Dear Neighbours,

In this week’s update you’ll find a number of important updates about provincial government announcements and my work on your behalf at Queen’s Park. I know that it has been an uncertain time as we experience a second wave of this virus, and I am working hard to bring your voice and concerns to the table. 

I know many of us will be disappointed that yet another important holiday will be spent away from family and friends, but I hope you are able to make some new traditions to stay connected. I’ll be giving thanks for the generosity and compassion people in our community have shown over these long months. If you know someone who has gone above and beyond to help out during this pandemic, consider nominating them for recognition in our new Davenport Good Neighbours project. We’ve already had a number of great nominees who I’ll be reaching out to this week. We’ll feature their stories online in the weeks to come. 

Please read on for new updates on policy and public health. As a reminder, here in Toronto we are being advised to limit our contacts to people within our own household wherever possible. Hand-washing, masks in indoor public spaces and keeping a 2 metre distance from others are still powerful and essential tools in protecting each other, and you can always find links to the latest public health advice on my website:
maritstiles.ca/coronavirus.

Thank you and have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Marit Stiles, MPP
Davenport
1199 Bloor St. West
416-535-3158

In this issue:

• New public health measures announced

• Update on Fairview Nursing Home Outbreak

• Speaking up for essential caregivers

• Towards a new, public and non-profit long-term care system

• Long-term Care Digital Town Hall - October 15

• More turmoil in schools as classes are reorganized

• New childcare changes proposed

COVID-19: New measures announced

Update on Fairview Nursing Home Outbreak

As you may have seen in the press, the Fairview Nursing Home, a private long-term care home in Little Portugal, has been dealing with a significant COVID-19 outbreak that has affected residents, many staff and has resulted in the death of 3 people.

I want to share my condolences with the families and friends of those who lost loved ones, and my concerns for the residents and staff still affected.

I have been in touch with the management of the home, the Ministry of Long-Term Care, and SEIU, the union representing the  workers there. The ministry, Toronto Public Health and the University Health Network are also providing support. From all reports, the situation seems to be stabilizing and may have hit its peak, but this outbreak has also driven up the case reporting data in this part of our community.

This outbreak also underscores the continued threat posed to our vulnerable seniors by this virus, and by a failure of the provincial government to prepare for this second wave. The case was raised by me and by the Leader of the Official Opposition in the Legislature this morning, and we continue to call for major changes to both the way we are dealing with this pandemic, and the way our long-term care serves the people it is meant to.

Speaking up for essential caregivers

Wednesday, I spoke in the Legislature and raised the concerns of essential caregivers across the province who are facing obstacles to seeing their loved ones due to the significant and growing wait times for testing.

Towards a new, public and non-profit long-term care system

I’m excited to share that today, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath released our vision for what a long-term care system that will give our parents and grandparents a better quality of life as they age.

We’re proposing a new, public and non-profit system where every dollar goes directly to residents — not to corporate profits.

Read our plan here.

Long-term Care Digital Town Hall - October 15

Next Thursday, October 15, at 6pm, I will be hosting a joint townhall Live on Facebook with Bhutila Karpoche, MPP for Parkdale-High Park on the issue of long term care.
We will be talking with workers, families and caregivers on what needs to be done to fix the problems in the sector.

RSVP Here.

More turmoil in schools as classes are reorganized

It was a week of more turmoil in the school system as boards were forced to reorganize classes and move teachers yet again. In the TCDSB, some students still hadn’t begun virtual learning as teachers were still being assigned. In the TDSB alone, more than 7,000 students are leaving schools because parents don’t have confidence in this government’s back to school plan.

Not only will students be reorganized into new class cohorts after just a few weeks, but those classes will be even BIGGER than they are now – because the ministry is requiring boards to meet the same pre-pandemic funded class size averages. 

I have heard from many parents who are rightly outraged about how the government has failed to prepare and support school boards during this pandemic. I brought those voices directly to the Premier and Education Minister in Question Period: 

More updates from this week

• The government is proposing new changes to child care regulations that “would allow operators to group infants and toddlers together, reduce staff-to-child ratios for some age groups and lower qualification requirements for staff.” (Toronto Star).
  
  We raised concerns about this in the Legislature Thursday, calling on the government to instead invest in creating more spaces and providing support to stabilize the sector as it adapts to the pandemic. 
   
• Ontario is investing $9 million through the new Reconnect Festival and Event Program to support municipalities and event organizers during COVID-19. The funding can be used for eligible expenses such as programming and production, promotion, mobile applications and website development, and implementation of health and safety measures. Applications are accepted from October 8 - December 1, 2020. Read more here.