And then there were two
Unvaccinated PC holdouts could be turfed from caucus
In this edition: Unvaccinated PCs are facing the boot. Coteau formally resigns his seat, prompting questions about a potential byelection. Ford stops short of mandating shots for health and education workers. And the state of municipal infrastructure.
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Good Wednesday morning. This is Queen’s Park Observer.
ABOVE THE FOLD
Breaking last night — There are two holdouts in the PC caucus who aren’t vaccinated — and they could get kicked off the government benches if they can’t prove they’ve gotten their shot by Thursday. I got the jump on the number of unvaccinated PCs, which was a mystery up until yesterday, when news broke that they faced expulsion.
One report suggested party president BRIAN PATTERSON and 2022 campaign manager KORY TENEYCKE had been making calls to MPPs who’s status was unknown. Another suggested one MPP made their case at Tuesday’s caucus meeting but their benchmates weren’t sold on it.
The official word from Premier DOUG FORD’s spokesperson IVANA YELICH, when asked about the directive:
“Due to the nature of their work which involves daily interaction with members of the public, including the most vulnerable, it is our expectation that every single PC caucus member and candidate be vaccinated.”
The revelation came as the province officially brought in tougher vaccine policies for the health and education sectors and Liberal Leader STEVEN DEL DUCA called for mandatory shots for elected politicians returning to the Legislature next month. On the federal stage, vaccine mandates have become a wedge issue.
Here’s how it played out.
— Party mandates aside, Speaker TED ARNOTT shut down Del Duca’s demand, mainly because it could violate the rights of elected MPPs to do their parliamentary duties, such as voting in the chamber. Arnott also said “the public interest requires that MPPs have unfettered access” to the precinct and pumped up the Covid-safety measures that are already in place.
In a letter to Del Duca and Liberal House Leader JOHN FRASER, Arnott said: “I am not able to reconcile that a unilateral directive from the Speaker could deprive an MPP access to parliamentary proceedings — by preventing them from even entering the Legislative Precinct — against my overarching responsibility to be the guardian Members’ rights and privileges.
In addition to the considerations of parliamentary privilege, it must be remembered that the Legislative Assembly is an essential service, and its Members have continued to work on site since the beginning of the pandemic. Notwithstanding rules the Assembly itself might adopt to regulate its own meetings in venues of parliamentary business, I think that the public interest requires that MPPs have unfettered access to the Legislative Precinct, in the absence of overwhelming evidence of a demonstrably imminent threat to public health that cannot reasonably be managed and mitigated.”
Del Duca had said that, as elected MPPs, they should lead by example and roll up their sleeves.
— It’s all but mandatory immunization for health and education workers. Tuesday’s big announcement — much of which had already leaked — was delivered by Dr. KIERAN MOORE after cabinet signed off the night before — but no minister showed up to answer questions. Moore said it didn’t matter — they were on the same page.
“I made the call to the Premier and said we need directives in place immediately to best protect us in the fall. There was no disagreement. There was very good, unanimous support from cabinet.”
What is mandatory is that hospitals and home and community care service providers have policies in place by September 7, including rapid antigen testing for the jab-less. People will also have to either provide a medical reason for exemption or attend an education session on the merits of inoculation, similar to the policy for long-term care homes. Regular tracking and reporting to the province are also part of the plan.
On the education side, disclosure policies will be required for all publicly-funded school employees and staff in private schools. Ditto staff in licensed child care settings, with rapid testing rules across the board for the unvaccinated.
Also requiring vaccine policies: Post-secondary institutions, retirement homes, women’s shelters and group homes.
In the face of Delta, boosters and shots for kids turning 12 this year: As expected, the province is also offering a third dose to the most vulnerable, including cancer patients and folks living in nursing homes and First Nations elder care lodges. As of today, kids born in 2009 can also start booking Pfizer shots through the provincial system.
That’s a one-eighty. Moore had said the province got legal advice and wouldn’t open eligibility until a child turns 12, but the province now says it changed course after monitoring data from Alberta and British Columbia, and no risks were identified.
— THE REACTION: The Ontario Hospital Association is on board, saying policies will “help increase Covid-19 vaccination rates among healthcare workers.”
Opposition critics scoffed at what they called “half measures.” The NDP says the government is “giving the fourth wave a chance to grow” and re-upped their call for a vaccine certificate system for non-essential spots like bars, gyms and salons.
From the Liberals: “Ford caves to anti-vaxxers and refuses to make vaccinations mandatory in education.”
Meanwhile, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario came out in favour of mandatory vaccinations for staff, and said the PCs policy doesn’t go far enough.
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
First in Queen’s Park Observer — It’s official. Liberal MPP MICHAEL COTEAU has officially resigned his seat in Don Valley East, the riding he’s held for a decade at the Pink Palace. The Speaker’s office received Coteau’s letter of resignation on Tuesday — something the former minister had to hand in as he’s now vying to represent his constituents on the federal scene, and sitting MPPs can’t be candidates.
It’s now up to Premier DOUG FORD to call a byelection. Catch up on the pros and cons here, and Coteau’s exit interview here. To wit: Byelections are expensive and rarely called so close to a general vote (June 2, in this case) — but it’s not unheard of.
— All teachers’ unions in Ontario are now helmed by women. The latest is KAREN BROWN, who was elected president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario at the union’s annual meeting on Tuesday. Brown is also the first Black president elected to a provincial teachers’ union.
HAPPENING TODAY
— AMO DAY 3: Finance Minister PETER BETHLENFALVY takes part in a “Path to Economic Recovery” panel at 8:50 a.m. Liberal Leader STEVEN DEL DUCA delivers a speech at 8:35 a.m. Green Leader MIKE SCHREINER is up at 2 p.m. Infrastructure Minister KINGA SURMA is on at 2:13 p.m. and Northern Development Minister GREG RICKFORD is on at 3:15 p.m. Today’s “Bear Pit” theme: “Looking Ahead on the Environment, Infrastructure and Resource Development Post-Covid.”
— 10:45 a.m.: NDP Leader ANDREA HORWATH is touring Burlington today and will call for “immediate investment in a provincial plan to rush the COVID-19 vaccine to children under 12 as soon as Health Canada approves vaccines for youth.”
— Schreiner is making the rounds in London today, touting the Greens’ $5 billion “Green Building plan” and new housing strategy.
MAKING HEADLINES
— “Key downtown stretch of Queen St. could close for nearly five years for Ontario Line construction”: Star transportation reporter Ben Spurr.
— VEXED ON VAX: “Families of residents at an Etobicoke nursing home currently dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak are voicing frustration that staff are not required to be vaccinated amid a fourth wave of the virus.” From CTV News.
— POLL WATCH: When it comes to Covid-fighting measures, Ontarians are happier with Ottawa compared to Ontario. A fresh survey from Leger suggests 58 per cent are satisfied with the federal government, while 45 per cent said the same about the province.
— SAVE THE DATE: The new Ontario Business Registry launches on October 19.
FAO: 45% of municipal infrastructure not in a state of good repair
With municipalities front and centre at AMO this week, a topical report from Financial Accountability Officer PETER WELTMAN pegs the municipal infrastructure backlog at $52 billion, with 55 per cent of assets in a state of good repair.
An asterisk: “However, given the uncertainty around actual asset conditions, this share could be approximately five percentage points higher or lower,” the report says.
Green Leader MIKE SCHREINER said Premier Ford is setting up local infrastructure for a costly climate change disaster. “Ford needs to get money into the hands of municipalities so they can carry out the much-needed repairs to roads, buildings, community centres, and wastewater infrastructure that Ontarians rely on.”
The report was done at the behest of an MPP (the FAO doesn’t name names) and as part of the fiscal watchdog’s series estimating the financial implications of certain climate change hazards on provincial and municipal infrastructure.
SPOTTED:
— What appears to be a PC Party fundraising appeal styled as an invoice circulating on social media.
LOBBYING DISPATCH
Here are the new, renewed and amended registrations over the past 24 hours:
— Jonathan Rose, Policy Concepts: Responsible Gambling Council, Ontario Association of Social Workers
— Lee Greenberg, Policy Concepts: EllisDon
— Andrew Boddington, Policy Concepts: Catholic Health Association of Ontario
— Lily Mesh, Wellington Dupont: GreenFirst Forest Products
— Vivek Prabhu and Stephanie Dunlop, Hill+Knowlton Strategies: Neuron Mobility
— Natalie Sigalet, Hill+Knowlton Strategies: X-energy Canada
— William Pristanski, Prospectus Associates: Resolute Forest Products, SmartCentres, Ericsson Canada Inc.
— Jeremy Adams, Altria International: Cronos Group Inc.
— Bliss Baker, Cumberland Strategies: COMCAST
— Carys Baker, Cumberland Strategies: Zebra Technologies, Terrapure Environmental
— Kevin Tetreault, Edelman: Blue J Legal Inc.
— Alex Chreston, Crestview Strategy: Junior Achievement Central Ontario, Music Canada
— Aaron Gairdner, Rubicon Strategy: Procom
— Rob Gilmour, Counsel Public Affairs: Impact Auto Auctions Ltd.
— Philip Dewan, Counsel Public Affairs: Community Living Toronto
In-house organizations: Ontario Home Builders Association — Wine Council of Ontario — Canadian Nurses Association — Hydro One — AdvantAge Ontario — EPCOR Utilities.
🥳 HAPPY BIRTHDAY: MITCH DAVIDSON, executive director of StrategyCorp’s institute of public policy and Ford’s former policy chief.