Pressed repeatedly today, Ontario’s Minister of health Sylvia Jones refused to say how much money the Ontario government has spent allowing pharmacists to treat and prescribe for minor ailments.

#onpoli Currently, pharmacists in Ontario are allowed to treat 19 minor ailments, with another 14 now under consideration.

The province says pharmacists have already conducted “more than 1 million assessments”

The minister focussed on choice and access and avoided questions about cost.

Premier Ford said when the Liberal government created the Greenbelt, there was no consultation.

This is not true.

Per the Auditor General:

The 2004 GB taskforce had 13 external stakeholders and subject matter experts, to gather info and develop recommendations.
#onpoli Their task was to develop a "draft plan and boundary for the Greenbelt" in 2004.

Among the considerations: prime agriculture, soil capability, connectedness with surrounding agricultural areas, sensitive or significant natural features and functions.

A brief thread on the evolution of Premier Ford's comments on the the Greenbelt.

2018 pre-election: "We will open up the Greenbelt, not all of it. We're going to open a big chunk of it up and we're going to start building."

#onpoli 2018 campaign: "Unequivocally, we won't touch the Greenbelt. I've heard it loud and clear, people don't want me touching the greenbelt, we won't touch the Greenbelt."

#onpoli

The Emergencies Act inquiry final report has an entire chapter dedicated to "Ontario's absence" during the Ottawa occupation and during the inquiry.

#onpoli The Emergencies Act report suggests the Ford government "was not as engaged when protests in Ontario were limited to Ottawa."

BREAKING: Premier Doug Ford tells Ontario’s Integrity Commissioner that developers who he counts as “personal friends” attended a fundraiser stag and doe party for his daughter and son-in-law in August.

globalnews.ca/news/9457569/o…

#onpoli The party took place in August, but the premier’s office only informed the Integrity Commissioner in January after media began inquiring.

The Integrity Commissioner cleared the Premier Ford citing reasons the premier’s stated lack of knowledge of gifts.

#onpoli

NEW: Ontario Financial Accountability Officer reveals the Ford government spent $177.9 billion in 2021-22 -- which is $7.2billion or 3.9% less than planned.

The FAO reports the 7.2 billion will be used to reduce the deficit and debt.

#onpoli Here's a breakdown from the FAO on where the Ford government underspent in 2021-22. It includes health, education, social services and contingency funds.

#onpoli

AG Bonnie Lysyk is tabling her annual report — which found that $210M of the government small biz grant went to biz that didn’t qualify.

The premier calls it fraud, but the gov’t actually wrote off the $$ instead of trying to collect.

#onpoli The audit also found several business sectors that lost revenue during lockdowns — such as laundromats and dry cleaners — didn’t get a cent.

While some biz that lost as little as *2 cents* got $10,000 in gov’t support.

#onpoli

On $10-a-day childcare: Premier Doug Ford says he's not going to "make a deal for the sake of making a deal."

He says other provinces are getting more per capita with fewer strings attached.

#onpoli Premier Ford says he expects local mayors and federal Ontario MPs to stand with the provincial government.

He says the negotiations continue.

#onpoli

NEW: With no new Pfizer vaccines in Ontario this week, the Ford government is switching up the strategy.

Residents in LTC, high-risk retirement homes and First Nation elder care will be prioritized over staff, essential care givers and front line health care workers.

#onpoli The government says it's aiming to vaccinate all residents in these facilities by Feb 5.

Officials within the Ford government -- speaking on a not for attribution basis -- say the province is expecting 26,000 doses of Pfizer the week of Feb 1.

#onpoli

BREAKING: Health Minister Christine Elliott is disputing the claims made by the Auditor General in her report today.

She calls it a “disappointment” and a “mischaracterization” of the government’s response.

#onpoli The minister says the government acted immediately after COVID-19 was identified in Ontario and was one of the “first provinces to declare a public health emergency.”

#onpoli

Unionized investigators tasked with probing long-term care homes refused to enter infected facilities in early April, according to government sources.

The gov't acknowledges that under labour laws the inspectors have the right to refuse work.

#onpoli #onltc The government had high-level discussion with the union to get them to resume in-person inspections rather than telephone inspections.

On April 22, OPSEU sent a letter to Premier Ford calling the request "ill advised."

#onpoli #onltc

BREAKING: The Canadian Armed Forces witnessed some truly shocking scenes at 5 Ontario long-term care homes, which they detailed in a report to the federal government.

Premier Doug Ford's office released the report i full this afternoon.

Among the findings: Some residents had been bed bound for weeks, were not changed out of soiled diapers, were not turned over in beds, were not bathed for weeks, and had wounds that were not properly addressed.

Still lots of head scratching over this Ministry of Education memo to school boards outlining how many teaching positions are estimated to be gone through attrition over the next 4 years.

#onpoli This was the source of the 10,125 job loss number that was initially reported yesterday.

You can easily see why the error was made. Many of us simply added all the columns to come up with the final figure.

#onpoli