The Chamber recently was invited to participate on a webinar with Minister Sarkaria and Mr. Steve Clark. Each group presented questions to Minister Sarkaria. Having the floor to express what our members needed was a great oppurunity.
Ontario is moving quickly to support the needs of frontline workers in responding to COVID-19. As the public health situation improves because of our collective efforts, Ontario will begin to reopen its doors in a three-staged approach, and will require us to operate differently than before.
Today, our government launched the COVID-19: Tackling the Barriers website to help identify the unique challenges created under these unexpected circumstances and consider ways to overcome them.
Businesses retooling their operations to produce health-related products, those that can continue to operate during the emergency or are preparing to reopen their operations in this new environment of physical distancing, can submit their ideas to the website.
The new website provides a simple, straightforward way to identify opportunities our government can temporarily change a regulation or rule to help navigate or respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.
The feedback received will help us identify challenges, prioritize pressing issues, and determine where temporary changes to processes, rules and regulations need to be made to help us weather the storm.
The website builds on steps Ontario has already taken to respond to COVID-19, including:
• helping businesses such as manufacturers and distilleries retool so they can produce health-related products and supplies, such as ventilators, gowns, face masks and hand sanitizer
• protecting seniors in long-term care and retirement homes by allowing for more flexibility to address staffing needs
• permitting after-hours construction of critical infrastructure
• permitting 24-hour deliveries in every municipality across the province for grocery
stores and pharmacies
• allowing restaurants to include beer and wine in food takeout orders until they
can reopen their dining rooms
• supporting the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario to allow for the
temporary certification of qualifying physicians, enabling them to play a full part in supporting Ontario’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
I look forward to receiving your ideas on how we can work together during these difficult times to meet the needs of the province without compromising health, safety or the environment.
Sincerely,
Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria
Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction