Small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic now have more time to submit an application for the Ontario Small Business Support Grant of $20,000 to $40,000 to help with ongoing costs.
During his announcement of the province-wide shutdown on Thursday (April 1), Premier Doug Ford said the deadline was being extended until Wednesday, April 7th and encouraged all eligible small businesses to apply.
Launched in January, the Ontario Small Business Support Grant provides direct financial support to eligible small businesses required to close or significantly restrict services under the province-wide shutdown that went into into effect in December 2020. The original deadline for eligible business owners to apply was the end of March.
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To be eligible, a business must have fewer than 100 employees and demonstrate they experienced a revenue decline of at least 20 per cent when comparing monthly revenue in April 2019 and April 2020.
There are no restrictions on how businesses can use the grant.
There’s also good news for small businesses that have already applied for and received the grant.
As part of its 2021 budget, the Ontario government announced small businesses that had previously been approved for the grant will receive a second payment equal to the amount of their first payment.
These businesses do not need to apply again for the second payment — they will automatically receive it based on their original application. The government has not yet provided details on when businesses can expect to receive their second payment.
On Monday, March 29th, the province also announced the Ontario Tourism and Hospitality Small Business Support Grant, which will provide one-time payments of $10,000 to $20,000 to eligible small businesses including hotels, motels, travel agencies, amusement and water parks, hunting and fishing camps, and recreational and vacation camps including children’s overnight summer camps.
As with Ontario Small Business Support Grant, these businesses must demonstrate they have experienced a minimum 20 per cent revenue decline and have fewer than 100 employees to qualify. Any small businesses that received the Ontario Small Business Support Grant will not be eligible for this new grant.
Details on how to apply for the Ontario Tourism and Hospitality Small Business Support Grant are not yet available.
This story has been updated with the revised application deadline for the Ontario Small Business Support Grant application deadline and details about the new Ontario Tourism and Hospitality Small Business Support Grant.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Today, Ontario is reporting 2,380 new cases, although the province says 280 of these are previous cases added as a result of a technical issue that affected the flow of laboratory reports into the provincial case and contact management system.
However, even without these previous cases, today’s total is 2,100 — the highest daily increase since January 23 when 2,417 cases were reported. The seven-day average of daily cases has increased by 118 to 1,794.
The province is also reporting 69 more confirmed cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant, 1 more case of the of B.1.351 South Africa variant, and 7 more cases of the P.1 Brazilian variant.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 21 new cases to report and an additional 8 cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region increasing by 12 to 100. See below for detailed numbers from each regional health unit.
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Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (with a record number of 1,016), Peel (294), York (244), and Ottawa (152).
There are double-digit increases in Durham (90), Hamilton (79), Halton (53), Waterloo (50), Simcoe Muskoka (48), Eastern Ontario (46), Niagara (45), Lambton (40), Thunder Bay (34), Sudbury (29), Middlesex-London (25), Windsor-Essex (24), Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (17), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (17), and Haldimand-Norfolk (13), with smaller increases in Southwestern (8), Chatham-Kent (7), Kingston, and Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (6).
The remaining 12 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with only 1 health unit (Porcupine) reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 56% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (834) among people ages 20-39 followed by 719 cases among people ages 40-59.
With 1,329 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has decreased by 0.3% to 93.0%. The average positivity rate across Ontario remains unchanged at 3.8%, meaning that 38 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on March 24.
Ontario is reporting 17 new COVID-19 deaths today, with no new deaths in long-term care homes. Ontario has averaged 11 new daily deaths over the past week (no change from yesterday).
The number of hospitalizations has increased by 1 from yesterday to 894, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs decreasing by 1 to 332 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators increasing by 2 to 212.
A total of 60,077 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 2,069 to 36,916.
A total of 1,755,596 doses of vaccine have now been administered, a record increase of 79,446 from yesterday, with 304,386 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 1,722 from yesterday. The number of fully vaccinated people represents 2.07% of Ontario’s population, an increase of 0.02% from yesterday.
There are 174 new cases in Ontario schools, a decrease of 83 from yesterday, including 135 student cases and 39 staff cases. There are 47 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, a decrease of 24 from yesterday, including 30 cases among children and 17 cases among staff.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 21 new cases to report, including 10 in Peterborough, 5 in Kawartha Lakes, 4 in Hastings Prince Edward, and 2 in Northumberland. There are no new cases in Haliburton.
There are 2 more regional cases of presumed variants of concern, in Peterborough. There is 1 new hospitalization, also in Peterborough.
An additional 8 cases have been resolved, including 5 in Peterborough, 2 in Northumberland, and 1 in Kawartha Lakes. An outbreak at St. Michael Catholic Elementary School in Cobourg has been resolved.
There are currently 100 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 12 from yesterday, including 60 in Peterborough, 11 in Kawartha Lakes, 11 in Hastings Prince Edward (1 in Quinte West, 3 in Belleville, 1 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 3 in Prince Edward County, 2 in Central Hastings, and 1 in North Hastings), 10 in Northumberland, and 8 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 838 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (768 resolved with 10 deaths), 572 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (519 resolved with 55 deaths), 481 in Northumberland County (459 resolved with 12 deaths), 66 in Haliburton County (57 resolved with 1 death), and 448 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (431 resolved with 6 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on March 16.
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: 838 (increase of 10) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 1 (no change) Presumed variants of concern cases: 167 (increase of 2) Active cases: 60 (increase of 5) Close contacts: 200 (no change) Deaths: 10 (no change) Resolved: 768 (increase of 5) Hospitalizations (total to date): 30 (increase of 1)* Total tests completed: Over 45,800 (increase of 150) Outbreaks: Unidentified congregate living facility in Peterborough, Gzowski College student residence at Trent University, Empress Gardens retirement home in Peterborough (no change) Vaccine doses administered: 24,309 (increase of 10,398 since March 18)
*As of March 25, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting fewer than 10 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (previously was fewer than 5) and 20 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: 1,119, including 572 in Kawartha Lakes, 481 in Northumberland, and 66 in Haliburton (increase of 7, including 5 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Northumberland)* Cases with N501Y mutation: 44, including 8 in Kawartha Lakes, 36 in Northumberland (decrease of 1 in Haliburton)** Active cases: 29, including 11 in Kawartha Lakes, 10 in Northumberland, and 8 in Haliburton (net increase of 3) Probable cases: 0 (no change) High-risk contacts: 180, including 35 in Kawartha Lakes, 75 in Northumberland, and 55 in Haliburton (net decrease of 5)*** Hospitalizations (total to date): 49, including 29 in Kawartha Lakes, 17 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (no change)**** Deaths (including among probable cases): 68, including 55 in Kawartha Lakes, 12 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change) Resolved: 1,035, including 519 in Kawartha Lakes, 459 in Northumberland, 57 in Haliburton (increase of 3, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Northumberland) Tests completed: 159,715 (increase of 1,474) Vaccine doses administered: 15,788 (no change, last updated on March 22) Number of people fully vaccinated: 2,283 (no change, last updated on March 22) Outbreaks: Hyland Crest long-term care home in Minden (decrease of 1)*****
*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.
**The N501Y mutation has been identified in variants of concern including the B.1.1.7 UK variant, the B.1.351 South Africa variant, and the P.1 Brazilian variant.
***This total includes an additional 15 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
****As of March 25, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 1 patient hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change)).
*****An outbreak at St. Michael Catholic Elementary School in Cobourg has been resolved.
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: 448 (increase of 4) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 9 (no change) Active cases: 11 (increase of 4) Deaths: 6 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 0 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change) Resolved: 431 (no change) Tests completed: 79,220 (increase of 10) Vaccine doses administered: 23,093 (increase of 944) Number of people fully vaccinated: 1,897 (increase of 1) Outbreaks: None (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 336,070 (increase of 2,380)* COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) confirmed cases: 1,458 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 69); 51 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (increase of 1); 54 of P.1 Brazilian variant (increase of 7) VOC R(t): 1.28 (decrease of 0.02 as of March 21)** 7-day average of daily new cases: 1,794 (increase of 118) Resolved: 312,709 (increase of 1,329), 93.0% of all cases (decrease of 0.3%) Positivity rate: 3.8% (no change) Hospitalizations: 894 (increase of 1) Hospitalizations in ICU: 332 (decrease of 1) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 212 (increase of 2) Deaths: 7,280 (increase of 17) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 11 (no change) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,892 (no change) Total tests completed: 12,258,432 (increase of 60,077) Tests under investigation: 36,916 (decrease of 2,069) Vaccination doses administered: 1,755,596 (increase of 79,446) People fully vaccinated (two doses): 304,386 (increase of 1,722), 2.07% of Ontario’s population (increase of 0.02%, est. 70-90% required for herd immunity)
*Today’s total count includes approximately 280 previous cases added as a result of a technical issue affecting the flow of laboratory reports into the provincial case and contact management system. Without these previous cases, today’s count is 2,100.
**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.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from February 22 – March 24, 2021. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from February 22 – March 24, 2021. The red line is the daily number of tests completed, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.comCOVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from February 22 – March 24, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day moving 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 moving average of is a five-day moving average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from February 22 – March 24, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily deaths, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of daily deaths. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Ontario from February 22 – March 24, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of daily doses. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
Tali Nolan, 20, of Peterborough was found murdered in the basement of a McDonnell Street residence on April 3, 2020. James Emery, 50, of Peterborough has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in her death. (Facebook photo)
After a year-long investigation, Peterborough police have charged a 50-year-old Peterborough man with first-degree murder in the death of a 20-year-old Peterborough woman last April.
Tali Nolan was found murdered in the basement of a McDonnell Street residence on April 3, 2020.
James Emery was arrested at his home on Rubidge Street, the Peterborough Police Service announced on Thursday afternoon (March 25).
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He is being held in custody and will appear in court on Friday, March 26th for a bail hearing.
“We understand that there might be questions around any relationship between the victim and the suspect,” says Detective Staff Sergeant Mike Jackson in a video statement.
“However, as the matter is now before the courts, no further details about this case will be released.”
VIDEO: Peterborough police statement on arrest in Tali Nolan murder
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for Peterborough and the greater Kawarthas region for Thursday overnight (March 25) and Friday.
Periods of rain, heavy at times, with isolated thunderstorms are expected overnight on Thursday and Friday morning, continuing through Friday afternoon.
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Rainfall amounts will generally be in the 20 to 40 mm range. Up to 50 mm of rain is possible in areas that experience thunderstorms.
The rain will taper off by Friday evening.
Otonabee Conservation has issued a flood watch for the city and county of Peterborough and the City of Kawartha Lakes along the Trent-Severn Waterway, and is advising all municipalities and residents to prepare for possible flooding.
Residents 80 years of age and older receiving their first doses of the Pfizer vaccine at the COVID-19 immunization clinic in Peterborough on March 21, 2021. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW)
With March trending to become the month with the highest number of new positive COVID-19 cases detected in the Peterborough region, the number of residents immunized with at least one vaccine dose is approaching the 25,000 mark.
During a Peterborough Public Health media briefing held Thursday (March 25), medical officer of health Dr. Rosanna Salvaterra reported 178 new positive cases in March to date, a figure that’s closing in on the 198 new cases reported in December.
Currently there are 55 active cases — the same as reported one week ago — but an additional 39 cases have been identified as a presumed variant of concern that is more transmissible and lethal, bringing that total to 165.
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Despite March being on track for the most new cases in a one-month period, the week-over-week numbers are trending downwards, from a high of 69 new cases for the week of March 1st to just 13 new cases detected this week as yesterday.
“We’re walking a bit of a tightrope right now,” said Dr. Salvaterra. “We’re trying to contain the outbreak and not to move into grey (lockdown), but we continue to see outbreaks being declared and we’re not getting that downward trend that we need in order to move to a colour (level) with less restrictions.”
Still, Dr. Salvaterra reported “great progress” is being made in terms of the local vaccination effort, noting 24,309 residents had received a first dose as of Thursday morning — an increase of 10,000 over the past week.
She also took a few moments to address ongoing public concerns with the AstraZeneca vaccine in light of “a lot of news coverage recently about its safety and effectiveness.”
“AstraZeneca protects very well against severe disease and hospitalization,” she said, noting investigations by highly respected health agencies both in Canada and abroad have concluded AstraZeneca “isn’t associated with an increase in overall risks of blood clotting.”
“There have been very rare cases of unusual blood clots accompanied by low levels of (clot inducing) platelets after a vaccination. The reported cases in Europe were almost all in women under the age of 55.”
“The safety and effectiveness of the COVID vaccines is very good,” she added. “The bottom line is because COVID-19 can be so serious and is so widespread, the benefits of getting the vaccine outweigh the risks of very rare side effects.”
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Staying with vaccines, Dr. Salvaterra acknowledged that some residents have travelled out of the region to get vaccinated at locations where it is more readily available, such as pharmacies in the GTA. With public health urging no travel out of the region, she’s asking residents “to be patient.”
“We have been assured that every health unit will have at least three pharmacies supplied with AstraZeneca,” she pointed out. “I do know we had some hiccups earlier this week as the province opened up the gates to people 75 plus.”
“We had an issue with getting all of our clinics included on the booking system, and people were being offered appointments in Cobourg or Belleville. If some people travelled for their vaccine, I apologize. We have vaccine here for them and appointments available.”
Dr. Salvaterra also addressed the concern of some people about the legitimacy of emails they have received for purpose of setting up a vaccination appointment. She said the emails are legitimate, terming them the “back door of the booking system.”
“It’s the way that we can actually curate lists and provide these lists to the clinic at PRHC to offer immunization,” she explained.
“That results in someone receiving an email from the PRHC clinic advising them that they can book an appointment. They are legitimate. It’s one of the ways we’re reaching other priority groups such as health care workers.”
Asked how she feels about the progress of the local vaccination effort, Dr. Salvaterra was blunt.
“I feel I need more vaccine. We could be doing more here if we had more vaccine. We certainly have the capacity. Our biggest issue is supply. I’ve asked for more. I just wished I had more vaccine. That’s how I feel.”
Meanwhile, the outbreak picture is a little less muddled, with outbreaks at the Severn Court Student Residence near Fleming College and Trent University’s Champlain College declared resolved, and the Section 22 containment orders put in place at both locations lifted, meaning those residing at both locations can again come and go more freely.
Outbreaks, however, remain declared at Trent University’s Gzowksi College (14 cases with 10 still active), Empress Gardens Retirement Residence (three cases), and The Brock Mission (one case).
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Still up for discussion one month after the Severn Court outbreak was declared is the laying of any charges in connection with it. Peterborough Police Services chief Scott Gilbert says a number of investigative challenges remain in play.
“The investigation is not bearing fruit at this time,” said Gilbert. “We have attempted one search warrant and that was refused by the judiciary for (confidential) medical information that is in the hands of Peterborough Public Health.”
“It’s a conversation I will have with Dr. Salvaterra and her staff if this persists. If that’s the case, we’ll have to hand it over to public health since they have the majority of the information that we’re unable to obtain through legal sources.”
“We’ve spoken to a number of students at the school (Fleming College),” Gilbert added. “They all insist, amazingly, that there were nine or less people at any of the parties (held February 20), or they have issues with recalling whether or not they were there. Hopefully their memory lapses don’t occur during final exams coming up in April.”
Peterborough Public Health’s catchment area of Peterborough city and county and Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations remains at the ‘Red-Control’ level of Ontario’s COVID-19 Response Framework — a more restrictive status that has been in place since March 8th.
Also commenting during Thursday’s media briefing were Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef, Peterborough mayor Diane Therrien, Peterborough County warden J. Murray Jones, and Peterborough board of health chair and Selwyn mayor Andy Mitchell.
Kawartha Lakes police are seeking this suspect in a theft of power tools from a Lindsay business on March 22, 2021. (Police-supplied photos)
Kawartha Lakes police are looking for a suspect in a theft of power tools from a Lindsay business on Monday (March 22).
After employees at the Lindsay Street South business found empty boxes for Bosch power tools in store aisles, they reviewed video surveillance and observed a man remove a drill driver and an angle grinder from the boxes and conceal them under his jacket.
The man then left the store without paying for the items and fled in a vehicle (photos below). The licence plate of the vehicle is not visible in video surveillance.
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The store reported the theft to police on Tuesday morning.
The Kawartha Lakes Police Service is asking anyone who may have information about this incident to contact them at 705-324-5252.
If you wish to provide information anonymously, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or visit www.khcrimestoppers.com.
Kawartha Lakes police are seeking this vehicle driven by a suspect (pictured) in a theft of power tools from a Lindsay business on March 22, 2021. (Police-supplied photos)
On February 24 and 25, 2021, the Kawartha World Issues Centre and GreenUP hosted a community forum in Peterborough/Nogojiwanong to update and further develop the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals at the local level. More than 200 people, representing various communities, interests, and organizations, attended the forum via Zoom. (Screenshot: Shaelyn Wabegijig)
This is the final article in a three-part series about a community project to advance the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 Agenda in Peterborough and the Kawarthas.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s guest column is by Shaelyn Wabegijig, Algonquin youth, Coordinator, Kawartha World Issues Centre.
In part one, we explained what the SDGs are and how the Kawartha World Issues Centre (KWIC) and GreenUP are working together to advance them locally. In part two, we interviewed members of the project’s Indigenous Leadership Action Team to discuss why Indigenous leadership is necessary for guiding our local process.
In part three below, we share the experience and outcome of a recent SDG community collaboration event.
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In February, KWIC and GreenUP hosted a two-day virtual community forum entitled ‘Centering Indigenous Leadership and Diverse Perspectives to Advance the Sustainable Development Goals in Nogojiwanong/Peterborough’.
This event was designed to build upon the work of community members who came together two years prior, to identify five 2030 Agenda action areas for our region to focus on: Prioritizing Indigenous Leadership, No Poverty (SDG #1), Quality Education (SDG #4), Clean Water and Sanitization (SDG #6), and Climate Action (SDG #13).
For this latest gathering, community members assembled to deepen their understanding of how to advance the SDGs in a way that leaves no one behind and prioritizes Indigenous leadership. Collectively, Indigenous leadership was identified as critical to our local success.
As forum hosts, KWIC and GreenUP welcomed over 200 participants from near and far to work with the Nogojiwanong/Peterborough community in three interconnected workshops.
The Seven Grandfather Teachings (respect, love, truth, bravery, wisdom, generosity, humility, and honesty) guided the development and delivery of the February virtual community forum on advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals in Peterborough/Nogojiwanong. (Graphic: Brianna Salmon)
Each session began with an introduction to the Seven Grandfather Teachings, principles to guide the forum and how we would work together. These teachings are at the heart of local Indigenous ways of life — they are our blueprint on how to live a good, healthy life. They include wisdom, love, respect, bravery, honesty, humility, and truth.
“I especially appreciated the fact that the event was guided by the Seven Grandfather Teachings,” explains Anca Pascalau, coordinator of Sustainable Peterborough and a forum participant. “Respect, kindness, and inclusivity were evident throughout the three sessions, even in the Zoom chat section.”
In addition, workshops were framed by words offered by Michi Saagiig Elders and knowledge keepers. The intention of this gift was to ground the sessions in a good way, ensuring we worked together in a meaningful, grateful, and present mindset.
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Each workshop had a distinct focus. The first session contained a presentation by Indigenous consultants and the local SDG project Elder Advisor on looking at the past to guide the future. This was followed by a workshop in which participants worked together to identify groups that had not yet been included in the development of the local initiative.
In the second session, which opened with the Hiawatha drum group Michi Saagiig Manoomin, attendees heard from three speakers who spoke about why Indigenous leadership and an intersectional approach are central to leaving no one behind.
The first speaker of the evening was S.S. Ahmad, founder and CEO of Green Beacon, a social enterprise with the mission of localizing SDGs. Ahmad shared why empathy and a human-rights based focus is essential to advancing the SDGs.
“Clean Water and Sanitization” is one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals that is a priority for Peterborough/Nogojiwanong. For many Indigenous communities, clean water is not easily accessible. Until we address this, we are failing at ensuring a sustainable and healthy world for all. (Photo: Otonabee Conservation)
Next we heard from Jaida Ponce, a Kichi Siibi Anishinabe-Kwe from Ardoch Algonquin First Nation. Ponce, who works with the Oshkwazin Indigenous Youth Leadership Program, shared stories that explained the need for strong and open relationships and communication between settler institutions and Indigenous communities.
The third speaker was Dr. Alan Corbiere, a well-respected Anishinaabe historian and teacher from M’Chigeeng First Nation on Manitoulin Island. Dr. Corbiere explained how Indigenous knowledge and language can help us to better understand and advance our sustainability goals.
The final session of the forum featured the local ‘No Poverty’, ‘Quality Education’, ‘Clean Water and Sanitization’, and ‘Climate Action’ action teams. Team chairs shared how the focus areas are being localized to ensure outcomes relevant to Nogojiwanong/Peterborough.
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Throughout the forum, presentations and discussions underscored the interconnectedness of the local SDGs.
“In my community, our biggest conversation is about clean water,” explained Chief Emily Whetung of Curve Lake First Nation, in her opening welcome. “It has become a struggle in the last hundred years and has been amplified by the pandemic.”
“Long term, we have a goal to protect and preserve lands where our traditions, ceremonies and relationships can be practised; where we can exercise our ability to be caretakers of our land and remove the paternalistic system imposed upon us.”
Like this spider web, all 17 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals are interconnected. They work together to ensure peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. (Photo: Leif Einarson)
Chief Whetung’s powerful words infer how clean water (SDG #6) is inseparable from climate change (SDG #13), and the historic and ongoing injustices that have pushed many Indigenous communities into poverty (SDG #1). In the presentations that followed, it became clear that quality education (SDG #4) is central to the fulfillment of the other local SDGs.
Interconnectedness is a recurring theme in this project. The action teams are aware of how the local SDGs and all 17 UN SDGs are related; one cannot be achieved without the others. Locally, we believe that the steps we take in our community will ripple out into the world in a good way.
By the end of the forum, the urgent need to reach our goals was evident. We have nine years remaining to achieve the 2030 Agenda — there is much important work to be done.
The project team would like to offer our sincerest thank you to the organizers, partners, team members, volunteers, speakers, funders, leaders, and event participants who helped bring this memorable event together. We look forward to seeing what comes next!
To keep up-to-date on the local SDGs initiative, visit the KWIC and GreenUP websites.
Following a pilot project last fall that saw The Sheepdogs and three other bands perform at two drive-in concerts in the Peterborough Memorial Centre parking lot, plans are in the works for six more drive-in concerts to be staged in summer 2021, with Showplace Performance Centre and Market Hall Performing Arts Centre on board to assist with programming. (Photo: Kate O'Neill)
What was called “an unknown” last fall has progressed into an initiative to stage a series of drive-in live music concerts this summer in the Peterborough Memorial Centre parking lot.
With Peterborough city council having tentatively approved the $75,000 cost for an outdoor stage, Memorial Centre facility manager Jeremy Giles is moving forward with plans to stage six concerts starting in June into August.
Buoying Giles’ optimism for their success is last September’s pilot project staging of two drive-in concerts featuring The Sheepdogs and The Jim Cuddy Band, followed the next night by Tim Hicks and Jason McCoy. Both shows were presented in the Memorial Centre parking lot west adjacent to the arena east of Roger Neilson Way.
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With specific dates and acts for the series a work in progress, Giles says more details will be announced in April. The ticket cost for each show will vary, based on the acts performing.
According to a staff report, the city could break even financially on its outlay by recovering monies spent through ticket sales, sponsorships, and redirection of dollars normally spent to the benefit of venues and arts organizations. It’s estimated that each of the six shows would cost $35,000 to stage, when expenses such as artist fees and security are added to the bill.
“The exercise isn’t to generate a bunch of revenue but it’s certainly not to be run at a deficit either,” says Giles, noting event partnerships with Showplace Performance Centre and Market Hall Performing Arts Centre have been secured with other liaisons being explored that may lead to additional shows.
“It’s a community approach to getting live venues back to offering programming,” Giles says. “It’s a chance for groups that have been severely impacted (by COVID-19 restrictions) to get back to a little bit more normal business for them.”
Vehicles gather in the Peterborough Memorial Centre parking lot for a drive-in concert series held in September 2020, which saw The Sheepdogs with The Jim Cuddy Band perform on a Friday night followed by Tim Hicks with Jason McCoy the following night. (Photo: Kate O’Neill)
Showplace general manager Emily Martin says the downtown venue’s involvement in the drive-in concert series simply makes good sense.
“We rely on the local community and local artists and local production companies to help us do what we do, so it’s a great opportunity to be able to give back by tying in local artists and production companies with what the Memorial Centre wants to do,” says Martin, adding what the partnership will specifically look like is a work in progress.
“So much of what I’ve been doing the last year is a lot of advocacy and looking at rules and regulations, so the opportunity to actually be planning an event is kind of nice. I’m grateful to the city for inviting us to take part.”
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Of note, says Martin, working together with Market Hall general manager Chad Hogan isn’t a strange animal.
“We’re good friends. We bounce ideas off each other. We share information. We’ve shared resources and even done shows together. Being able to open that relationship up and include the Memorial Centre is amazing.”
For his part, Hogan says “We want to be at the table providing assistance and input,” adding “We’re all part of the same community. I’d rather be part of it than on the sidelines.”
Like Martin, he says what’s notable about an initiative like this is the optimism it spawns.
“Part of making it through this (the pandemic) is optimism. There have certainly been times over the past 12 months that have been bleak, but we’re still standing.”
Jim Cuddy performing at a drive-in concert in in the Peterborough Memorial Centre parking lot in September 2020. (Photo: Kate O’Neill)
Like Showplace, Market Hall is also a non-profit organizations that receives some financial support from the city. As such, Market Hall has “a bit of a duty to deliver something,” says Hogan,” adding “Truth be told, we’d be involved with it regardless. We’re all raring to go and want to do what we do — deliver programming.”
He too says the real value lies in the opportunity to create work for artists, sound and lighting technicians, and other live event staff typically affiliated with indoor shows.
Terming feedback from last September’s concerts “really positive,” Giles says their staging was an attempt to salvage something good from what was a devastating year.
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Pandemic restrictions saw the Memorial Centre lose seven large-scale live events, including sold-out concerts by Alice Cooper and The Glorious Sons. Also cancelled were two monster truck shows, and all the Peterborough Petes and Peterborough Lakers games.
“The purpose to our existence is having people in the venue,” says Giles, now in his fifth year with the Memorial Centre following seven years with the Tribute Communities Centre in Oshawa.
“Having it shuttered and the lights off is not our mandate. It’s not what gets us out of bed in the morning. Contacting thousands of people and refunding their money isn’t our normal line of work. It was tough.”
The outdoor stage in the Peterborough Memorial Centre parking lot in September 2020. Jim Cuddy performing at a drive-in concert in in the Peterborough Memorial Centre parking lot in September 2020. (Photo: Kate O’Neill)
Pursuing the drive-in concert model, notes Giles, is “recognition” that it’s unlikely the Memorial Centre will able to welcome patrons — be they sports or live music fans — back inside any time soon.
“We don’t expect any programming inside before the mass vaccination is done, which is projected for September,” Giles says.
“Realistically, I don’t expect we’ll be inside in September either,” he says. “This is a way for us to get some people back to work and get our community back to shows but being able to do so in a safe environment.”
“If you look at the (provincial government’s) reopening framework, even if Peterborough was in the green zone, we couldn’t do more than 100 people at any event unless it’s in a drive-in format where the same gathering limits don’t apply.”
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Giles adds the big difference now from a year ago is our collective knowledge and awareness of what steps are required to stay safe.
“Last year at this time people were afraid to go to the grocery store, where now you wear your mask and you wash your hands and you keep your distance,” he says.
“I think people are now more willing to come out to drive-in type shows. When the time comes that we do get back inside, it’ll be interesting to see what the mindset of people is. Maybe this drive-in format will exist for a while along with the traditional formats that we know. Certain people will be banging down the doors and certain people will be waiting.”
While the 2021 status of familiar and popular live music events like Peterborough Musicfest and the Havelock Jamboree remains undetermined at this point, Giles says drive-in concerts will fill help fill the void that last summer saw.
That said, he notes, there’s another benefit.
“What we did last September was a give-back to the community. It improved the quality of life for people during a tough time. This is step one of any recovery but it’s something to look forward to.”
Martin concurs, saying “There’s some definite optimism and excitement in the air.”
“There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. We’re going to come back strong. We’ll be here for the community as soon as we get the green light to go.”
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 1,571 new cases today, with the seven-day average of daily cases increasing by 9 to 1,676. The province is also reporting 30 more confirmed cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant, 3 more cases of the of B.1.351 South Africa variant, and 10 more cases of the P.1 Brazilian variant.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 10 new cases to report and an additional 8 cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region increasing by 1 to 88. See below for detailed numbers from each regional health unit.
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Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (459), Peel (309), and York (143).
There are double-digit increases in Ottawa (89), Durham (86), Hamilton (84), Thunder Bay (47), Waterloo (47), Niagara (41), Middlesex-London (39), Halton (28), Sudbury (27), Simcoe Muskoka (25), Eastern Ontario (20), Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (20), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (17), Windsor-Essex (16), Chatham-Kent (12), and Haldimand-Norfolk (12), with smaller increases in Peterborough (9), Lambton (9), Southwestern (7), Brant (7), and Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (6).
The remaining 10 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 3 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 58% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (579) among people ages 20-39 followed by 422 cases among people ages 40-59.
With 1,531 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases is unchanged at 93.3%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has decreased by 1.9% from yesterday to 3.8%, meaning that 38 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on March 23.
Ontario is reporting 10 new COVID-19 deaths today, with no new deaths in long-term care homes. Ontario has averaged 11 new daily deaths over the past week (no change from yesterday).
Hospitalizations continue to increase, with 25 new hospitalizations yesterday for a total of 893. The number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs has increased by 9 to 333 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators has increased by 17 to 210.
A total of 51,962 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation increasing by 7,660 to 38,985.
A total of 1,676,150 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 72,451 from yesterday, with 302,664 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 1,621 from yesterday. The number of fully vaccinated people represents 2.05% of Ontario’s population, an increase of 0.01% from yesterday.
There are 257 new cases in Ontario schools, a decrease of 152 from yesterday, including 209 student cases, 47 staff cases, and 1 case of an unidentified person. There are 74 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, a decrease of 18 from yesterday, including 49 cases among children and 25 cases among staff.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 10 new cases to report, including 7 in Peterborough, 1 in Northumberland, 1 in Haliburton, and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward. There are no new cases in Kawartha Lakes.
There are 3 new regional cases of presumed variants of concern, including 2 in Northumberland and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward.
An additional 8 cases have been resolved, including 6 in Peterborough and 2 in Kawartha Lakes. Outbreaks at Severn Court Student Residence in Peterborough and Champlain College residence at Trent University in Peterborough have been resolved.
There are currently 88 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 1 from yesterday, including 55 in Peterborough, 11 in Northumberland, 8 in Haliburton, 7 in Kawartha Lakes, and 7 in Hastings Prince Edward (1 in Quinte West, 2 in Belleville, 1 in Prince Edward County, 2 in Central Hastings, and 1 in North Hastings).
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 828 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (763 resolved with 10 deaths), 567 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (518 resolved with 55 deaths), 480 in Northumberland County (457 resolved with 12 deaths), 67 in Haliburton County (58 resolved with 1 death), and 444 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (431 resolved with 6 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on March 16.
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: 828 (increase of 6)* Confirmed variants of concern cases: 1 (no change) Presumed variants of concern cases: 165 (decrease of 1) Active cases: 55 (no change) Close contacts: 200 (decrease of 8) Deaths: 10 (no change) Resolved: 763 (increase of 6) Hospitalizations (total to date): 29 (no change)** Total tests completed: Over 45,650 (no change) Outbreaks: Unidentified congregate living facility in Peterborough, Gzowski College student residence at Trent University, Empress Gardens retirement home in Peterborough (decrease of 2)*** Vaccine doses administered: 13,911 (last updated on March 18)
*The health unit is reporting 7 new cases in the last 24 hours, with 1 case removed from a previous day for a total increase of 6 cases.
**As of March 24, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting fewer than 5 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change) and 20 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (no change).
***Outbreaks at Severn Court Student Residence in Peterborough and Champlain College residence at Trent University in Peterborough have been resolved.
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: 1,114, including 567 in Kawartha Lakes, 480 in Northumberland, and 67 in Haliburton (increase of 2, including 1 in Northumberland and 1 in Haliburton)* Cases with N501Y mutation: 45, including 8 in Kawartha Lakes, 36 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (increase of 2 in Northumberland)** Active cases: 26, including 7 in Kawartha Lakes, 11 in Northumberland, and 8 in Haliburton (no net change) Probable cases: 0 (no change) High-risk contacts: 185, including 34 in Kawartha Lakes, 78 in Northumberland, and 58 in Haliburton (net decrease of 4)*** Hospitalizations (total to date): 49, including 29 in Kawartha Lakes, 17 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (no change)**** Deaths (including among probable cases): 68, including 55 in Kawartha Lakes, 12 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change) Resolved: 1,033, including 518 in Kawartha Lakes, 457 in Northumberland, 58 in Haliburton (increase of 2 in Kawartha Lakes) Tests completed: 158,241 (no change) Vaccine doses administered: 15,788 (no change) Number of people fully vaccinated: 2,283 (no change) Outbreaks: Hyland Crest long-term care home in Minden, St. Michael Catholic Elementary School in Cobourg (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.
**The N501Y mutation has been identified in variants of concern including the B.1.1.7 UK variant, the B.1.351 South Africa variant, and the P.1 Brazilian variant.
***This total includes an additional 23 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
****As of March 24, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 1 patient 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: 444 (increase of 1) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 9 (increase of 1) Active cases: 7 (increase of 1) Deaths: 6 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 0 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change) Resolved: 431 (no change) Tests completed: 79,210 (increase of 211) Vaccine doses administered: 22,149 (increase of 1,331) Number of people fully vaccinated: 1,896 (increase of 1) Outbreaks: None (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 333,690 (increase of 1,571) COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) confirmed cases: 1,389 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 30); 50 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (increase of 3); 47 of P.1 Brazilian variant (increase of 10) VOC R(t): 1.28 (increase of 0.01 as of March 20)* 7-day average of daily new cases: 1,676 (increase of 9) Resolved: 311,380 (increase of 1,531), 93.3% of all cases (no change) Positivity rate: 3.8% (decrease of 1.9%) Hospitalizations: 893 (increase of 25) Hospitalizations in ICU: 333 (increase of 9) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 210 (increase of 17) Deaths: 7,263 (increase of 10) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 11 (no change) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,892 (no change) Total tests completed: 12,198,355 (increase of 51,962) Tests under investigation: 38,985 (increase of 7,660) Vaccination doses administered: 1,676,150 (increase of 72,451) People fully vaccinated (two doses): 302,664 (increase of 1,621), 2.05% of Ontario’s population (increase of 0.01%, est. 70-90% required for herd immunity)
*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.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from February 21 – March 23, 2021. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from February 21 – March 23, 2021. The red line is the daily number of tests completed, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from February 21 – March 23, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day moving 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 moving average of is a five-day moving average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from February 21 – March 23, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily deaths, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of daily deaths. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Ontario from February 21 – March 23, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of daily doses. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
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