For Municipal Partners

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Online Bulletin for Municipal Partners

July 28, 2020

To ensure everyone has current information during this quickly evolving outbreak, Hastings Prince Edward Public Health will be providing regular COVID-19 updates over the next several weeks.

For more information please review our website or call 613-966-5500.

Updates

Epidemiological

• Hastings and Prince Edward Counties continue to have 43 cumulative lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 38 having recovered and 5 deceased. Over 16,959 tests have been completed to date.
  • There are no local facilities experiencing COVID-19 outbreak; additional outbreak details can be found online.
  • More information is available on our website hpePublicHealth.ca.

• In Canada, there are 114,597 lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 resulting in 8,901 deaths. To date, over 3,863,830 individuals have been tested.

Summary of cases of COVID-19: Ontario, January 15, 2020 to July 27, 2020

Federal

Bill C-20 Receives Royal Assent

• Bill C-20, An Act Respecting Further COVID-19 Measures, received Royal Assent yesterday, ensuring that the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) will continue to protect jobs by helping businesses keep employees on the payroll and encouraging employers to re-hire workers previously laid off.
• Specifically, the changes introduced in Bill C-20 will:
  • Allow the extension of the CEWS until December 19, 2020, including redesigned program details until November 21, 2020.
  • Make the subsidy more accessible to a broader range of employers by providing a gradually decreasing base subsidy to all eligible employers who are experiencing a decline in revenues.
  • Introduce a top-up subsidy of up to an additional 25 percent for employers that have been most adversely affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
  • Provide certainty to employers who have already made business decisions for July and August by ensuring they will not receive a subsidy rate lower than they would have under the previous rules.
  • Address technical issues with the CEWS identified by stakeholders and make the proposed amendments to the CEWS previously introduced in Bill C-17, An Act Respecting Additional COVID-19 Measures.

Provincial

Ontario Strengthens Protections for Tenants

• The Ontario government is increasing fines for unlawful evictions and reinforcing the necessity for landlords to explore repayment agreements before considering evictions. These measures are included in the Protecting Tenants and Strengthening Community Housing Act.
• The legislation, which updates the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 and Housing Services Act, 2011, will make it easier to resolve disputes while protecting tenants from unlawful evictions by:
  • Requiring tenant compensation of one month's rent for "no fault" evictions.
  • Allowing the Landlord and Tenant Board to order up to 12 months' rent in compensation for eviction notices issued in bad faith or where the landlord does not allow the tenant to move back in after renovations or repairs.
  • Doubling the maximum fine amounts for offences under the Act to $50,000 for an individual and $250,000 for a corporation.
• The changes will also modernize and streamline the dispute resolution processes at the Landlord and Tenant Board and encourage the use of alternatives to formal hearings to resolve certain issues and encourage negotiated settlements.

Ontario Supports Indigenous Businesses During COVID-19

• The Ontario government is providing the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB) with $110,000 from the Ontario Together Fund to deliver online tools and resources that will support Indigenous businesses as the province implements the made-in-Ontario plan for renewal, growth, and economic recovery.
• CCAB is a not-for-profit organization that works to strengthen and enhance a prosperous Indigenous economy across Ontario and supports almost 500 Indigenous and non-Indigenous business members province-wide.

Ontario Announces Five New Ontario Health Teams

• In support of the ongoing fight against COVID-19 and as part of the province's plan to end hallway health care, the Ontario government announced five new Ontario Health Teams and is providing additional funding to better connect care.
• Ontario Health Teams bring together health care providers to work as one team to improve patient outcomes.
• The five new Ontario Health Teams are:
  • Algoma Ontario Health Team in Algoma District;
  • Niagara Ontario Health Team in Niagara Region;
  • Ottawa East Ontario Health Team in Eastern Ottawa, Eastern Champlain and a certain portion of Ottawa Centre, offering services in both official languages;
  • Western Ontario Health Team in London-Middlesex; and
  • Western York Region Ontario Health Team in Vaughan, Richmond Hill and King City.
• The province is also investing up to $25.25 million to directly support the 29 approved Ontario Health Teams. Of this funding, $9.5 million will be dedicated to virtual care, which will provide more support for vulnerable populations and individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19.

Ontario Investing in Rural Economic Growth and Job Development

• The Ontario government is committing $3.3 million in cost-share funding to 58 projects through the updated Rural Economic Development Program (RED) to help rural and Indigenous communities diversify their economies, retain skilled workers, invest in local infrastructure and create jobs.
• Municipalities, not-for-profit entities, Ontario Indigenous communities / organizations or local services boards are eligible for the Rural Economic Development program and costs are shared according to which of the two streams under which the project may fall.
• The RED program offers two project streams:
  • Economic Diversification and Competitiveness: Projects that remove barriers to business and job growth, attract investment, attract or retain a skilled workforce, strengthen sector and regional partnerships and diversify regional economies.
  • Strategic Economic Infrastructure: Minor capital projects that advance economic development and investment opportunities.

Historic Agreement Delivers up to $4 Billion to Support Municipalities and Transit

• The Ontario government, in partnership with the federal government, is providing up to $4 billion in urgently needed one-time assistance to Ontario's 444 municipalities. This funding will help local governments maintain the critical services people rely on every day, including public transit, over the next six to eight months.
• This funding is part of the province's made-in-Ontario plan for renewal, growth and economic recovery.
• Premier Ford worked collaboratively with municipal partners, fellow Premiers, Prime Minister Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Freeland to reach this historic agreement, which includes $777 million from the federal government and $1.22 billion from the province in support for municipalities.
• Details on specific allocations will be provided in the coming weeks.

Local

• In Quinte West, the splash pad at Centennial Park is closed while staff work to repair damage caused by vandalism that took place on Monday, July 27. The municipality will post an update when it reopens.
• The Quinte West Front Street Farmers Market is open on Saturdays between 8:00 am and 1:00 pm.
• The 2020 paddling season has officially begun at the Trenton Rowing and Paddling Club. Paddling is the only service offered at the club this year (canoe, kayak, stand-up board). Dragon boat and rowing are out for this season. Rentals, bookings and all safety protocols are available here: https://trentonrowingandpaddling.ca/.
• Yesterday, the City of Belleville activated the public cooling centre at the Quinte Sports & Wellness Centre, which will remain open until 5:00 pm today. Visitors are asked to enter the cooling centre through the doors facing Cannifton Road (on the building’s west side). Extra precautions are in place to help reduce the risk of COVID-19 among those using the facility. The City encourages the use of the splash pads which are free of charge and located at Riverside, Parkdale and Kinsmen Parks.
• Belleville City transit continues to be free of charge until the end of August. Route and schedule information is available on the City website.
• This morning the Hon. MPP Todd Smith announced $53,572 in funding for economic development projects in Belleville, Quinte West and Prince Edward County. Belleville will receive $30,372 of this funding to go towards the downtown Wi-Fi project, with completion expected in June 2021.
• In Prince Edward County, the Wellington Beach boat launch re-opened for all watercraft on July 25. Boaters must have a season launch pass to use the Wellington Beach launch. Truck and trailer parking at the Wellington Beach boat launch is extremely limited and available on a first come, first served basis.
• The road into and parking lot at Little Bluff Conservation Area in PEC has been closed to vehicles until further notice. Recent reports of overcrowding on the beach where individuals were not able to meet the 2-metre physical distancing requirements, and prohibited activities such as garbage dumping, campfires, and overnight camping have led the Conservation Authority to temporarily restrict access. Nature enthusiasts may still walk into the area and are encouraged to report back to Quinte Conservation if they have any concerns.
• The Prince Edward County Community Care for Seniors shared an update last week detailing all the services that are currently, or will soon be, offered by the organization, including Meals on Wheels, foot care clinics, home maintenance and income tax assistance. Review the post for more information.
• In Centre Hastings all play equipment at Centre Hastings Park, Tom Thompson Park (Madoc) and Huntingdon Park (Ivanhoe) are open for use. A public washroom is now open at the Village Square between 11:00 am and 5:00 pm, 7 days a week. Users are asked to follow COVID-19 protocols posted at each location.
• Quinte Health Care requests that those who are visiting QHC hospitals for an appointment bring their own face coverings. To allow for physical distancing in the waiting rooms, patients are also asked to come alone to the Emergency Department or to bring only one support person, if needed.

Public Health

• All Hastings Prince Edward Public Health offices will be closed on Monday, August 3 for the Civic Holiday. 

• Dr. Alexa Caturay, Acting Medical Officer of Health at Hastings Prince Edward Public Health, has recorded a YouTube video describing how to safely put on and remove a cloth face covering.

• Public Health has been resuming some in-person services, by appointment only. Please check our COVID-19 Response and Service Interruptions page for more information. 

We want to ensure this bulletin is as useful as possible. Please send your questions, comments and suggestions to klarose@hpeph.ca

Contact Information: 

To give us your comments: klarose@hpeph.ca

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