Child Care Workers to be Vaccinated

Posted on by Councillor Brad Clark

Hamilton’s COVID-19 vaccination program expansion includes licensed child care workers

HAMILTON, ON – April 27, 2021 – The Hamilton healthcare partners continue to make progress in vaccinating members of the community who fall into Phases 1 & 2 of the Province’s COVID-19 Vaccination Framework. We are pleased to announce that to date, we have administered approximately 180,169 doses of COVD-19 vaccine – with 32.2% of eligible Hamiltonians receiving a vaccine to date.

In alignment with Provincial direction, effective Thursday, April 29, 2021, child care workers in licensed child care settings will be eligible to book an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccination.  In the coming weeks, eligibility will be expanded to child care workers in unlicensed child care settings across the province.

Booking an appointment

Appointments can be booked by calling the Provincial Vaccine Booking Line number at 1-833-943-3900. Eligible workers in licensed child care settings will receive a letter from their employer. This letter must be available at the point of booking and taken to the vaccination appointment.

Appointment availability through Hamilton’s large-scale clinics is limited at this time.  More appointments will be available in the system early next week.

Public Health recommends that everyone who is eligible gets the first vaccine that is available to them. We need to work together to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community, to reserve healthcare and hospital capacity and to protect vulnerable populations.

QUICK FACTS

  • Vaccine administration rates may differ based on local context.
  • Second doses for the COVID-19 vaccine have been extended to a 16-week interval by the Provincial Government.
  • Information regarding registration, booking, and sequencing will be available on the COVID-19 Vaccines section of the City’s website at www.hamilton.ca/COVIDvaccines.
  • Vaccination phasing and sequencing will continue to be released for additional categories as per the direction of the provincial government.
  • All vaccination planning is based on and contingent on available COVID-19 vaccine supply.
  • It is vital that members of the public, even those who have been vaccinated, ensure that public health measures still be practiced until it is safe and said to be safe by the health professionals in all levels of government.  Public health measures include:  
    • stay home if you are feeling unwell
    • get tested for COVID-19 if you have symptoms or have been in close contact with a confirmed positive case of COVID-19
    • limit gatherings to only members of your immediate household
    • maintain a physical distance of at least 6 feet or 2 meters from others outside of your immediate household
    • wear a mask or face covering indoors and outdoors when not able to maintain physical distancing
    • wash hands frequently

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Councillor Brad Clark suggests Ontario consider Metrolinx’s “Option 3”

Posted on by Councillor Brad Clark

During my research on the proposed regulation, Prescribing Hamilton LRT as a Priority Project under the Building Transit Faster Act 2020, I came across this surprising report, (Hamilton Rapid Transit Benefits Report 2020). I say surprising because I could not, for the life of me, recall ever seeing it before now.

In fact, I thought that I might have somehow forgotten about it or misplaced it. So, I provided the title of the report to my Assistant, Robert, who promptly searched our office records and found nothing. Subsequently, we asked our most proficient City of Hamilton Records Staff for assistance. They did a thorough search of city records and reported that they could not find any record of this report on any GIC or Council Agendas or Minutes. However, the records staff did find it on the Metrolinx web site. So, to the best of my knowledge and without any intended recriminations, I believe that I can safely say that Hamilton City Council has not received this report.

This report goes beyond the usual debate of LRT or BRT on the Hamilton B Line. It proffers a thoroughly reviewed and innovative “Option 3” that details the way to provide a 14km B line, a 16km A line and priority bus measures on the BLAST network for the capital cost of $1Billon.

My comments to the Ministry are my own and should not be received as a comment from the City Council or the City of Hamilton. My comments respectfully suggest that Option 3 be considered and added to the proposed regulation.

Click to access Hamilton-Options-Analysis-Board-Approved-Nov-26-2020.pdf

Provincewide Emergency Brake Pulled

Posted on by Councillor Brad Clark

HAMILTON, ON As of Saturday, April 3 at 12:01am

provincewide emergency brake

The emergency brake measures include:

  • Restricting indoor organized public events and social gatherings, except with members of the same household (the people you live with) and limiting the capacity for outdoor events to a 5-person maximum. Individuals who live alone may consider having exclusive close contact with one other household;
  • Restricting in-person shopping in all retail settings, including a 50 per cent capacity limit for supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, indoor farmers’ markets, other stores that primarily sell food and pharmacies, and 25 per cent for all other retail including big box stores, along with other public health and workplace safety measures;
  • Prohibiting personal care services;
  • Prohibiting indoor and outdoor dining. Restaurants, bars and other food or drink; establishments will be permitted to operate by take out, drive-through, and delivery only;
  • Prohibiting the use of facilities for indoor or outdoor sports and recreational fitness (ie. gyms and fitness centres); and
  • Limiting capacity at weddings, funerals, and religious services, rites or ceremonies to 15 per cent total occupancy indoors, and to the number of individuals that can maintain two metres of physical distance outdoors. This does not include social gatherings associated with these services like receptions, which are not permitted indoors and are limited to five people outdoors.

Everyone is asked to limit trips outside the home to necessities such as food, medication, medical appointments, supporting vulnerable community members, or exercising outdoors with members of their household.

The province advised that the impact of the emergency brake will be evaluated throughout the next four weeks to determine if it is safe to lift any restrictions or if they need to be extended.

The City of Hamilton’s Emergency Operations Centre and Hamilton Public Health Services are reviewing the emergency brake measures in detail to ensure local clarity and compliance while the emergency brake is in place.

Locally, the Reopening Ontario Act will continue to be assertively enforced by the City’s COVID Enforcement Team. The COVID Enforcement Team will be responding to complaints as well as proactively enforcing all the applicable regulations throughout the city.

Hamilton COVID Concierge for Businesses

  • Support continues to be available to our local businesses through the Hamilton COVID Concierge for Business program
  • COVID Concierge can help them navigate the impacts of the pandemic on their business  
  • For more information, visit https://hamiltoncovidconcierge.ca/

Community gardens

  • Community gardens are permitted to continue to operate under appropriate health and safety guidelines
  • Residents can find guidelines for safely operating community gardens here: https://www.hamilton.ca/coronavirus/operating-community-gardens-safely
  • Residents must maintain the appropriate physical distancing from others in the garden, avoid the use of shared tools and only attend the gardens if they are feeling well. Masks should be worn if physical distancing cannot be maintained
  • Any organized “events” such as training sessions etc. held by operators of community gardens would need to be limited to five people

Neighbourhood cleanups

  • Organized neighbourhood and park cleanups make take place, but must include no more than five people conducting the cleanup per site
  • Participants must maintain the appropriate physical distancing from others and only attend the cleanup if they are feeling well. Masks should be worn if physical distancing cannot be maintained
  • For more information, visit https://www.hamilton.ca/parks-recreation/community-environmental-initiatives/team-clean

It is important for residents to stay diligent and continue to practice public health management measures in order to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 in our community. These measures include:

  • stay home if you are feeling unwell
  • get tested for COVID-19 if you have symptoms or have been in close contact with a confirmed positive case of COVID-19
  • limit gatherings to only members of your immediate household
  • maintain a physical distance of at least 6 feet or 2 meters from others outside of your immediate household
  • wear a mask or face covering indoors and outdoors when not able to maintain physical distancing
  • wash hands frequently