Other News

In over 80 countries the world over, on this date each year people pause to think of the thousands of workers across this country who have been killed, injured or suffered illness as a result of workplace conditions or incidents. People do this out of respect for the fallen and their loved ones who they left behind, of course. However, ...

The leaders of OPSEU are applauding Premier Doug Ford and his government for increasing the pay of a large number of frontline public sector workers in recognition of the vital and dangerous work they’re doing during the pandemic. “The Premier has said he wants to support frontline workers, and he’s keeping his word,” said OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas. “This ...

The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $2.5 million to help the agri-food sector expand online, providing more opportunities for producers to grow their business and offer more food choices for families who are shopping from home during the COVID-19 outbreak. The funding is being provided through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (the Partnership). The Agri-Food Open for ...

On the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the Ontario government is introducing new and amending some emergency orders under subsection 7.0.2 (4) of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act to better support Ontario’s long-term care homes and deafblind community. The orders would allow for the redeployment of staff to ensure they can work where they are needed most ...

The Ontario government is partnering with the federal government to provide urgent relief for small businesses and landlords affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The province is committing $241 million through the new Ontario-Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance Program (OCECRA). The total amount of provincial-federal relief that would be provided is more than $900 million, helping to ensure small businesses are ...

Ontario is delivering a new COVID-19 Action Plan for Vulnerable People to better protect vulnerable populations during the outbreak of COVID-19. This plan builds on the government’s previous actions to protect people living in high-risk settings, including homes serving those with developmental disabilities, shelters for survivors of gender-based violence and human trafficking, children’s residential settings, and those residential settings supporting vulnerable Indigenous ...

“All heroes should be treated like heroes,” said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, urging the government to agree to give all workers in congregate care settings the same deal as the staff at Participation House will now, finally, get.   The Markham assisted living home for adults with disabilities is experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak. An agreement has been reached to double their pay ...

The Official Opposition wants a list of long-term care facilities and other congregate care settings experiencing outbreaks of COVID-19 to be posted publicly online.   The NDP’s call comes after at least 31 deaths were confirmed at a Pickering long-term care facility that was reporting only four deaths just days ago.   “This is a scary time for families with loved ...

Doug Ford and Stephen Lecce gave teachers, students and families the impression that at least 21,000 new iPads were on the way to give families in need access to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The truth is that school boards won’t get a single extra device.   “We’ve heard from boards all over the province that are inundated with ...

Doug Ford et Stephen Lecce ont laissé croire, tant aux enseignant·es qu’aux élèves et à leurs familles, qu’au moins 21 000 nouvelles tablettes iPad parviendraient très bientôt aux familles dans le besoin, afin de permettre aux élèves qui en font partie d’avoir accès à l’apprentissage en ligne pendant la pandémie de COVID-19. Or, la vérité c’est que les conseils scolaires ne ...

The Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) and its members working in long-term care facilities are relieved that the ruling of the Superior Ontario Court today orders four long-term care homes to immediately rectify several serious health and safety issues that have resulted in devastating COVID-19 outbreaks. “It is truly a huge relief to know that after exhausting all other avenues, the ...

On the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the Ontario government is extending all emergency orders that have been put in place to-date under s.7.0.2 (4) of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act until May 6, 2020. This extension will help protect the health and well-being of people across the province and stop the spread of COVID-19. This Emergency ...

The Ontario government is making progress on the implementation of the COVID-19 Action Plan for Protecting Long-Term Care Homes to help stop and contain the spread of COVID-19 in the province’s long-term care homes. The government has introduced more aggressive testing, screening, and surveillance, deployed specialized teams from hospitals, public health and the home care sector, recruited additional frontline staff, and increased ...

NDP Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath held a kitchen table chat by video conference with students in Ontario who are struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Horwath heard from Brandon Rheal Amyot in Orillia, Ali C. in Peterborough and Sarah Jonasson in Brantford. Amyot is currently studying Political Science and Media Studies at Lakehead University’s Orillia campus. They were already ...

The Ontario government is investing $20 million to advance medical research and develop tools and resources to combat COVID-19 and other infectious diseases through the Ontario COVID-19 Rapid Research Fund. The government is calling on all of the province’s world-class research institutions, postsecondary institutions, and non-profit scientific partners to take action in the development of innovative solutions to track and defeat COVID-19. The ...