COVID-19 Update for September 19 2020 – 11:40am

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced this morning that he is limiting social gatherings for the entire province of Ontario.

Social Gathering Limits

Following his announcement on Thursday that Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa would see permitted social gathering numbers lowered to 10 indoors and 25 outdoors, Premier Ford announced today that, effective this morning, these new limits will also apply to the rest of Ontario for at least the next 28 days. Ford emphasized that these new restrictions apply to unmonitored, private social gatherings “held in private residences, backyards, parks and other recreational areas”, as will the fines announced on Thursday should the amendment pass.

The news release can be found here.

We hope you are finding these COVID-19 updates useful. In addition to trying to keep on top of the fast-changing situation, Enterprise is also working to support local charities during these challenging times. If you are able, your contributions to this effort would be deeply appreciated.

To donate, please click on the organization below:

Many thanks.

Stay safe. Stay healthy.

The Enterprise Team

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COVID-19 Update for September 17 2020 – 2:40pm

Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced this afternoon that his government is lowering the social gathering limits in three COVID-19 ‘hot spots.’ Effective tomorrow, gatherings in Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa will be restricted and he intends to implement fines for those who violate these restrictions. Ford also said that he intends to introduce protections for residential tenants and small businesses.

Social Gathering Limits

Previously set at 50 indoors and 100 outdoors, the new limits will restrict social gatherings to 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors. These measures are intended to be used in conjunction with other COVID-19 prevention measures such maintaining a distance of two metres from other people who are not in the ‘social circle’ and wearing masks or protective facial coverings.

The Premier has also introduced legislation for new fines against Ontarians who exceed the limit on these social gatherings. Calling those who ignore the guidelines on social gatherings “a few fries short of a Happy Meal,” the Premier said that the hosts of offending gatherings will be subject to a minimum fine of $10,000 and those attending a minimum fine of $750 — if the legislation is passed.

Rent Freeze

The Ontario government is also introducing a rent freeze for residential tenants and extending the eviction freeze for small businesses. If passed, the Act will freeze rent through 2021 for most residential units. The extension on the evictions for commercial tenants will continue to apply to businesses whose landlords did not apply for the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) despite being eligible.

The full news release on the social gathering limits can be found here, and the release on the rent freezes can be found here.

We hope you are finding these COVID-19 updates useful. In addition to trying to keep on top of the fast-changing situation, Enterprise is also working to support local charities during these challenging times. If you are able, your contributions to this effort would be deeply appreciated.

To donate, please click on the organization below:

Many thanks.

Stay safe. Stay healthy.

The Enterprise Team

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COVID-19 Update for September 16 2020 – 2:45pm

Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a news conference following the wrap-up of the federal government’s cabinet retreat.

Safe Restart Agreement

Trudeau provided more detail on federal funding to help provinces and territories safely restart the economy through the Safe Restart Agreement, which was originally announced on July 16, 2020.

Provinces and territories were asked to outline in letters how more than $19 billion would best be allocated within their jurisdictions, based on their priorities. The premiers have now submitted the letters and the federal funding will be transferred to the provinces and territories.

Funding will support the provinces and territories in their delivery and management of COVID-related response under seven key priorities:

  • Testing, contact tracing, and data management
  • Health care capacity, including mental health and substance use
  • Protecting vulnerable populations, including seniors in long-term care facilities
  • Securing personal protective equipment
  • Child care for returning workers
  • Support for municipalities, including for public transit
  • Sick leave

Throne Speech

The Prime Minister also indicated the speech from the throne next week will focus primarily on priorities to keep Canadians safe. He said that the economy will be addressed, but that we are not out of the pandemic yet.

“We will present a throne speech that will show our direction in the coming months and years. A cleaner and greener recovery will be part of that rebuild,” he said.

We hope you are finding these COVID-19 updates useful. In addition to trying to keep on top of the fast-changing situation, Enterprise is also working to support local charities during these challenging times. If you are able, your contributions to this effort would be deeply appreciated.

To donate, please click on the organization below:

Many thanks.

Stay safe. Stay healthy.

The Enterprise Team

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COVID-19 Update for September 10 2020 – 1:00pm

Mental Health Funding

Today, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced the Government of Ontario is allocating an additional $14.75 million to expand access to mental health and addiction services.

This funding is in addition to $12 million in emergency funds the Province announced in April for mental health and addiction supports to address the impact of COVID-19.

The additional funding will help community-based mental health and addictions programs meet increasing service demands, including:

  • $7 million to safely expand in-person mental health and addictions services to bridge current gaps brought on by COVID-19, including community-based services, congregate living and supportive housing;
  • $4.75 million to support culturally safe services for Indigenous communities, with a focus on children and youth; and
  • $3 million to expand virtual and online services including addictions supports, Internet-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (iCBT) and an online peer support community for mental health.

Research Funding

The Ontario government also announced an additional $2.9 million for eight research projects that aim to support Ontario’s response to COVID-19. These projects will focus on a wide variety of areas such as supporting the mental health and well-being of families and children, assessing the long-term health effects of COVID-19, the development of an app to better manage patient care and an evaluation of the effectiveness of wearing masks to block the virus.

We hope you are finding these COVID-19 updates useful. In addition to trying to keep on top of the fast-changing situation, Enterprise is also working to support local charities during these challenging times. If you are able, your contributions to this effort would be deeply appreciated.

To donate, please click on the organization below:

Many thanks.

Stay safe. Stay healthy.

The Enterprise Team

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COVID-19 Update for August 31 2020 – 12:15pm

This morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced two new agreements in principle to receive millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines once they are available. He also unveiled funding for a new biomanufacturing facility in Montreal to manufacture vaccines in Canada.

COVID-19 Vaccines

The Government of Canada has signed agreements with Novavax and Johnson & Johnson to reserve millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines currently in development. Canada has also signed previous agreements with Pfizer and Moderna, bringing the total vaccines reserved for Canadians to “at least 88 million doses.” The prime minister said there is the potential to obtain “tens of millions more” doses.

Trudeau also announced funding for a new biomanufacturing facility at the Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre in Montreal. The new building will allow the National Research Council of Canada to increase vaccine manufacturing to up to two million doses per month by next year. The federal government will invest $126 million over two years to build this facility and later supply $20 million annually for operational costs. The facility is expected to be up and running by mid-2021.

The full news release can be found here.

We hope you are finding these COVID-19 updates useful. In addition to trying to keep on top of the fast-changing situation, Enterprise is also working to support local charities during these challenging times. If you are able, your contributions to this effort would be deeply appreciated.

To donate, please click on the organization below:

Many thanks.

Stay safe. Stay healthy.

The Enterprise Team

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COVID-19 Update for August 26 2020 – 2:15pm

Ontario Premier Doug Ford provided an update this afternoon on funding the province is allocating for its back to school plan, enhanced by the federal investment announced earlier this morning. He also released the province’s “COVID-19 management plans for schools”.

Back to School Funding

Ford detailed the updated funding available for the province’s investments on back-to-school programs, including funding for the health and safety elements of reopening schools, special education and mental health support, additional public health nurses and more. This funding increase comes from the federal investment of up to $2 billion for the provinces, of which Ontario will be receiving $381 million. According to the provincial news release, the second half of the funding will be announced later this year for the remainder of the school year.

The full breakdown of funding can be found in the provincial release here.

COVID-19 Management Plans for Schools

The provincial government is releasing their plan for COVID-19 management that will provide guidance to schools and school boards on what to do in the event of a case or outbreak of COVID-19. Dr. Dirk Huyer, the province’s chief coroner, will lead Ontario’s efforts on outbreak management in schools, childcare centres, agriculture, and healthcare, including long-term care. He has previously led the province’s testing strategy on the health command table and has been deputized by Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams.

We hope you are finding these COVID-19 updates useful. In addition to trying to keep on top of the fast-changing situation, Enterprise is also working to support local charities during these challenging times. If you are able, your contributions to this effort would be deeply appreciated.

To donate, please click on the organization below:

Many thanks.

Stay safe. Stay healthy.

The Enterprise Team

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COVID-19 Update for August 26 2020 – 12:00pm

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced up to $2 billion in new funding for the provinces and territories for a safe return to schools this morning.

Back to School Funding

The funding comes as part of a new Safe Return to Class Fund and will be flexible to allow provinces and schools to decide how to use it, including for supporting adaptive learning spaces, improved air ventilation, and more. The money is scheduled to come in two instalments, this fall and early in 2021, and will be allocated based on the number of children aged 4-18 with a minimum of $2 million allocated per jurisdiction.

Trudeau also announced an additional $112 million for schools in First Nations communities to help them open their schools with “proper supports for students, parents, and educators.”

The full federal release can be found here.

We hope you are finding these COVID-19 updates useful. In addition to trying to keep on top of the fast-changing situation, Enterprise is also working to support local charities during these challenging times. If you are able, your contributions to this effort would be deeply appreciated.

To donate, please click on the organization below:

Many thanks.

Stay safe. Stay healthy.

The Enterprise Team

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COVID-19 Update for August 21 2020 – 2:10pm

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford travelled to a 3M manufacturing facility in Brockville, Ont., for a joint appearance today, announcing a partnership to provide funding that will allow 3M’s facility to expand and begin manufacturing N-95 masks.

N-95 Masks

The Canadian and Ontario governments will each contribute just more than $23 million to support 3M’s capital investment of $70 million, and in turn each will receive 25 million N-95 masks per year once the facility comes online early next year.

Ford called the announcement one of his proudest moments as Premier: “Because today, I know that Ontario will never have to depend on another country for the N-95 masks we need to protect our nurses and doctors, our frontline heroes.” The Premier was referencing a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) back in April that left Ontario with less than a week’s supply of N-95 masks.

The federal release on the announcement can be found here.

We hope you are finding these COVID-19 updates useful. In addition to trying to keep on top of the fast-changing situation, Enterprise is also working to support local charities during these challenging times. If you are able, your contributions to this effort would be deeply appreciated.

To donate, please click on the organization below:

Many thanks.

Stay safe. Stay healthy.

The Enterprise Team

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COVID-19 Update for August 14 2020 – 2:05pm

In his daily update this afternoon, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced that gyms and recreation centres can increase their capacity starting tomorrow.

Gym and Recreation Centre Capacity

The Ontario government is applying a capacity limit of 50 patrons for each indoor sport or fitness room as of tomorrow at 12:01 a.m. While capacity is increased, physical distancing measures will still be maintained. Ford acknowledged that many gyms and fitness centres are owned by small businesses, and this move will “help them get back on their feet and hire back staff” by serving more patrons.

Supporting Amateur Sport

The province has also announced it is putting $8 million into the Ontario Amateur Sport Fund to give minor sports organizations — everything from Alpine Ontario to WushuOntario — a boost. The funding is intended to support athletes, coaches and officials while promoting health and wellness across the province.

The full provincial release can be found here.

We hope you are finding these COVID-19 updates useful. In addition to trying to keep on top of the fast-changing situation, Enterprise is also working to support local charities during these challenging times. If you are able, your contributions to this effort would be deeply appreciated.

To donate, please click on the organization below:

Many thanks.

Stay safe. Stay healthy.

The Enterprise Team

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COVID-19 Update for August 13 2020 – 4:40pm

Calling it the “next steps” in Ontario’s back-to-school plan, Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced more than $550 million in one-time (i.e., this year only) funding for school boards.

While not entirely new funding, the government is allowing school boards to access $500 million in reserve funds to spend on local priorities, noting a focus on physical distancing in schools. An additional $50 million is available for upgrades to air quality systems such as ventilation and HVAC.

Lecce also announced a policy directive requiring minimum standards for remote learning for parents choosing to keep their kids at home. From Kindergarten through Grade 12, a minimum of 75 per cent of the school day (225 out of the standard 300 minutes) must include live, synchronous (“Zoom-style”) teaching. An additional $18 million will be available for school boards to hire principals and other support staff to manage online learning and $15 million to supply technology (laptops, tablets, internet access) to students who need it.

We hope you are finding these COVID-19 updates useful. In addition to trying to keep on top of the fast-changing situation, Enterprise is also working to support local charities during these challenging times. If you are able, your contributions to this effort would be deeply appreciated.

To donate, please click on the organization below:

Many thanks.

Stay safe. Stay healthy.

The Enterprise Team

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