After weeks of pressure, and weeks without a formal press conference, Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Health Christine Elliot joined Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr, Kieran Moore to announce a great idea they had: A vaccine certification program. If you want to go to select businesses starting on September 22, you will need to provide proof of vaccination. Continue reading “Because You Demanded It (and the Feds Didn’t) Ford Introduces Vaccine Certificates”
After weeks of excuses – from saying that they didn’t want to create a two-tiered system, to saying that a piece of paper easily copied in Microsoft Word was fine as proof – there’s news Friday night that the Government of Ontario might be changing their minds on vaccine certificates. Sources are telling multiple media outlets that so-called vaccine passports are on the cabinet agenda next week, and not a moment too soon. Continue reading “Sources Say a Change is Coming on Vaccine Certificates”
This week is the annual Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference, which typically takes place live and in-person in Ottawa, but for the second year in a row the whole thing is being held virtually. As usual, the Premier of Ontario kicked things off with a speech, and Doug Ford began AMO 2021 on a positive note touting Ontario’s success overcoming COVID-19 thanks to strong provincial/municipal relations. Continue reading “Ford Kicks Off AMO Touting Ontario as COVID Success Story”
Although it will not be formally announced until Wednesday, Ontario’s opposition parties are already unimpressed with the Government of Ontario’s back to school plan. No Ontario school students have received in-person learning since the end of March due to the third wave of COVID-19, and opposition politicians are concerned that the government is showing a dearth of pre-planning just one month ahead of the new school year. Continue reading “Knives Already Out for Ontario Government’s Back to School Plan”
Across Ontario, new COVID-19 cases are as low as they’ve been since the pandemic started, and the vaccine rollout is proceeding at a quick clip with now the majority of Ontario fully vaccinated, but there are some lingering questions. Are we prepared for a potential resurgence of the virus in the fall? It’s a question all opposition parties are asking now that we’re just six weeks away from the start of the school year. Continue reading “Opposition Parties Want to Know About the Pandemic Plan for Fall”
This time next year, the Provincial Election will be complete, and a new government will be in charge of Ontario for another four-year term. For now, it’s kind of like there’s a new government as Premier Doug Ford took part in the regular pre-election tradition of shuffling the cabinet. Some ministers got new gigs, some back-benchers got promotions, and, as always, there were a few surprises. Continue reading “Ford Shuffles Cabinet and Key Ministers in Pre-Election Reset”
The shocking (or not-so-shocking) discovery of 215 young Indigenous children buried on the property of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School forced the country to ask a question: How many more kids are out there, unclaimed, and buried in unmarked graves? The Government of Ontario announced today that they’re going to help try and answer the question by offering $10 million to Indigenous communities across Ontario to find out. Continue reading “Ontario Government Announces $10 Million to Find Remains on Residential School Sites”
It’s the news that people all around Ontario wanted to hear: With vaccination rates going up, and COVID case counts going down, the Provincial government announced that they’re moving up the first phase of re-opening by three days. As of 12:01 am this Friday, all municipalities in Ontario will be able to come out of lockdown with more retail, outdoor dining, and slightly bigger outdoor gatherings all allowed. Continue reading “Ontario Government Announces an Earlier Start to the Re-opening Schedule”
It was the news everyone was expecting, and dreading, but on Wednesday afternoon, Premier Doug Ford and Minister of Education Stephen Lecce announced that Ontario’s school children will not be returning to classrooms until September. According to Ford, the growing number of variants and not enough vaccinated teachers and students makes the risks too high even though many in public health have said the opposite. Continue reading “In Anti-Climactic Presser, Ford Announces No In-Person School Till September”
The Government of Ontario is full-speed ahead on a “two dose summer” according to Premier Doug Ford in a Friday announcement from Queen’s Park. Starting on Monday, people over 80 will begin receiving their second doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, but progress on vaccines seems to have come at the expense of progress on re-opening schools as the week ends with no announcement on education. Continue reading “Ontario Moves to Accelerate Second Doses, While Schools Left Waiting for News”
Guelph Politico 