COVID-19 pandemic in the Regional Municipality of Peel | |
---|---|
Disease | COVID-19 |
Virus strain | SARS-CoV-2 |
Location | Regional Municipality of Peel |
Confirmed cases | 107,559 |
Active cases | 2,991 |
Recovered | 103,815 |
Deaths | 753 |
Fatality rate | 0.7% |
Government website | |
www |
The COVID-19 pandemic was a viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The pandemic has affected the Cities of Mississauga and Brampton, and the Town of Caledon, within the Regional Municipality of Peel. As part of the larger closure decisions in Ontario, a stay-at-home order shuttered all nonessential businesses, and caused event cancellations.
As early as May 2020, Peel was considered one of the province's main "hot spots", in particular Brampton. That month, a Mississauga nursing home was taken over by the Province after a scathing report from the military.
As of December 2020, a third of Peel's workplace outbreaks have been in manufacturing or industrial settings. [1]
William Osler Health System asked Brampton City Council for municipal funding, at a December 13, 2019 meeting. An emergency declaration was considered, but withdrawn. [2] Brampton's Peel Memorial Urgent Care Centre was designed for 10,000 patients a year, and operated at 75,000 patients a year [3] receiving funding for 15,000. [2] Brampton had the lowest per capita hospital beds in Ontario, with 0.9 per 1000 residents, compared to the provincial average of 2.3. [3] It also had the lowest per capita funding in Ontario, and Canada's second lowest rate. [3]
In January 2020, CBC News reports that overcrowding — Code Gridlock — is routine in Ontario hospitals. [4] Following the release of this report, [5] and a presentation by a group of doctors, [3] Brampton City Council voted unanimously in favour of declaring a "health care emergency" in the city, citing chronic overcrowding of Brampton Civic Hospital, its only full hospital facility. [6] [7]
Bonnie Crombie tested positive for COVID-19, announcing such on her Twitter account, on December 24. She was double vaccinated, and had mild symptoms. [71]
The City of Brampton continued with its New Year's Eve event and New Year's Leeve, downtown. Mayor Brampton relayed that public health authorities hadn't told them to cancel the event, despite record numbers of new cases. [72] [73] Councillors Jeff Bowman, Pat Fortini, and Martin Medeiros encouraged residents to stay home. [74] In contrast, Mississauga cancelled its event, including fireworks. It did allow residents to use the Celebration Square skating rink, and for food trucks to operate. [75] [76] [77] As of December 22, Mayor Crombie had suggested that she was hopeful that the event would continue. [78]
During the holiday period, Mississauga Fire & Emergency Services peaked at 40 pandemic-related staff absences. With the firefighter union — IAFF 1212 — they implemented rapid antigen tests in response. Numbers are said to have stabilized and improved. [79]
With a rise in Omicron variant cases, the Premier announced a variety of measures to limit the opportunity for spread. The "modified Step 2" banned things like indoor dining and gyms, and re-introduced capacity limits, to run from January 5 to at least January 26. [80] Brampton Mayor Brown contested the closure to recreation centres. He announced outside activities like the plowing of soccer fields for "winter soccer". [81] [82]
Osler hospitals became overwhelmed with COVID cases, triggering their first "Code Orange" of the pandemic, on January 3; [83] it lasted until January 5. [84] As of January 5, Osler had reported that were treating 105 COVID patients between hospitals in Brampton and Etobicoke; [85] The hospital reported no COVID patients under the age of 5. [86] That day, it also paused all non-emergency surgeries and procedures at Brampton Civic Hospital. Surgeries had resumed in October. [87] Trillium Health Partners hospitals had 343 staff on leave with COVID-19, as of January 4. There were 200 confirmed cases in patients across its sites, as of January 6, with 15 in critical care. [88] Headwaters Health Care Centre suspended most surgeries and procedures on January 7. [89]
Peel Paramedics were also challenged by the demands: in the afternoon of January 2, a "Code Black" was called, indicating "one or less" ambulances were available to response to a call. As of September 2020, Peel Paramedics suggested the service would need 111 additional ambulances to meet demand by 2036. [90]
The rise in Omicron variant cases led to a variety of service changes. All sectors were expected to experience a 20 to 30 per cent absence rate. [91] Region of Peel cancelled an annual garbage limit exemption, and suspended roadside pickup of bulky items. [92] [93] City of Mississauga has noted that it can maintain essential services, even if 40 per cent of staff were sick. [94] MiWay cancelled two express routes, due to staff shortages. [94] [95] Of the 1200 unionized workers with Brampton Transit, 250 were on leave as of January 6, resulting in reduced service levels. [91]
Students return to schools was delayed from January 3 to January 5 by the province, with a possible return on January 17. On January 10, Ontario's Big City Mayors passed a motion to get students back in physical classes by January 17. Patrick Brown seconded the motion, introduced by the Kingston Mayor, Bryan Patterson. [96] Teachers' groups and trustees expressed concern, including around the lack of reporting about cases. [97]
Midway through the month, local vaccination reached 3 million total doses. [98] Despite the high vaccination rate, Dr. Loh warned that Omicron's transmissibility would lead to wide case numbers. [99] The Region increased usage of wastewater tracking. [100]
In-person learning resumed at Ontario schools, January 17. [101] The Peel District School Board received 138 new HEPA filters from the Ontario Ministry of Education, for their 259 schools. [102]
Various businesses, like restaurants and gyms, were able to reopen under Ontario guidelines on February 1. Mayor Crombie stressed reopening must be done "cautiously and gradually," to make sure the reopening didn't need to be reversed. [103] Mayor Brown called on the province to loosen restrictions quicker. [104]
Early in the month, Dr. Loh shared that the largest portion of those hospitalized were the unvaccinated, followed by those 50 and older without a booster shot. [105] As of February 2, Mississauga's two hospitals had 176 COVID-19 patients, while Brampton Civic had 107. Occurrence of Omicron in wastewater had declined. [106]
On February 5, "Freedom Convoy" protestors met at various points outside of Toronto, including Square One and a Tim Hortons on the Oakville/Mississauga border, en route to the Ontario Legislative Building. [107] [108]
Mayor Brown pushed for mask mandates to end in schools, at his February 23 press conference. Both Mayor Crombie and Peel MOH Dr. Loh disagreed with the timing. Epidemiologist Colin Furness told The Brampton Guardian that the hospitalization of children had reached its highest rate. [109] [110] [111]
At an event in Brampton, former Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion urged people to be patient will politicians during the pandemic, noting that they had never experienced a pandemic previously. [112]
Peel Memorial's urgent care centre reopened on March 21, having closed in mid-January. [113] Trillium Hospital is to wind down their vaccination at Credit Valley Hospital, March 25. [114] As of March 18, a total of 3,287,960 doses had been administered in Peel. [115]
Masking requirements were lifted in Ontario March 21, however local by-laws remained in place [116] until March __. The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario expressed concern with the revocation. [117]
It was announced late in the month that Lawrence Loh had accepted a role as executive director and chief executive officer of The College of Family Physicians of Canada. The position will begin in September. [118]
School boards were no longer required to report staff or student absences to the province, as of June 15. Schools will still report to Peel Public Health when absence rates exceed 30 per cent. That rate was not reached between May 25 and June 22. [119]
"Frontline Workers of Caledon" received a spot on the Town of Caledon Walk of Fame. [120]
The first case of Monkeypox was confirmed in Peel, late in the month, in a Mississauga male. [121]
Re-elected as Dufferin—Caledon MPP, Sylvia Jones was named Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. [122]
Vaccination data in Peel | # | Ref |
---|---|---|
Doses administered in Peel | 864,927 | [123] |
Number of people with at least one dose | 834,839 | [123] |
Number of people fully vaccinated (received both doses of a vaccine) | 30,088 | [123] |
Percentage of total Peel population who has received at least one dose | 47.1% | [123] |
Percentage of adult (18+) Peel population who has received at least one dose | 59% | [123] |
Percentage of Ontario doses administered in Peel | 11.87% | [123] [124] |
Data as of May 18, 2021
Vaccination clinics are held at select doctors offices and pharmacies, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Complex, [125] Brampton Civic Hospital, [126] Brampton Islamic Centre, [127] Chinguacousy Wellness Centre, [126] Caledon East Community Centre, [128] Chris Gibson Recreation Centre, [129] International Centre, [126] MAC Islamic Community Centre of Ontario, [127] Paramount Fine Foods Centre Sportsplex, [130] Region of Peel (10 Peel Centre Drive, Brampton), [126] Region of Peel (7120 Hurontario Street), [126] Save Max Sports Centre, [128] Trillium Health Partners, Mississauga Hospital, [126] and University of Toronto Mississauga. [126]
As of April 30, 2021, there were 61 pharmacies offering vaccinations in Brampton, 7 in Caledon, and 80 in Mississauga. [131]
Of the 1021 deaths from COVID-19 in Peel, as of early November 2021, only one was from a person who was fully vaccinated. Their age and how long they had been fully vaccinated was withheld. [132]
As of 31 May 2020 [update] , the following LTC homes in Peel have 10 or more confirmed COVID-19 related deaths: [133] [134] [135] [136]
The outbreak at Camilla Care Community in Mississauga was among Ontario's deadliest, receiving attention from The Washington Post . [138] On May 27, the Province of Ontario announced that it would take over management of the facility for two weeks. [139]
Outbreaks were common at long-term care facilities in 2020. [140]
Notable outbreaks included:
In early December 2020, Brampton's Hawthorn Woods Care Community confirmed 84 active cases among residents and staff. [144]
In Caledon, Amazon Fulfillment Centre YYZ-7 (partial, April 24), A&G The Road Cleaners (partial, May 4), Aluma Systems (full, April 30), and Material Handling Systems (full, May 11). [145]
In Brampton, AlphaPoly Packaging (partial, May 4), Amazon Fulfillment Centre YYZ-3 (partial, April 30, partial, May 21), Amazon Fulfillment Centre YYZ-4 (partial, April 24), Canadian Textile Services Fabric Dryers & Finishers (partial, May 4), Can Art Aluminum Extrusion Inc. (partial, April 27), Canadian Tire Distribution Centre (8550 Goreward Road, partial, April 27; 8550 Goreward Road, partial, May 14), Cargill Beef (partial, May 5), KFC (9940 Airport Road, full, May 1), Kintetsu World Express (partial, April 27), Massiv Automated Systems (partial, April 30), Menasha Packaging (partial, May 8), Olymel (partial, May 28), Popeyes (full, May 26), Pro-Poly Custom Plywood (full, May 8), SHW Pumps & Engine Components Inc. (partial, April 29), Tim Hortons (full, 11075 Creditview Road, May 16), TNT Foods International (partial, May 10), TJX Canada Distribution Centre (partial, April 30), Walmart Supercenter (50 Quarry Edge Drive, partial, May 14), WG Pro Manufacturing (partial, April 28), and Woodlore International (partial, May 14). [145]
In Mississauga, Amazon Fulfillment Centre YYZ-1 (partial, 6363 Millcreek Drive, May 21), Applewood Chevrolet Cadillac Buick GMC (partial, April 27), Axium Packaging (full, May 8), Borges Food Ltd. (full, May 6), B & R Machine Co Ltd. (full, May 8), Canada Post (partial, April 28), CCT Canada (full, May 15), ergoCentric Seating Systems (partial, May 11), FedEx Ship Centre (6895 Bramalea Road, partial, May 1), Furlani Bakery (partial, May 11), Giraffe Foods Inc. (partial, May 1), Hampton Inn & Suites (partial, May 8), Master Manufacturing (full, May 11), Matrix Logistics Services (partial, May 5), Media 6 IMG (full, May 6), Ms. Embroidery & Screenprinting (full, May 7), MTD Metro Tool & Die Limited (partial, May 1), Paradigm Electronics Inc. (partial, April 27), Premier Candle Corporation (partial, April 28), Quest Steel Inc. (full, May 8), Radial Inc. (partial, May 8), Stackpole (partial, May 4), TD Canada Trust (full, May 8), Tim Hortons (full, 3445 Hurontario Street, May 16), and TJX Canada Distribution Centre (partial, April 30). [145]
In late April, the dormitory-format Ontario Correctional Institute in Brampton was closed after 60 inmates and eight workers tested positive. Inmates were moved to the Toronto South Detention Centre, to allow for a deep clean, and for staff to self-isolate for two weeks. [146] [147] [148] [149]
Region of Peel continued to hold weekly council meetings. [150]
On March 16, 2020, Peel municipalities began exempting retail deliveries from noise bylaws, allowing around-the-clock goods movement. The measure was to last 30 days. [151]
Mississauga declared a state of emergency on March 23, 2020, with Brampton doing the same the next day. Under the Ontario Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, this allowed both various additional abilities including restricting movement, establishment of emergency shelters or health care facilities, and the power to close private businesses. [20] [21]
Someone with COVID-19 travelled on MiWay transit between March 2 and 4, the first known incident. [152] This was followed by someone with the virus on a GO Transit leaving Toronto Pearson International Airport. Following this incident, Peel Public Health advised that public transit was still a safe option, and Brampton and Mississauga both announced "enhanced cleaning practices." [153]
MiWay Mississauga and Brampton Transit were made free starting March 21, with most express services cancelled. Boarding was to take place by the rear doors. [154] [155]
Three Brampton Transit drivers on the 511 Steeles route tested positive for COVID-19, at the same time as an unnamed logistics business on the route experienced an outbreak. (This business was later revealed to be an Amazon fulfillment centre.) As a result, the 511, 11, and 51 routes were diverted from continuing their full lengths, resuming a week later. [156] [157] [158] Dael Muttly Jaecques, a driver on the 502 Main line, died of COVID later that month. The 502 intersects with the 511. [159]
Ontario transit services were experiencing an almost 90 percent loss in ridership, as of March 2021. At various points, there were aid packages from other levels of government. [160]
As of December 28, 18 Mississauga Fire Department staff had tested positive for COVID-19, with another 60 in self-isolation. [161] The Mississauga Fire Fighters Association correlated this in part to an autumn policy change around sick days; the City commissioner contests that there was "no change in policy." [162]
In mid-February, the Mississauga Chinese Business Association reports that Chinese restaurants in the city have been 25-50% drops in revenue, attributable to misinformation. [163]
At least one business closed and sent employees home after an employee falsely claim of that a family member had tested positive for COVID-19. He was charged with public mischief. [164]
An employee at Maple Leaf Foods poultry plant in Brampton tested positive; employees who had contact with them were sent home for self-isolation. [165] The company waited 20 days before publicly acknowledging the diagnosis. The number sick grew to 24 by May 6, according to a Peel Public Health statement. [166] Operations at the facility were suspended in early April. [167]
On May 7, United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 175 confirmed the death of a Maple Lodge Farms plant's staff members. [168] [169]
After a staff member was diagnosed with COVID-19, Mississauga meat producer Sofina Foods ended its overnight shift to allow for cleaning processes. [170]
The ECHL, the league of which the Brampton Beast are part, cancelled the remainder of its season on March 14, 2020. [171]
Three workers at Caledon's Amazon plant have tested positive for COVID-19, as of May 20, 2020. [172]
A Mississauga business named Huf Gym stayed opened during lockdown closures. This led to a standoff between authorities and the business its supporters. At one protest, Peel Regional Police Sergeant Paul Brown hugged protesters, and allowed one protester to intimidate a Global News reporter. His suspension was lifted roughly a week after it was initiated, with the officer remaining on administrative duty. [173]
After gatherings of more than 5 people were banned, services at all places of worship were cancelled. Various congregations took to live streaming their services, from either the place of worship itself (as is the case with Mississauga's St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church) or remotely. Brampton's Har Tikvah synagogue added other online programming, beyond its normal services. Ontario Khalsa Darbar closed its langar to pickup-only. [174]
As of April 29, the City of Brampton was allowing staff discretion around enforcement of noise by-laws, in relation to mosques broadcasting adhan (a call to prayer) during the month of Ramadan; it was waiting for a staff report on the topic. At the May 6 meeting, council approved a one-time by-law exemption. [175] Mayor Patrick Brown noted that church bells were exempted in the existing by-law. [176]
Mississauga council passed a motion at its April 29 council meeting, allowing mosques to do one adhan each day, which is normally banned by city noise by-law. [177] [175] The item was a "walk on item" based on a request by the Muslim Council of Peel, meaning that it wasn't on the public agenda, nor was a staff report on the topic available. [175] [178] Since then, two councillors have commented that Mayor Bonnie Crombie provided council with incorrect information on the subject, and that the matter should be revisited. Discussion on the topic has been referred to the city's Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee. [175]
The move and the criticism that followed received international headlines. [179] Ram Subrahmanian, a member of the group Keep Religion Out Of Peel Region Schools, has received donations for an intended court challenge. [180] A spokesperson for Muslim Canadian Congress commented that "many Islamic scholars who have denounced the use of loudspeakers in mosques as against the spirit of Islam." [180]
The decision allowed similar exemptions in communities including Windsor; [181] Toronto announced that it would do the same, if asked. [182]
Brampton is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within the Peel Region. The city has a population of 656,480 as of the 2021 Census, making it the ninth most populous municipality in Canada and the third most populous city in the Greater Golden Horseshoe urban area, behind Toronto and Mississauga. The City of Brampton is bordered by Vaughan to the east, Halton Hills to the west, Caledon to the north, Mississauga to the south, and Etobicoke (Toronto) to the southeast.
Caledon is a town in the Regional Municipality of Peel in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada. The name comes from a shortened form of Caledonia, the Roman name for what is now Scotland. Caledon is primarily rural with a number of hamlets and small villages, but also contains the larger community of Bolton in its southeastern quadrant, adjacent to York Region. Some spillover urbanization also occurs in the south bordering the City of Brampton.
The Regional Municipality of Peel is a regional municipality in the Greater Toronto Area, Southern Ontario, Canada. It consists of three municipalities to the west and northwest of the city of Toronto: the cities of Mississauga and Brampton, and the town of Caledon, each of which spans its full east–west width. The regional seat is in Brampton.
The Brampton Board of Trade is a business organization founded in Brampton, Ontario, in 1887. It engages in government lobbying, member discounts, and networking. It previously organized the Brampton Santa Claus Parade (1985-2017).
The Mississauga News is a local news website in Mississauga, Ontario. The Mississauga News is part of Metroland Media Group, a subsidiary of Torstar.
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board is the separate school board that oversees 153 Catholic school facilities throughout Peel Region and Dufferin County. It employs roughly 5,000 teachers; about 3,000 at the elementary level, and the remaining 2,000 at the secondary school and continuing education level.
Patrick Walter Brown is a Canadian politician who has served as the 51st and current mayor of Brampton since 2018. He served as leader of the Official Opposition in Ontario and leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative (PC) Party from 2015 to 2018. Brown also represented the riding Barrie in the House of Commons as a Conservative from 2006 to 2015.
Peel Regional Council is the governing body of the Regional Municipality of Peel, Ontario, Canada.
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Kevin Yarde is a Canadian politician and former weather presenter who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2018 provincial election for the riding of Brampton North. Initially elected as a member of the Ontario New Democratic Party, he eventually left the party to sit as an independent.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario was a viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Canada was announced on January 25, 2020, involving a traveller who had recently returned to Toronto from travel in China, including Wuhan. Ontario has had the largest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among Canada's provinces and territories, but due to having the largest population, only ranks sixth adjusted per capita. Ontario surpassed one million lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases on January 24, 2022; one day before the anniversary of the first confirmed case on January 25, 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto is a viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), localized in Toronto. Toronto is the most populous city in Canada, and the fourth most populous city in North America.
Camilla Care Community was a 236-resident long-term care home in Mississauga, Ontario, owned by Partners Community Health. It was located next to Trillium Health Partners' Mississauga Hospital. The facility was taken over, temporarily, by the province of Ontario in May 2020, as a result of extensive deaths from COVID-19. The facility closed on December 15, 2023, to make way for the new Mississauga Hospital. Partners Community Health opened Wellbrook Place as a replacement.
Eatonville Care Centre is a privately owned long-term care facility in the Eatonville area of Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. As of 2020, it is owned by Rykka Care Centres. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was particularly hard-hit, with 142 resident cases and 40 resident deaths. A report by the Canadian Armed Forces — who had been deployed to the facility, to assist — recorded "aggressive behaviour" by staff and drugging of residents that the Forces deemed unnecessary.
The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario throughout 2020.
Lawrence C. Loh is a Canadian physician best known for having served as Medical Officer of Health for the Regional Municipality of Peel during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Iqwinder Gaheer is a Canadian politician who was elected to represent the riding of Mississauga—Malton in the House of Commons of Canada in the 2021 Canadian federal election.
COVID-19 vaccination in Ontario began in December 2020, when the first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine were administered. In February 2021, shipments for both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines increased significantly. By May 2021, over 50 percent of Ontarians had received their first dose. By the beginning of 2022, over 80 percent of Ontarians had received their first dose.
Peel Region municipal elections, 2022 were part of the larger Ontario municipal elections, that took place on Monday, October 24, 2022.
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: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)Barrick provided the update to council on Wednesday (Jan. 29) after some members of council raised concerns.