Queen’s Park Today – Daily Report November 27, 2020

Quotation of the day

“Precarious.”

Dr. Adalsteinn Brown and Dr. David Williams describe Ontario's situation when releasing new ​ ​ ​ Covid projections.

Today at Queen’s Park

Written by Sabrina Nanji

On the schedule The house is adjourned until Monday, November 30.

Sparks could fly at the Standing Committee on General Government today, which is hearing from the public on ​Bill 213, the controversial omnibus red-tape bill that expands degree-granting ​ powers for C​ harles McVety's Canada Christian College. Representatives from CCC itself, as ​ well as The 519, National Council of Canadian Muslims and ex-NDP MPP C​ heri DiNovo, are ​ on the witness roster. Hearings are slated to take place in Room 151, which is equipped for live-streaming.

Thursday's debates and proceedings The PCs are moving to cap the fees third-party delivery apps can charge restaurants in lockdown zones where indoor dining is outlawed, via a new bill from Small Business Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria, which was granted first reading yesterday. That's ​Bill 236, Supporting ​ ​ Local Restaurants Act.

Sarkaria said delivery fees will max out at 15 per cent, with an overall cap of 20 per cent, inclusive of all fees. As it stands, restaurants can be charged up to 30 per cent of sales. The bill will also ensure drivers don't lose pay and apps can't reduce their service areas or restaurant selection. Sarkaria's office said they expect the bill will come into force within two weeks of it receiving royal assent, as the apps would need roughly two weeks to implement the changes.

SkipTheDishes said it was "disappointed" in the move, but DoorDash was more vague, saying it welcomed the chance to "engage" the minister on the matter.

It's about time, opposition parties said. Liberal MPP ​Lucille Collard — whose caucus mate ​ Amanda Simard has been calling for a commission cap since May — tried to move a motion to ​ pass Sarkaria's bill immediately, but the NDP shot it down.

"After months of delays from D​ oug Ford it is simply shameful that the NDP, under A​ ndrea ​ Horwath's leadership, would refuse to support restaurants as they face bankruptcies due to ​ Covid restrictions," Liberal Leader S​ teven Del Duca said in a statement. ​

The NDP contends the PCs are “famous” for sneaking other measures into their bills and slammed the Liberals for offering them a “blank cheque” by trying to speed it through.

Meanwhile, the government passed two of its motions after yesterday's question period: the budget motion (Ayes 55; Nays 25), and the motion extending ​Dr. David Williams' term by about ​ six months (Ayes 52; Nays 18).

MPPs also debated and voted on third reading of B​ ill 215, Main Street Recovery Act, which ​ 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. It now awaits royal assent.

PC MPP J​ane McKenna's B​ ill 201, Magna Carta Day Act (In Memory of J​ulia Munro), cleared ​ ​ ​ third reading. McKenna's bill would proclaim every June 15 Magna Carta Day in Ontario.

NDP MPP J​ohn Vanthof's B​ ill 226, Broadband is an Essential Service Act, was sent to be ​ ​ studied by the general government committee after passing second-reading debate on a voice vote. Vanthof's bill would require the infrastructure minister of the day to develop a strategy to connect all Ontarians to high-speed internet by 2030.

In the park Hundreds of people descended on Queen's Park as part of the No More Lockdowns campaign's "pots and pans" rally on the south lawn. The demonstration's ringleader, Independent MPP Randy Hillier, was c​harged ​by police for organizing an event that goes against lockdown rules, ​ which is against the law.

Premier watch Premier D​ oug Ford held his regular call with Prime Minister J​ustin Trudeau and his fellow first ​ ​ ministers yesterday.

Ahead of the call, the premier told reporters he would be raising questions with the PM about the status of Ottawa’s vaccine procurement efforts.

Trudeau seemed to downplay expectations this week, acknowledging Canada is at a disadvantage because of a lack of domestic vaccine production capability.

That led Health Minister C​ hristine Elliott to speculate that she isn't so sure Ontario would be ​ getting the 2.4 million doses it previously expected between January and March. "This is very concerning and very disappointing," Elliott said, adding she thought it was a done deal. "Now it appears maybe it's not."

Her federal counterpart, Health Minister P​ atty Hajdu, quickly tried to appease the situation. ​ Hajdu told reporters Elliott was "incorrect" and countrywide, she expects six million doses of the vaccines in early 2021.

Meanwhile, supporters of lockdown scofflaw A​ dam Skelly's Adamson Barbecue in Etobicoke ​ made their way ​to Premier D​ oug Ford's home. Ford's office said that "goes beyond acceptable ​ political protests" and his family and neighbours shouldn't be subject to "this kind of harassment and intimidation."

Premier Ford,​ D​ r. David Williams and cabinet heavyweight ministers also held virtual calls with ​ ​ the CFIB and Ontario Chamber of Commerce Thursday. Ford also m​ ade a cameo ​for a virtual lobby day put on by the Chicken Farmers of Ontario.

Today’s events

November 27 at 12 p.m. – ​Cobourg ​ ​ Solicitor General S​ ylvia Jones will make an announcement at the Venture13 Innovation Centre ​ alongside local MPP D​ avid Piccini and Cobourg police Chief​ Paul Vandegraaf. ​ ​

November 27 at 1 p.m. – ​Ontario ​ ​ Premier D​ oug Ford will hold his daily presser alongside retired General R​ ick Hillier, who was ​ ​ just enlisted to helm the province's Covid vaccine rollout.

Topics of conversation

● Ontario clocked another 1,478 Covid cases and 21 more deaths on Thursday.

● Meanwhile, fresh modelling shows that at the current rate of growth in cases, Ontario would see between about 1,500 and 2,000 every day by the end of December. The worst case scenario, at a growth rate of five per cent, would see over 9,000 daily cases. ○ ICU occupancy would hit the 200-bed mark in December under any scenario, well beyond the 150 threshold for cancelling surgeries, which is where the province is now. There has been a 63.2 per cent rise in hospitalizations in the latest four weeks.

○ While long-term care cases are "flattening," the death toll is not slowing down. There have been 64 elderly deaths in the past seven days. ○ This is a "fragile" moment, said D​ r. Steini Brown, who leads the science table. ​ Brown expressed very cautious optimism but said "it's difficult to determine whether we are seeing a turnaround in case growth."

● Going digital at the Landlord and Tenant Board may be accelerating evictions. Per t​he Globe, tenants aren't getting notices, legally blind tenants aren't being accommodated ​ because they can't read the phone properly to access the dial-in system, and tenants in good standing are still getting eviction orders. ○ One legal clinic described the story of a local man with a history of homelessness and mental health issues who was facing eviction. Because he didn't have a cellphone or landline, the man had to call in to his hearing using a payphone on a cold and rainy day. He refused duty counsel and asked if he could just go to jail because he was expecting to get evicted. "He said it was raining, it was starting to rain hard," lawyer J​amie Hildebrand t​old T​he Lawyer's Daily. "He was cold. ​ ​ And I realized the odd noise I could hear during the hearing was him shivering through most of this process. After 15 or 20 minutes, the tenant cried out, 'I'm freezing, it's raining, I can't do this,' and he hung up."

● A new report from the FAO shows that nearly half of Ontario's hospitals are in a bad state of repair, much worse than the state of other infrastructure such as roads and bridges. The province's infrastructure arsenal is worth about a quarter of a trillion bucks. Fixing aging assets is pegged at a cost of $64.5 billion over the next decade ($6.5 billion annually), which covers wiping out the infrastructure backlog in five years and then maintaining those assets in a state of good repair for the five years after that. The Ford government's budget falls far short of what's needed; it earmarked $47.7 billion for capital repairs over 10 years, which amounts to a $16.9-billion shortfall, or 35 per cent. ○ A day after attacking the auditor general, Premier D​ oug Ford took aim at the ​ independent officer of the legislature in charge of budget oversight. "Maybe we should sit down, have a chat with the person that put this report together and actually give them the facts," the premier said when asked about the FAO report.

● Toronto is calling on the Ford government to scrap proposed child-care changes that would reduce staff-to-child ratios, group infants with toddlers and lower qualification requirements for employees. City councillors unanimously b​acked a motion ​to ask the province to halt the proposed reforms on Thursday.

● The push to allow small retailers to reopen in lockdown zones continues. CFIB says it has the signatures of 2,500 small business owners on a petition that proposes allowing a maximum of three customers and three staff members in a store at a time, among other things.

● Veteran Ford strategist ​Melissa Lantsman has scored a high-profile endorsement in her ​ bid for the federal Conservative nomination in Thornhill. Education Minister S​ tephen Lecce called Lantsman a "generational leader" who will bring a "fresh and ​ forward-looking vision to our party." Lantsman is facing off with current MPP for the riding G​ ila Martow, who has been sharing some of her own endorsements, including her ​ predecessor ex-MPP P​ eter Shurman. ​

News briefs

Asymptomatic testing in hotspot schools ● Doug Ford and Education Minister S​ tephen Lecce (who got a "birthday boy" shout-out ​ ​ from the premier) said the province will start asymptomatic testing in schools in Toronto, Peel, York and Ottawa. The government is also putting up another $13.6 million for schools to hire up to 175 additional teachers if needed in Covid hot spots.

Performance-based post-secondary education agreements inked ● The province has signed strategic mandate agreements with colleges and universities that will begin tying their funding levels to performance in 2022. The goal is to ensure graduates have “real-world skills” that will lead them to careers and to encourage post-secondary institutions to focus on their strengths. ○ The PCs delayed the signing of these agreements back in March because of the pandemic (the performance-based funding link won’t come into effect until the 2022-23 school year for the same reason). By 2025 it is expected that 60 per cent of post-secondary schools’ operational funding will be tied to performance. ○ The plan was first announced in the 2019 budget.

More ethanol in gasoline ● Ontario is increasing the quota for ethanol in gasoline from 10 per cent to 15 per cent over the next decade. The PC’s plan will move slowly; the first increase, to 11 per cent, is not scheduled until 2025. ○ The move got the stamp of approval from Renewable Industries Canada, an ethanol lobby group, which said the change will create agriculture jobs and lower prices at the pumps. ○ The current 10 per cent rate just came into effect this year; the Liberals got the ball rolling in 2017.

Ontario hits the brakes on driver tests in lockdown zones ● In-vehicle road tests are cancelled in Grey-Lockdown regions as of November 23. The government says Toronto and Peel residents will not be allowed to take their test in other areas with lower levels of restrictions, however, the government isn't directing DriveTest centres to restrict those residents from being able to take their test at another centre until November 30.

Appointments and employments

PCs pick their first non-incumbent contenders for 2022 ● Call it fodder for the early election rumour mill: the PC Party has nominated its first two non-incumbent candidates for the next vote, Q​ ueen's Park Today has confirmed. ​ Anthony Leardi, a lawyer and former deputy mayor of Amherstburg, was nominated in ​ Essex on Tuesday, beating out local councillor C​ hris Vander Doelen. Essex is currently ​ represented by NDP MPP T​aras Natyshak, a regular foil to Premier D​ oug Ford in ​ ​ question period. The blue-collar riding is one many PCs think is winnable. ○ On Wednesday, the PCs acclaimed another local councillor, A​ ndrew Dowie, in ​ neighbouring Windsor—Tecumseh.

Ontario Intragovernmental Committee on Financial Literacy ● The Ontario Securities Commission’s investor director, T​yler Fleming, has been ​ appointed to head up a new committee that aims to embed financial literacy in provincial programs, policies and training across various agencies and ministries.

Question period

NDP lead-off A softer tone on AG report ● NDP deputy leader S​ ara Singh kicked off the debate for the official Opposition, with a ​ followup about Auditor General B​ onnie Lysyk's explosive Covid report and the ​ premier's heated response to it. "Will the premier stop attacking her and start implementing her recommendations?" Singh asked, noting that since January, at least 3,576 Ontarians have lost their lives to the virus.

● With D​ oug Ford absent, Deputy Premier C​ hristine Elliott responded, offering ​ ​ condolences to impacted families and softening her tune on the AG's report, which she had called a "mischaracterization." Elliott said the AG report "did contain some important ideas about how to deal with some of the systemic problems," and seemed to pass the buck to the previous government.

● Co-deputy leader J​ohn Vanthof wouldn't let up on Ford's tirade against Lysyk, nodding ​ to her report's finding that the pandemic response isn't led by the top doc's advice. "If that's how the premier responds when an independent officer of the house offers a critical opinion, how are we expected to believe that he would accept the opinion of the chief medical officer of health?" Vanthof asked.

● Elliott again offered a vague acknowledgement: "We recognize that there are some situations where there are some criticisms that we are certainly able to accept," she said.

Promise made, not kept ● NDP Health critic F​rance Gélinas pointed out it's been over two years since the PCs ​ came to power promising to clean up Liberal waste and suggested the AG report shows that hasn't been the case when it comes to implementing lessons learned from SARS and a slew of other reports.

● Elliott was on side for that one, blaming the previous Liberal regime for failing to take action since 2003, which seriously hampered the Ford government's Covid-fighting ability.

A 180 on the AG ● The New Democrats continued the barrage of questions on the AG report. Economic Growth critic C​ atherine Fife threw back to several past comments from the PCs praising ​ the AG, a stark contrast to Ford's harsh words earlier this week.

● Elliott maintained the PCs "respect" the AG's work but insisted there are 21 pages' worth of "factual inaccuracies."

Independent questions 'Stick to her knitting' ● The Independent crew also went with the theme of the AG report. Liberal MPP S​ tephen Blais chided the premier for basically telling Lysyk to "stick to her knitting." He wanted to ​ know why the PCs forked over billions for a "cumbersome" command table he doesn't seem to believe has the chops to give public health advice.

● His benchmate M​ itzie Hunter asked if the government would commit to working ​ "transparently" with public health officials "instead of working around them."

Lobbyist registrations

Consultants who registered, renewed or amended registrations from November 20 to 26, 2020

● Don Gracey, CG Management & Communications Inc. ​ o Clients: Heritage Green Nursing Home, Canadian Association of Foot Care Nurses

● Stew Kiff, Solstice Public Affairs ​ o Clients: Centre francophone de Grand Toronto

● Stephanie Dunlop, Hill+Knowlton Strategies ​

o Clients: Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada

● Daniel Matthew Boudreau, Hill+Knowlton Strategies ​ o Clients: Praxis Spinal Cord Institute

● Harvey Nightingale, Hill+Knowlton Strategies ​ o Clients: Harris Canada Systems

● Laura Greer and Daniel Matthew Boudreau, Hill+Knowlton Strategies ​ ​ ​ o Clients: Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers

● Romeo Tello, Crestview Strategy ​ o Clients: Value Village Stores

● Maailah Blackwood and Chad Rogers, Crestview Strategy Inc. ​ ​ ​ o Clients: Coca-Cola Ltd.

● Stefano Hollands, Crestview Strategy ​ o Clients: Square Inc.

● Rachel McLaughlin, Public Affairs Advisors ​ o Clients: Intuit Canada

● Danielle Peters, Magnet Strategy Group ​ o Clients: Merck Canada

● Maryanne Sheehy, Public Affairs Advisors ​ o Clients: Intuit Canada

● Christine Simundson and Sarah Letersky, Rubicon Strategy ​ ​ ​ o Clients: Canadian Niagara Hotels Inc.

● Peter Van Loan, Aird & Berlis ​ o Clients: Soheil Mosun Limited

● Carolyn Clubine, Clubine Consulting ​ o Clients: AdvantAge Ontario

● Alexandra Brenner, Teneo ​ o Clients: Bus.com

● Ian Connerty, Gayle Alexander Associates Limited ​ o Clients: Argo Development Corporation

● Robert McCreight, The Capital Hill Group Inc. ​ o Clients: Festivals and Major Events (FAME) Canada

● David Angus, The Capital Hill Group Inc. ​

o Clients: Accerta, HP Canada Co.

● Aaron Scheewe, The Capital Hill Group Inc. ​ o Clients: Oracle Canada

● Imran Amin and John Duffy, StrategyCorp Inc. ​ ​ ​ o Clients: Fieldgate Properties

● Kyle Sholes and Christopher Loreto, StrategyCorp Inc. ​ ​ ​ o Clients: Canadian Independent Booksellers Association and Indigo Books and Music

● Garry Keller, StrategyCorp Inc. ​ o Clients: Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada

● Brian Zeiler-Kligman, Sussex Strategy Group ​ o Clients: Sauna and Steam Bath Association of Canada

● Robyn Gray, Sussex Strategy Group ​ o Clients: Enwave Energy Corporation

● Mark Olsheski, Sussex Strategy Group ​ o Clients: Aecon Group Inc.

● Chris Benedetti, Sussex Strategy Group ​ o Clients: NextBridge Energy Transmission - Canada

● Naomi Shuman, Sussex Strategy Group ​ o Clients: Ontario Dental Association

● Martin Rust, Martin Rust Strategic Advisory Services ​ o Clients: Lenovo Canada Inc.

● Elvanee Veeramalay, Canadian Urban Transit Association ​ o Clients: Ontario Public Transit Association

● Kaydee Richmond, McMillan Vantage ​ o Clients: Global University Systems

● Cozette Dagher, 2Traverse ​ o Clients: HCP Diagnostics, MarkiTech

● Brett McDermott, Collaborative Ideas Incorporated ​ o Clients: HCP Diagnostics, MarkiTech

● Giancarlo Drennan, Cumberland Strategies ​ o Clients: Waste Connections of Canada

● Bliss Baker, Cumberland Strategies ​ o Clients: Royalpark Homes, Hot Docs

● Mackenzie Taylor, Cumberland Strategies ​ o Clients: Royalpark Homes, Ontario Building Officials Association, Terrapure Environmental, IAMGOLD Corporation, Signature Communities

● Amir Farahi, 2657259 Ontario Inc. formerly o/a Blackridge Strategy ​ o Clients: dynaCERT Inc.

● Jaskiran Shoker and Caroline Pinto, Counsel Public Affairs Inc. ​ ​ ​ o Clients: Ontario Chiropractic Association

● Mike Van Soelen, Navigator Ltd. ​ o Clients: Severn Aggregates Limited Partnership

● Michael Rudderham, MCR Corporate Affairs ​ o Clients: Microsoft Canada Inc.

● Trisha Rinneard, Wellington Advocacy ​ o Clients: Shoppers Drug Mart

● Ryan Guptill, Dan Mader and Christopher Froggatt, Loyalist Public Affairs ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ o Clients: Crosslinx Transit Solutions – Constructors

● Dan Mader, Christopher Froggatt and Jill Wilson, Loyalist Public Affairs ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ o Clients: Dollarama S.E.C./L.P., The Stars Group/TSG Interactive Services

● Ryan Guptill, Loyalist Public Affairs ​ o Clients: Actua

● Christopher Froggatt, Loyalist Public Affairs ​ o Clients: MINTO COMMUNITIES - CANADA

● Kenzie McKeegan, Loyalist Public Affairs ​ o Clients: Cestar College of Business, Health and Technology, Accenture Inc.

● Jill Wilson and Dan Mader, Loyalist Public Affairs ​ ​ ​ o Clients: Pfizer Canada

Organizations that registered in-house lobbyists from November 20 to 26, 2020

● Wine Growers Ontario ● Federation of Mutual Fund Dealers ● Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario ● The Pollution Probe Foundation ● College of Nurses of Ontario ● Electricity Distributors Association

● Canadian Off Highway Vehicle Distributors Council ● Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada ● York University ● Ontario Home Builders' Association ● Warrior Advocacy Crusade ASLM All Senior Lives Matter Seniors B4 Profit ● Real Property Association of Canada ● Merit National Open Shop Advocacy ● Ontario Bar Association ● UPS Canada ● Honda Canada ● Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec ● Scarsin Corporation ● Sightline Innovation ● Switch Health ● The Co-operators Group ● Libro Credit Union ● Canadian Pacific ● The Green Organic Dutchman ● Telesat Canada ● Equifax Canada ● Riipen Networks

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

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