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6:55 pm Ontario extends fixed electricity rate to October
The price of electricity is going up slightly in June, the provincial government said in a press release on Saturday.
Ontario suspended “time-of-use” billing on March 24 and began charging customers a fixed rate based on the off-peak price since more people are spending time at home during the day.
As of June 1, the time-of-use suspension will be extended to October 31, but the fixed electricity rate will go up to 12.8 cents per kilowatt hour from the off-peak price of 10.1 per kilowatt hour.
The new fixed rate is known as the “COVID-19 Recovery Rate.” It will be automatically applied to all time-of-use customers, 24 hours a day, seven days per week.
The new rate is based on the average cost of electricity, which is set by the Ontario Energy Board, the government said.
The normal mid-peak rate is 14.4 cents per kilowatt hour and the normal on-peak rate is 20.8 cents per kilowatt hour.
3:45 pm Toronto reports 123 new cases of COVID-19, eight deaths
Toronto Public Health has reported an increase of 123 COVID-19 cases in the city, bringing the total to 11,024.
There are 370 cases in hospital, with 83 in intensive care. In total, 8,242 people have recovered – up by 156 since yesterday. Another eight people have also died. In total, there have been 818 COVID-19 deaths in Toronto.
1:57 pm Drive-in movie theatres are now considered essential in Ontario
The province has amended emergency orders to allow drive-ins to operate during the coronavirus pandemic. Drive-in theatres, as well as batting cages, are now allowed to operate as of May 31.
The stipulation: the drive-ins had to have existed prior to May 29, meaning business owners who plan on pivoting to running drive-in is not what provincial authorities had in mind by expanding the list of essential businesses.
The drive-ins will have some rules to follow: operators cannot sell food or drinks, people must stay in their vehicles unless they need to use the washroom, only members of the same household are allowed in one vehicle and vehicles must practice physical distancing – ie stay two metres apart – and employees must also keep a distancing except when charging admission.
There’s been resurgence in interest in drive-ins since the pandemic began. In addition to drive-in movies, there is a drive-in art exhibition and a drive-in concert planned to take place in Toronto this summer.
10:50 am Ontario reports 323 new COVID-19 cases, 17 deaths
Public health officials have reported 323 new cases of COVID-19 – an increase of 1.3 per cent. Ontario’s total cases is now 27,533. Of those cases, 21,353 are considered resolved.
Another 17 people have died, bringing the total number of deaths to 2,247.
The number of patients in hospital is 801, with 121 in intensive care and 84 in intensive care on ventilators.
The province has also reached a daily testing milestone – conducting more than 20,000 tests. There were 20,640 tests completed since yesterday and another 12,760 cases are under investigation.
10:19 am Ontario to allow camping in parks on June 1
Ontario will once again allow recreational camping on in provincial parks. Starting June 1, backcountry camping, including access points, paddle and portage routes and hiking trails, will reopen. Provincial parks will also expand day-use activities to picnicking and off-leash pet areas.
“We’re counting on people to be responsible when enjoying our parks and continue to follow all of the public health measures to help stop the spread of COVID-19,” Jeff Yurek, environment, conservation and parks minister, said in a statement.
Physical distancing rules will remain in effect. No more than five people are allowed to occupy a backcountry campsite unless they live in the same household. Visitors are also encouraged to wear a face covering and frequently wash their hands.
According to a news release, camping on Crown land does not require shared facilities and is considered “low risk.”
All other overnight camping and some day-use activities at provincial parks and conservation reserves has been extended to June 14
Campgrounds, roofed accommodations, visitor centres, park stores, playgrounds and beaches remain closed. Some washroom facilities may be available.
9 am Canada has more than 89,000 cases of COVID-19
There are 89,418 cases of COVID-19 in Canada and 6,979 people have died.
The outbreak is a serious public health threat though most people who contract the virus have not been hospitalized.
Symptoms include cough, fever, difficulty breathing and pneumonia in both lungs and may take up to 14 days to appear after exposure. People age 65 and over and people with compromised immune systems and/or underlying medical conditions have a higher risk of contracting a severe case.
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