MPP David Piccini today provided a number of updates of actions by the Ford Government that impact Cobourg residents. They include an upgrade to Emergency Child care, changes to the availability of campgrounds (like Cobourg’s Trailer Park), clarification on allowed construction projects, rules on camping on Crown land and fishing (important at Cobourg/Factory creek and the Ganaraska river), help in hiring farm workers and more. Below are more details on each of these plus links to the source and/or expanded information.
Emergency Child Care
A plan to provide free Child Care to front-line workers was setup a few weeks ago but the list of eligible workers has now been expanded. See the full list of those eligible and make an application here.
Campgrounds
Some snowbirds spend part of the year in Ontario but don’t have a permanent Canadian address since they normally stay in Seasonal campgrounds. This has been a problem since these campgrounds were closed but they may now open:
….only to accommodate residents who are in need of housing and have no other place to go. However, in an effort to maintain physical distancing, shared facilities such as pools, recreation rooms, and bathrooms must remain closed. In addition, only trailers and RVs with utility service will be permitted.
It’s not known how this will affect the Base Camp now setup in Cobourg’s trailer park. Nor is it known how many people in this category normally stay in Cobourg.
(Snowbirds announcement)
iPads for Students
The Provincial government is partnering with Rogers Communications and Apple to provide iPads with Rogers LTE data to support children learning and working from home. Rogers is also helping with providing high-speed, low-cost internet to subsidized tenants and members of housing partners across Ontario. Internet from Rogers to homes is unlikely in Cobourg since Rogers only provides mobile service here, not cable Internet but the iPads should also connect to any WiFi service in homes. An accompanying statement by Ford suggested that schools may not reopen until September or even later but that students will be graduating this year. (CP24 News Item)
Camping on Crown land and Fishing
Ccamping on Crown land is prohibited but “at this time, fishing and hunting remain open in Ontario”. All rules and regulations are in effect but with the usual Covid-19 rules:
- Check for local restrictions on outdoor areas
- Practice physical distancing – stay 2 metres from other people
- Do not gather in groups while hiking, fishing, or hunting
Construction Projects
As of April 4, 2020, at 11:59 pm, only critical construction projects are permitted to continue, including industrial projects such as refineries and petrochemical plants and infrastructure projects such as new hospitals, roads and bridges. New starts in residential projects will stop, while residential construction that is near completion will continue.
This would seem to permit continuation of residential projects like the Legion Condos on Hibernia, the Golden Plough Lodge project and no doubt others. (Source info here)
Jobs for Farm workers
On Friday, April 17, the governments of Canada and Ontario announced up to $1 million in new funding to connect workers with in-demand jobs in the agri-food sector to keep the nation’s supply chains strong and store shelves stocked during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This will help “primary agriculture, food processing companies and grocery retail to recruit and train workers who are vital to keeping the essential food supply chain functioning.”
There were also announcements about allowing insurance companies to provide rebates and $20M funding for research on ways to combat Covid-19. This includes working on a vaccine. Ford is quoted as saying: “Until we find a vaccine, going back to normal means putting lives at risk.”
Print Article:
One improvement to the situation would be for the Government to cancel the edict that prescription drugs would no longer be filled every 90 days. Now it is every 30 days, costing everybody money. How about a rebate David Piccini? BTW I did write to the MPP explaining my point of view and I received a ‘boilerplate’ reply from an assistant telling me to understand the situation. This made me think if he ever did receive the email or was it held up by a minion doing ’email monitoring’. Such actions have not convinced me that the Provincial Government has not been acting in my interest.
This was done due to some people requesting meds in bulk just like the toilet paper in the stores. To ensure adequate supply so no one would be left without necessary medications not usually ordered in such bulk and beyond levels of normal supply channels. A shortage would be much worse then finding one rationing their toilet paper until they could get more. If over 65 all you pay is dispensing fee.
That doesn’t make sense Observer the same amount of drugs get dispensed in a 90 day period as three 30 day periods. This has been the practise for years. Doctors control the amount of drugs dispensed by prescription not the “hoarding Seniors!”
No one said anything about “hoarding seniors” but you. This policy was put in as the number of people filling prescriptions were ordering several at one time was increasing as the COVID-19 continues. It was widely reported. I mentioned the dispensing fee against OHIP coverage for seniors. Not that they were hoarders. Please don’t put words in my mouth Ben.
Wal Mart reduced their prescription cost to $1.35 from $4.11 for seniors who now get a 30 day supply instead of 90 days…don’t know what the other pharmacies have done.
Shoppers will deliver.
So will Pharmacy 101 for a modest $3.00 charge.
Pharmacy 101 lowered their dispensing fees to $4 a month instead of their usual 6.11, while we are restricted to a 30-day supply.
Just a note , is not Ford government, but the Government of Ontario that is bring in these policies
Our MPP works for the government of Ontario not for Ford
Pardon Mark? You mean the Government of Ontario, led by Conservative leader Doug Ford under the Conservative party’s policies which each Ministry adheres to? Just like any other party – Liberal/NDP/Green Party – all of whom have their policies and platforms they were elected upon and whose government follows under the leadership of the elected leader?
It means that a Ford government has to take the blame for a lot of this pandemic and not just brag about their perceived successes. Personalising the Government has risks. Besides the Government is “My government” the “Ford Government” is all his – certainly not mine.
“It means that a Ford government has to take the blame for a lot of this pandemic” well Ben what is your thought for the Trudeau and the Liberal government?
Not taking the bait Observer, perhaps when MP Lawrence decides to tell us what he has been doing about the pandemic instead of following the lead of Mr Scheer, then I might comment, but not in this thread. This thread concerns MPP Piccini.
They weren’t elected Ben – the main source of the drive and policy setter is the Liberal government. What bait are you referring to in this? If you don’t want to clarify your statements with these questions that’s fine.
That is one of the problem with all press releases ,
Ford is not the government, the people of Ontario is the government
MPPs are elected by the people , I did not vote for Ford, I am only allowed to vote for the people who are running in my riding
I would write the same thing if it was you said Trudeau Government instead government of Canada
Mark – I fear for the state of this Province after the COVID-19 virus is finally over. The Conservative government came in on a landslide after the last election under Ford. Ontario at that time had sunk into terrible debt. As reported by another blogger the Liberal government offers bribes and giveaways to gain votes. They are very soft on their terms with union negotiation for one, the teachers’ union just loved the Liberal provincial government along with many other public sector unions. Ontario was not in good shape. it is always easier to “love the parent that says yes.” So we started from behind before large and further layouts were necessary with the event of this terrible virus. Responsible voters saw the direction Ontario was headed in under the last government – sinking in debt.
Lastly Mark no one votes directly for a leader unless that leader is running in their riding – everyone knows that. Governments are usually referred to by the person leading them – the Wynne government was usually how the last was referred to as in the McGuinty government and so forth – Trudeau Liberals is the general referral point. You split hairs.