Canada's COVID-19 recovery depends on cities: Tory
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Cities are the economic engine needed to bounce back from COVID-19.
That was the message Toronto Mayor John Tory reiterated Monday, repeating calls from Canada’s cities for financial help.
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“This is not just a matter of dollars and cents,” he said.
“The numbers are big.”
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On Thursday, Tory painted a stark picture of the pandemic’s financial impact — costing Toronto $65 million per week, with $20 million in lost transit revenue alone.
The best-case total economic cost, he said, is $1.5-billion on a three-month lockdown, followed by six-month recovery period.
In late April, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities put virus-related budget holes from $10-to-$15-billion.
“The country is counting on cities, led by Toronto, to make sure recovery happens,” Tory said, adding that 20% of Canada’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) comes from the Toronto region.
“If the municipalities in that region, and for that matter, in other parts of the country are financially crippled, we will not be able to play the role that where out leadership is required in the recovery across the country — the kind of robust recovery we all want to see.”
Tory spent the weekend speaking with provincial and federal cabinet ministers about the needs of the cities, and said he plans on conferring with fellow GTA mayors and local MPs to highlight the urgency of the matter.
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @bryanpassifiume
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CITY RECORDS FIRST COVID-19 DEATH IN SHELTER
Toronto has recorded its first COVID-19 related death in city shelters.
On May 8, a male resident of the Dixon Hall Schoolhouse shelter died in hospital, said Toronto chief medical officer Dr. Eileen de Villa.
“While there was an outbreak at the shelter in April, it was declared by May 5,” de Villa said.
The man was in his 50s.
All clients in the shelter were tested, and public health officials provided guidance on social distancing, cleaning, symptoms screening and education, she said.
As of 4 p.m. Sunday — the most up-to-date information available from the city — there were 7,557 COVID-19 cases in the city, 5,340 considered recovered.
On Sunday, 431 patients are in hospital, 101 are receiving intensive care, and 75 are intubated.
In Toronto, 589 people have died.
While updates on shelter and long-term care home outbreaks are typically provided Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays, at press time data on the city’s COVID-19 website had not been updated from last week — including the death on May 8.
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