• The Ontario government released an action plan to make government services simpler, easier to use, and more convenient and accessible during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Ontario Onwards: Ontario’s COVID-19 Action Plan for a People-Focused Government includes more than 30 projects that aim to improve the way people and businesses interact with government, saving them both time and money. The government is focusing on:
  • Making government services more digitally accessible, such as providing new and improved digital health solutions to frontline care personnel, so they can rapidly and securely access a patient’s health records from anywhere and from any device.
  • Reducing red tape and simplifying policies while protecting public health and safety, such as reducing barriers to development and construction approval by allowing a digital application process to get shovels in the ground faster on transit and housing projects.
  • Improving government purchasing by leveraging the combined bulk-buying power of the province, while taking advantage of the world-class capabilities of local Ontario businesses, to transform how the government purchases goods and services, so the province can have the supplies it needs.
  • Creating more responsible and flexible public services, such as re-designing core internal processes or permit applications, so citizens can get what they need faster and easier, such as driver’s licences and health cards.
• The Government of Ontario has offered the following guidance for a safe and happy Halloween:
  • Avoid gatherings with people outside of your household;
  • Stay home if you are feeling ill, even if you have mild symptoms, or if you are at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19;
  • If you live outside the modified Stage 2 public health unit regions and are going to go out to trick or treat:
    • Only go out with members of your household;
    • Only trick or treat outside;
    • Both trick or treaters and people handing out candy should wear a face covering. A costume mask is not a substitute for a face covering and should not be worn over a face covering as it may make it difficult to breathe;
    • Do not congregate or linger at doorsteps and remember to line up two metres apart if waiting. Avoid high-touch surfaces and objects;
    • Whether collecting or handing out treats, wash your hands often and thoroughly, or use hand sanitizer; and
    • Do not leave treats in a bucket or bowl for children to grab and consider using tongs or other similar tools to hand out treats.
• The Government of Canada has extended the closure of the U.S. border until November 21st. It was originally set to re-open on October 21st, and the closure has now been extended several times. However, the White House has intimated that the border should be opened “pretty soon” and has claimed that the Prime Minister was also in favour of a quicker re-opening, indicating that a breakdown in negotiations or communications may have occurred between the two governments. Spokespeople for both national governments gave conflicting clarifying statements. Additionally, the U.S. is welcoming Canadian air travelers, while the Government of Canada urges Canadians not to travel to the United States by air.
• Food delivery services like Uber Eats and Skip the Dishes are adjusting the fees they charge restaurants to process and handle orders, after pressure from politicians to do more to help an industry that has been devastated by COVID-19. Fees charged by the delivery services can often be up to 30 per cent of the bill. Uber Eats has lowered its “delivery-only” fee, for restaurants that process the order themselves but simply need a delivery service, to 7.5 per cent. That service was only launched last month, but the rate will be in effect until the end of the year or later, at which point that rate will increase to 15 per cent. The company has also added an option to charge zero per cent commission for pickup orders when the order is processed by Uber but the food itself is picked up by the customer.
  

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