Significantly enhanced measures will help contain spread of COVID-19
SIMCOE – The Government of Ontario has announced that it is taking decisive action by making an order declaring an emergency under s 7.0.1 (1) the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. In doing so, Ontario is using every power possible to continue to protect the health and safety of all individuals and families.
“We are facing an unprecedented time in our history,” said Premier Ford.
“This is a decision that was not made lightly. COVID-19 constitutes a danger of major proportions. We are taking this extraordinary measure because we must offer our full support and every power possible to help our health care sector fight the spread of COVID-19. The health and wellbeing of every Ontarian must be our number one priority.”
As a result of this declaration and its associated orders, the following establishments are legally required to close immediately: * All facilities providing indoor recreational programs; * All public libraries; * All private schools as defined in the Education Act; * All licensed child care centres; * All bars and restaurants, except to the extent that such facilities provide takeout food and delivery; * All theatres including those offering live performances of music, dance, and other art forms, as well as cinemas that show movies; and * Concert venues.
Further, all organized public events of over fifty people are also prohibited, including parades and events and communal services within places of worship. These orders were approved by the Lieutenant Governor in Council and will remain in place until March 31, 2020, at which point they will be reassessed and considered for extension, unless this order is terminated earlier.
“We are acting on the best advice of our Chief Medical Officer of Health and other leading public health officials across the province,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “We know these measures will affect people’s every day lives, but they are necessary to ensure that we can slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect our people. We’re working with all partners across the system, from public health to hospitals and community care, to do everything we can to contain this virus and ensure that the system is prepared to respond to any scenario.”
“Our government is taking an important step to protect Ontarians by declaring a provincial emergency through the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, establishing Ontario’s ability to quickly implement and enforce orders in the public interest,” said Solicitor General Jones. “Our government will continue to respond to this outbreak by limiting the exposure of individuals to COVID-19 and ensure the health and well-being of all Ontarians.”
Ontario is also investing up to $304 million to enhance the province’s response to COVID-19 by providing the following: * $100 million for increased capacity in hospitals to assist with the effective treatment of COVID-19 patients both in critical care and medicine beds. * $50 million for more testing and screening through public health, including additional funding to support extraordinary costs incurred to monitor, detect and contain COVID-19 in the province. This includes contact tracing, increased laboratory testing capacity and home testing. * $50 million to further protect frontline workers, first responders and patients by increasing the supply of personal protective equipment and other critical supplies and equipment to protect them. * $25 million to support frontline workers working in COVID-19 assessment centres, including the creation of a new fund to provide respite care, child care services and other supports as they are needed. * $50 million for long-term care homes to support 24/7 screening, additional staffing to support infection control and additional supplies. * $20 million for residential facilities in developmental services, gender-based services and protective care for children and youth to support additional staffing, respite for caregivers impacted by school closures, personal protective equipment and supplies and transportation costs to minimize client exposure and to support social distancing, as well as additional cleaning costs. * $5 million to protect seniors in retirement homes through increased infection control and active screening procedures. * $4 million for Indigenous communities to support transportation costs for health care professionals and the distribution of critical supplies.
QUICK FACTS
* The increased funding includes investments from Ontario’s previously-announced COVID-19 Contingency Fund, as well as funding provided by the federal government. * Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more serious respiratory infections like bronchitis, pneumonia or severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). * There is no vaccine available to protect against the 2019 novel coronavirus, but there are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses. To find out more visit Ontario’s website.
LEARN MORE
* Visit Ontario’s Coronavirus website > to learn more about how the province continues to protect Ontarians from COVID-19. * Learn about travel advisories > related to the 2019 novel coronavirus. * If you are a health care professional, learn how to protect yourself and your patients by reading our guidance documents >. * For public inquiries call ServiceOntario, INFOline at 1-866-532-3161 (Toll-free in Ontario only) * For more information, contact MPP Toby Barrett at 519-428-0446 or toby.barrett@pc.ola.org Please mention The Silo when contacting.
FEDERAL ALERTS
Get the latest info from Health Canada about COVID-19.
UPDATE- Back to School
Investment and respect for students and parents
By Toby Barrett, MPP
Covid-19 has been one of our greatest challenges. We are all touched by it.
Although older people are more vulnerable, children are at risk and must be
protected. But, moving forward, they must be protected and educated. The Ontario
government is maintaining the flexibility to do what’s needed to maximize the
learning experience while putting public health first.
Since March, using advice from top medical experts and the Chief Medical Officer of
Health, this government has worked hard to communicate, adapt, and develop
strategies to educate and inform parents, and protect students, teachers, and
support staff.
On March 20, the Ministry of Education unveiled the Learn at Home web portal, which
provides families and students with key online learning resources for all subjects
and grades.
Our goal of safely reopening schools and respecting parental choice continued on
June 19, when we released a reopening guidance plan to school boards and asked for
their upcoming school year restart plans. On the same day, the Ontario government
announced $736 million more for the 2020-21 school year, increasing the total to
more than $25.5 billion. This funding, through the Grants for Student Needs (GSN)
program, represents the largest public education investment in Ontario’s history.
Our average per-pupil funding has reached $12,525, an increase of $250 over the
previous year.
Under the GSN, the new $213 million student-centric Supports for Students Fund (SSF)
will support special education, mental health and well-being, language instruction,
Indigenous education, and STEM programming.
On July 30, the government issued the Guide to Reopening Ontario’s Schools. This
committed over $300 million to support a safe reopening of Ontario’s schools. The
guide provides a baseline to which the school boards are encouraged to adapt to meet
local needs.
On August 7, with the federal government, we provided $234.6 million to keep
children and staff safe in child care and early years settings. This will help
support enhanced cleaning, health and safety requirements, and the reopening of
licensed child care and early years programs.
Please note parents and guardians have until August 31, 2020 to apply for Support
for Families. Under this program, parents or guardians of children between 0-12
years old, or up to 21 years old for children and youth with special needs, are
eligible for a one-time payment, per child, to purchase educational materials to
support learning at home.
Minister Lecce recently announced more than $500 million for school boards to ensure
schools will reopen safely in September. This will enable more physical distancing
in classrooms, direct funding to utilize non-school community spaces, and allow
boards to make needs-based adjustments.
The government has been flexible and does what’s required to respect parents and
students while putting public health first. We now lead the nation in many ways:
* Total funding at five times the per-pupil amount of the BC government
* The highest amount of funding for cleaning
* The most comprehensive masking policy, and the only province to require
masks in the classroom at all times for all students and staff in Grade 4-12
* The only province hiring public health nurses to support student health in
schools, dedicating funding toward student mental health, with a testing
strategy and dollars behind it, and dedicating funding towards health and
safety training for staff.
For local school board information, go to:
http://www.Granderie.ca
http://www.bhncdsb.ca
UPDATE Difficult times require different ways to cope
We continue to get a lot of calls during these tough times – bear in mind, it’s
normal to feel stressed out, worried, sad and confused during this pandemic.
What’s really important is to look after yourself – not only your physical health
but also your mental health.
We know that more and more people are experiencing stress, anxiety and other mental
health problems as they help stop the spread by staying home, often times alone.
There are many who are comfortable being home all the time – perhaps retired, or
farming, or running a home workplace electronically – but for many the lack of
social and physical contact can result in loneliness, depression, strife, domestic
violence, etc.
Since the first case was diagnosed January 25, in Ontario, I have been directing
people to Ontario.ca/coronavirus – a website with an informative tab outlining some
of the supports available for mental health and addictions.
This is a difficult time for everyone – and everyone has different ways to cope. In
some cases, social isolation can lead to potential relapse for people with a history
of addiction and substance abuse. I had a 20-year career with the Ontario Addiction
Research Foundation before being elected – the resources are there, and it’s
important to reach out for help and support. The Addiction Research Foundation
merged in to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health – a valuable resource for
tips and coping strategies can be found at http://www.camh.ca<http://www.camh.ca>. As
well, many AA meetings having moved from church basements are moving online through
technology like Zoom. Founded in 1935, Alcoholics Anonymous is found at
http://www.aa.org<http://www.aa.org>.
Across Ontario, the Canadian Mental Health Association has help available at
Ontario.cmha.ca/local-cmha-branch-supports. Assistance can be in person, by phone,
or in a variety of virtual ways.
Recently, the Ontario Government expanded virtual mental health services to help
thousands of people, including frontline health care workers.
Farming, by its nature, can be a solitary way of life, hence part of its appeal.
Personally, my time on a tractor allows me to relax and gives me time to think and
reflect. It also provides a bit of exercise, fresh air and sunshine – all good for
the soul. However, tough times can also mean tough times for farmers. The weather,
input costs, uncertainties in the market can lead to stress and distraction – also a
recipe for farm accidents.
A mental health kit has been developed for farmers. Visit
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/about/mental-health.htm<http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/about/mental-health.htm>.
For immediate help call 1-866-531-2600.
Financial stress can affect any business in any sector. Under the Canadian. Help is also available
Agricultural Partnership, farmers in trouble can receive advice at no cost by
calling 1-877-424-1300 or going to
ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca
through the Farm Debt Mediation Service at 1-866-452-5556. The Do More Agriculture
Foundation also offers good advice.
And, of course, seniors have worked hard for the benefit of us all, now it’s time to
provide for them – give them a call, or an email or a helping hand.
That friend you’ve been meaning to call, reach out today! Checking in on others is
important right now. Helping each other out is how we will get through this.
Toby Barrett MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk
UPDATE- Soil temperatures, soil conditions, weather forecasts, commodity markets,
availability of labour, and the restrictions of COVID-19 weigh heavily this spring.
COVID-19 is life changing for all and certainly for the business of farming. Ernie
Hardeman, Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and I, as
Parliamentary Assistant, have been actively engaging stakeholders. It’s been one of
the busiest times in my recent memory – but helping keep Ontario fed and functioning
is worth the long days and nights.
COVID-19 has caused a significant disruption to our food supply chain particularly
with milk, cattle, and hogs.
To set the stage, most understand where food comes from, but not all: a constituent
asked why not donate surplus hogs to food banks. Although thoughtful, food banks
can’t accept live hogs, they require processing. And processing capacity is down.
Accordingly, a recently-announced federal package provides money for beef and pork
producers for animals they can’t sell; a $50-million fund to purchase and deliver
food to food banks; and, a diary industry credit program – as part of a $252 million
agriculture and food industry aid package. Prime Minister Trudeau also allotted $77
million to help keep food processing workers safe using protective equipment and
physical distancing strategies.
Here’s an abridged list of provincial efforts:
We’re supporting Ontario’s vital dairy sector. Licenses and certificates for dairy
plants, bulk tank milk graders, plant milk, cream graders, and shopkeeper
distributors are being extended until 90 days after the lifting of Ontario’s
emergency orders.
We are seeking solutions to food system labour challenges committing up to $1
million helping to match workers with farms and agri-food businesses. And we’re
helping the sector provide more food online withup to $2.5 million to help expand
e-business.
Following a request by the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’
Association,
we’re extending production premiums due in May until June 30, 2020.
We’re partnering with the Canadian Government to provide immediate support to the
Agri-food Sector with intakes funded by the Canadian Agricultural Partnership
(CAP).
We are extending Risk Management Program (RMP), AgriStability, CAP Dairy, and
Provincially Licensed Abattoirs enrollment and intake deadlines. We’ve extended to
June 30, 2020 the CAP program application deadline for Ontario’s
provincially-licensed abattoirs and provincially-inspected diary plants. A grant of
$150,000 will help train inspectors of meat, dairy, and livestock to continue
operation of provincial plants.
To deal with this virus, the Ontario Food Terminal is receiving $350,000 for
enhanced cleaning and screening.
Beekeepers will know we are temporarily making the apiary registration a one-time
process as opposed to annual, and we are extending permits.
I should add that it’s not only been Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs that has
taken necessary action in response to COVID-19, ministries across the Ontario
government have also been providing assistance to the agri-food sector.
The Ministry of Transportation has exempted agriculture and agri-food items from the
seasonal road restrictions in the spring.
The Ministry of Environment has extended licences from the Ontario Pesticides
Education Program to December 31st, 2020.
And the Ministry of Energy has extended the time-of-use electricity rate relief for
families, small businesses, and farms through May 31, 2020.
Plenty done. More to do.
Good luck to all farmers this season. Stay healthy, physically distance but no need
to socially isolate – our future depends on you.
Toby Barrett MPP for Haldimand-Norfolk