Tag: COVID-19

Elliott and Moore Say There’s Reason for Hope (Not a Guarantee)

Published on by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

Will Ontario businesses be allowed to open again exactly one week from now? That was not a question firmly answered by the Minister of Health and the Chief Medical Officer of Health on Wednesday at a media conference. One day after Premier Doug Ford told an Ottawa radio station that there will be good news about the lockdown conditions later this week, Christine Elliott and Dr. Kieran Moore seemed to signal that’s still TBD. Continue reading “Elliott and Moore Say There’s Reason for Hope (Not a Guarantee)” →

Schreiner Calls for “Significant” Mental Health Investment for Young People

Published on by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

Ontario’s school students were supposed to be going back to in-person learning on Monday, but Mother Nature had other ideas. This probably came as a relief to parents, young people, teachers and other school staff who now have an extra day to psych themselves up, which makes you think again about the mental health cost of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Monday, Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner was thinking about it too. Continue reading “Schreiner Calls for “Significant” Mental Health Investment for Young People” →

Guelph Protesters Warm Up Before Country-Wide Freedom Rallies Next Weekend

Published on by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

Next weekend, there are a series of so-called freedom rallies planned for our region, around Ontario, and across the country. Perhaps as a warm up act, or perhaps just to warm up, about two dozen people gathered at Wellington Street and Gordon Street to protest the new provincial lockdowns, vaccine mandates, masking rules, and the general malaise of the pandemic. Continue reading “Guelph Protesters Warm Up Before Country-Wide Freedom Rallies Next Weekend” →

Low Oxygen Makes Guelph General Hospital Declare Code Orange

Published on by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

It’s the mechanical malfunction you definitely don’t want to deal with while in the middle of a respiratory infection-based pandemic, but on Friday Guelph General Hospital had to hit a code orange because levels were low in the oxygen tank. It’s a struggle that the hospital probably didn’t want to have as they continue to battle COVID cases in hospital and an intensive care unit that’s bursting. Continue reading “Low Oxygen Makes Guelph General Hospital Declare Code Orange” →

Long-Term Care Minister Phillips Resigns, Won’t Seek Re-Election

Published on by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

It’s a cold late Friday afternoon in January, so naturally it’s the perfect time to resign from a high-level provincial cabinet position with a minimum of attention from the media. This must have been the thinking for Rod Phillips, Ontario’s Long Term Care Minister, who posted to social media on Friday that he’s resigning from the Ontario Legislature, and is not running for re-eletion this June. Continue reading “Long-Term Care Minister Phillips Resigns, Won’t Seek Re-Election” →

Words of Encouragement From Medical Officer of Health Before Monday

Published on by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

For hundreds of thousands of Ontario school students, Monday’s a big day. Schools province-wide are re-opening, and that brings with it certain concerns about health and safety with the Omicron variant still spreading. Perhaps the public could use some reassurance? A letter from Medical Officer of Health Dr. Nicola Mercer offers some of that, but it also reminds the community that protecting schools is a group effort. Continue reading “Words of Encouragement From Medical Officer of Health Before Monday” →

Moore Gets Questioned About the Future As Schools Have Concerns

Published on by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

During his usual Thursday press briefing, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore tried to offer assurances about the re-opening of schools next week and the potential re-opening of the provincial economy the week after. Meanwhile, teachers and public health units still have concerns about what’s coming, and whether teachers and parents have everything they need when the bell rings on Monday morning. Continue reading “Moore Gets Questioned About the Future As Schools Have Concerns” →

Lecce and Moore Acknowledge Uncertainty, But Schools Will Still Open on Monday

Published on by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

In terms of breaking news, it wasn’t that surprising when it was announced Wednesday afternoon that Ontario’s school kids are going back to in-person learning on Monday. Instead, Minister of Education Stephen Lecce and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore were pressed for some assurances: Will schools be safe when the children return on Monday, and are school’s prepared if they’re not? Continue reading “Lecce and Moore Acknowledge Uncertainty, But Schools Will Still Open on Monday” →

Elliott Announces More Hospital Help as Everyone Worries About Schools

Published on by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

On Tuesday, Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott announced some new measures to buttress the province’s healthcare workforce as the ravages of Omicron continue to pile up. Alternatively though, the story of the day was not about hospitals, it was about schools. The official announcement about the return to in-person learning in Ontario schools is tomorrow, but today the news about about more nurses got drowned out. Continue reading “Elliott Announces More Hospital Help as Everyone Worries About Schools” →

Schreiner and Desautels Call on Ontario Government to Do More for Restaurants

Published on by Adam A. DonaldsonLeave a comment

On day two of the new light lockdown for many businesses in Ontario, Guelph MPP Mike Schreiner appeared on a virtual press conference with Guelph entrepeneur Court Desautels, the CEO of The Neighbourhood Group. The point of the conference was to call on the Ontario government to do more for small businesses, even after an announcement from Queen’s Park to that effect, both Schreiner and Desautels say it’s not enough. Continue reading “Schreiner and Desautels Call on Ontario Government to Do More for Restaurants” →