With the peak of Omicron behind us, Ontario has been cautiously and gradually moving through
its reopening milestones. Key public health indicators continue to improve or remain stable.
This week, our Provincial Medical Officer of Health announced that Ontario would remove the
mandatory masking requirement for most settings on March 21, except in select areas, such as
public transit, health care settings, long-term care homes and congregate care settings. We
expect indicators, such as the number of cases and hospitalizations, to increase slightly as
Ontarians increasingly interact with one another. However, thanks to our high vaccination rates
and natural immunity, as well as the arrival of new antivirals, our medical experts believe
Ontario now has the tools necessary to manage the impact of the virus. I want to thank
everyone for their collective cooperation over the past two years and look forward to returning
to a more normal future. As we move from mandatory to optional mask protection, we need to
respect people’s choices. There are many who have or are in contact with someone who has an
immune deficiency.

The Government is taking more steps to ensure we best prepare students to have the
knowledge and tools they need in a rapidly advancing society and workforce. Next fall, I am
pleased to see the implementation of the new Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1 to 8: Science and
Technology, 2022. This essential improvement is sorely needed as it has been 15 years since the
last update. As we know, there have many innovations over this time, including smartphones,
3D printing, and genomic vaccines that have changed the global economy. These measures will
strengthen our children’s understanding of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
(STEM), preparing them for the world of tomorrow. The new curriculum has five key areas:
mandatory code learning from Grades 1 to 9; connecting STEM learning for Grades 1 to 9;
emerging technology; mandatory skilled trades for Grades 4 to 9; and food literacy to empower
students to make the best health choices. Please read my news release for more information: https://jimmcdonellmpp.ca/2022/03/08/ontario-modernizing-school-science-
curriculum/.

I cannot over-emphasize the Government’s gratitude for the selfless dedication of Ontario’s
nurses. We recognize them as the backbone of the health care system, especially during this
pandemic, and that our system cannot perform adequately without them. To build on our
efforts to recruit and retain all nurses, we are providing a lump sum retention incentive of up to
$5,000. This investment is another step in our efforts after adding 8,450 professionals for all health care facilities, including 4,000 more staff for high-end hospitals by deploying students
and others in training. This latest measure complements our increases in post-secondary
enrolments and the elimination of needless barriers to provincial accreditation for candidates
educated outside of the country, as well as qualified new Canadians.

As we explore options to expand housing in the province, some of our most vulnerable are in
danger of falling through the cracks. To help correct a fragmented assistance system, we are
investing $25 million into a new Homelessness Prevention Program. It will combine three
programs so that our municipal partners spend less time and money on paperwork and more
on serving Ontarians who need support. We want to ensure that municipal service providers
have the flexibility to prevent homelessness better.
I want to extend the reminder. At 11:59 p.m., Monday, March 14, the Ontario Business Costs
Rebate Program will close. Apply now here.

My local constituency office dealt with sad news this week as we said goodbye to our friend
and valued colleague, Marcel Lapierre, who passed away suddenly last Friday. Marcel’s friendly,
good-natured personality complemented his vast knowledge of local Government and our
region to give the highest quality of public service. We extend our deepest sympathies to his
wife Suzanne, Julie, Rick, and family.
Stay safe.

Jim McDonell

MPP for Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry

www.jimmcdonellmpp.ca

613-933-6513