Skip to content

COVID restrictions Q&A with York-Simcoe MPP Mulroney

BradfordToday chats with York-Simcoe MPP Caroline Mulroney about the current COVID restrictions and the province's overall outlook on the pandemic
2021-10-12 Caroline Mulroney crop
Minister of Transportation and York-Simcoe MPP Caroline Mulroney

With the current provincial government restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, BradfordToday chatted with York-Simcoe MPP Caroline Mulroney about the situation, what supports are available to residents, and what the province's plans are for the next little while as we battle the Omicron wave.

BT: Last week it was announced that parents will not be informed if there is a positive case in their kids' class. Has there been any pushback from parents who are concerned that their children may be exposed? Couldn't this be putting children and their families at greater risk, especially those who haven’t been fully immunized and those under the age of five who cannot receive a vaccine?

CM: The reason for that (parents not being notified of a case in class) is because the Omicron variant is so much more transmissible, but it's less virulent. Public health measures have been put in place to slow the spread. As a parent, I am very happy that my kids are returning to school and I have confidence in the measures we have taken to ensure the safety of our kids when they are in school. 

BT: Where are we at with vaccination rates in York Simcoe? 

CM: We are doing well. Residents with two doses (of vaccine) in East Gwillimbury is 99 per cent, Georgina, 80 per cent and Bradford, 86.4 per cent.

In Simcoe-Muskoka, it's 79 per cent, so Bradford is doing very well. People have been stepping up to get their first and second dose, as well as their boosters, and we just want to encourage people to get vaccinated. 

BT: What supports are currently available to small business owners who had to either close down or reduce their capacities in the last round of restrictions? 

CM: This year, with modified Step 2 of the Roadmap to Reopen, our government has provided targeted relief for those businesses and people that have been impacted by these current public health measures. We announced the Ontario COVID-19 small business relief grant for small businesses that are subject to the closures, and that will provide those eligible businesses with a grant of $10,000. Those businesses include restaurants, bars, indoor sports and recreation facilities, and meeting and event spaces.

We have also provided electricity rate relief to support small businesses as well as workers, families and farms. That off-peak rate will apply automatically to small businesses, residents, and farms that pay a regulated rate, and will provide this one-time relief through the modified Step 2 period.

We have also provided over $7.5B through a six-month interest and penalty-free period, effective January 1, 2022, for Ontario businesses to make payments for most provincially administered taxes. We have also been advocating directly to the Federal Government for an HST rebate, which would provide direct cash support for small businesses. 

My office is open for any small business that is looking to access this support, or who has questions about how to access it. 

BT: With the recent announcement on making it easier to obtain a G license due to the enormous testing backlog, how can we ensure drivers are still meeting the criteria, and we aren’t just letting bad drivers slip through the cracks, giving them a full license when they maybe we shouldn’t be? 

CM: We have had a significant backlog as a result of the public health measures we've had to take and there has been an increased demand for the G Road Test, so we've been looking at ways to alleviate the backlog in a way that makes sense, and that can offer more road test appointments every day.

What we have introduced is removing the duplicative elements in the G Test, so if you were tested on it as part of your G2, you won't be tested on it as part of your G. I want to be clear, applicants will be tested on parallel parking, but they will be tested as part of their G2 and they will not be tested as part of their G. The G will still have the important highway elements of the test.

The result of this will decrease the amount of time it takes for a G Test, and thereby open up a number of appointments for booking while maintaining road safety. 

BT: Everyone’s mental health has taken a toll throughout the pandemic, what supports are available for those struggling in York-Simcoe? 

CM: Mental Health has been a major issue for constituents across York-Simcoe. We've seen an increased demand for support across all age groups. Information about those supports is available online at www.ontario.ca/mentalhealth.

We are providing supports for kids, youth and post-secondary students. There is the Kids Help PhoneGood2Talk is also a free and confidential mental health support. We have also made significant investments across the spectrum of mental health supports to provide additional help for those who need it. 

BT: Is the 50 per cent capacity for weddings, funerals and religious services too high, given the transmissibility of Omicron and the fact that private gatherings have been limited to 5 indoors and 10 outdoors? What is the rationale for such a high limit, especially with an end to contact tracing and testing? 

CM: The determination of the percentage for the capacity limit was made by the Chief Medical Officer of Health based on his observations of Omicron and how we need to best protect Ontarians against it. As I said, Omicron is very transmissible but not as virulent and based on those facts it was determined 50 per cent was the right capacity limit. 

BT: The new five-day isolation period for those who are vaccinated, does that mean people who have two doses or three doses? Are there plans to change the term fully vaxxed to three doses?

CM: The five-day isolation period was determined by the Chief Medical Officer of Health based on the way Omicron exhibits itself in our community. I can say that I have had kids with Omicron, and five days, based on their symptoms, seemed like the right number of days (to isolate).

It's important that anybody, whether you are vaccinated or not if you are exhibiting those symptoms, that you isolate for five days. 

BT: With the advanced warning of the booster shot and the wave of Omicron, why wasn’t the government more prepared? Why weren’t mass clinics set up in advance? Why make the announcement and leave residents scrambling over the holidays to find booster appointments and rapid tests?

CM: Just before the Christmas holiday we increased the availability of booster shots to all Ontarians aged 18+. We urged Ontarians to sign up and get those booster shots as quickly as possible throughout the holidays. I know people have responded to that call, I hope people who have not yet will go and get their booster shot. We took important steps in our vaccination campaign and we have one of the highest vaccination rates of all the provinces. We are doing very well in our vaccination campaign. 

In terms of rapid tests, we are working with the Federal Government to get more. Each student was sent home with five before the holidays, and we are sending out more this week. We have asked the Federal Government to increase our supply and are hopeful we will get more in the next few days. 

We have also sent N95 masks to education workers and childcare workers and will be supplying children with three-ply masks. That's in addition to all the work we did in schools in terms of ventilation, in terms of getting 7,000 HEPA filters across the province.

We've taken a significant number of steps to protect Ontarians. Omicron is a highly transmissible virus and everyone has to play their part. I know that people are doing that, they are stepping up and getting vaccinated, they're isolating when they see symptoms, and I am hopeful we will be moving out of this soon. 

BT: How do you think our province is fairing compared to others in this pandemic? Looking back, is there anything you think we could have done differently?

CM: We have a response that is made for Ontario. We have been looking at how it is impacting our population, our long-term care facilities, our hospitals, our schools and our businesses. And our public health measures are designed to protect our citizens and our health care system. We have done the best based on the public health advice we received at the time. I am sure in retrospect, we will be looking back to see what we could have done better, but I can tell you that our government is focused on doing the best we can based on the health advice we get at the time. 

BT: Many are frustrated with the restrictions, is there any hope of getting back to normal in the near future? What is the government’s plan for the next few months in terms of reopening back up? 

CM: Our plan has always been to shore up our health care system and ensure we have enough health care capacity to address hospitalizations, ICU needs, health and human resource capacity and so we've been adding health human resources in hospitals, long-term care, we have been shoring up our system with additional PPE, that is really what we have focused on. 

The virus has changed so we are going to continue to be vigilant and be as prepared as we can. The Chief Medical Officer of Health says he is hoping for a better February and March, I listen to what he says and I am hoping with these measures we have put in place, and with the sacrifices that many have made, and that so many are getting vaccinated, I am hoping he is right, and that the virus will crest and we will be able to see the end of it soon.

BT: Is there anything else you would like our reader to know? 

CM: I am here to speak to constituents. My office is here to support them as their access to provincial supports. They can call, they can come in, or they can email. 

Caroline Mulroney's Office is located at 45 Grist Mill Rd., Unit #8, Holland Landing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

She can be contacted by phone at 905-895-1555 or email at [email protected]


Natasha Philpott

About the Author: Natasha Philpott

Natasha is the Editor for BradfordToday and InnisfilToday. She graduated from the Media Studies program at The University of Guelph-Humber. She lives in Bradford with her husband, two boys and two cats.
Read more

Reader Feedback