I know there's a lot going on, but here's something really worth taking a second to think about (It's about this: thestar.com/news/gta/2020/…)
The province, Ford & cabinet, are responsible for the well-being of Ontario's residents. They ultimately call the shots. Dr. Eileen de Villa and other local medical officers of health can do a lot. But as de Villa mentioned today, only the province can lead a coordinated approach
That's what they did when they introduced their re-opening framework. Trouble is, the thresholds, public health experts agree, were far too lax. Thanks to @jyangstar & @katecallen and only because of their excellent reporting we know Ford ignored advice given on those thresholds
Those advisory bodies have been incredibly secretive. Do you have any idea who is even on these bodies? More importantly, does the public deserve to see that advice, so that officials who choose to follow or not to follow it can be held accountable?
We're talking about, in some cases, *public* servants like those at Toronto Public Health making recommendations to *public* officials like Dr. David Williams who then gives advice to a *publicly-elected* cabinet.
Earlier, Williams said "that advice, because it's going toward a cabinet decision, has to be kept confidential." Says who? Each of these people, responsible for the safety of Ontario residents, work for the public. This government could make that advice public if they wanted to.
What they did instead was actively signal they didn't want the public to know by asking professionals and public health officials to sign away their right to tell you. And the premier scoffed today at questions about why that was.
And if you, like me, are left asking whether they have an obligation to tell us while my colleagues like Jenny and Kate work hard to dig up the truth, you are not alone.
“You deserve to see the same data I see when I’m making decisions" - Premier Doug Ford, April 2020
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De Villa says additional measures are required in Toronto, following on Tory's statement this morning. She says this would be more efficient if applied similarly across the region thestar.com/news/city_hall…
Coun. @joe_cressy, who chairs the city's board of health, is moving that province make public the advice received by cabinet from public health officials
The city's press conference will start at 4PM. I'll be tweeting here. You can watch live here:
As @EdTubb noted, Toronto is approaching >100 weekly average cases per 100,000 people. Those numbers are still headed in the wrong direction a week after Ford announced Toronto would enter "orange" category of new framework. We've been in a holding pattern waiting for local input
That latest metric could qualify Toronto for the "red" category of the province's re-opening framework but their slide deck tells me they consider previous two weeks of information. In any event, we'll hear city's take soon. Officials have been tight-lipped about what to expect
Strange these days to see the mayor with the premier (via @CP24). My quick scan says last time they were together publicly was in August and only one other time during this pandemic
Ford is re-announcing budget plan of allowing municipal property tax reductions for small businesses. We're not expecting details on Toronto's re-opening plan from this North York presser, but I suspect my Queen's Park colleagues will pepper them with questions about it
I have been corrected - Ford and Tory were together at a testing site in Rexdale earlier this month
We're expecting to hear from city officials today on their preferred re-opening plan ahead of Saturday's deadline. The A+ duo of @katecallen & @jyangstar took a close look at where Toronto is at after 28 days. A very important read as we await that update: thestar.com/news/gta/2020/…
Important things to know: Toronto is currently in a "modified stage 2" under old system of provincial restrictions. That means, as you're currently experiencing, no indoor dining or gyms + other measures
Under province's new provincial framework, which rolled out elsewhere this past weekend, Toronto would have technically been in the "orange" or "restrict" category that would allow:
✅ 50 people dining indoors (at tables of 4 max)
✅ 50-person indoor gym classes
At today's city briefing, Tory says he's asked Dr. Eileen de Villa if more needs to be done to save lives. Toronto is set to enter less restrictive stage of re-opening this Saturday. Tory says consultations also include with city lawyers. Says we can expect to hear more tomorrow
Over the weekend, we saw Peel Region's medical officer direct and recommend further restrictions under the new modified stage two (different than the old modified stage 2 Toronto is currently in) to prevent virus spread. Ford earlier told reporters he supports that move
“We’re going to communicate and make sure that we’re all on the same page at the end of the day," Ford said of Toronto when @l_stone asked what Toronto can do if they aren't ready for further re-opening
Council will begin shortly for second day of meeting of this last session before the summer break (unless COVID-19 brings them back together). On the agenda still:
- The city's unresolved $1.35B budget hole
- Auditor's report on tree maintenance
- Expanding into the Yellowbelt
Additional items on the agenda still:
- Exploring a legal challenge to province's new evictions legislation
- Additional public health measures for bars and restaurants
First up will be the additional public health measures. That supplementary report was quietly submitted yesterday ahead of the province's announcement. As Tory mentioned, it's a backup plan if the province doesn't adopt Toronto officials' recommendations: toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2…