Jessica Smith Cross, Author at QP Briefing

‘You’re smart buddy, very smart’: Your Ontario COVID-19 roundup

Ford backed plans for professional sports to be played in Toronto, with no crowds. ...

‘You need to start with the governance at the top’: Task force recommends Ontario Securities Commission overhaul

Ontario is not known for strong enforcement of securities law and that's a problem, says Walied Soliman. ...

Ford government inflated costs of irregular border crossers in oft-repeated $200-million claim, auditor finds

The audit was requested by PC MPPs. ...

Former public health leaders urge ‘balanced approach’ to public health measures

One epidemiologist was highly critical of the letter's assertion that COVID-19's impact on premature mortality is small. ...

Zero deaths: Your Ontario COVID-19 roundup

A roundup of COVID-19 news in Ontario on July 6. ...

Residents of crowded Ontario nursing homes twice as likely to die of COVID-19, study finds

Research indicates for-profit homes have had higher rates of COVID-19 deaths because many failed to upgrade their facilities. ...

Your Question Period Briefing: ‘You’re such a piece of 💩’

What was asked in question period for Wednesday, June 24. ...

Toronto planning to establish COVID hotels for people who don’t have room to self-isolate, province declines to offer support

Ontario isn't offering to give Toronto any additional funding for COVID hotels. ...

‘The life situation’: Your Ontario COVID-19 roundup

While a young girl who died tested positive for COVID-19, her death was not a result of it, officials say. ...

Windsor hardest-hit by job losses during pandemic, FAO reports

The region saw a nearly 20 per cent decline in employment between February and May of this year, the watchdog found. ...

All sides call for system change as committee goes clause-by-clause through home-care bill

Stakeholders disagreed on almost everything — except for the conviction that the current system needs to change. ...

In brief: A call for a minister’s resignation, deprioritizing an election promise, and more

Unifor President Jerry Dias had tough words for Minister Lisa Thompson, including, "everything she touches turns to crap." ...

Who’s lobbying for whom

A list of new, renewed and amended registrations with the Office of the Integrity Commissioner. ...

Ford government considers COVID liability protection for long-term care homes, kicking off firestorm at Queen’s Park

The Ontario Long-Term Care Association says the root of the problem is insurance. ...

‘Ayes to the right, nays to the left’: Your Question Period briefing

What was asked in Question Period on Tuesday, June 16. ...

‘It’s as simple as that’: Your Ontario COVID-19 roundup

Premier Doug Ford encouraged Ontarians to shop local and wear a mask. ...

Ford government seeks to overhaul home care, but overlooked it in COVID-19 response: committee testimony

Home-care providers were testifying at a committee studying legislation that would overhaul their sector. ...

Ontario planning to improve flawed systems, report COVID-19 test results faster

The province plans to release a contact tracing plan that will include 'improving systems and facilitating faster reporting' of COVID-19 results. ...

Rate of COVID-19 three times higher in Ontario’s non-white neighbourhoods: Public Health Ontario

The report comes as public health experts have criticized the province for failing to collect race-based information about individual COVID-19 cases. ...

The QP Briefing Podcast: Featuring IPC Brian Beamish

QP Briefing wishes the commissioner all the best in his coming retirement. ...

‘This is a pandemic, it does strange things for people’: Your Ontario COVID-19 roundup

Ford called out two rural mayors who staged a protest by getting haircuts. ...

Toronto calls on Ford government to implement ‘efficient system’ for transferring COVID-19 information, ‘clear’ testing strategy

Toronto's Board of Health and chief medical officer are calling on the province to shore up two weaknesses in its pandemic response. ...

Ford vows to fix ‘antiquated’ systems holding back Ontario’s COVID-19 response

Ford liken the pandemic to an "inferno" and said the province has been focussed on putting fires out. ...

Ontario laying groundwork for digital health information ‘foundational system redesign’

The province has also tapped Jane Philpott to advise on a new pandemic data system. ...

‘We’ll play hardball’: Your Ontario COVID-19 news roundup

Doug Ford is playing hardball with landlords and working out logistics with the NHL. ...

The QP Briefing Podcast: Featuring Dr. Samir Sinha

Dr. Samir Sinha is director of Geriatrics at Mount Sinai and the University Health Network and director of the National Institute on Ageing. ...

‘This will not be happening again’: Your Ontario COVID-19 roundup

Ontario's Patient Ombudsman is launching an investigation into COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care homes. ...

‘I have great optimism’: Finance minister kicks off committee hearings on COVID-19 economic impacts

The committee will begin studying the tourism sector later this week. ...

It’s ‘a system problem’: Why an Ontario ICU doctor reports COVID-19 cases via 311

Inefficient tech and data management is getting in the way of an effective pandemic response, experts say. ...

The QP Briefing Podcast: Welcoming MPP Lucille Collard

Collard worked as a federal government lawyer and school trustee before being elected to Queen's Park earlier this year. ...

Ontario’s ‘$17-billion COVID-19 Action Plan’ doesn’t total $17 billion and isn’t all COVID-related: Watchdog

The rising cost of the electricity subsidy program as well as the reversal of some unpopular spending cuts were included in the COVID-19 action plan. ...