December 18th Weekly Update

Published on December 18, 2020

Dear Neighbour,

On Monday, the Ontario government allocated an additional $695 million under the federal-provincial Safe Restart Agreement to provide financial relief for municipalities and help ensure they do not carry operating deficits into 2021. I'm pleased to share the City of Toronto will receive $398 million from the second phase of funding, so they can continue to deliver critical services during COVID-19.

Ontario has also issued letters to municipalities about the next stages of transit funding for the Safe Restart Agreement. The province is notionally allocating $1.3 billion for municipal transit systems. This is in addition to the $700 million allocation under Phase 1 of the Safe Restart Agreement, which included needs-based top-ups. Further details about this funding will be available in January.

This week, the Ontario Government launched a historic long-term care initiative which will enhance and improve our homes and the lives of seniors who live in them. Acting on expert recommendations, and building on the government's 2020 Ontario budget commitment to increase hours of daily direct care to an average of four hours per day for each long-term care resident, the new staffing plan focuses on six key areas of action to be delivered over four years:

Investing up to $1.9 billion annually by 2024-25 to create more than 27,000 new positions for personal support workers, registered nurses and registered practical nurses in long-term care to meet the direct care commitment; in addition, providing a 20 per cent increase in direct care time administered by other health care professionals such as physiotherapists and social workers.
Accelerating and expanding education and training pathways in order to prepare and train the tens of thousands of new staff that will be required.
Supporting continued professional development and growth of long-term care staff to improve retention.
Improving working conditions for staff by coordinating with long-term care employers to increase full-time employment and promote innovative approaches to work and technology.
Driving effective and accountable leadership in homes across the province to improve oversight, guidance and medical outcomes in long-term care homes.
Measuring progress against key performance indicators.

This week the Minister of Health and Associate Miister of Mental Health were at CMHA Routes Communnity Centre in Eglinton-Lawrence to announce $147 million to expand access to the provincial mental health and addictions system for people of all ages and address capacity issues in response to COVID-19. These are new funds, and are in addition to the $176 million in annual investments announced by the Ontario Government earlier in the year. For more information read here.

2020 will soon be coming to an end - a year that was filled with difficulties, uncertainty and challenges. But there is a reason to be hopeful as we move forward to 2021.

This week, Anita Quidangen, a personal support worker at a long-term care home in Toronto, became the first person in Ontario to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. She has spent years rolling up her sleeves to protect our province, and this past week, she didn’t hesitate to find a new way to do so.

As the Premier put it, there is a light at the end of this tunnel and it is soon approaching. But until we get there, it's critical we continue to do the many things we've been doing these past months. Continue to follow health and safety guidelines. social distancing, wash your hands, and stick to your immediate household.

My constituency office staff and I will work remotely this holiday season to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. If you are in need of any assistance, you can continue to contact us at (416) 781-2395 or email robin.martin@pc.ola.org.

Stay safe, stay healthy,

Robin Martin, MPP
Eglinton-Lawrence

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HIGHLIGHTS
PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT

Province to Invest up to $1.9 Billion Annually by 2024-25 to Achieve Average of Four Hours of Daily Direct Care
The Ontario government is a step closer to getting shovels in the ground to build the Ontario Line. T he province issued two Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for procurement packages to design, build, finance, operate and maintain the Ontario Line project.
Hassaan Basit, President and CEO of Conservation Halton will chair a new working group which will provide input on the development of proposed regulations under the Conservation Authorities Act, and on how conservation authorities are governed.
The Ontario government is providing over $147 million to immediately expand access to the provincial mental health and addictions system for people of all ages and address capacity issues in response to COVID-19.
Ontario delivered the first COVID-19 vaccine in Canada this past week and since then has vaccinated over 1,500 health care officials.

HIGHLIGHTS
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

The Government of Canada will provide a record $83.9 billion in transfer funding for provinces and territories in 2021-22.

HIGHLIGHTS
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT

The City of Toronto is cancelling all planned 2020 holiday CampTO camps and winter instructional programs, including Learn-to-Skate and Instructional Ski, to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 as Toronto’s COVID-19 case numbers continue to rise.
Toronto City Council approved an implementation plan to introduce a new tax on vacant Toronto homes starting in 2022.
Toronto City Council has approved the 2021 rate-supported operating and capital budgets for Toronto Water, Toronto Parking Authority and Solid Waste Management Services. The approved budgets maintain current service levels and make critical investments in infrastructure while reducing planned rate increases to just 1.5 per cent.
Toronto City Council unanimously voted in support of
City of Toronto staff advancing work on Eglinton East Light Rail Transit (LRT) and the Waterfront Transit Network.
The City of Toronto is launching an Integrated Prevention and Harm Reduction initiative (iPHARE), a multi-pronged strategy to address opioid-related deaths in local shelters.
The City of Toronto is announcing the opening of a new transitional housing facility that will provide units for 33 youth between the ages of 16 and 29, who identify as LGBTQI2S and are currently experiencing homelessness.

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Authorized by the CFO for the Eglinton-Lawrence PC Association

December 18th Weekly Update

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