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Ontario Opens COVID-19 Vaccine to Children Under 5
Starting Thursday, July 28 at 8:00 am, parents and caregivers of children aged six months to under five years will be able to book appointments for the paediatric COVID-19 vaccine.
Immunocompromised youth aged 12 to 17 will also become eligible to schedule their second booster dose (fifth dose) if at least six months have passed since their first booster (fourth dose).
Health Canada recently approved Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine for infants and preschoolers, marking the first vaccine approval for the age group in the country. The child-sized vaccine dose is one-quarter the size of the adult quantity.
Paediatric vaccines are being distributed across the province and will be available through public health unit clinics, as well as participating paediatricians, primary care providers and pharmacies. Appointments can be booked through the COVID-19 vaccination portal and the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900, directly through public health units using their own booking system, participating primary care providers and paediatricians, as well as at participating pharmacies and Indigenous-led vaccination clinics.
Parents and caregivers with questions are encouraged to speak with their health care provider or call the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre to speak to a health specialist or visit COVID-19 Vaccine Consult Service to book a confidential phone appointment with a SickKids Registered Nurse.
We know a lot of parents would prefer to take their kids to their own family physicians or pediatrician’s office for this shot. But too many family physicians and pediatricians have not had a steady supply of vaccine doses, or have found it difficult to get information about if and when they’ll get doses for their patients. We’re calling on the Conservative government to urgently ship doses to all family physicians and pediatricians, and keep them coming.
Ontario Extends Paid Sick Leave Until March 2023
The Ontario government announced that it will be extending its COVID-19 Worker Protection Benefit until March 31, 2023. The province amended the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) to require employers to provide employees with up to three days of paid infectious disease emergency leave because of certain reasons related to COVID‑19. Full details here.
Peggy Sattler, NDP MPP for London West, released the following statement in response to the government’s announcement on paid sick days:
“It’s cruel for Doug Ford to keep stringing workers along months at a time, never giving them enough paid sick days. At this point, he’s offered a maximum of three days to last a full three years. What happens if you’ve already used up those three days over the last two years? What happens if a worker or their child is sick with a non-COVID-related illness? This puts workers right back at square one, forcing them to choose between going to work sick and making coworkers and customers sick — or losing pay. And it subsidizes large profitable corporations that should be providing paid sick days but aren't.
Workers deserve 10 permanent employer-paid annual sick days. The government should pass my Stay Home If You Are Sick Act as soon as the Legislature returns.” Sign the petition here.
Hospital Workers Demand Action on Staffing Crisis
Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare and Canadian Union of Public Employees/Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (CUPE/OCHU) held a joint press conference announcing that they will be sending open letters to Premier Doug Ford and the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) demanding “full transparency and staff support to fix the worsening health human resource crisis in Ontario.”
The letter to OHA outlines five action items they want to see taken including:
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Launching a website to disclose real-time staffing shortages at each hospital
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Weekly public press conferences on the status of hospital management’s plans for uninterrupted care delivery and keeping emergency rooms open
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Joint meetings with the new health minister to discuss retention and recruitment efforts on a quarterly basis
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Ending the “misleading” OHA marketing campaign and using diverting advertising funds for care
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Filling vacancies by ending the use of agency staff and eliminating the cap on mental health support for emotionally exhausted frontline hospital staff
A report recently released by the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario revealed that the Ford government withheld $1.8 billion earmarked for health care as part of $7.2 billion in mid-year cuts for 2021-22.
NDP Finance critic Catherine Fife said the $7.2 billion in underspending is cuts by stealth. “In health care and education, people are begging for investment to attract, train, hire and retain the staff we desperately need,” said Fife. “It’s time to invest to rebuild and improve the public services we all count on.
Premier Considers Strong Mayor Plan for Toronto, Ottawa
Premier Doug Ford is considering legislating strong mayor powers for Toronto and Ottawa, similar to the executive authorities in many cities in the U.S. It is not yet clear exactly what powers the new legislation might grant the mayor, but he said that a two-thirds majority would be able to overrule the mayor at council.
In a motion on Thursday, Toronto City Council asked that the province consult with the city on governance ahead of any changes and grant it additional powers in a number of areas including traffic safety measures, planning and housing, cannabis and liquor licenses, and revenue-raising measures and budgeting.
While council asked the province to give it greater autonomy, it chose not to oppose a move toward a strong mayor system altogether, rejecting a motion that would have asked the province not to implement the system.
NDP Municipal Affairs critic Jeff Burch released the following statement on behalf of the Official Opposition:
“Why did Premier Doug Ford keep his Strong Mayor plan secret throughout the campaign? Why won’t he consult municipalities or the people they represent? It’s baffling that Ford is focused on giving two mayors more power, instead of working on giving municipalities support that would actually help people — like better funding for housing, public health, long-term care and transit.”
Toronto Housing Committee Calls for Renoviction Legislation
Toronto city council is considering a proposal to ask the Ontario government to prevent landlords from raising rent between tenants. The planning and housing committee says the province should introduce legislation that would end what is known as vacancy decontrol, which allows landlords to charge new tenants any amount they want for vacant units. Such a bill would help to protect tenants, preserve affordable housing and deter what is known as renovictions, which occur when landlords evict tenants illegitimately by saying they need to do renovations or repairs.
Currently, landlords are allowed to raise the rent by the provincial rent increase guideline, which is 2.5% for 2023. That’s the maximum a landlord can hike rents for most units during a year without the approval of the Landlord and Tenant Board. But that guideline doesn't apply to vacant residential units. If landlords want to do major upgrades, they can apply to the board for approval to raise rents by more than the guideline permits.
The committee also wants council to ask the province:
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To work with the city to look at existing legislation to protect tenants from renoviction as a result of maintenance, repair and renovation done by a landlord through a building permit.
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To increase funding of the provincial Rental Housing Enforcement Unit to set up an after-hours emergency line for tenants or landlords, to add more inspectors, and to increase the frequency of site visits to investigate complaints.
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To make the Landlord and Tenant Board more accessible to individuals and groups of tenants seeking reduction in rents when their rental units fall into disrepair.
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To create a centralized data system and registry to register all rental properties in Toronto; and make the data available to the public.
Ontario NDP Housing Critic MPP Jessica Bell said the Ford government should immediately pass the NDP’s proposed Rent Stabilization Act, which would ensure that all tenants pay what the previous tenant paid. People in Ontario are in the middle of a housing crisis, and allowing landlords to hike the rent unchecked between tenants is a major contributor to driving up market rental prices. The NDP plans to retable the legislation in the coming session.
Toronto and Government of Canada Announce Non-profit Partners to Deliver 260 New Affordable Supportive Homes
On July 8, the City of Toronto and Government of Canada announced support for non-profit partners to rapidly deliver 260 new affordable and supportive homes in Toronto. Full details here.
The projects announced are being led by:
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St. Felix Centre, 25 Augusta Ave. (Ward 10)
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Wigwamen Incorporated, 525 Markham Rd.
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Akwa Honsta Non-Profit Aboriginal Homes, 136 Kingston Rd.
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St. Clare’s Multifaith Housing Society, 1120 Ossington Ave.
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Canadian Helen Keller Centre, 150 Eighth St.
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WoodGreen Community Housing, 60 Bowden St. and 1080 Queen St. E.
Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI) funding will enable the rapid creation of new supportive and affordable homes, and two-thirds of the homes also will provide wraparound support services and be prioritized for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Two projects being led by Wigwamen and Akwa Honsta will create 86 deeply affordable homes for Indigenous peoples and reflect the City of Toronto’s earlier commitment to allocate more than 20% of its total RHI Phase 2 funding to Indigenous-led developments. In addition, more than 40 per cent of the new homes will be prioritized for women-led households.
FMTA Tenant School
The Federation of Metro Tenants’ Associations is presenting a Tenant School program which provides training to tenants and tenant association leaders about your rights under the law and how you can organize with your neighbours. To register, please fill out the form here.
On Zoom:
- Tuesday, August 9, 7-8:30 pm: Introduction to Landlord-Tenant Law
- Wednesday, August 10, 7-8:30 pm: Human Rights and Housing
- Thursday, August 11, 7-8:30 pm: City Hall 101
In-person at Christie Pits Park:
Sunday, August 14, 11:30 am - 4:30 pm:
OTF Capital Grants for Non-Profits
Applications for Ontario Trillium Foundation’s Capital grants are now open to help non-profit organizations address a community need by improving the infrastructure Ontarians need to thrive. Whether it’s purchasing equipment, building a new space, or completing renovations, retrofits or repairs, Capital grants support projects that will have a positive impact in your community.
Before your organization prepares its grant application, review the following information:
Grant application deadline is August 3, 2022 at 5:00 pm. For more information, contact OTF’s Support Centre at otf@otf.ca or 1-800 263-2887.
TTC Wants Your Feedback
The TTC is preparing its 2023 Annual Service Plan (ASP), which will identify how it will serve customers in the coming year. As part of this process, the Service Planning Department is seeking feedback on three priorities from the plan, including:
You can share your feedback by completing the 2023 Annual Service Plan survey here. The survey will be available until July 31, 2022. You can also share your feedback by leaving a message at 647-955-6256. To learn more about the plan at ttc.ca.
Feedback on Future Spaces Under the Gardiner
In partnership with the City of Toronto, The Bentway is developing the Under Gardiner Public Realm Plan to outline how the spaces under the Expressway can better serve our city. What would you like to protect and what would you like to see change?
Share your thoughts, stories, and ideas using the survey and interactive map here.
Statistics Canada Releases New Census Data
Statistics Canada has released new findings from the 2021 Census that is now available online at www.statcan.gc.ca/census and includes data insights on Canada’s families, households and marital status; Canadian military experience; and income.
StatsCAN, the agency’s newest mobile application, is a new tool that will allow you to access data and is now available and free to download.
Vaccine Clinics
See all vaccine clinics here.
Construction & Road Closures
See all announcements here.
Fun Things to Do
OSSFest: For its fifth edition, OssFest returns for a pedestrian take over of the Ossington Strip between Dundas St. W. and Queen St. W. Details here. July 23.
Youth Day Global: This festival provides a public stage to engage and encourage youth to find a passion in the arts via music, dance, art, photography, fashion and film. Details here. July 24. Yonge Dundas Square.
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