COVID-19

As Windsor-Essex moves towards reopening, the Government of Ontario announced a temporary foreign workers' plan which includes on-site testing at agri-farm businesses; allowing migrant workers access to Workplace Safety and Insurance Board benefits and protections under the Employment Standards Act; and new public health guidance for asymptomatic workers allowing them to continue working outdoors in isolation.

Earlier this month, the Windsor Law Centre for Cities collaborated with the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) to publish a report on cities and COVID-19 after 100 days of shutdown. The report, which examines how life and governance — how we live, move, work, care, and prosper — in Canadian cities have changed over the first 100 days of the pandemic, was released Friday on COVID100.ca.

Windsor Law Professor Bill Bogart's latest op-ed, "Attention Progressives: The Deficit Hawks Are Circling" appeared in The Hill Times this week. The opinion piece considers a way forward in a post-pandemic climate.

Read the full story on The Hill Times website.

Robotics law and policy Professor Kristen Thomasen was quoted in a Los Angeles Times article about Singapore's use of a robot dog in response to COVID-19. The country is testing Spot, a four-legged robot, in a public park to assist with social distancing efforts.

In response to COVID-19, Windsor Law has launched a suite of additional student supports including enhanced career service resources, a pandemic-specific emergency bursary program, and 30 new summer opportunities for law students who either lost their summer placements or were unable to secure positions due to the global pandemic.

Professor Bill Bogart has published an article in HealthyDebate about the COVID-19 pandemic and the dilemmas of compliance. 

"We cannot police our way out of this pandemic," says Professor Bogart. "But the mix of widely accepted norms with sanctions as a rare backup is the way to go for maximum compliance."

Windsor Law Professor & Centre for Cities Director Anneke Smit and Allard Law Professor Alexandra Flynn published an opinion piece in the Toronto Star Monday making the argument that local governments are “bleeding democracy” in their rush to address COVID-19.

Windsor Law Professor and Externship Director Tess Sheldon co-authored an opinion piece about psychiatric detention and the need for preventative institutionalization amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

The authors argue that moving people into the community will protect their health, free up valuable resources, and reduce overcrowding for those who remain inside institutions—all part of preventing the spread of COVID-19.