City officials say they are concerned about a rise in aggressive behaviour towards staff at the City-run vaccination clinics.
Mayor John Tory says he’s received reports of people attempting to bully their way into receiving a second dose or refusing to follow the rules when inside the clinics, calling it “completely and totally unacceptable.”
“We’re hearing reports of racist and sexist comments targeting employees and of harassing behaviour,” said Tory.
“I know its a very, very small minority who would even think of doing that but …it has to come to an end and it won’t be tolerated.”
While Chief Matthew Pegg couldn’t provide numbers on how many of these incidents they have had to deal with, he said the majority are from people who’ve been told they aren’t allowed to snap pictures inside the clinics. He says that is done in order to protect personal health information.
Meanwhile, a warning from Toronto’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Eileen de Villa, not to get too comfortable as we inch closer to the first stage of the province’s reopening plan this weekend.
“COVID-19 is a nimble virus and doesn’t seem ready to go away quickly or easily,” she said.
“We are nearing the finish line – we don’t want to turn it into an obstacle course.”
De Villa noted there are currently 122 confirmed cases of the Delta variant in the city, and while that may not sound like a lot, “we have seen what happens when a variant suddenly explodes.”
She pointed out that while 72 per cent of adults in Toronto have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, it is only 33 per cent effective against the latest variant.
“The Delta variant is a force to be reckoned with; more transmissible, more infectious,” she said.
“If you’ve had a first dose don’t overestimate its protective power. There are two dose vaccines for a reason; I ask that you please make it your mission to show up for both.”
The Ford government has recalled the Ontario legislature for Thursday in order to reverse a court decision on election advertising limits.
The notwithstanding clause, which has never been used in Ontario, allows federal or provincial governments to override sections of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The provincial government plans to invoke it in order to overturn a court decision this week that ruled certain parts of the Elections Finances Act are unconstitutional for limiting third party advertising.
Enacted under the Wynne Liberal government, the Elections Finances Act stated that third party advertisers, individuals or groups, could spend $600,000 in the six months before an election, the Ford government expanded it to $600,000 in the 12 months preceding an election.
However, Ontario Superior Court Justice Edward Morgan declared the recent changes by the province were unconstitutional.
The attorney general had argued that the changes, which came into force in May, were necessary to protect democratic elections from outside influence.
Justice Morgan wrote in his Tuesday decision that extending the regulated spending period to 12 months was not necessary.
Morgan’s judgment declared the sections of the Election Finances Act involved in the court challenge to be no longer in force and the ruling would take effect immediately given the sensitive timing of the case. The next provincial election is scheduled for June 2, 2022 — less than a year away.
In a statement, Ford government House Leader Paul Callandra said the legislature was being recalled to introduce “legislation to protect the individual rights of Ontario voters and protect our elections from American-style super PACs and their big money political influence.”
“In the coming days, the government will be using every tool in the toolbox to protect our democracy. Ontario’s elections belong to the people and the people elected our government to protect and defend our democratic institutions. We will do just that,” read the statement.
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) called the decision by the Ford government to use the notwithstanding clause, “unconstitutional and undemocratic.”
In a statement, the CCLA wrote, “The notwithstanding clause was designed to be a democratic safety valve, not a brazen power grab to tilt election rules in a government’s favour.”
As the province prepares to gradually lift COVID-19 restrictions, Toronto City Council has approved an extension of coronavirus bylaws until at least the end of September.
The five temporary measures, which were set to expire today, include maintaining physical distancing in City parks and public squares, mandatory face coverings in businesses, apartments and condominiums, and requiring food and drink establishments to maintain customer logs along with other measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
The recommendations to extend the measures were made in a letter to City Council on behalf of Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Eileen de Villa, back on June 1.
“COVID-19 numbers are decreasing, but it remains a significant concern and we need to continue our efforts to reduce and limit virus spread,” said de Villa.
The measures come ahead of the provincial plan to proceed with Step 1 in the reopening process as of 12:01 a.m. Friday morning.
“We have come a long way in our fight against COVID-19 and we want to make sure our case numbers continue to go in the right direction so that we can proceed with a safe and cautious reopening,” said Mayor John Tory. “As we start to gradually reopen thanks to increasing vaccination numbers, we need to remain vigilant to protect our community.”
A woman has been taken to hospital after being stabbed near Yonge-Dundas Square.
Police were called to Dundas and Victoria Streets just after 8 p.m. Wednesday.
The victim was found suffering from a stab wound and was taken to hospital with serious, non-life-threatening injuries.
A suspect reportedly fled the scene prior to police arriving.
More to come
The University of Toronto will require students living in residence during the upcoming school year to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The school made the announcement on Tuesday, saying the measure is supported by both Toronto and Peel Region’s public health units.
U of T says students should have their first dose prior to their move-in date and are strongly recommending they receive it at least 14 days before moving in.
The university further adds that those unable to get vaccinated before moving into residence will have two weeks following their move-in date to receive their first dose and they will help expedite access to vaccines, subject to supply.
“This requirement, which is endorsed by our local public health authorities, will enable us to give our students the residence experience that they expect – and that is so important to their growth and development – without compromising on their health and safety,” said Sandy Welsh, U of T’s Vice-Provost of students.
Welsh said in a statement students in residence who have not received a first dose within two weeks after moving in may be subject to additional public health restrictions.
“It’s really important that students be able to interact safely with one another and participate in the in-person programming that we know they value so highly.”
Western University in London, Ont. became one of the first to require students living in residence to be vaccinated against COVID-19 come September.
In-person learning across the province has been suspended until further notice.
Ontario is reporting 469 new COVID-19 cases and 18 additional deaths on Tuesday.
For the second straight day the province sees the smallest daily increase of new infections since September. There have been fewer than 1,000 cases for nine consecutive days and it is the first time Ontario has reported fewer than 500 new cases since Sep. 26.
The province is reporting a test positivity rate of 2.7 per cent, down from 3.6 per cent one week ago. It is the lowest positivity rate since March 12.
There were 17,579 tests completed in the last 24-hour period.
Locally, there are 182 new cases in Toronto, 76 in Peel, 40 in the Porcupine Health Unit Region and 30 in Durham. The province reports no new cases for York Region but says this is due to data cleaning and updating of previously reported cases.
There were another 1,010 resolved cases, dropping the active case count. Resolved cases have outnumbered new infections each day since mid-April.
The province reported 525 cases and 15 deaths on Monday.
There are now 621 people hospitalized in the province with 481 in the ICU. Hospitalizations are down nearly 200 since one week ago while ICU numbers have dropped more than 100 in the last week.
There were another 158,209 vaccine doses administered in the last 24-hour period.
As of 8:00 p.m. Monday, 10,267,613 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered and 70.3 per cent of Ontarians over the age of 12 have received at least one dose, while 9.1 per cent of residents are fully vaccinated.
More Ontarians are eligible to book their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine through the provincial system this week.
Those aged 70 and older, as well as people who received their first dose of an mRNA vaccine on or before April 18, can now book their second shot at mass immunization clinics on the province’s online booking portal or through its phone line.
AstraZeneca recipients who received the shot more than 12 weeks ago can also book an mRNA second dose through the provincial system.
Before Step 2 of the reopening plan can begin, the province has outlined that 70 per cent of Ontario adults need to have received at least one dose, and 20 per cent need to have received both doses.
The first dose mark of 70 per cent has already been met and the province hopes the acceleration of second doses will help meet the 20 per cent.
Ontario has announced that it will lift some pandemic restrictions and enter Step 1 of its economic reopening plan on Friday; a few days ahead of schedule.
The move will allow for patio dining at a maximum of four patrons per table and limited non-essential retail shopping to resume at 15 per cent capacity ahead of the upcoming weekend.
The reopening of non-essential retail is street entrance only and stores located inside of malls without a street entrance will reopen to the public in Step 2, now slated for July 2. Personal care services are also set to reopen as part of Step 2.
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), representing over 90,000 small businesses in Ontario, says they’re elated to finally get back to normal operations as of Friday.
The President of the CFIB is calling for the province to accelerate through the next stages of its reopening plan, which in its current state will lift restrictions further every three weeks depending on the pandemic situation and status of vaccinations at the time.
OTTAWA – The prime minister is categorizing a recent attack on a Muslim family in London, Ont. as a terror attack, adding his government will do more to dismantle hate groups.
The House of Commons opened session Tuesday morning in Ottawa with a moment of silence for the five victims in Sunday night’s hit-and-run.
Four family members – including a 74-year-old woman, 44-year-old woman, 46-year-old man, and a 15-year-old girl – were killed at a red light around 8:30 p.m. when a large, black truck came up behind the family and struck them at a high speed.
READ MORE: London, Ont. police believe Muslim family of 5 were targeted in hate-motivated, hit-and-run attack
A 9-year-old, the sole survivor and fifth family member, remains in hospital with serious injuries.
Police said Monday they believed the family was targeted because of their faith.
Justin Trudeau said during Tuesday’s session that the hit-and-run was terrorist attack, adding that we ll must take an active role in standing up to hate and terror.
“A family never made it home. Their lives were taken in a brutal, cowardly, and brazen act of violence. The killing was no accident. This was a terrorist attack, motivated by hatred,” he said.
He said this attack is one of many racist and Islamophobic attacks in the country and they need to stop.
“We not only have to say enough is enough–you must take action. We cannot allow any form of hate to take root because the consequences can be far too serious,” he said.
“To anyone who thinks racism and hatred don’t exist in this country, I ask you this: How do we explain such violence?”
He said non-Muslim Canadians need to understand the anxiety and fear that others are carrying.
“It is on all of us to understand that experience, be there to support, to help. We can and we must act.”
He pledged to do more to dismantle far-right extremist groups like the Proud Boys.
“We will continue to fund initiatives like the security infrastructure program to help protect communities at risk and their schools, and places of worship. We will continue to fight hate, online and offline,” he said.
The leaders of all national federal parties in the House of Commons will be in attendance at the vigil Tuesday night in London to honour the victims.
Police arrested the 20-year-old man they believe was responsible for the attack a short time after it happened in the parking lot of a mall seven kilometres away. They say he was wearing a body-armour-type vest at the time he was apprehended.
Police say there was no known prior relationship between the suspect and the victims and it’s believed he acted alone.
He’s been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
-with files from the Canadian Press
Two former paramedics were found guilty on Tuesday of failing to provide the necessaries of life in the shooting death of a teen in Hamilton four years ago.
Yosif Al-Hasnawi was shot in the stomach outside a Hamilton mosque in December of 2017 after he tried to stop two people from harassing an older man.
Believing his injuries were minor and from a pellet gun, the court heard the two paramedics did not rush him to hospital in a timely fashion, and Al-Hasnawi later died.
The paramedics also believed he was embellishing his injuries.
It was later determined that Al-Hasnawi was in fact shot with a handgun, with the bullet piercing a major artery. The two paramedics, Steven Snively, and Christopher Marchant, were later fired.
Both pleaded not guilty in the case.
In her closing statements, Crown attorney Linda Shin said: “They found Yosif lying down on the sidewalk, appearing to be in pain, unable to get up, altered and confused, and saying he could not breathe, with his distraught father and brothers nearby.”
“Despite finding Yosif in this condition, they ignored what their profession trained and required them to do. Their conduct was motivated by their subjective belief that Yosif was over-embellishing and acting, that he was faking.”
In finding them both guilty on Tuesday, the judge said they consciously ignored their training.
OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – The Canadian government is not satisfied with recent comments from the Pope on residential schools.
“Residential school survivors and those dealing with it need to hear the Pope apologize, explicitly for the Catholic Church’s role in this tragedy to unlock the healing and support closure,” Crown Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett said Monday.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Bennett’s office says the comments from Pope Francis over the weekend does not go far enough and they continue to believe a direct apology from the Pope is an important step in acknowledging the past and moving toward reconciliation.
On Sunday, Pope Francis expressed sorrow over the discovery of the remains of 215 children at the site of a former residential school in Kamloops, saying he feels a “closeness to the Canadian people.”
He failed to offer an apology, which frustrates Chief Bobby Cameron with the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations in Saskatechewan.
“Whether it’s a 40-second apology or a 215-second apology, it’s part of the healing journey,” he said.
On Sunday, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Toronto said he felt Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s calls for the Catholic Church to “step up” and take responsibility for its role in residential schools were “unhelpful and “not based on real facts.”
The Prime Minister’s Office says it stands by comments made last week, saying the Pope needs to apologize and the church needs to release all records or possibly face court action.
Green Party Leader Annamie Paul is not happy the Vatican has not yet formally apologized.
“It’s very important for healing and for reconciliation. Of course, they should do it. It’s disappointing that they haven’t,” Paul said.
This weekend, the Pope expressed sorrow but offered no apology.
Meanwhile, the Trudeau government is being pressured by the federal NDP to take quicker action on reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. This comes as the feds get pushback from the Catholic Church over demands to release records on residential schools and after were found at a former residential school in Kamloops.
The NDP’s motion, which should come to a vote Monday, demands quick action to help Indigenous peoples. In particular, Leader Jagmeet Singh wants fast implementation of outstanding Truth and Reconciliation recommendations, ending court cases around compensation for Indigenous children in the child welfare system and residential school survivors, and more resources to search for unmarked graves.
“We are hopeful that we can actually do something really meaningful … to fight for justice for Indigenous people. This is just a start. This, by no means, is a finish,” Singh said.
He says Trudeau needs to back his words up with action.
“We need more than a prime minister who wants to lower the flags at half mast or to take a knee at a memorial. We need action,” Singh said.
An Indigenous spirit garden to be constructed outside Toronto City Hall is closer to reality, with the design elements planned to honour residential school survivors nearly complete.
Partners involved with the Indian Residential School Survivors (IRSS) Legacy project have been working to transform the southwest corner of Nathan Phillips Square. The area will be considered “a place of teaching, learning, sharing and healing” with plans to incorporate a variety of public programs.
“That’s the biggest part of this project,” Theo Nazary, a strategic planner with the Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre, explained. “The biggest part of that is the educational component for Indigenous people and non-Indigenous people.”
Among the permanent features will be the sculpture of a large snapping turtle on top of a boulder, which will have the names of Ontario residential schools carved into the bottom. The turtle will be surrounded by water and facing City Hall, in a symbolic gesture of resilience and strength.
There will be a three-season teaching lodge, built as a space for special programming, including different ceremonies and workshops. Other elements will include an Inukshuk and Métis voyager canoe.
A white pine tree, symbolizing a sign of peace and the Great Law that told the Haudenosaunee Nation they were to bury their weapons underneath, will be planted at the south end of the site. Next to that, the Three Sisters garden with corn, beans and squash will represent the need to work together in unity.
“All of these pieces offer a teaching,” Nazary said. “They offer gifts to people like us and we’re able to learn about the culture, and we’re able to celebrate indigenous culture and history, while also honoring the survivors, the families, and the children that were lost in communities.”
The Spirit Garden is being created as part of Ontario’s commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action. Among the recommendations, was for provincial governments to “install a publicly accessible, highly visible, Residential Schools Monument in each capital city to honour Survivors and all the children who were lost to their families and communities.”
The City of Toronto has been involved in the planning, along with Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre, and has committed $13 million to the project.
“That work has been incredible,” Patrick Tobin, the city’s director of arts and culture services, said. “It’s been highly collaborative and really productive in terms of the design that is resulted, both at how faithful it is to the original vision but how much of an enhancement it will be to the square and letting people learn that difficult history in residential schools in Canada.”
Construction of the Spirit Garden is expected to start this fall, once a general contractor is hired, with the project completed and ready for the public to enjoy in 2023.
“It’s been a learning process for all of us,” Nazary said. “I think it’s been a life-changing experience for me and for Council Fire and for all the individuals involved. I think this is what reconciliation is all about.”
