Phase One of Ontario’s Economic Reopening

Peter Bethlenfalvy is MPP for Pickering — Uxbridge and President of the Treasury Board of Ontario. This is part of a series about Ontario’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. To keep up-to-date on the latest developments and learn how to keep yourself and others safe, please visit Ontario.ca/COVID19

On Monday, May 4, 2020, at 12:01AM certain Ontario businesses were given the green light to reopen. This was only possible thanks to the collective response of the people of Ontario. Because we as Ontarians banded together, practiced responsible social distancing, washed our hands, and sneezed or coughed into our elbows or handkerchiefs, we have been able to make much needed progress against the COVID-19 epidemic.

While front-line heroes put their own health and safety at risk every day to protect the public and the most vulnerable, every Ontarian who has followed safety guidelines has risen to the challenge and helped us flatten the curve.

As a member of the Ontario Jobs and Recovery Committee, which is led by my friend and colleague, Minister of Finance Rod Phillips, my fellow ministers and I have been tasked with consulting widely to both assess the impact of COVID-19 on the provincial economy and develop an action plan to reopen our economy in a safe and effective way. That work has already started. We have spent many hours over the past weeks consulting with business leaders and experts and, in the coming days and weeks, we continue meeting with business associations, chambers of commerce, municipal and corporate leaders, small business owners, and entrepreneurs to build a plan that works.

This plan is about more than just letting businesses open their doors to the public — we have to ensure that public spaces and private businesses can operate safely.

We know that many people are struggling during these unprecedented times. The most recent numbers from Statistics Canada show a decrease in employment in Ontario of 689,200 over this path month alone. We know that people need jobs, businesses need customers, and households need income. That’s why we’re doing everything we can to create a safe and effective roadmap to reopening our economy.

For those who do find themselves out of work, our government has created a jobs portal at www.ontario.ca/jobs to make it easier for people to find opportunities in industries that are actively looking for workers.

This first phase of economic reopening is being done under the clear guidelines of the Framework for Reopening our Province, the guiding document developed by the Committee, which lays out the responsible health and safety goals that need to be achieved before we ease specific restrictions.

As Premier Ford, Minister of Finance Rod Phillips, Minister of Health Christine Elliott, and Dr. David Williams, the Chief Medical Officer of Health outlined recently to the public, Phase One of that plan allows “select workplaces that can immediately modify operations to meet public health guidance” to reopen as of May 4, 2020. In addition, hospitals can begin offering certain scheduled and non-urgent surgeries. The full list of businesses and organizations allowed to reopen includes:

· Garden centres and nurseries with curbside pick-up and delivery only;

· Lawn care and landscaping;

· Essential construction projects;

· Automatic and self-serve car washes;

· Auto dealerships by appointment only;

Golf courses and marinas are also allowed to prepare their facilities for the upcoming season, but are not yet open to the public.

These businesses, as well as all others in Ontario, have been provided with the clear health and safety guidelines develop by the Ministry of Health.

This reopening, of course, cannot become an excuse for people to abandon responsible social distancing and hygiene guidelines. Now, more than ever, we need people to ensure they continue to act safely and responsibly. Please continue to practice the 6-foot physical distancing guidelines, continue to wash your hands regularly, and only go out for essential reasons such as groceries, medical appointments, or to pick up prescriptions.

If we can safely and responsibly begin to reopen our province’s economy, while still effectively combatting COVID-19, more businesses will be able to open and more public spaces will be available for use.

This is, of course, Phase One of our three-phase plan to reopen the economy. Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health has provided clear guidelines that need to be achieved before we move on to phases two and three. Those guidelines include:

· A consistent two-to-four week decrease in the number of new daily COVID-19 cases;

· Sufficient acute and critical care capacity, including access to ventilators and ongoing availability of personal protective equipment;

· Approximately 90 per cent of new COVID-19 contacts are being reached by local public health officials within one day, with guidance and direction to contain community spread; and

· Ongoing testing of suspected COVID-19 cases, especially of vulnerable populations, to detect new outbreaks quickly.

Through the hard work of our front-line health care heroes and the continued diligence of everyday Ontarians, we will achieve these goals, flatten the curve, and beat the COVID-19 pandemic. We can only do this with your help and support. So remember to continue practicing social distancing, proper hygiene, and only go out for essential needs. Together we can do this.