Halton's Mayors and Regional Chair ask Premier not to be Rolled Back to Modified Stage 2

COVID-19
Written By

*Please see below a letter sent to Ontario Premier Doug Ford from Halton Region's Mayors and Chair regarding Stage 2.October 24, 2020Premier Doug FordPremier's OfficeRoom 281 Legislative Building, Queen's ParkToronto, ONM7A 1A1Dear Premier Ford,We are writing to you as the locally elected representatives of Halton Region in response to statements that you made at your news conference yesterday afternoon (Oct. 23) regarding the status of Region of Halton.We request that you consider a targeted approach, backed by conclusive data, on specific sectors that are seeing increased infection rates instead of ordering a full closure across Halton Region.A blanket approach that unfairly punishes small businesses with no explanation will hurt our local economy and impact buy-in from our residents. A more measured approach would be for the Province to provide guidance and specifically target sources of community spread. It is the same rationale that has been applied to keeping schoolsopen and only closing individual schools with multiple infections instead of closing down an entire school district.Halton Region's Medical Officer of Health responded to the increased infections in sports settings by recommending that all team sports are limited to training only, with proper physical distancing between players and no scrimmages or games, similar to the restrictions currently in place in Toronto, Ottawa, Peel and York Region. If there are sectors that need to be restricted or are creating concern, Halton Regional Council can work with the Province to address those sectors via additional by-laws.The majority of businesses in Halton have been following public health guidelines throughout the pandemic and have seen no outbreaks and minimal infections; they should not be punished under a blanket shutdown order. Some businesses have invested thousands of dollars at a time of declining revenue to acquire Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and modify their space in order to provide a safe environment for their employees and customers.Halton residents are reasonable and will support any evidenced-based decision. We welcome any data or information that your health advisors have that may impact your decision.We, the locally elected Heads of Council for Halton Region are available to discuss this matter at your earliest convenience to inform any decision that you are considering.Sincerely,Gary Carr, Halton Regional ChairMarianne Meed Ward, Mayor, City of BurlingtonRick Bonnette, Mayor, Town of Halton HillsGord Krantz, Mayor, Town of MiltonRob Burton, Mayor, Town of Oakvillecc.Jane McKenna, MPP, BurlingtonTed Arnott, MPP, Wellington-Halton HillsStephen Crawford, MPP, OakvilleParm Gill, MPP, MiltonEffie Triantafilopoulos, MPP Oakville North-BurlingtonDr. Hamidah Meghani, Commissioner and Medical Officer of Health, Halton RegionDr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of HealthJane MacCaskill, CAO, Halton RegionRELATED LINKS:

—PLEASE NOTE: To stay updated on what the City of Burlington is doing regarding COVID-19, please visit the dedicated pages burlington.ca/coronavirus (and subscribe) and bit.ly/mayormeedwardCOVID19updates, and our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page — bit.ly/COVID19BurlingtonFAQ that are updated as new information becomes available.A Burlington COVID-19 Task Force has been created to help support our community through this unprecedented emergency — updates will be provided at burlington.ca/COVID19taskforce.To report an incident of non-compliance with provincial emergency orders, please contact the Halton Regional Police Service COVID-19 Hotline: 905-825-4722.We’ve also created a dedicated page to feature the local organizations and businesses that have inspired us during the COVID-19 pandemic by taking action to support our community in new and creative ways — head to bit.ly/covidwallofinspiration.HELPFUL RESOURCES & RELATED LINKS:

—*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor's Media and Digital Communications Specialist

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Burlington & Milton MPPs, Halton Mayors & Chair ask Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health to not roll Halton back to Stage 2
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