This month, there are Winter Pride events in Guelph, and Pride events are all about promoting visibility and acceptance for the LGBTQ+ community. But while the Pride movement’s come a long way, there’s still a long way to go for complete equality. Consider healthcare. We like to think our healthcare system in Canada is barrier-free here, but the barriers for trans people can be immense. Continue reading “GUELPH POLITICAST #309 – Healthcare for Trans People Doesn’t Just Happen”
The anticipated re-opening of the Ontario economy is Monday, and there have been some last-minute details released from both the Provincial government and the local public health unit. Locally, a public health order issued in December will be rescinded on Monday, and there have been some adjustments to the re-opening protocols from the Province while all levels are sending out a message that COVID is something we have to get used to. Continue reading “Last Minute Details Before Monday’s Re-Opening Announced”
After being teased through several media sources of Wednesday night, Premier Doug Ford announced (on time) on Thursday morning that the re-emergence from lockdown will begin on January 31. The phased approach will see three-weeks between the initiation of each part of the plan, which Ford and company believes will give Ontario the best strategy to manage both the virus and the economy. Continue reading “New Framework Alert: Ontario Starts Re-Opening on January 31”
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)”
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”
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”
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”
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”
Yesterday’s announcement from the Government of Ontario about the latest COVID-19 prevention measures was not the news that anyone wanted to hear. The reaction from Ontario’s opposition parties and various advocacy groups were as unimpressed with the news about a new (semi)lockdown as almost everyone was given the near universally agreement that Premier Doug Ford made a bad call, or at least a late one, on Monday. Continue reading “Near Unanimous Derision for Latest COVID Response From ON Gov”
Remember the Province’s second step in their Roadmap to Reopen? The last time we were down to step two was last July, but Omicron has forced another step backward in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Premier Doug Ford announced on Monday that Ontario will be returning to step two as a “time-limited measure needed to preserve capacity,” and that includes no in-person school for until at least the middle of the month. Continue reading “Ontario Kicks Off 2022 With “Time-Limited” Measures to Stop Omicron”
Guelph Politico 