June 25, 2020, Premier Doug Ford and Associate Minister of Children and Women’s Issues, Jill Dunlop, announced an investment of more than $13 million to support 43 community-driven and youth-led projects.

Premier Ford and Minister Dunlop were joined by Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Christine Elliott.

Following this afternoon’s announcement, Premier Ford and Minister Elliott responded to questions from media regarding long-term care and the province’s ongoing pandemic response efforts.

Further Details

Questions from Media – Long-Term Care

In response to questions about the Ontario government’s commitment to establish an independent commission into long-term care by July, Premier Ford said more details can be expected soon.

When asked how the government is helping to prepare long-term care homes in Ontario for a possible second wave of COVID-19 in the fall, Premier Ford pointed to the province’s $243 million investment into long-term care, announced in March. Minister Elliott added that the government continues to enhance its testing capacity ahead of a possible second wave and has ordered additional flu vaccine of a “higher-level dosage” for Ontario seniors ahead of the upcoming flu season.

Questions from Media – Ongoing COVID-19 Response

In response to questions about whether he would be supportive of opening the border to international travel from select countries, Premier Ford expressed concerns about accelerating a second wave of COVID-19 and said that he didn’t think Ontario was ready to welcome international travelers. He also reiterated his concerns about travel from the United States, due to its high number of COVID-19 cases.

When asked about Ontario’s sharing of pandemic data, Minister Elliott reaffirmed that the province would continue to report information on COVID-19 cases and testing daily.

In response to questions about when the province would reopen playgrounds, Premier Ford said that he expects playgrounds to be included in stage three. However, decisions to reopen municipal playgrounds will be left up to individual public health regions.