Four weeks ago, the Ontario Government announced that it will close every public school for two weeks

A LOT has happened since - one could say it’s been pretty busy in the Premier’s Office!

Here’s a few of my thoughts on it all & a couple of shout outs

#onpoli #covid19Canada

First, as many others have also said, I’m immensely proud of my boss @fordnation. The compassion, strength, and honesty you see every day at 1pm when he speaks to the province is the same leadership he brings internally each day.

Chronically underreported but equally important, the entire public service has also risen to the occasion. They are the unsung heroes that are helping the government respond to many emerging health and non-health challenges

A few shout outs:

@hillary & the entire team at the Ontario Digital Service have proven again & again that simpler, faster, better public services are possible

Thank you for fielding my many requests and building life saving products, including the self-assessment tool & Ontario Together website

@NancyNNaylor, @Sflecce, and their teams are rockstars and champions, as the Premier says. After 9 long months of negotiations, they were given the most complex non-health policy challenge in the government: create a virtual learning system for 2 million students in 2 weeks (1/2)

From Learn at Home to teacher-led learning, students across Ontario are now learning at home every weekday

The job isn’t finished yet, but I’m confident that a year from now the world will look to Ontario as the global leader in how to properly do online learning (2/2)

Everyone involved in equipping our frontline staff with PPE - too many to list but the teams at MGCS, MEDJCT, MOH, and CO have moved heaven and earth to secure much needed equipment.

But BIG shout out to my pre-pandemic office mate @PatSackville for his leadership on this file

And for those who know him, you know that @markrlawson doesn’t like to brag - so I’ll keep it short.

Mark’s leadership is unmatched and I’m lucky to have him as a boss.

How am I doing? Pretty well all things consider. Family and friends are safe, and I’m thankful for a network of support inside and outside of the government. Thank you to everyone who has reached out to check in and offer help. I’m very sorry for the delay in responding though

What happens next? The work continues to flatten the curve and support people and businesses.

I’m not sure when this will end, but will say that greater control of the crisis grants more time to think long term. Where do we want to be May 1st? July 1st? Thinking about that now

Few hot takes:

- Industrial policy will replace innovation policy

- Adoption of AI will increase significantly in the government

- Reintegration into the labour force will take longer than anticipated for many workers

Couple policy goals:

- Strengthen and grow Ontario’s manufacturing and tech base

- Restore regional equality of opportunity

- Accelerate government digitization to deliver better services

Best insight I’ve heard:

The “new normal” won’t be a world of new trends, but simply our prior trends on an accelerated timeline - automation, local supply chains, increased inequality, skills gap.

What we need now is public sector innovation to help people & businesses (1/2)

This doesn’t require a bigger government, but a smarter one that is nimble, creative, & takes risks. One that isn’t afraid to fail & continues to iterate & improve.

Otherwise, we won’t be able to rapidly build virtual schools, health services, or retraining programs (2/2)

Final comment: the #OntarioSpirit is real. From hospital staff to grocery store workers and manufacturers, everyone is stepping up to protect and help each other. This greater social cohesion builds trust, which will allow us to come out of this crisis stronger than ever before