In moments of unprecedented crisis, there is an expectation that political leaders put partisanship aside and work together to help those we serve. As governments at all levels work around the clock to confront the COVID-19 challenge, this is one of those moments.

There will be a time and place, once we have successfully moved beyond this moment, to judge how our leaders and institutions performed when the chips were down. This is not that time.

In the coming days, the government of Ontario will release a financial update that will focus on measures designed to protect our health, prop up our economy and protect our essential services.

There’s no manual at a time like this for leaders to follow, and the circumstances are changing by the hour. But we are all in this together, and our only responsibility is to do whatever we can, collaboratively, to help.

Based on my experience in government and as a cabinet minister, here’s my best advice for Premier Ford:

Move quickly, act decisively, and be bold.

The latest economic news, both locally and around the world, is not encouraging. Layoffs have begun, and small and medium-sized businesses that operate with narrow margins at the best of times are facing an extraordinarily tough situation.

We have, to date, focused our attention on the health and safety of our people, and that has been the right call without question.

But now we must also take steps to provide support for workers, for the most vulnerable and for the entrepreneurs who are at the heart of our economic engine. In short, we need to whatever we can to retain the economic infrastructure we have built so that we don’t delay our ability to recover on the other side of this crisis.

The measures that are required will not be inexpensive, but the cost of falling short or being too timid will be much higher.

Here, then, are some of the ideas that I encourage our provincial government to consider:

Let’s match the 10 per cent federal wage subsidy, dollar for dollar, to double the benefit that this provides to both workers and their employers. And if the federal government opts to increase this subsidy at any point, let’s keep matching as they scale.

Let’s introduce a six-month suspension of provincial payroll charges (like WSIB and Employer Health Tax premiums) for businesses with up to 300 employees, and let’s make this move retroactive to Jan. 1, 2020.

Let’s proceed with a six-month suspension of time-of-use electricity pricing so that we’re all paying the off-peak charge 24 hours a day, and let’s provide additional relief on all electricity bills by temporarily removing distribution or regulatory charges.

Let’s be creative in order to support our hardest-hit businesses in the restaurant and hospitality sectors by considering, for example, permitting those licensed establishments providing take-out and delivery services to temporarily sell alcohol.

Let’s take a serious look at how government procures goods and services to figure out how we leverage the province’s considerable buying power to support Ontario businesses while not violating our obligations.

Let’s be clear about how we will preserve our school year using whatever innovative techniques are required to keep students learning through remote access and digital tools, because we cannot afford to fail our students.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

And let’s use this moment to dramatically scale-up funding to finally provide universal mental health support and treatment. It’s become clear that the impact of this crisis on our mental health will be considerable and we will need this support in order to weather the storm.

The people of Ontario are resilient. We have faced adversity before, stuck together, and always found a way to endure. I am confident that we will successfully emerge from this difficult chapter in our province’s story and thrive once again.