The Ganaraska River is one of Ontario's most popular fishing destinations, with a steelhead and rainbow trout run in the spring and a chinook salmon run in the late summer and early fall. (Photo: Port Hope Tourism)
Port Hope police charged four men on Saturday (May 15) under the province’s Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act for visiting Port Hope to fish.
Over the past month, police have been patrolling the Ganaraska River — a popular fishing destination — to enforce a municipal decision to temporarily restrict access to all its lands bordering the river from Molson Street South to Lake Ontario.
The municipality closed the lands on April 23rd, coinciding with the opening weekend of trout fishing, to discourage out-of-town anglers.
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The four men, who appeared to be hiding from police, had travelled from North York, Toronto, Woodbridge, and Markham to fish in Port Hope. Each man received a $880 ticket.
“Port Hope Police will not be stopping a pedestrian or vehicle solely for the purpose of asking where you are from, but we will lay charges if found in contravention of the stay-at-home-orders,” states a police media release.
An intact section of the historic Edgewood dry stone wall in Bobcaygeon. A group of Bobcaygeon volunteers are raising funds to restore the 400-foot wall, built in 1891, for its 130th anniversary in 2021. (Photo: Heritage Evaluation Report, September 2020)
A group of volunteers in Bobcaygeon is working to restore a local historical landmark and are seeking community donations to help fund the project.
When European settlers arrived in Ontario in the 19th century, they brought with them the ancient tradition of dry stone walls — walls constructed from stones without any mortar to hold them together.
Very few dry stone walls are left standing in the Kawarthas, with one notable exception being the Edgewood dry stone wall at 28 Boyd Street in Bobcaygeon.
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The wall was commissioned by W.T.C. “Willy” Boyd, the son of 19th-century lumber baron Mossom Boyd, as an aesthetic wall around the family’s former Edgewood estate built in 1891.
While the estate itself was demolished in 2005 (Case Manor long-term care home now stands in its place), a 400-foot stretch of the dry stone wall along Boyd Street remains intact, although sections of the wall are deteriorating and require repair.
In 2020, a group of volunteers known as Environmental Action Bobcaygeon was successful in having the wall protected through a heritage designation, and is now working to restore the wall this summer for its 130th milestone anniversary.
A view of the full length of the historic Edgewood dry stone wall from County Road 36 in Bobcaygeon. The wall used to surround the Boyd family’s Edgewood estate, which was torn down in 2005 and replaced with Case Manor long-term care home. (Photo: Heritage Evaluation Report, September 2020)
The group has engaged John Shaw Rimmington — a renowned dry stone wall builder and teacher who is also president of the Dry Stone Walling Across Canada organization — to work on the project and to train some volunteers.
While Environmental Action Bobcaygeon has already received several grants and donations towards the estimated $70,000 project cost, including $10,000 from the Bobcaygeon Horticultural Society, it is seeking community donations to the Edgewood Stone Wall Fund at www.edgewoodstonewall.com.
“Now is the time for Bobcaygeon to come together again to help restore and protect the Edgewood wall from further erosion and damage,” says campaign lead Ann Adare. “You can donate to the project at four levels, each representative of one of the unique aspects of dry stone wall construction. All donors will be recognized for their contributions over $25, no matter what level.”
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Building a dry stone wall (also known as a drystack wall) requires a high degree of skill as the builder need to fit stones together in such a way that they are kept in place and the wall remains stable. Common in Britain, Scotland, and Ireland, dry stone walls were usually built using field stone by farmers in rural areas for livestock fencing or to mark property boundaries.
The Edgewood stone wall is an example of a double stack wall, the most common type of dry stone wall. Flat stones are used to create two separate walls, with larger stones spanning the two walls to add strength and stability.
The voids between the two walls are filled with smaller stones called hearting stone, with cap stones (also known as cope stones) placed at the top of the finished triangular-shaped wall.
Dry stone wall terminology. Donation levels for the Edgewood Stone Wall restoration project mirror the dry stone wall construction process, ranging from $25 to $499 for the foundation stone level all the way to $5,000 or more for the cope stone level. All donation levels receive a tax receipt, with higher donations receiving additional recognition. (Graphic: The Stone Trust)
In 2018, UNESCO added the art of dry stone wall construction to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, in part stating “Such structures testify to the methods and practices used by people from prehistory to today to organize their living and working space by optimising local natural and human resources.”
In the 19th century, it was common for wealthy families such as the Boyds to construct large estates with picturesque landscape design reflecting a rustic aesthetic, including dry stone walls. Both W.T.C. Boyd’s Edgewood estate and his father’s adjacent estate featured dry stone walls as part of the landscape design.
The Edgewood estate was designed by Peterborough architect John E. Belcher, a friend of the Boyd family, who may also have been involved in the landscape design. While it is unknown who actually built the dry stone wall, it’s believed the Boyd family brought over a stone mason from Scotland.
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It’s also believed some of the stone used for the wall came from the construction of the Trent Severn Canal, and that the Boyd family paid local farmers $1 for every load of stone they brought to the Edgewood site.
“With our community’s help, we can ensure our important and beautiful structures live on and preserve our history for future generations,” says Environmental Action Bobcaygeon co-president Richard Fedy.
Environmental Action Bobcaygeon is working in partnership with the Community Foundation of Kawartha Lakes to facilitate community donations. The foundation is providing financial management and team expertise to assist with fundraising efforts for the restoration project.
A section of the historic Edgewood dry stone wall requiring restoration. The wall used to surround the Boyd family’s Edgewood estate, which was torn down in 2005 and replaced with Case Manor long-term care home, pictured in the background. (Photo: Heritage Evaluation Report, September 2020)
As some stones have been lost over the years, the restoration project will need additional stone to restore the wall.
The current owners of the Mossum Boyd property have donated some of the stone from the dry stone walls around their property, which have largely deteriorated, so the heritage of the Edgewood wall can be maintained.
Both Mossom Boyd’s estate and the Edgewood estate of his son, W.T.C. “Willy” Boyd, were surrounded by dry stone walls. The current owners of the Mossom Boyd estate have donated stones from the deteriorated walls to be used to restore the Edgewood wall. (Photo: Boyd Heritage Museum)
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 2,584 new cases today, the sixth straight day of increases under 3,000, with 6 of Ontario’s 34 health units reporting triple-digit increases. The seven-day average of daily cases has decreased to 2,576 and the proportion of active cases continues to decline for the 26th day in a row.
Hospitalizations continue to decrease, with a small increase in the number of ICU patients and no change in the number of patients on ventilators. Ontario is reporting 24 deaths today, with 1 new death in a long-term care home.
Ontario administered a record 154,104 vaccine doses yesterday, with 47% of Ontario’s total population now having received at least one dose.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 36 new cases to report, with Peterborough reporting 15 new cases for the second day in a row. There are 9 new cases in Hastings Prince Edward, 8 in Kawartha Lakes, and 4 in Northumberland. With an additional 44 cases resolved, active cases have declined across the region by 10 to 247 — except in Peterborough, where they have increased by 4 to 103. See below for detailed information from each health unit in the region.
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Most of the new cases reported today are in Toronto (689), Peel (584), York (252), Durham (157), Hamilton (115), and Ottawa (108).
There are double-digit increases reported today in Halton (91), Waterloo (78), Middlesex-London (71), Niagara (70), Simcoe Muskoka (68), Windsor-Essex (51), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (36), Porcupine (25), Eastern Ontario (22), Huron Perth (21), Brant (19), Peterborough (17), Lambton (17), Haldimand-Norfolk (16), Grey Bruce (13), and Southwestern (12), with smaller increases in Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (9), Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (9), Northwestern (7), and Sudbury (7).
The remaining 8 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 1 health unit (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 (1,121) among people ages 20-39 followed by 652 cases among people ages 40-59 and 517 cases among people 19 and under.
With 3,063 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.1% to at 92.9% — the 26th straight day the percentage of resolved cases has increased. The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased by 0.1% to 6.2%, meaning that 62 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on May 14.
Ontario is reporting 24 new COVID-19 deaths today, with 1 new death in a long-term care home. Ontario has averaged 28 new daily deaths over the past week (no change from yesterday).
Hospitalizations have decreased by 36 to 1,546, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs increasing by 8 to 785 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators remaining at 560.
A total of 42,320 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 2,704 to 19,533.
A total of 6,925,232 doses of vaccine have now been administered, a record increase of 154,104 from yesterday, and 422,960 people have been fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 7,429 from yesterday.
The number of fully vaccinated people represents 2.87% of Ontario’s population, an increase of 0.05% from yesterday, with fully and partially vaccinated people representing 47% of the total population, an increase of 1.05% 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 36 new cases to report, including 15 in Peterborough, 9 in Hastings Prince Edward, 8 in Kawartha Lakes, and 4 in Northumberland. There are no new cases in Haliburton.
There are 11 new regional cases of variants of concern, including 5 in Hastings Prince Edward, 3 in Northumberland, 2 in Peterborough, and 1 in Haliburton.
There is 1 new hospitalization in Peterborough.
An additional 44 cases have been resolved, including 14 in Hastings Prince Edward, 12 in Kawartha Lakes, 11 in Peterborough, 6 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton. An outbreak at Sunshine Daycare in Peterborough was declared resolved on May 15.
There are currently 247 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 10 from yesterday, including 103 in Peterborough, 63 in Hastings Prince Edward (13 in Quinte West, 28 in Belleville, 2 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 6 in Prince Edward County, 8 in Central Hastings, and 6 in North Hastings), 42 in Kawartha Lakes, 30 in Northumberland, and 9 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 1,375 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,255 resolved with 17 deaths), 813 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (728 resolved with 56 deaths), 870 in Northumberland County (824 resolved with 16 deaths), 116 in Haliburton County (106 resolved with 1 death), and 1,051 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (978 resolved with 10 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Northumberland on May 12.
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: 1,375 (increase of 15) Total variants of concern cases: 558 (increase of 2) Active cases: 103 (increase of 4) Close contacts: 288 (decrease of 16) Deaths: 17 (no change) Resolved: 1,255 (increase of 11) Hospitalizations (total to date): 61 (increase of 1)* ICU admissions (total to date): 13 (no change) Total tests completed: Over 51,300 (increase of 100) Total vaccine doses administered (residents and non-residents): 66,045 (increase of 5,618 as of May 14) Number of residents who have received first dose: 60,524 Number of residents fully vaccinated: 4,575 (increase of 154 as of May 14) Outbreaks: Unidentified congregate living facility #3 in Peterborough, Helping Hands Day Care in Peterborough County (decrease of 1)**
*As of May 13, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting 12 patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 (decrease of 1) and a total of 73 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (no change).
**An outbreak at Sunshine Daycare in Peterborough was declared resolved on May 15.
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: 1,799, including 813 in Kawartha Lakes, 870 in Northumberland, and 116 in Haliburton (increase of 12, including 8 in Kawartha Lakes and 4 in Northumberland)* Total variants of concern cases: 503, including 200 in Kawartha Lakes, 273 in Northumberland, and 30 in Haliburton (increase of 4, including 3 in Northumberland and 1 in Haliburton) Active cases: 81, including 42 in Kawartha Lakes, 30 in Northumberland, and 9 in Haliburton (decrease of 9, including 6 in Kawartha Lakes, 2 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton) Probable cases: 6, including 5 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland (no change) Hospitalizations (total to date): 66, including 34 in Kawartha Lakes, 29 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (no change)** Deaths (including among probable cases): 73, including 56 in Kawartha Lakes, 16 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change) Resolved: 1,658, including 728 in Kawartha Lakes, 824 in Northumberland, and 106 in Haliburton (increase of 19, including 12 in Kawartha Lakes, 6 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton) Tests completed: 187,864 (increase of 432) Vaccine doses administered: 79,432 (increase of 7,067 as of May 10) Number of people fully vaccinated: 4,462 (increase of 191 as of May 10) Outbreaks: Staples and Swain Law Office in Lindsay, OPP Offender Transport Lindsay, Dairy Queen 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 May 14, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 6 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (decrease of 2).
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: 1,051 (increase of 9) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 416 (increase of 5) Active cases: 63 (decrease of 5) Deaths: 10 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 15 (decrease of 2) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 6 (decrease of 1) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 5 (no change) Resolved: 978 (increase of 14) Tests completed: 136,183 (no change) Vaccine doses administered: 73,234 (increase of 1,554) Number of people fully vaccinated: 5,756 (increase of 540) Outbreaks: Quinte 5 at QHC Belleville General Hospital, ICU of QHC Belleville General Hospital, Unidentified child care facility in Belleville, Unidentified workplace in Belleville, Unidentified workplace in Central Hastings, Community outbreak in Hastings Highlands in North Hastings (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 507,117 (increase of 2,584) COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) cases: 106,043 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 2,179); 625 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (increase of 31); 1,853 of P.1 Brazilian variant (increase of 107) VOC R(t): 0.87 (decrease of 0.05 as May 8)* 7-day average of daily new cases: 2,576 (decrease of 40) Positivity rate: 6.2% (increase of 0.1%) Resolved: 471,096 (increase of 3,063), 92.9% of all cases (increase of 0.1%) Hospitalizations: 1,546 (decrease of 36) Hospitalizations in ICU: 785 (increase of 8) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 560 (no change) Deaths: 8,455 (increase of 24) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 28 (no change) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,938 (increase of 1) Total tests completed: 14,737,404 (increase of 42,320) Tests under investigation: 19,533 (decrease of 2,704) Vaccination doses administered: 6,925,232 (increase of 154,104), 47.00% of Ontario’s population (increase of 1.05%)** People fully vaccinated (two doses): 422,960 (increase of 7,429), 2.87% of Ontario’s population (increase of 0.05%)**
*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 14 – May 14, 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 14 – May 14, 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 14 – May 14, 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 14 – May 14, 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 14 – May 14, 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)
Greg Keelor recorded a live performance of his latest solo record 'Share The Love' over two days in fall 2020 at Gores Landing Community Hall south of Rice Lake, with a band featuring Peterborough-area musicians Jim Bowskill, James McKenty, Ian McKeown, Melissa Payne, and Kyler Tapscott along with Blue Rodeo's Glenn Milchem. (Photo: Greg Keelor / Facebook)
Musician Greg Keelor of Blue Rodeo is premiering a live recording performance of his latest solo record Share The Love on YouTube at 8 p.m. on Saturday night (May 15), featuring some well-known Peterborough-area musicians.
Filmed live at Gores Landing Community Hall over two days last fall by Adam Vollick and Michael Hurcomb, the performance features Keelor along with Peterborough-area musicians Jim Bowskill (guitar and more), James McKenty (guitar, recording engineer), Ian McKeown (bass, backing vocals), Melissa Payne (Acetone organ, violin, backing vocals), and Kyler Tapscott (guitar, backing vocals), with Blue Rodeo’s own Glenn Milchem on drums.
Keelor had completed the studio version of Share The Love in early 2020 when the pandemic hit. He decided to assemble a band and book the Gores Landing Community Hall south of Rice Lake to shoot some promotional videos for the new record. The musicians were tested beforehand and they performed in a physically distanced semi-circle.
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While Keelor released the studio version of Share The Love in April (available on CD and vinyl from www.gregkeelor.com), he liked the live performance recording so much he decided to release it separately.
“There’s something about a group of people who for two days just sit and play music, concentrate on these songs, and just feeling the love,” Kellor writes on social media. “It’s magical. You can feel their presence, the currents running between the musicians. It’s a tangible feeling, a visceral thing.”
You can watch the premiere of the film at 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 15th on Keelor’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/watch?v=8UT3pNlUHAQ. Keelor will be participating in the YouTube chat to answer questions.
VIDEO: Share The Love – Live’s From Gores Landing Community Hall promo
D.B. Mcleod is an Anishnaabe Kwe comedian whose home territory is Sagamok Anishnaabek First Nation on the north shore of Lake Huron. One of six acts at the Nogojiwanong Indigenous Fringe Festival, running June 23-27, 2021 at Trent University, she will be performing her stand-up show 'Denis with an E'. (Photo via Ontario Performing Arts Presenting Network)
Live performance is returning to Peterborough-Nogojiwanong this summer at the world’s first Indigenous Fringe Festival, taking place in June at Trent University, and tickets are now available online at tickets.showplace.org.
The inaugural Nogojiwanong Indigenous Fringe Festival (NIFF), originally scheduled for 2020, is going ahead this year despite the pandemic because organizers have ensured the festival is COVID-safe.
“We all miss performance,” says festival founder Joeann Argue in a media release. “We miss pow wows. We just miss being in the company of others; being in community. That’s why we decided to move ahead with NIFF this year as a fully outdoor festival.”
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Indigenous Fringe Festival shifts into cars
Originally scheduled to be performed to small audiences at several outdoor locations on Trent University’s East Bank campus, the festival will now be taking place as a drive-in event in parking lot X to comply with the performing arts restrictions of step one of the Ontario government’s reopening plan.
From Wednesday, June 23rd to Sunday, June 27th, six Indigenous performing artists will present 35 shows at four outdoor venues at Trent University, with a maximum of 10 tickets available for each show.
Tickets for all performances are $10 each, with all proceeds from ticket sales going directly to the performing artists.
The outdoor performance spaces at Trent University include the East Bank campus, around the Enwayaang building (home of the Chanie Wenjack School of Indigenous Studies), and outside of Gzowski College.
As is fringe festival tradition, the six performers were chosen by lottery and include D.B. McLeod (comedy), Jennifer Alicia Murrin (theatre), Stephanie Pangowish (comedy), “Tiger” Will Mason (music and stories), Vanguardia Dance Projects (dance), and Zaagi’idwin Collective (theatre). A schedule of all the performances is provided below.
“Tiger” Will Mason is an Upper Cayuga Mohawk actor and musician who has been onstage for more than half his life as an underground folk, rock, native rock, and country rock musician. One of six acts at the Nogojiwanong Indigenous Fringe Festival, running June 23-27, 2021 at Trent University, he will perform ‘The Music and Stories of a Modern Mohawk’. (Photo: Tiger” Will Mason)
“Think of it as practice for those golden days ahead when we can gather in larger groups and hugs our friends and family tight,” Argue says. “Think of it as a taste of NIFF to come, when Indigenous artists from all over Turtle Island can converge here is Nogojiwanong.”
“Most of all, think of just how excited this year’s NIFF artists are to be able to perform live, for you, with no screens in between. We’re so excited too and we can’t wait to welcome you.”
Tiger Will Mason: The Music & Stories of a Modern Mohawk at 6 p.m.
Stephanie Pangowish: Stand Up Comedy at 7:30 p.m.
D.B. McLeod: Denis with an “E” at 8:30 p.m.
Stephanie Pangowish is an Anishnaabekwe comedian from Wiikwemkoong on Manitoulin Island and co-founder of Manifest Destiny’s Child, Canada’s first collective of Indigenous women stand-up comedians. She will be performing at the Nogojiwanong Indigenous Fringe Festival, running June 23-27, 2021 at Trent University. (TedX video screenshot)
Thursday, June 24
Bagnani Gardens
Vanguardia Dance Projects: Hybrid Women at 6 p.m.
Fire Pit
Jennifer Alicia: Restor(Y)ing Identity at 7 p.m.
Stephanie Pangowish: Stand Up Comedy at 9 p.m.
Gzowski Stairs
Zaagi’Idiwin Collective: Streetheart at 6 p.m.
Stone Circle
Tiger Will Mason: the Music & Stories of a Modern Mohawk at 8 p.m.
Friday, June 25
Bagnani Gardens
Vanguardia Dance Projects: Hybrid Women at 8 p.m.
Fire Pit
Jennifer Alicia: Restor(Y)ing Identity at 6:30 p.m.
Tiger Will Mason: the Music & Stories of a Modern Mohawk at 9 p.m.
Gzowski Stairs
Zaagi’Idiwin Collective: Streetheart at 7:30 p.m.
Stone Circle
Stephanie Pangowish: Stand Up Comedy at 7 p.m.
D.B. McLeod: Denis with an “E” at 8 p.m.
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Saturday, June 26
Bagnani Gardens
Vanguardia Dance Projects: Hybrid Women at 4 p.m.
Fire Pit
Jennifer Alicia: Restor(Y)ing Identity at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
D.B. McLeod: Denis with an “E” at 9 p.m.
Gzowski Stairs
Zaagi’Idiwin Collective: Streetheart at 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Stone Circle
Tiger Will Mason: the Music & Stories of a Modern Mohawk at 12 p.m. and 8 p.m.
D.B. McLeod: Denis with an “E” at 1:30 p.m.
Stephanie Pangowish: Stand Up Comedy at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Tiger Will Mason: the Music & Stories of a Modern Mohawk at 8 p.m.
Norma Araiza and Olga Barrios of Vanguardia Dance Projects will present ‘Mujeres Hibridas (Hybrid Women)’ at the Nogojiwanong Indigenous Fringe Festival, running June 23-27, 2021 at Trent University. Araiza is Mexican of Yoeme/Basque heritage and Barrios is originally from Bogotá, Colombia. (Photo: Vanguardia Dance Projects)
Sunday, June 27
Bagnani Gardens
Vanguardia Dance Projects: Hybrid Women at 6 p.m.
Fire Pit
Jennifer Alicia: Restor(Y)ing Identity at 3 p.m.
Gzowski Stairs
Zaagi’Idiwin Collective: Streetheart at 4 p.m.
Closing ceremony at 8 p.m.
Stone Circle
Stephanie Pangowish: Stand Up Comedy at 4 p.m.
D.B. McLeod: Denis with an “E at 5 p.m.
Tiger Will Mason: the Music & Stories of a Modern Mohawk at 6:30 p.m.
NIFF supporters include the Government of Canada, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, City of Peterborough, Fringe Festivals, Trent University, TD, Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha, New Stages Theatre, Mississaugas of Scucog Island First Nation, Nish Tees, The Peterborough Foundation, and Showplace Performance Centre.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 2,362 new cases today, with only 5 of Ontario’s 34 health units reporting triple-digit increases. The seven-day average of daily cases has decreased to 2,616 and the proportion of active cases continues to decline for the 25th day in a row.
Hospitalizations have fallen substantially, with only 1 new ICU patient and a small decrease in the number of patients on ventilators. Ontario is reporting 26 deaths today, with no new deaths in long-term care homes.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 29 new cases to report, with Peterborough accounting for more than half of the increase with 15 cases — the second straight day of a double-digit increase, after 19 cases were reported yesterday. There are 5 new cases in Hastings Prince Edward, 4 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton.
Except in Peterborough and Haliburton, active cases have declined across the region by 7 to 257, with an additional 35 cases resolved. See below for detailed information from each health unit in the region.
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Most of the new cases reported today are in Toronto (691), Peel (563), York (224), Durham (148), and Hamilton (112).
There are double-digit increases reported today in Ottawa (99), Middlesex-London (66), Halton (63), Waterloo (55), Niagara (50), Windsor-Essex (45), Simcoe Muskoka (40), Peterborough (23), Brant (23), Porcupine (22), Southwestern (22), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (20), Eastern Ontario (18), and Haldimand-Norfolk (17), with smaller increases in Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (9), Lambton (9), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (8), Huron Perth (8), Thunder Bay (6), and Chatham-Kent (6).
The remaining 9 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 2 health units (Timiskaming and Leeds, Grenville & Lanark) reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 61% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (1,006) among people ages 20-39 followed by 643 cases among people ages 40-59 and 422 cases among people 19 and under.
With 3,502 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.3% to at 92.8% — the 25th straight day the percentage of resolved cases has increased. The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased by 0.4% to 6.1%, meaning that 61 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on May 13.
Ontario is reporting 26 new COVID-19 deaths today, with no new deaths in long-term care homes. Ontario has averaged 28 new daily deaths over the past week, an increase of 1 from yesterday.
Hospitalizations have decreased by 50 to 1,582, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs increasing by 1 to 777 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators decreasing by 8 to 560.
A total of 44,040 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 2,128 to 22,237.
A total of 6,771,128 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 141,765 from yesterday, and 415,531 people have been fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, a record increase of 7,931 from yesterday.
The number of fully vaccinated people represents 2.82% of Ontario’s population, an increase of 0.05% from yesterday, with fully and partially vaccinated people representing 45.96% of the total population, an increase of 0.96% 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 29 new cases to report, including 15 in Peterborough, 5 in Hastings Prince Edward, 4 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton.
There are 39 new regional cases of variants of concern, including 20 in Peterborough, 6 in Hastings Prince Edward, 5 in Northumberland, 4 in Kawartha Lakes, and 4 in Haliburton.
There is 1 new hospitalization in Kawartha Lakes.
An additional 35 cases have been resolved, including 15 in Hastings Prince Edward, 11 in Kawartha Lakes, 5 in Peterborough, and 4 in Northumberland. An outbreak at an unidentified home child care centre in Peterborough County was declared resolved on May 14.
There are currently 257 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 7 from yesterday, including 99 in Peterborough, 68 in Hastings Prince Edward (13 in Quinte West, 31 in Belleville, 2 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 6 in Prince Edward County, 10 in Central Hastings, and 6 in North Hastings), 48 in Kawartha Lakes, 32 in Northumberland, and 10 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 1,360 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,244 resolved with 17 deaths), 807 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (716 resolved with 56 deaths), 866 in Northumberland County (818 resolved with 16 deaths), 116 in Haliburton County (105 resolved with 1 death), and 1,042 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (964 resolved with 10 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Northumberland on May 12.
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: 1,360 (increase of 15) Total variants of concern cases: 556 (increase of 20) Active cases: 99 (increase of 10) Close contacts: 304 (increase of 19) Deaths: 17 (no change) Resolved: 1,244 (increase of 5) Hospitalizations (total to date): 60 (no change)* ICU admissions (total to date): 13 (no change) Total tests completed: Over 51,200 (increase of 100) Total vaccine doses administered (residents and non-residents): 66,045 (increase of 5,618 as of May 14) Number of residents who have received first dose: 60,524 Number of residents fully vaccinated: 4,575 (increase of 154 as of May 14) Outbreaks: Unidentified congregate living facility #3 in Peterborough, Sunshine Daycare in Peterborough, Helping Hands Day Care in Peterborough County (decrease of 1)**
*As of May 13, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting 12 patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 (decrease of 1) and a total of 73 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (no change).
**An outbreak at an unidentified home child care centre in Peterborough County was declared resolved on May 14.
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: 1,789, including 807 in Kawartha Lakes, 866 in Northumberland, and 116 in Haliburton (increase of 9, including 4 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton)* Total variants of concern cases: 499, including 200 in Kawartha Lakes, 270 in Northumberland, and 29 in Haliburton (increase of 13, including 4 in Kawartha Lakes, 5 in Northumberland, and 4 in Haliburton) Active cases: 90, including 48 in Kawartha Lakes, 32 in Northumberland, and 10 in Haliburton (net decrease of 7) Probable cases: 6, including 5 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland (no change) Hospitalizations (total to date): 66, including 34 in Kawartha Lakes, 29 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Kawartha Lakes)** Deaths (including among probable cases): 73, including 56 in Kawartha Lakes, 16 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change) Resolved: 1,639, including 716 in Kawartha Lakes, 818 in Northumberland, and 105 in Haliburton (increase of 15, including 11 in Kawartha Lakes and 4 in Northumberland) Tests completed: 187,432 (increase of 561) Vaccine doses administered: 79,432 (increase of 7,067 as of May 10) Number of people fully vaccinated: 4,462 (increase of 191 as of May 10) Outbreaks: Staples and Swain Law Office in Lindsay, OPP Offender Transport Lindsay, Dairy Queen 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 May 14, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 6 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (decrease of 2).
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: 1,042 (increase of 5) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 411 (increase of 6) Active cases: 68 (decrease of 10) Deaths: 10 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 17 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 7 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 5 (no change) Resolved: 964 (increase of 15) Tests completed: 136,183 (no change) Vaccine doses administered: 71,680 (increase of 1,697) Number of people fully vaccinated: 5,216 (increase of 279) Outbreaks: Quinte 5 at QHC Belleville General Hospital, ICU of QHC Belleville General Hospital, Unidentified child care facility in Belleville, Unidentified workplace in Belleville, Unidentified workplace in Central Hastings, Community outbreak in Hastings Highlands in North Hastings (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 504,533 (increase of 2,362) COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) cases: 103,864 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 2,632); 594 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (increase of 20); 1,746 of P.1 Brazilian variant (increase of 19) VOC R(t): 0.87 (decrease of 0.05 as May 8)* 7-day average of daily new cases: 2,616 (decrease of 115) Positivity rate: 6.1% (decrease of 0.4%) Resolved: 468,033 (increase of 3,502), 92.8% of all cases (increase of 0.3%) Hospitalizations: 1,582 (decrease of 50) Hospitalizations in ICU: 777 (increase of 1) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 560 (decrease of 8) Deaths: 8,431 (increase of 26) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 28 (increase of 1) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,937 (no change) Total tests completed: 14,695,084 (increase of 44,040) Tests under investigation: 22,237 (decrease of 2,128) Vaccination doses administered: 6,771,128 (increase of 141,765), 45.96% of Ontario’s population (increase of 0.96%)** People fully vaccinated (two doses): 415,531 (increase of 7,931), 2.82% of Ontario’s population (increase of 0.05%)**
*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 13 – May 13, 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 13 – May 13, 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 13 – May 13, 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 13 – May 13, 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 13 – May 13, 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)
Peterborough’s agonizing wait for increased vaccine supply ends next week — good news as the region’s active case count has shown a dramatic upswing this week.
During a Peterborough Public Health media briefing held Friday (May 14), medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra confirmed more than 7,000 Pfizer doses — more than twice that which has been received in recent weeks — are expected to arrive Monday (May 17).
“We’re going to be doubling our capacity at our Evinrude (Centre) clinics and we will also be going back to seven days per week rollout,” she said. “We’ll look again to see about clinics outside of Peterborough. We’re in conversation with our partners about extending the hours of our clinics with more immunizers.”
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“We’re also making plans to move the vaccine clinic from the multi-purpose room to the Leon’s ice pad, which will essentially triple the volume we’re currently able to do.”
For people who are eligible for the vaccine but have been unable to find available appointments, Dr. Salvaterra encouraged them to try again next week.
“We’re putting appointments online as we can,” she said. “I suggest people keep checking back and book appointments when they become available. We expect to be able to deliver 65,000 vaccines per month moving forward.”
Confirmation of increased vaccine shipments coincides with the encouraging news that close to 50 per cent of eligible residents have received at least their first dose.
“In the last week alone, we’ve increased the vaccination rate by almost four per cent of the eligible population,” said Dr. Salvaterra, noting 66,045 total doses have been administered — 60,524 of them to Peterborough city and county residents — with 4,575 people having received two doses and now considered fully vaccinated.
“I feel confident that we will able to achieve the provincial target of 65 per cent (of all adults receiving their first does) by the end of May. That’s quite impressive considering the limited vaccine supply we’ve had over the past several weeks.”
Area residents are directed to phone the provincial call centre at 1-833-943-3900 to book their COVID vaccination appointments when they are in the age group that has become eligible. The line is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days per week. Eligible residents can also continue to book their appointments online by visiting ontario.ca/bookvaccine.
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Speaking to the provincial government’s pause in administering the AstraZeneca vaccine due to the rare risk of blood clots, Dr. Salvaterra is expecting news on that front will come soon.
“I recognize that close to 7,000 local residents who received their first dose (of AstraZeneca) likely have many questions. We are awaiting (health) ministry guidance on how best to address second doses for this group. We’ll need another week or two before there may be some firm decisions that we can share.”
Provincial health officials are considering whether to proceed with second doses of AstraZeneca, since the risk of blood clots is much lower with second doses, or whether to second doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines instead.
Meanwhile, those disappointed, frustrated, or even angry over the government’s decision to extend the stay-at-home order until at least June 2 might want to look at the most recent local case count numbers.
As of Thursday (May 13) at 4:30 p.m., the number of active cases in Peterborough city and county, Curve Lake, and Hiawatha was reported as 89 — a dramatic increase of 24 since Tuesday. So far this week, 45 new cases have been detected while the number of close contacts of positive cases being closely monitored by public health staff has again risen, now at 285, up 58 this week. As for active outbreaks, that number has dropped to three with this week’s clearing of an ongoing outbreak in a daycare setting.
“I support this decision,” said Dr. Salvaterra of the extension of the stay-at-home order. “We need a little more time to being our cases under control and to increase the percentage of our population that has some protection before we open up.”
“I want this lockdown to be our last. I understand that people are getting weary, but this is not the time to give up. We are on the verge of getting to the other side of this.”
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On the enforcement front, talk centred on the continued defiance of public health restrictions by Hill City Baptist Church.
Under the lockdown, religious services cannot exceed 10 people in attendance. Last Saturday (May 8) at Nicholls Oval, some 30 to 40 people gathered for an outdoor service and a charge was laid against Pastor Alex Kloosterman.
“We have received complaints against three different places of worship,” confirmed Dr. Salvaterra.
“All have been investigated, including site visits. None have resulted in charges. Overall I’d say this sector has been extremely co-operative and compliant — with one exception, that being Hill City Baptist Church.”
“Last year we also received several complaints,” Dr. Salvaterra recalled. “The church disregarded and disputed public health measures. We did pay a visit to the church — I went myself — and we observed that the majority of congregants were removing their masks upon entry.”
“We met with Pastor Kloosterman and he made it very clear he had no intention of complying with the provincial requirement for masking. We were preparing to take additional enforcement action, but that wasn’t required as the church vacated the building it was leasing on December 17.”
For his part, Pastor Kloosterman has argued that outdoor gatherings are not a high-risk activity, and that freedom of religion and expression supercede the Re-Opening Ontario Act.
Asked for her take on his argument, Dr. Salvaterra made her position clear.
“I’m not prepared to get into an argument with the pastor through the media. I’ve made my case to him. He knows where I’m coming from. I know where he’s coming from. We have a difference of opinion.”
Also commenting during Friday’s briefing were Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef, Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien, and Peterborough board of health chair and Selwyn mayor Andy Mitchell.
The Municipality of Port Hope recognized local residents who have contributed to the betterment of the community on May 13, 2021 with a virtual ceremony for the 2020 Civic Awards, pre-recorded at the Capitol Theatre and emceed by York Bell-Smith. (Screenshot)
The Municipality of Port Hope celebrated citiens who have contributed to the betterment of the community during a pre-recorded online ceremony for the 2020 Civic Awards on Thursday night (May 13).
“There hasn’t been a more important time in recent history to celebrate and honour the good work being done by our citizens,” said Port Hope Mayor Bob Sanderson. “If this past year has taught us anything, it’s that we rely on our community to get us through some of the tough moments.”
Awards for the 33rd annual ceremony were presented in seven categories, including the Outstanding Citizen and Outstanding Youth awards, which were presented virtually to Barry Adamson and Jordan Mapley.
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Adamson was recognized for his work in growing the Port Hope Agricultural Heritage Club, rejuvenating the Float your Fanny Down the Ganny event, and his volunteer contributions to many other events and activities in the community.
Mapley was recognized for her more than 600 hours of community service and contributions to extracurricular activities at her high school, all while maintaining an outstanding academic record.
Other recipients of the Port Hope Civic Awards include:
Agriculture
Cindy Osland
Arts & Culture
Arline Smith
Miles Bowman
The Farley Mowat Boat Roofed House Working Committee (Anna Lyn Baxter, Bree Nixon, Charles Wickett, Claire Mowat, David Pamenter, Jan Hill, Gord Thompson, John Mowat, John Shaw-Rimmington, Mary Shaw-Rimmington, Paul Godin, and Stephen Smith)
Community Service
Kaitlyn Thompson
Michael Yip
Loretta Hu
Nolan Finn
Active Fit and Fun Exercise Program Volunteers (Phyllis Pecile, Louise Sirtonski, Colleen Budd, Betty Finnie-Hunt, Vicki Bobiash, Patricia Bylok, Victoria Meneilley)
Tammie Staples
Jennifer Mercer
Port Hope and District Chamber of Commerce Volunteers (James White, Betsey Price)
Northumberland Fare Share Port Hope
Port Hope Rotary
I Love Port Hope Admin (Don McNeil, Katie Traugott, Jeff Lees)
Capitol Theatre Volunteers (5 years of service: Eleanor Stanley, Betty McIntosh, Ricarda Renner, Vincie Spicoluk, Rita Zeran, Doris Buttar, Glenn Case, Joanne Aitchison, Elizabeth Stewart;
10 years of service: Ray Avery, Sadie Avery, Margaret Benns, Beverley Chrisomalis, Margaret Darrah; 15 years of service: Cathy Case; 20 years of service: Lorna Abrams; 25 years of service: Barbara and Peter Holton)
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Inspiration
Brandon Bliss
Trish Dryden
Paul Griffin
Colleen Bulger
Margaret McAulay
Cathy Nevin
Philanthropy
Papa’s Pizzaland Port Hope
Adam Pearson
“This year’s Civic Awards reminds us that, even when there is turmoil, humans are still contributing to our community in ways that wow us everyday,” Mayor Sanderson said. “Congratulations to all of the nominees and award winners.”
Jon Perrin presents a cheque for $2,500 to the Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation in Lindsay. Perrin, an OPP officer who suffers from PTSD, has become an advocate for mental health awareness. (Photo courtesy of Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation)
Local OPP officer Jon Perrin has donated $2,500 to the Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation in Lindsay.
Perrin has become an advocate for mental health awareness since being diagnosed with post-traumantic stress disorder (PTSD).
“This gift does more than support mental health care at the Ross,” says Erin Coons, CEO of the Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation. “Through his efforts, Jon is enhancing care throughout the community, encouraging those in need to reach out, and focusing on his own mental health. We’re honoured to receive this donation and help Jon help so many others.”
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Perrin, who was sexually assaulted at a young age and exposed to initiations and hazing while playing junior hockey, began working for the OPP in 2012. After responding to several traumatic events in his role as a police officer, he was diagnosed with PTSD in 2019.
In April, Perrin donated a $2,500 gift from real estate developer Flato Developments to the Canadian Mental Health Association, Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge Branch.
Perrin intends to support local mental health care with donations to community organizations including the Ross Memorial Hospital Mental Health program.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
With Ontario announcing the stay-at-home order will remain in effect until at least June 2, the province is reporting 2,759 new cases. Of Ontario’s 34 health units, 7 are reporting triple-digit increases and 16 are reporting double-digit increases. The seven-day average of daily cases has decreased to 2,731 and the proportion of active cases continues to decline.
Hospitalizations have decreased, with no change in the number of ICU patients and a small rise in the number of patients on ventilators. Ontario is reporting 31 deaths today, including 1 new death in a long-term care home.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 35 new cases to report (including 19 in Peterborough, 8 in Northumberland, 4 in Haliburton, 3 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward) and an additional 29 cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region increasing by 6 to 264. See below for detailed information from each health unit in the region.
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Most of the new cases reported today are in Toronto (774), Peel (602), York (258), Durham (147), Hamilton (113), Ottawa (110), and Halton (104).
There are double-digit increases reported today in Niagara (81), Middlesex-London (78), Waterloo (72), Simcoe Muskoka (65), Windsor-Essex (54), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (44), Brant (30), Lambton (28), Porcupine (24), Huron Perth (19), Eastern Ontario (18), Southwestern (16), Haldimand-Norfolk (15), Sudbury (12), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (11), and Peterborough (10), with smaller increases in Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (9), Renfrew (8), Northwestern (6), Algoma (6), North Bay Parry Sound (6), Hastings Prince Edward (6), Chatham-Kent (6), and Grey Bruce (6).
The remaining 3 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 1 health unit (Timiskaming) reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 60% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (1,125) among people ages 20-39 followed by 781 cases among people ages 40-59 and 538 cases among people 19 and under.
With 3,455 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.2% to at 92.5% — the 24th straight day the percentage of resolved cases has increased. The average positivity rate across Ontario has decreased by 0.7% to 5.7%, meaning that 57 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on May 12.
Ontario is reporting 31 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 1 new death in a long-term care home. Ontario has averaged 27 new daily deaths over the past week (no change from yesterday).
Hospitalizations have decreased by 41 to 1,632, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs remaining the same at 776 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators increasing by 9 to 568.
A total of 47,638 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 3,809 to 24,365.
A total of 6,629,363 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 137,697 from yesterday, and 407,600 people have been fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 5,342 from yesterday.
The number of fully vaccinated people represents 2.77% of Ontario’s population, an increase of 0.04% from yesterday, with fully and partially vaccinated people representing 45% of the total population, an increase of 0.96% 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 35 new cases to report, including 19 in Peterborough, 8 in Northumberland, 4 in Haliburton, 3 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward.
There are 32 new regional cases of variants of concern, including 21 in Peterborough, 8 in Hastings Prince Edward, 2 in Northumberland, and 1 in Kawartha Lakes.
An additional 29 cases have been resolved, including 9 in Peterborough, 6 in Hastings Prince Edward, 8 in Kawartha Lakes, and 6 in Northumberland.
5-day rolling average of active COVID-19 cases in the greater Kawarthas region by health unit from April 13 – May 13, 2021. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
There are currently 264 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 6 from yesterday, including 89 in Peterborough, 78 in Hastings Prince Edward (14 in Quinte West, 39 in Belleville, 2 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 5 in Prince Edward County, 10 in Central Hastings, and 8 in North Hastings), 56 in Kawartha Lakes, 33 in Northumberland, and 8 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 1,345 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,239 resolved with 17 deaths), 804 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (705 resolved with 56 deaths), 863 in Northumberland County (814 resolved with 16 deaths), 114 in Haliburton County (105 resolved with 1 death), and 1,037 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (949 resolved with 10 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Northumberland on May 12.
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: 1,345 (increase of 19) Total variants of concern cases: 536 (increase of 21) Active cases: 89 (increase of 10) Close contacts: 285 (increase of 32) Deaths: 17 (no change) Resolved: 1,239 (increase of 9) Hospitalizations (total to date): 60 (no change)* ICU admissions (total to date): 13 (no change) Total tests completed: Over 51,100 (increase of 100) Outbreaks: Unidentified congregate living facility #3 in Peterborough, Sunshine Daycare in Peterborough, Unidentified home child care centre #1 in Peterborough County, Helping Hands Day Care in Peterborough County (no change) Vaccine doses administered: 60,427 (increase of 4,018 as of May 7) Number of people fully vaccinated: 4,421 (increase of 210 as of May 7)
*As of May 13, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting 12 patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 (decrease of 1) and a total of 73 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: 1,781, including 804 in Kawartha Lakes, 863 in Northumberland, and 114 in Haliburton (increase of 15, including 3 in Kawartha Lakes, 8 in Northumberland, and 4 in Haliburton)* Total variants of concern cases: 486, including 196 in Kawartha Lakes, 265 in Northumberland, and 25 in Haliburton (increase of 3, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Northumberland) Active cases: 97, including 56 in Kawartha Lakes, 33 in Northumberland, and 8 in Haliburton (net increase of 1) Probable cases: 6, including 5 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland (increase of 1 in Northumberland) Hospitalizations (total to date): 65, including 33 in Kawartha Lakes, 29 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (no change)** Deaths (including among probable cases): 73, including 56 in Kawartha Lakes, 16 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change) Resolved: 1,624, including 705 in Kawartha Lakes, 814 in Northumberland, and 105 in Haliburton (increase of 14, including 8 in Kawartha Lakes and 6 in Northumberland) Tests completed: 186,871 (increase of 517) Vaccine doses administered: 79,432 (increase of 7,067 as of May 10) Number of people fully vaccinated: 4,462 (increase of 191 as of May 10) Outbreaks: Staples and Swain Law Office in Lindsay, OPP Offender Transport Lindsay, Dairy Queen 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 May 13, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 8 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: 1,037 (increase of 1) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 405 (increase of 8) Active cases: 78 (decrease of 5) Deaths: 10 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 17 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 7 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 5 (no change) Resolved: 949 (increase of 6) Tests completed: 136,183 (increase of 5) Vaccine doses administered: 69,983 (increase of 1,292) Number of people fully vaccinated: 4,937 (increase of 192) Outbreaks: Quinte 5 at QHC Belleville General Hospital, ICU of QHC Belleville General Hospital, Unidentified child care facility in Belleville, Unidentified workplace in Belleville, Unidentified workplace in Central Hastings, Community outbreak in Hastings Highlands in North Hastings (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 502,171 (increase of 2,759) COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) cases: 101,232 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 2,287); 574 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (increase of 6); 1,727 of P.1 Brazilian variant (increase of 44) VOC R(t): 0.87 (decrease of 0.05 as May 8)* 7-day average of daily new cases: 2,731 (decrease of 95) Positivity rate: 5.7% (decrease of 0.7%) Resolved: 464,531 (increase of 3,455), 92.5% of all cases (increase of 0.2%) Hospitalizations: 1,632 (decrease of 41) Hospitalizations in ICU: 776 (no change) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 568 (increase of 9) Deaths: 8,405 (increase of 31) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 27 (no change) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,937 (increase of 1) Total tests completed: 14,651,044 (increase of 47,638) Tests under investigation: 24,365 (decrease of 3,809) Vaccination doses administered: 6,629,363 (increase of 137,697), 45.00% of Ontario’s population (increase of 0.93%)** People fully vaccinated (two doses): 407,600 (increase of 5,342), 2.77% of Ontario’s population (increase of 0.04%)**
*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 12 – May 12, 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 12 – May 12, 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 12 – May 12, 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 12 – May 12, 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 12 – May 12, 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)
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