Premier must clean up essential services list

April 1, 2020

QUEEN’S PARK — Mike Schreiner issued the following statement following the press conference from Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health:

“Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health made it clear that we are on the wrong trajectory and stiffer measures are needed to limit the spread of COVID-19.

I urge the Premier to immediately heed her advice and reduce the list of essential businesses.

At this critical juncture, a list of 74 different types of services is a luxury we cannot afford.

We are doing an injustice to health workers combating this pandemic by allowing gaps in our containment efforts with so many businesses to remain open.

The government must look seriously at all sectors, including construction, finance, realty, and manufacturing to assess which activities can be paused while making sure that essential goods are produced.

This will also create fairness for companies that have voluntarily shut down because it is the right thing to do. Right now they are losing business to competitors who have remained open.

The province must remove all confusion and put public health first by shortening the list.”

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