Queen’s Park Today – Daily Report September 16, 2020

Quotation of the day

“Today he was off doing a video about buying a cookie at Tim ​ ​ Hortons instead of being in question period.”

While Premier was touring , , the MPP for the riding, said he ​ ​ ​ ​ should have been answering questions in the house.

Today at Queen’s Park

Written by Sabrina Nanji

On the schedule MPPs reconvene at 9 a.m. The government is expected to call the motion shaking up the standing orders for debate.

Tuesday's debates and proceedings PC house leader kicked off debate on the standing-order motion Tuesday; the ​ ​ NDP have already signalled they will be voting against it.

The Opposition's big sticking point? Scrapping reasoned amendments, which opposing MPPs can affix to government bills they don’t like and delay second reading by two days.

Calandra called it a "time-killing" tactic that's been abused by the NDP in particular, which has tabled reasoned amendments more frequently than its Opposition predecessors from earlier parliaments.

NDP house leader said Calandra is spinning. ​ ​

When governments change the standing orders (this will be the third time for the Ford administration), it's with the "interest of the government at heart," it's never "about the rights of members," Bisson said.

Bisson said getting rid of reasoned amendments will allow the PCs to speed bills through the house even quicker, while other MPPs lose precious time to prepare for the debate.

"It's problematic because what you're going to have happen is the government introduces a bill, let's say, on Monday, and we could be debating it the very next morning at 9 o’clock, which means we'll be in a situation where there'll be little time to be able to examine the bill, to consult with stakeholders and do the work that we need to do on both sides of the house when it comes to scrutinizing the bill," Bisson said.

CUPE also weighed in on the proposed elimination of reasoned amendments, calling it an “attack on democracy.”

Mini-shuffle at committees, which resume next Monday Calandra rejigged three of the government's committee rosters as follows: ​ ​

● MPP is replacing on the Standing Committee on ​ ​ ​ ​ Estimates, while Triantafilopoulos joins the social policy committee; and

● takes up Skelly's vacant seat on the finance committee. ​

NDP house leader Gilles Bisson took the opportunity to tell the chamber he hoped it was a ​ ​ sign the government "will actually utilize committees in a way that allows us to … hold the government to account." Bisson pointed to the committee that vets incoming government appointments as particularly important.

Calandra confirmed committees will rev up again next week on Monday, September 21.

Premier watch Premier Doug Ford was in Guelph Tuesday along with Mayor Cam Guthrie and Health Minister ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ to highlight Linamar, a company manufacturing prized ventilator parts that's ​ getting a $2.5-million slice of the Together Fund.

Ford also confirmed he hosted Mayor Patrick Brown for dinner on Monday, as well ​ ​ as the mayors of the other Covid hot zones of and — and hinted at regional changes to public health rules.

Restriction redux, testing reinforcements on the way: Ford Rollbacks to gathering limits could be imminent in Peel, Ottawa and Toronto.

Premier Doug Ford raised the spectre of future lockdowns this week against the backdrop of ​ ​ soaring Covid cases. Yesterday, he told Ontarians to expect an announcement in the next day or two.

He also doubled down on his call for people not to host large parties where they cannot be two metres from those outside their social circles.

The premier signalled that help is on the way for Covid testing centres that have been bogged down by hours-long lineups. "I went by a drive-through [assessment centre] up by William Osler, it's ridiculous, it's three to four hours," Ford said.

Ford said he spoke with the CEO of Shoppers Drug Mart this week about allowing pharmacies to administer tests for asymptomatic people, with an eye to easing "the burden" on assessment centres and hospitals so they can deal with people who are most sick.

Ford has been in talks with Shoppers for weeks and said yesterday he wants to get all the "ducks in a row" before making an announcement "over the next day or two."

With testing capacity and regional lockdowns making fresh headlines, Globe and Mail columnist ​ ​ André Picard says it's starting to feel like pandemic Groundhog Day. ​ ​ ​

Today’s events

September 16 at 9:30 a.m. – Toronto ​ NDP MPP will tease her forthcoming private member's bill regarding essential ​ ​ caregivers in the media studio.

September 16 at 1 p.m. – Toronto ​ Premier Doug Ford is expected to hold his daily press conference at Queen's Park. ​ ​

September 16 – Sudbury ​ The verdict in David Popescu's hate speech trial, which dealt with criminal charges related to ​ ​ homophobic materials he distributed about during the 2018 campaign, is set ​ ​ to come down today.

Topics of conversation

● There were 251 new Covid cases recorded in Ontario Tuesday, fewer than Monday's 313, but continuing a five-day streak above the 200-mark. ○ The new school outbreak database showed 14 new cases: four students, four staff and six unidentified individuals were infected. ○ There were also four more resident deaths in long-term care, a small bump following several days with one or none.

● With fears of a resurgence in long-term care bubbling up, LTC Minister Merrilee ​ Fullerton offered an update on the government's commission, which has quietly ​ launched a website. Fullerton maintained there will be "transparency" and public ​ ​ reporting, but the commission, which has the ability to hold hearings out in the open, has already been conducting interviews and gathering evidence behind closed doors. ○ In an update on the website, the commissioners say they "are receiving foundational briefings and information from experts and professionals in long-term care, public health, and health human resources, as well as senior government officials responsible for pandemic planning and the oversight of long-term care homes." ○ Fullerton added her deputy minister was grilled for "hours." Fullerton anticipates she will get a turn in the hot seat and said she will be "very happy" to participate.

● The Ford government is taking its two-year fight to shield ministerial mandate letters — the premier's marching orders to cabinet — to the province's top court. Last month, a lower court dismissed the PC’s application for a judicial review of then-privacy commissioner Brian Beamish's decision that the letters be publicly released. CBC had ​ ​ successfully filed the original Freedom of Information request to unseal the letters, but the government objected, arguing they were protected by cabinet confidence. The case is now headed to the Court of Appeal. ​ ​ ○ Asked why he's spending taxpayers' money to keep the letters secret, Premier Doug Ford declined to comment, citing the sub-judice excuse. ​ ○ Ex-Premier Kathleen Wynne was the first to make Ontario's ministerial mandate ​ ​ letters public in 2014.

● The City of Toronto is calling on the province and the feds to step in with funding to build 3,000 new affordable housing units to help tackle the city’s homelessness crisis. ○ The average cost of providing a single shelter bed has doubled to $6,000 per month now that pandemic spacing restrictions are in place, according to the city, which wants the new units built within two years.

● The grass may be greener in Guelph, where the Ontario Cannabis Store is relocating its distribution centre, from Oakville, according to Guelph Today. ​ ​ ​

● Darlington’s Unit 1 nuclear reactor broke the world record for the most continuous days in operation Tuesday, beating out the record of 962 days set by India’s Kaiga power station in 2018.

● "Good news" for aluminum workers: the U.S. has lifted its 10 per cent tariff on Canadian exports of the product, and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is celebrating. ​ ​ ​ ​

● Leslyn Lewis, third runner-up in last month's federal Conservative leadership race, is ​ throwing her hat in the ring to become MP for Haldimand-Norfolk. The rural Ontario ​

riding is long-held by CPC MP Diane Finley, who doesn’t plan to run again and gave ​ ​ Lewis her blessing.

Question period

NDP lead-off A peek at the plan for Covid 2.0 ● Official Opposition Leader began the debate with a throwback to ​ ​ mid-July, when Health Minister Christine Elliott assured the house "there is a detailed ​ ​ contingency plan in place for a second wave" of the coronavirus. ○ Horwath wanted to know when the rest of the province would get a glimpse at the plan "which, supposedly, has been ready for months."

● Elliott reiterated that a "comprehensive" fall preparedness plan will be released "very shortly" and offered a peek, saying that wave 2.0 "is going to be more complicated than dealing with Phase one." ○ There are several factors compounding the situation, including flu season, which can increase pressure on hospitals, which are also fielding more patients from long-term care homes. Plus, there's a massive surgery backlog.

● When Horwath followed up with a question about safeguarding the long-term care sector, noting an ongoing outbreak at West End Villa in Ottawa, Elliott said the fall plan ​ ​ will address "health human resources," such as LTC staffing problems.

● It will also focus on ramping up testing capacity and creating assessment centres to deal with long lines, the minister said.

Sick Kids debunks distanced classrooms ● Horwath also questioned why the government's back-to-school plan allows more than 15 students in a class when an "alarming" report from Sick Kids determined this week it is "not possible" to maintain a two-metre distance between more than 12 to 15 students in a typical-sized public school classroom.

● Education Minister responded with the assertion that class sizes have ​ ​ been reduced in every single school board "without exception" — prompting much heckling from the Opposition bench. The minister went on to say Sick Kids has called for a "suite of actions to prevent the risk" and "that is what we've adopted."

New Democrats also asked about digging Ontario out of the Covid-fuelled "she-cession" and flowing the pandemic pay bump to front-line workers who haven't received it yet. Meanwhile, morale hit a new low at UHN when 200 hospital staff were forced to return the bonus they had mistakenly received. ​

Independent questions ● Liberal MPP wanted to know what the province is doing to guard against ​ ​ a second wave in LTC.

● Her caucus mate asked about the Sick Kids report and 15-student ​ ​ classes.

PC friendly questions Tory backbenchers asked their ministers about access to child care and broadband internet, a new mining project in Gogama and upgrades to aging correctional facilities.

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

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