Type of Intervention: Regulation, Specific Action
Sectors Involved: Education, Finance/Economy, Health, Private Sector and Businesses
Intervention Categories: Legal and policy; Declaring state of emergency
Level of Jurisdiction: Ontario
Lead People/Agency: Ontario Members of Provincial Parliament, Minister of Education Stephen Lecce, Minister of Colleges and Universities Ross Romano, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark
Overview: The Ontario government has extended the declaration of Emergency under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, until May 12th. This allows the province to continue to enforce current emergency orders, such as the closure of non-essential workplaces, bars and restaurants, recreation facilities, etc. The Ontario legislature also passed the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Support and Protection Act, which amends the Education Act, the Planning Act, the Development Charges Act, the Police Services Act, and the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities Act. Most notably, amendments made to the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities Act will allow temporary suspensions of student loan payments for Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) borrowers and initiate a six-month interest-free moratorium on OSAP loans. Additionally, amendments to the Development Charges Act will ensure that municipalities can continue to receive revenue that help pay for local growth-related infrastructure, e.g. roads, water, sewers, and police/fire services.
Full details here: https://news.ontario.ca/opo/en/2020/04/ontario-extends-declaration-of-emergency-to-continue-the-fight-against-covid-19.html
Type of Justification: Advice of INTERNAL government advisory committee or group
Source of Evidence or Justification: Sub-national, Chief Medical Officer of Health for Ontario
Evidence/Justification: The extension of Ontario’s Declaration of Emergency was advised by the Chief Medical Officer of Health and was further approved by Ontario’s legislature. This extension is justified as means to protect the health and safety of Ontarians.
The main justification given for the implementation of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Support and Protection Act is to allocate resources to where they are needed most to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and mitigate its negative effects.