April 24, 2020

FEDERAL

The Prime Minister invited everyone to show solidarity with Nova Scotians by participating in a moment of silence happening this afternoon and virtual vigil this evening; more info at novascotiaremembers.com

· The Prime Minister announced the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) is available starting in mid-May to help businesses that can’t afford to pay their landlords at a time when their operations are shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic

o Program: To provide forgivable loans to qualifying commercial property owners to cover 50% of three monthly rent payments (April-June); loans forgiven if property owner agrees to reduce eligible businesses’ rent by at least 75% for the three months

o Intention: To have commercial property owners’ lower rents for their tenants now and be paid retroactively for April and May

o Eligibility: Businesses who pay less than $50,000/month in rent, have had to temporarily cease operations or have experienced at least a 70% drop in pre-COVID-19 revenues; the program is also made available to non-profits and charities

o Allocation: Program will be a shared expense; tenants pay 25% of rent, property owner will cover a quarter, Federal government and provinces will cost-share by covering remaining 50%

o The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation will administer the program; “final terms” being sorted out; landlords urged to “provide flexibility” in meantime

· Gradual re-opening of economy: Not all provinces and territories are affected the same so they will not open at same time; the Federal government is developing principles and guidelines to help coordinate; follow the instructions provided by your local public health officials even if it’s different than other areas

· Long term care homes: Military being brought in to provide emergency help at long term care homes in Ontario and Quebec at the request of those provinces; the Prime Minister is holding a conference call this afternoon with provincial and territorial Premiers to discuss the under-staffing at long-term care homes where more than half of Canada’s deaths from COVID-19 have occurred

PROVINCIAL

Premier Ford announced Ontario’s emergency commercial rent assistance program for small business and landlords; the plan includes more than $900 million of provincial-federal relief funding for rent and to keep people employed.

The Premier reiterated that if you are working, and if you have the financial means, you must pay rent.

Premier continues to work with the Prime Minister to secure funding for residential rental relief for tenants and landlords and long-term care. Early next week the province will share its framework for incrementally reopening Ontario’s economy

YORK REGION

· Following the tragic events in Nova Scotia last weekend, the National Police Federation (NFP) declared today, Friday, April 24 #WearRedFriday – a national day of mourning in support of the victims; to show solidarity during this difficult time, everyone was encouraged to participate by wearing red and observing a moment of silence at 1 p.m.,

· Southlake Regional Health Centre released a video reminding people its emergency department remains a safe place for those in need of medical attention

· United Way Greater Toronto is accepting applications for funding from non-profit, charitable organizations addressing emerging issues for vulnerable populations such as seniors, those living in isolation and those who are unable to access supports; organizations must be United Way funded agencies or must work with a United Way funded agency to apply for the three funds:

o Local Love Fund – Funding of up to $10,000 per agency for necessities of life, technology or equipment and staff or volunteers

o Reaching Home – Federal emergency funding of approx. $3 million for initiatives intended to prevent and reduce homelessness

o Seniors Fund – United Way funding of $850,000 to fund programs such as meals on wheels, provide culturally appropriate food

· For information contact UWGTFunding@uwgt.org

Positive news around our region

· Our King Township Libraries donated 3D equipment to print Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other medical equipment like face shield components and ear savers

· #spiritofyr campaign continues with random acts of kindness from our local vendors; new heartwarming stories shared today on Facebook and Twitter

· A large number York Region businesses have stepped up and pivoted their business to directly support the COVID-19 response

COVID-19 IN YORK REGION

· Below is a summary of the detailed information contained in the Interactive Dashboard – Cases at york.ca/covid19

In York Region, as of April 24, at 5 p.m. there are:

1,342 confirmed cases 65 new cases since yesterday

· 8 new fatalities

38 confirmed cases are currently hospitalized; 19 of which are in Intensive Care 73 cases among health care workers

· 76 total confirmed deaths

442 resolved cases, which equals about 33%35 institutional outbreaks under COVID-19 protocols: 13 Long-Term Care/Retirement Homes22 Community Care Settings

The comprehensive list of outbreaks including the number of resident and health care worker positive cases is available on York.ca/covid19
You can now filter institutional outbreak data by municipality.

To access this list, select the blue drop-down menu titled Interactive Dashboard – Outbreaks in Long-Term Care and Community Care Settings

As of this morning, there are:

· 13,519 total cases (7,087 resolved); with 763 related deaths in Ontario

· 42,750 (640 increase) total cases; with 2,197 related deaths in Canada

· Over 2.6 million total cases worldwide with cases in 213 countries, areas or territories; 182,100 related death