Premier Doug Ford

Queen’s Park

Toronto, ON

M7A 1A1

Dear Premier Ford,

It is with concern that we write you today around the growing number of new cases of Covid-19 these past couple of weeks. Earlier this week, the Public Health Agency of Canada released very concerning modeling of a second wave which is noted to be exponentially higher than the first. Yesterday, a group of 38 health care leaders along with the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA), a strong partner of ours, provided a list of specific actions that could be taken to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The measures implemented now and where needed regionally, are essential in helping to reduce the risk reaching those levels.

We are supportive of your announcement this afternoon, to apply additional measures and restrictions to restaurants, bars and other food and drink establishments and to close strip clubs as well as requiring businesses or organizations to comply with recommendations and instructions issued by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health. We see this as a very positive step moving however given how rapidly these new cases are growing, we urge you to consider pushing public health measures even further. Our home and community sector providers who are actively on the frontline lines in the community, are concerned about the impact of this second wave of COVID-19, especially with heightened community transmission. We believe that enacting all the measures mentioned in the OHA’s letter, will help further curb the spread of COVID-19 and will protect the ability of our health care system, including home and community care, to continue providing essential services to vulnerable Ontarians during this pandemic.

We would like to acknowledge today’s announcements regarding investments for our sector. We were pleased that the government is investing $457.5 million to increase community capacity so that home and community care can be enabled to reduce pressure on the health care system considering the challenges around this pandemic. We look forward to learning more details about this announcement in the coming weeks.

Thank you,

Deborah Simon,

CEO

Ontario Community Support Association

The Hon. Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health

Mark Lawson, Deputy Chief of Staff to the Premier

Heather Watt, Chief of Staff to the Minister of Health

Laurel Brazill, Director, Stakeholder Relations to the Minister of Health

Anthony Dale, President & CEO, Ontario Hospital Association

Board of Directors, Ontario Community Support Association