Today, Mayor John Tory, Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa, and Fire Chief and Manager of the Office of Emergency Management Matthew Pegg provided an update on the City’s continuing response to COVID-19.
Toronto Public Health is reporting there are now 1,769 cases of COVID-19 in Toronto. Of the cases, 1,519 cases are confirmed and 250 are probable, 174 are in hospital with 76 in ICU. In Toronto, there have been 54 deaths to-date. This data was extracted from the Integrated Public Health Information System at 12:30 p.m. The numbers may differ from other sources as data are extracted at different times.
The City is urging residents to continue staying at home and keeping their distance from others during the upcoming holidays, leaving only for essential reasons. Residents are encouraged to connect with loved ones, friends and vulnerable members of the community online or by phone.
The City’s COVID-19 enforcement team will continue to conduct coordinated enforcement efforts throughout the long weekend in locations with the most activity. Officers continue to observe people participating in prohibited activities in City parks, including gathering in groups larger than five, not practising physical distancing, using closed parks amenities and allowing dogs to run off leash in public areas.
Yesterday, the City received 30 complaints related to non-essential businesses remaining open in contravention of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. Since March 24, Municipal Licensing and Standards has issued five charges and 41 notices to non-essential businesses.
In addition, yesterday the City received 356 complaints involving people using amenities or not practising physical distancing in parks. Bylaw officers spoke to 989 people regarding the closure of park amenities and distancing and issued 16 written cautions and 15 tickets – bringing the total to 68 tickets since April 4.
Hot spot locations continue to be refined based on complaints received though 311 and in-field observations, in order to target enforcement in parks with the most amenities and the largest crowds. Parking enforcement will be patrolling these locations and issuing tickets to those who continue to park in closed parking facilities.
The following 10 parks have been identified as having ongoing issues, based on data from 311 and in-field reports:
• Bluffer’s Park
• Rosetta McClain Gardens
• High Park
• Humber Bay East
• Christie Pits
• Trinity Bellwoods
• Woodbine Beach
• Allan Gardens
• Sunnybrook Park
• Sherwood Park
The City’s website is updated daily with the latest health advice and information about City services and social supports. Check https://www.toronto.ca/covid-1
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Dear Chief Pegg:
The night before last I attended a WEBINAR meeting about EHON’s Multiplex Housing planners proposing to make significant changes to Toronto wide building codes. Near the end of the meeting a structural engineer pointed out that EHON planning, as they now propose, ignores basic things like two (2) hour fire ratings between multiplex dwelling units (i.e., block walls) and fire rated windows & openings between buildings.
He further noted among other things that from his review of EHON’s proposed multiplex planning (see reference), that many of their proposed multiplex building code changes would probably fall under the purview of Part 3 of the Building Code not Part 9. This would undoubtedly add to the cost of the housing concepts they are proposing thereby defeating their raison d’être of low-cost housing. The engineer’s comments were limited by the time allowed on the WEBENAR however, there was absolutely no response or recognition from EHON to his comments which leads me to question whether Fire, EMS or both were ever consulted on these major public life safety matters?
As a retired 82-year-old engineer I am aware that our current City by-laws were developed by consultation between engineers & architects, medical professionals, fire chiefs, the Fire Marshal, EMS workers, and corners to protect our public safety at large.
Every day we see tragedies on the 6:00 O’clock news resulting from building code violations and bad behavior. Unfortunately, Fire & EMS are only called in after the fact!
Here is the EHON proposal in part for your review: https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2022/ph/bgrd/backgroundfile-227724.pdf
If you have not seen it or been consulted on it hopefully, you will follow up or across the City food chain to find out why.
Robert Jenkins
42 Brentwood Rd. S
Etobicoke