Hi there,

This week, I headed back to Queen’s Park eager to take with me everything I’ve heard over the past month from those in Ottawa-Vanier and across Ontario. 

During last week’s Forum on Long-Term Care, we heard from four experts and from Ontarians on the changes needed to make long-term care homes safe and supportive places for residents. The recommendations and concerns shared were at the top of my mind when I headed back to the House this week. On Tuesday, I asked the Minister of Long-Term Care how she plans to improve the long-term care system and what has been done to prepare for a second wave. You can watch her non-committal response here. 

Gathering limits have been reduced for Ottawa to help slow the spread of COVID-19. These are the new limits on the number of people allowed to attend an unmonitored social gathering or organized public event:

• 10 people at an indoor event or gathering (previous limit of 50); or
• 25 people at an outdoor event or gathering (previous limit of 100).

For more information, read the news release here.

Unfortunately, despite this reduction, there is still no commitment from the government on a systemic reduction of class sizes. I know that this situation is affecting students, parents, and education workers across the province and I won’t be backing down from advocating on this issue.

With the increase in need for testing, we are urging the government to increase support to medical staff in Ontario that are working hard to increase testing capacities. I visited Brewer Park with my colleague Stephen Blais, MPP for Orleans, to witness the current reality of getting tested. See my message on this here. Thankfully, we received some good news on this front this week! Three pop-up test sites will be opening in the city, but we’re still waiting for details. Read this article for more information. 

What issue are you most concerned about right now? I value your input on what the government needs to do to better support Ottawa-Vanier.

Thank you for doing your part in fighting COVID-19. Talk soon,
Lucille

P.S. Are you or do you know someone between the ages of 15 and 25 with an interest in politics or a desire to share ideas with the locally elected representatives? I am putting together an Ottawa-Vanier Provincial Youth Council in collaboration with our City Councillors to ensure your voices are heard! Apply at tinyurl.com/OVProvYC by October 12th to join us and discuss the issues that matter to you and make a difference in our community.