Some good news in advance of next week’s holiday has arrived in the form of an announcement that phase 2 of the provincial re-opening is starting two days early. Excellent progress on vaccination rates and lower levels of infection have been the key to an early move to phase 2, which will now begin at 12:01 am on Wednesday June 30, but with one glaring exception. Continue reading “Ontario to Enter Phase Two Re-Opening Ahead of Schedule”
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”
In news nobody wanted the day before the first phase of the provincial re-opening began, the Government of Ontario announced Thursday that Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph is one of seven Public Health sectors in Ontario that are now considered hotspots for the Delta variant of COVID-19. As a consequence, the rollout of the second dose of COVID vaccines is being accelerated in our area starting Monday. Continue reading “Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph a Delta Hotspot as Province Moves Up Second Doses”
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”
When the Government of Ontario announced changes to the stay-at-home order a few weeks to allow for the re-opening of outdoor recreation facilities, there was a question mark locally about splash pads. On Tuesday, the City of Guelph cleared the question mark and announced dates for the opening of water-based amenities, plus summer recreation programs, while the Province formally announced the extension of the order. Continue reading “City Preps COVID-Safe Rec Programs, While Province Extends Stay-at-Home Order”
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”
There are 55,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine that are going to expire in just over a week, but the Provincial government has put a pause on handing out AstraZeneca has a first dose. What do you do? If you’re Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams, you authorize the release of those doses for people to receive their second shot of the vaccine. Continue reading “Ontario Government Authorizes AstraZeneca Use for Second Dose”
Say goodbye to the colour system, and hello to the three-step program! In advance of the long-weekend, Premier Doug Ford, Health Minister Christine Elliott, and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams made an announcement meant to offer a “transparent and predictable plan” that will guide the province’s re-opening starting this weekend with the re-opening of outdoor recreational amenities. Continue reading “Ford Announces New Three Stage Re-Opening, Outdoor Rec is Back this Weekend”
It’s been a difficult few weeks down at Queen’s Park as the government has struggled in its response to the third wave of the pandemic. There’s been a lot of criticism about the decisions being made by Premier Doug Ford and his ministers, and a lot of struggle by Premier Ford and his ministers to undo some of their bad media coverage. How are they doing? Let’s talk to Guelph’s own Member of Provincial Parliament. Continue reading “Schreiner Slams Ford for Lack of Pandemic Leadership on Open Sources”
Guelph Politico 