Dear Neighbour,

Today, we learned the details of the province’s plans for Stage Two of re-opening. With today’s announcement, the government has implemented the approach which health professionals across the province had been calling for as the best path forward for Ontario’s recovery. The Stage Two plan takes a regional approach to re-opening, ensuring that only communities who haven’t seen new cases of COVID-19 for weeks can start to reintroduce services and re-open businesses. You can read the full plan for Stage Two re-opening here.

While this is certainly welcome news, we are not out of the woods yet in Toronto. Based on epidemiological data and public health modelling, Toronto will not adopt Stage Two re-opening measures quite yet as GTHA continues to see a steady incident rate. Alongside Toronto, the following regions will not enter Stage Two until a later date: Durham, Haldimand-Norfolk, Halton, Hamilton, Lambton, Niagara, Peel, Windsor-Essex, and York.

There are select measures which will take effect in all regions of Ontario, including Toronto, on June 12:

• Social gathering limits will be raised to 10 people. People must still practice physical distancing, by keeping at least two metres away from those outside their household.
• Places of worship will be able to reopen but must limit attendance to 30% of their building capacity, and practice physical distancing. 

While the government implements a regional approach, we still need to increase testing across the province to track spread and control infection. We also need paid sick days so that folks aren’t faced with the choice of going to work sick or having enough money to put food on the table. Premier Ford said last week that he does not support paid sick days. Ontarians have worked hard to flatten the curve and we cannot squander away the progress we’ve made by refusing to protect workers.

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

Warmly,

The Ontario government has proposed an amendment to the Commercial Tenancies Act that will temporarily halt evictions of businesses that are eligible for federal/provincial rent assistance. If passed, it will reverse evictions that occurred on or after June 3, 2020 and until August 31, 2020.

I have been pushing for relief for small businesses since the beginning of the pandemic, recognizing the tremendous effect that public health measures have taken on them. Unfortunately, this moratorium has come too late for many businesses in our neighbourhood, including local favourites like Northern Contemporary Gallery, Toronto Designers Market, The Westerly, Hey Kiddo!, Rice & Noodle, Plentea, and Koffee Kween. These businesses are gone in part because Premier Ford has repeatedly refused to provide the kind of support other provinces have for small businesses.

Even with the measures announced today, they remain too restrictive, requiring businesses to have lost 70% of their income. My colleagues and I continue to push for the Save Main Street plan to provide direct rent support for small businesses to get through the pandemic.

Due to COVID-19’s impact on the justice system, the province is extending the suspension of limitation periods and time periods in proceedings until September 11, 2020 under s.7.1 of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. This will ensure that people don’t experience legal consequences if the original time requirements of their case are not met while this order is in effect. 

• Dr. Yaffe, Ontario’s Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health, announced
  today that a strategy for visitors in long term care homes will be coming soon.
• Dr. Williams, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, shared
  today that a strategy for bubbling/cohorting (the practice of expanding close contact within a larger controlled group) may be forthcoming later this week. 
• When restaurants and cafes are able to open as part of Stage 2, the Alchohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) will allow them to create a patio or increase the size of an existing patio to enable physical distancing. These measures will stay in effect until January 1, 2021 at 3:00 am.
• The AGCO will also be providing flexibility to Ontario liquor manufacturers regarding the location of “tied houses” (the restaurants and bars located on-site at wineries, breweries, and distilleries). Effective immediately, tied houses are no longer required to be located on the manufacturing site itself, but may be located anywhere at the same municipal address.