COVID-19 Update for May 12, 2020 – 2:00pm
Premier Doug Ford began his daily remarks by announcing that he has asked the Ontario Legislature to extend the provincial state of emergency, as the government continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. This past Sunday saw the lowest number of daily COVID-19 cases since late March, signaling a positive trend. “We have made significant progress, but we still have a long way to go,” cautioned the Premier.
COVID-19 Emergency Bill 190
The Legislature resumed this afternoon for its fourth emergency session, allowing MPPs to debate Bill 190, a new COVID-19 emergency bill designed to extend the emergency order until June 2 and press the government on its response to the pandemic.
The 15-schedule legislation is mostly technical and does not contain any dramatic clauses that should stop the opposition parties from holding back unanimous consent.
Re-Opening the Economy
The Premier also noted that Ontario will enter stage one of the province’s three-stage recovery plan on Thursday, and that his government is working closely with MPPs in all parties to hold local stakeholder consultations in their ridings so they can hear from people from across the province on how best to re-open the economy. “On Thursday we will share more details about re-opening our province,” Ford said. “We will be re-opening low-risk places, seasonal businesses and essential services.”
No Ex in 2020
In the question period that follows the Premier’s briefings, Ford confirmed rumours that the 2020 Canadian National Exhibition will be cancelled because of COVID-19. The Premier reminisced about his days as a child at the Ex, spending all day there playing the games, riding the rides and eating the food. “We all grew up there,” he said, adding, “It’s part of our culture here. It’s part of our heritage going back over a hundred years. I’m gonna miss it.” It’s only the second time in 142 years that the Ex didn’t take place.
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:
- Toronto – Food Banks Canada
- Thunder Bay – Food Banks North West
- Hamilton/Niagara – Hamilton Food Share
- Alberta – Hope Mission
Many thanks.
Stay safe. Stay healthy.
The Enterprise Team