Here are today’s new developments:
- The federal government will provide support to provinces and territories in topping up wages of some essential workers – Federal Opposition Leader Jagmeet Singh criticized the federal Liberals for dragging their feet on funding the top-up, and stressed that essential front-line workers need a permanent pay raise. Many frontline workers have been excluded from Ontario’s wage top-up program.
- Canada's chief science adviser says Quebec hasn't established a detailed plan for widespread testing of COVID-19 as it gets ready to reopen schools and businesses -- testing in Ontario isn't cutting it either, with the Ford government continuing to miss its own lowered targets.
- Ontario advised hospitals today to plan to resume scheduled surgeries and procedures postponed as a result of COVID-19 -- Ontario’s Financial Accountability Office recently said about 52,000 procedures have already been cancelled or avoided, and warned about worsened health outcomes. No timelines have been attached, yet.
- The Ontario government needs to do a better job protecting temporary foreign workers working in Ontario's agriculture sector, advocates say.
Here are some concerns the Official Opposition is working on, and solutions we’re pushing for:
- Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath wants a full public inquiry into how Ontario's long-term care sector has done such an abysmal job of protecting seniors in care.
- Opposition critic for Economic Growth, Catherine Fife, and Opposition Finance critic, Sandy Shaw, are calling on the Ford government to strike an all-party select committee on the economic recovery from COVID-19.
- The Official Opposition is calling on the Ford government to ramp up testing numbers before re-opening businesses.
- As Ontario contemplates reopening the economy, the Official Oppositon is calling on the Ford government’s Labour Minister to strengthen protections for workers who refuse to do unsafe work -- as reported by the Toronto Star, over 200 workers fearful of contracting COVID-19 at their workplace filed work refusals, yet the Ministry of Labour has not upheld a single one.