Joel Harden MPP / Député, Ottawa Centre

Government of Ontario

COVID Update: Tuesday, April 28

Here are today’s new developments

Here are some concerns the official opposition is working on, and solutions we’re pushing for:
 

  • Official opposition leader Andrea Horwath joined workers across the country in marking today's National Day of Mourning --  and announced that MPP Wayne Gates will be tabling a bill to ensure that all essential workers have presumptive WSIB coverage for COVID-19 during the pandemic. 
  • We continued to urge the government to launch a strategy to protect seniors and long-term care workers in the battle against COVID-19--the proposal includes an order for Public Health to take over management of long-term care homes where seniors aren't properly protected, plus mandating what homes must communicate to residents and their families.
  • We are asking the province to cover the full cost of take-home cancer drugs for people that need them, an ask we have long pushed for, but which has taken on increased urgency during the pandemic, when many Ontarians have had their in-hospital cancer treatments put on hold.

Here are some things we’re hearing from our community members:

  • People are raising concerns about the state of long-term care and seniors homes before COVID-19 — a problem we have been raising for years.
  • Ongoing concerns about small businesses that are failing, with some facing eviction — through no fault of their own — because there is no provincial support in place for expenses like commercial rent.