Throne speech shed light on struggle between freedoms and necessities
Ontario defended anew its move to implement vaccine certificates in its latest throne speech, while also making a promise for more health workers in the by 2022. Vaccine certificates have been implemented in Ontario since late September, covering several high-risk indoor settings as the state faces a Delta-driven fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the throne speech delivered by Lt.-Gov. Elizabeth Dowdeswell, she said requiring proof of vaccinations from the public was not an easy decision.
"The struggle to strike the appropriate balance between long-established rights and freedoms and the need to do what is necessary to protect lives has been this and other government's most significant challenge," said Dowdeswell.
However, she said that COVID-19 remains an urgent public health emergency and every tool must be utilised to confront the fourth wave of the pandemic.
"After 18 months of fighting this pandemic, we owe our businesses stability and certainty," she stressed.
Dowdeswell added that vaccine certificates will only be a "temporary" policy, given that the public cannot live under such "exceptional rules forever." The official stressed that vaccinations are needed to protect people from more severe health outcomes of the virus, and in order to minimise disruptions in businesses and families.
Read more: Ontario mandates vaccination policy for health sector
More health workers
The speech also outlined the state's achievements in expanding hospital capacities to accommodate more patients. In support of its goal of helping the most vulnerable, Ontario will also be investing $5 billion to hire more staff for long-term care facilities.
"Ontario is investing nearly $5 billion over four years to hire more than 27,000 long-term care staff, including nurses and personal support workers," she said, adding that while such commitment will take time, the government is urgently working on it.
"By April 2022, Ontario will make significant progress by adding 16,200 and more personal support workers to the health care system, including the province's long-term care sector," said Dowdeswell.
The government will also be rebuilding a health system that has been "stretched to its limits." The repair will see to it that it will respect the "unique challenges" faced by doctors nurses, personal support workers, and other frontline heroes.
The government also stressed on rebuilding the fiscal economy through growth and not "painful tax hikes or spending cuts."
"To do so, your government will build Ontario - build roads and highways, build and expand and transit to communities across the province, build an economy that makes Ontario, the best place in the world to do business, work, raise a family, no matter where you live in the province," said Dowdeswell.