Reopening of schools
The NDP accused the Ford government of "pinching pennies" when it comes to reopening schools this fall as Premier Doug Ford continued to defend the province's plan — calling it "phenomenal" and "the best plan in the country, bar none."
Standing outside Hamilton's Bellmore Elementary School alongside teachers and parents, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath called on the government to go back to the drawing board and ensure smaller class sizes for students returning to the classroom this fall. An <a href="https://www.qpbriefing.com/2020/08/05/ford-defends-school-reopening-plan-as-petition-for-reduced-class-sizes-passes-125000-signatures/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">online petition calling for smaller class sizes</a> has garnered increased attention in recent days, with more than 168,000 signatures as of publication time.
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The government's plan, revealed on July 30, would see elementary students in class five days a week, with current class sizes in place, and high school students in some regions doing a mix of in-person and online learning with cohorts of 15 students. On Wednesday, Premier Ford said classes in grades 1 to 3 would be capped at 20; grades 4 to 8 would have an average of 24.5 students; and grades 9 to 12 would have an average of 23.
Horwath lauded parents for performing a "superhuman juggling act" when schools were shut down due to COVID-19 in March.
"Now we have a situation where these parents want to see kids going back to school safely … and unfortunately that’s not the plan that the premier has put in place," she said. "Doug Ford's plan is a bargain basement plan where he’s pinching pennies on the backs of our kids and creating great concern and worry in the minds of parents and educators."
She said her concern is that educators could be sent back to "overcrowded classrooms with inadequate resources and inadequate accommodations to make those schools safe."
"This is not a plan that allows for safe distancing of kids and it’s not a plan that’s about the safety of our children," Horwath said.
Stacey Davis, a Grade 1 teacher with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board who also has two children at Bellmore Elementary School, said her two main concerns are whether her children will be safe and whether they'll learn what they need to so they don't fall behind. She called the province's plan "insufficient, underwhelming and quite frankly irresponsible."
"There are some fundamental parts of the plan that need to be made better before I will send my kids to school in the fall; I really want to send them again, but like I told my kids, safety comes first," said Davis pointing to class sizes and challenges with physical distancing, and "insufficient" safety measures.
Davis said that she normally has about 20 to 22 children in her class and that when she went back in June to see how distancing might work, she was barely able to get desks one metre apart.
Daryl Jerome, president of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation District 21 unit, shared Davis' concerns, adding that he's been "inundated" with emails from members who are "terrified to go back."
A guidance document from The Hospital for Sick Children and other Ontario hospitals said "smaller class sizes should be a priority strategy," but didn't recommend a specific numbers.
Back at Queen's Park, Ford argued that his government was following the advice of medical professionals, including those at SickKids.
"I want to get as small classrooms as possible within certain parameters," he said. "And yes, I could sit back and say, yeah, could we have five to a class? But let's make no mistake about this, we have the best plan, bar none, over any province."
He also took a dig at unions, saying "I'll always take the advice of world-class pediatricians and infectious disease experts over (the) head of any union ... a little bit of politics are being played here."
One union head responded to the premier's comments on social media, calling them "troubling."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This is in fact the Premier playing politics &amp; all the more troubling considering we&#39;re talking about the safety of students, educators, and families. Ford &amp; Lecce have failed to heed doctors&#39; advice on school reopening on many fronts, including class size. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OSSTF?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OSSTF</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/onted?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#onted</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/onpoli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#onpoli</a> <a href="https://t.co/OKZ2zYkOOh">https://t.co/OKZ2zYkOOh</a>
&mdash; Harvey Bischof (@HarveyBischof) <a href="https://twitter.com/HarveyBischof/status/1291444914367143938?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 6, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Education Minister Stephen Lecce, who wasn't initially slated to join the premier during his daily media briefing, said the province is spending more than any other with the $309 million promised for more custodians, public health nurses, cleaning and testing.
He agreed that class sizes could be reduced in some places and said that's why the government has set aside $30 million to hire more educators.
"We’ve put the investments in place, we lead the nation in the context of that investment, but we're also open and willing and stand ready to listen to everyone, in particular medical leaders, to do more to further de-risk the circumstance and just keep these kids safe, which is our obligation," he said.
Ford's shoutout to PSWs 
Personal support workers (PSWs) in Ontario are "grossly underpaid," Premier Ford said Thursday, supporting calls from groups including the NDP to boost the wages of these workers.
Before taking questions from media, Ford took a moment to thank PSWs, saying that not only are they underpaid, but also overworked.
"I just want to tell you how grateful I am, I know this is very personal to myself and Karla," said Ford, whose mother-in-law is in a long-term care home. "We have your back, give us some time, I’m there to support you and I just appreciate everything you do."
"I know I might open a can of worms, but they are grossly underpaid in my opinion and under the minister’s," said Ford, adding that the government will develop a solution to support PSWs.
Asked about what would be a reasonable wage for PSWs, Ford said he "can’t put a figure on that."
"They're underpaid, and that's that's my personal opinion, and the opinion of the minister of health," he said. "I can't commit to anything right now, but they're wonderful people, they work their backs off and I just got a massive soft spot for these PSWs."
The NDP has called for a wage hike for PSWs to $22.
This comes soon after the release of a report calling on the government to <a href="https://www.qpbriefing.com/2020/07/30/government-commissioned-report-calls-on-province-to-urgently-increase-long-term-care-staffing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">boost staffing levels in long-term care</a> homes. Asked last week whether he would commit to funding for this, Ford said "I don't believe in waiting."
"We're gonna have money there to hire more staff, that's a priority, we just have to put a number to that," said Ford.
"Go back to work," Ford says
Premier Ford said he's concerned that some people across the province are choosing to continue accessing the federal government's Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) instead of returning to work. The federal government has rolled out the benefit to help Canadians who have had to stop working due to COVID-19.
The premier raised the issue after he was asked about why the government decided to stop an <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/kitchener-waterloo/social-assistance-covid-19-odsp-ontario-works-1.5656020" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">emergency COVID-19 benefit</a> it was giving to individuals on Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) in July.
"There's a certain group that are collecting ODSP that have part-time jobs, and if they keep the CERB going and their part-time job, they’re actually up a few hundred dollars, not down," said Ford. "But I understand people are struggling, I get it. I fully understand and we're doing everything we can to support everyone across the province and the best way to help people in Ontario Works or ODSP, if they're healthy and they're able to work, get them a job, help get them a job."
He then pivoted to what he's been hearing from several employers with jobs available, but no people to fill them — "people just aren't coming back to work because of the CERB."
"I understand it, but it's concerning that people aren't going back to work," Ford said, not singling out any industry, but adding that he's heard this "across the board."
"The CERB’s $2,000, and you know their job might be paying $2,500 or even up to $3,000, and some people, not all, some people are sitting back thinking, you know, I'm gonna take the rest of the summer off and I'll collect the two grand and not worry about the additional $500 I can make," said Ford, encouraging people to go back to work as their employers ask them to return.
"Legally, if they call you back and you don't come back, then you lose your job," he cautioned. "If you’re healthy, go back to work."
'We’re coming after you'
Premier Ford unleashed his tough-on-crime messaging Thursday as he announced that the government was handing over $6 million in crime proceeds to police services across Ontario.
"My message to the criminals out there hasn’t changed: we’re coming after you and we’ll throw the book at you and we’re going to put you behind bars," he said, voicing concern about "reports of criminal activity impacting our tow truck industry, increased incidents of domestic violence and shootings in our communities."
The funding, which will be spread over three years, will go towards 16 police services for 21 initiatives aimed at tackling guns and gangs, human trafficking and sexual violence and harassment.
The government said police services that applied for the grant had to collaborate with at least two community groups. Some examples of the types of initiatives being funded include covert operations to identify possible human trafficking victims or giving officers "trauma-informed training" to help them interact with victims.
This comes after groups like Black Lives Matter have been calling for governments to defund the police. The death of George Floyd in the United States by police sparked a series of protests across the U.S. and Canada, leading to widespread calls for <a href="https://www.qpbriefing.com/2020/06/16/lack-of-political-will-provincial-legislation-and-oversight-are-barriers-to-defunding-the-police-experts-say/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reforming police services</a>.
Premier Ford has previously said "I don't believe in cutting police budgets."
Ontario COVID-19 numbers
Ontario saw a fourth day of fewer than 100 new cases of COVID-19. There were 95 new infections reported on Thursday, representing data from the previous day, and one death. That brings the provincial total to 39,809 cases and 2,783 deaths.
Toronto reported 30 new cases, the largest number among the 34 public health units across the province, with Ottawa following with 19 new cases. Chatham-Kent Public Health had 10 new cases and Peel had seven. Windsor-Essex County, which is the only region still in stage two, reported five new cases.
Housing development protests
Asked about events in Caledonia where Six Nations protestors set up a blockade and provincial police arrested some at the site of a residential development, Ford said he's "disappointed."
He spoke of having good relations with chiefs.
"They’re such an incredible community, and you get a few of them out there that want to do these things," he said. "These people put their whole life savings to buy a home. And, then someone comes in and just says I'm taking over. It's just wrong. There's one country, one law, respect each other."
But demonstrators have attributed their actions to wanting to "stop the ongoing development of our lands," as <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/caledonia-demonstraction-mckenzie-meadows-six-nations-1.5675297" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported by CBC</a>.
"People have to obey the rules, I don't care where you come from, you know what your race, creed, colour whatever, we have one country, one rule, and that is it, simple, respect each other, because I have a tremendous amount of respect for the Indigenous community."
Tariff threats
Media reports out of Washington, D.C. on Thursday <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-trump-announces-10-per-cent-tariff-on-canadian-aluminum/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">stated</a> that U.S. President Donald Trump is set to once again slap tariffs on Canadian aluminum.
This comes after Canada and the U.S. <a href="https://www.qpbriefing.com/2019/05/17/canada-united-states-reach-deal-to-lift-steel-and-aluminum-tariffs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ended an ongoing trade spat</a> in May 2019, with officials announcing the steel and aluminum tariffs between the two countries would be lifted.
Premier Ford fervently opposed the tariffs, joining hands with the federal government to lobby against the duties in Washington last year.
The U.S. previously had tariffs of 25 per cent and 10 per cent on Canadian steel and aluminum products, respectively, and Canada, in response, introduced retaliatory tariffs on steel, aluminum and other products such as bourbon.
Todd Smith, who was the province's trade minister at the time, said last year that “For nearly a year, Ontario’s steel and aluminum sectors, and our workers, have faced uncertainty due to these tariffs.
“Our government has been working tirelessly to secure an end to these unjust tariffs, and we are relieved they have finally come to an end,” he added.
Steel and aluminum disproportionately affects Ontario in part because of the economic role the auto sector plays in the province.
Photo Credit: Steve Russell/Toronto Star

COVID-19 Roundup: Premier Ford encourages people to get off CERB and ‘go back to work’

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