“This Is the Heart of the Ontario Spirit.”

Queen’s Park Today – Daily Report March 19, 2020

Quotation of the day

“This is the heart of the Ontario spirit.”

Premier Doug Ford gives props to businesses lending support to the frontlines of COVID-19, including Beamsville-based spirit-maker Dillon's Distillers, which is also producing hand sanitizer for health-care workers free of charge.

Today at Queen’s Park

On the schedule The house will convene at 1 p.m. this afternoon for a one-day emergency session to speed through two forthcoming bills aimed at supporting citizens during the COVID-19 state of emergency.

After meeting with the opposition parties this week, government house leader Paul Calandra said Wednesday he expects their cooperation to pass the legislation in one day.

Premier Doug Ford has already teased that one of the bills will include job protection for people who take time off to self-isolate, quarantine and care for ill loved ones, and will ban employers from requiring sick notes during the pandemic.

The other could include provisions to temporarily stand down tenant evictions.

Finance Minister Rod Phillips intimated further relief measures are in the works, but details are scant. Phillips said the province was waiting to see more of Ottawa's relief package Wednesday, which included $27 billion in aid and $55 billion in tax deferrals.

(Ford lauded the funds; NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said “it’s simply not enough money.”)

Ontario will match at least one of the federal government's moves, putting a six-month moratorium on interest on OSAP and student loan repayments.

"We absolutely are going to make sure that the dollars are there to support health care," the finance minister added.

After passing the bills, the house will adjourn until next Wednesday for Phillips' pared-down fiscal outlook — which could potentially come with corresponding legislation.

MPPs will exercise social distancing during today's sitting. Only 24 members, including the Speaker, will be in the chamber (12 Tories, eight New Democrats, two Liberals and the sole Green). All standing committees have also been suspended indefinitely.

Premier watch Premier Doug Ford is in talks with retail heavyweights today to discuss the possibility of introducing social distancing measures in grocery stores.

Speaking at his daily COVID-19 press briefing at Queen's Park Wednesday, Ford also warned price-gougers will be held accountable. Ford's sweeping new emergency powers allow him to outlaw price-fixing and cap grocery store capacity; scofflaws would face hefty fines and jail time.

He tipped his hat to Ontario’s business community for rising to the occasion when it comes to battling the COVID-19 crisis. According to Ford, auto-part makers in the province have offered to manufacture much-needed ventilators on their factory lines.

The premier also spoke with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about the bilateral move to restrict non-essential travel between the two countries, which Ford said was the right call. Ford again assured Ontarians trade and commerce will continue to flow, supply chains remain secure and there's no need for hoarding.

"Nothing seems to panic people more than going into a retail store and shelves are empty," Ford told reporters.

Ontario ups capacity amid COVID-19 test backlog, technical issues at Telehealth Health Minister Christine Elliott said the government is ramping up its COVID-19 lab capacity after the number of cases more than doubled overnight.

Elliott said Wednesday she's hoping to get up to 5,000 tests per day (it’s unclear how many tests are currently being conducted, but officials peg it at less than 2,000). She's also looking to cut the turnaround time for results by half.

"A four-day wait is not acceptable," Elliott said, noting the goal is between 24 and 48 hours.

More people are asking for tests as pandemic fears escalate, Elliott explained. Compounding the problem is a shortage of test swabs, health officials say.

As of Wednesday evening, there were 25 newly recorded COVID-19 cases for a total of 214 (five of which have been cleared). Another 3,378 tests were underway, up from 1,567 the day before.

The government's website was updated more than two hours behind schedule because there are more assessment centres reporting information. The province says it will have 25 more out-of-hospital testing sites up and running soon.

The amount of information being released about new transmissions of the virus has fallen off majorly, which risks undermining transparency and public trust in the health-care system, experts tell the Globe and Mail. For example, the province is no longer reporting “presumptive confirmed” cases, like it had in January and February, and only the most recent daily transmissions are posted online, not the full list of cases.

Most of the confirmed cases to date have been attributed to travel or close contact with an infected person. Ontario health officials have seemed reluctant to deem any cases community spread, though they say it can't be ruled out.

In contrast, top health officers in Toronto and Ottawa have been more willing to attribute local cases to community spread. Toronto’s medical officer of health Dr. Eileen de Villa says the city is currently investigating 11 cases thought to be transmitted through the community.

Province delays Ontario Health Teams transition The Ford government also hit pause on its major health-care merger, saying the transfer of "funding, planning and coordination functions" from the 14 LHINs to Ontario Health Teams is being postponed to "a later date." It was originally scheduled for April 1.

Elliott said the decision will ensure the health-care system can focus its efforts on battling COVID-19 and was based on feedback from the Ontario Health super-agency.

Meanwhile, technical glitches at Telehealth Ontario led to a service interruption on the phone lines Wednesday, with people being told to call their local public health unit instead if experiencing flu-like symptoms, and to use the new online self-assessment tool. The province previously deployed 130 nurses to man additional lines and has enlisted the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario to help recruit others.

Countrywide, there are now over 700 diagnosed cases of COVID-19.

Today’s events

March 19 at 11 a.m. – Toronto NDP Leader Andrea Horwath will discuss the PC's forthcoming emergency legislation in the Queen's Park media studio.

March 19 at 3 p.m. – Toronto Chief medical health officer Dr. David Williams and associate chief medical health officer Barbara Yaffe will give a daily briefing on the response to COVID-19 in the media studio.

Topics of conversation

● The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, a professional oversight body, is certifying docs at a fast clip in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, Queen's Park Today has learned. ○ "In an effort to help meet the increased demands on the health-care system we are seeing, we are providing an expedited process for a Short Duration Certificate for applicants, which provides for a supervised license for a period of 30 days," senior communications adviser Shae Greenfield told QPT. ○ CPSO is also coordinating with its counterparts in other provinces to accelerate registration for interprovincial doctor applicants, and has "strongly" advised doctors to postpone elective and non-essential in-person care after the health minister's call. ○ "The CPSO continues to make preparations and contingencies for all possible outcomes. That includes looking at multiple ways we can increase public access to medical professionals in a safe way," Greenfield added.

● Temporary foreign workers could be exempted from border restrictions ahead of the province’s eight-month growing season. In a letter obtained by the St. Catharines Standard, Agriculture Minister Ernie Hardeman told Ontario agriculture stakeholders that federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair will authorize temporary workers, most of whom come from Mexico and the Caribbean, to enter Canada if they complete a 14-day quarantine first — but federal sources told the news outlet Hardeman “jumped the gun” with the promise because details have not been worked out yet.

● The Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation says it's cancelling future strike action for now. It's a bit of a moot point as public schools have shuttered until April 6.

● The Beer Store has lifted a page from the LCBO's playbook and scaled back business hours, and will be open for business from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. starting today until March 31. ○ The company is also halting recycling services, but beer drinkers can return their empties for a deposit when operations return to normal.

● A supervised injection site in Toronto was forced to close its doors Monday because of a shortage of personal protective equipment for staff. A group of community health groups is asking Health Minister Christine Elliott to “act now to address these inequities and support providers serving marginalized populations.”

● Ontario Power Generation president Ken Hartwick says there is nothing to worry about when it comes to Ontario’s nuclear fleet: all reactors are operating normally and the Darlington refurbishment project is still ongoing.

● Conservative Party of Canada leadership candidate Jim Karahalios announced Wednesday he obtained the $300,000 donation threshold and 2,000 signature requirement to continue in the race. ○ Karahalios — who is married to Cambridge PC MPP Belinda Karahalios — is currently suing the Progressive Conservative Party, alleging its 2018 race to crown a new president was rigged to elect his rival, Brian Patterson, and is seeking $100,000 in damages. ○ Premier Doug Ford recently called out Karahalios for a much-maligned fundraising email targeting Walied Soliman, a staffer for rival leadership candidate Erin O’Toole, using anti-Muslim rhetoric. ○ “Walied Soliman is a man of great integrity and a valued conservative voice. I’m appreciative of his support for this government,” Ford said on Twitter earlier this month. ○ Karahalios’ Axe the Carbon Tax campaign was a thorn in the side of ex-PC leader Patrick Brown.

Appointments and employments

City of Toronto ● There has been a shakeup in the city’s top ranks amidst the ongoing coronavirus emergency. Charles Jansen, who has headed up the city’s office of emergency management since the fall, is off the job. ○ Fire Chief Matthew Pegg continues to lead the emergency management team. ○ Meanwhile, the city is closing more services, including civic centres; employment, social services and housing support counters; wedding chambers; permit offices; and one animal shelter. ○ Additionally, Toronto is suspending non-emergency building, bylaw and public health inspections, and its enforcement of most parking infractions.

News briefs

Provincial parks shuttered until April 30

● Environment, Conservation and Parks Minister Jeff Yurek announced the province will shut down all provincial parks until the end of April, including all campgrounds and day-use areas. Current visitors have to vacate today. ○ Anyone with a camping reservation through April 30 will get a full refund.

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

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