Two key pieces of legislation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario have received unanimous support at an emergency session of Queen’s Park.
One provides protected job-leave for individuals diagnosed with the virus or forced into isolation or quarantine.
Labour Minister Monte McNaughton says “People can’t be punished for following the advice of our leading medical health professionals.”
“So today, we are taking action. We are the first jurisdiction in Canada to bring in legislative protections for workers impacted by COVID-19,” McNaughton adds.
The approval came from just 26 MPPs in attendance. This included 13 PCs, Kenora-Rainy River MPP Greg Rickford among them, eight NDP members, two Liberals and one member of the Green Party.
They support changes to the Municipal Act that permits transports to operate 24/7 without the threat of violating municipal noise by-laws.
Assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Parm Gill, some bylaws currently in place could unintentionally prevent the timely delivery of goods.
“Our proposed changes will help ensure that important goods, such as food, medication and essential household items, can be delivered as efficiently as possible,” says Gill. “This will help keep shelves stocked with necessary food and medications. We know this works; previous trials of this approach have resulted in quicker, more efficient deliveries.”
Also included in the new legislation is municipal councils getting the okay to hold meetings electronically during the pandemic.
“We want to ensure that our municipal partners can make efficient decisions that are needed at a local level, should they need to, in a remote setting. These are the decisions that will keep our communities safe, functioning and informed during these challenging times,” says Gill.
The legislature is scheduled to meet again on March 25.
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