Dear Neighbour,

Yesterday, the government announced specific dates for Phase One of Ontario’s re-opening plan. This includes specific guidelines which businesses and other settings will have to follow in order to re-open. This initial phase will happen in two steps over the next few days, subject to the continued trends of public health indicators. A full list of businesses and services which will be allowed to re-open can be found below. 

While many are eager to see the lifting of restrictions, we must continue to be vigilant in our practices of handwashing, wearing a mask, physically distancing and staying home as much as possible. It continues to be our collective responsibility to stop the spread of COVID-19.

We need to dramatically ramp up testing to make it safer for everyone, especially considering re-opening is already underway. No one wants to see Ontario take one step forward and two steps back. We don’t want to see more people getting sick, and freshly re-opened businesses having to close again because of outbreaks — and the solution to that is to test, test, test, and have the capacity to trace every positive case. Effective testing and contact tracing is an essential part of any re-opening plan and has been instrumental to the success of other jurisdictions that are seeing a significant decline in community spread. We also need to ensure access to personal protective equipment (PPE), especially for health care workers.

You will find more announcements below.

As always, wash your hands, stay home if you can, wear a mask if you go out, be kind. We are all in this together.

Happy Long Weekend!

The following businesses will be allowed to re-open as of 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, May 16:

• Golf courses, with clubhouses open only for washrooms and restaurants available for take-out only
• Marinas, public boat launches, and boat clubs may open for recreational use
• Private parks and campgrounds may open to enable preparation for the season and allow access to owners of trailers and RVs who have full-season contracts.
• Businesses that board animals, such as stables, may allow boarders to visit, care for, or ride their animals. 

• Retail service, not in shopping malls, with measures to ensure physical distancing such as limiting the number of customers in the store at one time or booking appointments
• Seasonal businesses and recreational activities for individual competitors, including training and sports competitions conducted by a recognized national or provincial sport organization. This includes any indoor and outdoor non-team sports competition that can be played while maintaining physical distance, without spectators, such as tennis, track and field, and horse racing.
• Animal services, including pet care, grooming, training, and regular veterinary appointments
• Indoor and outdoor household services that follow public health guidelines, such as housekeepers, cooks, cleaning, and maintenance.
• Non-essential construction workplaces
• Certain health and medical services, such as in-person counselling and scheduled surgeries, are subject to meeting conditions as outlined by the province.

In an announcement from the Minister of Health, COVID-19 testing guidelines have been expanded so that anyone with symptoms can have access to testing. Additionally, following the completion of testing all staff and residents in Ontario’s long-term care facilities, testing will be expanded to a variety of other congregate care settings, including retirement homes, shelters, and group homes.

• Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, has shared that a decision on easing restrictions on gatherings and expanding household “bubbles” is expected next week. 

• Updates on the rest of the school year, plans for child care, and summer learning will be announced on Tuesday.

• Tolls on the 407, 412, and 418 highways will be increased starting June 1 for both personal and commercial drivers via a regulation passed by the Provincial Cabinet on May 14. 

• The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $2.25 million to help farmers better protect employees and ensure the continued supply of healthy food products for consumers during the COVID-19 outbreak.

• The Province of Ontario has extended the validity period of many ID cards and other documents issued by ServiceOntario. Driver’s licenses, photo health cards, Ontario Photo cards, license plate stickers, accessible parking permits, and many other documents which expired after March 1, 2020, do not require renewal at this time and will continue to be valid for their primary function.
• Please do not attend a ServiceOntario location in-person unless absolutely necessary.