Update: Ontario moving to Step 3 on July 16
 

Step Three of the Roadmap focuses on the resumption of additional indoor services with larger numbers of people and restrictions in place. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Outdoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 100 people with limited exceptions;
• Indoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 25 people;
• Indoor religious services, rites or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services permitted with physical distancing;
• Indoor dining permitted with no limits on the number of patrons per table with physical distancing and other restrictions still in effect;
• Indoor sports and recreational fitness facilities to open subject to a maximum 50 per cent capacity of the indoor space. Capacity for indoor spectators is 50 per cent of the usual seating capacity or 1,000 people, whichever is less. Capacity for outdoor spectators is 75 per cent of the usual seating capacity or 15,000 people, whichever is less;
• Indoor meeting and event spaces permitted to operate with physical distancing and other restrictions still in effect and capacity limited to not exceed 50 per cent capacity or 1,000 people, (whichever is less);
• Essential and non-essential retail with with capacity limited to the number of people that can maintain a physical distance of two metres;
• Personal care services, including services requiring the removal of a face covering, with capacity limited to the number of people that can maintain a physical distance of two metres;
• Museums, galleries, historic sites, aquariums, zoos, landmarks, botanical gardens, science centres, casinos/bingo halls, amusement parks, fairs and rural exhibitions, festivals, with capacity limited to not exceed 50 per cent capacity indoors and 75 per cent capacity outdoors;
• Concert venues, cinemas, and theatres permitted to operate at:
  • up to 50 per cent capacity indoors or a maximum limit of 1,000 people for seated events (whichever is less)
  • up to 75 per cent capacity outdoors or a maximum limit of 5,000 people for unseated events (whichever is less); and up to 75 per cent capacity outdoors or a maximum of 15,000 people for events with fixed seating (whichever is less).
• Real estate open houses with capacity limited to the number of people that can maintain a physical distance of two metres; and
• Indoor food or drink establishments where dance facilities are provided, including nightclubs and restobars, permitted up to 25 per cent capacity or up to a maximum limit of 250 people (whichever is less).

Face coverings in indoor public settings and physical distancing requirements remain in place throughout Step Three. This is in alignment with the advice on personal public health measures issued by the Public Health Agency of Canada, while also accounting for Ontario specific information and requirements. Face coverings will also be required in some outdoor public settings as well.

The province will remain in Step Three of the Roadmap for at least 21 days and until 80 per cent of the eligible population aged 12 and over has received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 75 per cent have received their second, with no public health unit having less than 70 per cent of their population fully vaccinated. Other key public health and health care indicators must also continue to remain stable. Upon meeting these thresholds, the vast majority of public health and workplace safety measures, including capacity limits for indoor and outdoor settings and limits for social gatherings, will be lifted. Only a small number of measures will remain in place, including the requirement for passive screening, such as posting a sign, and businesses requiring a safety plan.

Ontario’s epidemiological situation is distinct from other jurisdictions and the Delta variant is the dominant strain in Ontario, which is not the case with some other provinces. As a result, on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, face coverings will also continue to be required for indoor public settings. The Chief Medical Officer of Health will continue to evaluate this need on an ongoing basis.

Dear neighbours,

As of today, Ontario has administered 16.3 Million vaccines and more than 51% of adults are fully immunized. 78% have had one dose. And perhaps most importantly, this week saw Ontario's first day with no COVID deaths in 9 months. This is the result of tremendously hard work by health care workers, nurses, administrative staff and many volunteers - and every vaccination gets us closer to doing the things we’ve missed over this past year and a half. 

To find out more about getting vaccinated, getting a second dose, visit my website: maritstiles.ca/vaccines.

My team is also compiling notices of targeted pop-up, mobile and low-barrier clinics in Davenport and around the city, at: maritstiles.ca/pop-ups. Not everyone lives in a hot-spot postal code, but many targeted clinics have been opening up to all postal codes depending on turnout, so keeping checking back on my site.

As of June 30, Ontario has entered Step 2 of the province’s reopening framework, allowing for larger capacities for outdoor dining and the start of some indoor services including personal care and haircuts. Based on the current reopening plan, the earliest Ontario could enter Step 3 would be July 21, with details about what happens after Step 3 to be announced soon, according to the Premier. (See update above about an earlier move to Step 3)

Read more about what opens in each step here.

I continue to call on the government to issue clear guidance for businesses and organizations about what they can and cannot do in Step 3 so that they can properly staff up and prepare. We are also calling for targeted support for businesses that remain closed, including gyms and fitness centres, as well as a greatly improved third round of the small business support grant. 

Please read on for more updates and news from this week. 

Marit Stiles, MPP
Davenport
(416) 535-3158
MStiles-CO@ndp.on.ca 

PS. As restrictions begin to lift, I'm looking forward to seeing more of you face to face again. Over the summer, watch for my team and I tabling in and around the community where we'll be sharing resources, petitions and making ourselves available to catch up. 
See you soon!

In this issue:

• Solidarity with Indigenous people
• Keeping up the Pressure for a safe return to schools
• My letter to the new Chief Medical Officer of Health
• Action for seniors in long-term care
• Upcoming drop-in and low-barrier clinics
• Build a Better Bloor Dufferin - action happening today
• Metrolinx construction updates
• Sistering is hiring

Solidarity with Indigenous people

July 1st saw an incredible and powerful show of support here in the city for Indigenous people, residential school victims and survivors, at the Every Child Matters march. I joined thousands of people who came together to pay their respects and to demand action to address the long-standing injustices that have been back in the public eye following recent recoveries of remains at former residential schools sites. 

NDP MPPs are calling on the Ontario government to support Inidgenous people immediately:

• Fully fund Indigenous-led searches of all residential school sites.

• Release all school records and call on all churches to do the same.

• Apologise for cutting Indigenous curriculum writing sessions and immediately reconvene this important work.

• Act to address the housing and clean water crisis in Indigenous communities.

• Work with other governments to immediately implement the 94 calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Keeping up the pressure for a safe return to schools

After two days of press events by Education Minister Stephen Lecce at which he made no mention of any action whatsoever to make schools safe and ready for a full reopening in September, I issued a statement calling on his government to act. 

“Schools reopen in eight weeks. Experts agree: the hybrid learning fiasco must end and students must be back in schools, safely. Yet Stephen Lecce appears to be avoiding investment in our children, again.”

Read the full statement here.

A disturbing new report from Sick Kids shows half of kids eight to 12 and 70 per cent of adolescents reported clinically significant depressive symptoms as a result of the pandemic and school closures. We need investment and action right now to guarantee that schools will be safe for kids to return to for regular, full-day learning in September, and we need to get mental health supports in place immediately — from in-school councillors to crisis intervention and long-term supports.

Read the statement here.

Letter to the Chief Medical Officer of Health

On Friday, Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath and I wrote to Ontario’s new Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore to express the uncertainty facing families, students and education workers as the clock ticks on September and no plan has been released. 

Read our letter here.

Action for seniors in Long-Term Care

This week, we renewed our call for an urgent staff-up in long-term care homes, so that every resident can be offered a minimum of four hours of hands-on care every day. On Thursday, Andrea Horwath joined families at Orchard Villa, the for-profit long-term care facility owned by Southbridge, where at least 70 people died of COVID. We are demanding that the Ford government refuse the license renewal applications from homes that failed seniors during the pandemic.

Upcoming Drop-In and Low-Barrier Vaccine Clinics

Eligibility: First Dose: ANY postal code
Second Dose: Going to school, living or working in select postal codes, including Davenport's M6N & M6E.
(1st dose on or before: Pfizer - June 19 / Moderna - June 12  / AstraZeneca - May 15)

Saturday, July 10 from 10am to 6pm

First doses, second dose priority for those who attended the June 5 clinic at DPNCHC.

More information on these and other pop-up clinics available at: 
maritstiles.ca/pop-ups

Build a Better Bloor Dufferin - Action Today
 

• Come out this Friday, July 9, anytime between 3 to 6 pm to make signs and/or help hand out leaflets.  We are meeting in Dufferin Grove park, at the southwest corner of the rinkhouse, starting at 3 pm and then walking over to the mall at 4 pm to hand out flyers. 

• Sign our online petition and send a message to the Mall owners: Petition can be found here  

• Continue to speak with your neighbours, friends and family about the need for more affordable housing in new condo developments. The City will be voting on a new inclusionary zoning policy in September, and we need to give them a strong mandate.

Metrolinx Construction Updates

• Bloor Street West: Partial Road and Sidewalk Closure (South Side) for Bridge and Sidewalk Work
• Overnight Work - Load Transfer Platform North of CP Diamond
• Early Start Time for Crews - 6am

Sistering is hiring

Stay Safe