COVID-19 Policy Brief Series

Read Uncharted Territory: Assessing the Landscape of Ontario’s Economic Recovery Post COVID-19 | April 2020
A

Read Collaboration in Crisis: A memo from COVID-19 | May 2020
Collaboration has been a dominant theme throughout the COVID-19 crisis, both within and across countries. In Ontario, unprecedented alignment between businesses and all levels of government has been instrumental to crafting policy responses and supplying critical products and services.
A
However, this cooperation will be put to the test as communities around the world take steps to reopen their economies and turn towards recovery. While globalization had been in retreat for years prior to the crisis, the brief warns against pulling integration back further and underscores the importance of global ties, particularly for Ontario, where economic growth depends on harmonious global trading relationships and well-functioning international supply chains. Continued collaboration will also be required as provinces begin to ease public health measures at different rates. Managing the interprovincial movement of goods and people will require a renewed commitment to collaboration to avoid jeopardizing the progress already made.
A
Read our report.

Read Small Business, Big Impact | June 2020

Read The She-Covery Project | September 2020
The COVID-19 crisis is having a disproportionate economic impact on women, with women’s labour participation rate falling to its lowest in 30 years. Existing systemic inequalities have been further exacerbated by recent shut-down measures, resulting in what some economists are calling a “she-cession,” as more women have lost their jobs and fewer women than men are re-gaining employment. As schools begin to reopen, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce releases its latest report, The She-Covery Project: Confronting the Gendered Economic Impacts of COVID-19 in Ontario. This brief lays out a path to Ontario’s “she-covery” by offering practical recommendations to confront both immediate and longer-term challenges.
k

Realizing the Full Potential of Virtual Care in Ontario | December 2020
While telemedicine sites have been in place for decades, virtual care has risen in prominence thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and implementation of temporary billing codes in Ontario. As in-person medical appointments became less feasible, virtual visits have enabled Ontarians to continue accessing quality care while not exposing themselves to the virus. Given the demand for timely care, the many benefits associated with virtual care, and continued government investment in digital health, virtual care is here to stay.
Recognizing the timeliness of this issue, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s (OCC) Health Policy Council has developed recommendations to help the Province realize the full potential of virtual care and ensure it is more accessible, equitable, and widely adopted throughout Ontario’s health care system.