
With the COVID-19 pandemic, leadership at all levels has had to react fast. After hearing from a concerned citizen, Orangeville Council did the same.
Orangeville Councillor Lisa Post presented a notice of motion at the town council meeting held on November 23, 2020. Post communicated that a local drive test examiner had reached out. The examiner was concerned with the number of testees coming from areas that have been designated within the province’s COVID-19 response framework as being in the ‘grey’ and ‘red’ zones. The councillor reported how drive tests are restricted within these areas as they are considered to be unsafe under public health guidelines.
According to Councillor Post, on Friday, all but one of the people that the Orangeville examiner dealt with was from a region under ‘lockdown’. The one exception was somebody who came from a municipality that had just entered ‘red’. This geographic mix is alleged to not be an anomaly.
Cross-regional access, Post outlines, is a necessity during normal circumstances. That being said, the councillor believes that given the pandemic, it is socially irresponsible. As described by Councillor Lisa Post, the Orangeville centre conducts 170-200 tests a day, with approximately 90% of the patrons not being from the area. Due to time sensitivity, fellow councillors were asked to support the motion and to have the requirement for notice waived.
In essence, the motion was to direct Orangeville town staff to write a letter to Premier Doug Ford, with copies being sent to Solicitor-General Sylvia Jones, Dufferin-Caledon MP Kyle Seeback, and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health Medical Officer Dr. Nicola Mercer. The letter would contain a request to have drive tests restricted completely for those residing in locales under lockdown, and that cross-regional access be curbed until it is “deemed safe”.
Councillor Debbie Sherwood eagerly seconded Post’s motion. Mayor Sandy Brown announced that he had spoken to Dr. Mercer and claimed that she had expressed concern over the subject as well. He added that he had just received an e-mail from another drive test examiner, in addition to the one that contacted Councillor Lisa Post.
Deputy Mayor Andy Macintosh revealed that he was surprised the examiners weren’t refusing to work due to unsafe conditions, as is their right. Councillor Post mentioned how there are indications that this seems to be occurring, but stated that a provincial framework is needed for the matter.
United Steelworkers Local 9511, the union representing those performing the drive tests, disclosed that Ministry of Labour investigators had recently attended various facilities to make assessments. When it comes to testing people residing in “grey-zones”, the inspectors consistently determined that the work is not likely to endanger the examiner. The purported logic behind this is that the safety protocols already implemented were suitable for a workplace where potential COVID-19 exposure was an identifiable hazard, which is meant to deal with any presence of the virus. Public health not placing constraints on driver examinations in the “non-grey-zones” was also cited as part of the rationale for the inspectors classifying the work as not likely to endanger. United Steelworkers points out that when tests were restricted by public health in the “grey-zones”, it was assumed to be over the safety of the driver and the examiner, as all the testing facilities have similar safety protocols. As of November 23rd, the union has not yet received clarification from Public Health Ontario on this apparent discrepancy.
Orangeville Council made a different call. The motion put forth by Councillor Post received unanimous support.
“I remember how excited I was when I was sixteen to get my license, but I hardly think it is an essential requirement that we continue this, at least for the next couple months until things start to trend down,” voiced Mayor Sandy Brown. “We’ve been really quite good at keeping COVID at bay in our area, and nobody is interested in having it visit us as it has in the GTA.”
References – Orangeville Council Wants Access to Drive Tests Limited
- Orangeville Town Council Meeting – November 23rd – Video
- Orangeville Town Council Meeting – November 23rd – Agenda
- COVID-19 response framework: keeping Ontario safe and open
- United Steelworkers Local 9511 – Grey-Zone Applicants
Related Links
- Melancthon Councilmembers Asked to Rethink Pay Raise
- Melancthon Council gives itself a pay raise in 2021
- Melancthon Councillor Resigns after ‘defamatory assaults’
- Amaranth Councilmembers Move Towards Filling Vacancy
- Mayor Currie Questions Integrity Commissioner’s Value – Audio Clip
- Mayor of Amaranth responds to investigation report
- Amaranth Mayor Currie Speaks to Workplace Harrassment Report – Audio Clip
- Update on vacant council seat in Amaranth Township
- IS AMARANTH’S MAYOR CURRIE RESIGNING?
- AMARANTH MAYOR CURRIE UNLEASHES HIS FURY
- Amaranth Residents Call Out Mayor Currie’s Empty Threat
- Mayor Bob Currie Protests Donation to Food Banks
- IS AMARANTH’S MAYOR CURRIE RESIGNING?
- AMARANTH MAYOR DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO RAISE PRIDE FLAG FOR 2021
- AMARANTH’S DEPUTY MAYOR CALLS OUT MAYOR’S PRIDE INTOLERANCE
- AMARANTH MAYOR: WHY CAN’T WE USE THE RIVER TO FIGHT FIRES?!
- AMARANTH’S DEPUTY MAYOR FIGHTS FOR DIVERSITY COMMITTEE
- Amaranth Council Meeting Cancelled – Amaranth Pride Flag Recap
- Amaranth Mayor’s Pride Comments & Council’s Reaction
- ‘Trojan Horse’ Proposed at Fung Loy Kok in Mono
- DCCBA Another Landmark for Diversity in Dufferin
- Dufferin County Councillor Brings Religion Into Politics
- NEW DETAILS ON WE CHARITY ‘EXONERATION’
- MP Kyle Seeback Asks For Local Business Nominations!
- ORANGEVILLE USED IN MARKETING CROWD CONTROL TECHNOLOGY
- Stolen pair of shoes leads to over 1000 Shoes for Shelburne
- There is assistance for homeless men in Dufferin County!
- Santa Claus will be coming to Orangeville… on a firetruck!
- My Crafty Neighbour has a space with limitless opportunity!
- Town of Orangeville launches COVID-19 Community Recognition Awards
- New Grand Valley Pizza Place Opens Tonight!
- “Please…symptoms can widely range…don’t assume it’s just a cold!”
- Town of Orangeville Staff tests positive for COVID-19
- Epidemiologist Calls Out Upper Grand DSB
- Ontario teachers, exposed to COVID, may still go to class
- UGDSB Trustee Raises BIG CONCERNS Over School Lunchtime
- School Buses May Pose BIGGEST RISK to UGDSB Return To School
- UGDSB TRUSTEE CALLS BUSES “ROLLING INCUBATORS”
- IS ENOUGH BEING DONE TO KEEP LUNCHES SAFE IN THE UGDSB?
- VENTILATION AND HVAC IN UGDSB SCHOOLS
- WILL REMOTE LEARNING CHANGE THE AMOUNT OF BUSES IN UGDSB?
- UGDSB PROVIDES DETAILS ON PROTOCOL IF COVID HITS SCHOOLS
- ‘Glimmer of hope’ as Dufferin business community nears second wave
- Through the eyes of a Canadian female collective
- Marnie Cooke: “How do you turn off your ears?”
- The Artful Revival Festival – Social Distancing Applies!
- Streams Community Hub: A New Age For The Dufferin Arts
- Tony Rose Pool Closure May Decimate Orangeville Otters!
- Need Help! Orangeville Food Bank + Orangeville Legion
- IRIS R&D Group Responds: We Don’t Own FaceMatch
- Orangeville Under Surveillance?! What is IRIS R&D?
- COVID-19 Surcharge in Ontario?! Who Would Do This?!
- Orangeville Library Consolidation: Who Gets Hurt?
- Orangeville Food Bank Has Officially Moved!
- Is The Orangeville Banner Endangering Public Health?!
- Face Coverings Will Be Required If Entering Dufferin Businesses
- WDGPH Updates Order on Face Coverings
- Essential Worker? What’s it actually mean?
- Discussion on Development – Orangeville Councillor Todd Taylor
- The Dufferin Job Search Just Got Easier!
- Dufferin Speaks – Hansen Development: Discussion with Darrin Davidson
- Dufferin News – Videojournalism For Our Community
- Press Release: Dufferin’s Spotlight Production launches Online Community News Program
- Interested in Being A Contributor? Apply Here!
- Have a Tip for a News Story? Let us know!
- When You Advertise Locally, You Should Advertise With Those Who Are Local. Us.