Carter Ryan Pollock. (Police-supplied photo via Christine Pollock)
Missing 11-year-old Carter Ryan Pollock has been found, Peterborough police announced on Monday (January 25).
Police say Carter returned home at 11 p.m. on Sunday night and “is in good spirits”.
Original story:
Peterborough police are continuing their search for missing 11-year-old Carter Ryan Pollock.
Carter was last seen on Tuesday (January 19) at 10 a.m., walking out of the Peterborough Regional Health Centre.
Police say he approached a dark grey pick-up truck, but then walked away.
Carter is described as white and 4’10” with a thin build, wearing green-framed eyeglasses, a black hat (worn backwards), a white hoodie with black markings on the arm, grey sweat plants, and black sneakers.
Police say they have concerns for Carter’s safety.
“If anyone is harbouring the child or misleading police during the investigation, please come forward immediately to help us locate the child safe and sound,” a police media release states. “Police want to remind the public that it is a criminal offence to obstruct police during an investigation.”
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Police say they have received several tips and information on Carter’s whereabouts and are continuing to follow up those leads.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Peterborough Police at 705-876-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-tips (8477), or visit the Crime Stoppers website at stopcrimehere.ca.
Carter Ryan Pollock, pictured in the clothes he was wearing when he went missing on January 19, 2021. (Police-supplied photo)
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 1,913 new cases today — although the province says Toronto Public Health could not report all of its cases due to a technical issue. Yesterday, Toronto reported 815 new cases and today it is reporting 550 cases.
With today’s reported cases, the seven-day average of daily cases across the province has decreased by 142 to 2,893.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 16 new cases to report and 14 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region increasing by 3 to 149.
Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (550, with this number under-reported due to a technical issue), Peel (346), and York (235).
There are double-digit increases in Durham (82), Windsor-Essex (81), Waterloo (79), Middlesex-London (73), Halton (71), Hamilton (63), Niagara (52), Simcoe Muskoka (48), Ottawa (41), Huron Perth (37), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (31), Lambton (28), Southwestern (22), Eastern Ontario (14), and Chatham-Kent (13), with smaller increases in Porcupine (6) and Haldimand-Norfolk (6).
The remaining 15 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 3 health units reporting no new cases at all.
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Of today’s new cases, 51% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (701) among people ages 20-39, followed by 561 cases among people ages 40-59. With 2,873 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.5% to 86.3%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased since yesterday by 0.2% to 6.8%, meaning that 68 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on January 18.
Ontario is reporting 46 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 20 in long-term care homes. Hospitalizations have increased by 55 from yesterday to 1,626, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs increasing by 6 to 400, and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators decreasing by 11 to 293.
A total of 34,531 tests were completed yesterday, pushing the total number of tests completed since the pandemic began to over 9 million. Since yesterday, the backlog of tests under investigation has increased by 18,269 to 36,750. A total of 224,134 doses of vaccine have now been administered, with 14,346 daily doses administered and 25,609 total vaccinations completed (i.e., both doses administered).
Due to the winter break and the remote learning period during the state of emergency, there will be no data to report for schools in southern Ontario until at least January 26. There are 50 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, an increase of 21 from yesterday, with 26 cases among children and 24 cases among staff.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 16 new cases to report, including 7 in Peterborough, 3 in Northumberland, 3 in Kawartha Lakes, and 3 in Hastings Prince Edward. There are no new cases to report in Haliburton.
None of the new cases reported today in licensed child care settings are in the greater Kawarthas region.
An additional 14 cases have been resolved, including 6 in Peterborough, 6 in Hastings Prince Edward, 1 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Northumberland.
There are currently 149 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 3 from yesterday, including 50 in Peterborough, 47 in Northumberland, 25 in Hastings Prince Edward (9 in Quinte West, 13 in Belleville, 1 in Prince Edward County, and 1 in Central Hastings), 23 in Kawartha Lakes, and 4 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 488 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (432 resolved with 6 deaths), 339 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (293 resolved with 36 deaths), 348 in Northumberland County (295 resolved with 6 deaths), 43 in Haliburton County (39 resolved with no deaths), and 361 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (331 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Northumberland on January 17.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 12 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: 488 (increase of 7) Active cases: 50 (increase of 1) Close contacts: 91 (decrease of 14) Deaths: 6 (no change) Resolved: 432 (increase of 6) Hospitalizations (total to date): 20 (no change)* Total tests completed: Over 40,650 (increase of 50) Outbreaks: Fairhaven long-term care home in Peterborough, The Regency retirement home in Lakefield, Centennial Place long-term care home in Millbrook (no change)
*As of January 19, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting fewer than 10 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, with fewer than 10 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive. The hospital is not providing exact numbers of patients.
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 statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 730, including 338 in Kawartha Lakes, 348 in Northumberland, and 43 in Haliburton (increase of 6, including 3 in Kawartha Lakes and 3 in Northumberland)* Active cases: 74, including 23 in Kawartha Lakes, 47 in Northumberland, and 4 in Haliburton (net increase of 4) Probable cases: 1 in Kawartha Lakes (decrease of 1 in Kawartha Lakes) High-risk contacts: 165, including 71 in Kawartha Lakes, 62 in Northumberland, and 14 in Haliburton (net increase of 2)** Hospitalizations (total to date): 29, including 19 in Kawartha Lakes, 9 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change)*** Deaths (including among probable cases): 42, including 36 in Kawartha Lakes and 6 in Northumberland (no change) Resolved: 627, including 293 in Kawartha Lakes, 295 in Northumberland, 39 in Haliburton (increase of 2, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Haliburton) Institutional outbreaks: Hope St. Terrace long-term care home in Port Hope, Fenelon Court in Fenelon Falls, Island Park Retirement Residence in Campbellford, Maplewood long-term care home in Brighton, Caressant Care McLaughlin Road in Lindsay, Tower of Port Hope, Canadian Centre for Addictions in Port Hope, Golden Plough Lodge in Cobourg, Warkworth Place long-term care home in Warkworth (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.
**This total includes an additional 18 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
***As of January 19, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 4 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19, a decrease of 1 since yesterday
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, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 361 (increase of 3) Active cases: 25 (decrease of 3) Deaths: 5 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 1 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change) Resolved: 331 (increase of 6) Tests completed: 38,391 Institutional outbreaks: Hastings Manor Beech Villa in Belleville, Crown Ridge long-term care home in Quinte West (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 242,277 (increase of 1,913)* Resolved: 209,183 (increase of 2,873, 86.3% of all cases) Positivity rate: 6.8% (increase of 0.2%) Hospitalized: 1,626 (increase of 55) Hospitalized and in ICU: 400 (increase of 6) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 292 (decrease of 11) Deaths: 5,479 (increase of 46) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,232 (increase of 20) Total tests completed: 9,000,278 (increase of 34,531) Tests under investigation: 36,750 (increase of 18,269) Vaccinations: 14,346 daily doses administered, 224,134 total doses administered, 25,609 total vaccinations completed (both doses)
*Due to a technical issue at Toronto Public Health, there is likely an under-reporting of cases today.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from December 19, 2020 – January 18, 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 December 19, 2020 – January 18, 2021. The red line is the number of tests completed daily, 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 December 19, 2020 – January 18, 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 December 19, 2020 – January 18, 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)
Shoppers line up outside Morello's Your Independent Grocer in Peterborough as the store controls capacity limits as required during the province-wide shutdown. Peterborough Public Health is urging residents to only leave their homes for essential reasons with January on track to see the most cases reported in a monthly period during the pandemic. (Photo: Bruce Head / kawarthaNOW.com)
With a sixth local COVID-19 death reported and January on track to see the most cases reported in a monthly period, Peterborough Public Health is ramping up enforcement of the ongoing provincial stay-at-home order — including an imminent “blitz” inspection of compliance by grocery stores and big-box stores.
During a Peterborough Public Health media briefing held Tuesday (January 19), medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra reported a “congregate senior setting” resident died of COVID-19 complications this past weekend. She added the setting where the person lived, which she did not identify, wasn’t and still isn’t in outbreak.
“When we first became aware of this case, we did a risk assessment and determined there were no other high-risk contacts and no need to declare an outbreak,” she explained.
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To date in January, 132 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the Peterborough region — just shy of the 137 cases reported in December, which was a monthly high locally.
As for declared outbreaks, one that was declared at Fairhaven Long-Term Care in Peterborough is ongoing but “stable” with one case yet to be resolved.
Meanwhile, two new outbreaks were declared Sunday (January 17): one at Regency Retirement in Lakefield where there are two resident cases, and another at Centennial Place Long-Term Care in Millbrook where there is one resident case as well as one staff case.
Overall, local COVID-19 numbers show (as of Tuesday morning) there were 49 active COVID-19 cases in Peterborough city and county, Curve Lake, and Hiawatha region, with 105 close contacts of positive cases are being monitored.
Since the pandemic’s outbreak, Peterborough Public Health has reported a total of 481 cases of which 426 have been resolved. To date, 40,600 residents have been tested.
Much discussion during Tuesday’s briefing focused on the recent stay-at-home order issued by the province. Peterborough Public Health’s manager of environmental health Julie Ingram admitted to it being “an interesting week” since Queen’s Park brought in the new order.
“This order requires members of the public to stay at and in their place of residence, and only leave for essential reasons,” she reminded, listing a few essential trips such as going to a place of employment, accessing child care, getting groceries and prescriptions, and attending medical appointments.
“Just because you can go out doesn’t mean you should,” Ingram said, echoing comments made at last Friday’s briefing by Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith. “Consider why you’re thinking about going out. Do you want that thing or do you need that thing? It must be a need and it must be extremely important to justify going out.”
Ingram added a “blitz” of grocery stores and big-box stores by public health inspectors is being planned and is imminent. The focus to this point, she added, has been on parks and public spaces.
While Ingram said there has generally been “a high level of compliance,” Peterborough Police Services Chief Scott Gilbert noted during the briefing that two people have been charged for being in violation of the provincial stay-at-home order while another has been charged under a federal statute for not quarantining for the mandatory 14-day period upon return from travel abroad.
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On the vaccine front, there remains encouraging news. According to Dr. Salvaterra, Peterborough Public Health has now received written notification that the first shipment of the Pfizer vaccine will arrive the week of February 1st.
“We will receive enough to immunize residents, staff and essential caregivers in our eight long-term care homes by our February 15th deadline,” confirmed Dr. Salvaterra, saying the number of those immunized with the first dose will be close to 3,000.
Also on hand for Tuesday’s briefing were Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef Peterborough-Kawartha MP Dave Smith, Hiawatha First Nations Chief Laurie Carr, and Peterborough Board of Health chair and Selwyn Mayor Andy Mitchell.
Eve Hewson, Tom Bateman, and Simona Brown are in a love triangle in the British psychological thriller Behind Her Eyes, based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Sarah Pinborough. The six-part series premieres on Netflix on February 17, 2021. (Photo: Netflix)
Every month, kawarthaNOW is the only local media source to bring you a list of what’s coming to Netflix Canada.
Maybe because February is a short month or maybe because of the impact of the pandemic, much of Netflix’s original content this month seems to consist of international productions.
One highlight is the British psychological thriller Behind Her Eyes, a six-part series from the producers of The Crown and based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Sarah Pinborough. If you enjoyed The Affair, you might also like this twisty show about single mother Louise (Simona Brown), who takes a part-time job in a psychiatrist’s office and begins an affair with her new boss David (Tom Bateman). Things turn dark when Louise also strikes up a friendship with David’s wife Adele (Eve Hewson). Behind Her Eyes premieres on Netflix on Wednesday, February 17th.
There’s also Tribes of Europa, a sci-fi series from Germany set in 2074, after a global catastrophe has fractured Europe into countless microstates fighting for dominance. Three siblings get caught in the post-apocalyptic war over a piece of technology none of them understand. Tribes of Europa premieres on Friday, February 19th.
VIDEO: “Tribes of Europa” trailer
If you’re looking for a new series to binge on, all seven seasons of Parks and Recreation come to Netflix Canada on Monday, February 1st. In this political satire mockumentary sitcom, Amy Poehler stars as Leslie Knope, a perky mid-level bureaucrat in the Parks Department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana.
Other Netflix original series include Firefly Lane (Feb 3), Invisible City (Feb. 5), Capitani (Feb. 11), Buried by the Bernards and Nadiya Bakes (both on Feb. 12), The Crew (Feb. 15), part two of season nine of MeatEater (Feb. 17), and Canine Intervention and Ginny & Georgia (both on Feb. 24).
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Other series include The Sinner: Jamie and season two of Rust Valley Restorers (both on Feb. 6), season four of Vikings (Feb. 18), and season 12 of RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked! and season one of Unabomber – In His Own Words (both on Feb. 28).
Netflix documentaries include Strip Down, Rise Up (Feb. 5), Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (Feb. 10), and Pelé (Feb. 23). Comedy specials include season two of Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready (Feb. 2), Hate by Dani Rovira (Feb. 21), and Brian Regan: On The Rocks (Feb. 23).
Netflix films include All My Friends Are Dead and Black Beach (both on Feb. 3), The Last Paradiso, Little Big Women, Malcolm & Marie, and Space Sweepers (all on Feb. 5), The Misadventures of Hedi and Cokeman (Feb. 10), Red Dot and Squared Love (both on Feb. 11), To All The Boys: Always And Forever (Feb. 12), Classmates Minus (Feb. 20), Geez & Ann (Feb. 24), Caught by a Wave and Crazy About Her (both on Feb. 26).
Theatrically released films include Bachelorette, Boy Erased, Final Destination 5, Léon: The Professional, The NeverEnding Story, RED and RED 2, Spanglish, and Stepmom (all on Feb. 1), Babe, The Boy Next Door, Nanny McPhee, The Nutty Professor, Pitch Black, and Red Dragon (all on Feb. 3), After We Collided (Feb. 5), Dinner with Friends (Feb. 9), Creed II (Feb. 12), Unhinged (Feb. 15), If Beale Street Could Talk and Stan & Ollie (both on Feb. 20), and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (Feb. 28).
VIDEO: New to Netflix Canada in February 2021
Here’s the complete list of everything coming to Netflix Canada in February along with what’s leaving.
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Coming in February (no release date specified)
Sisyphus (Netflix original) – An unfathomable incident introduces a genius engineer to dangerous secrets of the world — and to a woman from the future who’s come looking for him.
Vincenzo (Netflix original) – A man caught in the middle of an Italian mafia war flees his adopted home for his South Korean birthplace where he finds more than one reason to stay.
Monday, February 1
Bachelorette
Boy Erased
Brimstone
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
Final Destination 5
Friday
Friday After Next
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
The House with a Clock in Its Walls
Léon: The Professional
Love Jacked
Mortal Engines
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
The NeverEnding Story
Next Friday
Parks and Recreation: Seasons 1-7
RED
RED 2
The Roommate
Spanglish
Stepmom
Tuesday, February 2
Kid Cosmic (Netflix family) – In this animated series from the creator of “The Powerpuff Girls,” an odd, imaginative boy acquires superpowers after finding five cosmic rings.
Mighty Express: Season 2 (Netflix family) – The mega missions continue for the Mighty Express trains — from hauling giant dinosaur bones and a baby octopus to tracking down a hidden treasure!
Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready: Season 2 (Netflix comedy series) – nce again, Tiffany Haddish will introduce six of her favorite comedians to Netflix members around the world with a second season of the Emmy-nominated stand-up comedy series They Ready. Each comedian, all of whom were again personally chosen by Haddish, will perform a 15-20 minute set. The second season of Tiffany Haddish Presents: They Ready features a bold new collection of hilarious stand-up comedians showcasing their raw humour. This season features: Dean Edwards (Saturday Night Live), Kimberly Clark (Last Comic Standing), Tony Woods (Comedy Central Presents), Barbara Carlyle (Def Comedy Jam 25), Godfrey (Our Cartoon President), and Erin Jackson (Late Night with Seth Meyers). Haddish serves as executive producer for She Ready Productions alongside Wanda Sykes and Page Hurwitz.
Wednesday, February 3
All My Friends Are Dead (Netflix film) – A group of friends at a New Year’s Eve party go through a whirlwind of events that expose secrets, break hearts – and leads to a shocking outcome.
Babe
Black Beach (Netflix film) – A lawyer with a promising future is forced to deep dive into his past when he agrees to negotiate with an old friend turned kidnapper.
The Boy Next Door
Firefly Lane (Netflix original) – Tully and Kate meet as young girls on Firefly Lane and become inseparable best friends throughout 30 years of ups and downs.
Nanny McPhee
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang
The Nutty Professor
Pitch Black
Red Dragon
Role Models
Friday, February 5
After We Collided
Hache: Season 2 (Netflix original) – One year later, Hache grabs a chance to start up a heroin production lab, but conspiring associates and a troublemaking relative complicate her plans.
Invisible City (Netflix original) – While investigating a mysterious death, a man is drawn into a battle between the human world and a realm inhabited by mythical creatures.
The Last Paradiso (Netflix film) – In 1950s Italy, a passionate free spirit dreams of love, justice and a better life till a forbidden affair threatens everything. Based on real events.
Little Big Women (Netflix film) – A family grapples with the passing of their estranged father and the remnants of the life he led during his absence.
Malcolm & Marie (Netflix film) – As a filmmaker and his girlfriend return home from his movie premiere, smouldering tensions and painful revelations push them toward a romantic reckoning.
Space Sweepers (Netflix film) – Chasing after space debris and faraway dreams in year 2092, four misfits unearth explosive secrets during the attempted trade of a wide-eyed humanoid.
Strip Down, Rise Up (Netflix documentary) – In an effort to reclaim their bodies and lives, a group of women explore the intersections of movement and meaning in a powerful pole dancing program.
The Yin-Yang Master: Dream Of Eternity (Netflix film) – When a demonic serpent reawakens, the Yin-Yang Masters must solve a murder mystery and protect their realms from a dark conspiracy at the royal court.
Saturday, February 6
Rust Valley Restorers: Season 2
The Sinner: Jamie
Tuesdsay, February 9
Dinner with Friends
Wednesday, February 10
Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (Netflix documentary) – From director Joe Berlinger (Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, Paradise Lost), Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel is the first season in a new documentary series that deconstructs the mythology and mystery surrounding infamous locations in contemporary crime. For nearly a century the Cecil Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles has been linked to some of the city’s most notorious activity, from untimely deaths to housing serial killers. In 2013 college student Elisa Lam was staying at the Cecil when she vanished, igniting a media frenzy and mobilizing a global community of internet sleuths eager to solve the case. Lam’s disappearance, the latest chapter in the hotel’s complex history, offers a chilling and captivating lens into one of LA’s most nefarious settings.
The Misadventures of Hedi and Cokeman (Netflix film) – In Paris, two dysfunctional dealers use family ties to try to boost their small drug business in this crass comedy based on the webseries.
Thursday, February 11
Capitani (Netflix original) – Detective Luc Capitani investigates the mysterious death of a teenager after her body is found in the forest near a village in northern Luxembourg.
Layla Majnun (Netflix film) – While in Azerbaijan, Layla, an Indonesian scholar, falls for Samir, an admirer of her work — but her arranged marriage stands in the way.
Red Dot (Netflix film) – On a hiking trip to rekindle their marriage, a couple find themselves fleeing for their lives in the unforgiving wilderness from an unknown shooter.
Squared Love (Netflix film) – A celebrity journalist and renowned womanizer starts to rethink his life choices after he falls for a mysterious model who leads a double life.
Friday, February 12
Buried by the Bernards (Netflix original) – In 2017, Ryan Bernard opened the doors to R Bernard Funeral Services, offering complete, yet affordable funeral packages to help his community deal with exponentially high funeral costs. With family dramedy at the centre, the family-owned and operated business provides their community top tier care, service and comfort with a side of laughter in the toughest of times. In this line of work, the Bernards can’t neglect supporting each other and have their own special recipe for preserving their relationships — it’s one part understanding, a pinch of sarcasm, and a heaping spoonful of blatant honesty. This unorthodox funeral home is only outmatched by the unconventional Bernard family themselves.
Creed II
Nadiya Bakes (Netflix original) – Delightful cakes and heavenly breads pop from the oven as Nadiya Hussain returns to baking, her happy place, and spotlights creative kindred spirits.
Hate by Dani Rovira (Netflix comedy special) – From the Soho Theater in Málaga, actor Dani Rovira presents his most honest, unfiltered and preposterous vision of today’s human being.
To All The Boys: Always And Forever (Netflix film) – It started with an old love letter — and turned into a new romance. What does the future hold for Lara Jean and Peter?
Xico’s Journey (Netflix family) – A girl, a dog and her best pal set out to save a mountain from a gold-hungry corporation. But the key lies closer to home, with her sidekick pup, Xico.
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Monday, February 15
The Crew (Netflix original) – The crew chief in a NASCAR garage finds himself at odds with the tech-reliant millennials brought in to modernize the team. Starring Kevin James.
Unhinged
Tuesday, February 16
Animals on the Loose: A You vs. Wild Movie (Netflix family) – When a protective fence enclosing a South African animal sanctuary unexpectedly loses power, Bear Grylls gets called in to help. An interactive special.
Teen Titans Go!: Season 5
Wednesday, February 17
Behind Her Eyes (Netflix original) – A single mom becomes entangled in a twisted mind game when she begins an affair with her psychiatrist boss while bonding with his mysterious wife.
Hello, Me! (Netflix original) – Miserable and unsuccessful, a woman thinks she’s lost all her spark — until one day, her spunky younger self appears in front of her demanding change.
MeatEater: Season 9 Part 2 (Netflix original) – Steve sets his sights on game such as mule deer, duck, wild turkey, bear and moose in travels that take him to hunting hot spots across the US.
Thursday, February 18
Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan (Netflix anime) – A popular manga creator becomes enmeshed in paranormal events while conducting research: Stand User Kishibe Rohan visits Italy, goes bankrupt and more.
Vikings: Season 4
Friday, February 19
Tribes of Europa (Netflix original) – In 2074, three siblings set out to change the fate of Europe after a global catastrophe fractures it into countless microstates fighting for dominance.
Saturday, February 20
Classmates Minus (Netflix film) – The plight of middle-aged men is told through the individual yet intertwined stories of four high school classmates dealing with personal struggles.
If Beale Street Could Talk
Stan & Ollie
Tuesday, February 23
Brian Regan: On The Rocks (Netflix comedy special) – Comedian Brian Regan is trying to understand absurdities around him. In his second Netflix comedy special, Brian Regan: On The Rocks, the legendary comedian confronts his befuddlement with animals, people, dinner parties, Reiki healers, and his recent realization that he has O.C.D. The special is directed by Troy Miller, who also serves as executive producer with Rory Rosegarten.
Pelé (Netflix documentary) – This documentary tells the story of world-renowned footballer Pelé, his quest for perfection and the mythical status he has since attained.
Wednesday, February 24
Canine Intervention (Netflix original) – Canine Intervention follows renowned Oakland dog trainer, Jas Leverette, as he runs Cali K9, one of the top dog training facilities in California. Using his unique training methods and techniques, each episode will feature Jas as he works with a variety of dogs and their owners to fix their obedience and behaviour issues. Jas works with all breeds, he’s never turned a dog away, and he can correct even the most extreme behaviour issues.
Ginny & Georgia (Netflix original) – Hoping for a fresh start, teenage Ginny and her mother, Georgia, settle in a new town. But the secrets in Georgia’s past jeopardize their endeavor.
Thursday, February 25
Geez & Ann (Netflix film) – A sensitive and independent girl falls for a mysterious dream boy and yearns for the one thing everyone wants in a relationship — commitment and love.
High-Rise Invasion (Netflix anime) – A teen girl is teleported to a high-rise rooftop where she must choose between four dangerous options in a battle for her survival.
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Friday, February 26
Bigfoot Family (Netflix family) – Bigfoot’s now a big deal. So when he goes missing, his shy but tech-savvy teen son must take on an evil CEO to save his family and a wildlife preserve.
Caught by a Wave (Netflix film) – A summer fling born under the Sicilian sun quickly develops into a heartbreaking love story that forces a boy and girl to grow up too quickly.
Crazy About Her (Netflix film) – After spending a wild night together, Adri discovers the only way to see Carla again is to become a patient at the psychiatric centre where she resides.
You can change a child's future by becoming a foster parent. The Kawartha-Haliburton Children's Aid Society is seeking to identify and train 10 new local foster families who will open their hearts and homes to children until they can be reunited with their biological families. (Photo courtesy of the Kawartha-Haliburton Children's Aid Society)
When Dean saw an article in a local paper for foster parent recruitment 10 years ago, he and his wife Andrea discussed the idea and thought it made sense for their family.
The Lindsay couple, who have three biological children, wanted to expand their brood. They had contemplated international adoption but, after seeing the positive fostering experience of a pair of their friends in Toronto, decided they too could foster kids in need.
The chance to be part of a secure and loving family is the most important thing you can offer a child, says Andrea, who left her teaching career to foster full-time.
Foster parents share their reasons and experiences with fostering in the Kawartha-Haliburton Children’s Aid Society’s “Fostering Changes Futures” campaign, which aims to identify and train 10 new local foster families provide safe and nurturing homes for children and youth. (Graphic courtesy of the Kawartha-Haliburton Children’s Aid Society)
“We have the opportunity to stand alongside families who are struggling and support them as a community,” Andrea explains. “Life is difficult and circumstances have led to different outcomes for many children. If we’re not here for these children, who will be?”
Over a decade, Andrea and Dean have welcomed 10 foster children into their home — some for a few months, others for many years, and a few on an emergency basis and for respite.
They have cared for babies, toddlers, and school-aged children. Some of those children, Andrea points out, had experienced heart-breaking events in their young lives, while others had physical disabilities or emotional or behavioural challenges.
But all of them have equally left an indelible mark on their family, including the couple’s three biological kids. Now teenagers, they have also been very involved in the lives of the foster children placed in their home.
“It has been a gift to see our children develop empathy and embrace others,” Andrea says. “These experiences have shaped my children into caring individuals, who now see that family can look different and still be a place of love and acceptance.”
Andrea says anyone who is considering fostering should know there will be challenges and unexpected hurdles, but these are balanced by the immense sense of fulfillment by knowing you have changed a child’s future.
“The rewards that can come from giving a child who can’t be with their own family a loving home are above what we ever expected.”
New foster families needed in Peterborough, Lindsay, and Haliburton
Foster parents share their reasons and experiences with fostering in the Kawartha-Haliburton Children’s Aid Society’s “Fostering Changes Futures” campaign, which aims to identify and train 10 new local foster families provide safe and nurturing homes for children and youth. (Graphic courtesy of the Kawartha-Haliburton Children’s Aid Society)
At the heart of Ontario’s foster care system, you’ll find people just like Andrea and Dean, who have stepped up to help children who didn’t choose the situation they’re in and don’t have a place to go when they can’t be with their family.
Children and youth can need foster care for many reasons, when parents and caregivers are facing challenges and working to provide a safe home. Foster placements can be voluntary, or children can be temporarily removed from a home.
Unfortunately, there simply aren’t enough Kawartha-Haliburton foster families available to care for the 193 children and youth that require out-of-home care, according to the Kawartha-Haliburton Children’s Aid Society (KHCAS).
Without local foster families to provide safe and nurturing homes, many children and youth face the prospect of being placed in homes or group homes outside of their communities — leaving them separated from extended family, friends, and all important local community resources that are familiar to them.
That’s why KHCAS launched its “Fostering Changes Futures” recruitment campaign. The agency — which serves Peterborough and Peterborough County, the City of Kawartha Lakes, and Haliburton County — is seeking to identify and train 10 new local foster families who will open their hearts and homes to children until they can be reunited with their biological families.
“Our main goal is to keep families together,” explains Tania Nanni, a resource worker at KHCAS. “We know children do better with their families and when they maintain their community connections, even though they temporarily need to live someplace else.”
Nanni says teens in particular are at greater risk of ending up in placements outside of their communities if they can’t be matched with local foster families. This can leave them separated from family, friends, school, and the community resources they’re familiar with.
Children’s aid societies across Ontario, including KHCAS, are facing a steady decline in available foster families to support infants, young children, teens, and sibling groups who come into their care.
Some previous foster parents have now retired, while others have adopted or obtained custody of the children they were once fostering. Potential new foster parents may be hesitant to apply because they’re not sure if they’re up to the task, especially when it comes to caring for children with complex needs.
All types of families can be foster families
Foster parents share their reasons and experiences with fostering in the Kawartha-Haliburton Children’s Aid Society’s “Fostering Changes Futures” campaign, which aims to identify and train 10 new local foster families provide safe and nurturing homes for children and youth. (Graphic courtesy of the Kawartha-Haliburton Children’s Aid Society)
KHCAS is seeking foster families of all cultures and backgrounds, as well as a diverse range of family types, including people who are single or in a relationship, with or without children, employed or retired, and members of the LGBTQ community.
KHCAS is also interested in individuals or families who can take siblings who need to stay together, and those who are able to care for children and youth with complex needs.
An appropriate match between foster families and children needing foster care is crucial to ensure successful fostering, Nanni explains.
“For example, if there’s a child who comes into our care with special needs or who is medically fragile, we’ll work to match that child with a family who already has experience in that area,” she says.
Matches are done by KHCAS resource workers like Nanni and Tanya Hayford, who also provide support to foster parents once the match has been made.
“We don’t know everything about a child and how things are going to go once a match is made,” Hayford points out. “Resource workers help the foster family through those initial days or weeks to make sure that it can be as successful as possible.”
Rebecca Gower, a children’s services worker with KHCAS, offers support services to children while they’re in foster care. She notes foster parents need to be patient, empathetic, flexible, non-judgemental, and willing to learn.
“Patience and understanding are huge given the kids who are coming into care can have complex needs and significant behaviours,” Gower says. “You have to be willing to go above and beyond for these kids.”
Foster families must also be willing to work closely together with both KHCAS and the biological family, Nanni adds. Not only does this help meet a child’s unique needs, but it helps ensure the foster family has the support for a successful fostering experience.
“You’re not an island,” Nanni says. “You have to work with the team.”
Before being approved, prospective foster parents must undergo a thorough screening process, which includes interviews with agency staff, a criminal background check, and an assessment of their home. Applicants must also complete a 27 hour training course.
Once approved, foster parents are assigned a KHCAS resource worker who provides ongoing support. Foster families receive a competitive allowance to cover child expenses, have access to a network of other fosterers for additional support and guidance as well as ongoing training opportunities.
For children who have been exposed to traumatic life events or who have higher needs, KHCAS also supports the foster family by working with other agencies; for example, Therapeutic Family Care, Kinark Child and Family Services, Peterborough Youth Services, and Canopy Support Services.
Interested in fostering? Start the conversation.
Foster parents share their reasons and experiences with fostering in the Kawartha-Haliburton Children’s Aid Society’s “Fostering Changes Futures” campaign, which aims to identify and train 10 new local foster families provide safe and nurturing homes for children and youth. (Graphic courtesy of the Kawartha-Haliburton Children’s Aid Society)
If you are interested in fostering, Nanni suggests making a call to KHCAS to start the conversation and learn more.
“There are many questions you have to think about,” Nanni says. “Together, we’ll decide if fostering is going to work for you and, if so, what’s the best fit.”
As for Lindsay couple Andrea and Dean, they are currently fostering two little ones. Andrea says they hope to inspire people who have the capacity to foster children to take that leap.
“For some of these kids, having a foster parent in the audience at a Christmas concert or at graduation makes a huge difference,” Andrea reflects. “Maybe they’ve never had that one person in their life. It’s the little things that can make a difference for these kids.”
To learn more about becoming a foster parent, please visit the fostering section of the KHCAS website or call toll-free at 1-800 661-2843, ext. 1221. You can also follow KHCAS on Facebook and Twitter.
This story was created in partnership with the Kawartha-Haliburton Children’s Aid Society.
The 2021 ReFrame Film Festival is a panacea for pandemic boredom, offering nearly 50 feature-length and short documentary films streaming online between January 22 and 29, including local films such as Drew Hayden Taylor's "Cottagers & Indians", which explores the decades-long disagreement between Indigenous wild-rice harvester James Whetung and landowners on Pigeon Lake. Taylor will also be delivering a keynote address on the opening night of the festival on Friday, January 22. (Photo: Paul Kemp Productions)
Lockdown is about to get better. If you’re like me, you’ve exhausted all English-speaking content available on popular streaming services throughout the pandemic. Maybe you’ve run out of foreign films to watch; maybe you’ve even watched The Floor is Lava. These are desperate times.
Fear not — help is on the way! As of Friday, January 22nd, your entire household will have online access to nearly 50 brand new films and events thanks to the ReFrame Film Festival.
I am so ready to binge-watch groundbreaking, new-release documentary films in my pj’s — guilt free (passive learning via documentary film doesn’t feel like a waste of time compared, for instance, to watching The Floor is Lava).
For the first time ever, festival-pass holders won’t have to choose between which films to see. The digital platform eliminates schedule conflicts so, this year, you can watch every film in the program.
That said, much like in a physical theatre, there is limited space, so audiences are encouraged to register in advance at my.reframefilmfestival.ca.
The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel
This timely sequel to the award-winning hit, The Corporation, by filmmakers Joel Bakan and Jennifer Abbott investigates how socially conscious corporate re-branding obfuscates and justifies the corporate takeover of society.
Call Me Human
Kim O’Bomsawin’s film proposes a foray into a people’s history in company with Innu writer Joséphine Bacon. Elders hold a link to the past. This film bears witness to the knowledge-keepers and a woman who has led a charge against the loss of a language, a culture, and its traditions: “In her language, Innu means ‘human’.”
The Sit-In: Harry Belafonte Hosts the Tonight Show
Yoruba Richen’s look at a week in 1968 when Johnny Carson gave up his seat on the Tonight Show for actor, musician, and activist, Harry Belafonte, to host the show. For the first time ever, an African-American was the host of a late-night TV show — one of the most powerful platforms of communication — and transformed the predominately white institution into a multicultural and political experience.
The Reason I Jump
Based on Naoki Higashida’s book, this immersive documentary by Jerry Rothwell explores the experiences of nonverbal autistic people the world over. The film immerses audiences in the sensory worlds of non-speaking autistic people.
No Ordinary Man
This film, by Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt, documents the life of American jazz musician and trans culture icon Billy Tipton. Tipton’s story is reimagined and performed by trans artists as they collectively paint a portrait of this hero.
Starborn
Olivia Mater offers a poetic, speculative look at a post-COVID world 50 years in the future.
The film explores grief and hope; human responsibility to the the land and each other.
“Starborn is an offering to the deepest layers of the heart, and a seed of hope for the ones yet to be born.”
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Softie
Sam Soko’s film follows Kenyan photojournalist and activist, Boniface Mwangi, as he enters mainstream politics to challenge social injustice. At much peril to the safety of his family, Mwangi’s journey forces him to choose between his country or his family.
9 To 5: The Story of a Movement
Academy award winners Julia Reichert and Steve Bognar investigate the intersection of women’s rights and labour rights in the 1970’s. A group of Boston women, secretaries and other underpaid office workers, joined together to form a movement, 9to5, that led to social change and inspired the hit movie and song by the same title.
No Visible Trauma
This timely film, by Marc Serpa and Robinder Uppal, examines the problematic rate of police brutality in Calgary, where police have shot and killed more people than officers in any other Canadian city (and more than New York and Chicago police in 2018). The film investigates the intertwined stories of the victims of police brutality in Calgary while exposing a negligent justice system that fails to hold officers accountable for their crimes.
Cottagers & Indians
This documentary is an adaptation of Drew Hayden Taylor’s play by the same title. In the Kawarthas, wild rice — manoomin — almost went extinct due to boat traffic, pollution, and invasive species, among other things. But James Whetung, an indigenous man from Curve Lake First Nation, has spent a great deal of his life cultivating manoomin, reintroducing it to the area.
What is a matter of food sovereignty and cultural health for Whetung is a nuisance for landowners who claim their property values are affected by the reintroduction of wild rice to the waterways. This documentary explores this decades-long disagreement.
Drew Hayden Taylor, the award-winning playwright, author, and filmmaker from Curve Lake, will also be delivering a keynote address on the opening night of the festival on Friday, January 22nd.
Watch local!
In addition to Starborn and Cottagers and Indians, there is much local content on the ReFrame program this year. Supporting local is so important and it doesn’t stop at small businesses — it also means supporting local arts and artists.
Please be sure to support local artists by watching the following homegrown films: Chúng Tôi Nhẩy Đầm ở Nhà (We Dance At Home), The Garden Collective, Gichitwaa Nibi – Sacred Water (Water Teaching with Elder Dorothy Taylor, Granite Man of Gilmour, Headwaters to Hearts: Education in Action, On Treaties with Elder Doug Williams, Pivot: Performance in a Pandemic, Rematriate: Passing the Seeds, The River, See Us, and Sing Them Home.
“The River” is a short film by Benjamin Hargreaves that follows the hardship and creativity of one of the contributors to The River, a magazine dedicated to showcasing the art, words, and stories of those who identify as part of the low-income community in Peterborough. (Photo: Benjamin Hargreaves)
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The ReFrame Festival program is a curatorial masterpiece that creates an invitation to partake in a conversation. Responsive to the context in which it is presented, the festival is a forum for the collective celebration and exploration of films as a collection of creative texts.
It is precisely what this lockdown needs.
If you live in Ontario and want to buy a festival all-access pass or 5-pack, or if you already have your pass or 5-pack and want to register to watch ReFrame films, visit my.reframefilmfestival.ca today. The festival runs online from January 22nd to January 29th, 2021.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a sponsor of the 2021 ReFrame Film Festival.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 2,578 new cases today — the lowest single-day increase since January 1st when 2,476 cases were reported. The seven-day average of daily cases across the province has now decreased by 108 to 3,035.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 21 new cases to report and 20 additional cases resolved, with 1 new death in Northumberland. The number of active cases across the region has increased by 1 to 146.
Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (815), Peel (507), York (151), Niagara (151), and Hamilton (121).
There are double-digit increases in Windsor-Essex (97), Ottawa (92), Waterloo (85), Halton (79), Durham (76), Middlesex-London (67), Simcoe Muskoka (65), Lambton (52), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (51), Eastern Ontario (36), Southwestern (31), Chatham-Kent (28), Huron Perth (15), Haldimand-Norfolk (13), Brant (12), with smaller increases in Thunder Bay (8) and Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (7).
The remaining 12 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 3 health units reporting no new cases at all.
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Of today’s new cases, 51% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (972) among people ages 20-39, followed by 743 cases among people ages 40-59. With 2,826 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.2% to 85.8%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased since yesterday by 1.4% to 6.6%, meaning that 66 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on January 17.
Ontario is reporting 24 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 14 in long-term care homes. Hospitalizations have increased by 1 from yesterday to 1,571, although this number is likely under-reported as more than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for today’s report. The number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs has decreased by 1 to 394, and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators has increased by 10 to 303.
A total of 18,481 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 11,622 to 18,481. A total of 209,788 doses of vaccine have been administered, with 9,691 daily doses administered and 21,752 total vaccinations completed (i.e., both doses administered).
Due to the winter break and the remote learning period during the state of emergency, there will be no data to report for schools in southern Ontario until at least January 26. There are 29 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, no change from the last report on January 15, with 20 cases among children and 9 cases among staff.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 21 new cases to report, including 10 in Northumberland, 5 in Kawartha Lakes, 4 in Haliburton, and 2 in Hastings Prince Edward. There are no new cases to report in Peterborough.
There is 1 new death to report in Northumberland and there is 1 new hospitalization in Peterborough.
An outbreak was declared at Warkworth Place long-term care home in Warkworth on January 17, increasing to 9 the number of active outbreaks in the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit region.
Of the new cases reported in licensed child care settings, 1 staff case has been reported at Victoria Park Child Care Centre in Cobourg.
An additional 20 cases have been resolved, including 8 in Peterborough, 5 in Kawartha Lakes, 5 in Northumberland, and 2 in Hastings Prince Edward. There are 2 fewer hospitalizations in Hastings Prince Edward.
There are currently 146 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 1 from yesterday, including 49 in Peterborough, 44 in Northumberland, 28 in Hastings Prince Edward (8 in Quinte West, 16 in Belleville, 1 in Prince Edward County, and 2 in Central Hastings), 21 in Kawartha Lakes, and 4 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 481 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (426 resolved with 6 deaths), 336 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (293 resolved with 36 deaths), 345 in Northumberland County (295 resolved with 6 deaths), 43 in Haliburton County (38 resolved with no deaths), and 358 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (325 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Northumberland on January 17.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 12 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: 481 (no change) Active cases: 49 (decrease of 7) Close contacts: 105 (decrease of 10) Deaths: 6 (no change) Resolved: 426 (increase of 8) Hospitalizations (total to date): 20 (increase of 1)* Total tests completed: Over 40,600 (increase of 100) Outbreaks: Fairhaven long-term care home in Peterborough, The Regency retirement home in Lakefield, Centennial Place long-term care home in Millbrook (no change)
*As of January 18, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting fewer than 10 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, with fewer than 10 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive. The hospital is not providing exact numbers of patients.
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 statutory holidays. These numbers include January 17 and 18.
Confirmed positive: 724, including 336 in Kawartha Lakes, 345 in Northumberland, and 43 in Haliburton (increase of 19, including 5 in Kawartha Lakes, 10 in Northumberland, and 4 in Haliburton)* Active cases: 70, including 21 in Kawartha Lakes, 44 in Northumberland, and 5 in Haliburton (increase of 10, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes, 4 in Northumberland, and 4 in Haliburton) Probable cases: 2 in Kawartha Lakes (net decrease of 1) High-risk contacts: 163, including 69 in Kawartha Lakes, 62 in Northumberland, and 14 in Haliburton (net increase of 14)** Hospitalizations (total to date): 29, including 19 in Kawartha Lakes, 9 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change)*** Deaths (including among probable cases): 42, including 36 in Kawartha Lakes and 6 in Northumberland (increase of 1 in Northumberland) Resolved: 625, including 292 in Kawartha Lakes, 295 in Northumberland, 38 in Haliburton (increase of 10, including 5 in Kawartha Lakes and 5 in Northumberland) Institutional outbreaks: Hope St. Terrace long-term care home in Port Hope, Fenelon Court in Fenelon Falls, Island Park Retirement Residence in Campbellford, Maplewood long-term care home in Brighton, Caressant Care McLaughlin Road in Lindsay, Tower of Port Hope, Canadian Centre for Addictions in Port Hope, Golden Plough Lodge in Cobourg, Warkworth Place long-term care home in Warkworth (increase 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.
**This total includes an additional 18 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
***As of January 18, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 5 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19.
****An outbreak was declared at Warkworth Place long-term care home in Warkworth on January 17.
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, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 358 (increase of 2) Active cases: 28 (no change) Deaths: 5 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 1 (decrease of 2) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change) Resolved: 325 (increase of 2) Tests completed: 38,352 Institutional outbreaks: Hastings Manor Beech Villa in Belleville, Crown Ridge long-term care home in Quinte West (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 240,364 (increase of 2,578) Resolved: 206,310 (increase of 2,826, 85.8% of all cases) Positivity rate: 6.6% (increase of 1.4%) Hospitalized: 1,571 (increase of 1)* Hospitalized and in ICU: 394 (decrease of 1) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 303 (increase of 10) Deaths: 5,433 (increase of 24) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,212 (increase of 14) Total tests completed: 8,965,747 (increase of 40,301) Tests under investigation: 18,481 (decrease of 11,622) Vaccinations: 9,691 daily doses administered, 209,788 total doses administered, 21,752 total vaccinations completed (both doses)
*As more than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for this report, this number is likely under-reported.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from December 18, 2020 – January 17, 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 December 18, 2020 – January 17, 2021. The red line is the number of tests completed daily, 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 December 18, 2020 – January 17, 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 December 18, 2020 – January 17, 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)
Premier Doug Ford packing bottles of disinfectant into boxes during a tour of Charlotte Products in Peterborough on July 30, 2020. Charlotte Products has ramped up production of its cleaning products during the pandemic and is facing a shortage of bottles for its products. Along with a $1 million provincial investment, Peterborough's Merit Precision is investing $1.3 million for an expansion that will allow it to supply bottles to Charlotte Products. (Photo: Government of Ontario)
Merit Precision Limited in Peterborough is receiving $1 million from the Ontario government to manufacture bottles for hand sanitizers and disinfectants produced by Peterborough-based Charlotte Products.
Charlotte Products, a family-owned company that produces cleaning products, ramped up production during the COVID-19 pandemic of cleaners, sanitizers, and disinfectants. However, the company cannot secure enough bottles to meet the growing demand for its products.
“To be globally competitive and resilient in times of crisis, supply chain partners must be innovative and find new ways to collaborate,” says Tim Barrie, president of Merit Precision. “This investment will help to build an integrated cluster for sanitizers and disinfectant production, ensuring the manufacturer has secure and continuous access to bottles.”
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Merit Precision is an injection moulding company that primarily manufactures parts and components for the auto sector. The $1 million in provincial funding will allow Merit Precision to expand its operations by investing in two blow moulding lines, tooling, and the necessary infrastructure to manufacture bottles.
Merit Precision itself is investing another $1.3 million in this project, which includes purchasing moulding, automation, and bottle-making equipment.
The expansion will create 10 new local jobs and retain 75 positions, according to a media release from the Ontario government.
Merit Precision Limited’s plant and main office at 2035 Fisher Drive in Peterborough. The injection moulding company, which primarily manufactures parts and components for the auto sector, will be expanding to manufacture bottles for COVID-19 hand sanitizers and disinfectants produced by Peterborough’s Charlotte Products. (Photo: Merit Precision)
“It is amazing to see the incredible working partnership between Charlotte Products and Merit Precision which has led to the creation of more jobs in our community,” says Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith. “Like many municipalities across the province, we are struggling during the pandemic and these types of innovative partnerships are critical to support our local economy.”
The $1 million in funding for Merit Precision comes from the Ontario Together Fund, which provides targeted investments to increase the province’s stockpile of made-in-Ontario products and personal protective equipment, including more than 29 million gowns and more than 491 million gloves, 148 million masks, and over 14 million face shields.
The Nogojiwanong Indigenous Fringe Festival, the world's first fringe festival exclusive to Indigenous performers, will take place in Peterborough/Nogojiwanong on June 21, 2021 (National Indigenous Peoples Day). The outdoor festival will feature comedy, music, storytelling, and more. (Supplied photo)
This summer, beginning on National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21), Peterborough will host the world’s first and only Indigenous fringe festival on the treaty and traditional territory of the Michi Saagiig Anishinaabeg.
The Nogojiwanong Indigenous Fringe Festival (NIFF) has put Peterborough on the map. Look no further than the official website for the Canadian Association for Fringe Festivals. There, you’ll find a list of major cities — Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, New York — and on that same list, you’ll now also find Peterborough, Ontario.
The inaugural NIFF was originally slated to launch in 2020; alas, like every other fringe festival, it was postponed due to the pandemic.
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But festival organizers on the NIFF collective have been hard at work planning to make sure the festival will run — outdoors and online — no matter what the summer will bring.
It all started with a tweet.
In 2019, award-winning playwright, author, columnist, and filmmaker Drew Hayden Taylor of Curve Lake First Nation, took to Twitter asking: “Wouldn’t it be cool if we could do a fringe festival?”
Playwright, author, columnist, and filmmaker Drew Hayden Taylor first suggested the idea of an Indigenous fringe festival on Twitter in 2019. (Photo: Paul Kemp Productions)
Professor Joeann Argue, who teaches Indigenous performance and storytelling courses as a Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies faculty member at Trent University, came across the tweet.
“I thought that would be a really good idea, so I tweeted back saying that we have space [at Trent], and that was where it started,” Argue explains.
“I brought it, then, to my colleague, Lee Bolton, who is the Nozhem coordinator, and discovered that she had all kinds of fringe festival experiences, including managing them. So it just seemed like something we could possibly pull off.”
From there, a dream-team collective of powerhouse artists was formed to turn the idea for the world’s first Indigenous fringe festival into a reality.
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“I contacted Drew outside of Twitter and asked him if he would like to be a mentor, and he agreed to do that, which is really wonderful,” explains Argue.
“We also have a relationship with Spiderwoman Theatre out of New York City, which is the oldest native feminist theatre collective — possibly in the world — they’ve done a ton of work at Nozhem. So I contacted Muriel Miguel of Spiderwoman and asked if she’d be interested in being a mentor as well and she said yes right away.”
With two well-known superstars in Indigenous theatre backing the festival, grant funding secured, official festival paperwork submitted, and applications from potential artists all over the country streaming in, NIFF was well on the way to launch the inaugural festival in the summer of 2020.
Muriel Miguel, a founder of the feminist Native American collective Spiderwoman Theater, is considered a grandmother of the Indigenous theatre movement in the United States and Canada. Along with Drew Hayden Taylor, she has agreed to be a mentor for the Nogojiwanong Indigenous Fringe Festival in Peterborough. (Photo: Annie Tritt for The New York Times)
Then the pandemic hit.
“At that point, in March, we didn’t know what was going to happen,” recalls Argue.
“Could we do something? Could we do a smaller thing? Pretty much, every fringe festival was in the same place. We really didn’t make the call — that the festival wouldn’t be a go — until the end of April. By that time all of the festivals were starting to shut down.”
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“But we thought that trying to have our first festival in a pandemic in some really modified, tiny form just didn’t make sense,” Argue adds. “Especially because most of our artists were coming from across the country.”
After making the tough call to cancel the 2020 festival, the collective had to decide whether or not to try again the following year.
“We decided that this was important and we needed to focus on 2021,” says Argue. “We had to make extensive changes to how we will run the festival. At this point, unless things change drastically between now and June, we’ll be an entirely outdoor festival.”
“We have some really nice sites around the Gzowski College area that we’re offering artists. There are a couple of fire pits and there’s a storyteller who wants to tell stories by the fire in the evening.”
Beginning June 21, 2021 (National Indigenous Peoples Day) and running until June 27, audiences will have the opportunity to see 40 outdoor and COVID-safe shows over the course of five days.
Nogojiwanong Indigenous Fringe Festival co-founders during the original 2020 announcement of the Nogojiwanong Indigenous Fringe Festival, before it was postponed until 2021 because of the pandemic. Pictured are Joeann Argue, assistant professor in Indigenous performance at Trent University, Lee Bolton, theatre coordinator of Nozhem First Peoples Performance Space at Trent University, and Drew Hayden Taylor, the award-winning Indigenous playwright, author, columnist, and filmmaker. (Supplied photo)
“Some of the performers we have so far are stand-up comics and musicians. We’ll hopefully have a play if an artist is able to come from B.C. There’s a storyteller.”
“We’ll also have Shirley Williams, a residential school survivor and professor emeritus at Trent, who is going to talk about the dances that they learned at residential school — because none of them were Indigenous dances — so she wants to talk about culture being placed over top.”
Although the call for applications for NIFF officially closed on January 10th, the NIFF collective appreciates how sideways things can be during a pandemic.
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As such, if you’re an Indigenous artist with an idea for a show, or a performing arts company with 50 per cent or more of your members who self-identify as Indigenous, and you’re currently living within 300 kilometres of Nogojiwanong/Peterborough, Argue strongly encourages you to contact NIFF at indigenousfringefest@gmail.com.
Centennial Place long-term care home in Millbrook. (Photo: Centennial Place / Facebook)
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 3,422 new cases today, with the seven-day average of daily cases across the province decreasing by 75 to 3,143.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 12 new cases to report with two new outbreaks, and 12 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region remaining unchanged at 145. However, the numbers do not include Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton, as the health unit does not issue a report on Sundays.
Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (1,035), Peel (585), Windsor-Essex (254), York (246), Niagara (186), Middlesex-London (166), Ottawa (144), and Waterloo (144).
There are double-digit increases in Durham (97), Hamilton (91), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (66), Lambton (64), Halton (59), Southwestern (58), Simcoe Muskoka (47), Eastern Ontario (45), Huron Perth (36), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (19), Thunder Bay (15), Haldimand-Norfolk (13), and Peterborough (10), with smaller increases in Chatham-Kent (9), Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (6), Grey Bruce (6), and Brant (6).
The remaining 9 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 4 health units reporting no new cases at all.
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Of today’s new cases, 51% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (1,314) among people ages 20-39, followed by 997 cases among people ages 40-59. With 3,078 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.1% to 85.6%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased since yesterday by 0.3% to 5.2%, meaning that 52 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on January 16.
Ontario is reporting 69 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 36 in long-term care homes. Hospitalizations have decreased by 62 from yesterday to 1,570, although this number is likely under-reported as more than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for today’s report. The number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs has decreased by 2 to 395, and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators has increased by 12 to 293.
A total of 60,183 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 20,284 to 30,103. A total of 200,097 doses of vaccine have been administered, with 11,007 daily doses administered and 21,714 total vaccinations completed (i.e., both doses administered).
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 12 new cases to report, including 7 in Hastings Prince Edward and 5 in Peterborough. The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit does not issue a report for Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton on Sundays; numbers shown here are based on the January 16 report from the health unit.
An additional 12 cases have been resolved, including 6 in Peterborough and 6 in Hastings Prince Edward.
Outbreaks were declared at The Regency retirement home in Lakefield and Centennial Place long-term care home in Millbrook on January 17. Details on the outbreaks were not available when this update was published.
There are currently 145 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, unchanged from yesterday, including 57 in Peterborough, 40 in Northumberland, 28 in Hastings Prince Edward (6 in Quinte West, 18 in Belleville, 1 in Prince Edward County, and 2 in Central Hastings), 19 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 481 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (418 resolved with 6 deaths), 328 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (287 resolved with 36 deaths), 335 in Northumberland County (290 resolved with 5 deaths), 39 in Haliburton County (38 resolved with no deaths), and 356 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (323 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on January 16.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 12 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: 481 (increase of 5) Active cases: 57 (decrease of 1) Close contacts: 115 (increase of 4) Deaths: 6 (no change) Resolved: 418 (increase of 6) Hospitalizations (total to date): 19 (no change)* Total tests completed: Over 40,500 (increase of 50) Outbreaks: Fairhaven long-term care home in Peterborough, The Regency retirement home in Lakefield, Centennial Place long-term care home in Millbrook (increase of 2)**
*As of January 15, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting fewer than 10 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, with fewer than 10 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive. The hospital is not providing exact numbers of patients.
**Outbreaks were declared at The Regency retirement home in Lakefield and Centennial Place long-term care home in Millbrook on January 17.
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 statutory holidays. These numbers are from January 16.
Confirmed positive: 703, including 329 in Kawartha Lakes, 335 in Northumberland, and 39 in Haliburton (increase of 10, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 9 in Northumberland)* Active cases: 60, including 19 in Kawartha Lakes, 40 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (net decrease of 2) Probable cases: 3, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Northumberland (decrease of 3 in Northumberland) High-risk contacts: 149, including 64 in Kawartha Lakes, 53 in Northumberland, and 11 in Haliburton (net decrease of 4)** Hospitalizations (total to date): 29, including 19 in Kawartha Lakes, 9 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change)*** Deaths (including among probable cases): 41, including 36 in Kawartha Lakes and 5 in Northumberland (no change) Resolved: 614, including 287 in Kawartha Lakes, 290 in Northumberland, 38 in Haliburton (increase of 14, including 8 in Kawartha Lakes and 6 in Northumberland) Institutional outbreaks: Hope St. Terrace long-term care home in Port Hope, Fenelon Court in Fenelon Falls, Island Park Retirement Residence in Campbellford, Maplewood long-term care home in Brighton, Caressant Care McLaughlin Road in Lindsay, Tower of Port Hope, Canadian Centre for Addictions in Port Hope, Golden Plough Lodge in Cobourg (increase of 2)****
*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.
**This total includes an additional 21 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
***As of January 15, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 5 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19.
****An outbreak was declared at Canadian Centre for Addictions in Port Hope on January 15, and an outbreak was declared at Golden Plough Lodge in Cobourg on January 16 after 1 staff member tested positive.
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, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 356 (increase of 7) Active cases: 28 (increase of 1) Deaths: 5 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 3 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (decrease of 1) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change) Resolved: 323 (increase of 6) Tests completed: 38,063 Institutional outbreaks: Hastings Manor Beech Villa in Belleville, Crown Ridge long-term care home in Quinte West (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 237,786 (increase of 3,422) Resolved: 203,484 (increase of 3,078, 85.6% of all cases) Positivity rate: 5.2% (increase of 0.3%) Hospitalized: 1,570 (decrease of 62)* Hospitalized and in ICU: 395 (decrease of 2) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 293 (increase of 12) Deaths: 5,409 (increase of 69) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,198 (increase of 36) Total tests completed: 8,925,446 (increase of 60,183) Tests under investigation: 30,103 (decrease of 20,284) Vaccinations: 11,007 daily doses administered, 200,097 total doses administered, 21,714 total vaccinations completed (both doses)
*As more than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for this report, this number is likely under-reported.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from December 17, 2020 – January 16, 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 December 17, 2020 – January 16, 2021. The red line is the number of tests completed daily, 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 December 17, 2020 – January 16, 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 December 17, 2020 – January 16, 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)
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