Peel and Toronto Move to Stage 3 Reopening
Today the provincial government announced that the Region of Peel and Toronto will enter Stage 3 of Ontario’s Framework for Reopening our Economy effective Friday, July 31, 2020 at 12:01 a.m. The Windsor-Essex region is the last region to be held back in Stage 2.
For regions in Stage 3, gathering limits will increase to a maximum of 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors, with physical distancing in place. Gathering limits will apply to all social gatherings and events, as well as some higher risk activities and venues. More information on Toronto and Peel entering Stage 3 can be found here.
Independent Commission into Long-Term Care
During today’s briefing, Premier Ford also announced the launch of an independent commission into COVID-19 and long-term carehomes after the devastating impact on residents in homes over the past four months, including 1,793 deaths. The commission will be led by Superior Court Associate Chief Justice Frank N. Marrocco (Chair), with Angela Coke (a former Deputy Minister in the Ontario Public Service), and Dr. Jack Kitts, who served as President and CEO of The Ottawa until last month.
The three commissioners will investigate how COVID-19 spread within long-term care homes, how residents, staff, and families were impacted, and the appropriateness of measures taken by the province and other parties to prevent, isolate and contain the virus. The choice of such respected commissioners should go a long way to addressing concerns about the state of long-term care homes.
The commission will also provide the government with guidance on how to better protect long-term care home residents and staff from any future outbreaks and their findings will be delivered in a final report by April 30 2021. Detailed bios of the commissioners, along with more information on the terms of referenceand the commission mandate can be found here.