Another person has drowned in a lake in the northern Kawarthas.
On Saturday evening (June 5), Bancroft OPP responded to reports that a 22-year-old Scarborough woman had gone missing in the water of Papineau Lake, located around 30 kilometres north of Bancroft in Hastings Highlands.
Witnesses told police the woman had fallen off a floating device while in the water around 8 p.m. on Saturday and did not make it back to shore.
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On Saturday evening, police conducted an unsuccessful search of the area with the assistance of the OPP Emergency Response Team.
Police continued the search on Sunday (June 6) with the assistance of the Underwater Search and Recovery Unit, who recovered the woman’s body just before 2 p.m.
The Office of the Chief Coroner is directing the ongoing investigation, with a post-mortem examination scheduled. Police say foul play is not suspected in the woman’s death.
This is the fifth apparently accidental death in the past three weeks in the northern Kawarthas region.
On May 12, Haliburton Highlands OPP found a 63-year-old woman without vital signs in Loon Lake southeast of Haliburton. On May 20, Bancroft OPP recovered the body of a 68-year-old Ajax man from Mink Lake north of Bancroft. On June 1, Bancroft OPP recovered the body of a 60-year-old Combermere man from Bells Rapids Lake north of Bancroft. On June 3, police recovered the body of a 60-year-old man from Dark Lake in Wilberforce east of Haliburton.
This story has been updated with the news that police recovered the missing woman’s body.
Environment Canada has issued a special air quality statement for the southern Kawarthas region, including Peterborough and southern Peterborough County, Lindsay and the southern Kawartha Lakes, and Northumberland County.
High levels of air pollution are expected Sunday (June 6), leading to the possibility of deteriorating air quality. Hot and sunny conditions are expected to cause increasing ground-level ozone concentrations in the area.
Moderate risk Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) values are expected throughout the day, with the potential of short-term high risk AQHI values in the afternoon. Similar conditions may persist into Monday.
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Individuals may experience symptoms such as increased coughing, throat irritation, headaches or shortness of breath. Children, seniors, and those with cardiovascular or lung disease, such as asthma, are especially at risk.
People with lung diseases, such as asthma and COPD, can be particularly sensitive to air pollution. They will generally experience more serious health effects at lower levels. Pollution can aggravate their diseases, leading to increased medication use, doctor and emergency room visits, and hospital visits.
If you are experiencing symptoms, such as coughing or throat irritation, consider reducing or rescheduling strenuous outdoor activities until the special air quality statement is lifted. Exposure to air pollution is particularly a health concern for people with heart or breathing problems, those with diabetes, children and the elderly.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 744 new cases today, the sixth straight day of increases under 1,000. For the seventh day in a row, only Toronto and Peel are reporting triple-digit increases. The seven-day average of daily cases has decreased to 844, and the proportion of active cases has declined for the 47th straight day.
There has been a double-digit decrease in hospitalizations, with a smaller decrease in ICU admissions and a small increase of patients on ventilators. Ontario is reporting 24 new deaths, including 3 new deaths in long-term care homes.
With over 9.8 million vaccine doses administered, almost 67% of Ontario’s total population has received at least a single dose, with a record number of doses administered yesterday for the second day in a row. There has also been a record increase of second doses administered for the fourth day in a row, with over 960,000 people (more than 6.5% of the total population) now fully vaccinated.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 11 new cases to report (including 6 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Peterborough, and 2 in Northumberland). There has been 1 new COVID-related death in Kawartha Lakes, the municipality’s 57th death.
An additional 42 cases have been resolved, decreasing the net number of active cases across the region by 16 to 101. Active cases have fallen in Kawartha Lakes, Peterborough, and Hastings Prince Edward, have increased by 1 in Northumberland, and remain unchanged in Haliburton. See below for details from each individual health unit in the region.
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Most of the new cases reported today are in Toronto (181) and Peel (123).
There are double-digit increases reported today in Hamilton (61), Waterloo (51), Porcupine (48), York (48), Durham (31), Ottawa (29), Windsor-Essex (21), Thunder Bay (20), Simcoe Muskoka (18), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (16), Brant (13), Grey Bruce (12), Middlesex-London (11), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (10), Lambton (10), and Halton (10), with a smaller increase in Peterborough (6).
The remaining 15 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 5 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 64% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (304) among people ages 20-39, followed by 184 cases among people ages 40-59 and 172 cases among people 19 and under.
With 1,242 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.1% to at 96.7% — the 47th straight day the percentage of resolved cases has increased. The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased by 0.3% to 3.1%, meaning that 31 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on June 4.
Ontario is reporting 24 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 3 new deaths in long-term care homes. The seven-day average of daily deaths has increased by 1 to 17.
Hospitalizations have decreased by 62 from yesterday to 625, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs decreasing by 6 to 516 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators increasing by 5 to 362.
A total of 27,819 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 1,787 to 12,320.
A total of 9,834,182 doses of vaccine have now been administered, a record increase of 172,855 from yesterday, and 963,257 people have been fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, a record increase of 67,192 from yesterday.
The number of fully vaccinated people represents 6.54% of Ontario’s population, an increase of 0.46% from yesterday, with fully and partially vaccinated people representing 66.75% of the total population, an increase of 1.17% from yesterday. An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 11 new cases to report, including 6 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Peterborough, and 2 in Northumberland. There are no new cases in Hastings Prince Edward or Haliburton. An outbreak at LCBO Port Hope was declared on June 4.
There has been 1 new COVID-related death in Kawartha Lakes, the municipality’s 57th death, and 1 new hospitalization in Peterborough.
There are 17 new regional cases of variants of concern, including 14 in Kawartha Lakes, 1 in Northumberland, 1 in Haliburton, and 1 in Peterborough.
An additional 42 cases have been resolved, including 32 in Kawartha Lakes, 6 in Peterborough, 2 in Northumberland, and 2 in Hastings Prince Edward. An outbreak at Medi-Share Inc. in Lindsay has been declared resolved.
There are currently 101 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 16 since yesterday, including 56 in Kawartha Lakes, 32 in Peterborough, 10 in Northumberland, 2 in Hastings Prince Edward (2 in Belleville), and 1 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 1,522 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,469 resolved with 21 deaths), 1,049 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (949 resolved with 57 deaths), 926 in Northumberland County (899 resolved with 17 deaths), 119 in Haliburton County (117 resolved with 1 death), and 1,121 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (1,108 resolved with 11 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Kawartha Lakes on June 5.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 4 p.m. the previous day, as well as from systems in Toronto, Ottawa, and Middlesex-London at 2 p.m. the previous day. Data from local health units is more current and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day. There may be discrepancies between the Ontario data reported today (which is from yesterday) and the local health unit data reported today (which is from today).
Peterborough Public Health’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 1,522 (increase of 3) Total variants of concern cases: 697 (increase of 1) Active cases: 32 (decrease of 3) Close contacts: 92 (decrease of 9) Deaths: 21 (no change) Resolved: 1,469 (increase of 6) Hospitalizations (total to date): 69 (increase of 1)* ICU admissions (total to date): 15 (no change) Total tests completed: Over 52,900 (increase of 100) Total vaccine doses administered (residents and non-residents): 90,716 (increase of 11,566 as of June 3) Number of residents who have received first dose: 81,390 (increase of 9,270 as of June 3) Number of residents fully vaccinated: 9,388 (increase of 2,729 as of June 3) Outbreaks: Fairhaven long-term care home in Peterborough, Unidentified workplace #11 in Peterborough, Riverview Manor long-term care home in Peterborough (no change)
*As of June 4, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting 3 patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 (decrease of 1) and a total of 76 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (no change).
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
The health unit provides reports from Monday to Saturday, excluding Sundays and statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 2,094, including 1,049 in Kawartha Lakes, 926 in Northumberland, and 119 in Haliburton (increase of 8, including 6 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Northumberland)* Total variants of concern cases: 750, including 389 in Kawartha Lakes, 327 in Northumberland, and 34 in Haliburton (increase of 16, including 14 in Kawartha Lakes, 1 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton) Active cases: 67, including 56 in Kawartha Lakes, 10 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (net decrease of 11, including a decrease of 12 in Kawartha Lakes and an increase of 1 in Northumberland) Probable cases: 1, in Kawartha Lakes (decrease of 1 in Kawartha Lakes) Hospitalizations (total to date): 76, including 42 in Kawartha Lakes, 31 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (no change)** Deaths (including among probable cases): 75, including 57 in Kawartha Lakes, 17 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Kawartha Lakes) Resolved: 1,965, including 949 in Kawartha Lakes, 899 in Northumberland, and 117 in Haliburton (increase of 34, including 32 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Northumberland) Tests completed: 196,484 (increase of 972) Vaccine doses administered to residents: 104,784 (increase of 8,863 as of May 31) Number of residents fully vaccinated: 11,108 (increase of 3,773 as of May 31) Outbreaks: Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, LCBO Port Hope (no net change)***
*The health unit states that total counts and counts for individual counties may fluctuate from previously reported counts as cases are transferred to or from the health unit based on case investigation details and routine data cleaning.
**As of June 4, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports no patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change).
***An outbreak at Medi-Share Inc. in Lindsay has been declared resolved. An outbreak at LCBO Port Hope was declared on June 4.
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 1,121 (no change) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 490 (no change) Active cases: 2 (decrease of 2) Deaths: 11 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 5 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 2 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 1 (no change) Resolved: 1,108 (increase of 2) Tests completed: 145,490 (no change) Vaccine doses administered: 107,322 (increase of 3,071) Number of people fully vaccinated: 10,711 (increase of 1,269) Outbreaks: None (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 535,419 (increase of 744) COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) cases: 131,123 of B.1.1.7 Alpha variant (increase of 1,316); 1,035 of B.1.351 Beta variant (increase of 63); 3,263 of P.1 Gamma variant (increase of 296) VOC R(t): 0.75 (increase of 0.03 as of June 3)* 7-day average of daily new cases: 844 (decrease of 45) Positivity rate: 3.1% (increase of 0.3%) Resolved: 517,638 (increase of 1,242), 96.7% of all cases (increase of 0.1%) Hospitalizations: 625 (decrease of 62) Hospitalizations in ICU: 516 (decrease of 6) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 362 (increase of 5) Deaths: 8,844 (increase of 24) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 17 (increase of 1) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,956 (increase of 3) Total tests completed: 15,369,037 (increase of 27,819) Tests under investigation: 12,320 (decrease of 1,787) Vaccination doses administered: 9,834,182 (increase of 172,855), 66.75% of Ontario’s total population (increase of 1.17%)** People fully vaccinated (two doses): 963,257 (increase of 67,192), 6.54% of Ontario’s total population (increase of 0.46%)**
*R(t) is a virus’s effective reproduction number, which is the average number of new infections caused by a single infected individual at a specific time (t) in a partially immunized population. To successfully eliminate a disease from a population, R(t) needs to be less than 1.
**An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from May 5 – June 4, 2021. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from May 5 – June 4, 2021. The red line is the daily number of tests completed, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from May 5 – June 4, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of hospitalizations, the purple line is the daily number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs, and the dotted orange line is a five-day rolling average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from May 5 – June 4, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily deaths, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of daily deaths. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 vaccinations in Ontario from May 5 – June 4, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered, the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of daily doses, and the blue line is the cumulative number of people fully vaccinated with two doses of vaccine. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
A man who went swimming in Crowe River in Havelock-Belmont-Metheun Township in Peterborough County on Saturday morning (June 5) is dead.
Peterborough County OPP and emergency crews were called to assist at around 11:45 a.m. on Saturday after a man, who was swimming in the river with a friend, went into distress and slipped under the water.
Bystanders had located the man in the water and performed CPR until police and emergency crews arrived.
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The man was then transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
Police are continuing to investigate the incident and will not identify the victim until his next of kin are notified.
During the launch of the new Leahy's Farm & Market in Apsley on June 4, 2021, North Kawartha Mayor Carolyn Amyotte (far left) thanked Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith (second from left) for the delivery of 3,000 pounds of food and $1,250 in cash donations and gift cards for the North Kawartha Food Bank, raised earlier in the day at Morello's Your Independent Grocer in Peterborough. Leahy's Farm & Market is a partnership between the Leahy family, Ball Real Estate, and Calm N Ground. (Screenshot of Facebook video by Ball Real Estate)
The village of Apsley and North Kawartha Township received a triple dose of good news on Friday afternoon (June 4), including two announcements improving local food security.
First, North Kawartha Mayor Carolyn Amyotte announced that Selwyn Township’s famous family the Leahys, who run a popular farmers’ market stand every summer beside their farm on Highway 28 near Lakefield, have opened a satellite location in Apsley.
The new location is a partnership between the Leahy family, Ball Real Estate, and Mary-Lyn and Phil Moore, owners of Calm N Ground — Apsley’s new coffee shop and eatery at 27 Burleigh Street, where the outdoor Leahy’s Farm & Market is located.
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Open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. all summer long, Leahy’s Farm & Market offers fresh vegetables and fruit, baked goods, meat, and more to local residents and visitors. It’s located across the street from where Sayers Foods, the area’s only grocery store, stood before it was lost to a fire in December.
While Sayers Foods works to rebuild, the new market means Apsley and North Kawartha residents no longer have to travel to grocery stores outside of the area for some fresh food essentials during the summer. The market will also draw seasonal residents and visitors into Apsley, strengthening the local economy that has suffered from the loss of an anchor business.
The second piece of good news delivered on Friday were the results of the food drive for the North Kawartha Food Bank, held earlier in the day at Morello’s Your Independent Grocer in Peterborough.
Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith, who helped organize the food drive with Kawartha Food Share, travelled to Apsley to announce the food drive had raised 3,000 pounds of food as well as $1,250 in cash donations and gift cards.
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The final good news announcement saw Doug Leahy of the Leahy family and Greg Ball of Ball Real Estate each making donations to both Community Care Apsley and the Apsley Lions Club during the announcement.
“As your Mayor I am overjoyed to see such amazing support from within and outside North Kawartha,” Amyotte posted on Facebook following the three announcements.
“The spirit of cooperation and partnership to make our community the best it can be, just makes my heart burst.”
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 914 new cases today, the fifth straight day of increases under 1,000. For the sixth day in a row, only Toronto and Peel are reporting triple-digit increases, and almost half of Ontario’s 34 health units are reporting 5 or fewer cases. The seven-day average of daily cases has decreased to 889, and the proportion of active cases has declined for the 46th straight day.
There have been double-digit decreases in hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and patients on ventilators. Ontario is reporting 19 new deaths, including 2 new deaths in long-term care homes.
With almost 9.7 million vaccine doses administered, almost 66% of Ontario’s total population has received at least a single dose, with a record number of doses yesterday. There has also been a record increase of second doses administered for the third day in a row, with almost 900,000 people (more than 6% of the total population) now fully vaccinated.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 8 new cases to report (including 5 in Peterborough, 2 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Northumberland) and an additional 17 cases resolved, with the net number of active cases across the region decreasing by 12 to 117. Active cases have fallen in Peterborough and Hastings Prince Edward and remain unchanged from yesterday in Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton. See below for details from each individual health unit in the region.
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Most of the new cases reported today are in Toronto (214) and Peel (169).
There are double-digit increases reported today in Durham (62), Hamilton (59), Porcupine (57), Waterloo (56), Ottawa (52), Halton (33), York (31), Middlesex-London (24), Simcoe Muskoka (23), Niagara (22), Windsor-Essex (17), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (17), and Thunder Bay (16), with smaller increases in Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (9), Lambton (9), and Brant (7).
The remaining 16 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 5 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 66% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (370) among people ages 20-39, followed by 231 cases among people 19 and under, and 201 cases among people ages 40-59.
With 1,397 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.1% to at 96.6% — the 46th straight day the percentage of resolved cases has increased. The average positivity rate across Ontario has remain unchanged for the second straight day at 2.8%, meaning that 28 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on June 3.
Ontario is reporting 19 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 2 new deaths in long-term care homes. The seven-day average of daily deaths has increased by 1 to 16.
Hospitalizations have decreased by 42 from yesterday to 687, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs decreasing by 24 to 522 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators decreasing by 13 to 357.
A total of 32,258 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 1,593 to 14,107.
A total of 9,661,327 doses of vaccine have now been administered, a record increase of 168,322 from yesterday, and 896,065 people have been fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, a record increase of 61,084 from yesterday.
The number of fully vaccinated people represents 6.08% of Ontario’s population, an increase of 0.41% from yesterday, with fully and partially vaccinated people representing 65.58% of the total population, an increase of 1.14% from yesterday. An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 8 new cases to report, including 5 in Peterborough, 2 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Northumberland. There are no new cases in Hastings Prince Edward for the fourth day in a row, and no new cases in Haliburton.
There are 5 new regional cases of variants of concern, including 4 in Peterborough and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward.
An additional 17 cases have been resolved, including 14 in Peterborough and 3 in Hastings Prince Edward.
There are currently 117 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 12 since yesterday, including 68 in Kawartha Lakes, 35 in Peterborough, 9 in Northumberland, 4 in Hastings Prince Edward (3 in Belleville and 1 in North Hastings), and 1 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 1,519 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,463 resolved with 21 deaths), 1,030 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (917 resolved with 56 deaths), 924 in Northumberland County (897 resolved with 17 deaths), 119 in Haliburton County (117 resolved with 1 death), and 1,121 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (1,106 resolved with 11 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on May 30.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 4 p.m. the previous day, as well as from systems in Toronto, Ottawa, and Middlesex-London at 2 p.m. the previous day. Data from local health units is more current and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day. There may be discrepancies between the Ontario data reported today (which is from yesterday) and the local health unit data reported today (which is from today).
Peterborough Public Health’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 1,519 (increase of 5) Total variants of concern cases: 696 (increase of 4) Active cases: 35 (decrease of 9) Close contacts: 101 (decrease of 6) Deaths: 21 (no change) Resolved: 1,463 (increase of 14) Hospitalizations (total to date): 68 (no change)* ICU admissions (total to date): 15 (no change) Total tests completed: Over 52,800 (increase of 50) Total vaccine doses administered (residents and non-residents): 90,716 (increase of 11,566 as of June 3) Number of residents who have received first dose: 81,390 (increase of 9,270 as of June 3) Number of residents fully vaccinated: 9,388 (increase of 2,729 as of June 3) Outbreaks: Fairhaven long-term care home in Peterborough, Unidentified workplace #11 in Peterborough, Riverview Manor long-term care home in Peterborough (no change)
*As of June 4, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting 3 patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 (decrease of 1) and a total of 76 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (no change).
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
The health unit provides reports from Monday to Saturday, excluding Sundays and statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 2,073, including 1,030 in Kawartha Lakes, 924 in Northumberland, and 119 in Haliburton (increase of 3, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland)* Total variants of concern cases: 734, including 375 in Kawartha Lakes, 326 in Northumberland, and 33 in Haliburton (no change) Active cases: 78, including 68 in Kawartha Lakes, 9 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change) Probable cases: 2 in Kawartha Lakes (no change) Hospitalizations (total to date): 76, including 42 in Kawartha Lakes, 31 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (no change)** Deaths (including among probable cases): 74, including 56 in Kawartha Lakes, 17 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change) Resolved: 1,931, including 917 in Kawartha Lakes, 897 in Northumberland, and 117 in Haliburton (no change) Tests completed: 195,512 (no change) Vaccine doses administered to residents: 104,784 (increase of 8,863 as of May 31) Number of residents fully vaccinated: 11,108 (increase of 3,773 as of May 31) Outbreaks: Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Medi-Share Inc. in Lindsay (no change)
*The health unit states that total counts and counts for individual counties may fluctuate from previously reported counts as cases are transferred to or from the health unit based on case investigation details and routine data cleaning.
**As of June 4, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports no patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change).
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 1,121 (no change) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 490 (increase of 1) Active cases: 4 (decrease of 3) Deaths: 11 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 5 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 2 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 1 (no change) Resolved: 1,106 (increase of 5) Tests completed: 145,490 (no change) Vaccine doses administered: 104,261 (increase of 2,365) Number of people fully vaccinated: 9,442 (increase of 684) Outbreaks: None (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 534,675 (increase of 914) COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) cases: 129,807 of B.1.1.7 Alpha variant (increase of 1,248); 972 of B.1.351 Beta variant (increase of 18); 2,967 of P.1 Gamma variant (increase of 46) VOC R(t): 0.75 (increase of 0.03 as of June 3)* 7-day average of daily new cases: 889 (decrease of 51) Positivity rate: 2.8% (no change) Resolved: 516,396 (increase of 1,397), 96.6% of all cases (increase of 0.1%) Hospitalizations: 687 (decrease of 42) Hospitalizations in ICU: 522 (decrease of 24) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 357 (decrease of 13) Deaths: 8,820 (increase of 19) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 16 (increase of 1) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,953 (increase of 2) Total tests completed: 15,341,218 (increase of 32,258) Tests under investigation: 14,107 (decrease of 1,593) Vaccination doses administered: 9,661,327 (increase of 168,322), 65.58% of Ontario’s total population (increase of 1.14%)** People fully vaccinated (two doses): 896,065 (increase of 61,084), 6.08% of Ontario’s total population (increase of 0.41%)**
*R(t) is a virus’s effective reproduction number, which is the average number of new infections caused by a single infected individual at a specific time (t) in a partially immunized population. To successfully eliminate a disease from a population, R(t) needs to be less than 1.
**An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from May 4 – June 3, 2021. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from May 4 – June 3, 2021. The red line is the daily number of tests completed, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from May 4 – June 3, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of hospitalizations, the purple line is the daily number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs, and the dotted orange line is a five-day rolling average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from May 4 – June 3, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily deaths, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of daily deaths. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 vaccinations in Ontario from May 4 – June 3, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered, the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of daily doses, and the blue line is the cumulative number of people fully vaccinated with two doses of vaccine. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
For the fourth time since May, a body has been recovered from a lake in the northern Kawarthas.
Haliburton Highlands OPP are investigating after a body was found on Thursday afternoon (June 3) in Dark Lake in Wilberforce, located about 25 kilometres east of Haliburton.
The deceased person has been identified as 60-year-old Steven Honderich of Highlands East Township.
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A post-mortem examination is scheduled to take place in Toronto, but police do not suspect foul play.
This is the fourth apparently accidental death in the past three weeks in lakes in the northern Kawarthas region.
On May 12, Haliburton Highlands OPP found a 63-year-old woman without vital signs in Loon Lake southeast of Haliburton. On May 20, Bancroft OPP recovered the body of a 68-year-old Ajax man from Mink Lake north of Bancroft. On June 1, Bancroft OPP recovered the body of a 60-year-old Combermere man from Bells Rapids Lake north of Bancroft.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 870 new cases today, the fourth straight day of increases under 1,000. For the fifth day in a row, only Toronto and Peel are reporting triple-digit increases, and half of Ontario’s 34 health units are reporting 5 or fewer cases. The seven-day average of daily cases has decreased to 940, and the proportion of active cases has declined for the 45th straight day.
There’s been a double-digit increase in hospitalizations but also a double-digit decrease in both ICU admissions and patients on ventilators. Ontario is reporting 10 new deaths, with no new deaths in long-term care homes.
With almost 9.5 million vaccine doses administered, over 64% of Ontario’s total population has received at least a single dose. There has been a record increase of second doses administered for the second day in a row, with more than 800,000 people (almost 5.7% of the total population) now fully vaccinated.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 14 new cases to report (including 9 in Kawartha Lakes, 4 in Peterborough, and 1 in Haliburton) and an additional 20 cases resolved, with the net number of active cases across the region decreasing by 4 to 129. Active cases have fallen in every health unit, except in Kawartha Lakes where they have increased by 4 and in Haliburton where they have increased by 1. See below for details from each individual health unit in the region.
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Most of the new cases reported today are in Toronto (225) and Peel (167).
There are double-digit increases reported today in Niagara (55), Porcupine (49), Hamilton (45), Durham (44), Ottawa (43), Waterloo (37), Simcoe Muskoka (33), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (29), York (28), Middlesex-London (22), Halton (18), Windsor-Essex (17), and Brant (14), with smaller increases in Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (8) and Peterborough (7).
The remaining 17 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 5 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 59% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (314) among people ages 20-39 followed by 235 cases among people ages 40-59 and 203 cases among people 19 and under.
With 1,563 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.2% to at 96.5% — the 45th straight day the percentage of resolved cases has increased. The average positivity rate across Ontario is unchanged since yesterday at 2.8%, meaning that 28 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on June 2.
Ontario is reporting 10 new COVID-19 deaths today, with no new deaths in long-term care homes. The seven-day average of daily deaths has decreased by 1 to 15.
Hospitalizations have increased by 21 from yesterday to 729, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs decreasing by 30 to 546 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators falling by 29 to 370.
A total of 34,277 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 3,299 to 15,700.
A total of 9,493,005 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 150,884 from yesterday, and 834,981 people have been fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, a record increase of 53,818 from yesterday.
The number of fully vaccinated people represents 5.67% of Ontario’s population, an increase of 0.37% from yesterday, with fully and partially vaccinated people representing 64.43% of the total population, an increase of 1.02% from yesterday. An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 14 new cases to report, including 9 in Kawartha Lakes, 4 in Peterborough, and 1 in Haliburton. There are no new cases in Hastings Prince Edward for the third day in a row, and no new cases in Northumberland.
There are 6 new regional cases of variants of concern, including 3 in Kawartha Lakes, 2 in Peterborough, and 1 in Northumberland.
There has been 1 new hospitalization in Kawartha Lakes.
An additional 20 cases have been resolved, including 8 in Peterborough, 6 in Kawartha Lakes, 4 in Hastings Prince Edward, and 2 in Northumberland.
There are currently 129 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 4 since yesterday, including 68 in Kawartha Lakes, 44 in Peterborough, 9 in Northumberland, 7 in Hastings Prince Edward (4 in Belleville, 1 in Prince Edward County, and 2 in North Hastings), and 1 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 1,514 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,449 resolved with 21 deaths), 1,028 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (917 resolved with 56 deaths), 923 in Northumberland County (897 resolved with 17 deaths), 119 in Haliburton County (117 resolved with 1 death), and 1,121 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (1,103 resolved with 11 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on May 30.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 4 p.m. the previous day, as well as from systems in Toronto, Ottawa, and Middlesex-London at 2 p.m. the previous day. Data from local health units is more current and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day. There may be discrepancies between the Ontario data reported today (which is from yesterday) and the local health unit data reported today (which is from today).
Peterborough Public Health’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 1,514 (increase of 5)* Total variants of concern cases: 692 (increase of 2) Active cases: 44 (decrease of 3) Close contacts: 107 (decrease of 14) Deaths: 21 (no change) Resolved: 1,449 (increase of 8) Hospitalizations (total to date): 68 (no change)** ICU admissions (total to date): 15 (no change) Total tests completed: Over 52,750 (increase of 100) Total vaccine doses administered (residents and non-residents): 90,716 (increase of 11,566 as of June 3) Number of residents who have received first dose: 81,390 (increase of 9,270 as of June 3) Number of residents fully vaccinated: 9,388 (increase of 2,729 as of June 3) Outbreaks: Fairhaven long-term care home in Peterborough, Unidentified workplace #11 in Peterborough, Riverview Manor long-term care home in Peterborough (no change)
*The health unit is reporting 4 new cases in the last 24 hours. The total case count has increased by 5 because 1 case has been added to a previous day.
**As of June 3, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting 4 patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 (decrease of 1) and a total of 76 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (no change).
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
The health unit provides reports from Monday to Saturday, excluding Sundays and statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 2,070, including 1,028 in Kawartha Lakes, 923 in Northumberland, and 119 in Haliburton (increase of 10, including 9 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Haliburton)* Total variants of concern cases: 734, including 375 in Kawartha Lakes, 326 in Northumberland, and 33 in Haliburton (increase of 4, including 3 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland) Active cases: 78, including 68 in Kawartha Lakes, 9 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (net increase of 3, including increase of 4 in Kawartha Lakes, decrease of 2 in Northumberland, and increase of 1 in Haliburton) Probable cases: 2 (increase of 1 in Kawartha Lakes) Hospitalizations (total to date): 76, including 42 in Kawartha Lakes, 31 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Kawartha Lakes)** Deaths (including among probable cases): 74, including 56 in Kawartha Lakes, 17 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change) Resolved: 1,931, including 917 in Kawartha Lakes, 897 in Northumberland, and 117 in Haliburton (increase of 8, including 6 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Northumberland) Tests completed: 195,512 (increase of 432) Vaccine doses administered to residents: 104,784 (increase of 8,863 as of May 31) Number of residents fully vaccinated: 11,108 (increase of 3,773 as of May 31) Outbreaks: Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Medi-Share Inc. in Lindsay (no change)
*The health unit states that total counts and counts for individual counties may fluctuate from previously reported counts as cases are transferred to or from the health unit based on case investigation details and routine data cleaning.
**As of June 3, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports no patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change).
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 1,121 (no change) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 489 (no change) Active cases: 7 (decrease of 4) Deaths: 11 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 5 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 2 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 1 (no change) Resolved: 1,103 (increase of 5) Tests completed: 145,490 (no change) Vaccine doses administered: 101,896 (increase of 2,570) Number of people fully vaccinated: 8,758 (increase of 502) Outbreaks: None (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 533,761 (increase of 870) COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) cases: 128,559 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 914); 954 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (increase of 2); 2,921 of P.1 Brazilian variant (increase of 10) VOC R(t): 0.72 (no change as of June 2)* 7-day average of daily new cases: 940 (decrease of 38) Positivity rate: 2.8% (no change) Resolved: 514,999 (increase of 1,563), 96.5% of all cases (increase of 0.2%) Hospitalizations: 729 (increase of 21) Hospitalizations in ICU: 546 (decrease of 30) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 370 (decrease of 29) Deaths: 8,801 (increase of 10) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 15 (decrease of 1) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,951 (no change) Total tests completed: 15,308,960 (increase of 34,277) Tests under investigation: 15,700 (decrease of 3,299) Vaccination doses administered: 9,493,005 (increase of 150,884), 64.43% of Ontario’s total population (increase of 1.02%)** People fully vaccinated (two doses): 834,981 (increase of 53,818), 5.67% of Ontario’s total population (increase of 0.37%)**
*R(t) is a virus’s effective reproduction number, which is the average number of new infections caused by a single infected individual at a specific time (t) in a partially immunized population. To successfully eliminate a disease from a population, R(t) needs to be less than 1.
**An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from May 3 – June 2, 2021. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from May 3 – June 2, 2021. The red line is the daily number of tests completed, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from May 3 – June 2, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of hospitalizations, the purple line is the daily number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs, and the dotted orange line is a five-day rolling average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from May 3 – June 2, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily deaths, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of daily deaths. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 vaccinations in Ontario from May 3 – June 2, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered, the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of daily doses, and the blue line is the cumulative number of people fully vaccinated with two doses of vaccine. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
The Grove Theatre is a community-driven 450-seat open-air venue built into the garden grove of the Fenelon Falls Fairgrounds. It will host theatrical productions, concerts, community activities, and more. (Photo courtesy of The Grove Theatre)
If you are or know a student or youth over the age of 15 looking for a job this summer in the local arts industry, The Grove Theatre in Fenelon Falls is hiring.
The new outdoor amphitheatre, built into the garden grove of the Fenelon Fairgrounds, will be home to high-quality professional theatre, live music, and events for the entire Kawartha Lakes community and beyond. The Grove Theatre will also host community events, programming, and tours.
With support from the federal Canada Summer Jobs program and the provincial Ontario Summer Experience Program, The Grove Theatre is now seeking applicants for five new full-time summer positions: community coordinator, customer service supervisor, theatre technician, floor director – front of house, and administrative assistant.
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“All students and youth who fill these positions will have the amazing opportunity to see how a brand-new professional theatre works,” reads an email from The Grove Theatre. “In addition, they will have the chance to be mentored by a number of different community members and professionals who have experience not only in the arts, but business, fundraising, customer service, and more. These wonderful mentors will provide guidance and expertise about the position and field in general.”
For details about each position and eligibility, visit www.grovetheatre.ca/careers. The deadline to apply for each position is Friday, June 11th, with interviews taking place over the following two weeks. Three of the positions begin on June 28th and the other two on July 5th.
“These positions will help students and youth form stronger connections in the community, the arts, and support the development of their employable skills,” the theatre states.
While The Grove Theatre has postponed its inaugural major theatrical event, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the Musical, until summer 2022 due to the pandemic, the theatre is still planning to present COVID-safe events during the summer.
Under step two of the provincial government’s reopening plan, outdoor performing arts with capacity limits could resume by July 5th.
GreenUP's executive director Brianna Salmon plants a native grass at Jiimaan'ndewemgadnong Pocket Park, located at the corner of King and Water Streets in downtown Peterborough. Native plants are an ideal choice for a low-maintenance garden, as their root systems can accommodate both drought and heavy rainfall. (Photo: GreenUP)
In the garden at this time of year you may notice the yellow blooms of the wood poppy, the fragrance of a lilac, or the pop of white on wild strawberries. Plants and trees bring us colour, texture, improved air quality, food for pollinators, and exceptional beauty.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s story is by Heather Ray, Director of Programs at GreenUP.
What I love most about the gardens I see around Peterborough is what you can’t see, what lies beneath the blooms, stems, and petals — the roots. The main function of the roots of a plant is to absorb water and nutrients from the soil and move them into the stem. The stem then distributes water and nutrients to the leaves.
Through photosynthesis, the leaves produce food that travels to the roots. The roots store this newly produced nutrition until it is needed.
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Amazingly, roots are able to do two things to help us water in the garden. First, roots will seek any pockets of water beneath the soil, especially during times of drought, to help keep a plant thriving. Second, during heavy rainfall periods, rain is absorbed into the soil and follows the deep roots further down into the ground to replenish groundwater.
Not long ago, GreenUP’s Hayley Goodchild hosted an online workshop on the City of Peterborough’s rain garden subsidy program. During that workshop, Goodchild explained the plants you choose matter when you are designing a garden to help capture rain or be “water wise” (tolerate droughts).
These choices are often not about the colour of the plant, the height, or the cost. These choices are about what you can’t see: how deep roots will grow.
Plants like big bluestem, a grass species native to southern Ontario, develop deep roots that allow them to survive on ground water during times of drought. (Photo: Tallgrass Prairie Center / University of Northern Iowa)
“Many of the plants that are well suited to rain gardens and water-wise landscapes are those with substantial root systems,” Goodchild says. “Some of these plants, like switchgrass, grow deep roots that can reach water many feet below the surface. Others, such as wild geranium, develop shallow but dense rhizomes and fibrous roots that hold lots of water.”
Plants like these have the potential to help us solve a number of climate change challenges. Communities and organizations, including GreenUP, have been advocating for and demonstrating these nature-based solutions, often called green infrastructure.
The Ontario Green Infrastructure Coalition explains that green infrastructure comprise the natural vegetative systems and green technologies that collectively provide society with a multitude of economic, environmental, and social benefits. Green infrastructure can include rain gardens, wetlands, parks, rain barrels, green roofs, and bioswales — channels designed to concentrate stormwater runoff while removing debris and pollution.
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What makes green infrastructure effective? Green canopies and planted spaces like gardens can cool local waterways (helping our aquatic friends) as well as parks, sidewalks, and trails (aiding our human health). Other kinds of green infrastructure — like green roofs/walls or shade provided by trees — also support more efficient home and business energy systems.
In addition to these important benefits, green infrastructure is increasingly popular because of all those roots and the water management solutions they provide.
“By growing healthy and robust roots, these plants can withstand long periods without rain,” Goodchild explains. “When it does rain, these plants are effective at soaking up the rain and preventing runoff and soil erosion. In our region, many of the plants that do this best are native species.”
Native plants are often well suited to the alternating wet and dry conditions experienced during a Peterborough summer. (Photo: GreenUP)
You can maximize the many benefits of deep and healthy roots in your own garden. Roots take time to establish but you can help them by training the roots to grow long and deep into the ground.
Training your plant roots is all about how you water your plants, so here are five tips.
1. Choose the right plant for the right spot
Many native plants are accustomed to drought as well as heavy rainfall events.
The staff at the Ecology Park Native Plant and Tree Nursery are here to help you pick appropriate plants for your particular spaces.
2. Water your plants with more water but less often
You may be tempted to give your plants a small drink of water each day, but we recommend doing the opposite.
Give your plans a good long drink less often — once a week if it hasn’t rained one or two inches.
3. Water your plants directly at the roots
A volunteer uses a watering can to target water at the roots of a plant during GreenUP’s Sustainable Urban Neighbourhoods planting event in Warsaw in 2020. The event created a water-wise garden at the Back Dam Park in Warsaw. (Photo: Leif Einarson / GreenUP)
The leaves of a plant do not need water sprinkled on them, so leave the sprinkler in the garage. Instead, focus your efforts around the base of the plants using a watering container or garden hose.
It may take longer to water your garden this way, but once the roots establish themselves, they will be working for you.
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4. Water with the rain by installing a rain barrel
Watering with a rain barrel not only saves you money (and helps conserve municipal or well water), it is also better for the health of your soil and plants.
5. Use mulch
Mulching around plants with shredded bark, shredded leaves, or compost will also help retain moisture in the soil.
This means you will use less water than you would for gardens with exposed soil.
A partnership between GreenUP and Green Communities Canada, this Depave Paradise project in the Kawartha Heights neighbourhood of Peterborough replaced impermeable asphalt with a rain garden. (Photo: Karen Halley / GreenUP)
GreenUP is proud to be working with the City of Peterborough on the Rain Garden Subsidy Program. If you are interested in installing a rain garden, please check out greenup.on.ca/ready-for-rain.
If you are being water wise in your garden, we would love to hear from you! Nominate your garden or a neighbour’s garden at greenup.on.ca/waterwise, or email Heather Ray at heather.ray@greenup.on.ca and share your water wise story.
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