Friends and neighbours,

Every day, my staff and I are hearing from people in our community, and across Ontario, who are struggling to get through this pandemic. From tenants worried about making rent, to families who have lost half their income, it has been really tough. 

And for those who were already facing barriers, the effects of this virus have been compounded. I have heard from a number of people with disabilities, who have taken a huge hit from lost income, but have been either unable to claim emergency benefits or have had their ODSP benefits put at risk. The province has only provided a meagre, one-time $100 emergency fund for individuals on social assistance to deal with added costs.

Instead of following the lead of provinces like British Columbia, or taking the federal government’s recommendations to not clawback benefits, Ontario has taken the opposite approach.

Quietly, online, Community Services Minister Todd Smith has confirmed that for any $1 a household receives from the federal CERB benefit — because a member of the household has lost their job due to COVID-19 — the Ford government will take away either 50-cents or $1 from the household, if someone in that household is receiving social assistance benefits. That’s absolutely wrong, and our caucus wasted no time calling them out. 

Beyond access to benefits, Ontarians with disabilities are drawing attention to other existing barriers that are putting people people at risk, and demanding action. Today, in the Toronto Star, David Leposky, Chair of Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance and visiting professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, spelled it out clearly. I encourage you to give it a read. 

Last week, I joined our caucus critic on Disability Issues, MPP Joel Harden, and activists and rights advocates for a roundtable discussion about COVID-19 and what more we can all do to ensure that no one is left behind in our pandemic response. If you’d like to share your story of navigating COVID-19 as a person with a disability or family member, please get in touch. Together, we can keep pushing for better.

Marit

Today, as part of the Food Bank Challenge, I worked with our Davenport neighbours and members of Davenport Mutual Aid to collect donations for the food bank at Oasis Dufferin Community Centre. 

Thank you to everyone who donated and to the amazing staff & volunteers at Oasis Dufferin for your incredible effort to help folks in our community who are in desperate need. 

You can learn more about making donations or accessing supports from Oasis here: www.oasisdufferin.org

Find out who I nominated for the challenge on twitter. 

Here are today’s new developments: 

• Prime Minister Trudeau announced a new fund for community organizations community organizations, and said businesses can start applying for the federal wage subsidy — companies can use the new CRA calculator to see what they qualify for —with so many small and medium-sized businesses floundering, the NDP has been asking Ontario to step up and provide additional supports, including rent subsidies as part of our "Save Mainstreet" plan.

• Federal officials say it is up to each individual province to ramp up its COVID-19 testing and contact tracing — a key factor in opening up the economy. Yet Ontario continues to lag when it comes to testing.

• An additional 101 health care workers have contracted COVID-19 — including 27 nursing home workers — bringing the total of confirmed health care worker cases to 1,368. The NDP has been pushing the Ford government to take long-overdue action to better protect workers and residents in long-term care. 

• At the same time as Ontario is launching a fund to help community organizations deliver food and other essentials to low-income seniors, the province is clawing back money from social assistance recipients. 

• The NDP's Poverty and Homelessness critic joined forces with a physician who has worked for decades with people experiencing homelessness, stressing that if the government doesn't immediately increase testing and provide safe places for people experiencing homelessness to isolate, shelters will become the next epicentre of the pandemic. 

• We are asking the Ford government to immediately ramp up protective measures in correctional facilities--including more testing and making sure everyone has the PPE they need--to prevent further crises like the one facing Brampton's Ontario Correctional Institute, where at least 60 inmates and eight workers have tested positive for COVID-19. 

"Health experts and frontline workers have been clear about what must be done," said NDP Community Safety critic Kevin Yarde,"It's beyond time for the government to act on these clear and critical recommendations."

• My team is assisting residents who are having difficulty accessing benefits, and we're pushing the government to ensure that no one in our community will go without needed supports because of their immigration status.
   
• We are hearing from family members who are concerned about their loved ones in long-term care, as well as family members receiving homecare. We're working to bring those concerns forward to the provincial government. 
   
• We continue to field a huge number of calls and emails as a result of the pandemic, and have brought on board a new staff person, Elaine Perkins, to help us support the community at this time. 
  Welcome Elaine!

Public Health Updates

COVID-19 self-assessment tool:
Use this to determine what steps you should take should you exhibit symptoms: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/self-assessment/#q0

Reminder that updates on the pandemic response are available daily on the following websites:

Toronto.ca/coronavirus

Information from Toronto Public Health on local cases, how to protect yourself and where to seek further medical support.

Ontario.ca/coronavirus

Information from Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long Term Care

Find out how to protect yourself, what to do if you’re sick and how to recognize possible symptoms. Updated twice daily, in 30 languages.

Canada.ca/coronavirus

Information from the Government of Ontario and the Public Health Agency of Canada

Updates on the national response and access to emergency support benefits.