Greater Sudbury,
I hope that you are enjoying the beautiful, warm weather and are taking some time to reconnect with nature! The last few months have been a stressful and difficult time. I know many of you are eager for life to return to normal.
Each stage of this pandemic has brought new challenges. The last few weeks my office has received many requests for assistance and questions about what is coming next. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out. My team is continuing to work to respond to your inquiries as soon as we can.
Last week, I attended Question Period at Queen’s Park for the first time since the pandemic began. The Legislature has now resumed sittings with new physical distancing measures in place. I look forward to continuing to bring your concerns to the government. I am working with my NDP colleagues to help workers stay safe, ensure frontline workers receive the support they deserve, stand up for our small businesses, and address the policy gaps in the provincial government’s response to COVID-19.
In this update you will find information on:
- Ontario’s re-opening plan,
- Supports for small businesses,
- The Ontario NDP’s calls for an inquiry into long-term care,
- Pandemic Pay for Frontline Workers,
- Worker’s Rights during COVID-19,
- And community resources.
This e-newsletter is up to date as of May 23rd.
For more information on measures and supports related to COVID-19, please visit my website here.
If you know someone who may be interested in receiving these updates, please share the sign up page found here.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns to 705-675-1914 or JWest-CO@ndp.on.ca. My team and I are here to help.
Sincerely,
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Jamie West
MPP for Sudbury
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Ontario’s stages for re-opening
This week the government started easing restrictions on workplaces that are able to operate safely and follow public health guidelines. Some businesses and services are now open and welcoming customers.
Read more about Ontario’s first stage of re-opening here.
Provincial Parks and conservations reserves are open for limited day-use access. Access is limited to walking, hiking, biking and birdwatching.
The City of Greater Sudbury is re-opening a number of its outdoor recreational amenities over the coming days, including dog parks, sports fields, tennis courts and more. Please find the full list of amenities and services here.
Effective Saturday, May 23, the City of Greater Sudbury will re-open the household hazardous waste depot to residents.
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Schools will not be re-opening this spring
This week the provincial government announced that schools will not be re-opening for the rest of the school year. The provincial government is planning for the reopening of schools for the 2020-21 school year, the gradual reopening of child care, and the opening of summer day camps subject to the continuing progress in trends of key public health indicators.
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Help for small and medium sized businesses and
community organizations
Over the last few weeks, I’ve spoken with many businesses and non-profit organizations worried they won’t be able to re-open with the rest of Ontario’s economy.
As the MPP for Sudbury, I will continue to fight for the supports that local businesses should have had two months ago. That is why my NDP colleagues and I have proposed a Save Main Street plan that would give businesses and non-profit organizations up to $10,000 a month in rent subsidies. You can read more in my letter in the Sudbury Star here. |
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Pandemic Pay
Our office has received many questions about who is eligible for the $4 per hour top-up Pandemic Pay and when it will be available.
I am disappointed that many of the workers on the frontlines of this pandemic are not included in the list of workers eligible for the pay top-up. These workers deserve recognition and support. My NDP colleagues and I are calling on the government to expand pandemic pay and make the pay retro-active to the beginning of the pandemic. You can join us in calling for more support for these workers by signing our petition here.
You can find more information about access to Pandemic Pay here. If you have questions about eligibility please fill out the Treasury Board Secretariat’s Contact us form here or contact our office at JWest-co@ndp.on.ca
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Ontario needs a Public Inquiry into Long-Term Care
My heart goes out to all of those who have lost loved ones in COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care homes across the province. About 75 per cent of those lives lost to COVID-19 in Ontario were seniors and staff in long-term care. The pandemic has shown just how dangerous it always was to leave nursing homes underfunded, with low-staffing levels and lack of regulations.
My NDP colleagues and I have called for a non-partisan, independent, public inquiry into the failures in our long-term care system.
We are concerns about the Ford government's insistence on a government commission, instead of a public inquiry. A government commission won’t give long-term care residents and their families, seniors entering care, and loved ones of COVID-19 victims the voice they deserve. A commission won’t deliver the overhaul the system needs to ensure this never happens again.
We need a public inquiry that will result in action to fix those things we all know are wrong in nursing homes — from the lack of nutritious meals to the lack of staff on every shift. You can join our call for a public inquiry here.
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Worker Safety during COVID-19
Over the course of the pandemic our office has received many questions about their rights at work during COVID-19. As workplaces re-open, we’ve received many questions from workers worried about staying safe on the job, and from employers unsure of what steps they should take to keep customers and workers safe.
My NDP colleague MPP Wayne Gates, official opposition critic for workplace health and safety, and I have written to the Premier and Minister of Labour calling on the provincial government to strike a Workplace Safety Readiness Committee. This committee would work pro-actively to ensure that, as workplaces re-open, they have the tools, resources, and PPE they need to keep workers and the broader public safe and healthy. You can learn more about this proposal here, and read my letter here.
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Community Resources during COVID-19
During COVID-19 I know many people are looking for resources, and opportunities to stay informed and involved in our community. Find more information about some of the services available in our community here to help:
- Meals On Wheels in Sudbury has paired with Foodland in Capreol and Garson, as well as the Valu Mart in Dowling to pick up and deliver your groceries to seniors and vulnerable residents. Find out more here.
- If you're missing the social aspect of visiting your local library during the pandemic, staff at the Greater Sudbury Public Library are ready to help. The library has launched a phone check-in service. Find out more here.
- You can get a weekly dose of some good science from the comfort of your own home starting this week. Laurentian University and Science North have teamed up for a weekly lecture series called Let’s Talk About COVID-10. The public is welcome to tune into the six-week lecture series, each of which is being livestreamed on the Facebook pages of Science North and Laurentian University.
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