STRATEGY PANEL: MUNICIPALITIES CALLING ON PROVINCE TO LIFT BAN ON OUTDOOR AMENITIES

Libby Znaimer is joined by Karen Stintz, CEO of Variety Village, John Capobianco, Senior Vice President & Senior Partner, FleishmanHillard HighRoad, and Charles Sousa, The former Minister of Finance for Ontario and Member of Provincial Parliament for Mississauga South.

The Ford government seems to be at odds with both Ottawa and numerous municipalities. The premier is calling on the Trudeau Liberals to tighten border restrictions for incoming international travellers as we battle a third COVID-19 wave. Meanwhile, several municipalities including Toronto are calling on the province to reopen outdoor amenities like golf and tennis. Our strategy panel weighs in on it all.

ONTARIO’S SURGERY BACKLOG AND THE HEFTY FINANCIAL COST THAT COMES WITH IT

Libby Znaimer is joined by Peter Weltman, Ontario’s Financial Accountability Officer followed by Dr. Shady Ashamalla, head of general surgery at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and Dr. Robert Nam, a professor of surgery at the University of Toronto who specializes in surgical treatment for patients with urologic cancers.

In the news: As we’ve covered on this show many times throughout the year, Ontario hospitals have been experiencing a mounting backlog in surgeries amid COVID-19. And, now, in a report by the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario, the estimated timeline to clear that backlog is 3.5 years and the estimated cost to clear it is as high as $1.3-billion dollars. Where do we go from here? Our health experts weigh in.