Queen's Park unveils new proof of vaccination requirements, impacting MPPs
Unvaccinated MPPs could be prevented from entering Queen’s Park when the legislature resumes in October unless they get tested for COVID-19, according to a new directive from the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.
Ted Arnott – who presides over the Legislative Assembly as Speaker — issued a memo to “everyone seeking to enter the legislative precinct” that the COVID-19 protocols are being enhanced effective Oct. 4, when the Lieutenant Governor will deliver a throne speech on behalf of Premier Doug Ford.
Arnott said everyone would be required to provide either proof of full vaccination or proof of a recent negative rapid antigen test. The memo didn’t include any considerations for unvaccinated individuals with a medical exemption, suggesting they too would have to submit to routine antigen testing.
While its unclear how many staff at Queen’s Park would be impacted, the new rules could prevent at least two sitting MPPs from being able to enter the legislature without a COVID-19 test.
MPP for Chatham—Kent—Leamington, Rick Nicholls, who currently serves as the Deputy Speaker, chose to remain unvaccinated and was ejected from the Ontario Progressive Conservative party last month as a result.
Christina Mitas, the MPP for Scarborough Centre, was also given an ultimatum by Premier Doug Ford to get the COVID-19 vaccine or leave the party, but was allowed to remain on the government benches – unvaccinated – after providing the government with a medical exemption.
The government has not revealed the nature of Mitas’s medical exemption.
Randy Hillier, a former PC MPP for Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston who was removed from the party in 2019, expressed his disdain for the new rules.
“It is an unlawful directive,” Hiller told CTVNews Toronto in a text message, without elaborating.
Hillier, who has not publicly revealed his vaccination status, has tangled with legislative security staff during the pandemic over mandatory masking rules. Hillier wouldn’t say whether he plans on challenging the new rules.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Louis Gossett Jr., 1st Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87
Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries “Roots,” has died. He was 87.
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Luxury cruise line selling world cruise suite for US$1.7 million
Luxury operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises is raising their price tag to eye-watering levels, with a suite on an upcoming 140-day world voyage costing US$1.7 million.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace
A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.