Peterborough radio personality Vince Bierworth is the new executive director of GPHSF, Your Family Health Team Foundation in Peterborough.

“We are excited to have Vince assume the role of executive director and are confident in his ability to lead the foundation forward with our continued objectives of supporting our community and the Peterborough Family Health Team,” writes the board in an announcement on Monday (February 14).

Promotions manager for almost seven years for Bell Media’s Pure Country 105, MOVE 99.7, and Bounce 91.9 and the afternoon drive host on Pure Country 105, Bierworth has been a volunteer and supporter of GPHSF, Your Family Health Team Foundation for almost 10 years, including as vice-chair of the organization’s board of directors.

Bierworth assumes the role from Laura Kennedy, who departed the non-profit organization in January after over five years as executive director.

Kennedy is now vice president of marketing communications at Park Place Financial.

GPHSF, Your Family Health Team Foundation raises funds for medical equipment, programs, and services for patients of the Peterborough Family Health Team in the City and County of Peterborough.

Peterborough police have released further details about a tractor trailer carrying more than 2,000 firearms that was stolen from a trucking yard in Peterborough early Sunday morning (February 13).

The tractor trailer was stolen from a trucking company’s yard on Parkhill Road East at around 3 a.m. on Sunday, according to police.

“We have received numerous questions concerning the type of firearm that was taken and can say that through investigation it has been determined that all the firearms that were stolen were of small calibre with the clips attached,” said detective staff sergeant Mike Jackson in a video released by Peterborough police on Monday.

“We can also confirm that no ammunition for the firearms was within the trailer,” Jackson said. “However, that said, the Peterborough Police Service understands the heightened sense in the community and beyond surrounding this theft. So far, the investigation is leaning toward an isolated crime of opportunity rather than a than a targeted incident.”

Police believe the suspects entered several other commercial yards in the city and attempted to take different trucks and trailers, before successfully stealing the tractor trailer being sought in this incident.

VIDEO: Peterborough police sergeant Mike Jackson on theft of firearms

The truck is a 2019 Freightliner New Cascadia 126 with Ontario license plate 938 2PV, white in colour, with the company name in red on the doors and a red #97 in red on the side of the hood.

The trailer is a 2014 Hyundai 53 foot dry freight van trailer with license plate V30 92A, white in colour, with a silver metallic line that runs horizontally the whole length of the trailer.

Jackson says the suspects appeared to arrive in a four-door blue sedan, which followed the stolen tractor trailer out of the yard.

“The focus of the investigation is currently on locating the trailer and its contents as well as uploading the stolen firearms onto the national database,” Jackson says. “The Peterborough Police are also working with other enforcement agencies including the OPP, RCMP, Homeland Security, Canada Border Services Agency and other municipal services.”

Jackson says both the trucking company and the firearm manufacturer are “fully cooperating” with police. According to a report from Greg Davis at Global News, the firearm manufacturer is Savage Arms of Lakefield.

“The incident involved Savage Arms products,” Kasper wrote in an email to Global News. “Strict security measures were in place and local authorities were notified immediately and are leading the active investigation.”

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Peterborough police at 705-876-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at stopcrimehere.ca.

Additional photos of suspect vehicle

Ontario will be removing capacity limits on most indoor settings this week and will be removing remaining capacity limits, along with proof of vaccination requirements, at the beginning of March.

Premier Doug Ford made the announcement on Monday morning (February 14) at a media conference at Queen’s Park in Toronto, along with health minister Christine Elliott and Ontario’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore.

Ford said the government will “fast track” its reopening plan as positivity rates have fallen and new admissions to hospitals and intensive care units have continued to decline week over week, indicating the omicron wave has peaked.

“Over the weekend, I received recommendations from Dr. Moore on a plan to safely reopen our economy and remove Ontario’s vaccine passport system,” Ford said. “I’ve accepted these recommendations.”

Beginning on Thursday (February 17), all capacity limits will be removed on indoor settings — including restaurants, bars, cinemas, gyms, meeting and event spaces, and casinos, bingo halls, and other gaming establishments — except for sporting events, concert venues, and theatres, which will remain at 50 per cent until March 1. Capacity limits at nightclubs, restaurants where there is dancing, as well as bathhouses and sex clubs, will increase to 25 per cent.

Social gathering limits increase to 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors, and limits on organized public event will be increased 50 people indoors, with no limit outdoors. Capacity limits for indoor weddings, funerals, and religious services will increase to the number of people who can maintain two metres physical distance.

On Tuesday, March 1, capacity limits in all remaining indoor public settings will be lifted, and proof of vaccination requirements for all settings will also be lifted (although businesses and other settings can choose to continue to require proof of vaccination).

“We are now down the slope from the peak of omicron activity,” Dr. Moore said, adding 92 per cent of Ontarians 12 and old have received at least two doses and 6.7 million Ontarians have received three doses. “We no longer need the proof of vaccination. It served its purpose.”

However, masking requirements in indoor settings will remain in place for the time being.

“Based on the advice of Dr. Moore, and what we have learned over the pandemic, we will need to keep masking in place for just a little bit longer,” Ford said. “This is an important layer of protection that will allow us to proceed with our reopening plan safety.”

In addition, as of 8 a.m. on Friday (February 18), Ontario is expanding booster dose eligibility to youth aged 12 to 17. Appointments can be booked through the provincial booking system and the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre, as well as at select pharmacies administering the Pfizer vaccine. Appointments will be booked for approximately six months (168 days) after a second dose. To book an appointment online, youth must be 12 years old at the time of appointment.

Monday’s announcement comes three days after Ford declared a state of emergency in the province in response to truck convoy protestors occupying the city of Ottawa and blockading the border crossing in Windsor, including enacting emergency orders to protect critical infrastructure with non-compliance resulting in maximum fines of $100,000 and up to a year in jail.

Before declaring the state of emergency on Friday, Ford said the province is “on track” to remove almost all remaining public health restrictions, including removing the vaccine passport system — one of the demands of those occupying Ottawa and blockading border crossings.

“Let me be very clear, we’re moving in this direction because it’s safe to do so.” Ford said on Monday. “Today’s announcement is not because of what’s happening in Ottawa or Windsor, but despite it. On Friday morning, I made the difficult decision to declare a state of emergency in Ontario. The police now have every single tool they need, they have every resource available to them, and we’ve made progress since speaking with you last time.”

While police cleared the blockade at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor over the weekend, the truck convoy protest in Ottawa is now into its third week. Over the weekend, Ottawa residents held two counter-protests, with around 500 people marching from Lansdowne Park through the Glebe on Saturday, and around 1,000 people gathering at Bank Street and Riverside Drive on Sunday.

“While Ottawa remains a more complex situation, involving municipal, provincial, and federal law enforcement, all three levels of government are focused on ending the illegal occupation,” Ford said.

“To those who are still there, to those of you who are there with the sole objective of causing disruption and chaos, there’ll be serious consequences for this lawless activity,” Ford said. “We will continue to raise the consequences against those who are holding millions of jobs and people hostage.”

Ford said a number of vehicles were seized over the weekend in Ottawa, and those seizures will continue.

“If you choose to use your vehicle to create chaos, you will lose that vehicle and your licence, plain and simple,” he added.

After thanking police officers for their efforts, Ford acknowledged the pandemic “has been one of the most divisive times in our history.”

“One of the hardest things about this pandemic is the way it’s fractured us as a society,” he said. “Differing views about government policies, the limits of personal freedoms, different views about vaccines, public health measures, and what steps are necessary. All of it has polarized us in a way that we could have never imagined.”

“I’ve experienced this in my own family,” he added. “It’s been one of the hardest things my family and I have ever gone through.”

“I take comfort in known that this awful pandemic will soon be behind us. As hard as this period has been, time will heal this pain and we will come out on the other end of this ordeal stronger, more resilient, and more united as Canadians.

The original version of this story has been expanded with additional details from Monday’s media conference.

Peterborough police are investigating the theft of a truck carrying firearms early Sunday morning (February 13).

At around 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, officers were called to a trucking company on Parkhill Road East after reports a truck carrying more than 2,000 firearms with clips was stolen from the yard.

Through an investigation, it was determined that the incident happened around 3 a.m. Officers attended the scene and canvassed the area.

Police believe there is no ammunition on the truck and, at this point in the investigation, that it is an isolated incident.

Other law enforcement agencies across the province have been notified.

Further details are expected to be released on Monday.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Detective Constable Mike Penney at Peterborough Police at 705-876-1122 x232 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at stopcrimehere.ca.

Vinnies plans to open its new East City location at the end of February.

The non-profit thrift store, operated by The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, is located at 52 Hunter Street East at the corner of Driscoll Terrace, near the Hunter Street bridge and across the street from the East City Coffee Shop.

The building once housed a grocery store operated by Len Welch and was most recently occupied by consulting and engineering company Cambium.

The East City Vinnies store replaces the one at 539 George Street, which closed at the end of January. The downtown Peterborough property where the store was located was sold in 2019 to Toronto developer ZZY Property Group, which intends to demolish the building and build a multi-storey rental apartment building.

Vinnies, which also has stores at 799 Erskine Avenue in Peterborough and at 144 Queen Street in Lakefield, accepts donations of gently used clothing, household goods, electrical appliances, and more.

Profits from no-tax sales at Vinnies stores support the Saint Vincent de Paul’s food pantry at 256 Murray Street, which feeds almost 1,900 people in need every month.

For more information about Vinnies, visit www.vinnies.ca.

If you see American flags flying at Victoria Hall in downtown Cobourg later this month, it’s not an invasion — the production company for Ginny & Georgia is returning to shoot the second second season of the Netflix series.

G2G Series 2 Inc. will be visiting Cobourg from Tuesday, February 22nd until Friday, February 25th, with filming taking place at Victoria Park, Victoria Hall, and on King Street West (from Third Street to Hibernia Street).

There will around 120 crew members, 100 background performers, and 40 production trucks in Cobourg during this time. Filming preparation will take place from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on February 22 and 23, with filming from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on February 24 and tear-down from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on February 25.

A mother-and-daughter coming-of-age series starring Antonia Gentry and Brianne Howy, Ginny & Georgia tells the story of 15-year-old Ginny Miller, who often feels more mature than her free-spirited 30-year-old mother Georgia Miller.

The production company visited Cobourg in August and October 2019 to film the first season of the series, which was watched by 52 million subscribers in the first 28 days after its release in 2021.

During filming day on Thursday, February 24th, Third Street between King Street to Albert Street will be temporarily closed (local access will be allowed) from 4 to 11 p.m. King Street West between Hibernia Street and Third Street will be closed from 6 to 11 p.m.

There will also be intermittent traffic stoppages on Queen Street West, McGill Street, and Church Street from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on King Street West from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Lot and on-street parking in downtown Cobourg will be restricted while the production company is in town, with designated parking areas for film production vehicles paid for by the production company.

This includes Albert Street Lot #6 South and a small portion of Albert Street Lot #6 North, the McGill Street Parking Lot (February 24, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.), the Centennial Pool Lot (February 23 at 8 a.m. until February 24 at 5 p.m.), and metred parking spaces on the west side of Second Street, the east and west sides of Third Street, McGill Street, Queen Street, and Church Street, and various spaces on King Street West.

See the maps below for parking restrictions and filming locations.

Cobourg police will be working directly with the production company to ensure safety and traffic control, and the Town of Cobourg will work closely with the production company to ensure they are meeting all Town of Cobourg requirements and COVID restrictions.

“Ginny & Georgia” Parking restrictions and filming locations

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has declared a state of emergency in Ontario in response to protestors occupying the city of Ottawa and blockading the border crossing in Windsor, including enacting emergency orders to protect critical infrastructure with non-compliance resulting in maximum fines of $100,000 and up to a year in jail.

“Today, I’m using my authority as Premier of Ontario to declare a state of emergency in our province,” Ford said at a media conference at Queen’s Park on Friday (February 11), also attended by solicitor general Sylvia Jones, attorney general Doug Downey, and transportation minister Caroline Mulroney.

Ford made the announcement after stating the province is “on track” to remove almost all remaining public health restrictions including removing the vaccine passport system, one of the demands of those occupying Ottawa and blockading border crossings, and after acknowledging the frustration of Ontarians after two years of public health restrictions because of the pandemic.

“I know these frustrations have reached a boiling point for many Canadians,” he said. “The result is what we are seeing in various cities across our province and our country.”

However, Ford said, the rights to free speech and to peacefully protest are not “without reasonable limits.” He said Ontario’s economy is built on trade, especially with the United States, with more than $700 million of trade flowing every day over the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor alone.

“That trade employs hundreds of thousands of Ontarians who work in auto plants and factories across our great province,” he said. “Those jobs feed millions of families. They are the lifeline for our province and its economy. And while I appreciate the right to protest, that right cannot and must not extend to cutting off that lifeline.”

Calling the situation in Ottawa a “siege” and an “illegal occupation”, Ford urged the remaining protestors to go home and to take their children with them.

“This is no longer a protest. With a protest, you peacefully make your point and you go back home. And I know that the vast majority of the people did that — they came, they peacefully demonstrated, they made their point, and they left. And I want to say to those people, you’ve been heard loud and clear. Canada has heard you. My message to those still in Ottawa, to those at our border crossings: please go home. To those of you who have brought your children, please take them home. I urge you. It’s time to leave. And it’s time to do so peacefully.”

For those who choose to remain, Ford warned there will be “severe” consequences.

“To the very small groups who’ve chosen to take a different path, to those who’ve chosen to take a city of one million people hostage for the past two weeks, to those who’ve attempted to disrupt our way of life by targeting our lifeline for food, fuel, and goods across our borders, to those trying to force a political agenda through disruption, intimidation, and chose, my message to you is this: your right to make a political statement does not outweigh the right of hundreds of thousands of workers to earn their living.”

“It does not outweigh our right to get food across our borders. Your right to make a political statement does not outweigh the rights of the million people in Ottawa to live peacefully, free of harassment and chaos in their own homes. So let me be as clear as I can, there will be consequences for these actions, and they will be severe.”

As for the state of emergency, Ford said he will convene Cabinet to use legal authorities to enact emergency orders that make it illegal and punishable to block and impede the movement of goods, people, and services along critical infrastructure in Ontario.

“This will include protecting international border crossings, 400 series highways, airports, ports, bridges, and railways,” Ford said. “It will also include protecting the safe and essential movement of ambulatory and medical services, public transit, municipal and provincial roadways, as well as pedestrian walkways. Fines for non-compliance will be severe, with a maximum penalty of $100,000 and up to a year imprisonment.”

Ford said the province may also take away the personal and commercial licences of drivers who do not comply with orders.

While stressing the emergency orders are temporary and will not restrict the right of Ontarians to peacefully protest, he said the province has “every intention to bring new legislation that will make these measures permanent in law.”

Calling the situation a “pivotal moment for our nation”, Ford appealed for a return to civil peace and unity.

“The eyes of the world are upon us right now, and what they are seeing is not who we are,” he said. “It’s not what Canada’s about. This is not how we change things here in Canada. We do it through the ballot box, because we are Canadian and we are better than that. So, as a province, as a nation, we must collectively draw a line.”

“We must stand for the values that define us. We must come together right now, we must heal the divide that is fracturing our society. We must come together now, not as opponents, but as Canadians.”