In partnership with the SPARK Photo Festival, the New Canadians Centre in Peterborough created a multi-generational photography project to inspire newcomers to explore and connect with Canadian culture, language, and the environment through hands-on photographic instruction and activity. Pictured is a photograph by Ghofran Al Hamwi, a participant in the Newcomer Youth Photo Project. (Photo: Ghofran Al Hamwi)
Like many people around the world in 2015, Robert Boudreau was overcome with emotion with the single image of young Syrian Alan Kurdi.
“I decided there has got to be something I can do to help immigrants in the community,” said Robert, the former director of Peterborough’s SPARK Photo Festival and a long-time volunteer with the New Canadians Centre (NCC). He began to inquire about the possibilities of a photography program for newcomers to help them tell their stories.
With much excitement and anticipation, in July 2016, NCC partnered with the SPARK Photo Festival to launch the first level of a newcomer photography program.
A photo by Ibrahim, one of the participants in the New Canadians Centre’s Newcomer Children’s Photography Project, which began in July 2016 and wrapped up in with a community exhibit during the SPARK Photo Festival in 2017. (Photo: Ibrahim)
The first group was focused on children. Each child, ranging in ages eight to 13, was loaned a camera and invited back each month to share their photographs and receive some instruction on photography skills. After a successful set of classes and a beautiful gallery of photos on exhibit at the 2017 SPARK Photo Festival, NCC decided to continue their pilot program with a group of high school participants.
Starting in July of 2017, a dozen students between the ages of 14 and 18 came together for workshops and photography fun. Once again, the students thrived, and their artwork hung proudly at the SPARK Photo Festival in April 2018.
In the last iteration of the project, the newcomer adults and seniors level found 10 participants pouring their hearts into their cameras. Unfortunately, this group had their planned exhibit in April 2020 interrupted by COVID-19.
A photo by Douaa Falah, one of the participants in the New Canadians Centre’s Newcomer Youth Photography Project, which began in September 2017 and wrapped up in with a community exhibit during the SPARK Photo Festival in 2018. (Photo: Douaa Falah)
One of the biggest priorities of this project was providing newcomers with the opportunity to explore Peterborough through their unique lens. Participants from each level were taken on photography field trips.
Douaa Falah from the youth level remembers these trips with fondness.
“Through this program, I made friends that I talk to even now,” Douaa says. “As we went out as a group to take photos in different places, it helped me to discover more of Peterborough.”
A photo by Yaris Hernandez Ravelo, a participant in the New Canadians Centre’s Newcomer Adult Photography Project. The adult project was intended to conclude with a community exhibit during the SPARK Photo Festival 2020, but was cancelled due to COVID-19. (Photo: Yaris Hernandez Ravelo)
As they continued to look for opportunities to introduce participants to the city, Robert connected participants with a local photography supplier. Participants were encouraged to go in and get free prints, allowing participants to engage with the store employees and tell them about their work.
As participants captured their world, each age group came together monthly to share with friends and instructors, learn new skills, and ultimately put their work on display in local galleries. Robert and the team adapted the workshops to suit the needs and ages of the participants.
For Yaris Hernandez Ravelo and the adult class, that meant a deep dive into the intricacies of the camera.
“What I liked the most about the photography project was that I learned the main settings for the camera like ISO, aperture, et cetera,” Yaris recalls. “I always wondered how those work.”
A photo by Bintou Cherif, one of the participants in the New Canadians Centre’s Newcomer Youth Photography Project, which began in September 2017 and wrapped up in with a community exhibit during the SPARK Photo Festival in 2018. (Photo: Bintou Cherif)
The opportunity to preview their work at the ReFrame Film Festival was an eye-opening and unforgettable experience for the children and youth.
“Children got to come up on the stage at ReFrame and introduce themselves,” says Robert. “They were able to see that the community was behind them. The comments we received from the public were people being amazed that children could do these things. That was a huge boost to the self-esteem of the children and teenagers.”
Hearing that overwhelming support from their community was a beautiful highlight for so many of the participants. For Zeina Mahfouz from the children’s group, her favourite part was “Showing my photos in a gallery where people can see them and give me their opinion.”
A photo by Ozzy Jair Garcia Gutierrez, a participant in the New Canadians Centre’s Newcomer Adult Photography Project. With Robert Boudreau instructing, the adult program dug deep into the operation of the camera, allowing the photographer to take full control and advantage of their “light writing” tool. (Photo: Ozzy Jair Garcia Gutierrez)
Robert truly believes in the value of photography for personal expression.
“Some people write a journal. I tell stories through photographs.”
Each participant is proudly still using their new camera skills to tell their narrative.
A photo by Zeina Mahfouz, one of the participants in the New Canadians Centre’s Newcomer Children’s Photography Project, which began in July 2016 and wrapped up in with a community exhibit during the SPARK Photo Festival in 2017. (Photo: Zeina Mahfouz)
“Now I am using these skills whenever I want to take a beautiful picture of my family and friends so that we could save nice memories,” Zeina says.
Douaa decided to pursue her newfound joy through school.
“After the program, I bought a camera and took photography classes in school.”
While Yaris isn’t able to take as many photos because of work, she still enjoys the occasional “relaxing and exciting time looking for ideas.”
Participants in the New Canadians Centre’s Newcomer Children’s Photography Project, which began in July 2016 and wrapped up in with a community exhibit during the SPARK Photo Festival in 2017. From left to right: Zeinah, Ibrahim, Amjad, Raneem, Ghaith, and (insert) Sami. A Newcomer Youth Photo Project followed in 2017 and 2018 with a Newcomer Adult Photography Project in 2020. (Photo courtesy of New Canadians Centre)
From eight to 80-year-olds and beyond, NCC’s photography project — in collaboration with SPARK — has truly provided newcomers with the opportunity to explore their new city, connect with their community, make lifetime connections and build their creative self-esteem at their own pace.
“I totally think NCC should have this program again in the future,” says Douaa. “It’s a really good program and so many of my friends ask me if they can get in.”
Christine Jaros of VerminiX Pest Control Company in Peterborough, which offers pest control solutions for residential, commercial, and cottage customers in the Peterborough area, is one of six entrepreneurs in the winter intake of the Starter Company Plus entrepreneurial program who are each receiving a $5,000 grant. (Photo courtesy of Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development)
businessNOW™ is our round-up of business and organizational news from Peterborough and across the greater Kawarthas region.
This week, we’re featuring the six Peterborough-area entrepreneurs who are receiving $30,000 in funding from the Start Company Plus program administered by the Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development’s Business Advisory Centre, and the awarding of the contract for the Eastern Ontario Regional Network Cell Gap Project to Rogers Communications.
In businessNOW, our managing editor collects news and events related to businesses and organizations from across the Kawarthas. If you’d like us to promote your news or event in businessNOW, please email business@kawarthanow.com.
Also included this week is a $25,000 donation from a Markham-based real estate developer and builder to the Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation in Lindsay. a Fleming College grad who is celebrating the one-year anniversary of his game show business, two job opportunities at Artspace in Peterborough, 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook receiving $61,980 in provincial funding support for the arts sector, and the Ontario government’s loosening of dining restrictions in Grey-Lockdown, Red-Control, and Orange-Restrict levels.
Six Peterborough-area entrepreneurs receive $30,000 in funding from Starter Company Plus program
Mike Frampton’s Peterborough business Tragically Dipped Donuts in Peterborough sells fresh handmade donuts, all-day breakfast, and locally roasted coffee from a food truck. He is one of six entrepreneurs in the winter intake of the Starter Company Plus entrepreneurial program who are each receiving a $5,000 grant. (Photo courtesy of Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development)
Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development’s Business Advisory Centre has announced the six entrepreneurs in the winter intake of the Starter Company Plus entrepreneurial program who are each receiving a $5,000 grant.
The six businesses receiving grants are:
Christine Jaros of VerminiX Pest Control Company in Peterborough, which offers pest control solutions for residential, commercial, and cottage customers in the Peterborough area.
Fenna Renee Green of Daily Development in Peterborough, which provide one-to-one support for people with disabilities and their families.
Lia Gomez Lowe of Full Bloom Health in Peterborough, which offers holistic nutrition counselling to women in the perinatal stages of life.
Mike Frampton of Tragically Dipped Donuts in Peterborough, which sells fresh handmade donuts, all-day breakfast, and locally roasted coffee from a food truck.
Scott D. Bain and Sandy Spremo of The K9 Clipper in Peterborough, a dog grooming business set to open this spring, initially offering bathing, skin care, clipping, styling, and general grooming services for pets.
E. Tristan Pulham and Tyler O’Conner of Elemental Tree Care in Bridgenorth, which provides a wide range of tree care services, including hazardous removals, tree pruning, plant health care services, and more.
Funded by the Ontario government, Starter Company Plus is designed to provide business training to aspiring or experienced entrepreneurs in the city and county of Peterborough who are launching a new business or expanding an existing one that’s been operating for five years or less.
A total of 12 entrepreneurs participated in the eight-week program, which is delivered completely online and culminates with six of the entrepreneurs each being awarded a grant of $5,000, with the selection based on creativity and viability of their business and the strength of their business plan.
“Even after a difficult year, entrepreneurs and small business owners in Peterborough and the Kawarthas have shown up,” says Hillary Manion, the entrepreneurship officer who oversees the Starter Company Plus program. “With both new startups and expansions, this intake of the Starter Company Plus was a diverse and unique group. I am very proud of all 12 businesses that participated in the program and am honoured to have had the chance to watch their businesses take shape. They will, without a doubt, add to our community as a whole.”
Rogers Communications awarded contract to improve cellular services in eastern Ontario
Rogers Communications will be constructing 300 new telecommunication sites and upgrading more than 300 existing sites over the next four to five years as part of the $302-millon Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN)’s Cell Gap Project. (Photo: Rogers Communications)
Rogers Communications has been awarded the contract to improve cellular services in eastern Ontario as part of the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN)’s Cell Gap Project.
In May 2017, the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) — a non-profit organization created by the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus, which represents 13 municipalities across eastern Ontario, to improve broadband access across the region — proposed a $213 million public-private partnership to enhance both the reach and quality of cellular data services.
According an EORN-commissioned engineering study, around a quarter of eastern Ontario where there are homes, businesses, or major roads contain cellular “dead zones”, where people cannot access any cellular services and, where cellular service does exist, nearly two-thirds of the area doesn’t have enough capacity to provide high-quality mobile broadband service.
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The estimated total cost of the Cell Gap Project is $302 million, with the Canadian and Ontario governments each contributing $71 million, with an additional $10 million coming from the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus and most municipalities within the Eastern Ontario Mayors’ Caucus.
Rogers Communications, which was selected through a competitive bidding process, will be investing $150 million in new or improved cell infrastructure.
The project will involve construction of more than 300 new telecommunication sites and will upgrade more than 300 existing sites over the next four to five years, bringing 5G wireless network technology to the region. Upgrades and construction will begin as early as this spring. New services will be activated as groups of towers are built or upgraded, with the project fully completed in 2025.
In addition to improving cellular services in eastern Ontario, the project is expected to create more than 3,000 full-time equivalent jobs and generate $420 million in new business revenue over 10 years.
Markham-based real estate developer and builder donates $25,000 to Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation in Lindsay
Shakir Rehmatullah (right), owner of Markahm-based Flato Developments Inc., presents a cheque for $25,000 to Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation CEO Erin Coons (middle). Kawartha Lakes mayor Andy Letham (left) attended the cheque presentation. (Photo courtesy of Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation)
Flato Developments Inc., a real estate developer and builder based in Markham with plans to develop neighbourhoods in the Lindsay and Cameron areas, has donated $25,000 to the Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation in Lindsay.
“We recognize and value the importance of keeping our communities healthy and safe, which is why we’re so excited to be supporting Ross Memorial Hospital,” said Flato owner Shakir Rehmatullah, who presented a cheque to Ross Memorial Hospital Foundation CEO Erin Coons on Monday (March 22).
“When we build communities, we support communities,” Rehmatullah added. “In Kawartha Lakes, we look forward to continuing to partner with and support community organizations to achieve their goals that will make the community better for everyone.”
“This generous gift will support hospital needs including life-saving technology, patient care equipment and priority projects,” Coons said. “We’re pleased to welcome Shakir and his team at Flato to the community and to our donor family at the Ross.”
“As our community continues to grow, we are investing in the services and infrastructure that our residents need to thrive,” added Kawartha Lakes mayor Andy Letham. “Access to health care is one of the top priorities. I can’t say enough about the Ross Memorial Hospital and the outstanding service they provide to Kawartha Lakes residents. Many thanks to Shakir Rehmatullah for this gift.”
Fleming College grad celebrates one-year anniversary of his game show business
The scoreboard from “Fun Pardy!”, one of the game shows offered by Ryan Smith’s one-year-old business Quiz Show Trivia. (Photo courtesy of Ryan Smith)
Ryan Smith is celebrating the one-year anniversary of Quiz Show Trivia, his game show business that provides private online and virtual game shows based on classics of the genre.
The Fleming College graduate launched Quiz Show Trivia while locked down on his parents’ Ontario-based farm in March 2020.
“In the first year, we’ve hosted over 75 games,” Smith states in a media release. “Some of these have been tournaments, some fundraisers. Our largest game saw over 100 players competing in teams which included people from as far away as New Zealand.”
Smith’s website at www.trivia.show promises prizes with every game show booked, which have included such sponsored items as gift cards, tech gadgets, food and beverages, clothing and more.
Smith’s company works with local and independent brands in various promotional capacities, lending its game shows as the platform. Partnering with Quiz Show Trivia entitles sponsors to more than just in-game ads. Businesses also enjoy free advertising on a frequently visited website page, inclusion in social media campaigns, and other unique marketing opportunities.
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Artspace in Peterborough seeking candidates for two job openings
Artspace, the non-profit artist-run centre in Peterborough, is accepting applications for two positions: artistic director/curator and director of operations and development.
Each position is full time (35 hours per week) and each pays $40,000. Artspace will be accepting applications until each position is filled.
Millbrook’s 4th Line Theatre receives $61,980 in provincial funding support for arts sector
4th Line Theatre in Millbrook is Canada’s premier outdoor theatre company. (Photo: 4th Line Theatre / Facebook)
4th Line Theatre in Millbrook is one of 140 arts organizations across Ontario receiving $24 million in one-time funding from the Ontario government.
Details were provided earlier in March by by Lisa MacLeod, Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries.
“Arts organizations make an important contribution to our province, providing thousands of jobs for musicians, writers, painters, actors, dancers, stagehands and the many others working behind the scenes,” MacLeod said. “They entertain us, but they also play an important role in the mental health and well-being of Ontarians and an equally important role in the province’s economic and social recovery.”
4th Line Theatre, the only arts organization in the Kawarthas to receive a grant, is receiving $61,980.
Along with the $24 million in one-time funding, the province will be providing $1 million in support directly to artists and creators from across the province. More information on the funding including eligibility requirements and application deadlines, will be available on the Ontario Arts Council website at www.arts.on.ca.
Ontario government loosens dining restrictions in Grey-Lockdown, Red-Control, and Orange-Restrict levels
The Ontario government has loosened dining restrictions at restaurants, bars and other food and drink establishments, for regions in the Grey-Lockdown, Red-Control, and Orange-Restrict levels of the province’s COVID-19 response framework. The changes went into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, March 20th.
For regions in the Orange-Restrict and Red-Control levels, capacity limits for indoor dining will be based on a standard, scalable calculation that will allow for up to approximately 50 per cent of the indoor dining area to be accessible to the public, subject to physical distancing rules. The total occupancy cannot exceed 50 patrons in Red-Control and 100 patrons in Orange-Restrict.
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While indoor dining continues to be prohibited for regions in the Grey-Lockdown level, outdoor dining is now permitted in those regions, subject to physical distancing rules and a number of other public health and workplace safety measures.
Seating for indoor dining in the Orange-Restrict and Red-Control levels is limited to members of the same household with exemptions for patrons who live alone and caregivers. The same applies to outdoor dining in the Grey-Lockdown level.
Each establishment must post a sign in a location visible to the public that states the maximum capacity (number of patrons) allowed in the establishment.
For business-related events in the Kawarthas, check out our Business Events column.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 1,546 new cases today, with the seven-day average of daily cases increasing by 67 to 1,667. The province is also reporting 19 more confirmed cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant and 1 new case of the P.1 Brazilian variant.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 5 new cases to report and an additional 9 cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region decreasing by 4 to 87. See below for detailed numbers from each regional health unit.
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Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (465), Peel (329), and York (161).
There are double-digit increases in Durham (99), Halton (64), Ottawa (58), Hamilton (57), Niagara (39), Simcoe Muskoka (38), Waterloo (31), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (23), Middlesex-London (22), Windsor-Essex (21), Lambton (20), Sudbury (15), Eastern Ontario (15), Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (13), Haldimand-Norfolk (13), Chatham-Kent (12), Southwestern (12), and Thunder Bay (10), with smaller increases in Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (9) and Grey Bruce (8).
The remaining 11 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 3 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 56% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (537) among people ages 20-39 followed by 464 cases among people ages 40-59.
With 1,271 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases is unchanged at 93.3%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased by 0.3% from yesterday to 5.7%, meaning that 57 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on March 22.
Ontario is reporting 9 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 1 new death in a long-term care home. Ontario has averaged 11 new daily deaths over the past week, a decrease of 1 from yesterday.
Hospitalizations have increased by 55 from yesterday to 868, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs increasing by 26 to 324 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators increasing by 7 to 193.
A total of 32,556 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation increasing by 16,918 to 31,325.
A total of 1,603,699 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 50,659 from yesterday, with 301,043 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 1,746 from yesterday. The number of fully vaccinated people represents 2.04% of Ontario’s population, an increase of 0.01%.
There are 409 new cases in Ontario schools, an increase of 269 from yesterday, including 333 student cases, 75 staff cases, and 1 case of an unidentified person. There are 93 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, an increase of 64 from yesterday, including 59 cases among children and 34 cases among staff. Note: cases reported on Tuesdays include the total number of cases reported from Friday afternoon to Monday afternoon.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 5 new cases to report, including 4 in Peterborough and 1 in Northumberland. There are no new cases in Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, or Hastings Prince Edward.
There are 7 new regional cases of presumed variants of concern, including 5 in Peterborough and 2 in Northumberland.
An additional 9 cases have been resolved, including 5 in Peterborough, 3 in Haliburton, and 1 in Northumberland.
There are currently 87 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 4 from yesterday, including 55 in Peterborough, 10 in Northumberland, 9 in Kawartha Lakes, 7 in Haliburton, and 6 in Hastings Prince Edward (1 in Quinte West, 2 in Belleville, 1 in Prince Edward County, 1 in Central Hastings, and 1 in North Hastings).
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 822 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (757 resolved with 10 deaths), 567 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (516 resolved with 55 deaths), 479 in Northumberland County (457 resolved with 12 deaths), 66 in Haliburton County (58 resolved with 1 death), and 443 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 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: 822 (increase of 5)* Confirmed variants of concern cases: 1 (no change) Presumed variants of concern cases: 166 (increase of 5) Active cases: 55 (no change) Close contacts: 208 (increase of 8) Deaths: 10 (no change) Resolved: 757 (increase of 5) Hospitalizations (total to date): 29 (no change)** Total tests completed: Over 45,650 (no change) Outbreaks: Severn Court Student Residence in Peterborough, Champlain College residence at Trent University in Peterborough, unidentified congregate living facility in Peterborough, Gzowski College student residence at Trent University, Empress Gardens retirement home in Peterborough (no change) Vaccine doses administered: 13,911 (last updated on March 18)
*The health unit has reported 4 new cases in the last 24 hours, but the total case count has increased by 5.
**As of March 23, 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).
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: 1,113, including 567 in Kawartha Lakes, 479 in Northumberland, and 66 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Northumberland)* Cases with N501Y mutation: 43, including 8 in Kawartha Lakes, 34 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (increase of 2 in Northumberland)** Active cases: 26, including 9 in Kawartha Lakes, 10 in Northumberland, and 7 in Haliburton (decrease of 3 in Haliburton) Probable cases: 0 (no change) High-risk contacts: 189, including 32 in Kawartha Lakes, 84 in Northumberland, and 55 in Haliburton (decrease of 60)*** 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: 1,031, including 516 in Kawartha Lakes, 457 in Northumberland, 58 in Haliburton (increase of 4, including 1 in Northumberland and 3 in Haliburton) Tests completed: 158,241 (increase of 790) 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 18 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
****As of March 23, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 1 patient hospitalized with COVID-19 (decrease of 1).
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 443 (decrease of 1) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 8 (no change) Active cases: 6 (decrease 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: 79,199 (increase of 333) Vaccine doses administered: 20,818 (increase of 796) Number of people fully vaccinated: 1,895 (increase of 2) Outbreaks: None (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 332,119 (increase of 1,546) COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) confirmed cases: 1,359 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 19); 47 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (decrease of 1); 37 of P.1 Brazilian variant (increase of 1) VOC R(t): 1.27 (increase of 0.02 as of March 19)* 7-day average of daily new cases: 1,667 (increase of 67) Resolved: 309,849 (increase of 1,271), 93.3% of all cases (no change) Positivity rate: 5.7% (increase of 0.3%) Hospitalizations: 868 (increase of 55) Hospitalizations in ICU: 324 (increase of 26) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 193 (increase of 7) Deaths: 7,253 (increase of 9) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 11 (decrease of 1) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,892 (increase of 1) Total tests completed: 12,146,393 (increase of 32,556) Tests under investigation: 31,325 (increase of 16,918) Vaccination doses administered: 1,603,699 (increase of 50,659) People fully vaccinated (two doses): 301,043 (increase of 1,746), 2.04% 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 20 – March 22, 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 20 – March 22, 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 20 – March 22, 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 20 – March 22, 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 20 – March 22, 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)
For her project "Inspire: The Women's Portrait Project", Peterborough photographer Heather Doughty has taken almost 400 photos of inspiring women, including Ilana Overink of the Selwyn Fire Department. For her latest project "She Inspires Me", Doughty is encouraging people to submit their own photos and stories of inspirational women, including young girls, female-identifying, and non-binary individuals. (Photo: Heather Doughty)
When Peterborough photographer Heather Doughty first launched ‘Inspire: The Women’s Portrait Project’ in 2017, she wanted to create a project that celebrated remarkable women by sharing their portraits and stories.
Four years and over 368 women later, Doughty’s latest initiative ‘She Inspires Me’ invites everyone to pick up a camera to take and submit photos and stories of the remarkable women, young girls, female-identifying, and non-binary individuals in their lives.
“You take photos of women who inspire you and submit them along with a 300-word blurb,” Doughty explains. “All of the photos will live on the web page, but we’re going to curate six that best embody the spirit of what Inspire is.”
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A panel of judges will be looking for a good quality photograph and a well-written accompanying bio under 300 words. Doughty says they are looking for stories that underline what’s in the image — women who inspire, support, uplift, and empower others.
You do not need to be a professional photographer or have an expensive camera to enter.
“Everybody is a photographer because your cell phone has a camera,” says Doughty. “The Inspire mandate is to celebrate the remarkable in the regular and to uplift and inspire. We’re going to be looking for nominees who represent that.”
Peterborough photographer Heather Doughty launched “Inspire: The Women’s Portrait Project” in 2017 to celebrate remarkable women by taking their photos and sharing their stories. Her latest project, “She Inspires Me”, invites members of the public to do the same. (Photo: Heather Doughty)
The six winning portraits will be shared on the Inspire Facebook and Instagram channels, become the cover pages for the Inspire website, and may be printed and hung for a period of time at the Venture North building in downtown Peterborough. Written bios will be shared with the public alongside the photographs.
Submissions are now being accepted for ‘She Inspires Me’, which launched on International Women’s Day, through a simple online form at inspirethewomensportraitproject.com/contest/she-inspires-me/. Submissions close on Thursday, April 22nd (the deadline was originally Thursday, April 8th).
‘She Inspires Me’ is a sub-project with the same mission as its umbrella project ‘Inspire: The Women’s Portrait Project’. Inspire began with Doughty’s idea to celebrate some of the remarkable women in the Peterborough area by taking and curating their portraits and sharing their stories.
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“It came from a conversation that I had with some friends about women’s self-perception and how we never accept or are happy with the way we look, and how we never own the amazing things that we do,” Doughty recalls. “Most of us are the best cheering section for our friends, but we get awkward when it comes to accepting ourselves.”
“I went to a select group of women and said ‘You inspire me. I would like to take your photo and share your story, and then I would like you to nominate two women who inspire you.'”
The project took off through the nomination process and grew organically into a large inspirational movement that reaches beyond the Peterborough region. Doughty has now taken portraits and shared the stories of 368 incredible women — with this number consistently growing as nominations continue to roll in.
Not long after launching “Inspire: The Women’s Portrait Project”, Peterborough photographer Heather Doughty started a parallel project called “Day of the Girl”, featuring young women like 11-year-old Ammielia Garbutt of the Curve Lake First Nation Girl’s Drumming Group. (Photo: Heather Doughty)
“The project not only shares these women’s stories so that women don’t feel alone, but the women are able to see ‘This is me, and this is the way somebody thinks of me as inspiring,'” explains Doughty. “The photos are what I call candid — they’re not posed. Part of the process is the nominee chooses a location that is meaningful to them.”
Not long after launching ‘Inspire: The Women’s Portrait Project’, Doughty started a parallel project called ‘Day of the Girl’, since she noticed Inspire wasn’t receiving many nominations for young women and girls. This project honours International Day of the Girl, a United Nations day of observance first declared in 2012.
Doughty’s ‘Day of the Girl’ project is similar to her Inspire project, but celebrates girls under 19.
“I decided to create what I first initially thought was a sub-project, which has now actually become a parallel project,” Doughty says. “It’s amazing to share the accomplishments of these incredible young women.”
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According to Doughty, her next goal for growing the Inspire project is to take it further across Canada. However, due to the COVID-19, Doughty cannot yet make this happen safely — hence the idea for ‘She Inspires Me’.
Submissions for Peterborough photographer Heather Doughty’s “She Inspires Me” project close on April 22, 2021. (Photo: Heather Doughty)
“I had really wanted to take this across Canada, but that’s not in the cards for a while,” Doughty notes. “This is why I came up with the idea of handing the camera off to anyone in Canada to take the photo and created ‘She Inspires Me’.”
A positive and uplifting project is needed now more than ever, since the pandemic has been a difficult and dispiriting time for many — with women being disproportionately affected. As women nominate and celebrate one another, the project also builds community when physical distancing and isolation have made it harder to find.
“COVID has been extremely hard on everybody,” Doughty remarks. “It’s even harder on women. This project reminds women of how amazing they are. It’s a positive. It’s a bit of happiness and positivity to share with the rest of the world.”
Doughty asks everyone to support the project by submitting nominations and sharing the web page link.
The women featured in Peterborough photographer Heather Doughty’s “Inspire: The Women’s Portrait Project” are from all walks of life, such as Peterborough musician and actor Kate Suhr. For her latest project “She Inspires Me”, Doughty is encouraging the public to step behind the lends and take photos of the women who inspire them. (Photo: Heather Doughty)
“If you are in an organization, or you have contacts with organizations, please share the web page link about ‘She Inspires’ so that we can spread it across Canada,” Doughty urges. “Or you can reach out to me at my email info@inspirethewomensportraitproject.com. I’m happy to answer questions. We are always looking for volunteers and supporters.”
Charles Parkinson, 26, of Northumberland County has been charged with attempted murder and disarming a peace officer following a traffic stop north of Belleville in Quinte West in Hastings County. (Police-supplied photo)
A 26-year-old Northumberland County man is facing an attempted murder charge following an assault on an OPP officer early Sunday morning (March 21).
Shortly before 1 a.m. on Sunday, an officer with the OPP’s Quinte West Detachment conducted a traffic stop of a pickup truck on Highway 14, just west of Highway 62 in Quinte West in Hastings County.
The pickup truck struck the officer’s cruiser and the officer suffered stab wounds in a subsequent assault. The officer is recovering in hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
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The driver of the pickup truck left the scene on foot. At 4:30 a.m. on Sunday, the OPP issued an alert to warn residents of the Foxboro area north of Belleville of a potentially dangerous situation and to shelter in place while police searched for the suspect.
After an extensive search by the OPP’s Tactics and Rescue Unit, Emergency Response Team, Canine Unit, and Aviation Services, with the assistance of the Durham Regional Police Air Support Unit and the Belleville Police Service, the suspect was arrested without incident at around 9 a.m. on Sunday.
Charles Parkinson, 26, of Northumberland County has been charged with attempted murder and disarming a peace officer.
Parkinson is being held in custody and is scheduled to appear in court by video on Thursday, March 25th.
Anyone with information regarding this incident or the person responsible is asked to contact the Quinte West OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 1,699 new cases today, with the seven-day average of daily cases increasing by 22 to 1,600. The province is also reporting 53 more confirmed cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant and 1 new case of the B.1.351 South Africa variant.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 12 new cases to report and an additional 14 cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region decreasing by 2 to 91. See below for detailed numbers from each regional health unit.
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Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (500), Peel (318), York (155), and Hamilton (114).
There are double-digit increases in Ottawa (85), Durham (79), Simcoe Muskoka (64), Halton (57), Lambton (42), Eastern Ontario (39), Sudbury (34), Waterloo (31), Niagara (24), Thunder Bay (16), Windsor-Essex (16), Brant (15), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (14), Northwestern (13), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (13), Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (12), Middlesex-London (11), Southwestern (11), and Chatham-Kent (10), with smaller increases in Grey Bruce (8) and Haldimand-Norfolk (6).
The remaining 9 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 2 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 55% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (604) among people ages 20-39 followed by 493 cases among people ages 40-59.
With 1,175 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has decreased by 0.2% to 93.3%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased by 1.7% from yesterday to 5.4%, meaning that 54 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on March 21.
Ontario is reporting only 3 new COVID-19 deaths today, with no new deaths in long-term care homes. Ontario has averaged 12 new daily deaths over the past week, a decrease of 1 from yesterday.
Hospitalizations have increased by 53 from yesterday to 813, but more than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for today’s report, so the actual number of hospitalization may be higher. The number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs decreased by 7 to 298, and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators remains the same at 186.
A total of 31,089 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 5,079 to 14,407.
A total of 1,553,040 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 31,335 from yesterday, with 299,297 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 748 from yesterday. The number of fully vaccinated people represents 2.03% of Ontario’s population (no change from yesterday).
There are 140 new cases in Ontario schools, an increase of 8 from March 19, including 120 student cases, 19 staff cases, and 1 case of an unidentified person. There are 29 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, a decrease of 16 from March 19, with 17 cases among children and 12 cases among staff.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 12 new cases to report, including 4 in Peterborough, 4 in Haliburton, 3 in Northumberland, and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward. There are no new cases in Kawartha Lakes.
There are 8 new regional cases of presumed variants of concern, including 5 in Peterborough, 2 in Northumberland, and 1 in Kawartha Lakes.
An outbreak at Empress Gardens retirement home in Peterborough was declared on March 22.
There is 1 new hospitalization in Peterborough.
An additional 14 cases have been resolved, including 5 in Peterborough, 3 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton.
There are currently 91 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 2 from yesterday, including 55 in Peterborough, 10 in Northumberland, 10 in Haliburton, 9 in Kawartha Lakes, and 7 in Hastings Prince Edward (1 in Quinte West, 3 in Belleville, 1 in Prince Edward County, 1 in Central Hastings, and 1 in North Hastings).
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 817 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (752 resolved with 10 deaths), 567 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (516 resolved with 55 deaths), 478 in Northumberland County (456 resolved with 12 deaths), 66 in Haliburton County (55 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 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: 817 (increase of 4) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 1 (no change) Presumed variants of concern cases: 161 (increase of 5) Active cases: 55 (decrease of 1) Close contacts: 200 (decrease of 11) Deaths: 10 (no change) Resolved: 752 (increase of 5) Hospitalizations (total to date): 29 (increase of 1)* Total tests completed: Over 45,650 (increase of 50) Outbreaks: Severn Court Student Residence in Peterborough, Champlain College residence at Trent University in Peterborough, unidentified congregate living facility in Peterborough, Gzowski College student residence at Trent University, Empress Gardens retirement home in Peterborough (increase of 1)** Vaccine doses administered: 13,911 (last updated on March 18)
*As of March 22, 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).
**An outbreak at Empress Gardens retirement home in Peterborough was declared on March 22.
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. These numbers are from March 21 and 22.
Confirmed positive: 1,111, including 567 in Kawartha Lakes, 478 in Northumberland, and 66 in Haliburton (increase of 7, including 4 in Haliburton and 3 in Northumberland)* Cases with N501Y mutation: 41, including 8 in Kawartha Lakes, 32 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (increase of 3, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Northumberland)** Active cases: 29, including 9 in Kawartha Lakes, 10 in Northumberland, and 10 in Haliburton (net decrease of 2) Probable cases: 0 (no change) High-risk contacts: 249, including 34 in Kawartha Lakes, 123 in Northumberland, and 69 in Haliburton (net decrease of 34)*** 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: 1,027, including 516 in Kawartha Lakes, 456 in Northumberland, 55 in Haliburton (increase of 9, including 3 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton) Tests completed: 157,451 (increase of 434) Vaccine doses administered: 15,788 (increase of 4,799) Number of people fully vaccinated: 2,283 (increase of 25) 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 22, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 2 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (increase of 1).
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 444 (increase of 1) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 8 (no change) 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: 78,866 (no change) Vaccine doses administered: 20,022 (increase of 64) Number of people fully vaccinated: 1,893 (no change) Outbreaks: None (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 330,573 (increase of 1,699) COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) confirmed cases: 1,340 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 53); 48 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (increase of 1); 36 of P.1 Brazilian variant (no change) VOC R(t): 1.25 (decrease of 0.08 as of March 18)* 7-day average of daily new cases: 1,600 (increase of 22) Resolved: 308,578 (increase of 1,175), 93.3% of all cases (decrease of 0.2%) Positivity rate: 5.4% (increase of 1.7%) Hospitalizations: 813 (increase of 53)** Hospitalizations in ICU: 298 (decrease of 7) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 186 (no change) Deaths: 7,244 (increase of 3) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 12 (decrease of 1) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,891 (no change) Total tests completed: 12,113,837 (increase of 31,089) Tests under investigation: 14,407 (decrease of 5,079) Vaccination doses administered: 1,553,040 (increase of 31,335) People fully vaccinated (two doses): 299,297 (increase of 748), 2.03% of Ontario’s population (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.
**More than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for this report, so the actual number of hospitalization may be higher.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from February 19 – March 21, 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 19 – March 21, 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 19 – March 21, 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 19 – March 21, 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 19 – March 21, 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)
Crayola Canada in Lindsay has donated coloured pencils, coloured markers, pencil sharpeners, and crayons to Gamiing Nature Centre as the non-profit outdoor and wildlife education centre restores its recently vandalized 'Discovery Shack' educational portable. (Photo: Gamiing Nature Centre / Facebook)
With the help of the Kawartha Lakes community, Gamiing Nature Centre near Bobcaygeon is continuing to recover from a vandalism incident earlier in March.
The Discovery Shack, a heated portable at the non-profit outdoor and wildlife education centre, suffered an estimated $20,000 worth of damage when educational displays were smashed, as well as furniture and windows and the portable’s propane furnace.
Crayola Canada, headquartered in Lindsay, has donated coloured pencils, coloured markers, pencil sharpeners, and crayons to Gamiing, which is located on the shores of Pigeon Lake south of Bobcaygeon.
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“With enormous gratitude we humbly accept this donation,” Mieke Schipper, volunteer executive director of the centre, writes on social media.
Some of the educational displays in the Discovery Shack that were vandalized include animal furs and skeletons, birds of prey displays, a nature craft station, a nature puppet show theatre, and Parks Canada nature posters.
Volunteers from the community have also donated their time and labour to help Gamiing clean up the vandalized Discovery Shack, while others have stepped up with donations to help replace some of the damaged wildlife exhibits.
John Hulcoop has donated this mounted display of a rainbow trout to Gamiing Nature Centre. (Photo: Gamiing Nature Centre / Facebook)
For example, John Hulcoop has donated a mounted display of a rainbow trout. Support has also come from beyond the Kawartha Lakes, with Bill and Barb Issac — two retired outdoor education teachers from Warkworth — donating a mounted display of a 11 point white-tailed deer buck.
If you’d like to support Gamiing Nature Centre’s restoration of its Discovery Shack, either as a volunteer or by donating materials, you can email info@gamiing.org.
Gamiing Nature Centre receives no government funding and relies entirely on private and corporate donations. For more information about Gamiing Nature Centre, or to become a member or make a monetary donation, visit gamiing.org.
Peterborough Fire Services provides emergency and support services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. (Photo: City of Peterborough)
Peterborough Fire Services rescued a dog on Sunday afternoon (March 21) during a house fire in Peterborough.
At around 4:15 p.m. on Sunday, fire crews responded to a reported fire at a multi-residential home at the corner of Dublin and Water streets.
Upon arrival, firefighters observed heavy smoke and fire coming from the home’s main entrance and extending to the second floor.
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Fire crews were unable to account for the home’s occupants, and conducted a search of the home while quickly bringing the fire under control. It was determined the three occupants were not at home during the fire.
However, firefighters located a dog inside the home, which they rescued and resuscitated.
Fire and heat damage was limited to the first floor entrance and the second floor. The remainder of the property sustained minor smoke and water damage.
The fire had also extended to an adjacent property, whose occupants were evacuated as a precaution. One occupant of a rear unit was removed by fire crews. The adjacent property sustained some heat damage to one side of the dwelling.
Total damage is estimated at $110,000. All three occupants of the home have been temporarily displaced. The cause of the fire has yet to be determined.
This was the second house fire in Peterborough on Sunday. At around 8:05 a.m., Peterborough Fire Services responded to a kitchen fire at a multi-unit residential building on Sherbrooke Street. One occupant was transported to hospital with minor thermal injuries and subsequently released.
Total damage from that fire is estimated at $7,500. The cause of the fire is believed to be accidental in nature.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 1,791 new cases today, with the seven-day average of daily cases increasing by 6 to 1,538. The province is also reporting 57 more confirmed cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant and 1 new case of the P.1 Brazilian variant.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 3 new cases to report and an additional 10 cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region decreasing by 7 to 93. These numbers do not include Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton as that health unit does not issue updates on Sundays.
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Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (495), Peel (350), York (177), and Durham (106).
There are double-digit increases in Ottawa (90), Hamilton (89), Halton (52), Niagara (42), Simcoe Muskoka (40), Middlesex-London (37), Windsor-Essex (36), Sudbury (31), Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (31), Lambton (30), Thunder Bay (27), Waterloo (25), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (21), Eastern Ontario (18), Chatham-Kent (14), Southwestern (14), Brant (14), and Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (12), with smaller increases in Peterborough (9), North Bay Parry Sound (8), and Northwestern (7).
The remaining 8 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 3 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 56% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (617) among people ages 20-39 followed by 511 cases among people ages 40-59.
With 1,353 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has decreased by 0.1% to 93.5%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased by 0.1% from yesterday to 3.7%, meaning that 37 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on March 20.
Ontario is reporting 18 new COVID-19 deaths today, with 2 new deaths in long-term care homes. Ontario has averaged 13 new daily deaths over the past week, an increase of 1 from yesterday.
Hospitalizations have decreased by 5 from yesterday to 760, but more than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for today’s report, so the actual number of hospitalization may be higher. The number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs increased by 3 to 305, and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators has decreased by 3 to 186.
A total of 49,233 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 8,534 to 19,486.
A total of 1,521,705 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 40,823 from yesterday, with 298,549 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 1,415 from yesterday, representing 2.03% of Ontario’s population.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 3 new cases to report in Peterborough. There are no new cases in Hastings Prince Edward. Updated numbers for Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton are not available as that health unit does not issue reports on Sundays.
There are 12 new cases of presumed variants of concern and 1 new hospitalization in Peterborough.
An additional 10 cases have been resolved, including 8 in Peterborough and 2 in Hastings Prince Edward.
There are currently 93 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 7 from yesterday, including 56 in Peterborough, 12 in Kawartha Lakes, 10 in Northumberland, 9 in Haliburton, and 6 in Hastings Prince Edward (1 in Quinte West, 2 in Belleville, 1 in Prince Edward County, 1 in Central Hastings, and 1 in North Hastings).
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 813 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (747 resolved with 10 deaths), 567 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (513 resolved with 55 deaths), 475 in Northumberland County (453 resolved with 12 deaths), 62 in Haliburton County (52 resolved with 1 death), and 443 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 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: 813 (increase of 3) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 1 (no change) Presumed variants of concern cases: 156 (increase of 12) Active cases: 56 (decrease of 5) Close contacts: 211 (decrease of 7) Deaths: 10 (no change) Resolved: 747 (increase of 8) Hospitalizations (total to date): 28 (increase of 1)* Total tests completed: Over 45,600 (increase of 100) Outbreaks: Severn Court Student Residence, Trent Champlain College residence, unidentified congregate living facility in Peterborough, Gzowski College student residence at Trent University (no change) Vaccine doses administered: 13,911 (last updated on March 18)
*As of March 19, 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 (increase of 1).
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. These numbers are from March 20.
Confirmed positive: 1,104, including 567 in Kawartha Lakes, 475 in Northumberland, and 62 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Northumberland)* Cases with N501Y mutation: 38, including 7 in Kawartha Lakes, 30 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (increase of 4, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes, 1 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton)** Active cases: 31, including 12 in Kawartha Lakes, 10 in Northumberland, and 9 in Haliburton (decrease of 9, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes, 7 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton) Probable cases: 0 (no change) High-risk contacts: 283, including 67 in Kawartha Lakes, 144 in Northumberland, and 67 in Haliburton (net decrease of 72)*** 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: 1,018, including 513 in Kawartha Lakes, 453 in Northumberland, 52 in Haliburton (increase of 11, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes, 8 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton) Tests completed: 157,017 (increase of 626) Vaccine doses administered: 10,989 (no change) Number of people fully vaccinated: 2,258 (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 33 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
****As of March 19, 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: 443 (no change) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 8 (no change) Active cases: 6 (decrease of 2) 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 (increase of 2) Tests completed: 78,866 (increase of 3,140) Vaccine doses administered: 19,958 (increase of 146) Number of people fully vaccinated: 1,893 (no change) Outbreaks: None (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 328,874 (increase of 1,791) COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) confirmed cases: 1,287 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 57); 47 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (no change); 36 of P.1 Brazilian variant (increase of 1) VOC R(t): 1.33 (last updated March 16)* 7-day average of daily new cases: 1,538 (increase of 6) Resolved: 307,403 (increase of 1,353), 93.5% of all cases (decrease of 0.1%) Positivity rate: 3.7% (increase of 0.1%) Hospitalizations: 760 (decrease of 5)** Hospitalizations in ICU: 305 (increase of 3) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 186 (decrease of 3) Deaths: 7,241 (increase of 18) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 13 (increase of 1) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,891 (increase of 2) Total tests completed: 12,082,748 (increase of 49,233) Tests under investigation: 19,486 (decrease of 8,534) Vaccination doses administered: 1,521,705 (increase of 40,823) People fully vaccinated (two doses): 298,549 (increase of 1,415), 2.03% of Ontario’s population (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.
**More than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for this report, so the actual number of hospitalization may be higher.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from February 18 – March 20, 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 18 – March 20, 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 18 – March 20, 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 18 – March 20, 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 18 – March 20, 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)
Highway 7 was closed on Sunday morning (March 21) between County Road 38 and County Road 45 west of Norwood as the result of a serious collision.
At around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday, Peterborough County OPP and emergency crews responded to a single-vehicle collision on Highway 7 between the 5th and 6th lines of Asphodel.
Two occupants of the vehicle suffered minor injuries and one occupant suffered serious injuries. All were transported to a local hospital for treatment.
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As of 8 a.m. on Sunday morning, Highway 7 remains closed between County Road 38 (east of the Indian River Reptile and Dinosaur Park) and County Road 45 (west of Norwood) as Peterborough County OPP document the scene.
The cause of the collision remains under investigation.
The Highway 7 closure will remain in place for several hours while police investigate, with detours in place. For updates on road closures, visit @OPP_CR on Twitter.
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