Academy Theatre board chair Mike Piggot and FLATO Developments Inc. president Shakir Rehmatullah at a media conference announcing the theatre has been renamed FLATO Academy Theatre Lindsay in recognition of a $1.375 million sponsorship agreement. (Photo courtesy of FLATO Academy Theatre Lindsay)
Lindsay’s Academy Theatre for the Performing Arts has been renamed FLATO Academy Theatre Lindsay in recognition of a $1.375 million sponsorship agreement with FLATO Developments Inc.
The funds will be distributed over the next 15 years, according to an announcement on Monday (December 13).
Launched in 2005 and based in Markham, FLATO Developments Inc. develops housing projects across southern Ontario, including in Lindsay and Cameron within Kawartha Lakes. The company has made donations to Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay and Kawartha Lakes Food Source, among others.
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“At FLATO, we believe in investing in the communities we serve,” says FLATO president Shakir Rehmatullah in a media release. “We look for opportunities to make the community better for everyone. In creating this partnership, we are proud to support Lindsay’s arts community and invest in this iconic theatre that is an integral thread in the fabric of the area and is central to making Lindsay such a wonderful place to live, work, and visit.”
An initial investment will be used to fund priority capital improvements to the theatre, while the annual funding commitment will help maintain and enhance theatre operations, programming, and marketing.
FLATO Academy Theatre Lindsay will continue to be owned by Academy Theatre Foundation and will continue to operate as a non-profit organization governed by a board of directors. FLATO Developments Inc. will not be involved in the management of the theatre.
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“This investment marks a new chapter for this special community hub, and we’re excited to see it thrive in the years ahead,” says board chair Mike Piggot.
With the sponsorship agreement, the logo of the theatre has changed and the marquee on the front entrance of the theatre be redesigned to include the new name in 2020. In addition to the new signage, FLATO has been given rights to advertise within various areas of the theatre and to be identified in the theatre’s social media and marketing materials.
In a similar sponsorship agreement, FLATO Developments Inc. also acquired the naming rights for the Markham Theatre.
An artist’s rendering of the new marquee signage FLATO Academy Theatre Lindsay to be completed in 2022. (Photo courtesy of FLATO Academy Theatre Lindsay)
The announcement of the funding agreement comes after the theatre, which has relied on rental income and community donations, recovers from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to the pandemic, the Academy Theatre for Performing Arts hosted close to 100 performances annually with 20,000 visitors.
Peterborough police arrested a 10-year-old boy early Saturday morning (December 11) in connection with a vehicle that was stolen the previous night.
At around 7:30 p.m. on Friday, a delivery driver reported their minivan had been stolen from the area of Water Street and Charlotte Street in Peterborough. Officers arrived and canvassed and searched the area, but there was no sign of the vehicle.
Just after midnight on Saturday, officers noticed the vehicle in the Lansdowne Street and Brealey Drive area and activated their emergency lights, but the vehicle failed to stop, driving at high speeds and weaving through traffic. Police called off a short pursuit in the interest of public safety.
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Shortly after, officers received a call that the vehicle had stopped in the area of Edwards Street and Lansdowne Street. Upon arrival, they learned that vehicle had crashed into a stonewall and that the driver was a 10-year-old boy.
The boy was taken to Peterborough Regional Health Centre for medical treatment but did not suffer any major injuries.
While the boy was arrested, due to his age police could not lay charges. The age of criminal responsibility in Canada is 12.
During a boil water advisory, all water used for human consumption (drinking, making baby food, mixing formula or fruit juices, ice, washing fruits and vegetables, or teeth brushing) should be boiled for at least one minute at a full, roiling boil. (Photo: Wikipedia)
A boil water advisory has been issued for residents of Norland, according to a media release from the City of Kawarthas Lakes issued late Sunday afternoon (December 12).
Due to a power outage at the water treatment plant in Norland, municipal water is temporarily unavailable for residents on the drinking water system.
Residents without an alternative water source can pick up bottled water at the water treatment plant at 3474 Monck Road, according to the media release.
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Once power has been restored to the plant, a boil water advisory will be in effect for Norland residents using municipal water.
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit will lift the boil water advisory once acceptable samples have been received.
“Please note that this could take a few days”, the media release states.
Under a boil water advisory, all water used for human consumption should be boiled for at least one minute at a full, roiling boil. This includes water used for drinking, making baby food, mixing formula or fruit juices, ice, washing fruits and vegetables, or teeth brushing.
Adults may shower with untreated water, as long as no water is swallowed. Adults or young children should sponge-bathe instead of using tub baths.
A flatbed truck travels down George Street in Peterborough as part of an illegal parade on December 11, 2021. (Screenshot of Twitter video)
Peterborough police laid more than dozen charges under the Highway Traffic Act following an illegal parade that took place on George Street in Peterborough on Saturday evening (December 11).
Update on charges
On December 16, 2021, Peterborough police report they have issued almost a dozen more tickets. In total, 10 people have been charged with a total of 23 tickets issued under the Highway Traffic Act for various offences such as unnecessary slow driving, careless driving, red light fail to stop, and fail to stop for an emergency vehicle.
The parade was organized by a group of people who object to pandemic-related public health measures, including lockdowns, face masks, and vaccine passports. Organizers distributed flyers in the days leading up to the event, promoting what they called “Miracle on George St.” and described as a “Christmas parade”.
Organizers objected to the cancellation of Peterborough’s official annual Santa Claus parade. Usually organized by the Kinsmen Club Of Peterborough, the parade was cancelled for the second year in a row due to the pandemic.
Earlier this fall, the provincial government gave permission for parades to take place and many other communities in the greater Kawarthas region went ahead with Santa Claus parades.
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Saturday’s parade began at 5 p.m. in the parking lot at the former Peterborough Collegiate and Vocational School (PCVS). Vehicles in the parade, which included decorated flatbed trucks and people handing out treats, blocked traffic as they proceeded down George Street and then crossed Lansdowne Street to Roger Neilson Way.
While organized by a group that protests COVID-19 public health measures, the parade itself did not include any protest signs or messages.
“There were no reported injuries as a result of this event,” reads a release from Peterborough police issue on Sunday. “Officers, in coordination with City of Peterborough by-law investigators, worked tirelessly and professionally to ensure public and participant safety.”
Organizers did not seek a permit in advance of the parade, required under city by-laws. During the parade, police blocked side streets while allowing the parade to proceed.
“A police response is not an endorsement, but a commitment to public safety,” the media release reads, adding that “unsanctioned events such as this have a high probability for personal injury and property damage.”
Following the parade, police say they laid more than a dozen charges under the Highway Traffic Act (HTA), including commercial motor vehicle violations.
“Further HTA charges are under investigation and pending, and it’s expected more will be laid,” the police media release states. “Peterborough police are also investigating some criminal offences as a result of the event and will report further if charges are laid.”
The members of indie-folk band Ptarmigan (Sam Gleason, Aaron Hoffman, and Peter McMurtry) have been friends since high school in Peterborough. Now based in Toronto, the trio released their third album "Cocoon" on November 19. 2021. (Photo: Jen Squires Photography)
With a new album that prompts listeners to reflect on home and its significance in their lives, is it any wonder that indie-folk band Ptarmigan returned home to Peterborough to showcase their newest recorded work?
According to band member Peter McMurtry, the band’s October 9th performance at the Silver Bean Café in Millennium Park — Ptarmigan’s first live show since the pandemic descended in March 2020 — “just sort of made sense.”
“The Peterborough community has always welcomed us so warmly,” McMurtry says. “We’re from there, we started the band there, and our base of support is from there. We also wanted to test the new songs on an audience that’s familiar with us.”
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Ptarmigan’s third album Cocoon features the combined talents of McMurtry (vocals, banjo, guitar, percussion) and his longtime friends and bandmates Aaron Hoffman (harmony vocals, mandolin, synthesizer, keyboards, and percussion), and Sam Gleason (harmoney vocals, guitar, bass, keyboard). Produced by Gleason, the album also features contributions from Isa Burke (Lula Wiles), Robert Alan Mackie (The Aerialists, The Bombadils), Evan Cartright (The Weather Station, Tasseomancy), and Steven Foster (Omhouse, Doldrums).
While McMurtry says it wasn’t his intention to “sum up what people were feeling during the pandemic,” he acknowledges the new album’s exploration of the concept of home, and how people build their homes both literally and figuratively, has meshed with the times we’re living in.
“It’s about home but it also about the different experiences we have of home,” he explains. “The pandemic provided people the time to reflect on past experiences, or their family members or family history, so there’s also that component to the album as well.”
VIDEO: “Once I Knew” – Ptarmigan
“One song, Markinch, is about my grandfather who grew up on the Prairies during the Great Depression. It’s about him being away from home for the first time and having to go home on weekends to look after his mother. It expresses the tension of the loss of home as he grew older and how you deal with that. For me, it’s an exploration of where I come from.”
Ptarmigan formed in 2009 when McMurtry shared a few songs with Hoffman and Gleason while he was visiting home from university. After more than two years of writing and arranging, the band released their first album Eliak And The Dream in 2013, with a follow-up self-titled album released in 2016 standing as a testament to the evolution of the band’s sound.
Eliak And The Dream, says McMurtry, “has this more intense rock component but it also has a more whimsical, spacey sound.” But with “more extended instrumentals, more complicated arrangements,” the follow-up album “went full on into the prog-rock or prog-folk end of things.”
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“Cocoon brings us back a little bit to those earlier songs. It’s more emotional and direct with a fantastical lens, but retains a creative storytelling component.”
Bringing Burke, Mackie, and Cartright on board resulted from a desire to make the album “a bit more grounded in folk instrumentation — in acoustic instrumentation. They added a really unique texture we haven’t had before.”
Four singles from Cocoon have been released, two of them — “Once I Knew” and “Rounders” — accompanied by videos. The former was filmed south of Rice Lake on a farm near Cold Springs. Directed by Adrienne McLaren, it features choreographed movements by dancer Oriah Weirsma, a friend from the trio’s high school days at the former Peterborough Collegiate and Vocational School (PCVS).
Ptarmigan’s Peter McMurtry got his first banjo at age 11. His bandmates Aaron Hoffman and Sam Gleason are childhood friends whom McMurtry connected with during high school in Peterborough, forming the band later in 2009. (Photo: Peter McMurtry / Facebook)
“Aaron and Sam have been best friends since they were very young,” says McMurtry, who got his first banjo at age 11. “I was friends with both of them later in high school. We were all in the music scene in overlapping friends’ groups and all doing different musical things and then it sort of happened. Our worlds kind of collided right at the end of high school and in the year after that.”
McMurtry remembers with fondness early gigs at The Spill (now closed) and The Gordon Best Theatre in Peterborough.
“Having venues that were accepting of high school bands was such an important thing. It’s one thing to practice in the basement or the garage, but to actually get experience performing on a real stage and having your community there was something else. That was such a critical thing in levelling up our performance.”
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“We all played folk and jazz music in high school,” McMurtry recalls. “It wasn’t until I came with the first couple of songs that I had written that a light bulb went off. It brought together a lot of the worlds that we were inhabiting, having this original music that we could make our own.”
Songwriting, says McMurtry, is a process that can’t be forced.
“There are some days that I can write a whole song in one go but, for the most part, I have to be in the right head space to be able to capture those moments of inspiration because they are quite fleeting,” he says.
VIDEO: “Rounder” – Ptarmigan
“I could go months without feeling inspired to write a song and then over the course of a couple of weeks write a handful,” McMurtry says. “You need to be aware of when the moments arrive. Trusting it will happen and not being too hard on yourself if you’re not being super creative on any given day is key.”
Not lost on McMurtry, Hoffman, and Gleason is the substantial impact that their friendship has had on their creative output.
“We have such a history together, so it’s natural for us to be together and create,” says McMurtry. “We know each other’s thinking. “Despite that, there are challenges. When you’re working on something together, you don’t want the work to get between your friendship. There’s a delicate balance there.”
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There’s also a delicate balance in the evolution of the band’s musical style, according to McMurtry.
“Sometimes we feel out of place in the folk world. Sometimes we feel out of place in the rock or new rock world. The flip side of that is it makes us unique and makes us stand out. We’re not really like a lot of other acts. We really try to leverage that and it’s worked to some extent. People are interested in the combination of sounds that we’re able to create.”
Ahead for Ptarmigan, if eased pandemic restrictions allow, is a planned March show in Toronto followed by a tour of Ontario cities. McMurtry is chomping at the bit to again experience “the feeling of getting lost in the music and in the moment to point where it becomes something larger than yourself.”
Ptarmigan’s latest album “Cocoon” was released on on November 19. 2021. It’s available as a digital album and as a CD. (Photo: Ptarmigan)
“I would love to do more extensive touring nationally. There a are a lot of places that haven’t heard us yet. And I would love to tour the UK and Europe. I think our sound would find a unique audience there as well.”
Expressing a desire “to take this ride as far as we can,” McMurtry says Ptarmigan has represented all that he aspired to during his at time at PCVS.
“My biggest dream was to be able to write a song and perform it for people on a stage. The fact that I’ve been able to that for this long with super creative amazing people who are my best friends is something I definitely don’t take for granted because, in a minute, it could be gone.”
“In the grand scheme of things we’re not really that successful compared to a lot of other bands, but I’m grateful we’ve able to play shows and have people appreciate the music. That’s the most important thing for me.”
To learn more about Ptarmigan and keep up to date on tour dates as they’re announced, visit www.ptarmiganband.com. You can listen to and buy Cocoon as a digital album or a CD at ptarmiganmusic.bandcamp.com.
Bonnie Annis and Will Roderick of L'Moor, a distributor of skin and body care products for spas and aestheticians located east of Cobourg, driving home from British Columbia. To address supply chain issues for their clients who are trying to fill Christmas orders, the pair flew from Kitchener to Vancouve and are now on their way home to Northumberland County with a rented SUV packed with product for their clients. (Photo: Bonnie Annis)
Displaying equal helpings of determination and dedication, with a side order of daring, two Northumberland-based entrepreneurs are going above and beyond, and then some, to serve their clients.
Bonnie Annis and her longtime partner Will Roderick own and operate L’Moor just east of Cobourg, a distributor of skin and body care products for spas and aestheticians. She and Roderick are returning home on a cross-country trip to British Columbia, their rental vehicle filled to the brim with some 700 pounds of product.
When it became apparent that, due to supply chain challenges, Moor Spa Natural products couldn’t be shipped east any time soon from Richmond B.C., it was time for Annis to take action and quickly. Thus “Homeward Bound: One Moor Journey” was born.
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“If my clients don’t get their products right away, they’re going to lose their holiday sales,” Annis says. “I can’t do that to them. Many of my clients were closed for 10 months over the period of the pandemic. Personal services were shut down — hairstylists, aestheticians. So many are independent practitioners and they have no other way of generating revenue.”
With Roderick at the wheel of their rented Kia SUV, the pair was in Lake Louise, Alberta on Friday morning (December 10) hoping to drive straight through to Regina, Saskatchewan by Friday night. If all goes well, they’ll be back home in Northumberland at some point Monday.
“People think we’re crazy,” admits Annis. “The car rental guy wasn’t terribly encouraging. That made me a little sad. The Ministry of Transportation stopped us just as we got on the highway and asked us the purpose of our travels. We told them. I have never seen such a look of skepticism on anyone’s face.”
VIDEO: Bonnie Annis and Will Roderick head to Vancouver
Annis says the trip — they flew to Vancouver from Kitchener — was necessitated by the fact that others means of bringing her product east were either too cost-restrictive or couldn’t deliver on time.
“We looked at a truck. We couldn’t get a truck. We couldn’t get on a train. It would take weeks to get here. For air freight, we were quoted $5,000 plus there would be a seven-day delay. There was no other option. There are tens of thousands of dollars in back orders that people are waiting for.”
The experience, says Annis, has given her a whole new appreciation for truck drivers, “The people who bring stuff that gets to the shelves in the stores.”
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“We take that for granted. When lettuce gets wilted, you throw it out because you think ‘I can just go get more.’ Then you see the mountain passes that drivers are driving through. And they are alone. I have such an appreciation for the people who get us stuff. That’s a visceral awareness I didn’t have before.”
“The word for 2020 was unprecedented. The word for 2021 was pivot. Moving forward, I think the word for 2022 — the catch phrase — is going to be supply chain. Consumers are becoming more aware of that. In addition to what we need to do for our business, we want to bring awareness to what’s happening in the supply chain. We want people to understand that they’re going to have to be flexible moving forward.”
To pass the time on the road, Annis is knitting and, with Roderick at the wheel, is enjoying a Spotify playlist featuring close to nine hours worth of songs contributed by followers of their journey home. Many of the songs are travel or road themed. Think “Drive” by The Cars and “Life is a Highway” by Tom Cochrane and you get the idea.
Bonnie Annis and Will Roderick have also launched a fundraiser for the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), pictured here with food and other supplies for pets displaced by the floods in Abbotsford, British Columbia. (Photo: B.C. SPCA)
“I was crying yesterday every time I looked at the Spotify playlist and saw new songs pop up,” Annis says. “Those contributing are expressing their belief in us. Being on the road feels quite isolating and really tiring. I haven’t slept for more than three hours at any one time. Hearing those songs has been an amazing joy.”
As well, because so many lower B.C. residents displaced by recent flooding had to leave their homes quickly without supplies for their pets, Annis and Roderick are appealing for monetary donations to the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) that is supplying crates, pet food, and other supplies to owners in need. So far that effort has brought in close to $500.
To donate, visit the L’Moor fundraiser page on CanadaHelps. To add a song or two to the Spotify playlist, visit lmoor.com and use the provided QR code to gain access to the playlist titled “Homeward Bound: One Moor Journey”. Donations to the B.C. SPCA can also be made on that same page, again via a QR code.
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Annis, who has a Bachelor of Science in midwifery, has operated L’Moor for 15 years now. She says her plan was to be a midwife but this opportunity arose.
“Almost, without exception, my clients are women,” she says. “I love being in the role of nurturing and supporting and being that cheerleader for women. A client in Tobermory wrote ‘You guys are being such a role model and you make me want to work harder.’ I like to present to my clients the idea that whatever you’ve got to do, you can overcome any challenge. I want to be that kind of role model.”
Client support and care isn’t anything new to Annis.
“In our industry, we’re a small fish. Our industry is made up of lots of large multi-location, brick-and-mortar distributors that sell 25 or 30 different lines of product. What we do is connection. We do community. We do education. We do support.”
Bonnie Annis and Will Roderick of L’Moor, a distributor of skin and body care products for spas and aestheticians located east of Cobourg, have called their journey back from British Columbia with a rental vehicle filled with product for their clients “Homeward Bound: One Moor Journey”. As part of their journey, they are also encouraging people to donate to the B.C. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to help pet owners affected by the recent B.C. floods. (Graphic courtesy of Bonnie Annis).
“At the beginning of the pandemic, we hosted our first Zoom call for our clients,” Annis recalls. “That has evolved into a weekly call that deals with multiple issues for small business owners — financial issues, marketing issues, education issues. There’s a face to everyone who has an order with us.”
With L’Moor’s tagline reading ‘Trust Us To Bring More,’ Annis and Roderick are clearly doing just that for their clients. Their mission to transport their product themselves, over thousands of miles, so their clients can fulfill their holiday sale commitments is an extension of that.
“I think the pandemic has helped us see what’s possible,” says Annis. “You can look at something and say ‘We can’t do that’ or you can look at something and ask ‘What is possible?’ I think entrepreneurs are optimistic. Nothing gets you down for terribly long.”
For more information about L’Moor, visit lmoor.com. To follow them on their journey back home, visit Annis’ Facebook page.
Environment Canada has issued a rainfall warning and a wind warning for all of southern Ontario, including the greater Kawarthas region, for Friday (December 10) and Saturday.
A strengthening low pressure system is forecast to track northeast across the Great Lakes on Saturday, bringing heavy rain.
In the Kawarthas region, the heavy rain is expected to begin late Friday evening and continue through Saturday afternoon, with rainfall amounts of 25 to 45 mm forecast.
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A cold front will sweep through southern Ontario Saturday afternoon and evening, into the overnight hours, with strong winds gusting up to 90 km/hr in some areas.
In anticipation of the strong winds, Ontario Hydro has issued a statement that crews are ready to respond to power outages.
“Downed power lines are very dangerous, even if they don’t appear to be live,” the statement read. “If you see a fallen power line, keep at least 10 metres back and report it immediately by calling 911 and Hydro One at 1-800-434-1235.”
Otonabee Conservation has issued a flood watch for all waterbodies and watercourses in the Otonabee Region watershed, which includes the municipalities of Selwyn, Douro-Dummer, Asphodel-Norwood, Otonabee-South Monaghan, Cavan Monaghan, City of Kawartha Lakes, City of Peterborough, and Trent Hills.
“With frozen ground conditions, the expected rainfall and potential heavy downpours, combined with warm temperatures and melting snow may cause minor flooding in low-lying areas,” the flood watch states. “As a minimum, water pooling on roads and in low-lying areas and higher than normal water levels and flows can be expected, especially in the vicinity of culverts and bridges. Higher than normal water levels and flows will continue throughout the weekend as the expected rainfall and snow melt flushes through our waterways.”
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Otonabee Conservation is advising residents are advised to be extremely cautious around all local lakes, rivers, streams, and creeks because shorelines and riverbanks will be slippery and could be undercut, and currents will be strong. Road-side ditches, wetlands and other low-lying areas may experience unsafe ponding conditions. Dams and other water control and water conveyance structures are especially dangerous and should always be avoided.
Kawartha Conservation has issued a water safety statement for the Kawartha watershed, which includes City of Kawartha Lakes, Scugog Township, Brock Township, Clarington, Trent Lakes, and Cavan Monaghan.
“No flooding problems within the Kawartha Conservation watershed jurisdiction are anticipated at this time,” the water safety statement reads. “However, water accumulation in low-lying areas, road ditches, and areas with poor drainage can be expected.”
“All local rivers, streams, ditches, and lakes should be considered extremely dangerous in these conditions. Riverbanks and shorelines are slippery and unsafe. Stream currents will be strong, and water temperatures dangerously cold. Ice cover, where it exists, is extremely hazardous.”
Ontario health minister Christine Elliott announced a series of measures on December 10, 2021, intended to further encourage Ontarians to get vaccinated and to help limit the spread of COVID-19 and the omicron variant, including strenthening of proof of vaccination requirements, enhanced public health measures, and additional rapid antigen testing. (kawarthaNOW screenshot of CPAC video)
The provincial government announced a series of measures on Friday (December 10) intended to further encourage Ontarians to get vaccinated and to help limit the spread of COVID-19 and the omicron variant.
The measures include strengthening proof of vaccination requirements, enhanced public health measures, and additional rapid antigen testing.
The announcement comes on the same day Ontario reported 1,453 COVID-19 cases, the highest daily increase in six months, and that the omicron variant has been detected in 10 per cent of COVID-19 test result samples tested at Public Health Ontario.
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“With cases expected to increase during the winter months, and as we continue to monitor the evolving global evidence around the omicron variant, we must remain vigilant,” said Ontario health minister Christine Elliott at a media conference at Queen’s Park, also attended by Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health.
“We’re still learning about the new variant, but we can expect the months ahead may be very challenging,” Elliott added. “The actions we take today will help ensure that our communities stay safe this winter.”
The government will not be lifting proof of vaccination requirements on January 17, 2022, as originally announced in October.
“This is aligned with Ontario’s reopening plan, which required an absence of concerning trends before gradually lifting further public health measures,” Elliott said.
Effective January 4, the province will require the use of the enhanced vaccine certificate with QR code and the Verify Ontario app in settings where proof of vaccination is required. Previous versions of vaccine certificates without the QR code will no longer be accepted.
“We understand that not everyone has access to, or is comfortable, with technology,” Elliott said. “That is why people can save the electronic version of their QR code to their phone, or print a paper copy. Business must accept both electronic and paper versions. If individuals need help printing, they can visit their local library or call the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre to have their vaccine certificate mailed to them. They can also visit a ServiceOntario Centre to receive a printed copy.”
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With Ontarians aged 50 or older eligible for booster doses starting Monday (December 13), Elliott said vaccines are the single best defence against COVID-19 infection.
“I want to strongly urge everyone to get vaccinated and to get your booster doses as soon as you are eligible to do so,” Elliott said. “In no uncertain terms, vaccines work.”
Starting on December 15, the province will begin a new process to provide an enhanced COVID-19 vaccine certificate with QR code for people who have an eligible medical exemption to vaccination, or who are participating in an approved COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial.
People who have an eligible medical exemption for vaccination must ask an Ontario physician or registered nurse to submit their exemption directly to the public health unit where the medical practice is located. The enhanced COVID-19 vaccine certificate with QR code for medical exemptions will be required in settings where proof of vaccination is required as of January 10, when organizations and businesses will be advised to no longer accept physician notes.
Starting on December 20, Ontario will also begin requiring proof of vaccination for youth aged 12 to 17 years of age who are participating in organized sports at recreational facilities.
Effective January 4, Ontarians aged 18 and over will be eligible to schedule their booster dose appointment through the online COVID-19 vaccination portal, by calling the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre, through Indigenous-led vaccination clinics, select pharmacies and primary care settings. Appointments will be booked for approximately six months (168 days) after a second dose.
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The government is also strongly advising Ontarians to limit their social gatherings over the holiday season, and to take additional precautions if all people attending such gatherings are not fully vaccinated or if their vaccination status is unknown.
“Please keep your social contacts to a minimum — your gatherings should be small and you should limit the number of gatherings you attend,” Dr Moore said. “Know the rules in your local public health jurisdiction. If you are planning on hosting holiday events, it is advisable to ensure everyone in attendance is fully vaccinated, especially if seniors or immuno-compromised people are attending.”
“Wear a mask if there are vulnerable people in attendance, even if you are fully vaccinated. We all have a responsibility to protect each other. We do not want this holiday season to become a superspreading event.”
The government is also asking employers in all industries to allow employees to work from home if possible.
The province will also be increasing rapid antigen testing for high-risk congregate settings, including antigen testing for all staff, essential caregivers, and visitors to long-term care homes (regardless of vaccination status) who have travelled to any country outside of Canada (including the US) prior to entering a home.
In addition, Ontario will be initiating threshold-based rapid antigen testing in school settings, effective on the return to school in January. Public education videos are available to support usage of the rapid antigen screening kits and the at-home PCR self-collection COVID-19 testing for students. They will be available on December 13 in English, French, and in 15 additional languages.
The province is also launching a holiday testing blitz offering voluntary rapid antigen screening to asymptomatic people free of charge. Two million rapid tests will be provided at pop-up testing sites in high-traffic settings such as malls, retail settings, holiday markets, and transit hubs.
Through the Morton Family Foundation, Peterborough philanthropists David and Patricia Morton have donated $50,000 to YWCA's Haliburton Emergency Rural SafeSpace, which provides safe and supportive temporary accommodations for women, with and without children, who are fleeing abuse in Haliburton County. (Supplied photo)
Local philanthropists David and Patricia Morton have donated $50,000 through the Morton Family Foundation in support of the YWCA’s Haliburton Emergency Rural SafeSpace (HERS).
HERS provides safe and supportive temporary accommodations for women, with and without children, who are fleeing abuse in Haliburton County. The service, designed to be available on an as-needed basis to help reduce costs, offers space for as many as two families at a time.
With HERS, women can move away from the abusive situation in their home without leaving their support systems, jobs and schools, and families and friends behind. For safety reasons, YWCA Peterborough Haliburton ensures 24 hour staffing during evenings, nights and weekends when the units are occupied.
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This is the second year in a row the Mortons have donated $50,000 to support the YWCA’s services for women and children experiencing gender-based violence in Haliburton County. Last year’s donation was in support of YWCA Women’s Centre of Haliburton County Outreach Services.
“We are deeply moved by Patricia and David’s positive impact in the Haliburton County community,” says Kim Dolan, executive director of YWCA Peterborough Haliburton, in a media release. “The Mortons’ compassion for others is helping to ensure that women and children have ongoing access to our Emergency SafeSpace, nutritious food, basic necessities, and 24-hour support when home is the most dangerous place to be.”
According to the YWCA, the pandemic has resulting in a “dramatic rise” in domestic violence through a combination of increased stress, isolation, and job losses — especially for rural women, whose physical distance from police services and lack of resources to assist in accessing safety and support greatly increases their vulnerability to gender-based violence.
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HERS has been fully occupied since January 2021, the YWCA says, and rural women in Haliburton County have reported abuse that is far more serious and complex throughout the pandemic.
“We are so happy to give this donation to such a worthy cause,” says Patricia Morton on behalf of The Morton Family Foundation. “We have been greatly inspired by the expertise and tremendous dedication which the YW’s Haliburton staff bring to their work, both in providing women with safety and security to plan how to build better lives for themselves and their children, and in providing expert professional support services to assist their healing from trauma.”
“As a man I am just appalled and disgusted by violence against women and children,” David Morton adds. “I am grateful at least to have this opportunity to extend a helping hand to the brave women who, with the wonderful support of our YWCA, are striving hard to empower themselves.”
David and Patricia Morton are well-known philanthropists in the Peterborough community. (Photo courtesy of the Mortons / Facebook)
Members of the community who wish to donate or find ways of supporting YWCA services in Haliburton County can visit www.ywcahaliburton.org or contact Ria Nicholson directly at 705-743-3526 x113 or rnicholson@ywcapeterborough.org.
Donations made before December 31st will be doubled during the YWCA’s holiday season matching-gift campaign.
The Mortons are well-known philanthropists in the Peterborough community, having made generous gifts to organizations including Trent University, Peterborough Humane Society, United Way of Peterborough & District, and the Morton Community Healthcare Centre in Lakefield.
Last April, during the height of the first wave of the pandemic, they encouraged the community to donate to the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation by matching donations up to $50,000.
Peterborough Police Service headquarters on Water Street in Peterborough. (Photo: Pat Trudeau)
The City of Peterborough and the Peterborough Police Service have issued a joint statement about an “unsanctioned parade” that has been promoted as taking place on George Street between Brock and Lansdowne in Peterborough late Saturday afternoon (December 11).
“The City of Peterborough and Peterborough Police Service do not endorse or support parades or events that are held without the necessary permits or permissions,” reads the statement that was issued on Thursday (December 9).
According to the statement, the primary concern of police is for the safety of the participants and organizers.
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“Unsanctioned parades are dangerous. They require extensive planning with multiple stakeholders including police, fire services, and the city’s public works and transportation divisions. They require significant financial support upfront for the associated expenses such as adequate insurance.”
The statement says that failure to follow the proper processes opens the organizer and participants up to potential charges and significant fines under the Criminal Code, the Highway Traffic Act, the Compulsory Automobile Insurance Act, and local by-laws.
One of those local by-laws involves temporary road closures for events. At its general committee meeting on Monday (December 6), city council endorsed amending by-law 05-083 to prohibit promoting or advertising an event for which a permit is required, unless a permit has been issued or unless the city has approved promotion of the event prior to the issuing of a permit.
The amendment by-law also allows the city to “establish administrative monetary penalties as an additional enforcement alternative.”
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As for what will happen if Saturday’s unscanctioned parade on George Street goes ahead, the joint statement points out that, since George Street will not be officially closed, “all persons on it will be required to abide by the rules therein, and violations will be investigated and followed up on appropriately.”
“The Police Service wishes to communicate that a police response to such unsanctioned events should not be considered an endorsement, but recognized as a commitment to community safety,” the statement adds.
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