Select Committee on Emergency Management Oversight
Second Interim Report
1st Session, 42nd Parliament
69 Elizabeth II
ISBN 978-1-4868-4815-7 [English] (PDF)
ISBN 978-1-4868-4817-1 [French] (PDF)
ISBN 978-1-4868-4814-0 [English] (HTML)
ISBN 978-1-4868-4816-4 [French] (HTML)
The Honourable Ted Arnott, MPP
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly
Sir,
Your Select Committee on Emergency Management Oversight has the honour to present its Report and commends it to the House.
Daryl Kramp, MPP
Chair of the Committee
Queen's Park
November 2020
Select Committee on Emergency Management Oversight
Membership list
1st Session, 42nd Parliament
Daryl Kramp
Chair
Tom Rakocevic
Vice-Chair
Robert Bailey Sam Oosterhoff
Gilles Bisson Lindsey Park
John Fraser Sara Singh
(Brampton Centre)
Christine Hogarth Effie J. Triantafilopoulos
Robin Martin
Christopher Tyrell
Clerk of the Committee
Monica Cop
Research Officer
Heather Conklin
Research Officer
Introduction
The Select Committee on Emergency Management Oversight is pleased to present its second interim report summarizing the Committee hearing that took place on September 22, 2020. In accordance with the Committee’s terms of reference, the Solicitor General appeared as the Premier’s designate and provided an oral report to the Committee. This report sets out a summary of the testimony and discussion from that day.
Further interim reports will follow. The Committee’s final report will be a compilation of all interim reports.
To review the Solicitor General’s full remarks and all questions posed by Committee members, reference should be made to the official Hansard transcript.
Committee Mandate
On July 13, 2020, the government House leader introduced a motion to appoint a Select Committee on Emergency Management Oversight. Following debate, the motion carried on July 15, 2020. The Committee was appointed to receive oral reports from the Premier or his designate(s) on any extensions of emergency orders by the Lieutenant Governor in Council related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the rationale for those extensions.
Reporting provisions under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 include a requirement that the Premier (or a Minister to whom the Premier delegates the responsibility) appear before and report to a standing or select committee designated by the Assembly, at least once every 30 days, concerning
(a) orders that were extended during the reporting period; and
(b) the rationale for those extensions.
Hearings consist of an opening statement from the Premier or his designate(s), followed by Committee member questions. The Committee is authorized to release interim reports summarizing each hearing.
The Committee’s mandate is reproduced in full in Appendix A to this report.
Statement and Discussion
Solicitor General’s Statement
The Solicitor General, the Honourable Sylvia Jones, appeared before the Committee on September 22, 2020.
The Solicitor General stated that over the past few weeks, Ontario has continued its path to recovery but that COVID-19 continues to be a major threat. The progress has been tempered by recent spikes in COVID-19 cases in Ontario but also across the country. She noted that, following consultations with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and public health experts, the government has extended all orders currently in effect. The Solicitor General said that extending the orders provides the government with the necessary flexibility to address the ongoing risks and effects of COVID-19 and to ensure important measures remain in place to protect vulnerable populations, such as individuals in long-term care homes.
The Solicitor General informed the Committee that all 34 orders currently in effect have been extended for an additional 30 days (until October 22). The Solicitor General grouped extended orders into five categories, with rationales for extension provided as follows:
1) Orders directly limiting the spread of COVID-19
This category includes orders that help limit the spread of COVID-19 to protect the health and well-being of Ontarians. It includes, for example, the closure of places and spaces, regulation of how businesses and establishments can be open to provide goods and services in a safe manner, and orders that facilitate outbreak management and digitalization of services. There are nine orders extended in this category.
• O. Reg. 82/20 (Rules for Areas in Stage 1) – While there are no public health regions in stage 1 at this time, it is essential to extend this order as a precautionary measure. While significant planning is underway to prevent a region from being returned to stage 1, the government needs to retain the flexibility to do so if needed.
• O. Reg. 263/20 (Rules for Areas in Stage 2) – It is essential to extend this order also as a precautionary measure.
• O. Reg. 364/20 (Rules for Areas in Stage 3) – This order is necessary to ensure that current public health measures or restrictions can be placed on amenities, businesses, services, gatherings, etc. Given the recent spike in COVID-19 cases and the ongoing risk of the virus, these measures need to remain in place to protect the health and safety of Ontarians. As indicated earlier, this order was amended on September 18 to reduce the number of people permitted at social gatherings and organized public events in Toronto, Ottawa and Peel public health units. Social gatherings indoors are now reduced to 10 people; if held outdoors for these regions, 25, subject to limited exceptions. On September 19, the same lower gathering limits were extended across Ontario.
• O. Reg. 363/20 (Stages of Reopening) – Given the continued risk of COVID-19, the order remains necessary in order to retain the ability to return a public health unit region to stage 1 or 2, if required, and to outline which public health units are in stage 3.
• O. Reg. 114/20 (Enforcement of Orders) – This order provides police officers and other provincial offences officers with necessary enforcement powers.
• O. Reg. 76/20 (Electronic Service) – This order allows document service in legal matters to be handled electronically instead of in person. The continuation is needed to reduce unnecessary contact between individuals in order to slow the spread of COVID-19.
• O. Reg. 129/20 (Signatures in Wills and Powers of Attorney) – Stakeholders have indicated to the Attorney General that they are still relying on the order to ensure wills and powers of attorney can be safely executed, as there are no alternate processes available.
• O. Reg. 210/20 (Management of Long-Term Care Homes in Outbreak) – Long-term care homes are experiencing outbreaks. This order is necessary to allow existing mandatory management orders to continue and to expedite processing of new orders issued by the ministry. These management orders would enable the director to swiftly take appropriate actions to reduce or alleviate harm to residents and staff in homes that are in outbreak.
• O. Reg. 240/20 (Management of Retirement Homes in Outbreak) – Like the previous order for long-term care homes, this order is necessary because retirement homes are still affected by outbreaks as well. It is important to ensure measures are in place to allow the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority to act quickly in case of outbreaks and in those instances where an operator is unable or unwilling to manage operations of their home.
2) Orders that support the continuity of services
This category includes orders that continue to ensure necessary services can be provided to Ontarians. There are eight orders extended in this category.
• O. Reg. 75/20 (Drinking Water Systems and Sewage Works) – Due to the disruption of the 2020 training year, many wastewater operators will be unable to complete training hours required by regulation. This order reduces the training requirement for 2020 and is necessary for continued compliance. Compliance with this requirement will continue to be assessed through the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks’ regular facility inspections.
• O. Reg. 95/20 (Streamlining Requirements for Long-Term Care Homes) – This order is continuing to ensure that long-term care homes have the flexibility they need as they transition to a more stable state. Streamlining requirements under the order ensures adequate staffing and resident safety in long-term care homes.
• O. Reg. 192/20 (Certain Persons Enabled to Issue Medical Certificates of Death) – This order allows registered nurses appointed as coroner investigators to complete medical certificates of death instead of a physician or a nurse practitioner. This gives physicians and nurse practitioners more time to focus on patient care.
• O. Reg. 190/20 (Access to Personal Health Information by Means of the Electronic Health Record) – Public health officials and coroners need to continue to access the electronic health record to support ongoing needs of pandemic management and the medical system in the immediate term. For public health purposes, this includes ensuring instant access to reliable data in provincial systems. For coroners, this includes supporting the determinations of death within hospitals and long-term care homes, thereby enabling other medical and health care staff to continue to provide needed care.
• O. Reg. 195/20 (Treatment of Temporary COVID-19 Related Payments to Employees) – Extending the order provides the government with the necessary flexibility to address the ongoing risks and effects of the COVID-19 outbreak and ensure important measures remain in place to protect vulnerable populations.
• O. Reg. 241/20 (Special Rules Re Temporary Pandemic Pay) – Extending the order will help facilitate the implementation of temporary pandemic payments for work performed during the temporary pandemic pay eligibility period.
• O. Reg. 132/20 (Use of Force and Firearms in Policing Services) – This order has been extended so police personnel can continue to keep our community safe. Use-of-force and firearm training requirements were suspended during the provincial declaration of emergency. Additional time is needed for police services to reinstate regular training, particularly given that public health restrictions that impact delivery continue to be in place.
• O. Reg. 141/20 (Temporary Health or Residential Facilities) – The Ministry of Health, hospitals and municipalities need adequate capacity in the hospital sector and in the emergency shelter system to address possible future outbreaks of COVID-19 during the flu season. The ability to install new temporary help in residential facilities and to convert existing buildings for this purpose will be needed until there is no threat of new cases of COVID-19.
3) Orders supporting businesses and the safe reopening of the economy
This category includes an order that enables businesses to establish or expand bar and restaurant patios while allowing for proper physical distancing.
• O. Reg. 345/20 (Patios) – This order has been extended to allow municipalities to quickly authorize the establishment or expansion of bar and restaurant patios. The continuation of this order is needed by the hospitality sector to optimize and stretch the patio season into the fall and to create hospitality sector jobs.
4) Orders addressing staffing shortages and/or improving the coordination of services for vulnerable persons
This category includes orders that continue to provide flexibility and allow various employers to redirect or restrict their staffing and financial resources to essential tasks in areas experiencing staffing shortages, including across different employers. These orders continue to ensure that patients and residents can be cared for and protected. Fourteen orders are extended in this category.
• O. Reg. 121/20 (Service Agencies Providing Services and Supports to Adults with Developmental Disabilities and Service Providers Providing Intervenor Services) – This order has been extended so developmental service agencies and intervenor service providers will continue to have the authority and flexibility they need to redeploy their staff to support critical services for vulnerable individuals.
• O. Reg. 145/20 (Work Deployment Measures for Service Agencies Providing Violence Against Women Residential Services and Crisis Line Services) – This order has been extended so violence against women and anti-human trafficking service providers can continue to provide and have the authority and flexibility they need to redeploy their staff to support critical services for survivors of violence against women and victims of human trafficking.
• O. Reg. 157/20 (Work Deployment Measures for Municipalities) – This order has been extended to continue to provide municipalities the flexibility they need to act quickly and continue to provide their communities with critical and essential services. Continuity of service delivery at the municipal level is critical to the health and safety of Ontario’s communities and province-wide efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. We have also heard from municipal leaders, including Toronto Mayor John Tory and the GTHA mayors and chairs that this order continues to be needed within their municipalities.
• O. Reg. 154/20 (Work Deployment Measures for District Social Services Administration Boards) – This order is necessary so that district social services administration boards (DSSABs) will continue to have the authority and flexibility they need to redeploy their staff to support critical services. DSSABs are being surveyed about the order and extending the order will allow sufficient time to assess responses to determine next steps.
• O. Reg. 177/20 (Congregate Care Settings) – The order has been extended so that staff movement across multiple employers and development services, intervenor services, violence against women and anti-human trafficking sectors will continue to be limited as an important infection prevention measure to protect staff and vulnerable clients.
• O. Reg. 74/20 (Work Redeployment for Certain Health Services Providers) – The hospital sector continues to experience increased demands and pressures as a result of COVID-19. An extension is necessary to address surgical backlogs, health human resource shortages across long-term care homes, and to ensure sufficient hospital beds for a potential second wave.
• O. Reg. 116/20 (Work Deployment Measures for Boards of Health) – As the province progresses through the recovery framework there will likely continue to be increased demands on public health units. This order allows boards of health and public health units to take, with respect to work deployment in any staffing, any reasonably necessary measures to respond to, prevent and alleviate the COVID-19 pandemic.
• O. Reg. 118/20 (Work Deployment Measures in Retirement Homes) – This order allows flexibility for retirement home operators to recruit and reassign staff and remains crucial for helping to prevent and manage potential outbreaks and to ensure stability and quality in resident care, especially with the increases in cases in recent weeks.
• O. Reg. 156/20 (Deployment of Employees of Service Provider Organizations) – The need to extend the order is based on ongoing staffing issues at long-term care homes and retirement homes.
• O. Reg. 163/20 (Work Deployment Measures for Mental Health and Addictions Agencies) – This order is necessary to give health service providers the required authority to maintain health human resource flexibility, especially as mental health and addictions providers begin the gradual resumption of in-person services and with the potential for a second wave of cases.
• O. Reg. 193/20 (Hospital Credentialing Processes) – This order is still necessary because the hospital sector continues to experience increased demands and pressures as a result of COVID-19. Maintaining flexible health human resources will be critical to ensure hospitals can continue to respond to and address these demands.
• O. Reg. 77/20 (Work Deployment Measures in Long-Term Care Homes) – The order is extended because flexibility for long-term care operators to recruit and reassign staff remains crucial for helping to prevent and manage potential outbreaks and to ensure stability and quality in long-term care homes.
• O. Reg. 146/20 (Limiting Work to a Single Long-Term Care Home) – This order is necessary because limiting the number of staff moving across multiple settings is an important component of infection prevention and control practices in long-term care homes.
• O. Reg. 158/20 (Limiting Work to a Single Retirement Home) – This order remains necessary because limiting staff from working in other retirement homes, long-term care homes and other health care settings is an important component of infection prevention and control practices within retirement homes.
5) Orders providing cost relief to Ontarians
This category includes orders that continue to protect Ontarians already impacted by COVID-19 from excessive pricing of necessary goods and by reducing the cost of electricity. There are two orders extended by this category.
• O. Reg. 98/20 (Prohibition on Certain Persons Charging Unconscionable Prices for Sales of Necessary Goods) – Public reports of price gouging continue for the necessary goods set out in the order and which remain in short supply, so there is a need for the order to be extended.
• O. Reg. 80/20 (Electricity Price for RPP Consumers) – On May 30, the government announced that regulated price plan (RPP) electricity consumers who pay time-of-use rates will be billed at a flat COVID-19 recovery rate until October 31, 2020. This order will no longer be required as of 12 a.m. on November 1, 2020.
Discussion
Questions from the Committee
Following her report to the Committee, the Solicitor General responded to questions on a range of issues from the Committee, including:
• Role of Private Sector – The Solicitor General was asked about the Premier’s comment that he is in favour of the private sector playing a role for COVID-19 testing. The Solicitor General indicated that she believed the Premier was suggesting that the government would utilize existing operational lab testing capacity and that “when there is a pandemic, we need to have all hands on deck.” She also noted that when someone has their test done at a private lab, they still use their health card and it is still covered by OHIP. She said “we are trying to ensure that we get as many people as possible tested and getting those results back as quickly as possible.”
• The Public’s Adherence to Health Guidelines – The Solicitor General was asked whether she thinks the government is placing more emphasis on trying to blame individuals who are not following the health guidelines (e.g., too many people at a barbecue) rather than stepping up and doing more (e.g., providing smaller class sizes). The Solicitor General responded that despite most Ontarians following the health guidelines, there are a limited number of individuals who are not respecting those guidelines and, as a result, putting the rest of Ontarians at risk. As a result, the government is trying to find out, in a targeted way, where the non-compliance is taking place and highlight it in a focused way.
• Long-Term Care Home Sector – The Solicitor General was asked about a letter sent to the government from experts in the field, including the Ontario Long Term Care Association and AdvantAge Ontario, which reportedly states that the government has not yet put the necessary supports and preventative measures into place in the long-term care home sector in anticipation of the second wave. The Solicitor General was asked whether she believes that the orders have adequately dealt with these concerns. The Solicitor General said that many of the orders relating to long-term care homes, retirement homes and redeployment issues give the operators of those homes the flexibility that they need when there is an outbreak or if there is a second wave.
• Staffed Events – The Solicitor General was asked, on behalf of a constituent who wants to plan an outdoor wedding in a backyard staffed by catering and bartending companies, to clarify whether the private gathering limit would apply to such a staffed event. The Solicitor General said that the real difference between a staffed and an unstaffed event is that one is organized by a commercial entity, a business, restaurant, convention centre or place of worship, and one is held in a private facility that has no liquor licence, that has no valid reason to have one thousand people show up at their home or their property. The Solicitor General also stated that it is easier to monitor a business. With a private home, it is much more challenging for law enforcement and bylaw officers to confirm that the rules for the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), physical distancing, the wearing of masks, and sanitation have been adhered to.
• Future Changes to Gathering Limits – The Solicitor General was asked about what future changes may be made to gathering limits if the recent spike of COVID-19 infections continues to rise. The Solicitor General said she cannot predict the future but that it is important for the government to be able to react and respond very quickly, to constantly monitor the advice that is being provided by the health command table, and to watch other jurisdictions across Canada and to the south.
• Rural Ontario – The Solicitor General was asked why people in rural Ontario and places where there have been no COVID-19 cases or deaths are being subject to gathering limits or “punished” for the behaviour of a few bad actors in places like Toronto and Peel. The Solicitor General responded that the suggestion that there is no ability for people to move throughout Ontario across municipal boundaries (and potentially spread the virus) is not reasonable.
• Local Authorities Determining Needs – A Committee member noted that, previously with some other decisions, the government let local authorities decide, for example, to put in place masking bylaws to meet their local needs and respond to the recommendations of local medical officers. The Committee member asked why such an approach was not taken with respect to the recently announced gathering limits and whether there will be a more regionalized approach in the future. The Solicitor General noted that the regionalized approach is still being employed. The decision to implement province-wide gathering limits was requested by local officers of health and local mayors who were concerned about their inability to control who crosses into their communities from areas that are restricted. Despite this, local officers of health continue to have the ability to impose and have been imposing greater restrictions than the provincial ones within their communities.
• Possible Future Emergency Lockdown – The Solicitor General was asked what steps would be taken before the decision to implement an emergency lockdown is made. The Solicitor General responded that, as with all of the decisions of the past six-plus months, and as we learn where the outbreaks are and why they are happening, those decisions will be made and driven by the advice and recommendations of the health command table and the health experts in the field.
• Framework of the Reopening Ontario Act, 2020 (ROA) – A Committee member asked whether the ROA poses any challenges in being able to react quickly when needing to “respond to the changing landscape of COVID-19.” The Solicitor General stated that businesses and commercial operations seem to be willing to make the necessary changes since we are not seeing outbreaks happening in the commercial sector. Instead, the outbreaks are taking place as a result of unauthorized, unplanned, and unorganized events.
• Committee’s Oversight Role and List of all Regulations – A Committee member questioned the ability of Committee members to perform effective oversight because the Committee does not receive notes ahead of time and the Committee report cannot include a dissenting opinion. The member asked whether the Solicitor General would provide a list of all the regulations that were changed, extended or ended one day in advance of the Select Committee meeting. The Solicitor General stated that all the regulations are on the Ontario registry, and confirmed that they are available online on the e-Laws website.
• Extension of Gathering Limit Order from Toronto, Peel and Ottawa to Ontario-wide – The Solicitor General was asked about what happened between the announcement of the order limiting public unauthorized gatherings in Toronto, Peel and Ottawa to the following day, when they were extended to the rest of Ontario. The Solicitor General said that almost immediately after the gathering limit restrictions were announced in Toronto, Peel and Ottawa, municipal leaders and local health units across Ontario were publicly saying that they, too, wanted to be included in the restrictions because of concerns that people wanting to avoid the gathering limits would move their gatherings into other unrestricted communities. The enforcement of orders at the local level is more challenging given that the police and special constables, bylaw officers, First Nations officers and conservation officers who have the ability to enforce these orders all have additional responsibilities. Extending the restrictions across Ontario was seen as a more consistent approach.
• Fines – The Solicitor General was asked why the proposed fines for people organizing social gatherings over the capacity limits are so significant (minimum fine of $10,000 to a maximum of up to $100,000 for non-compliance) and whether this may be encouraging people to report on social gatherings to the police and risk good neighbour relationships. The Solicitor General clarified that the fines, proposed in Bill 204, have not been passed in the legislature. The Solicitor General said that, while the vast majority of people are willing to comply with the restrictions, the fine is intended to be punitive and a deterrent for non-compliance. There are costs associated with dispersing large crowds like the recent gathering of one thousand people in Hamilton. The Solicitor General said that, if passed, Bill 204 would also empower municipal bylaw officers and police, after learning of an event that is being promoted for two days from now or a week from now, to proactively go to that owner of the property or business and shut it down before it occurs.
• Plan for the Second Wave – A Committee member made the observation that the Premier very recently spoke about the possibility of a second wave, saying that there was a plan but then pivoted and talked about a flu vaccine strategy. The member asked the Solicitor General about the government’s plan for the second wave of the pandemic. The Solicitor General said that the Minister of Health and the Premier would be announcing over the next number of days a series of steps that relate to the plan. She also said that preparing for the flu season is part of the preparation for COVID-19 because there are many similarities in the symptoms between the flu and COVID-19.
• Second Wave and Long-Term Care Homes – Some Committee members noted that long-term care home experts had made recommendations with respect to long-term care facilities, including that the facilities should follow guidelines similar to hospitals. The same experts have reportedly stated that, in the absence of these measures and support from government, Ontario’s long-term care homes are not currently ready to manage a second wave of COVID-19. The Solicitor General was asked for her response to this. The Solicitor General emphasized that there have not been outbreaks in the vast majority of long-term care homes in Ontario but that redeployment capacity is critically important if there is an outbreak so that specialized staff can be moved into where there is a problem. The Solicitor General also stated that “To suggest that the entire sector is ‘not ready’ I think really belittles their ability as a sector to prepare and plan ahead with the Minister of Long-Term Care.”
• Gathering Limits in Schools – Some Committee members questioned the Solicitor General about why the government has not issued an order limiting classroom sizes in the context where there has been a reduction of the number of people allowed to gather both inside and outside and where SickKids released a report saying that you cannot safely physically distance when you have more than 15 children in a classroom. The Solicitor General stated that the Minister of Education has given the boards of education financial assistance but also has allowed them the flexibility to develop their own solutions that work for their schools. If a certain sector believes it does not have resources, expertise can be leveraged across ministries. The Solicitor General also said that, in contrast to an unorganized event where attendees are not being tracked, everyone in a classroom and school is traceable and there are controls in place for who may visit a classroom.
• Additional Support for Schools – A Committee member noted that certain regions are experiencing an increase in outbreaks and potentially need additional support in schools. The Solicitor General was asked what the government is doing to ensure those regions are getting the support that they need, and in a timely fashion. The Solicitor General indicated that some 500 nurses have been hired to be placed in schools across Ontario, more custodians and bus drivers have been hired, and $10 million has been resourced to mental health. The Solicitor General also remarked that the vast majority of school boards have been doing an excellent job.
• Amendments to the Reopening Ontario Act, 2020 (ROA) – A Committee member asked the Solicitor General why she chose to bring forward amendments to the ROA now and how the amendments interconnect with the government’s commitment not to produce any new orders. The Solicitor General responded that not proroguing the Ontario legislature has given the government the ability to bring forward these amendments enabling parliamentarians to participate in the debate and ultimately vote on whether they agree with the amendments as prepared.
• Government’s Work with Various Sectors – A Committee member asked the Solicitor General how the government is working with various sectors on the emergency orders. The Solicitor General indicated that her ministry reaches out to the lead ministry for each of the relevant regulations to confirm that the lead ministry either wants to extend the order or have it expired, as well as to confirm that the ministry has had consultations with the impacted stakeholders within their ministry. The Solicitor General stated that it is her understanding that order extensions are first vetted by the lead ministry as well as their impacted stakeholders.
• Orders Concerning Particular Topics – A Committee member asked the Solicitor General to confirm there were no current emergency orders dealing with schools, testing, or limiting the number of people by number in a restaurant. The Solicitor General confirmed so and said that there is one order that previously was in place related to schools, but that it was allowed to expire on August 31, and that limits in restaurants are on a percentage basis.
Appendix A:
Terms of Reference*
That a Select Committee on Emergency Management Oversight be appointed to receive oral reports from the Premier or his designate(s) on any extensions of emergency orders by the Lieutenant Governor in Council related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the rationale for those extensions; and
That the Committee shall have a membership of up to eleven Members, comprised as follows:
• Up to seven members of the Government party
• Up to three members of the Official Opposition
• Up to one Independent Member; and
That the House Leaders of each of the Recognized Parties shall indicate in writing to the Clerk of the House, their Party’s membership on the Committee; and
That the Government House Leader, in consultation with the Independent Members, shall indicate in writing to the Clerk of the House, the Independent Member on the Committee; and
That the deadline for indicating Committee Membership with the Clerk of the House shall be Thursday, August 20, 2020; and
That the Committee shall meet at the call of the Chair as follows:
• Up to 30 minutes for the Premier or his designate(s) to make an opening statement
• Up to 60 minutes for Members of the recognized Parties to pose questions to the Premier or his designate(s) in 3 rounds of 10 minutes for each Party
• Up to 10 minutes for the Independent Member to pose questions to the Premier or his designate(s) in 2 rounds of 5 minutes each
• Report writing in closed session; and
That the Clerk of the Committee shall convene the first meeting of the Committee no later than Thursday, August 27, 2020 to elect a Chair and Vice-Chair of the Committee, but no Sub-committee shall be appointed; and
That for business conducted under this order of reference, the provisions of Standing Orders 38 (b), (c), and (d) and 134 (c) and (d) shall be suspended.
That the Committee is authorized to present interim reports summarizing each hearing to the House, or deposit interim reports with the Clerk if the Legislature is not in session; and
That the Committee’s final report shall be a compilation of all interim reports; and
That the Committee shall be dissolved 30 days following the Government House Leader indicating in writing to the Speaker that the Committee is no longer required; and
That the Committee’s final report shall be tabled in the House, or deposited with the Clerk if the Legislature is not in session, before the Committee is dissolved; and
That if the Committee fails to meet this deadline the cumulative interim reports shall be deemed to be the Committee’s final report and deemed to be tabled on the date that the Committee is dissolved; and
That an Order shall be placed on the Orders and Notices Paper for discussion of the Final Report of the Select Committee on Emergency Management Oversight following its presentation to the House.
*Votes and Proceedings, July 15, 2020, 42nd Parliament, 1st Session