When I think of the number of times that rabid right Premiers of Alberta   
   demanded help from Ottawa for their floods, wildfires, animal viruses,   
   pipelines and more . . . . here's still another example of a Conservative-led   
   province being helped by Justin    
   Trudeau's government.  Big time . . . .   
   _____________________________   
   CTV News Toronto - Thursday, July 16, 2020   
      
      
   Ontario to get $7B of federal government’s $19B pandemic recovery funds   
      
      
   TORONTO -- Ontario’s share of the newly-announced $19 billion in federal   
   funding meant to help provinces and territories recover from the COVID-19   
   pandemic will be about $7 billion.   
      
   Speaking at Craven Farms in Chatham, Ont. as part of his “summer tour” on   
   Thursday, Premier Doug Ford applauded the agreement, thanking the federal   
   government for the “desperately needed funding.”   
      
   “This historic agreement proves what we can do as a nation when we stand   
   united,” Ford said. “My friends, make no mistake, by standing united, by   
   standing together as a province, Ontario was in a strong position to get a   
   deal from the federal    
   government.”   
      
    Last month Ford said that Ontario needed $23 billion in federal assistance to   
   prevent service cups and keep municipalities from running deficits, something   
   they are not legally allowed to do. But on Thursday the premier didn’t seem   
   concerned about the    
   drastically lower amount in federal funding they would be receiving, calling   
   it a “great deal for Canada and a great deal for Ontario.”   
      
   No further details were released on how the province will divvy up the $7   
   billion or when they will get the funding.   
      
   Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the funding announcement in Ottawa Thursday   
   afternoon and said that seven priority areas were outlined in the provincial   
   agreements.  The priorities included testing for COVID-19, the purchase of   
   personal protective    
   equipment, supporting vulnerable populations and ensuring childcare   
   availability.   
      
   He also said some of the funding will be earmarked for municipalities, but   
   said it was up to each province to decide how to allocate the money.   
      
   "Our towns and cities have been at the forefront of responding to COVID-19,”   
   Trudeau said.  “Cities must remain up and running if our economy is to   
   eventually get back up and running.  If cities aren’t equipped for a safe   
   restart, people will not    
   be safe."   
      
   Trudeau added that provinces would not be allowed to “take money from one   
   bucket and put it in another.”   
      
   The announcement comes after months of advocacy by big city mayors, who have   
   argued that they are “bleeding” millions of dollars as businesses were   
   shuttered and residents asked to stay home to help curb the spread of the   
   novel coronavirus.   
      
   Toronto Mayor John Tory has renewed this call multiple times since the   
   pandemic was declared in March, saying that without emergency funding   
   thousands of city employees would have to be laid off and a number of critical   
   services would have to be cut.   
      
   Toronto is said to be losing about $65 million a week in revenue because of   
   the pandemic and officials predict the city could be out at least $1.5 billion   
   by the end of 2020.   
      
   This estimation is based on a three-month lockdown and six-month recovery   
   period and does not take a potential second wave of COVID-19 into account.   
      
   Following Ford’s news conference, Tory spoke with reporters about the   
   funding and thanked both the federal and provincial governments for their   
   “unflagging efforts," calling the agreement a “big deal.”   
      
   He said that he hopes to hear from the premier before the next city council   
   meeting at the end of the month about how the money will be allocated.   
      
   "While we await further details as to the allocation of these funds to cities   
   and towns across Ontario and indeed across Canada, I know Premier Ford is   
   mindful of the size and the scale of transit systems in Toronto and the rest   
   of the GTA and the    
   tremendous damage that has been inflicted upon the transit systems by the   
   pandemic,” Tory said.   
      
   “I’m confident that those realities will cause the premier and his   
   government to ensure that Toronto’s particular challenges are fairly   
   addressed when the allocation of these funds are finally done.”   
      
   The mayor said that he is “cautiously optimistic” that the new funding   
   will help the city avoid some cuts, but also said he would have to see “the   
   fine print” before making any promises to residents.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)