The federal government is now requesting assistance from other provinces in their battle against the COVID-19 virus.
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic Leblanc says the situation in Ontario is concerning to all Canadians.
Prime Minister Trudeau and Minister Leblanc have spoken with several Premiers in recent days, “In the last 48 hours, the Prime Minister has spokes with Premier Furey of Newfoundland and Labrador, Premier King of Prince Edward Island and Premier Rankin of Nova Scotia. They are all working hard to mobilize what additional healthcare staff might be possible to help the province of Ontario. I have also spoken to Premier Higgs of New Brunswick, Premier Silver of Yukon and Premier Cochrane of the Northwest Territories. They are also looking at what might be possible to send to Ontario as well.”
Leblanc also said the the government will cover the cost and coordinate the movement of healthcare staff from other provinces to the frontlines in Ontario.
This includes including using military aircraft to help bring healthcare workers to Ontario.
“The Premiers right across the country are obviously concerned what is happening in Ontario and the conversations have been along the lines of what we can do collectively to help,” Leblanc says.
Additionally, Leblanc says the federal government will also boost rapid testing to help stop the spread of the virus, and work with municipalities and businesses to deploy them to hot spots across Ontario, support contact tracing and isolation, and make workplaces safer.
He also announced the federal government will invest $84.2 million to support voluntary safe isolation sites, including across Ontario.
These sites have already helped 3,900 Ontarians isolate safely to prevent the spread of the virus.
Ontario reported over 4400 COVID-19 cases on Monday.
Leblanc says the Premiers are expected to look at their current situation, and report back in the coming days as to the assistance they can provide.
