani, the premier's special adviser on community opportunities, has been ​ ​ ​ named a senior fellow for diversity and empowerment at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. ○ In his new role, Jivani will develop a platform "where ideas are prioritized over identity, highlighting the diverse voices and diverse opinions that animate Canada's cultural debate," according to a press release.

Rubicon Strategy ● Sarah Letersky has landed a new gig at Rubicon starting this week. Letersky was most ​ recently chief of staff to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services Todd ​ Smith before exiting Queen's Park last month. ​

News briefs

PCs want feedback on Greater Golden Horseshoe transportation plan ● The Ford government is seeking public input to inform long-term transportation planning for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, from today until 2051. Transportation Minister said the goal is to build a "high functioning and efficient" system to ​ keep families moving and enhance the "economic competitiveness" of the region. ○ People have until October 26 to weigh in; results will be released in early 2021. ​ ​

Funding announcements ● Ontario is bankrolling skills training programs for the IT and technology sectors, to the tune of $2.2 million. That includes cash for programs aimed at training up to 60

newcomer women and 120 francophones in IT skills and creating accessibility videos and materials to support the employability of post-secondary students with disabilities.

● Four film and TV production companies will divvy up $5.5 million in provincial grant money to support projects in the North. ​ ​

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

What did you think of this Daily Report? What else would you like to see here? Email [email protected] and let us know. ​ ​

Copyright © 2020 Queen’s Park Today. It is a violation of copyright to distribute this newsletter, in whole or in part, without permission.