Here are today’s new developments:
- As provinces slowly reopen, Canada's border with the United States will remain closed to all non-essential travel until, at least, June 21.
- The Ford government voted against an Official Opposition motion, introduced in the Ontario legislature today, calling for a full, public and independent inquiry Ontario's long-term care system -- Ontario has ordered a commission into long-term care, which is essentially just a review, delivered in backrooms and lacking legislative teeth or public oversight. Several organizations, experts and unions are slamming Premier Ford’s refusal to hold a public inquiry, including a union representing more than 60,000 frontline health care workers.
- In-person classes will not be resuming for Ontario public school students this school year, meaning students will learn from home until the end of June - Official Opposition Education critic Marit Stiles said in a statement that as parents return to work and child care centres remain shut, the government needs a plan to step up support for families.
- Ontario extended its emergency order until Many 29, which means social gatherings are still limited to five people, and bars and restaurants will remain closed - the Ford government continues to ignore calls from small businesses owners to ban commercial evictions. The Official Opposition has been echoing this call, pointing to a Toronto survey released this weekend showing that 63 per cent of businesses said they couldn't make May rent. Many small businesses are falling through the cracks in the federal rent support program, and the Official Opposition is urging Doug Ford to help businesses.
- As Ontario starts to open up, the number of new cases of COVID-19 nudged upwards on Monday, following a dip over the weekend, and the number of tests done in recent days has plummeted - Andrea Horwath has repeatedly said that re-opening must come with more testing and contact tracing.
Here are some concerns the Offical Opposition is working on, and solutions we’re pushing for:
- The Official Opposition will keep fighting for, a full, public and independent inquiry into Ontario's long-term care system .
- MPP Sol Mamakwa, Official Opposition critic for Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation said the Ford government must consult with First Nations before allowing businesses to reopen in the North. Further, the government must do more to address the issues that make First Nations more vulnerable to COVID-19 in the first place, like overcrowded housing and lack of hospitals.
- Official Opposition Auto Insurance critic Tom Rakocevic and Brampton North MPP Kevin Yarde say Ford needs to step up and lower auto insurances rates. "Major auto insurers have admitted that driving and accidents are down - In Toronto alone, accidents are down by 74 per cent," Rakocevic said in a joint press release.