Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 740 new cases today, with the seven-day average of daily cases increasing by 2 to 688.
Of Ontario’s 34 health units, 2 are reporting triple-digit increases (Toronto with 141 and Hamilton with 106), with 14 reporting double-digit increases — Windsor-Essex (90), Peel (63), York (63), Durham (33), Middlesex-London (32), Ottawa (31), Waterloo (29), Halton (26), Niagara (24), Simcoe Muskoka (15), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (15), Eastern Ontario (10), Hastings Prince Edward (10), and Huron Perth (10) — and 5 (4 of which are in northern Ontario) reporting no new cases at all.
Of the new cases, 66% are people who have not been fully vaccinated (57% have not received any doses and 9% have received only one dose) and 26% are people who have been fully vaccinated with two doses, with the vaccination status unknown for 8% of the cases.
Hospitalizations have fallen by 129 to 214, but (as is always the case on weekends) more than 10% of hospitals did not submit data to the daily bed census, so the number of actual hospitalizations is likely higher. The number of ICU patients has decreased by 4 to 158 and the number of ICU patients on ventilators has risen by 11 to 98. There have been 2 new COVID-related deaths since yesterday, including 1 in a long-term care home.
Over 20.7 million vaccine doses have been administered, an increase of 29,695 from yesterday, with more than 9.9 million people fully vaccinated, an increase of 19,449 from yesterday, representing just over 67% of Ontario’s total population.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from July 29 – August 28, 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 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from July 29 – August 28, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of hospitalizations, and the purple line is the daily number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 vaccinations in Ontario from July 29 – August 28, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered and the green line is the cumulative number of people fully vaccinated with two doses of vaccine. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
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Numbers are unavailable for Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, Northumberland, and Hastings Prince Edward as the respective health units do not issue reports on weekends.
For Saturday (August 28), the Ontario data shows 10 new cases for Hastings Prince Edward Public Health, 3 new cases for Peterborough Public Health, and 1 new case for Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit. Regional numbers for Saturday and Sunday will be confirmed in Monday’s update.
As of August 27, there are 68 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, including 34 in Hastings Prince Edward (17 in Belleville, 9 in Quinte West, 6 in Central Hastings, 1 in Prince Edward County, and 1 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto), 17 in Kawartha Lakes, 14 in Peterborough, and 3 in Northumberland. There are no active cases in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 1,675 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,639 resolved with 22 deaths), 1,227 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (1,165 resolved with 58 deaths), 967 in Northumberland County (947 resolved with 17 deaths), 127 in Haliburton County (126 resolved with 1 death), and 1,251 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (1,205 resolved with 12 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Hastings Prince Edward on July 28.
Calypso, a 12-year-old palomino mare, and her 10-week-old foal have been missing since August 22, 2021. The horses, who had been at the Chambers' 200-acre farm on Forbes Lane south of Hall's Glen for less than a week, went over a stone fence and haven't been seen since, despite an intensive week-long search. (Photo: Jenny Chambers / Facebook)
The story of two horses who ran away from their farm and remained missing for a week despite an extensive search has a happy ending.
Shortly after kawarthaNOW published our story (below) about the horses, a neighbouring family who found them contacted the owner.
Calypso and her 10-week-old foal are safe and sound and will be reunited with their owner. (Photo: Carol Edwards / Facebook)
Original story
Two horses, including a 10-week-old foal, remain missing a week after they ran away from a farm on Forbes Lane between Hall’s Glen and Warsaw south of Stoney Lake.
Calypso, a 12-year-old palomino mare, and her foal went over a stone fence last Sunday morning (August 22) on the 200-acre property owned by the Chambers family.
The family had only had the horses at their farm for a week. Prior to that, the horses were in Belleville after Calypso — presumably pregnant at the time — has been rescued at an Alberta auction.
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Jenny Chambers posted on Facebook on the day the horses went missing, and has regularly been updating her post with progress on the search. Her post has been shared more than 1,200 times.
The Chambers’ 200-acre property, which is located along the Indian River and densely forested with little pasture, is surrounded by other farms, trails, and Otonabee Region Conservation Authority land.
The search began last Sunday on the property by foot, by ATV, and by drone, and was widened this week to include neighbouring areas, including the shorelines of Indian River and trails. The missing horses have been reported to the OPP and neighbouring farmers and other property owners have been advised, with many searching trails and fields in the area.
Volunteers with the Ontario Mounted Special Service Unit are among those who have been searching an extensive area for the missing horses over the past week. Searches, which have also been conducted on foot, by ATV, and by drone, have found no sign of the two horses. (Photo: Ontario Mounted Special Service Unit / Facebook)
In the middle of the week, the Ontario Mounted Special Service Unit — a highly trained horse-mounted volunteer group involved in search and rescue, emergency response, and more — joined the search.
All the search efforts have proved fruitless so far, with searchers finding no signs of the missing horses.
Calypso is described as being friendly but cautious. She was not haltered when she left the farm. The foal, who is black with a white patch on the forehead and one white sock, was haltered.
Anyone who sees the horses is asked to call or text 705-930-2984.
The location of the Chambers’ farm, from where the two horses went missing on August 22, 2021. (Graphic: Google Maps)
Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Sunday (August 29) for all of the greater Kawarthas region, including Peterborough, Kawarthas Lakes, Northumberland, Haliburton, and Hastings County.
Conditions are favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms into Sunday evening.
The strongest of these thunderstorms will be capable of producing strong wind gusts up to 90 km/h, hail size up to 2 cm, and heavy rain of 50 mm within one hour.
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Strong wind gusts can toss loose objects, damage weak buildings, break branches off trees and overturn large vehicles. Heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads. Lightning kills and injures Canadians every year. Remember, when thunder roars, go indoors!
Environment Canada issues severe thunderstorm watches when atmospheric conditions are favourable for the development of thunderstorms that could produce one or more of the following: large hail, damaging winds, and torrential rainfall.
The Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management recommends that you take cover immediately if threatening weather approaches.
This story has been updated to include all areas in the expanded severe thunderstorm watch.
Express & Company (Dylan Ireland and Melissa Payne) during their performance for season three of "Live! At the Barn", a series of live off-the-floor video performances produced, recorded, and edited by Andy Tough at the Norwood area barn he owns with his wife Linda. The Express & Company episode premieres on YouTube on October 8, 2021. (Photo courtesy of Andy and Linda Tough)
For all the dispiriting roadblocks that the COVID-19 pandemic placed in front of live performance singers and musicians, there are 18 acts that are very grateful Andy Tough had their back.
‘Live! At The Barn’ — a series of live off-the-floor video performances produced, recorded, and edited by Tough at the Norwood area barn he owns with his wife Linda — debuted last August 28th. Now, a year later, season three of the series is set to debut, presenting the talents of seven more acts before a sizeable and still-growing YouTube audience.
“The numbers keep growing,” Tough says. “Since we started this escapade, we’ve had some 15,000 views on my YouTube channel between the shows and the single releases and the promos.”
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“We’ve had everything, from heavy metal to country to jazz to pop to blues,” adds Tough, who was kept busy pre-COVID via his company RMS Events, a multimedia enterprise specializing in audio/video production and presentation for corporate clients’ events. “That really goes to show the breadth of musicianship that’s here in our hometown. It’s just unbelievable.”
This Friday (September 3) at 8 p.m., season three of Live! At The Barn premieres with a performance by singer-songwriter SJ Riley. A new video performance from a different musical act will debut on each successive Friday evening, with Nicholas Campbell and the Two-Metre Cheaters on September 10, Raggedy Andys on September 17, Elyse Saunders on September 24, Groove Authority on October 1, Express & Company (Melissa Payne and Dylan Ireland) on October 8, and Bywater Call on October 15.
Each episode will debut on Andy Tough’s YouTube channel, and will remain available for viewing permanently after its premiere.
Series three of Andy and Linda Tough’s ‘Live! At The Barn’ debuts on YouTube on September 3, 2021, with a performance by singer-songwriter SJ Riley. (Photo courtesy of Andy and Linda Tough)Nicholas Campbell sits down for a chat with kawarthaNOW’s Paul Rellinger as part of his Live! At The Barn appearance. The episode featuring Nicholas Campbell and the Two-Metre Cheaters premieres on YouTube on September 10. (Photo courtesy of Andy and Linda Tough)
“The response has been great from all of the bands, and some have got gigs as a result.” says Tough. “I got a call from the manager of the Holiday Inn. He thought I was the bands’ agent and wanted to talk to me about bands playing at the Riverside Grill and Gazebo. I said ‘I’m not their agent but certainly I’ll talk to you about them.’ He ended up booking quite a few of them. That was part of the goal — to give starving musicians some more work.”
The merit of the Live! At The Barn series, meanwhile, hasn’t gone unnoticed. The series is a finalist for the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce’s annual Peterborough Business Excellence Awards, vying for the ‘Local Focus’ award along with Lang Pioneer Village and Living Local. The awards will be presented digitally on October 20.
“As much as it’s rewarding for myself and Linda to be a finalist, it represents all the bands and all those who joined the fray that is Live! At The Barn, worked hard, and gave their best performances,” Tough notes, adding “and it’s certainly local.”
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As was the case in seasons one and two, interview segments are included as part of each performance video, with this writer serving as the host interviewer.
“Who they are, where they come from, what their backgrounds are, what their influences are,” says Tough of what the interviews cover. “And there’s a certain amount of conversation about how they’ve had to deal with the impact of COVID. Musicians are very resilient. Now the challenges are even greater, but they’re stepping up. I applaud them.”
Viewers will notice this go-round the series production values have been enhanced as a result of Tough’s investment in high-definition video-recording equipment, additional cameras, and stage upgrades.
Groove Authority during their performance for season three of Live! At The Barn You can watch the band’s performance on YouTube on October 1, 2021. (Photo courtesy of Andy and Linda Tough)Elyse Saunders performs during her Live! At The Barn appearance. Her episode premieres on YouTube on September 24, 2021. (Photo courtesy of Andy and Linda Tough)
“We have two extra camera angles we didn’t have before, and it’s now wide screen and it’s crystal clear. It’s an upgrade that had to happen. It certainly made the post-production process a little easier for me.”
Also integral was the contribution of an additional cameraperson in the form of Brian Tyson.
“Brian is a friend of mine from a long time ago in my earlier career as a corporate video producer/director,” notes Tough. “He’s done a lot of network and corporate camera work. Because of COVID, all of his gigs were cancelled, so he called me out of the blue and said ‘Hey, you want some help?’ That added a whole new element to the production value. His eye is fantastic.”
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And for those who like a surprise … there’s the raccoon who made a cameo appearance.
“Well, it is a barn and there is wildlife here,” says Tough. “During SJ Riley’s performance, a raccoon ran across the stage in the middle of one of her songs. No one on stage noticed it. I was on the camera and was like ‘What the heck?’ You’ll see it in the first episode. I did a slow-motion replay so you can see the thing. We just had to include the special guest.”
As the post-pandemic world slowly comes into view and musicians return to performing in front of live audiences, season three will likely mark the end of the Live! At The Barn series. Still, Tough has plans moving forward for his very unique barn performance space.
Bywater Call during their performance for season three of Live! At The Barn Their episode, the finale of season three, premieres on YouTube on October 15, 2021. (Photo courtesy of Andy and Linda Tough)Tune in to YouTube on September 17, 2021 to catch the performance by Raggedy Andys for season three of Live! At The Barn (Photo courtesy of Andy and Linda Tough)
“Our original plan was to do corporate events here at the barn centred around team building, a day at the farm kind of thing,” Tough explains.
“Having done this and seeing the reaction to the in-studio experience, we’re going to push that idea as sort of the theme for live events next summer — ‘Come and be part of the studio audience and see how a show is put together.’
“We had a small audience for the Bywater Call recording,” he points out. “Having that little core of 10 guests electrified the band.”
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“The barn itself kept morphing year after year as I added more things.” Tough recalls. “I used to be an avid auction goer. I’d find all sorts of neat things. I’ve had all sorts of people walk around and look at the walls and say ‘Look at that.’ There’s some history here and that opens up conversation.”
While Live! At The Barn has been a labour of love for both Andy and Linda — some help has come by way of series sponsors including kawarthaNOW — Tough says it has been “heartening to provide an opportunity for people to feel good about what they do.”
“I’ve had a lot of people who have been here tell me it’s nurturing and good for the soul. That makes me very happy.”
VIDEO: “Live! At the Barn” Season 3 Promo
As a long-time supporter of local music, kawarthaNOW.com is proud to be a media sponsor of Live! At The Barn.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 835 new cases today, the highest single-day increase in cases since June 4 when 914 cases were reported. The seven-day average of daily cases has increased by 21 to 686.
Of Ontario’s 34 health units, 3 are now reporting triple-digit increases (Toronto with 168, Peel with 114, and York with 102), with 13 reporting double-digit increases — Hamilton (90), Windsor-Essex (62), Durham (44), Ottawa (35), Middlesex-London (32), Waterloo (29), Simcoe Muskoka (27), Brant (21), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (18), Niagara (16), Halton (12), Eastern Ontario (11), Southwestern (11) — and 5 (4 of which are in northern Ontario) reporting no new cases at all.
Of the new cases, 72% are people who have not been fully vaccinated (60% have not received any doses and 12% have received only one dose) and 19% are people who have been fully vaccinated with two doses, with the vaccination status unknown for 9% of the cases.
Hospitalizations have jumped by 37 to 343, with the number of ICU patients increasing by 4 to 162 and the number of ICU patients on ventilators remaining unchanged at 87. The province is reporting 7 COVID-related deaths, but 6 of these occurred more than 2 months ago and are being reported today as part of a data clean-up. The number of new COVID-related deaths since yesterday is 1.
Over 20.6 million vaccine doses have been administered, an increase of 37,716 from yesterday, with almost 9.9 million people fully vaccinated, an increase of 24,545 from yesterday, representing 66.9% of Ontario’s total population.
COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from July 28 – August 27, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of hospitalizations, and the purple line is the daily number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 cases in Ontario from July 28 – August 27, 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 vaccinations in Ontario from July 28 – August 27, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered and the green line is the cumulative number of people fully vaccinated with two doses of vaccine. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
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Numbers are unavailable for Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, Northumberland, and Hastings Prince Edward as the respective health units do not issue reports on weekends. Regional numbers for Saturday and Sunday will be included in Monday’s update.
As of August 27, there are 68 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, including 34 in Hastings Prince Edward (17 in Belleville, 9 in Quinte West, 6 in Central Hastings, 1 in Prince Edward County, and 1 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto), 17 in Kawartha Lakes, 14 in Peterborough, and 3 in Northumberland. There are no active cases in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 1,675 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,639 resolved with 22 deaths), 1,227 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (1,165 resolved with 58 deaths), 967 in Northumberland County (947 resolved with 17 deaths), 127 in Haliburton County (126 resolved with 1 death), and 1,251 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (1,205 resolved with 12 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Hastings Prince Edward on July 28.
A solidarity protest against the Taliban held in Vancouver, Canada on August 14, 2021. The Peterborough chapter of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan (CW4WAfghan) is raising awareness and funds to support Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban and for humanitarian aid. Members of the Peterborough chapter along with Red Pashmina Inc. will be in downtown Peterborough on September 4, 2021. (Photo via CW4WAfghan on Facebook)
With the Taliban back in control of Afghanistan, the Peterborough chapter of a national organization dedicated to the education and rights of women in Afghanistan is raising awareness of the developing refugee crisis — as well as the dire threats Afghan residents, including women, face under Taliban rule.
Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan (CW4WAfghan), a non-profit and non-religious organization founded in 1996 with more than 10 chapters across Canada which has raised funds for the education of women and girls in Afghanistan since 1996, is also seeking donations to support Afghan refugees and their families and for humanitarian aid for those remaining in Afghanistan.
Earlier in August, the federal government announced plans to bring in 20,000 Afghan refugees fleeing the Taliban to Canada.
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“Soon there will be Afghan refugees and their families coming to Peterborough who will need support, similar to the outstanding welcome given to Syrian refugees over the past five years,” the Peterborough chapter of CW4WAfghan states in a media release.
CW4WAfghan is encouraging Peterborough residents to help as more information becomes available through the Peterborough chapter and through New Canadians Centre Peterborough.
“Many of these refugees speak English and are educated, talented, and hard-working,” the media release states.
The Red Pashmina campaign, which supports the work of Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, was founded in 2009 by Jess Melnick and Maryam Monsef. Originally a one-time event, it has since become an annual campaign that has raised more than $150,000 to help support women in Afghanistan. (Photo: Andrea Dicks / AMD Photography)
To help raise awareness of the plight of Afghan refugees as well as funds, members of CW4WAfghan’s Peterborough chapter along with Red Pashmina Inc. will be in downtown Peterborough on Saturday, September 4th, visiting farmers’ markets and other areas. They will be wearing red pashminas and handing out bookmarks with information about the situation and a welcome to Afghan refugees.
Red Pashmina is a grassroots campaign founded in 2009 by friends Jess Melnik and Maryam Monsef (who grew up in Afghanistan as a child and is now Peterborough-Kawartha MP and federal Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development), selling pashmina scarves with proceeds going to CW4WAfghan. Originally conceived as a one-time event, the now-annual campaign has since raised more than $150,000 to help support women in Afghanistan.
To support the work of CW4WAfghan through Red Pashmina, you can purchase red pashminas by calling 705-748-6251 or emailing redpashminacampaign@gmail.com.
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As well as Afghan refugees, CW4WAfghan states it is “deeply concerned” for Afghans living inside the country who are unable to leave and now face the risk of violence and femicide.
“It is important to understand that the segment of the population at risk is not small,” the media release reads. “It includes not only prominent women such as journalists, civil society activists and politicians, but ordinary people as well: any parent who sent their daughter to university, anyone who ever criticized the Taliban, religious and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ communities, and people who simply wish to live a lifestyle that doesn’t conform to the Taliban’s rigid norms.”
To donate to CW4WAfghan for humanitarian aid, you can send funds to the Peterborough chapter by e-transfer to peterborough@cw4wafghan.ca or by writing a cheque to CW4WAfghan Peterborough and mailing it to Daphne Ingram, 129 Long Lake Road, Apsley ON K0L 1A0.
VIDEO: Advocating for Afghan Women’s Rights (before the Taliban’s return)
“There will need to be accountability for this tragic, preventable outcome that has stripped an entire population of their rights and freedoms overnight, and a reckoning with the role of the United States in brokering a Taliban-led government in Kabul, as well as other stakeholders in the international community,” the media release reads.
Also seeking to raise awareness of the plight of Afghans, the Peterborough Peace Council’s regular monthly vigil on Monday (August 30) will focus partly on the women of Afghanistan. The vigil will take place outdoors at noon at Emmanuel United Church at 534 George Street North.
For more information about Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, visit cw4wafghan.ca.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 781 new cases today, the highest single-day increase in cases since June 4 when 914 cases were reported. The seven-day average of daily cases has increasing by 19 to 665.
Toronto is reporting a triple-digit increase of 185 cases. Of Ontario’s other 33 health units, 13 are reporting double-digit increases — Peel (96), York (93), Windsor-Essex (67), Hamilton (66), Durham (40), Simcoe Muskoka (33), Ottawa (33), Middlesex-London (29), Waterloo (26), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (25), Niagara (20), Halton (15), and Eastern Ontario (12) — and 5 are reporting no new cases at all.
Of the new cases, 73% are people who have not been fully vaccinated (62% have not received any doses and 11% have received only one dose) and 19% are people who have been fully vaccinated with two doses, with the vaccination status unknown for 8% of the cases.
Hospitalizations have increased by 4 to 306, with the number of ICU patients decreasing by 7 to 158 and the number of ICU patients on ventilators decreasing by 2 to 87. The province is reporting 17 COVID-related deaths, but 14 of these occurred more than 2 months ago and are being reported today as part of a data clean-up. The number of new COVID-related deaths since yesterday is 3.
Over 20.6 million vaccine doses have been administered, an increase of 36,195 from yesterday, with over 9.8 million people fully vaccinated, an increase of 23,261 from yesterday, representing 66.7% of Ontario’s total population.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from July 27 – August 26, 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 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from July 27 – August 26, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of hospitalizations, and the purple line is the daily number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 vaccinations in Ontario from July 27 – August 26, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered and the green line is the cumulative number of people fully vaccinated with two doses of vaccine. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 12 new cases to report over the past 2 days, including 8 in Hastings Prince Edward, 2 in Peterborough, 1 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Northumberland. There are no new cases in Haliburton.
An outbreak at Caressant Care Mamora retirement residence in Central Hastings was declared on August 27.
An additional 12 cases have been resolved in the region over the past 2 days, including 8 in Hastings Prince Edward, 2 in Peterborough, and 2 in Northumberland.
The number of active cases has increased by 1 in Kawartha Lakes, decreased by 1 in Northumberland, and remains the same in Peterborough and in Hastings Prince Edward.
There are currently 68 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region (no change from yesterday), including 34 in Hastings Prince Edward (17 in Belleville, 9 in Quinte West, 6 in Central Hastings, 1 in Prince Edward County, and 1 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto), 17 in Kawartha Lakes, 14 in Peterborough, and 3 in Northumberland. There are no active cases in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 1,675 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,639 resolved with 22 deaths), 1,227 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (1,165 resolved with 58 deaths), 967 in Northumberland County (947 resolved with 17 deaths), 127 in Haliburton County (126 resolved with 1 death), and 1,251 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (1,205 resolved with 12 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Hastings Prince Edward on July 28.
Every Friday during swimming season, we post The Beach Report™ — our weekly report of the results of water quality testing at beaches in the greater Kawarthas region — and update it throughout the week as conditions change. Note: This is the final beach report for summer 2021, as health units do not test water quality in September.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, public health officials recommend staying home if you feel sick, visiting a beach close to your home to avoid unnecessary travel, bringing hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes, and maintaining at least two metres of physical distance from other beachgoers.
As of Tuesday, August 31, the following beaches have been posted as unsafe for swimming:
Beavermead (2011 Ashburnham Drive, Peterborough)
Omemee Beach – Emily/Omemee (City of Kawartha Lakes)
Rotary Head Lake Beach – Dysart et al (Haliburton County). Note: this beach is closed.
Harwood Waterfront & Dock – Hamilton (Northumberland County)
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Below are the complete results of water quality testing at beaches in the City and County Peterborough, the City of Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, Northumberland County, and Hastings County and Prince Edward County.
In the City of Peterborough, Peterborough Public Health Inspectors sample the beaches at Rogers Cove and Beavermead every business day, and public beaches in the County of Peterborough are sampled at least once a week (except for Chandos Beach, Quarry Bay Beach, and White?s Beach which are sampled at least once in June, July, and August).
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit provides weekly testing results for beaches in the City of Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, and Northumberland County. Testing is based on the most recent test results from the provincial lab in Peterborough for water samples taken from these beaches.
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health provides weekly testing results for beaches in Hastings County and Prince Edward County.
During the summer, local health units sample water at area beaches and test for bacteria such as E. coli to determine if the water quality at a beach is safe for public use. Popular beaches, like the beach at Roger’s Cove in Peterborough’s East City, are tested every business day while most other beaches are tested weekly. (Photo: Bruce Head / kawarthaNOW.com)
Important note
The following test results may not reflect current water quality conditions. Water samples can take one to three days to process and heavy rainfall, high winds or wave activity, large numbers of waterfowl near a beach, or large numbers of swimmers can rapidly change water quality.
You should always check current conditions before deciding to use a beach. You should also monitor other factors that might suggest a beach is unsafe to use, such as floating debris, oil, discoloured water, bad odours, and excessive weed growth.
A common loon (gavia immer) with two babies. Using 40 years' worth of obervations submiited by citizen scientists to Birds Canada, the Canadian Lakes Loon Survey has confirmed loons are experiencing mysterious declines in the number of chicks surviving to adulthood across southern Canada. (Photo: Mark Peck)
Anyone who has ever spent time on a lake in the Kawarthas has heard the plaintive wail or tremulous call of the common loon, with photographers relishing the opportunity to capture the iconic bird’s profile or, if they’re lucky, a mom with her chicks.
But new Canadian research reveals something is wrong with the loon, raising a red flag about the health of the species as well as the health of Canada’s lakes.
On Monday (August 23), Birds Canada — a non-profit organization whose mission is to conserve wild birds — released the Canadian Lakes Loon Survey, a study based on 40 years’ worth of data submitted by volunteer citizen scientists who have been watching loons on lakes across Canada and submitting their observations since 1981
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While the data collected through the survey has contributed to loon and lake conservation and increased public awareness of the importance of loons and healthy lakes, researchers with Birds Canada have also used it to identify an alarming trend: in the past three decades, the loon has experienced mysterious declines in the number of chicks surviving to adulthood across southern Canada.
Previously, the decline in loon chicks raised to independence has been formally documented in only one other study, which was focused on a single county in northern Wisconsin. Thanks to the contributions of thousands of citizen scientists, the Canadian Lakes Loon Survey provides the first evidence the problem is much more widespread.
“Without the dedication of the volunteers providing reliable and carefully collected data, the world would have no idea the common loon is in trouble in such a wide area,” says Dr. Doug Tozer, director of waterbirds and wetlands for Birds Canada, in a media release.
A volunteer citizen scientist monitoring loon productivity for Bird Canada’s Canadian Lakes Loon Survey. The survey has found a decline in the number of loon chicks raised to independence over the past three decades. (Photo: David Gignac)
While scientists aren’t sure why there has been a decline in common loon productivity, they have a working hypothesis.
Using the massive amounts of data from the survey, they explored the impact of more than a dozen different factors, including acid rain, fish mercury contamination, shoreline development, boating activity, predation from bald eagles, competition from double-crested cormorants, and weather variables.
After ruling out many possible causes, researchers believe the complex interplay between global warming, damage from acid rain, and mercury pollution may be at least partly to blame for the decline in common loon productivity. Further research is now underway to test this hypothesis.
While this research continues, Birds Canada is also encouraging more citizen scientists to volunteer to help find the cause for the decline and determine conservation actions that will halt the decline.
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Birds Canada is also encouraging everyone to take precautionary actions now to protect the common loon. These include minimizing boat wakes (which can damage loon nests on shorelines), using non-lead fishing tackle, disposing of fishing lines properly, reducing your carbon footprint, and conserving the native wetland plants that provide shelter for loon chicks and the fish habitat that feeds loons.
“Without the haunting cry of a loon from a distant lake, the northern woods would just feel wrong,” Dr. Tozer says.
To find out more about the Canadian Lakes Loon Survey, how to become a citizen scientist for Birds Canada, and for tips to help loons, visit www.birdscanada.org/loons.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 678 new cases today, with the seven-day average of daily cases increasing by 21 to 646.
Of Ontario’s 34 health units, 2 are reporting triple-digit increases, Toronto (144) and Peel (102), 10 are reporting double-digit increases — York (97), Windsor-Essex (78), Durham (51), Hamilton (48), Middlesex-London (20), Simcoe Muskoka (19), Ottawa (15), Waterloo (15), Niagara (14), and Eastern Ontario (10) — and 3 are reporting no new cases at all.
Of the new cases, 70% are people who have not been fully vaccinated (58% have not received any doses and 12% have received only one dose) and 21% are people who have been fully vaccinated with two doses, with the vaccination status unknown for 9% of the cases.
Hospitalizations have increased by 19 to 302, with the number of ICU patients increasing by 4 to 165 and the number of ICU patients on ventilators decreasing by 3 to 89. There have been no new COVID-related deaths in Ontario.
Over 20.6 million vaccine doses have been administered, an increase of 38,932 from yesterday, with over 9.8 million people fully vaccinated, an increase of 24,982 from yesterday, representing 66.6% of Ontario’s total population.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from July 26 – August 25, 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 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from July 26 – August 25, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of hospitalizations, and the purple line is the daily number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 vaccinations in Ontario from July 26 – August 25, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered and the green line is the cumulative number of people fully vaccinated with two doses of vaccine. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
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In the greater Kawarthas region, Peterborough is reporting 3 new cases and an additional 4 resolved cases, with active cases decreasing by 1.
Numbers are unavailable for Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, Northumberland, and Hastings Prince Edward as the respective health units only issue reports on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Numbers for Tuesday will be included in Friday’s update.
There are currently 68 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 1 from yesterday, including 34 in Hastings Prince Edward (17 in Belleville, 10 in Quinte West, 2 in North Hastings, 2 in Central Hastings, 2 in Prince Edward County, and 1 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto), 16 in Kawartha Lakes, 14 in Peterborough, and 4 in Northumberland. There are no active cases in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 1,673 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,637 resolved with 22 deaths), 1,226 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (1,165 resolved with 58 deaths), 967 in Northumberland County (945 resolved with 17 deaths), 127 in Haliburton County (126 resolved with 1 death), and 1,243 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (1,197 resolved with 12 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Hastings Prince Edward on July 28.
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