Could Ontario open early?

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Ontario is set to begin reopening with Step 1 on June 14 but it could come sooner if certain metrics are hit.

How much sooner? That remains up in the air.

The province has already hit one key metric: 60% of adults have had at least one vaccine dose. While that milestone was achieved on May 21, it takes two weeks for vaccines to take effect, meaning the earliest the province could start Step 1 is this Friday.

Vaccination rates aren’t the only metric that provincial officials rely on. They also want to see declining hospitalization and ICU admissions, a falling case rate, and a lower positivity rate.

Despite some surrounding the premier pushing for Step 1 to start on Friday, the numbers — especially on ICU admissions –just aren’t there. So far, Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, has said no.

Still, Premier Doug Ford said on Wednesday that he is looking to open before the 14th.

“We put it forward to Dr. Williams and the health table, and we’re waiting for a response,” Ford said.

Step 1 would permit outdoor dining on patios and non-essential retail to allow customers into their stores at 15% capacity. Horse and auto racing could resume without spectators while outdoor zoo and museum exhibits could open with capacity limits.

That reopening could happen as soon as Monday, a date favoured by some Ford advisors because it would set up Step 2 to happen on June 28, just days before Canada Day.

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Step 2 would give the green light to a range of other events and services, including allowing people to get haircuts, attend religious services, rural fairs, and water parks. Overnight camps, which Premier Ford said he wants open, would also be permitted.

Williams has yet to give an updated timeline but has said in the past that reopening early is possible.