Please see below the most recent updates on the federal and provincial governments’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Provincial:
- Today, the Ontario government announced that it is providing COVID-19 testing at pharmacies in the province. Up to 60 pharmacies will begin testing at no charge, by appointment only. In addition, three hospitals in Toronto (Women’s College, Mount Sinai and University Health Network and Toronto Western) will begin offering less invasive saliva testing this week, as a pilot.
- The Ontario government also announced a recruitment campaign to increase its labour inspector force by 24%, from 409 to 507 inspectors, for an annual cost of $11.6M.
- Regarding whether the province is considering shutting down schools or moving back to Stage 2 lockdown (given the number of daily COVID-19 cases), the Premier said: “all options are on the table” adding, “we won’t hesitate to make this decision” if the situation worsens.
- The Premier was also highly critical of Health Canada for taking too long to approve the faster saliva/antigen tests, which he said was very negatively “affecting the whole system.”
James Barry
Executive Secretary Treasurer
IBEW Construction Council of Ontario
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