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Wednesday, April 1, 2020

Toronto restaurant is now delivering to parts of the city where app orders won't go

Food delivery apps are coming in clutch right now, but what happens when your favourite restaurant is out of your delivery zone?

For fans of the combos at Wilson's Haus of Lechon, good news: you don't have to live anywhere near Toronto's Little Manila neighbourhood to grab a combo from this family-run Filipino joint. 

The restaurant on Wilson Avenue specializing in roasted pig and BBQ is now doing its own delivery, travelling as far as Brampton, Mississauga, and Durham as coronavirus-induced quarantine keeps global mobility at a standstill. 

"A lot of our customers are from out of the city," says Jaeybee Martinito, whose parents run the restaurant. "They used to drive to us." 

While the Wilson's Haus of Lechon is already available on Uber Eats and Foodora, Martinito says the range doesn't cover all their customer base, especially in neighbourhoods to the east like Scarborough and Markham.

Since last week, Martinito has been delivering to areas across the GTA, announcing which neighbourhoods exactly over social media.

Obviously no one's ordering a full suckling pig these days, given there's nothing celebratory about legally-enforced social isolation. 

But those who want to order some lechon baboy or roasted belly can just text Jaeybee's personal cell directly, and she'll personally do a contact-less drop-off at their homes when she's in the area. 

There's a delivery minimum of $50, and payments can be done over e-transfer, or if necessary, cash in exact change handed over in a ziplock bag. 

The result is Martinito driving around from morning until night, which is especially tough since it's mostly a one-person show.

Wilson's Haus of Lechon is one of the only Filipino restaurants that's remained open at Bathurst and Wilson, and Martinito's parents have stayed behind in the kitchen to handle the food delivery app orders. That being said, the extra orders have helped. 

"Little Manila is quiet now," she says. "But Filipinos get hungry." 


by Tanya Mok via blogTO
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Ontario just received a donation of 600,000 pieces of personal protective equipment

Ontario has just received an extremely generous donation of crucial personal protective equipment (PPE) for front-line healthcare workers helping to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hospitals across the province and the world have been scrambling to secure items such as face masks, medical gowns, face shields, goggles and gloves, which are essential when treating COVID-19 patients but are in drastically short supply these days.

Thankfully, electricity generating company Bruce Power has just stepped up to donate 600,000 pieces of PPE to the province.

Mike Rencheck, the CEO of the Tiverton, Ontario-based conglomerate, shared the news with Premier Doug Ford over local radio today, with Ford calling it "the largest donation we've received so far."

Rencheck added that Bruce will use its "logistics and supply chain to get this equipment to the front lines as soon as possible." The company will be sourcing the products from its own existing stock, as well as from forthcoming purchases.

The news comes at a time when some nurses in Ontario have been advised to wear surgical masks "until grossly soiled" due to severely scarce resources.

Many healthcare employees and the facilities they work at have made public pleas for donations from anyone who may have access to any form of PPE, such as estheticians and tattoo studios.

Businesses ranging from hockey equipment company Bauer, to small graphics manufacturing companies, to post-secondary institutions have recently started using their resources and machinery — including 3D printers — to create pieces of the much-needed items for Canadian hospitals.

Countless community groups have also mobilized, organizing PPE drives to help protect healthcare workers and get them the physical protection they need to do their jobs safely.

The provincial and federal governments have also vowed to purchase billions more in the necessary medical paraphernalia as the number of 2019 novel coronavirus cases across the country nears 10,000.


by Becky Robertson via blogTO
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Ontario announces $50 million fund to help businesses produce essential medical gear and supplies

As healthcare professionals and government officials continue to warn of a looming shortage of essential medical equipment amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ontario government has announced a $50 million fund to help businesses provide innovative solutions or retool their operations to produce said supplies. 

The Ontario Together Fund, announced Wednesday morning by the Ford government, will help businesses begin to manufacture medical gowns, coveralls, masks, face shields, testing equipment and ventilators. 

The fund will "help companies retool, build capacity or adopt the technological changes needed to produce supplies and equipment for hospitals, long-term care homes and other critical public services," according to the new Ontario Together Fund web portal. 

Businesses, researchers and organizations who can supply emergency products and innovative solutions to support the government's response to COVID-19 can submit a proposal online.

"Ontario has an army of innovators, entrepreneurs, and the hardest-working people in the world ready to roll up their sleeves, support our frontline healthcare workers, and beat this virus," Ford said in a statement.

"This mass mobilization of government, business, communities and private citizens to slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep people safe and healthy represents one of the largest and most ambitious efforts undertaken by Ontario in generations."

The Ontario government says they will select the most viable, innovative proposals that can help provide essential goods and services to residents as quickly as possible. They'll also be looking for proposals that provide the greatest benefit to the people of Ontario.

The government also says the funding of $50 million is exclusively for the COVID-19 outbreak, it is time-limited and will be available to companies and organizations across the province.

"Only by working together and harnessing the full potential of Ontario's innovators will we be able to confront the growing challenge of COVID-19," said Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Christine Elliott.

"The Ontario Together Fund will help enable our business community to provide the supplies and equipment our frontline heroes need as they continue to keep Ontarians safe."


by Mira Miller via blogTO
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LCBO staff allowed to wear face masks after two workers test positive for COVID-19

The LCBO is now allowing employees to wear personal protective equipment like face shields and face masks after two Toronto employees tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.

The LCBO issued a statement yesterday that it would be allowing its employees to wear personal protective equipment after a second worker tested positive for COVID-19 at its St. Lawrence Market location.

"The LCBO has been adopting measures to protect staff and customers as COVID-19 progresses," the statement reads. 

"We also appreciate the heightened awareness to protect one’s self, especially in a role involving customer service and for the benefit and comfort of LCBO employees we will be introducing protective face shields as an optional preventative measure."

"LCBO retail staff may choose to wear face shields while serving customers to protect their eyes, mouth and nose from the transfer of droplets and to help prevent unnecessary touching of the face."

The statement notes that it will not be supplying face masks to employees at the risk of "depleting the supply required by frontline healthcare workers."

The LCBO was deemed an essential business by the Ontario government and permitted to stay open. In an attempt to reduce the health risks associated with the virus, it's reduced hours and limited the number of customers allowed in the stores.

The first case of a LCBO employee was reported on March 27 at its Allen and Rimrock Roads location which was shut down and went through a deep cleaning process while the St. Lawrence Market location remains open.

Both employees are recovering at home in self-isolation.


by Lisa Power via blogTO
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Pregnant women in Ontario are concerned about giving birth amid COVID-19

Pregnant women in Ontario are concerned about possible challenges they may face while giving birth at the hospital during COVID-19, as the coronavirus tolls update day by day.

For expectant mothers, fears of uncertainty begin to loom as they are unaware of what to expect in the coming months

Taylor McKechnie from Guelph is expecting her first child and she says the pandemic has definitely increased her anxiety levels.

“My anxiety is a little bit higher than usual,”she said. “It’s not that I don’t care about myself, it's my baby. I don’t want anything to happen.”

Last Thursday, Guelph Mayor Cam Gutherie declared a state of emergency following a COVID-19 outbreak in one of the wards at the city’s general hospital.

McKechnie is scheduled to give birth at the hospital in August, but now she feels uneasy about delivering the baby there considering four health workers tested positive for COVID-19 late last week.

“I’m feeling a little bit nervous about that because if it’s in the hospital [too], I’m scared I can catch it or something bad can happen,” said McKechnie.

Lisa Ngoy lives in Ajax. She says she's become more vigilant but not too fearful since she trusts her healthcare providers. But she is concerned about whether the labour experience of her second child will differ from the first.

“Now it’s like, is my nurse being careful? Were they careless before they came into my room? Or how restrictive is it going to be?’” said Ngoy.

Experts say pregnant women should not fear going to hospitals to give birth, since stricter protocols have been applied at each facility.

Dr. Jon Barrett, the Chief of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Sunnybrook Hospital, says hospitals may be considered as one of the safest places to be.

“I think it’s important for people to realize that in one way, hospitals are a very safe place. The reason is, anybody who comes into a hospital is screened for symptoms, everybody in the hospital is wearing a mask and is taking precautions,” said Barrett.

Sunnybrook has also prohibited visitors from entering the hospital in order to prevent further spreading of the virus.

Last Tuesday, Julia Kavungu gave birth to her third child. She says the delivery at Lakeridge Health in Ajax was a positive experience. Kavungu says the hospital was quiet and the nurses took proper measures to ensure both the safety of herself and her newborn.

According to Kavungu, visitors to the hospitals were screened, the nurses cleaned all surfaces and assured her they had enough sanitizers.

“They took a lot of precaution in terms of making sure that the mothers felt safe,” said Kavungu. “I felt that everything was clean....I did take extra precautions and sanitized myself.”

Kavungu encourages all expectant mothers to be safe, to stay informed by asking questions and not feel the need to have visitors around their newborn. “Don’t feel like you need to have people over to see your baby… this is not a normal time.”


by Tiffany Mongu via blogTO
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The TTC is adding at least 47 extra buses to busy morning rush hour routes

In an effort to reduce crowding and ensure the safety of passengers and employees throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the TTC has announced that they'll be adding a minimum of 47 extra buses to some of the busiest routes during the morning rush hour.

TTC spokesperson Stuart Green tweeted about the news Wednesday morning, and he listed all the routes that are receiving additional buses.

"In order to reduce customer volume and allow for better physical distancing on buses, the #TTC will provide a minimum of 47 extra buses for early AM and AM peak service on higher volume routes," Green wrote. 

"Please consider delaying non-essential trips until after 8 a.m. if possible."

Green also said the TTC has 14 supervisors assigned to key positions throughout the system, who are in charge of directing additional buses to where they are needed most on high ridership routes.

"This is redeployed service and an increase in operator availability," he wrote. "This is a work in progress and we will monitor."

One Twitter user asked Green if the TTC is also planning to set maximum passenger loads for vehicles as other transit systems in other cities have done, and whether fare inspectors could be used to enforce this considering they're no longer issuing fare evasion tickets. 

"We are not setting caps at this time as it could potentially open operators up to confrontations with customers. We don't have enough TFIs to do what you suggest and reassigning them would mean taking them out of important support roles in stations," Green replied.

"Our approach is to put more buses out and spread the riders out while keeping operators out of conflicts."

Yesterday, the TTC announced that they'd identified nine bus routes that are particularly crowded before 7 a.m. on weekdays, and they asked riders to consider travelling after 7:30 a.m. if possible to encourage physical distancing. 

They also announced several days ago that all bus access would be limited to rear doors to protect drivers from contracting COVID-19 from passengers, and that fare boxes for cash, TTC tickets and tokens would no longer be in use. Paper transfers are also not being issued for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The TTC has also pledged not to deny service to passengers without Presto cards. 


by Mira Miller via blogTO
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Customer throws tantrum inside Toronto restaurant after being told he can't pay cash

In order to slow the spread of germs and fight against the COVID-19 virus, several businesses in Toronto have stopped accepting cash payments. 

But one customer was particularly angered by the news that he wouldn't be able to pay cash at the Church and Wellesley location of Hero Certified Burgers, so he proceeded to throw a violent tantrum. 

Carlo Carlucci, the owner of the location, said the individual called before coming in to ask if they'd accept cash. And when an employee told him they wouldn't, he threatened to come in and break a window. 

The individual arrived at the restaurant several minutes later, read the sign that indicates that only contactless payment methods are being accepted, and proceeded to react angrily.

Security video footage from the incident shows the individual picking up a chair and throwing it at the window twice, though it miraculously doesn't shatter. 

The video also shows the individual coming extremely close to the employees and kicking a garbage can. 

According to Carlucci, the individual also threatened to kill the employees several times.

He said they quickly called the police immediately after the incident, but no one ever showed up. 

"He damaged the walls as they are drywall [and] they got dents," Carlucci said. "One of the chairs he threw was broken."

Carlucci said his staff are now incredibly scared to come to work, and understandably so. 

Since businesses began forgoing cash payments in favour of contactless methods due to COVID-19, the Bank of Canada has warned that this could unfairly disadvantage those experiencing homelessness and anyone without access to a credit or debit card. 

In light of this, popular Toronto restaurant Pizza Gigi has come up with the solution of regularly disinfecting all incoming cash instead.


by Mira Miller via blogTO
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