11 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Brampton Wednesday

On Wednesday morning, Peel Public Health confirmed 11 new cases of COVID-19 in Brampton, bringing the city’s total to 112. The regional total rose by 32 cases to 309 across Peel. The 32 additional cases confirmed Wednesday follow the largest single-day increase in new cases in Peel yesterday with 61 new infections confirmed.

Peel also recorded its first death related to COVID-19. A man in his 70s with underlying health conditions passed away from the novel coronavirus on March 26 at Brampton Civic Hospital, the region reported yesterday. 

Brampton's number of confirmed COVID-19 cases rose by 11 to 112 Wednesday.

“Any [...] loss of life is certainly tragic, but especially so in the midst of these difficult times. Peel Public Health extends our deepest condolences to the family,” stated Dr. Lawrence Loh, Interim Medical Officer of Health at the Region of Peel, in a press release Tuesday. “I call on everyone to strengthen our resolve to collectively slow the spread and save lives. More than ever, residents who are ill should self-isolate at home for fourteen days, and all residents should stay home as much as possible, only going out for essential reasons.”

According to the William Osler Health Network, which operates Brampton Civic Hospital and Peel Memorial in Brampton and Etobicoke General Hospital in Toronto, 207 people have tested positive for COVID-19 at Osler’s hospitals and it is currently treating 16 people for the virus. It is not clear how many of these positive cases and patients receiving care are Brampton residents. At present, the city only has one assessment centre, located at Peel Memorial.

On Wednesday, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Peel rose by 32 cases to 309.

In an effort to drive home the significance of physical distancing, the City of Brampton passed a bylaw Tuesday that allows officers to fine residents in close contact with one another. Fines range from $750 to $100,000 for each offence. The first fine was issued Tuesday night when the bylaw came into effect.

All courts in Ontario are closed until further notice as part of shutdowns mandated by the province. At this time, it’s not clear when they will open their doors again, enabling people charged under the physical distancing bylaw to have a chance to plead their cases. 

There are a number of legal challenges that can arise from such enforcement, Vincent Chiao, an associate law professor at the University of Toronto previously told The Pointer. “You’ve got rules that are just too vague to enforce in any kind of reasonable way,” he said. Chiao also raised the question as to what the quality of evidence would be in a situation like this. “Was it just a police officer who said they saw you at the dog park? How can they prove that you knew that you weren’t supposed to be there? It’s going to be really, really hard.” 

Before the bylaw came into effect, officers were unable to enforce physical distancing measures. Insead, the majority of their responsibilities related to COVID-19 came in the form of ensuring non-essential businesses complied with provincially-mandated closures.

Now, municipal regulations stipulate that people who maintain less than a two-metre distance from one another on public property, other than those who they live with, are subject to fines. For businesses, people must maintain the same distance, when standing or seated, both inside and outside of the premises. People are prohibited from playgrounds, park structures, leash-free dog parks, picnic shelters, outdoor sports facilities, outdoor fitness equipment, recreation centres and surrounding lands and parking lots, restrictions mandated by the province. Under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, the province called for the immediate closure of all recreational activities on Monday, extendeding Ontario’s state of emergency.

The enforcement of physical distancing, which thousands of residents are in favour of, was something Mayor Patrick Brown pushed for during a special council meeting on March 25. The same day, a tele-town hall was held and out of the 15,000 callers who phoned in, 77 percent supported allowing bylaw officers to issue fines to those failing to comply with physical distancing.

On Tuesday, the provincial government also announced that those charged with an offence under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act will be legally required to identify themselves. If an individual does not provide the appropriate identification to a provincial offences officer (including police officers, First Nations constables, special constables and municipal by-law enforcement officers), they can face a fine of up to $1,000. This penalty is in addition to existing provincial penalties that include one-year of imprisonment, or a maximum fine of $100,000 for an individual.  

During the Wednesday press conference, the city also announced rent relief measures for non-profit organizations and small for-profit tenants that rent out space from the city. The rent for not-for-profits is waived and rent for small for-profit businesses is deferred for three months.

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