"A Politician in Sheep's Clothing.”

Queen’s Park Today – Daily Report May 21, 2020

Quotation of the day

"A politician in sheep's clothing.”

How the environment minister dubbed Green Leader Mike Schreiner when he asked about watering down emissions reporting requirements for industry.

Today at Queen’s Park

On the schedule The house is adjourned until Tuesday, May 26.

Wednesday's debates and proceedings In the morning, MPPs took part in question period and delivered member's statements (more on this below). No bills were introduced or debated.

Speaker Ted Arnott doled out more speaking time for the Liberal caucus, which added two MPPs to its ranks following February's tandem byelections in Ottawa. The Liberals are still short of the 12 seats required for recognized party status (and the added legislative time that comes with it), but they'll get another five minutes during second- and third-reading debate of government bills and motions, for a total of 20 minutes.

Cover your face, but no PPE fund for businesses: premier The province is now recommending people wear non-medical face masks when they can't be two metres apart, especially on public transit.

Ontario health officials gave detailed advice Wednesday on how to properly use the protective gear to help keep the spread of COVID-19 in check. That includes snugly covering your nose and mouth without any gaps, reserving medical-grade N95s for essential workers, and avoiding use on children under two and those who can't remove masks on their own.

The government recommended transit agencies admit fewer passengers and use markers between seats to ensure physical distance, something the TTC has been doing since April.

Health Minister Christine Elliott said the recommendations on masks is coming now, two months deep into lockdown, because more folks are out and about as Ontario entered Stage 1 of reopening this week.

Officials with the City of Toronto and the federal government also “strongly recommended” the use of non-medical masks yesterday.

Retail shops can open their doors under strict public health measures, but many small businesses have called for support in getting their operations up to the government's code.

"For many employers and employees, this pandemic was their first experience with using PPE and meeting stricter health and safety standards," Ontario Chamber of Commerce CEO Rocco Rossi said earlier this month.

"We have heard from many business owners that they are concerned about access to PPE and the costs of investing in measures required to make their workplaces safe. We hope all levels of government will provide support to the business community so that we can get our economy moving quickly and safely," Rossi said.

While Premier Doug Ford often says "everything is on the table" when it comes to Ontario's pandemic response, he wouldn’t commit to setting up a fund for businesses on the hunt for PPE and other supplies such as plexiglass barriers.

Asked by a reporter Wednesday, Ford acknowledged plexiglass in particular is "tough" to come by, but he suggested cheaper options out there such as a clear plastic barrier.

"Hopefully they'll be able to find a solution," Ford said, adding the government's health and safety guidelines are "relatively reasonable." He said businesses should "do their best" and has cautioned them not to reopen if they aren't able to do so safely.

The government has created an online directory of PPE suppliers. Premier Ford also highlighted the federal rent relief program and provincial tax deferrals announced in the mini-budget.

Today’s events

May 21 at 9 a.m. – Toronto Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli and Government Services Minister Lisa Thompson will attend a Bruce Power announcement about the company's pandemic-fighting efforts via Facebook.

May 21 around 1 p.m. – Toronto Premier Doug Ford is expected to hold his daily COVID-19 briefing at Queen's Park.

May 21 at 3 p.m. – Toronto Chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams and associate chief medical officer of health Dr. Barbara Yaffe will provide their regular update on the pandemic.

Topics of conversation

● Another 390 coronavirus cases were logged Wednesday, pushing the trajectory slightly upward in recent days. There have now been 23,774 patients in the province, about 76 per cent of which are deemed resolved. Forty-three deaths brings the toll to at least 1,962. ○ The number of tests completed dwindled to 7,832, less than half of the 20,000 the province is capable of. ○ Premier Doug Ford reiterated he won't hesitate to "roll things back" and he's "watching the trends like a hawk" in case of "sudden surges and flare-ups."

Pressed by reporters, Ford couldn't quantify his threshold for reverting back to pre-Stage 1 restrictions.

● The Association of Municipalities of Ontario and CUPE, which represents many municipal workers, have teamed up in a crusade for civic support amid COVID-19. In a "first ever" joint letter to Premier Doug Ford and Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark, AMO and CUPE asked for an "appropriate cost share arrangement" for public health and transit services, among other things. ○ CUPE and AMO, whose municipal members have squared off against the union in strike battles in the past, stressed the pandemic has brought their organizations closer together under the shared goal of maintaining “fiscally sustainable municipalities.” ○ Top federal cabinet ministers were also cc'd on the letter.

● Autoparts manufacturers were among the businesses that reopened Tuesday. The Ford Motor Company and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles plants in Windsor are currently operating on a single shift with redesigned work stations, thermal cameras, physical distancing and PPE, per the Windsor Star. ○ Automobile sales have plummeted since the pandemic hit, but industry watchers see a glimmer of hope as more consumers shun public transit and consider a vehicle of their own.

● Families of residents at Pickering's Orchard Villa, one of the hardest-hit nursing homes in the province, are asking Durham police to launch a criminal investigation into the care of their loved ones, some of whom died during the COVID-19 outbreak, according to the Toronto Star.

● In-person class is cancelled, but a debate over online learning methods is brewing. The Globe and Mail digs in. ○ Education Minister Stephen Lecce weighed in during a recent StrategyCorp podcast, in which he acknowledged teachers' "uneven" uptake of live video conferencing. Lecce said the idea is to create a "credible, virtual, dynamic form of learning" that enables teachers to get through the curriculum and offer a reprieve for parents while the pandemic drags on.

News briefs

10 lanes good, six lanes bad ● The provincial and federal governments highlighted the widening of Highway 401 in Cambridge, from six lanes to 10 between Hespeler and Townline roads. Construction on the project, initially announced in 2017, is expected to begin later this year.

Appointments and employments

Task Force for a Resilient Recovery ● A new independent think tank has been formed to advise Ottawa on a “clean and resilient” economic recovery post-pandemic. The Task Force for a Resilient Recovery counts ex-Doug Ford staffer Mitch Davidson among its 14 members. ○ Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s former principal secretary Gerald Butts is also on the roster. ○ The task force will release a report in July.

OMERS ● Blake Hutcheson will take over as CEO of OMERS, the province’s municipal employees pension fund, on June 1. ○ Hutcheson takes the reins from Michael Latimer, who served as CEO for six years, on June 1. The transition has been ongoing since January. Hutcheson was previously OMERS president and chief pension officer.

Question period

NDP lead-off Lobbying for long-term care

● Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath led the morning debate demanding to know why the premier isn't launching a public inquiry into the long-term care crisis, noting health-care unions have been calling for one for weeks.

● Premier Doug Ford maintained the government's independent commission will employ tactics similar to a public inquiry, such as garnering public input, but on a shorter timeline. Details are still being determined over the coming months.

● Horwath said it's "concerning" that Ford-linked lobbyists have signed up to advocate for for-profit seniors care companies, including Melissa Lantsman on behalf of Extendicare, Lauren McDonald and Michael Wilson for Revera, and Leslie Noble for Chartwell. Horwath wanted to know what their conversations with government have been about.

● Long-Term Care Minister Merrilee Fullerton replied by blaming the previous Liberal government's handling of the LTC system and pumped up the PC's forthcoming commission.

PPE for front-line workers ● NDP MPP Wayne Gates asked about adequate PPE supplies for front-line workers and their ability to refuse unsafe work.

● Labour Minister Monte McNaughton said job protections are still in place and noted 7,500 workplace investigations have been completed, 3,500 orders issued and 20 sites shut down during the emergency.

Pandemic pay, staffing ● The NDP also wanted to know if the province would make the $4 pandemic pay premium permanent and mandate the one-facility staffing rule for long-term care beyond COVID-19.

● Fullerton acknowledged long standing "gaps" in staffing and said the government is working on ways to attract workers, and promised it will be addressed "on an urgent basis."

Independent questions 'Politician in sheep's clothing' ● Green Leader Mike Schreiner was accused of being "a politician in sheep's clothing" when he tried to ask Environment Minister Jeff Yurek about a regulation that waters down emissions reporting requirements for polluters, first reported on by Queen’s Park Today.

● "He comes across as this gentle person coming forward, but, at the end of the day, he’s playing politics," Yurek charged, questioning whether Schreiner "really cares about businesses."

● Schreiner said the regulation delays industry reporting requirements for an "indeterminate period of time," but Yurek insisted it's one month. ○ "That whole idea was to line up the reporting structure for industry in Ontario with the changes the federal government did because of the pandemic by extending it by one month," the minister said. "We didn’t want to overburden industry in this province, which is having a hard time bringing in the people to do the reporting because of the pandemic." ○ Schreiner added the decision could be made without public consultation or notice because of April's environmental registry changes, but Yurek pointed out it was publicly posted.

● Liberal MPP Michael Coteau asked about a lack of foreign-trained medical recruits. He said the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario only received 12 applications from foreign-trained health professionals in April after speeding up the certification process to address possible staff shortages due to COVID-19.

PC friendly questions

The government asked itself about the decision to keep schools closed and allow drive-in religious ceremonies.

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

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