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 Ontario Releases Plan to Safely Reopen Ontario and Manage COVID-19 |
| Oakville North-Burlington Update – October 8th, 2021“Vaccinations are an important subject right now as they are our main defence against COVID-19 and the Delta Variant. We are launching an even larger flu shot program this year to keep Ontarians healthy. Our government’s top priority has always been protecting the health and safety of Ontarians and this year we are prepared for flu season.” – Effie Triantafilopoulos MPP Ontario Releases Plan to Safely Reopen Ontario and Manage COVID-19 The Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, has released A Plan to Safely Reopen Ontario and Manage COVID-19 for the Long-Term, which outlines the province’s gradual approach to lifting the remaining public health and workplace safety measures by March 2022.In the absence of concerning trends, public health and workplace safety measures will be lifted on the following dates:October 25, 2021Ontario will lift capacity limits in the vast majority of settings where proof of vaccination are required, such as restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments, indoor areas of sports and recreational facilities such as gyms and where personal physical fitness trainers provide instruction; casinos, bingo halls and other gaming establishments; and indoor meeting and event spaces.At this time, the government will also allow other settings to lift capacity limits and physical distancing requirements if they choose to require proof of vaccination.This will not apply to settings where people receive medical care, food from grocery stores and medical supplies.November 15, 2021The government intends to lift capacity limits in the remaining higher-risk settings where proof of vaccination is required, including food or drink establishments with dance facilities.January 17, 2022 In the absence of concerning trends in public health and health care following the winter holiday months and after students returned to in-class learning, the province intends to begin gradually lifting capacity limits in settings where proof of vaccination is not required.Proof of vaccination requirements may also begin to be gradually lifted at this time.February 7, 2022The government intends to lift proof of vaccination requirements in high-risk settings, including night clubs, strip clubs, and bathhouses and sex clubs.March 28, 2022At this time, it is intended that remaining public health and workplace safety measures will be lifted, including wearing face coverings in indoor public settings. Free Flu Shot Available in November Ontario is investing over $89 million this year to purchase over 7.6 million flu vaccine doses, which is 1.4 million more doses than last year. This includes a total of 1.8 million doses specifically for seniors. Starting in November, the flu shot will be available for all Ontarians through doctor and nurse practitioner offices, participating pharmacies, and public health units. To further improve access and convenience to the flu shot and based on demand in recent years, pharmacies will receive approximately 40 per cent of the allocated doses, up from 36 per cent last year. |
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| Effie in the Legislature In the Ontario Legislature this week I honoured His Most Divine All Holiness, Bartholomew I, marking the 30th anniversary of his election as Archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch. As the longest serving patriarch in the history of the See of Constantinople and the First Throne of the Orthodox Church, the Patriarch is known for promoting dialogue and peace among religions. His work on environmental justice has earned him the title “The Green Patriarch”. On behalf of the Ontario Legislature I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to His All-Holiness on his historic anniversary and on his-thirty year worldwide ministry. Please click here to watch the video |
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| As this week we also celebrated Small Business Week, I was pleased to ask Associate Minister of Business and Red Tape Reduction Nina Tangri about Ontario Government programs to support businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Entrepreneurs and small businesses are the backbone of our community and Ontario will ensure supports are there to help them grow and succeed. Please click here to watch the video |
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| I was pleased to ask the Minister of Economic Development, Jobs and Trade, Victor Fedeli, what steps the Ontario Government is taking to support businesses and workers through the last stages of the pandemic and to ensure economic recovery. The impact of COVID-19 has been challenging for businesses, families and individuals but we are committed to making Ontario the economic engine of Canada. Please Click here to watch the video |
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| Effie in the Community It was a pleasure to visit with Tony and JoJo at FL Creative Boutique and see the beautiful, hand crafted and one-of-a-kind items prepared by local artists. It was a pleasure learning about your unique business. It’s so important that we encourage and support our local small businesses. |
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| It was a pleasure to meet Dawoud and his staff at Osmows Shawarma in Oakville North-Burlington. Osmows serves delicious Middle Eastern dishes and I can vouch for the great customer service! We must support our local small businesses. |
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| I met with Unifor Canada to discuss the need for more childcare spaces. Childcare is important for families in Oakville North-Burlington and across Ontario. I am proud our government introduced the Child Care Tax Credit to provide relief for 300,000 families with a tax break of $1,250 on their child care expenses per year. |
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| I met with Tarion’s CEO Peter Balasubramanian to discuss Tarion’s work administering the new warranty homes program in Ontario and changes to strengthen protections for buyers and owners of new homes. For over 40 years, Tarion has provided new home warranty protection to more than two million Ontario homes. |
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| Persons Day On Persons Day, we honour the Famous Five, whose courageous campaign led to Canada recognizing women as persons in 1929. Let’s remember these indomitable leaders who led the way in women’s struggle for equality in Canada. Let’s appreciate how far we have come and recognize there is still much work to be done for the generations that follow. |
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| Halton Region to Require Mandatory Vaccinations in Indoor Sport and Fitness Facilities as of November 26 Halton Region’s Medical Officer of Health (MOH), Dr. Hamidah Meghani, has issued a letter of instructions to indoor sports and recreational fitness facilities to implement vaccination policies that require all eligible individuals to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to participate in organized sports and recreational fitness activities in these settings. For businesses and organizations, this means establishing, implementing, and ensuring compliance with a COVID-19 vaccination policy by no later than November 26, 2021 for all persons 12 years and older. This will include all who attend an indoor area of the indoor sport or recreational facility for the purpose of actively participating, coaching, training, instructing, officiating, or having similar involvement in organized sports and recreational fitness activities. You can find out more at Halton Region’s website. |
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| Kerr Street Missions – Race for Rice Please consider helping Kerr Street Mission by dropping off rice in a bag or box until October 30, 2021 at the OakvilleReady Hub near you. Kerr Street Mission, on average, serves approximately 250 families each week, with rice having the highest rate of consumption. As of now Kerr Street Mission is only able to provide each family with 0.8kg rice/month – translating that into the year it equates to 9.6kg/year. To find your local OakvilleReady Hub: https://oakvilleready.ca/leaders.php Let’s Haunt Hunger Join the OakvilleReady team as they re-imagine Halloween and create a new kind of treat for our community! Help give back to the community while having fun. This safe and contactless event will be collecting non-perishable items. OakvilleReady’s ‘Let’s Haunt Hunger’ will be taking place on October 30th, at Town Square downtown Oakville. Wear a costume to enter your chance to win 1 of 3 $100 gift cards from your favourite downtown Oakville business! For more information: https://oakvilleready.ca/OakvilleReady-Food-Drive.php |
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| Oakville North-Burlington Spirit Awards In recent months, I have been proud to honour a number of volunteers who have contributed to our community during the COVID-19 crisis. Thank you for your community spirit. If you would like to nominate a member of our community who has gone above and beyond to contribute to the community during the pandemic, please contact my office and let me know. |
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