Ontario Extends Orders Under the Reopening Ontario Act, 2020

Extensions needed to address ongoing risks of COVID-19 as province reopens

The Voice of Canada News:

TORONTO — The Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, is extending orders currently in force under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 (ROA). The extensions provide the government with the necessary flexibility to address the ongoing risks and effects of the COVID-19 outbreak and ensure important measures remain in place to protect vulnerable populations, such as seniors, people with developmental disabilities and those with mental health and addiction issues.

All orders under the ROA have been extended to September 22, 2020, with the following exceptions:

• The Education Sector order will end on August 31, 2020.
• The Limitation Periods order will end and suspended time periods will resume running on September 14, 2020.

“We’ve seen great progress in our fight against COVID-19 in recent weeks, but now is not the time to let our guard down,” said Solicitor General Sylvia Jones. “We must continue safely and gradually down the path to recovery while tackling the ongoing effects of this pandemic. We’re conducting an ongoing review and assessment of all orders to determine if they are still necessary and will relax restrictions or lift orders when it is safe to do so.”

On July 21, 2020, the Ontario Legislature passed the ROA to ensure important measures remained in place to address the sustained threat of COVID-19 once the provincial Declaration of Emergency came to an end. Orders, made under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA) that were in effect when the ROA came into force, were continued under the new act for an initial 30 days. Under the ROA, orders can be extended for up to 30 days at a time.

The government will continue to review all orders and will report on order extensions to the newly created Select Committee on Emergency Management Oversight.

The following orders under the ROA have been extended until September 22, 2020:

• Work Redeployment for Certain Health Service Providers
• Drinking Water Systems and Sewage Works
• Electronic Service
• Electricity Price for RPP Consumers
• Work Deployment Measures in Long-Term Care Homes
• Streamlining Requirements for Long-Term Care Homes
• Prohibition on Certain Persons Charging Unconscionable Prices for Sales of Necessary Goods
• Work Deployment Measures for Boards of Health
• Work Deployment Measures in Retirement Homes
• Service Agencies Providing Services and Supports to Adults with Developmental Disabilities and Service Providers Providing Intervenor Services
• Signatures in Wills and Powers of Attorney
• Use of Force and Firearms in Policing Services
• Temporary Health or Residential Facilities
• Work Deployment Measures for Service Agencies Providing Violence Against Women Residential Services and Crisis Line Services
• Limiting Work to a Single Long-Term Care Home
• Work Deployment Measures for District Social Services Administration Boards
• Deployment of Employees of Service Provider Organizations
• Work Deployment Measures for Municipalities
• Limiting Work to a Single Retirement Home
• Work Deployment Measures for Mental Health and Addictions Agencies
• Congregate Care Settings
• Access to Personal Health Information by Means of the Electronic Health Record
• Certain Persons Enabled to Issue Medical Certificates of Death
• Hospital Credentialing Processes
• Treatment of Temporary COVID-19 Related Payments to Employees
• Management of Long-Term Care Homes in Outbreak
• Management of Retirement Homes in Outbreak
• Special Rules Re: Temporary Pandemic Pay
• Patios
• Enforcement of Orders
• Stages of Reopening
• Rules for Areas in Stage 1
• Rules for Areas in Stage 2
• Rules of Areas in Stage 3

QUICK FACTS

• The provincial Declaration of Emergency was terminated on July 24, 2020 when the ROA came into force.
• The ROA allows certain orders to be amended, subject to criteria, and does not allow new orders to be created.
• The ROA requires the Premier to table a report on any amendments or extensions of any orders within 120 days after the first anniversary of the act coming into force.
• The power to extend or amend continued orders is limited to one year; these powers can only be extended by the legislature. If powers are extended beyond one year, an additional report is required for the extension period.
• The Select Committee on Emergency Management Oversight will meet for the first time on August 24, 2020 to hear the rationale for decisions to extend orders.
• A full list of orders can be found on the e-Laws website under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 (ROA) and at Ontario.ca/alert.
• As of August 10, 2020, all Public Health Units in the Province are in Stage 3 of reopening.