The Bill Kelly Show Podcast:

The Ontario government is looking to extend the province wide stay-at-home order past its scheduled end date of May 20 and into June amid the third wave of COVID-19, sources tell Global News.

The Ford government cabinet is working to finalize the date, however, sources said the province is looking to extend the order until at least June 2.

The stay-at-home order was first implemented on April 8 in an effort to curb increasing case numbers as well as high hospitalization rates in the province.

Ontario Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams said at a press conference on Monday he’d like for cases to be under at least 1,000 a day to see an easing of restrictions.

GUEST: Chris Bauch, Research Chair in the Department of Applied Mathematics and a Specialist in Mathematical and Computer Modelling of Infectious Disease Outbreaks with the University of Waterloo

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The Canadian Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Ontario and Canadian governments, has launched the COVID-19 Rapid Screening Initiative. Through this initiative, participating chambers of commerce and boards of trade will roll out free rapid tests for small- and medium-sized businesses in communities across the province.

The COVID-19 Rapid Screening Initiative will provide free rapid antigen tests for employees of small and medium-sized businesses. The tests will be distributed through participating local chambers of commerce and boards of trade in Ontario. Businesses (including non-chamber members) with 150 employees or less are welcome to participate in this program. The goal of the program is to identify asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 in the workplace that might otherwise be missed, helping to curb the spread in the workplace, at home and around the community”

GUEST: Mark Agnew, VP of Policy for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce

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The Canadian military claims that more than two dozen residents at a Toronto long-term care home died due to dehydration prior to their arrival amid the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic while feces and vomit were reportedly found on the floors and walls of another, according to a newly obtained report.

The documents, which were submitted to Ontario’s Long-Term Care Home Commission and referenced in their final report on April 30, describe “heartbreaking” and “horrifying” conditions within two of the Toronto facilities. Among the most startling claims are allegations of neglect, malnutrition and a suggestion that COVID-19 deaths at one home “paled in comparison” to general deaths.

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) was called in April 2020 to help seven long-term care homes in Ontario grappling with COVID-19 outbreaks. According to the commission’s final report, the military’s involvement was considered by the Ontario government in mid-April, but personnel didn’t start their shift until April 28.

GUEST: Dr. James Tiessen, Director of Health Administration & Community Care program and an Associate Professor with Ryerson University

GUEST: Erin Benjamin, President and CEO of the Canadian Live Music Association 

Green Shield Canada is making major investments in digital mental health services and treatment options. The company says its digital mental health provider, Inkblot, grew more than 400% in the past year as Canadians become more and more comfortable with virtual medical treatment and counselling. 

GUEST: Joe Blomeley, VP of Mental Health at Green Shield Canada

Eye doctors had planned to celebrate 2020 as the year of vision (as in seeing 20/20). Instead, it will be known as the year that worsened the world’s vision for decades to come. Scientists are attributing this latest health issue — one that is hidden in plain sight — to the pandemic.

Rates of myopia, also known as nearsightedness or shortsightedness, have been increasing worldwide for decades. Half of the world’s population is predicted to be myopic by 2050.

The length of time children spend viewing digital screens has been exacerbated by a massive increase in remote schooling, directly contributing to further increases in childhood myopia. Home-schooled children of the COVID-19 era are at risk of becoming the visually compromised population of tomorrow.

GUEST: Debbie Jones, Clinical Professor at the School of Optometry & Vision Science and a Clinical Scientist with Centre for Ocular Research & Education at the University of Waterloo