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COVID-19 Updates | Daily Workplace Round Up for May 7, 2020

COVID-19 Resources for Small Business
Sarah Visca | May 7, 2020

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Below are the key announcements from the Federal, Ontario, and B.C. governments that touch on workplace issues for May 7, 2020. 

Federal

Announces $4 Billion Agreement to Boost Wages for Essential Workers

Justin Trudeau announced today that all provinces and territories have confirmed, or are in the process of confirming, plans to cost share wage top-ups for their essential workers.

The Government of Canada has announced a $4 billion agreement with all the provinces and territories to increase the wages of low-income essential workers.

The federal government will kick in $3 billion while the provinces will contribute the rest. Each province or territory will determine which workers would be eligible for support, and how much support they will receive.

For more information, check out this news release from the Prime Minister. 

Ontario

Unveils Framework to Resume Elective Surgeries & Procedures

The Ontario government has developed a comprehensive framework to help hospitals assess their readiness and begin planning for the gradual resumption of scheduled surgeries and procedures, while maintaining capacity to respond to COVID-19.

The framework, A Measured Approach to Planning for Surgeries and Procedures During the COVID-19 Pandemic, contains clear criteria that must be met before hospitals can resume scheduled surgeries, including ensuring that the hospital and its region have the following:

  • A stable number of COVID-19 cases;
  • A stable supply of personal protective equipment;
  • A stable supply of medications;
  • An adequate capacity of inpatient and intensive care unit beds;
  • An adequate capacity of health human resources; and
  • The availability of post-acute care outside the hospital that would be required to support patients after discharge.

First, hospitals will need to assess if there is adequate staffing, equipment and other resources to resume scheduled care. This assessment will be revisited on a weekly basis to reflect changing needs and requirements.

For more information, check out this news release. 

Invests $3.5 Million in Protecting Forestry Jobs & Worker Safety

The Ontario government is protecting people and jobs in northern, rural and Indigenous communities, while supporting long-term forest sustainability, by investing in protective measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 during the upcoming tree planting season.

Today, John Yakabuski, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry, announced the government is making $3.5 million available to help put protective measures in place for the workers who plant trees this season.

Ontario's forest industry has been identified as an essential sector and is critical to the provincial economy, generating over $18 billion in revenue and supporting approximately 155,000 direct and indirect jobs.

For more information, check out this news release. 

British Columbia

Phase 2 of B.C.'s Restart Plan will Begin May 19

On May 6, 2020, Premier John Horgan outlined the provinces four-phase restart plan.

B.C. is currently in Phase 1 with Phase 2 to begin on May 19, which includes more retail businesses and office-based worksites. However, most provincial parks and recreation sites will begin opening May 14. 

On May 19, 2020, Phase 2 will begin:

  • Only small gatherings

  • Elective surgeries

  • Dentistry, chiropractic, physiotherapy, in-person counselling

  • Provincial parks will open for day use

  • More retail business and offices to reopen, supported by WorkSafeBC (industry specific guidance is being developed to bring workers back)

  • Expanded in-person schooling and childcare for K-12 (voluntary)

    • Will resume in stages, beginning with part-time for elementary students

    • Full resumption of in-person classes in September

  • Legislature resumes in the coming weeks

  • Information on public transit measures, such as physical distancing and hygiene, will be released in next few days

See this backgrounder for provincial parks and recreation sites reopening and return to classrooms learning plan.

WorkSafeBC has also provided a Returning to safe operation announcement.

Announces Massive B.C. Surgical Renewal Plan Starting this May

By May 18, 2020, an estimated 30,000 non-urgent scheduled surgeries in B.C. will have either been postponed or left on a waitlist due to COVID-19. These postponed surgeries are starting back up as part of a massive surgical renewal plan for the province. 

Beginning this month, the province will launch an extensive surgical renewal plan with the following targeted timeline:

  • May 7-15: Patient outreach, preoperative screening and implementation planning

  • May 18: Surgical services begin, increasing capacity over four weeks to near normal pre-COVID levels

  • May 31: All private contracted facilities working at maximum available capacity

  • June: Begin recruitment and training of new staff

  • June 15: All existing operating rooms running at full available capacity

  • June 15–October 15: Incrementally bringing on additional capacity

  • July: Ministry of Health’s first monthly public progress report on surgical renewal

  • July–August: Optimize full capacity over the summer period

Learn more about B.C.'s Surgery Renewal Plan.

For more information, check out this news release. 

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Sarah Visca
Sarah Visca is the Operations Manager at ConnectsUs HR, a company that provides tools & resources to quickly set up a Human Resources department.  
You can contact her here.