June 8 - Update

Dear Friends and Neighbours, The Province of Ontario made several important updates today. It reported 243 new COVID-19 infections today, which is the lowest daily tally since March 29. I find this encouraging news on our path to gradual reopening. The Ontario government also announced that it is moving forward with a regional approach to Stage 2 of reopening the province. Toronto is not one of the regions moving forward to Stage 2 at this time and will remain in Stage 1. Effective Friday, June 12th, 2020 at 12:01 AM, the province will increase the limit on social gatherings from five to ten people across the province, including Toronto, regardless of whether a region has moved to Stage 2. Additionally, all places of worship in Ontario will also be permitted to open with physical distancing in place and attendance limited to no more than 30 per cent of the building capacity to ensure the safety of worshippers. Ontario also announced that all commercial landlords in Ontario can now apply for rental assistance to help their small business tenants impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The relief is delivered to small businesses and their landlords through the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance Program (CECRA). CECRA provides forgivable loans to eligible commercial landlords to help cover 50 per cent of commercial rent for tenants for the months of April, May and June 2020. The tenant will be responsible for covering up to 25 per cent of rent, so that up to 75 per cent of the rent is covered. To find out how much rent support you may be eligible for, click here.  Premier Ford also announced a ban on commercial evictions for businesses from June through August. The ban will apply to small businesses who are eligible for the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) program who have experienced at least a 70% decline in revenue due to the pandemic.  Toronto Public Health has provided guidelines to help restaurant owners and personal service shop owner prepare for re-opening. Please note that the date for reopening remains at the discretion of the province, but that date is likely to be on the horizon soon. Please review these guidance tips to safely reopen restaurants for indoor and outdoor dining, and personal service settings for personal care services. An application was submitted to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) by Friendly Stranger Stockyards to authorize a cannabis retail store at 1980 St Clair Ave W, F108. If you have objections to this application you can submit comments directly to the AGCO by June 22nd, 2020. To submit comments, select ‘Category: Cannabis’ and search by file number 943805 here. Police Chief Mark Saunders announced today that he will be retiring on July 31st, 2020. I would like to thank Chief Saunders for his years of dedicated service and leadership and wish him all the best.  Sincerely, Frances  ___________________________________________________________

City to open 14 Emergency Cooling Centres during Heat Warnings With the arrival of warmer temperatures and with a Heat Warning called by Environment and Climate Change Canada for June 9 and 10, the City of Toronto is opening 14 Emergency Cooling Centres to help residents who do not have access to a cool space and cannot keep cool in their home or outdoors.  Environment and Climate Change Canada issues a Heat Warning when it forecasts two or more consecutive days with daytime maximum temperatures of 31°C or warmer, together with minimum nighttime temperatures of 20°C or warmer, or when there is a forecast of two or more consecutive days with humidex values expected to reach 40 or higher. All the centres will operate during Heat Warnings only, from 11 AM to 7 PM, except Metro Hall, which will run 24 hours during Heat Warnings. The 14 Emergency Cooling Centre are:

• Metro Hall, 55 John St.

• East York Civic Centre, 850 Coxwell Ave.

• North York Civic Centre, 5100 Yonge St.

• Etobicoke Civic Centre, 399 The West Mall

• Scarborough Civic Centre, 150 Borough Dr.

• Domenico Di Luca Community Recreation Centre, 25 Stanley Rd.

• Scarborough Village Recreation Centre, 3600 Kingston Rd.

• Amesbury Sports Complex (Arena), 155 Culford Dr. (York South—Weston location) 

• Wallace Emerson Community Centre, 1260 Dufferin St.

• Regent Park Community Centre, 402 Shuter St.

• Malvern Recreation Centre, 30 Sewells Rd.

• Jenner Jean-Marie Community Centre, 48 Thorncliffe Park Dr.

• Elmbank Community Centre, 10 Rampart Rd.

• Ourland Community Centre, 18 Ourland Ave.

This interactive map is available to help those who need to locate an Emergency Cooling Centre near them: 

https://www.toronto.ca/community-people/health-wellness-care/health-programs-advice/hot-weather/cool-spaces-near-you/.

Tips for keeping cool during extreme heat

Actions you can take to beat the heat, keep cool and stay safe include:

• Stay hydrated. Drink a lot of water even before you feel thirsty.

• Check on others. Call, text, or video chat with family friends, and neighbours (especially older adults living alone) to make sure they're staying hydrated and keeping cool. 

• Take cool showers or baths or use cool, wet towels to cool down.

• Use a fan near an open window to bring in cooler air from outside.

• Avoid the sun. Stay in the shade or use an umbrella.

• Dress for the weather. Wear loose, light-coloured, breathable clothing and, if outdoors, wear a wide-brimmed hat.

• Block the sun. Keep blinds or curtains closed during the day.

• Protect people and pets. Never leave a person or pet inside a parked car.

• Avoid using the oven or stove; they make your space hotter.

• Consult with your doctor or pharmacist on medications that increase your risk to heat.

• In an emergency, always call 911. Call 911 if you have or someone you are with has a high body temperature, is confused, is unconscious, or has fainted.

More tips to protect yourself from the heat are available at https://www.toronto.ca/keepcool. When a Heat Warning is declared, those who need assistance or have heat-related inquiries can call 311. City of Toronto update on enforcement  The City’s COVID-19 enforcement team remains focused on providing education about the physical distancing bylaw and provincial orders. Yesterday, the City received 72 complaints involving people using outdoor amenities or not practising physical distancing in parks or squares. Bylaw officers issued four tickets. This month, bylaw and police officers have spoken to more than 2,500 people in City parks about the closures and public health measures.

For the latest updates from the City of Toronto, please click here.

For the latest updates from the Federal Government, please click here. 

For the latest updates from the Province of Ontario, please click here.