By Jeremy Nuttall, Vancouver Bureau
Victoria Gibson, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Friday, May 14, 2021 Toronto Star
Toronto-area politicians say they intend to push to implement laws similar to those adopted by a B.C. city to combat so-called renovictions in Ontario.
To continue to slow the spread of COVID-19 and help provide predictability to major event organizers, the City of Toronto is extending the cancellation of in-person City-led and City-permitted outdoor events to September 6.
Today's announcement includes festivals and other large, in-person gatherings, held at outdoor sites managed by the City or other public locations, such as roads, parks and civic squares.
Starting tomorrow at 8 a.m., everyone ages 40 to 49 will be eligible to book a vaccination appointment at a City of Toronto immunization clinic. The new cohort joins those with at-risk health conditions and people who cannot work from home that are in Group Two of Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccination plan, who became eligible to book appointments yesterday.
Today, Mayor John Tory announced that recent initiatives by community and health partnerships have led to increased COVID-19 vaccine uptake in vulnerable communities across the city.
Programs developed under the City of Toronto’s COVID-19 Community Mobilization and Engagement Plan are part of the TO Supports: Targeted Equity Action Plan and include partnerships with Toronto Public Health, Ontario Health Teams and community agencies that serve populations most vulnerable in areas hardest hit by COVID-19.
The City of Toronto’s joint enforcement team – made up of officers from Municipal Licensing and Standards, Toronto Public Health and the Toronto Police Service – are continuing efforts to enforce the pandemic regulations including the provincial Stay-at-Home Order and Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act.
Under the current provincial regulations, social gatherings and organized public events are not permitted, except with members of the same household and one person who lives alone. Most retail stores are closed for in-store shopping and restaurants are limited to take out, drive-through and delivery. These regulations are set by the Province of Ontario and are summarized in the City’s COVID-19: Guide for Residents. (Full provincial regulation 
.)
Today, Toronto's Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa is issuing a Section 22 Order, under the Health Protection and Promotion Act, as an additional measure to reduce community transmission. The relevant section of the act is available at www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90h07.
The Order defines how and when school-aged children can attend school premises or other educational settings. The Order applies to all persons and businesses providing education to school-aged children, regardless of whether or not they qualify as a school within the meaning of the Education Act.
Toronto City Council has unanimously voted to reinforce the City’s commitment to safety and accessibility for people, especially seniors and those living with disabilities, in Toronto by voting not to opt-in to the provincial e-scooter pilot.
Today’s decision by Council, which supports Toronto’s Vision Zero Road Safety plan and a recommendation from City staff, applies to both shared and privately-owned e-scooters and means that e-scooters will remain prohibited on public streets, bike lanes, sidewalks, pathways, trails and other public spaces.
Following a successful first two weeks rolling out the Toronto Sprint Strategy, the City of Toronto and Team Toronto vaccination partners continue to prioritize postal code areas with high rates of COVID-19 for mobile and pop-up clinic vaccinations.
The Sprint Strategy targeted 13 postal code areas last week and tripled the number of per-week doses available to the prioritized communities. Over the course of the week, vaccine coverage of adults age 18 and older in the 13 areas moved from approximately 12 per cent to more than 35 per cent. In the M1G and M1J postal codes, coverage moved from approximately 14 per cent to almost 45 per cent for those age 18 and older, surpassing the city-wide 36 per cent coverage for people age 18 and older during this time.
The City of Toronto continues to modify its services and operations to respond to COVID-19 and align with provincial regulations and orders and direction from Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health. There has been an increasing number of COVID-19 cases among the City’s Solid Waste Management Services’ staff. To ensure the safety of
By Joe Warmington, Toronto Sun April 28, 2021
It’s not enough to say you’re for the people. You need to show it.
The provincial government reconsidered playground closures and cancelled powers that would allow random police stops.
Now, in East York, many are hoping Premier Doug Ford will soon bring back lawn bowling.
“It’s a game that already has social distancing,” said Councillor Paula Fletcher. “We understand the risks of COVID-19, but this is an example of something that could be taken off the lockdown list.”
