People leave the Evinrude Centre in Peterborough on May 26, 2021, after receiving their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. Under the province's accelerated schedule for second doses, they will be eligible to receive their second dose during the first week of August. (Photo: Bruce Head / kawarthaNOW)
The Ontario government “is ready to deliver a two-dose summer” by offering everyone in the province their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine by the end of August — as long as the expected vaccine supply holds up.
With 65 per cent of Ontario’s adult population having now received their first vaccine dose, the province is shortening the interval between first and second doses from 16 weeks to as little as four weeks.
“We’re now in a position to accelerate second doses in Ontario,” Premier Doug Ford said during a media conference at Queen’s Park on Friday (May 28). “This is great news, and I know many of you have been waiting for it.”
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“The faster we can deliver vaccines, the faster we can put this pandemic behind us for good,” Ford said. “We see what’s happening in other places, where people have been fully vaccinated. The good news is, that can be us. Based on what we know about upcoming shipments, everyone in Ontario who wants a vaccine could be fully vaccinated by the end of August … Ontario is ready to deliver a two-dose summer.
Beginning next week (May 31), people 80 years and older in Ontario will become eligible for their second dose of vaccine, followed by people ages 70 to 79 during the week of June 14.
Starting at the end of June, everyone over the age of 25 will become eligible for their second dose based on the date of their first dose.
People who received their first dose between March 8 and April 18 will become eligible the week of June 28. Those who received their first dose between April 19 and May 9 become eligible the week of July 19, those who received their first dose between May 10 and 30 become eligible the week of August 2, and those who received their first dose on May 31 and after become eligible the week of August 9.
For those under 25, including children and youth ages 12 to 17, they will become eligible for their second dose the week of August 9.
During a technical media briefing the morning of May 28, 2021, provincial officials released this schedule for second doses of COVID-19 vaccines. (Graphic: Ontario government)
The interval between first and second doses could be as little as four weeks, depending on the local availability of appointments and vaccine supply.
People who have already received their first dose and have a second appointment booked are not required to reschedule their second appointment unless they choose to do so.
The government is encouraging people to receive their second dose at the same location where they received their first dose, such as a mass vaccination clinic or a pharmacy. However, Ontarians will have the option to reschedule their second appointment at a different location if they choose to do so.
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Second dose appointments can be scheduled through the provincial booking system or at pharmacies offering COVID-19 vaccines. People who received their first dose at a hospital clinic should contact their public health unit for booking details. People who received their first dose through a primary care provider or a pharmacy should contact them for booking details.
For people waiting for their second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, they will be eligible for the second dose within 12 weeks of their first dose. People who received their first dose of AstraZeneca between March 10 and 19 were offered the opportunity to book their second dose during the week of May 24.
Those who received a first dose of AstraZeneca may become eligible for a second dose of Pfizer or Moderna, depending on pending guidance from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization.
The Ontario government also confirmed the provincial declaration of emergency and stay-at-home order will expire on Wednesday, June 2nd. The province’s “emergency brake” will remain in effect, with public health measures and restrictions still in place, until the province is ready to enter step one of its reopening plan, expected to begin Monday, June 14th.
At a media conference at Queen’s Park on May 28, 2021, Ontario premier Doug Ford announced the province is accelerating administration of second doses of COVID-19 vaccine during the summer. (CPAC screenshot)
During Friday’s media conference, Premier Ford also addressed the issue of the reopening of schools, saying he is seeking more opinions before making a decision.
On Thursday (May 27), Ford sent a letter to pediatric and medical experts, local medical officers of health, and teachers’ unions and associations — 55 in all — asking them to respond to seven detailed questions on whether it is safe to reopen schools before the end of the academic year. Ford asked for their responses by 5 p.m. the following day.
“We have to ensure any decision is based on sound scientific and medical advice that protects students and staff in schools,” Ford said during the media conference. “I look forward to hearing back from our experts and using their input to make the decision that best protects our students and school staff.”
Asked by a reporter to respond to critics who have said “you’re looking for someone else to blame if reopening of schools goes south”, Ford said he will take responsibility for the consequences of his decision, but he remains concerned by projections by the province’s top science experts that reopening schools could result in thousands of additional cases.
“I want to make sure, looking forward, that we’re able to get the kids in camp,” Ford said. “I want to look forward to make sure we have a great September for the kids to go back into school. This could affect our opening as well … I’m going to be super cautious.”
Wayne Best of Omemee with his cheque for more than $2.5 million. (OLG-supplied photo)
Wayne Best of Omemee is Kawartha Lakes’ latest multimillionaire.
The 72-year-old father of two won $2,520,857.80 in the May 15th Lottario draw. Not that he needed it, but he also won $5 on his Encore selection.
A regular lottery player — he last won $8,000 25 years ago — Best bought his winning ticket at Mount Pleasant Convenience on Queen Mary Street in Cavan.
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“I don’t normally play Lottario, but I thought I’d try it after the cashier suggested it,” he says.
Best says he plans to share his winnings with loved ones, complete some home renovations, buy a car, and invest.
There may be yet another lottery multimillionaire in the Kawartha Lakes. One of two jackpot-winning tickets in the May 22nd Lotto 6/49 draw, each worth $4,437,083.40, was sold in Kawartha Lakes.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Today, Ontario is reporting 1,135 new cases, with only 2 of Ontario’s 34 health units (Toronto and Peel) reporting triple-digit increases. The seven-day average of daily cases has fallen to 1,441 and the proportion of active cases has decreased for the 38th straight day.
There has been a small decrease in hospitalizations and a larger decrease in ICU admissions and patients on ventilators. Ontario is reporting 19 new deaths, including 1 in a long-term care home.
With over 8.5 million vaccine doses administered, almost 58% of Ontario’s total population has now received at least one dose of vaccine. A record number of people received their second dose yesterday, with over 4% of the entire population now fully vaccinated.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 18 new cases to report (including 7 in Hastings Prince Edward, 6 in Peterborough, 4 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Northumberland) and an additional 30 cases resolved. There has been 1 new COVID-related death in Peterborough, the region’s 20th death.
The net number of active cases across the region has decreased by 16 to 283, with active cases decreasing everywhere except Hastings Prince Edward, which saw 1 additional active case. See below for details from each individual health unit.
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Most of the new cases reported today are in Toronto (316) and Peel (271).
There are double-digit increases reported today in York (75), Hamilton (66), Simcoe Muskoka (47), Halton (46), Waterloo (44), Ottawa (37), Porcupine (36), Middlesex-London (35), Durham (25), Windsor-Essex (24), Niagara (22), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (16), and Brant (14), with smaller increases in Sudbury (9), Hastings Prince Edward (9), Southwestern (9), and Northwestern (6).
The remaining 15 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 2 health units (Timiskaming and Renfrew) reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 63% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (501) among people ages 20-39 followed by 288 cases among people ages 40-59 and 209 cases among people 19 and under.
With 2,302 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.2% to at 95.2% — the 38th straight day the percentage of resolved cases has increased. The average positivity rate across Ontario has fallen 1.7% to 3.6%, meaning that 36 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on May 26.
The effective reproduction number of the COVID-19 variants, which is the average number of new infections caused by a single infected individual at a specific time in a partially immunized population, has decreased by 0.04 to 0.79. To successfully eliminate a disease from a population, this number needs to remain less than 1.
Ontario is reporting 19 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 1 death in a long-term care home, with the seven-day average of daily deaths remaining unchanged at to 21.
Hospitalizations have decreased by 1 from yesterday to 1,072, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs decreasing by 22 to 650 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators decreasing by 17 to 452.
A total of 24,008 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation increasing by 4,550 to 23,068.
A total of 8,530,698 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 143,748 from yesterday, and 594,854 people have been fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, a record increase of 25,537 from yesterday.
The number of fully vaccinated people represents 4.04% of Ontario’s population, an increase of 0.18% from yesterday, with fully and partially vaccinated people representing 57.90% of the total population, an increase of 0.98% 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 18 new cases to report, including 7 in Hastings Prince Edward, 6 in Peterborough, 4 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Northumberland. There are no new cases in Haliburton.
There has been 1 new COVID-related death in Peterborough, the region’s 20th death. There is 1 new hospitalization in Kawartha Lakes.
There are 9 new regional cases of variants of concern in Peterborough.
An additional 30 cases have been resolved, including 13 in Peterborough, 7 in Kawartha Lakes, 5 in Northumberland, and 5 in Hastings Prince Edward. An outbreak at an unidentified congregate living facility #3 in the City of Peterborough was declared resolved on May 26. An outbreak at an unidentified workplace in Belleville was declared resolved on May 27.
There are currently 283 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 16 since yesterday, including 136 in Kawartha Lakes, 80 in Peterborough, 38 in Hastings Prince Edward (8 in Quinte West, 8 in Belleville, 5 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 4 in Prince Edward County, 6 in Central Hastings, and 7 in North Hastings), and 29 in Northumberland. There are no active cases in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 1,487 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,387 resolved with 20 deaths), 969 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (790 resolved with 56 deaths), 914 in Northumberland County (868 resolved with 17 deaths), 118 in Haliburton County (117 resolved with 1 death), and 1,118 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (1,069 resolved with 11 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on May 27.
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: 1,487 (increase of 7)* Total variants of concern cases: 669 (increase of 9) Active cases: 80 (decrease of 9) Close contacts: 206 (decrease of 63) Deaths: 20 (increase of 1) Resolved: 1,387 (increase of 15) Hospitalizations (total to date): 66 (no change)* ICU admissions (total to date): 15 (no change) Total tests completed: Over 52,250 (increase of 100) Total vaccine doses administered (residents and non-residents): 79,150 (increase of 9,161 as of May 27) Number of residents who have received first dose: 72,120 (increase of 7,921 as of May 27) Number of residents fully vaccinated: 6,659 (increase of 1,807 as of May 20) Outbreaks: Unidentified workplace #9 in Peterborough County, Unidentified workplace #10 in Peterborough County, Fairhaven long-term care home in Peterborough (decrease of 1)**
The health unit is reporting 6 new cases in the last 24 hours. The total case count has increased by 7 because 1 case has been added to a previous day.
*As of May 27, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting 9 patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 (decrease of 2) and a total of 76 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (no change).
**An outbreak at an unidentified congregate living facility #3 in the City of Peterborough was declared resolved on May 26.
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: 2,001, including 969 in Kawartha Lakes, 914 in Northumberland, and 118 in Haliburton (increase of 5, including 4 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland)* Total variants of concern cases: 680, including 334 in Kawartha Lakes, 312 in Northumberland, and 33 in Haliburton (no change) Active cases: 165, including 136 in Kawartha Lakes, 29 in Northumberland, and 0 in Haliburton (decrease of 8, including 3 in Kawartha Lakes and 5 in Northumberland) Probable cases: 1 in Kawartha Lakes (no change) Hospitalizations (total to date): 73, including 39 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: 1,775, including 790 in Kawartha Lakes, 868 in Northumberland, and 117 in Haliburton (increase of 12, including 7 in Kawartha Lakes and 5 in Northumberland) Tests completed: 191,761 (no change) Vaccine doses administered to residents: 95,921 (increase of 10,136 as of May 25) Number of residents fully vaccinated: 7,335 (increase of 2,458 as of May 25) Outbreaks: Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Campbellford Farm Supply LTD (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 May 27, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 3 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: 1,118 (increase of 7) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 469 (no change) Active cases: 38 (increase of 1) Deaths: 11 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 6 (decrease of 4) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 2 (decrease of 2) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 1 (decrease of 2) Resolved: 1,069 (increase of 5) Tests completed: 142,929 (increase of 3) Vaccine doses administered: 89,027 (increase of 2,076) Number of people fully vaccinated: 7,133 (increase of 251) Outbreaks: None (decrease of 1)*
*An outbreak at an unidentified workplace in Belleville was declared resolved on May 27.
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 527,180 (increase of 1,135) COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) cases: 122,349 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 1,227); 840 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (increase of 4); 2,544 of P.1 Brazilian variant (increase of 39) VOC R(t): 0.79 (decrease of 0.04 as of May 22)* 7-day average of daily new cases: 1,441 (decrease of 181) Positivity rate: 3.6% (decrease of 1.7%) Resolved: 501,942 (increase of 2,302 ), 95.2% of all cases (increase of 0.2%) Hospitalizations: 1,072 (decrease of 1) Hospitalizations in ICU: 650 (decrease of 22) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 452 (decrease of 17) Deaths: 8,697 (increase of 19) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 21 (no change) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,951 (increase of 1) Total tests completed: 15,103,437 (increase of 37,705) Tests under investigation: 23,068 (increase of 4,550) Vaccination doses administered: 8,530,698 (increase of 143,748), 57.90% of Ontario’s total population (increase of 0.98%)** People fully vaccinated (two doses): 594,854 (increase of 25,537), 4.04% of Ontario’s total population (increase of 0.18%)**
*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 April 26 – May 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 tests completed in Ontario from April 26 – May 26, 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 April 26 – May 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, 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 April 26 – May 26, 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 vaccine doses administered in Ontario from April 26 – May 26, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of daily doses. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough is one of more than 50 local tourism-oriented businesses and organizations that has received financial support from Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development's Tourism Resiliency Fund Program. The federal government has invested $500,000 in the program through FedDev Ontario. (Photo: Showplace Performance Centre)
The federal government is investing $500,000 in Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development (PKED) to assist the region’s hard-hit tourism industry.
The funding, which comes from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), is supporting the PKED’s Tourism Resiliency Fund Program, delivered in partnership with the Community Futures Peterborough, the City of Peterborough, the eight townships of the County of Peterborough, and Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
The Tourism Resiliency Fund has already provided non-repayable financial support of up to $20,000 to more than 50 local tourism-oriented businesses and organizations, for costs associated with adapting to public health measures and safely reopening.
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Eligible expenses under the program include space renovations and retrofits, the purchase of equipment, fixtures and personal protective equipment, as well as support for technology and digitization.
Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough is one of the local organizations that received support under the Tourism Resiliency Fund.
“Through this fund, we have been able to adjust parts of our facility to be ‘touch free’ as well as purchasing specialized cleaning equipment,” says Showplace’s general manager Emily Martin in a media release.
“Our industry has been one of the hardest hit during the pandemic, being among the first to close and will be one of the last to reopen, so we’re so grateful to have this funding to do these kinds of projects so that when the day comes that we can gather again, Showplace Performance Centre will be ready to welcome everyone in.”
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Escape Maze in Peterborough County is one of the local businesses supported through the Tourism Resiliency Fund. The company, which provides interactive adventures, was able to purchase digital equipment to adapt its core business with an online component. It is also now co-promoting and supporting other businesses.
“The PKED Tourism Resiliency Fund has enabled Escape Maze to adapt our business in a unique way to create a new revenue stream to continue to attract and serve our customers during COVID-19.” says Fred Preddy of Escape Maze.
According to the media release, around 100 jobs in the region have been protected through funding under the Tourism Resiliency Fund Program.
According to a recent Statistics Canada report, 80 per cent of people currently working from home due to the pandemic would like to continue with this arrangement for at least half of their worktime once the pandemic is over. (Photo: Lyn Jones)
Now a familiar concept, working from home — also known as e-work, telecommuting, or remote work — was alien to many of us prior to March 2020. Little did we know that a global pandemic would allow many workplaces to trial this intriguing strategy over an extended period of time.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s story is by Jackie Donaldson, Coordinator of Business Programs at GreenUP.
How exactly has COVID-19 influenced the workplace setting? Over 31 per cent of workers are now fulfilling their responsibilities from home, states an April 2021 Statistics Canada report.
That’s a whopping 27 per cent increase compared to only four per cent in 2016.
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E-work is also commuting option in the annual Shifting Gears Transportation Challenge, a local workplace commuter challenge that takes place every May. The goal of the initiative is to challenge employees, workplaces, and community members to replace driving trips with walking, biking, carpooling, busing, or e-working. For many local workplaces, it’s a springtime ritual.
“In April, I write up an invitation email,” states James Britton, a manager with the Ontario Public Service and Shifting Gears coordinator for Robinson Place in downtown Peterborough. “It says, ‘May is approaching! This means the Silver Bean is opening and it’s time for Shifting Gears!'”
Much like our lives, COVID-19 has had an impact on Shifting Gears. While many participants are still walking and biking to work, many more are staying put and working from home.
For the past 17 years, employees of the Ontario Public Service at Robinson Place in downtown Peterborough have come out in droves to participate in the annual Shifting Gears Transportation Challenge. This year, while their usually full bike racks look oddly empty, employees continue to participate by inserting physical activity into their telecommuting workday. (Photo: Jackie Donaldson)
This opens up a whole different approach to supporting Shifting Gears participants.
Working from home comes with unique, long-term needs, productivity and engagement impacts, and an influence on work-life balance. These considerations are important for both employer and employee.
Employers need to balance their bottom line, employee satisfaction, and goods and services output.
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Providing a permanent work from home option — or a hybrid that includes time at both the work and home office — can help decrease costs, reduce office and parking needs, reduce staff sick time, and help attract and retain employees. These are the more obvious employer benefits of working from home.
For many employers, however, productivity is the unknown factor. A Stats Canada report asked workers if they felt as productive in the new home office setting. Ninety per cent of respondents said that they were at least as productive as prior to the pandemic, with 32 per cent indicating they were even more productive.
“Many people at my workplace find working from home provides a more focused, and higher, productivity time,” says Divya Dhingra, junior project lead at Lett Architects in Peterborough.
Divya Dhingra, junior project lead at Lett Architects in Peterborough, says her employer has strong strategies in place to support employee communication and social needs when working from home. (Photo: Divya Dhingra)
One in five respondents to the Stats Canada report indicates that a barrier to productivity is a lack of interaction with coworkers. Strategies can mitigate this.
“Every morning we have a meeting and every Tuesday afternoon a staff get-together,” Dhinga shares. “Our socialization is supported in other ways too. Every month we have virtual social gatherings and worker celebrations, like maternity leave events, where we all gather and hang out.”
Developing a work-from-home policy through employee input can improve communications strategies and support better employee productivity and satisfaction.
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The Shifting Gears team has put together a toolkit to help managers with this. Creating an E-Work Policy outlines steps to engaging senior leadership, collaborating with staff, and gathering information specific to the unique situation of each workplace.
For employees, work-life balance and keeping active are key to a being successful and happy with working from home. We also created an Adjusting to E-work resource to help employees find that balance.
With little to no physical barrier between working space and living space, almost 50 per cent of employees find themselves sitting longer at their workstations. Establishing a transition routine can greatly help differentiate between work time and personal time.
The Shifting Gears team at Peterborough GreenUP has made two guides available for both employers and employees on adjusting to working from home.
Identify a couple of healthy daily habits that signify the beginning and end of the workday. Maybe it’s a walk around the neighbourhood in the morning and late afternoon. Maybe it’s a regular 20-minute stretching workout with the kids at 4:30 p.m. Identify the strategy that works best for you and stick with it.
The Shifting Gears team recommends that you practice active commuting before pandemic conditions end and you head back to a physical workplace. Plug in daily walking and cycling habits now and reap the benefits to your mental and physical health.
“I love walking,” says GreenUP’s executive director Brianna Salmon. “I bike for utilitarian purposes, for errands and exercise, but walking is much more relaxing for me. Going for a walk in the morning or after work hours allows a transition between work and home-life, even when they’re in the same space.”
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“People often say to me that they like the bike ride or walk because it gives them time to think about the day ahead,” Britton adds. “It’s reflection time. It provides them with the opportunity to think through problems, arriving at work with a plan.”
Starting tomorrow, work an active “commute” transition into your day. Then complete the Shifting Gears employee checklist to learn how to further enhance your work-from-home experience.
Eighty per cent of individuals now working from home due to COVID-19 say they would like to continue to work at least half of their hours from home once the pandemic is over. This tells us that the demand is there and this work arrangement, in some form or another, is here to stay.
Studies show that when employees work from home, they tend to work longer hours than they would at the office. One solution is to separate work time from personal time with a regularly scheduled walk through the neighbourhood at the beginning and end of the workday. This provides physically activity and helps maintain work-life balance. (Photo: Jackie Donaldson)
Optimizing the benefits of working from home now is a key foundation to enjoying those benefits as pandemic restrictions end.
Shifting Gears is delivered annually with the generous support of the City of Peterborough and numerous local organization and businesses.
Peterborough’s Community Counselling and Resource Centre (CCRC) has announced it is closing its credit counselling program after 48 years.
The non-profit charitable organization will cease offering credit counselling services effective Monday, May 31st.
“This decision was made as a result of changes within the industry,” states CCRC in a media release.
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Since 1973, CCRC has been providing credit counselling, financial literacy, and debt management services to residents of the city and county of Peterborough.
The program, including CCRC’s accredited credit counsellor Nancy Jackson, will move to Credit Canada, an affiliate not-for-profit organization that provides credit counselling services in Canada. Credit Canada is an accredited member of Credit Counselling Canada.
“We are tremendously grateful to the Credit Counselling staff at CCRC for their efforts to assist the people in Peterborough City and County over the past 4.5 decades, and we will continue to refer clients who would benefit from Credit Counselling Services to Credit Canada after May 31,” the media release reads.
CCRC will continue to offer its other services, including its housing resource centre, employee assistance, community service orders, and professional counselling programs.
George Street in downtown Peterborough. (Photo: Patrick Stephen / Peterborough DBIA)
Some temporary changes are coming to downtown Peterborough streets in preparation for the expected start of the first step of Ontario’s reopening plan on Monday, June 14th.
Step one will see outdoor dining allowed again, with a maximum of four people per table, and the reopening of non-essential retail at 15 per cent capacity.
On George and Water streets, new patio spaces are being installed this week in on-street parking spaces next to businesses that choose to participate. Unlike last summer, both lanes of each street will remain open to traffic. Sidewalks will remain for pedestrian use only.
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Portable planter boxes and fencing will be used to separate the pedestrian and patio spaces from the traffic lanes.
As was the case last summer, Hunter and Charlotte streets will both be reduced to a single lane of traffic between George and Aylmer streets, with Hunter Street going one way westbound and Charlotte Street going one way eastbound.
On Hunter Street, one sidewalk will be closed to allow for expanded patio space on the sidewalk next to participating businesses. Expanded pedestrian space will be provided on the closed section of the street to accommodate displaced pedestrians. Fencing and portable planters will be used to separate the pedestrian space from the traffic lane.
Similar to last summer (pictured), Charlotte Street will reduced to a single eastbound one-way lane, while Hunter Street will be reduced to a single one-way lane in the opposite direction, both between Aylmer and George streets. (Photo: Bruce Head / kawarthaNOW.com)
On Charlotte Street, expanded patio space will be provided in the closed section of the street and both sidewalks will be maintained for pedestrian use only.
The changes on Hunter and Charlotte streets will take place from May 24 to June 5.
“We’re getting ready so that once the province eases the restrictions to allow businesses to welcome people into their stores and restaurants as well as to open their patios, they’ll be able to use the expanded outdoor spaces right away,” says Mayor Diane Therrien in a media release. “Pedestrians will have more room to physical distance and businesses will have the option for more outdoor space.”
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Businesses are being asked to keep sidewalks on George, Water, and Charlotte streets clear of signs or other items to ensure pedestrian have the maximum space available to physically distance.
Except on George and Water streets, where expanded patio space is created in on-street parking next to participating businesses, on-street parking spaces, commercial parking zones, and accessible parking spots will be maintained, with additional parking available at municipal parking lots and municipal parking garages.
There will be designated free 15-minute curbside pickup parking zones throughout the downtown to support curbside pickup.
Cycling lanes will be maintained on George and Water streets. On the sections of Hunter and Charlotte streets between Aylmer and George that are temporarily changed to one-way one lane streets, cyclists and motorists will share the lane.
Peterborough city council approved the temporary downtown public space changes in April, after a review of last year’s experience. The public was consulted to help design the changes planned for this year, with 61 per cent of 1,492 respondents to a survey agreeing the changes would gave them the ability to maintain appropriate physical distancing.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Today, Ontario is reporting 1,095 new cases, with 4 of Ontario’s 34 health units reporting triple-digit increases. The seven-day average of daily cases has decreased to 1,622 and the proportion of active cases has decreased for the 37th straight day, with 95% of all cases now resolved.
There has been a small increase in hospitalizations and a smaller decrease in ICU admissions and patients on ventilators. Ontario is reporting 23 new deaths, including 2 in long-term care homes.
With almost 8.4 million vaccine doses administered, almost 57% of Ontario’s total population has now received at least one dose of vaccine. A record number of people received their second dose yesterday, with almost 3.9% of the entire population now fully vaccinated.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 27 new cases to report (including 12 in Peterborough, 9 in Hastings Prince Edward, 5 in Northumberland, and 1 in Kawartha Lakes), with an additional 31 cases resolved.
The net number of active cases across the region has decreased by 6 to 299, with active cases increasing in Northumberland and Hastings Prince Edward, decreasing in Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton (which no longer has any active cases), and remaining unchanged in Peterborough.
See below for details from each individual health unit.
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Most of the new cases reported today are in Toronto (257), Peel (215), Durham (123) and York (101).
There are double-digit increases reported today in Ottawa (64), Hamilton (54), Middlesex-London (50), Niagara (36), Waterloo (31), Halton (27), Porcupine (19), Simcoe Muskoka (18), Windsor-Essex (13), Brant (13), Peterborough (11), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (10), and Haldimand-Norfolk (10), with smaller increases in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (9) and Southwestern (8).
The remaining 15 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 3 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 65% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (460) among people ages 20-39 followed by 261 cases among people ages 40-59 and 247 cases among people 19 and under.
With 2,371 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.3% to at 95.0% — the 37th straight day the percentage of resolved cases has increased. The average positivity rate across Ontario has decreased by 0.9% to 5.3%, meaning that 53 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on May 25.
Ontario is reporting 23 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 2 deaths in long-term care homes, with the seven-day average of daily deaths decreasing by 1 to 21.
Hospitalizations have increased by 48 from yesterday to 1,073, although more than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for yesterday’s report so yesterday’s number may have been underreported. The number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs has decreased by 20 to 672 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators has decreased by 29 to 469.
A total of 24,008 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation increasing by 11,068 to 18,518.
A total of 8,386,950 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 135,308 from yesterday, and 569,317 people have been fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, a record increase of 25,029 from yesterday.
The number of fully vaccinated people represents 3.86% of Ontario’s population, an increase of 0.17% from yesterday, with fully and partially vaccinated people representing 56.93% of the total population, an increase of 0.95% 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 27 new cases to report, including 12 in Peterborough, 9 in Hastings Prince Edward, 5 in Northumberland, and 1 in Kawartha Lakes. There are no new cases in Haliburton.
There are 21 new regional cases of variants of concern, including 9 in Peterborough, 6 in Hastings Prince Edward, 4 in Kawartha Lakes, and 2 in Northumberland.
There has been 1 new hospitalization in Peterborough and 1 new hospitalization in Kawartha Lakes.
An additional 31 cases have been resolved, including 12 in Peterborough, 8 in Hastings Prince Edward, 8 in Kawartha Lakes, 2 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton. An outbreak at Quinte 5 at QHC Belleville General Hospital was declared over on May 25. An outbreak at Helping Hands Day Care in Peterborough County was declared resolved on May 26.
There are currently 299 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 6 since yesterday, including 139 in Kawartha Lakes, 89 in Peterborough, 37 in Hastings Prince Edward (11 in Quinte West, 6 in Belleville, 3 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 4 in Prince Edward County, 7 in Central Hastings, and 6 in North Hastings), and 34 in Northumberland. There are no active cases in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 1,480 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,372 resolved with 19 deaths), 965 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (783 resolved with 56 deaths), 914 in Northumberland County (863 resolved with 17 deaths), 118 in Haliburton County (117 resolved with 1 death), and 1,112 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (1,064 resolved with 11 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on May 25.
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: 1,480 (increase of 12) Total variants of concern cases: 660 (increase of 9) Active cases: 89 (no change) Close contacts: 269 (decrease of 36) Deaths: 19 (no change) Resolved: 1,372 (increase of 12) Hospitalizations (total to date): 66 (increase of 1)* ICU admissions (total to date): 15 (no change) Total tests completed: Over 52,150 (increase of 50) Total vaccine doses administered (residents and non-residents): 69,989 (increase of 3,944 as of May 20) Number of residents who have received first dose: 64,199 (increase of 3,675 as of May 20) Number of residents fully vaccinated: 4,852 (increase of 277 as of May 20) Outbreaks: Unidentified congregate living facility #3 in the City of Peterborough, Unidentified workplace #9 in Peterborough County, Unidentified workplace #10 in Peterborough County, Fairhaven long-term care home in Peterborough (decrease of 1)**
*As of May 26, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting 11 patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 (increase of 1) and a total of 76 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (no change).
**An outbreak at Helping Hands Day Care in Peterborough County was declared resolved on May 26.
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: 1,997, including 965 in Kawartha Lakes, 914 in Northumberland, and 118 in Haliburton (increase of 6, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 5 in Northumberland)* Total variants of concern cases: 680, including 334 in Kawartha Lakes, 312 in Northumberland, and 33 in Haliburton (increase of 6, including 4 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Northumberland) Active cases: 173, including 139 in Kawartha Lakes, 34 in Northumberland, and 0 in Haliburton (net decrease of 6) Probable cases: 1 in Kawartha Lakes (no change) Hospitalizations (total to date): 72, including 38 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: 1,763, including 783 in Kawartha Lakes, 863 in Northumberland, and 117 in Haliburton (increase of 11, including 8 in Kawartha Lakes, 2 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton) Tests completed: 191,761 (no change) Vaccine doses administered to residents: 95,921 (increase of 10,136 as of May 25) Number of residents fully vaccinated: 7,335 (increase of 2,458 as of May 25) Outbreaks: Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Campbellford Farm Supply LTD (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 May 26, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 3 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (decrease of 1).
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: 1,112 (increase of 9) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 469 (increase of 6) Active cases: 37 (increase of 1) Deaths: 11 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 10 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 4 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 3 (no change) Resolved: 1,064 (increase of 9) Tests completed: 142,926 (increase of 23) Vaccine doses administered: 86,951 (increase of 2,191) Number of people fully vaccinated: 6,882 (increase of 121) Outbreaks: Unidentified workplace in Belleville (net decrease of 1)*
*An outbreak at Quinte 5 at QHC Belleville General Hospital was declared over on May 25.
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 526,045 (increase of 1,095) COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) cases: 121,122 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 992); 836 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (increase of 19); 2,505 of P.1 Brazilian variant (increase of 43) VOC R(t): 0.83 (decrease of 0.01 as of May 16)* 7-day average of daily new cases: 1,622 (decrease of 71) Positivity rate: 5.3% (decrease of 0.9%) Resolved: 499,640 (increase of 2,371), 95.0% of all cases (increase of 0.3%) Hospitalizations: 1,073 (increase of 48) Hospitalizations in ICU: 672 (decrease of 20) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 469 (decrease of 29) Deaths: 8,678 (increase of 23) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 21 (increase of 2) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,950 (increase of 2) Total tests completed: 15,065,732 (increase of 24,008) Tests under investigation: 18,518 (increase of 11,068) Vaccination doses administered: 8,386,950 (increase of 135,308), 56.93% of Ontario’s total population (increase of 0.95%)** People fully vaccinated (two doses): 569,317 (increase of 25,029), 3.86% of Ontario’s total population (increase of 0.17%)**
*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 April 25 – May 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 tests completed in Ontario from April 25 – May 25, 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 April 25 – May 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, 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 April 25 – May 25, 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 vaccine doses administered in Ontario from April 25 – May 25, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of daily doses. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
A 29-year-old Sault Ste. Marie man already wanted for attempted murder is facing additional charges after a carjacking in Peterborough on Tuesday evening (May 25).
At around 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, Peterborough police were called to George Street North and Perry Street after reports of an idling vehicle being stolen.
A woman in her 60s, who was sitting in the passenger seat of the vehicle, was forcibly shoved out of the vehicle before it was stolen. The woman was taken to Peterborough Regional Health Centre, where she was treated for her injuries and released.
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About an hour later, the vehicle was located just north of the City of Peterborough after it went into a ditch. The driver was apprehended and returned to Peterborough police.
“Peterborough Police would like to thank several witnesses and our frontline colleagues, Peterborough EMS and Peterborough County OPP, for their assistance,” reads a media release.
As a result of the investigation, Zachary Bisaillon, 29, of Sault Ste. Marie was arrested and charged with robbery with violence and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.
The Sault Ste. Marie police have a warrant out for Bisaillon’s arrest for attempted murder and several firearms-related charges.
The accused man is being held in custody and will appear in court on Wednesday (May 26).
The Centennial Fountain in Peterborough's Little Lake, pictured in July 2018, will turn on for the 2021 season on May 26 and run until October 11. (Photo: City of Peterborough)
The Centennial Fountain in Peterborough’s Little Lake will be turned on for the 2021 season on Wednesday (May 26) at 11 a.m.
The fountain’s light show this year, which will run each evening beginning at 8 p.m., will pay tribute to frontline workers. The fountain is illuminated with more than 500 LED lights.
“Frontline workers have kept our community safe, healthy and functioning throughout the pandemic,” says Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien in a media release. “The fountain is a symbol of hope as we begin to emerge from the pandemic this summer.”
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The fountain, which shoots water up to 76 metres in the air, was installed in 1967 through a donation by General Electric Canada to mark the Canadian Centennial celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation.
“We hope it will encourage people to get outdoors, which is good for mental and physical well-being,” Therrien says.
The fountain can be viewed from many locations around Little Lake, including Rogers Cove to the east and Millennium Park to the west. The fountain will run until Thanksgiving Monday (October 11).
The city asks people to follow public health restrictions, including the maximum limit for outdoor gatherings of five people, and to avoid crowded areas.
On Wednesday (May 25), Peterborough city council confirmed a vote by general committee earlier in the month to turn on the fountain for the 2021 season on May 26.
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