While the Ontario government slowly proceeds to reopen the economy, Premier Doug Ford has confirmed the Ontario government will be again extending the province’s state of emergency.
He made the comment when responding to a reporter’s question during a media briefing at Queen’s Park on Monday (May 11).
“We’ve seen some really positive numbers, but we need consistency for two weeks,” Ford said. “But to continue moving forward, yes, we are going to have to renew the state of emergency.”
On April 14th, the Ontario legislature approved an extension of the state of emergency under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (ECMA) until Tuesday, May 12th.
The legislature will sit again on Tuesday (May 12) when MPPS are expected to vote on an extension of the state of emergency until Tuesday, June 2nd.
The extension would also allow current emergency orders to remain in effect, such as the closure of non-essential businesses, bars and restaurants, and performance venues, as well as restrictions prohibiting social gatherings of more than five people.
However, the Ontario government can independently modify emergency orders as required. For example, the government has already modified its emergency orders to allow garden centres and nurseries to reopen on May 8th, hardware stores and safety supply stores to reopen on May 9th, and retail stores with a street entrance to provide curbside pickup and delivery on May 11th.
As for when the state of emergency will end, Ford said that depends on a consistent two-week decrease in the number of positive COVID-19 cases in Ontario.
“Once we get through this, that’s going to be taken off the table once we see the confidence within the system — we see the numbers drop consistently,” Ford said. “We’re crossing our fingers we’re on the right path right now.”
The provincial government first declared a 14-day state of emergency on Tuesday, March 17th. Under the provisions of the ECMPA, the state of emergency could be extended for one additional 14-day period (until April 14th) with further 28-day extensions requiring a vote in the legislature.
