WHAT TO KNOW
Global COVID-19 cases have reached 8,066,862, up from 7,680,700 at 3:30 p.m. Friday. Canada now reports 99,073 cases, up from 97,893 cases of COVID-19 on Friday. Ontario reports 32,370 cases, up from 31,726 cases on Friday.
The growth rate of new cases in the province is now under 1%, with 181 (0.6%) new cases reported since yesterday. Of the province’s total cases, 27,213 have been resolved (84.1%) and there have been 2,527 deaths (7.8%). The province has now completed 1,025,500 tests and reports 18,258 tests are currently under investigation. More information here.
On June 12, the City of Toronto launched a new COVID-19 monitoring dashboard. This new dashboard will provide a progress assessment for the local COVID-19 response. More information here.
A province-by-province breakdown of Canada’s COVID-19 case count can be found here.
FEDERAL
Today, Minister of Finance Bill Morneau announced that as of Friday, June 19, 2020, applications will be accepted so that more small businesses can access the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA). This means that owner-operated small businesses that had been ineligible for the program due to their lack of payroll, sole proprietors receiving business income directly, as well as family-owned corporations remunerating in the form of dividends rather than payroll will become eligible this week.
To qualify under the expanded eligibility rules, CEBA applicants with payroll lower than $20,000 will need:
- A business operating account at a participating financial institution;
- A Canada Revenue Agency business number;
- A 2018 or 2019 tax return; and
- Eligible non-deferrable expenses of between $40,000 and $1.5 million.
Eligible businesses will qualify for financing of up to $40,000, with 25 per cent of this being forgivable based on the current terms of CEBA loans. Businesses can contact their primary financial institution for more information or to apply directly for CEBA. More information on the expanded CEBA can be found on the program’s website. More information about the announcement here.
The Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) was developed as a 16-week program which means it will run out for many recipients in the coming weeks. In response, Prime Minister Trudeau told reporters today that the government is looking to extend the CERB for those who can not yet return to work. Treasury Board President Jean-Yves Duclos said that the situation for many in Canada has changed since the program was rolled out, so the extension will include new parameters. More details are expected in the coming days. More information here.
PROVINCIAL
More people will be able to get back to work as additional businesses and services in certain regions across Ontario can begin reopening this Friday. The Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and local medical officers of health, is enabling more regions of the province to enter Stage 2 of the government’s reopening framework. These regions are able to reopen due to positive trends of key public health indicators at the local level, including lower transmission of COVID-19, sufficient hospital health system capacity, local public health capacity to assist with rapid case and contact management, and a significant increase in testing provincially.
Toronto, Peel and Windsor-Essex are not yet moving to Phase Two. More information here.
In response to requests by community leaders and public health experts, the Ontario government is proposing a regulatory change to mandate the reporting of data on race, income, language and household size for individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19. This will help ensure the province has a more complete picture of the outbreak. This change will allow for the collection of data in a consistent way across the province, while ensuring the privacy of Ontarians is protected. More information here.
The Ontario government is continuing to take steps to ensure the province is self-sufficient and prepared for the future by providing CSA Group Testing & Certification Inc. with $526,200 from the Ontario Together Fund to increase capacity for testing and certifying personal protective equipment (PPE).
CSA Group Testing & Certification Inc. is a subsidiary of the Canadian Standards Association. The organization tests, inspects and certifies products to ensure they are in compliance with safety, environmental and operating performance standards. There is currently no domestic provider of comprehensive testing and certification for medical grade masks, gloves and gowns, however with the government’s support, the organization will add new capacity to test and certify medical-grade PPE, including masks, surgical gowns and gloves. More information here.
TORONTO
Today, Mayor John Tory announced that the City of Toronto is opening online registration for CaféTO.
A City staff report on CaféTO, scheduled for consideration at Executive Committee on June 22, proposes the City take quick action to make way for additional safe outdoor dining spaces for local restaurants and bars. A simple online registration form and guidebook for the proposed program is now available at toronto.ca/cafeTO. More information here.
INTERNATIONAL
| Country | Total cases at 3:30 p.m. | Total cases Friday at 3:30 p.m. | Increase from previous | Active Cases (Increase decrease) | Cases per million | Total recovered | Total deaths |
| Global | 8,066,862 | 7,680,700 | 386,162 | 3,454,299 | 1,035 | 4,175,267 | 437,296 |
| United States | 2,174,689 | 2,107,891 | 66,798 | 1,181,378 | 6,572 | 875,189 | 118,122 |
| Brazil* | 873,963 | 809,398 | 64,565 | 376,910 | 4,113 | 453,568 | 43,485 |
| Russia | 537,210 | 511,423 | 25,787 | 245,580 | 3,681 | 284,539 | 7,091 |
| India | 342,841 | 309,603 | 33,238 | 152,702 | 249 | 180,225 | 9,914 |
| United Kingdom | 296,857 | 292,950 | 3,907 | — | 4,374 | — | 41,736 |
| Spain | 291,189 | 290,289 | 900 | — | 6,228 | — | 27,136 |
| Italy | 237,290 | 236,305 | 985 | 25,909 | 3,924 | 177,010 | 34,371 |
| Peru | 229,736 | 214,788 | 14,948 | 107,469 | 6,972 | 115,579 | 6,688 |
| Iran | 189,876 | 182,525 | 7,351 | 30,336 | 2,262 | 150,590 | 8,950 |
| Germany | 187,967 | 187,233 | 734 | 6,490 | 2,244 | 172,600 | 8,877 |
| Chile | 179,436 | 160,846 | 18,590 | 27,282 | 9,390 | 148,792 | 3,362 |
| Mexico | 146,837 | 133,974 | 12,863 | 21,586 | 1,139 | 108,110 | 17,141 |
| Saudi Arabia | 132,048 | 119,942 | 12,106 | 43,147 | 3,796 | 87,890 | 1,011 |
| Canada | 99,073 | 97,893 | 1,180 | 29,900 | 2,626 | 60,999 | 8,174 |
| China | 83,181 | 83,064 | 117 | 177 | 58 | 78,370 | 4,634 |
| Australia | 7,335 | 7,290 | 45 | 382 | 288 | 6,851 | 102 |