Vital updates:

• The Government of Ontario has extended the provincial state of emergency until June 2nd, in a special sitting of the legislature held today. The emergency was first declared on March 17. A full list of emergency orders covered under this legislation is available here.
• The Government of Ontario also passed the COVID-19 Response and Reforms to Modernize Ontario Act, 2020, which will help people conduct business while practicing physical distancing by:
  • Providing authority to address in-person attendance rules for school board trustees’ meetings in regulation. This would provide the flexibility in certain emergency situations to allow trustees to meet virtually during school closures;
  • Enabling corporations to call and hold meetings virtually, as applicable, and extending the time period in which annual meetings must be held in specific circumstances;
  • Allowing designations of a beneficiary to be provided electronically for Retirement Savings Plans, Retirement Income Funds, Locked-in Retirement Accounts, Life Income Funds and Tax-Free Savings Accounts;
  • Allowing electronic filing of business registration documents, and the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services to accept copies of business registration documents and e-signatures;
  • Allowing for regulations to set out the parameters for remotely commissioning or notarizing a document;
  • Extending, on a one-time basis for 2020, the legislated four-year period during which a Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) election is mandated to be held to give more time to support remote voting.
• The Prime Minister today announced a series of additional measures to help Canadian seniors and provide them with greater financial security in this time of crisis. These measures include:
  • Providing additional financial support of $2.5 billion for a one-time tax-free payment of $300 for seniors eligible for the Old Age Security (OAS) pension, with an additional $200 for seniors eligible for the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS). This measure would give a total of $500 to individuals who are eligible to receive both the OAS and the GIS, and will help them cover increased costs caused by COVID-19.
  • Expanding the New Horizons for Seniors Program with an additional investment of $20 million to support organizations that offer community-based projects that reduce isolation, improve the quality of life of seniors, and help them maintain a social support network.
  • Temporarily extending GIS and Allowance payments if seniors’ 2019 income information has not been assessed. This will ensure that the most vulnerable seniors continue to receive their benefits when they need them the most. To avoid an interruption in benefits, seniors are encouraged to submit their 2019 income information as soon as possible and no later than by October 1, 2020.
• Premier Ford announced that the province would “hit stage one” of the planned re-opening framework on Thursday. However, the province has only completed 11,957 tests, about half of the Premier’s target of 20,000 tests per day, with a backlog of 10,811 tests, and despite a two-day increase in case numbers after a six-day low. More testing will be the key to re-opening the economy while balancing public safety, as infected individuals can be quarantined and contact-traced.

Reading recommendations:

• There’s One Big Reason the U.S. Economy Can’t Reopen, Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic
• Vietnam, Slovenia, and 3 other overlooked coronavirus success stories, Alex Ward, Vox