A Brampton MPP indicated Wednesday that he will attempt to force a motion in Queen’s Park on Thursday to bring provincial aid to Peel, in the wake of climbing COVID-19 cases. Brampton North MPP Kevin Yarde said Wednesday afternoon that he would push to have the province provide greater support to Peel Public Health, via funding to hire more staff and introduce greater outreach and proactive workplace inspections to stave off further outbreaks.
“Families in Peel need to get back to school and work, but they’re worried about the growing number of COVID-19 infections in our community,” said Yarde. “We’ve seen COVID-19 cases in schools, we’ve seen outbreaks in workplaces, we’ve seen hours-long waits for testing, and we’ve seen dozens of new infections daily.” Peel represents one of the highest infection points in the province, with 58 confirmed cases being reported in the region on Sep. 15. “Brampton’s health care system was hanging by a thread before the pandemic, thanks to chronic underfunding by Liberal and Conservative governments alike,” said Yarde.
“Now we’re heading into a second wave of COVID- 19, and I’m worried that our already-overflowing hospitals won’t be able to handle an influx. The motion will go to a vote in Ontario’s legislature on Thursday, Sept. 17.