In a news conference at Queen's Park, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announces his government's phased approach to loosening COVID-19 restrictions that have been . But people have pointed out that this is the second time Ford failed to follow the federal government'slead, as both days are indeedfederally recognized. (Wrong.). Sat Jan 28 at 2pm Robertson Theatre at the FirstOntario PAC, 250 St. Paul Street in downtown St. Catharines . Hote Take: The Queens death shouldn't be a national, Stat holiday. Dalton McGuinty's Liberals didn't do it. In a news conference at Queens Park, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announces his governments phased approach to loosening COVID-19 restrictions that have been in place since January 5. Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the, Hospital staffing will be protected when Ontario opens private surgery clinics, government insists, The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star Ford is expected to announce a month-long stay-at-home order for the province. It is a priority for CBC to create a website that is accessible to all Canadians including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Their back-to-back resignations underlined just how resounding the PC victory was. Mondays long-awaited but utterly anticlimactic announcement that Ontario is expanding independent clinics in order to reduce soaring wait times will trigger the inevitable rhetorical ideological wars. Addressing municipal leaders in Ottawa this morning . Ontario is moving thousands more surgeries and diagnostic procedures out of hospitals and into specialized community clinics to ease the pandemic backlog, starting with cataracts and building toward hip and knee replacements next year. Restricting in-person shopping in all retail settings, including a 50 per cent capacity limit for supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, indoor farmers' markets, other stores that primarily sell food and pharmacies, and 25 per cent for all other retail including big box stores, along with other public health and workplace safety measures; Prohibiting indoor and outdoor dining. November 8, 2022. opinion. A lot of people out there, they want to have the endless debates about who should provide care, he said. rights reserved. The status quo is not working.. Im not brimming with confidence that the Ford government will succeed at what it tries, given its track record of failures in other areas. The legislation enshrining the tax cut is due to be tabled on Monday alongside the province's fall economic statement. As frustrating as it was for journalists that Ford went days at a time without taking questions, that didn't matter to themore than 1.9million Ontarians who voted PC. The latest tweets from must 2pm is back (@2pmissraa). I know what this means for people, to be here, over a year into the pandemic," continued the premier. Also, water is wet. Published Aug. 15, 2022 1:00 a.m. PDT. School bus in a ditch after collision due to icy roads Hamilton city councils to discuss policy to limit short-term rentals. Premier Doug Ford will be joined by Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Solicitor General Sylvia Jones, and Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health, to make an announcement. As with most medical questions, the context is complex: Some critics mistakenly or misleadingly describe Mondays reforms as unprecedented. But critics have warned patients could face increased pressures to pay out of their own pockets for additional products and services not covered by the provincial health insurance plan, such as higher-quality lenses than OHIP covers for cataract operations. This means a majority of people in Ontario will not get a long weekend for the Queen's funeral. To order copies of These workers will come from the same pool, said incoming New Democrat Leader Marit Stiles. The premier will be joined by Minister of Health Christine Elliott, Solicitor General Sylvia Jones and Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health. By expanding the number of private clinics delivering publicly funded treatment in Ontario, Ford is following the lead of British Columbia, Quebec, and other provinces that have experimented with practical alternatives to hospital-based care. pic.twitter.com/Ah4kFPDXRC. "We want to be clear he will not get away with this. Premier Doug Ford announced Monday that the government intends to expand the use of private, for-profit clinics. The stay-at-home order is effective at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, April 8. Whatever you think about the way he reads from a Teleprompter or his, "God bless the people of Ontario," closing, Ford used those appearances to rehabilitate his reputation,andas a result his approval rating soared. READ MORE . On Dec. 16, the science table warned that Omicron's . Leslie Frost's PCs won five more seatsin 1955 than in 1951, but even that gets an asterisk: the size of the legislature grew by eight seats between elections. The premier is scheduled to make an announcement at . ", May God bless you all with good health my friends because you won't be public provided care- Doug Ford. As a PC campaign source told me at the time,there are more employees who vote than business owners who vote. Right now families are having to use their credit card to access basic services (Wrong. Mike Crawley covers provincial affairs in Ontario for CBC News. The government said independent clinics will have to submit plans to show they are not taking staff away from hospitals. "Community" surgical clinics, as they're being called, aren't new; Some 26,000 OHIP-insured surgeries and procedures are carried out within centres licensed under the Independent Health Facilities Act every year, according to the Ford's government. expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto But Liberal MPP Dr. Adil Shamji (Don Valley East), an emergency room physician, questioned how those plans would be evaluated and accurately verified by the Health Ministry. Its difficult to say no., A 2021 report by the auditor general found the Health Ministry has no oversight mechanism to prevent patients from being misinformed about being charged inappropriately for publicly funded surgeries.. Join the conversation Peel Regional Police say the victim was walking in the . Read the full story from . Doug Ford's journey to winning the Ontario election and securing a second term as premier really began on St. Patrick's Day in 2020, the day he declared a state of emergency over the COVID-19 . Horwath's tearful election night speech was possiblythe best she has given in her 13 years as party leader, speaking straight from the heart. Clearly, some sizable number of voters who marked their ballot for Ford's party this time also voted for Justin Trudeau's Liberals last September. Thats the Ontario I recognize. WATCH LIVE: Premier Doug Ford to make an announcement at 1:30 p.m. Truck smashes into crew working on QEW in Beamsville, HHS clinic treats children with birthmark growths, Norfolk County crash sends 5 to hospital, 4-year-old in life-threatening condition, Investigators ask public for video of fatal St. Catharines explosion, fire, Ontario hospitals struggle to meet demands of Covid-19 patients, Retired teacher and baseball coach facing child luring charges, Blue Jays unveil first phase of Rogers Centre renovations, Case of duo charged in murder of OPP Const. ), The CEOs of Ontarios biggest hospitals fear Fords Tories will destabilize the system, by draining off nurses and doctors who abandon patients in need for greed. comments, 171 'plausible burials' found at Ontario residential school site in sad first for the province, Scanning your PRESTO card reveals a neat trick for Toronto commuters, People are slipping all over Toronto as freezing rain slicks roads and sidewalks with ice, One of Toronto's next transit stations just got a step closer to reality, People in Ontario are seriously worried after Doug Ford's latest announcement, Government of Canada workers threaten to strike over return to office mandate, Canada's super rich saw their wealth explode in the last few years, Lisa LaFlamme to discuss working in male dominated industry at Toronto event. "Friends, we're facing a very, very serious situation. Ontario will boost the number of . K is coming back on dec 9th. The government needs to get to work fixing our crumbling public health-care system instead of working so hard to convince Ontarians that privatization is the only solution, added Green Leader Mike Schreiner. permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com. The idea that Doug Ford's Conservatives are on the sideof workers has got to be one of the most magical bits of political alchemy ever performed in Ontario. According to historical election trends in this province, a PC defeat actuallywould have been an anomaly. Today's announcement follows this morning's extension of emergency orders by the provincial . Republication or distribution of this content is PC party needs to be more transparent with spending plans, says Ontario financial watchdog, Ontario records $2.1B surplus despite projected deficit for fiscal year, Ontario budget 2022: Highlights from the Ford government's pre-election pitch, CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. Don Martin: A basic Doug Ford takes a middle-of-the-road victory lap in Ontario election. Canada News. The result shows the front-runner play-it-safe campaign strategy employed by the Ontario PC Party worked. In the referendum choice between Doug Ford and not Doug Ford, voters looked at the two main alternatives:Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath. Premier Doug Ford will be making an announcement Wednesday morning. Ontario's premier and health minister are set to make an announcement this morning. On Dec. 7, projections from Ontario's COVID-19 Science Table warned that intensive-care unit populations would swell even without Omicron. This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. A "tough guy" like Doug Ford doesn't get up in front of the cameras and cry for show. Far better to figure out what works and what doesnt, rather than fearmonger over whats scary and what isnt. Doug Ford wanted to go to war with the unions. But a break may not be on the cards. Ontario PC Leader Doug Ford speaks to supporters after winning a decisive second majority. Under the latest plan, expanded cataract surgeries will come first; the next step will be hip and knee replacements, so that the province can walk before it runs. (Twitter) There's something very familiar about the backlash against the announcement made Monday by Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister (and deputy premier) Sylvia Jones. These changes are in addition to the emergency brake measures that took effect April 3 in all 34 health . Load Ontario Premier Doug Ford responds to a question during a press conference announcing the enhanced COVID-19 vaccine certificate system, at Queen's Park in Toronto on Wednesday, September 1, 2021. https://t.co/xLTeplVgO4. "Instead of helping folks afford basics like food and heating,Doug Ford is doubling down on a gas tax scheme that doesn't evenguarantee drivers will see so much as a penny in savings.". With the start of Ontario's election campaign still two weeks away, Premier Doug Ford's government has announced more than $10 billion in spending, fee rebates and tax cuts since early . All Doug Ford says that Ontarians will only ever need their OHIP card to get the health care they need Ford said ideological objections to independent health clinics are old-fashioned thinking, and noted much health care is already provided by private operators, such as family doctors working in their own offices, X-ray clinics and blood test labs with services covered by OHIP. And if the threat is as overwhelming as some dissident doctors claim, why have so many (physician) leaders responsible for Ontario biggest hospitals and associations cautiously endorsed the governments expansion plan? A key factor was the image Ford cultivated in 200-plus news conferences during the first year of the pandemic. Preview Date: Sunday, January 8th, between 1pm & 3pm and Monday, January 9th, between 11am to 2pm.Guns will only be at the Sunday preview. Visit: http://toronto.citynews.ca/Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CityNewsLike us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/citynewstoronto/Follow us o. We cant afford to get bogged down in sterile debates about structure versus substance, or politics over process. To order Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com, Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the, The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star Tag: Doug Ford announcement. Premier Doug Ford will be making an announcement Thursday afternoon. comments, 171 'plausible burials' found at Ontario residential school site in sad first for the province, Scanning your PRESTO card reveals a neat trick for Toronto commuters, People are slipping all over Toronto as freezing rain slicks roads and sidewalks with ice, One of Toronto's next transit stations just got a step closer to reality, People in Ontario are seriously worried after Doug Ford's latest announcement, Government of Canada workers threaten to strike over return to office mandate, Canada's super rich saw their wealth explode in the last few years, Lisa LaFlamme to discuss working in male dominated industry at Toronto event. rights reserved. Some fear that the move puts Ontario's healthcare system under further threat of full privatization, as they did after pharmacists weregranted the ability to treat certain ailments andprescribe some medicationspreviously available only from doctors. -. The plan won cautious endorsements from hospitals and medical groups, with Ontario Hospital Association president Anthony Dale saying it is essential that the expanded use of community surgical centres into new clinical activity take place, but noting there must be risk management measures.. Premier Doug Ford ended Wednesday's announcement by telling Ontarians to "take a break from negativity" for the next four weeks. The lockdown announcement Ontario has been waiting for all night and all day has has finally dropped, courtesy of Premier Doug Ford and it's everything we all secretly hoped it wouldn't be. This does not include social gatherings associated with these services such as receptions, which are not permitted indoors and are limited to five people outdoors. We need to close the gap between where we are today and where we will be with the millions of vaccines we're expecting by June.". (Wrong. Dr. Nancy Whitmore, registrar of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, also flagged a concern that hip and knee replacements which have more potential for complications should only be done in independent clinics with hospital links. They say the . The story of a child who dares to trust in others, search for love, and . "It's frustrating and it's very, very diffcult, but we've come so far, we've sacrificed too much to throw in the towel so close to things getting better. We already know. If the legislation passes, builders will be allowed to construct up to three units per property, without the need for additional . To order copies of Just hours ago Doug Ford failed to recognize Monday Sept. 19 as a provincial holiday for the Queen's funeral, opting to make it a National Day of Mourning. The election was in many ways areferendum on Ford. Rob Ferguson is a Toronto-based reporter covering . Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com. This comes after he announced a ban on public . In an exclusive opinion column for CTVNews.ca, Don Martin says Doug Ford coasted to majority re-election . We need more runway to allow our vacination rollout to get where we need it," said Ford during his press conference Thursday. Read the transcript of the briefing here. Premier Doug Ford says. Ontario vaccine passport announcement expected from Queen's Park this afternoon; speculation suggests it will require proof of COVID vaccination for restaurants, bars, gyms & other indoor settings . To encourage thoughtful and respectful conversations, first and last names will appear with each submission to CBC/Radio-Canada's online communities (except in children and youth-oriented communities). Doug Ford announces that all of Ontario is going back into lockdown. People will end up paying out of pocket and face longer wait times in our hospitals, as his plan driveshealthcare workers from our public system. Join the conversation Ford will be joined by several people, including Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job . I do not want for-profit clinics taking staff away from publicly funded healthcare. Ford is expected to announce a month-long stay-at-home order for the province. The New Democrats said the gas tax cut won't help much. READ MORE:Multiple sources say Ford government is considering a new stay-at-home order. The stay-at-home order is effective at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, April 8. New facilities will be required to "provide detailed staffing plans as part of their application," according to the release, and each centre must have "a number of physicians" with active privileges at their local hospitals. In a news conference at Queen's Park, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Health Minister Christine Elliott provide an update on their government's response to the. Beginning this Saturday, April 3, at 12:01 a.m., all 34 Ontario public health regions will move into shutdown mode for a period of four weeks. Premier Ford and Minister @celliottability make an Announcement https://t.co/OAuYspiGcT. There really isn't a debate to be had. Ford's team is officially pulling its pandemic emergency break this weekend in response to a concerning uptick in variants of concern, record-high ICU admission numbers, and (likely) the urging of health experts who warn that Ontario's COVID-19 situation is now out of control. It is a priority for CBC to create a website that is accessible to all Canadians including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Load Others are concerned that public hospitals may lose even more nurses and doctors to private clinics that can pay better money for the same work. The people of Ontario may observe a moment of silence at 1:00 p.m. on that day. #onpoli #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/VWVePw7UJ8. Premier Doug Ford has another announcement planned for this afternoon. It also clearly helped in Brampton, where they snatched three new seats from the New Democrats. Instead, he shot himself in the foot. Partway through their mandate, the PCs realized treating employees this wayrisked exposing the"For the People" slogan Ford ran on last time as empty words. The update was scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. but has been pushed back to 2:30 p.m. The point is to experiment, empirically, rather than rely on a litmus test for heresy that is premised on a false history of health care in Canada. Premier Doug Ford is set to make an announcement from Queen's Park on Tuesday afternoon. The Editorial Board November 8, 2022. Doug Ford's journey to winning the Ontario election and securing a second straight majority really began on St. Patrick's Day in 2020, the day he declared a state of emergency over the COVID-19 pandemic. Premier Doug Ford is making an announcement about COVID-19 Wednesday afternoon. Doug Ford and John Tory both won fresh mandates this year. WATCH LIVE: Premier Doug Ford to make COVID-19 announcement at 2:30 p.m. Truck smashes into crew working on QEW in Beamsville, HHS clinic treats children with birthmark growths, Norfolk County crash sends 5 to hospital, 4-year-old in life-threatening condition, Investigators ask public for video of fatal St. Catharines explosion, fire, province reported 3,215 cases of COVID-19 and 17 deaths, Hamilton police search for man wanted in Waterdown bank robbery in December, Ontario issues four-week stay-at-home order starting Thursday, Blue Jays unveil first phase of Rogers Centre renovations, Case of duo charged in murder of OPP Const. By submitting a comment, you accept that CBC has the right to reproduce and publish that comment in whole or in part, in any manner CBC chooses. Ontario already has significant private sector delivery and independent clinics, yet I dont hear anyone demanding we shut them all down to purify our ideology. Yes, our universal, accessible system is free for all Ontarians, but it has descended into an unreliable free-for-all when patients discover hallway health care. The change first signalled last week will add to the 26,000 procedures including MRIs, CT scans and colonoscopies now being done annually in 900 independent health facilities across the province, freeing time and space for more complex care in hospitals, Premier Doug Ford said Monday. "I'll wake up every single day and go to work for all Ontarians, whether you're a long-time supporter, voted PC for the first time, or cast your ballot for any other party," he said. We could start with a reality checkup. While many questions remain concerning the financial and commercial elements of Ford's latest healthcare program, the province was sure to mention when announcing itsthree-step plan this morning that safeguards will be in place to protect human resources at hospitals. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free), Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All of whom bought their hospitals two weeks before the announcement today. YetFord has led his Ontario PCs to abigger victory than in the last election, with 83seats, leaving the New Democrats and Liberals in his dust and in search of new party leaders. October 16, 2020, 3:09 pm. Any fears that the system might now be destabilized are dwarfed by concerns that the system was already in decline and falling behind other public, universal health-care models around the world. How can we trust @fordnation not to give away our health care, just like he did with the greenbelt? Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. When critics fret that patients will face upselling from private clinics trying to extract more money, they forget that dermatologists already tempt people with cosmetic procedures that arent covered by OHIP caveat emptor. What Ford wants to do is expand the procedures, both in nature and quantity, that can be performed outside hospitals in private facilities facilities owned by people who stand to make a pretty penny under such a model. To order Health Minister Christine Elliott, Minister of Long-Term Care Dr. Merrilee Fullerton, and Finance Minister Rod Phillips will join Ford for his 1 p.m. address from Queen's Park. "Our government is taking bold action to reduce wait times for surgeries, all while ensuring Ontarians use their OHIP card to get the care they need, never their credit card. The premier is joined by Christine Elliott, the provincial minister of health, and Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario's chief medical officer of health. Bidding Closes: Monday, January 9th Soft Close Starting at 6pm, 1 lot closes every 10 seconds with a 2-minute extended bidding. tired of the pandemic and wantto move on, went days at a time without taking questions, CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices. Premier Doug Ford will be joined by Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health, and Dr. Adalsteinn (Steini) Brown, Co-Chair of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, to make an announcement. The apathy election? But Im quite certain that doing nothing differently, given the shortcomings of the past, is not the way forward. The last Liberal government obsessed over reorganizing the organizational structure of health-care delivery (remember LHINs?) For the first time in the pandemic, big box stores will . while presiding over a critical decrease in hospital capacity. National Day for Truth and Reconciliation should be the next stat holiday before anything else. We look forward to working with the government to develop a strategy to make sure these new centres do not take resources away from hospitals or exacerbate existing health human resource challenges, Ontario Medical Association president Dr. Rose Zacharias said in a statement. But our system has never been the envy of the rest of the West, because universal health care across Europe has experimented with alternative delivery systems that keep patients healthy and happy, not just ideologically contented, at lower cost with better results. Dont know if his motivation is ideological or to ingratiate himself with those with those will profit, but he didnt provide any data or independent report backing his decision. The claim that Ontario is breaking new ground betrays a simplistic ignorance of recent innovations by other progressive provinces. Is everyone really surprised Mr. Open for Business aka Doug Ford doesnt want you to have a holiday Id much rather see Truth and Reconciliation Day become a provincial stat TBH. "We know that every dollar helps," said Ford, speaking at a gas station in Toronto's west end. A portion of the westbound QEW in Beamsville is closed after a collision between a transport truck and a highway maintenance vehicle overnight. For evidence of Ford's ability to bring not-traditionally-conservative voters into the PC fold, look at where his party won seats. All your government cares about is that you get the care you need quickly., He also repeated a pledge from last week that patients will continue to pay with their OHIP card, not their credit card.. It's forecasting a $100-million surplus at the end of this fiscal year, and an $8.5-billion surplus in 2027-28. This meansa majority of people in Ontario will not get a long weekend for the Queen's funeral. But there's also no doubt that a significant chunk of Ontarians are tired of the pandemic and wantto move on. The sources -- who were not authorized to speak ahead of an announcement set for next week --say the province will expand existing independent health facilities' capacities in its first phase of surgical health-care reform. to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about The hospital overcrowding that led to hallway medicine helped bring Ford to power when patients gave up on the Liberals. The 96-year-old monarch will be buried on Monday, 10 days after her death. January 12, 2023. "The bottom line is that we need more time. January 15, 2023. . #cdnpoli #DougFord. Ontario Premier Doug Ford makes the announcement on health care with Health Minister Sylvia Jones in Toronto, on Jan. 16, 2023. A day of mourning where you have to work. He called the requirement absolutely meaningless.. On Monday Ontario's Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Christine Elliott, said that limiting mobility was the guiding principle for last week's .