Ford’s new virus bill is ‘power grab,’ critics say
Premier insists act will help ‘get Ontario back on track and back to work’
Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives have introduced sweeping legislation amending 20 existing laws with hopes of kick-starting Ontario’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
But, coming one day after the Tories tabled a bill expanding their emergency powers, opposition critics warn it is another example of government overreach.
Ford insisted the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act will help “get Ontario back on track and back to work” as the province regroups following a virus that has killed more than 2,700 people here.
“It means putting people to work, building better roads, bridges, highways and transit and building it faster. It means getting the government out of the way so small businesses can adapt and grow,” he said.
As first disclosed by the Star on Monday, the proposed law includes measures to expedite construction of thousands of homes — including affordable housing — at more than a dozen new transit stations.
The bill, which is expected to pass later this summer, also streamlines environmental assessments, gives the municipal affairs minister more power over development and planning, allows the City of Toronto more flexibility to hold online council meetings, and makes it easier to appoint justices of the peace.
As well, it ensures school boards can hire directors of education who have never been teachers.
“Schools are part of the COVID recovery. Again, the justice system, the backlog is staggering, is part of COVID recovery. Everything’s related to COVID recovery,” the premier said. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said “the omnibus bill … does nothing at all to help families, devastated long-term-care homes, small businesses, schools and daycares, First Nations, or municipalities to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This bill doesn’t include a single change to safeguard longterm-care residents, improve the quality of care, or increase the staff wages. This bill does not include a single dime for small and medium-sized businesses still struggling.
“It doesn’t add even one more child-care space, or increase the number of classrooms, teachers or education workers so all students can return to school safely. It doesn’t include a single cent for municipalities, which are facing billions of dollars in deficits and cuts.”
Liberal Leader Steve Del Duca said civic councils, which, unlike the federal and provincial governments, cannot run deficits, are hurting.
“It’s great that Doug Ford is letting municipalities use Zoom. But he still has no plan to provide the urgent financial relief our cities and towns need to protect vital public services and avoid fire sales of public assets,” Del Duca said. “He needs to act now.”
Green Leader Mike Schreiner warned “protecting forests, farmland and drinking water is not red tape.”
“The premier wants us to believe that we need to destroy the places we love to get the economy moving. He’s wrong. Caring for nature, farmland and water is a vital part of the economic recovery, not something we sacrifice,” Schreiner said.
“Ford has proven over the past two years that his priority is not the people and places we love in Ontario. From cancelling climate action to bulldozing habitat, the premier’s policies threaten the legacy we leave our children and grandchildren.”
While Wednesday’s bill had little aimed at long-term-care homes, the scene of almost two-thirds of Ontario’s COVID-19 deaths, Ford promised action on making air conditioning mandatory in nursing homes.
The premier praised a CBC reporter for bringing the issue to his attention on Tuesday after she discovered some homes were sweltering during the heat wave, forcing elderly residents to endure indoor temperatures of 27 C.
But industry sources say some older homes cannot be easily retrofitted due to a lack of duct work or insufficient electrical systems.
According to current design standards on the books, common spaces, such as dining areas, must be air-conditioned while residents’ rooms are only required to have “a system for tempering the air to keep air temperatures at a level that considers resident needs and comfort.”