In Case You Missed It: May 7, 2020

News comes rapidly as Ontario and Quebec take their first steps to loosen restrictions on social distancing. In this In Case You Missed It news roundup, our focus is on Ontario re-opening its economy and what ONPHA’s doing to support you.

1. ONPHA releases Death of a Tenant resource suite

At some point, most community housing providers will face a difficult reality: what to do when a tenant passes away in their unit. It’s a challenging operations issue you and your team should be prepared to handle with safety, compassion, and legal compliance.

ONPHA’s resources will equip you with everything you need to know about the legal requirements, precautions, and best practices for community housing providers when dealing with the death of a tenant.

You can access a customizable Deceased Tenant Policy to complete and implement to formalize your organization’s process, FAQs, navigating possible family disputes and more.

To learn more about this initiative, you can contact ONPHA today at member.support@onpha.org. Visit the product page and see how it can help you run your business. Check out Death of a Tenant: your responsibilities as a community housing provider on the blog to get a preview of what you can expect to learn from this suite of resources.

2. Ontario allows certain  businesses to reopen

On Monday, May 4, The Ontario government allowed certain businesses and workplaces to reopen so long as they comply with strict public health measures. Those permitted to start up include seasonal businesses and some essential construction projects.

The government, in partnership with Ontario’s health and safety associations, developed more than 60 guidelines in response to COVID-19.

By following the proper health and safety guidelines, key capital projects resumed operations on Monday, May 4 at 12:01 a.m.:

• Essential construction projects that include:
  • shipping and logistics;
  • broadband, telecommunications, and digital infrastructure;
  • any other project that supports the improved delivery of goods and services;
  • municipal projects;
  • colleges and universities;
  • child care centres;
  • schools; and
  • site preparation, excavation, and servicing for institutional, commercial, industrial and residential development;

Other businesses, like lawn care and landscaping companies, also resumed operations on May 4. Click here to see the complete list.

3. Ontario Announces Action Plan for Vulnerable Ontarians

On April 23, Ontario announced a new COVID-19 Action Plan for Vulnerable People to better protect vulnerable populations during the pandemic. It builds on the government’s previous actions to protect people living in high-risk settings, including homes serving those with developmental disabilities, shelters for survivors of gender-based violence and human trafficking, children’s residential settings, and those residential settings supporting vulnerable Indigenous individuals and families both on and off reserve.

The COVID-19 Action Plan for Vulnerable People focuses on three specific areas:

• Enhanced Screening and Reduced Exposure to Prevent Spread
  • Enhancing screening of visitors, staff, and residents on sites, as well as restricting non-essential visitors.
  • Providing masks to staff working in congregate care settings and providing training on the use of personal protective equipment in the event of an outbreak.
• Infection Control: Managing Outbreaks and Limiting Spread
  • Enhancing testing of symptomatic staff and clients to identify the need for isolation and additional infection control measures on-site.
  • Planning to limit staff from working at more than one congregate care setting during an outbreak, specifically in developmental services, intervenor services, violence against women and anti-human trafficking settings.
  • Providing additional training and support for high-risk settings dealing with an outbreak, including guidance on how to isolate clients.
• Sustaining Staffing and Managing Staff Shortages
  • Working with organizations to promote workforce stability and capacity in high-risk settings.

The government will work with Indigenous-led congregate care settings both on and off reserve to ensure tools and supports are available and adapted to meet local needs to keep clients and staff safe. The plan also supports mobilizing action to high-risk locations in managing the COVID-19 outbreak in the days and weeks to come by providing assistance with staffing and additional training and support.

Call your local Ontario Works office if you need to apply for social assistance or apply online. You can review the full announcement here or contact member.support@onpha.org if you have any questions.

Staying informed is critical as the COVID-19 pandemic develops. ONPHA has the resources you need to stay informed and run your business smoothly during the crisis.

Visit onpha.on.ca/covid19 today to get up-to-the-minute community housing stories, practical webinars to help navigate the crisis and tools to help you keep your tenants happy, healthy and safe.

ONPHA is here to help. If you have any questions or want to know more about what we’re doing to keep the sector strong, contact us today at member.support@onpha.org.