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Beau Dixon to perform in first live theatre show at Peterborough’s Market Hall in over a year

By Sarah McNeilly -
Peterborough actor Beau Dixon will perform Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour's critically acclaimed "White Rabbit Red Rabbit" live from Market Hall Performing Arts Centre at 8 p.m. on March 13, 2021. Presented by Public Energy with support from 4th Line Theatre, the performance is part of the global 'Let There Be Theatre' project, marking the one-year anniversary of theatres going dark because of the pandemic. (Publicity photo)

It was Friday the 13th last year when most theatres around the world went dark.

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year. It’s even harder to believe that most theatres, worldwide, have remained dark since that fateful Friday in our year of the virus.

To mark the anniversary of theatres going dark, Aurora Nova Productions — a Berlin-based international theatre-booking agency — issued a global call to action in January to “let there be theatre”, inviting theatre companies and venues all over the world to produce Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour’s White Rabbit Red Rabbit free of charge on March 13, 2021.

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In Peterborough-Nogojiwanong, Public Energy’s Bill Kimball, with support from 4th Line Theatre in Millbrook, answered that call.

On Saturday, March 13th, Public Energy and Market Hall Performing Arts Centre will join companies and venues both big and small and on every continent to present the critically acclaimed White Rabbit Red Rabbit, one of the most widely performed plays in the world. The production will be staged at 8 p.m. in every time zone around the world, resulting in a massive 24-hour global theatrical event.

The “Let There Be Theatre” project is a truly profound way to mark such an historical milestone — it is, in itself, history in the making.

The concept speaks to the impossible circumstances from which it was born. It boldly represents an act of hope, of resiliency, of art in spite of all — daring to remind us there does exist an “after”, filled with the powers and possibilities of performance, just waiting to be actualized.

Public Energy with support from 4th Line Theatre presents Beau Dixon in the critically acclaimed play "White Rabbit Red Rabbit" by Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour on March 13, 2021 -- one year after the pandemic forced all theatrical venues to close. (Graphic: Public Energy)
Public Energy with support from 4th Line Theatre presents Beau Dixon in the critically acclaimed play “White Rabbit Red Rabbit” by Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour on March 13, 2021 — one year after the pandemic forced all theatrical venues to close. (Graphic: Public Energy)

The concept is made even more poignant by the script that has been selected for the “Let There Be Theatre” project. In 2011, Soleimanpour was unable to get a passport because he had refused to do military service. Unable to leave his homeland, but eager to have his work performed before international audiences, he wrote a play that could travel on his behalf — he wrote himself to freedom.

What makes Soleimanpour’s White Rabbit Red Rabbit so unique is that it is performed as a cold read — without the need of a director, set, or rehearsals. Rather, the script requires only a brave performer willing to read it in front of a live audience, without having read it before or knowing anything about it.

For the “Let There Be Theatre” project, Soleimanpour is making his play available free of charge for anyone to perform, allowing local producers to keep any box office revenues as a way to help local actors and theatres.

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Joining the ranks of brave artists around the world performing the play is the imitable Beau Dixon, who will represent Peterborough-Nogojiwanong by reading White Rabbit Red Rabbit live from Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough — the first live theatre performance at the Market Hall in a year. The performance will livestreamed to a virtual audience via Zoom.

“I’m looking forward to doing this reading online, because the actors are not able to read the script ahead of time,” says Dixon, “I don’t have anything to say about the script — and I like it that way.”

Dixon will be following in the theatrical footsteps of many famous actors who have cold read the script over the years, including John Hurt, Martin Short, Dominic West, Stephen Rea, Nathan Lane, Whoopi Goldberg, Andrea Martin, Brian Dennehy, George Takei, F. Murray Abraham, and more.

VIDEO: “White Rabbit Red Rabbit” trailer

“I find the spontaneity exciting and frightening,” Dixon says of the cold read. “Those are two elements that make for great theatre. Cumulating those two things — fear and excitement — creates an intimate connection with the audience. That’s what makes theatre so magical.”

“Beau has agreed to really push his acting skills to the limit by performing a play without ever reading it in advance,” adds Kimball, Public Energy’s executive director. “We had planned for this to be shown to a limited-size live audience at the Market Hall. But now, due to the local spike in COVID variant cases, it will be presented online only.”

“That said,” Kimball continues, “Beau will still be performing the show from the Market Hall stage, so we have partially accomplished our goal of presenting the first live show at Market Hall in a year — just like the producers of White Rabbit Red Rabbit intended when they put out the call to ‘let there be theatre’.”

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While there will be no live audience inside the Market Hall, Dixon’s performance of White Rabbit Red Rabbit is the first on the Market Hall stage since the pandemic wrenched all programming to a halt last year.

“It’s very exciting to see the lights being turned on and building being used,” says Chad Hogan, Market Hall’s general manager.

“The space is more than just a room to me,” he adds. “Having artists on stage, that’s why we exist. Being able to do something like this — drawing attention to the fact that the Market Hall stage has been dark for a year — it’s extremely exciting and emotional, really. Hats off to Public Energy for putting it together.”

Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour is making his play "White Rabbit Red Rabbit" available free of charge to theatres everywhere for one day on March 13, 2021 as a way to celebrate the resiliency of live theatre and show that creativity can overcome adversity. Local producers keep any box office revenues as a way to help local actors and theatres. (Publicity photo)
Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour is making his play “White Rabbit Red Rabbit” available free of charge to theatres everywhere for one day on March 13, 2021 as a way to celebrate the resiliency of live theatre and show that creativity can overcome adversity. Local producers keep any box office revenues as a way to help local actors and theatres. (Publicity photo)

As part of the “Let There Be Theatre” project, but unique to Peterborough-Nogojiwanong, is Public Energy’s online presentation of Alone, with you, a world premiere of devised digital theatre created by Ashley Frederick and Noah Sisson. The innovative piece of digital theatre premiered Saturday, March 6th on Public Energy’s website, free of charge for audiences.

“It’s a terrific piece of work, not only in terms of showcasing these gifted artists, which is does, but also as a brave exploration of the possibilities for creating online from a devised theatre perspective,” says local artist Kate Story, who operated as an outside advisor for the performance.

“I’m in great admiration of the artists,” Kimball adds. “They have created a new work collaboratively, but entirely in separate cities, using online communication. And working with a stage manager, Eryn Lidster, in a third city.”

Public Energy is also presenting "Alone, with you", devised digital theatre created by Ashley Frederick and Noah Sisson, which premiered on March 6, 2021. (Graphic: Public Energy)
Public Energy is also presenting “Alone, with you”, devised digital theatre created by Ashley Frederick and Noah Sisson, which premiered on March 6, 2021. (Graphic: Public Energy)

Public Energy presents online audiences with a unique opportunity to participate in an historic global movement, marking a day that will live in infamy: the day our beloved theatres went dark.

In the spirit of resiliency, by turning the lights back on, if only for a moment, each of us can celebrate a glimmer of hope while we also lament.

Alone, with you is available to view, free of charge, on Public Energy’s website at publicenergy.ca/performance/alone-with-you/

Beau Dixon’s reading of White Rabbit Red Rabbit will be livestreamed from the Market Hall stage at 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 13th. The performance will not be available for later viewing, so get your tickets at publicenergy.ca/performance/white-rabbit-red-rabbit/. Tickets are free or pay what you can.

Birdwatchers help Avant-Garden Shop in downtown Peterborough push through the pandemic

By Hannah Abrahamse -
The Avant-Garden Shop owner Brenda Ibey says the high demand for birdseed and backyard birding supplies, along with puzzles, has helped her downtown Peterborough business push through the pandemic, despite the decrease of in-person shoppers who would normally browse through her home and garden shop for decor and gift items. (Photo: Clayton Ibey)
This story is one of an ongoing series by kawarthaNOW in support of locally owned businesses.

Everybody knows locally owned small businesses have taken a massive hit because of the pandemic. They’ve had to pivot to adjust to lockdowns and safety measures, while struggling to stay afloat with fewer walk-in customers and less revenue.

But some businesses have seen some unexpected benefits too, as people have adjusted their lifestyles during the pandemic to include more solitary pursuits that can be enjoyed from home.

In the case of The Avant-Garden Shop, located on Sherbrooke Street in downtown Peterborough, that includes an activity that has seen a huge surge of popularity during the pandemic — birdwatching.

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“COVID-19 is not something I ever would have thought to put in our business plan, but we’ve been pandemic-proof and recession-proof,” says owner Brenda Ibey, who is celebrating 18 years in business this year. “It shows that people, when they have to hunker down, like to enjoy their gardens, slow down, and enjoy the birds and the flowers.”

The Avant Garden Shop sells a variety of garden decor and gardening accessories, in addition to gift items such as greeting cards, fragrances, bath products, and jewellery. But the shop’s biggest sellers during the pandemic have been backyard birding supplies, including birdseed.

When the pandemic initially hit, Ibey says she was grateful to already have an operable website for online purchasing.

Birdwatching has surged in popularity during the pandemic, keeping Avant-Garden Shop owner Brenda Ibey busy filling orders for birdseed and backyard birding supplies including feeders. (Photo courtesy of The Avant-Garden Shop)
Birdwatching has surged in popularity during the pandemic, keeping Avant-Garden Shop owner Brenda Ibey busy filling orders for birdseed and backyard birding supplies including feeders. (Photo courtesy of The Avant-Garden Shop)

“We were able to quickly add the birdseed to it,” Ibey recalls. “That’s what we’ve been selling most. People couldn’t get into their usual spots, and they started coming to us instead because we could get them what they needed within an hour.”

According to Ibey, since the pandemic’s onset, The Avant-Garden Shop has been incredibly busy working to fill the demand for birdseed and feeders. The shop was recently awarded the 2021 Wild Bird Store of the Year by Newmarket-based Wild Bird Trading, the leading supplier to the wild bird industry across Canada for the past 28 years.

“They deliver to me every week, and there were some points during the shutdown where I was selling so much they came with two trucks,” Ibey says. “People are spending so much time watching the birds. It’s good for their mental health to be able to see these beautiful creatures of nature and not have to look at the news all the time.”

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Seeing how birdwatching can help lift spirits prompted Ibey’s involvement in an initiative last fall to install bird feeders at Hospice Peterborough, an organization that supports individuals and families at the end of life, facing a life-threatening illness, or grieving.

Typically, The Avant Garden Shop gives back to the community each year by donating items like door prizes to dozens of charities. With the relative scarcity of charity events and fundraisers during the pandemic, Ibey was open to other opportunities to support her community.

According to Ibey, the Peterborough Field Naturalists contacted her to ask if she was interested in participating in the initiative.

Clayton and Brenda Ibey of The Avant-Garden Shop with King Baker and and Martin Parker of the Peterborough Field Naturalists after installing bird feeders installed at Hospice Peterborough in fall 2020. (Photo courtesy of Hospice Peterborough)
Clayton and Brenda Ibey of The Avant-Garden Shop with King Baker and and Martin Parker of the Peterborough Field Naturalists after installing bird feeders installed at Hospice Peterborough in fall 2020. (Photo courtesy of Hospice Peterborough)

“I thought it was a great idea,” Ibey explains. “They paid part of it, and I paid part of it, and we went and set it up together.”

“It’s a hard thing to be in that situation, and if there’s anything possible to make it more enjoyable for a person, or relive their stress, or distract them for a few minutes — that’s what watching the birds may do. It’s better than watching television all the time.”

Puzzles are another popular pandemic pastime, and The Avant Garden Shop carries four different lines of high-quality puzzles. Ibey says their puzzles, like birdseed and feeders, have sold well throughout the lockdowns.

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Despite the popularity of birding and puzzles, Ibey has experienced other challenges during the pandemic — especially when the shop was limited to curbside pickup and delivery. Many of the other products in the shop sell when people are able to come into the store and browse.

“All of the products that we carry in the store are high quality,” Ibey notes. “A lot of what we carry — wall art and gift items — is Canadian made. The problem is people couldn’t come in to look at those things during a shutdown, and those are products people typically like to see.”

Now that the shop has reopened for in-person shopping under the province’s colour-coded framework, Ibey is hoping this may change.

Prior to the pandemic, many shoppers would crowd the aisles of The Avant-Garden Shop browsing for unique decor and gift items. The store is open again for browsing, but limited to a maximum of six customers at a time with one-way aisles. (Photo: Paula Kehoe / kawarthaNOW.com)
Prior to the pandemic, many shoppers would crowd the aisles of The Avant-Garden Shop browsing for unique decor and gift items. The store is open again for browsing, but limited to a maximum of six customers at a time with one-way aisles. (Photo: Paula Kehoe / kawarthaNOW.com)

“We did have to rearrange things a bit,” Ibey explains. “We’ve created one-way traffic with good signage directing customers to turn to the right and sanitize upon entry.”

There is currently a limit of six customers permitted at a time in the Sherbrooke street shop. Brenda and her one employee are always masked, and there is a plexiglass shield at the checkout counter.

“People are also now more aware of what they need to be doing — that they need to try to follow one-way traffic and keep their distance,” Ibey adds.

The popularity of puzzles during the pandemic has also helped The Avant-Garden Shop offset slower sales of other items in the store. (Photo courtesy of The Avant-Garden Shop)
The popularity of puzzles during the pandemic has also helped The Avant-Garden Shop offset slower sales of other items in the store. (Photo courtesy of The Avant-Garden Shop)

Throughout the lockdown, The Avant-Garden Shop remained open for curbside pickup and delivery. Even though the store has reopened for in-person shopping, these are both still options for customers.

You can order products online at www.avantgardenshop.com or by calling the store at 705-743-0068.

The store can deliver out-of-town orders using Canada Post. Brenda’s husband Clayton delivers in-town orders himself, one day a week. To request a curbside pickup, you can call the store, and staff will bring your order out to your vehicle.

The doors to The Avant-Garden Shop in downtown Peterborough are open again for in-person shoppers, with COVID-19 health and safety protocols in place. You can also order online for shipping, curbside pickup, or delivery. (Photo courtesy of The Avant-Garden Shop)
The doors to The Avant-Garden Shop in downtown Peterborough are open again for in-person shoppers, with COVID-19 health and safety protocols in place. You can also order online for shipping, curbside pickup, or delivery. (Photo courtesy of The Avant-Garden Shop)

Ibey prefers if customers can pay using cash, e-transfer, or debit, since credit card fees add up.

“When people phone in and ask to put it on their credit card, I have to put their numbers into my machine manually, and that costs me more money than a card inserted into the machine,” Ibey explains. “Debit cards are better. Cash or e-transfer is the best.”

Ibey offers customers who pay with cash five per cent back in coupons she calls “bonus bucks”. The coupons are redeemable credit for later use in the store.

“I would rather give you the bonus bucks than give it to the credit-card companies,” Ibey points out.

The Avant-Garden Shop owner Brenda Ibey with 2021 Wild Bird Store of the Year Award from Newmarket-based Wild Bird Trading, the leading supplier to the wild bird industry across Canada. During some period during lockdown, trucks of birdseed were literally being delivered to Ibey's store. (Photo courtesy of The Avant-Garden Shop)
The Avant-Garden Shop owner Brenda Ibey with 2021 Wild Bird Store of the Year Award from Newmarket-based Wild Bird Trading, the leading supplier to the wild bird industry across Canada. During some period during lockdown, trucks of birdseed were literally being delivered to Ibey’s store. (Photo courtesy of The Avant-Garden Shop)

As for why it is vital to support local businesses like The Avant Garden Shop, Ibey says keeping small businesses like hers afloat means they can continue to give back to the community.

“If we don’t support each other, if we don’t keep our money in the community, it’s going away, and it’s not going to come back. Our town would be so boring if there were no little stores to shop and look around in.”

“My customers have been fantastic,” she adds. “Please continue to come in, and also to support the other businesses and artists in our community. Continue to stay loyal so that we’re all here when this is over.”

The Avant-Garden Shop is located at 165 Sherbrooke Street in downtown Peterborough. They are currently open for in-store shopping Mondays to Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. They are closed on Sundays.

You can visit www.avantgardenshop.com to shop online and place orders for pickup or delivery. You can also follow The Avant-Garden Shop on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Ontario reports 1,250 new COVID-19 cases, including 12 in greater Kawarthas region

By kawarthaNOW -

Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.

After three days of daily cases under 1,000, today Ontario is reporting a spike of 1,250 new cases, with the seven-day average of daily cases decreasing by 1 to 1,063.

Ontario is also reporting a spike of 155 new cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant, for a total of 799, but is reporting no increase in other variants of concern.

In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 12 new cases to report and an additional 6 cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region increasing by 8 to 126.

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Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (337), Peel (167), and York (129).

There are double-digit increases in Hamilton (74), Thunder Bay (71), Ottawa (63), Durham (55), Halton (47), Waterloo (47), Simcoe Muskoka (35), Middlesex-London (26), Niagara (26), Lambton (23), Windsor-Essex (23), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (21), Sudbury (18), Peterborough (15), Eastern Ontario (11), and Haldimand-Norfolk (10), with smaller increases in Southwestern (9), Brant (9), Northwestern (8), and Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (7).

The remaining 11 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with only 1 health unit (North Bay Parry Sound) reporting no new cases at all.

Of today’s new cases, 55% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (465) among people ages 20-39 followed by 364 cases among people ages 40-59.

With 1,159 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases remains unchanged at 94.3%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased by 0.2% from yesterday to 2.3%, meaning that 23 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on March 4.

Ontario is reporting 22 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 2 new deaths in a long-term care homes. Ontario has averaged 15 new daily deaths over the past week (no change from yesterday).

Hospitalizations have decreased by 6 from yesterday to 643, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs decreasing by 1 from yesterday to 280, and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators remaining unchanged at 183.

A total of 64,748 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 8,686 to 34,037.

A total of 820,714 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 35,886 from yesterday, with 269,063 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 945 from yesterday, representing 1.83% of Ontario’s population.

There are 96 new cases in Ontario schools, a decrease of 5 from yesterday, including 82 student cases, 13 staff cases, and 1 case among an unidentified person. There are 24 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, an increase of 2 from yesterday, with 16 cases among children and 8 cases among staff.

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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 12 new cases to report, including 9 in Peterborough and 3 in Northumberland. There are no new cases in Hastings Prince Edward, Kawartha Lakes, or Haliburton.

There are now 51 presumed cases of variants of concern in Peterborough. An outbreak was declared at Regency retirement home in Lakefield on March 5.

There are 2 new hospitalizations in Northumberland and 1 in Haliburton.

An additional 6 cases have been resolved, including 3 in Peterborough and 3 in Hastings Prince Edward.

There are currently 126 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 8 from yesterday, including 82 in Peterborough, 18 in Hastings Prince Edward (14 in Belleville, 2 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 1 in Prince Edward County, and 1 in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory), 13 in Kawartha Lakes, and 13 in Northumberland. There are no active cases in Haliburton.

Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 700 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (609 resolved with 9 deaths), 544 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (489 resolved with 55 deaths), 447 in Northumberland County (423 resolved with 11 deaths), 51 in Haliburton County (50 resolved with 1 death), and 425 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (401 resolved with 6 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Haliburton on March 4.

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).

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Peterborough Public Health

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: 700 (increase of 9)
Confirmed variants of concern cases: 1 (no change)
Presumed variants of concern cases: 51 (increase of 8)
Active cases: 82 (increase of 7)
Close contacts: 258 (increase of 6)
Deaths: 9 (no change)
Resolved: 609 (increase of 3)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 25 (no change)*
Total tests completed: Over 44,000 (increase of 150)
Outbreaks: Empress Gardens retirement home, Severn Court Student Residence, Trent Champlain College residence, Regency retirement home in Lakefield (increase of 1)**
Vaccine doses administered: 5,927 (increase of 4,791)

*As of March 5, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting fewer than 5 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change) and 17 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (no change).

**An outbreak was declared at Regency retirement home in Lakefield on March 5.

 

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: 1,042, including 544 in Kawartha Lakes, 447 in Northumberland, and 51 in Haliburton (increase of 3 in Northumberland)*
Cases with N501Y mutation: 14, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 12 in Northumberland (no change)**
Active cases: 26, including 13 in Kawartha Lakes and 13 in Northumberland (increase of 5, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 3 in Northumberland)
Probable cases: 0 (no change)
High-risk contacts: 93, including 38 in Kawartha Lakes, 50 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (net increase of 2)***
Hospitalizations (total to date): 47, including 27 in Kawartha Lakes, 17 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (increase of 3, including 2 in Northumberland and 1 in Haliburton)****
Deaths (including among probable cases): 67, including 55 in Kawartha Lakes, 11 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change)
Resolved: 962, including 489 in Kawartha Lakes, 423 in Northumberland, 50 in Haliburton (no change)
Tests completed: 147,092 (increase of 828)
Outbreaks: Regency long-term care home in Port Hope (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 2 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.

****As of March 5, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports no patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change).

 

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.

The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.

Confirmed positive: 425 (no change)
Confirmed variants of concern cases: 4
Active cases: 18 (decrease of 3)
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: 401 (increase of 3)
Tests completed: 66,299 (increase of 3)
Vaccines administered: 4,783 (increase of 660)
Outbreaks: Unidentified workplace in Central Hastings, unidentified workplace in Belleville (no change)

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Province of Ontario

Confirmed positive: 306,007 (increase of 1,250)
Total COVID-19 variant cases: 799 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 155); 31 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (no change); 3 of P.1 Brazilian variant (no change)
7-day average of daily new cases: 1,063 (decrease of 1)
Resolved: 288,583 (increase of 1,159), 94.3% of all cases
Positivity rate: 2.3% (decrease of 0.2%)
Hospitalizations: 643 (decrease of 6)
Hospitalizations in ICU: 280 (decrease of 1)
Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 183 (no change)
Deaths: 7,046 (increase of 22)
7-day average of daily new deaths: 15 (no change)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,873 (increase of 2)
Total tests completed: 11,293,939 (increase of 64,748)
Tests under investigation: 34,037 (decrease of 8,686)
Vaccination doses administered: 820,714 (increase of 35,886)
People fully vaccinated (two doses): 269,063 (increase of 945), 1.83% of Ontario’s population (est. 70-90% required for herd immunity)

COVID-19 cases in Ontario from February 2 - March 4, 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 cases in Ontario from February 2 – March 4, 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 2 - March 4, 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 tests completed in Ontario from February 2 – March 4, 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 February 2 - March 4, 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 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from February 2 – March 4, 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 2 - March 4, 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 deaths in Ontario from February 2 – March 4, 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 2 - March 4, 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)
COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Ontario from February 2 – March 4, 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 more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.

Peterborough region moves to more restrictive ‘Red-Control’ COVID-19 level effective March 8

By kawarthaNOW -
With the Peterborough region moving into the more restrictive 'Red-Control' COVID-19 level effective March 8, 2021, Galaxy Cinemas in Peterborough will once again be closed. Other restrictions include fewer people allowed to gather indoors and outdoors, a maximum of four people seated together in restaurants, decreased capacity limits for retail stores, no personal care services that require the removal of face masks, and more. (Stock photo)

As Peterborough’s medical officer of health predicted earlier this week, the Ontario government is moving the Peterborough Public Health region into the ‘Red-Control’ level of the province’s COVID-19 response framework.

The change from ‘Yellow-Protect’ to ‘Red-Control’ is effective at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, March 8th.

Related story

Peterborough may move into more restrictive ‘Red-Control’ level due to dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases

The government’s announcement on Friday (March 5) follows a major COVID-19 outbreak declared last week at the privately owned Severn Court Student Residence near Fleming College, followed by a related outbreak declared yesterday at Champlain College at Trent University. The Severn Court outbreak includes at least 30 cases that have screened positive as a presumed COVID-19 variant of concern.

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With Peterborough moving into ‘Red-Control’ — one level under ‘Grey-Lockdown’ — existing restrictions will be tightened ever more.

In ‘Red-Control’, fewer people are allowed to gather (five indoors and 25 outdoors), a maximum of four people can be seated together in restaurants, capacity limits for retail stores are decreased, no personal care services that require the removal of face masks are allowed, movie theatres and performing arts venues are closed, and more.

For a complete list of restrictions, visit ontario.ca/page/covid-19-response-framework-keeping-ontario-safe-and-open#red.

“As the number of variant cases spread, I am hoping that the Red zone measures will provide our community with the extra protection we need to contain COVID-19 and keep our most vulnerable residents safe,” said Peterborough’s medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra in a media release from the health unit issued on Friday afternoon.

“There is a real risk that the variants linked to the local outbreaks could spread further out into the community, so I am urging everyone to continue doing their part to follow public health measures and help us avoid going into lockdown.”

Today’s announcement from the province has far better news for residents of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton. With positive cases on the decline, the province is moving the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit region from ‘Orange-Restrict’ to the less restrictive ‘Yellow-Protect’ level.

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The primary focus of the province’s Friday announcement was the transitioning of the Toronto, Peel, and North Bay Parry Sound District public health regions out of the shutdown and stay-at-home order and into the COVID-19 response framework. Toronto and Peel are moving into the framework at the ‘Grey-Lockdown’ level and North Bay Parry Sound is moving into the ‘Red-Control’ level.

Other changes announced on Friday include Public Health Sudbury and Districts and Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit moving into ‘Red-Control’, Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit and Timiskaming Health Unit moving into ‘Orange-Restrict’, and Renfrew County and District Health Unit moving into ‘Yellow-Protect’.

All changes are effective at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, March 8th.

 

This story has been updated with a comment from Peterborough’s medical officer of health.

Last chance to see painted canoe paddle public art exhibit in Peterborough

By kawarthaNOW -
Dawn Pond, Downtown Vibrancy Manager of the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area, displays two of the 20 paddles painted by volunteer community artists to raise funds for the One City Employment Program, which provides meaningful work to those with barriers to traditional employment. The paddles will be on display in the Commerce Building in downtown Peterborough as part of the First Friday Peterborough art crawl. (Photo courtesy of Peterborough DBIA)

If you missed them during February, you have one last chance to see a public art exhibit of 20 painted canoe paddles in Peterborough on Friday (March 5).

Related story

Outdoor public art exhibit of painted canoe paddles comes to downtown Peterborough in February

The Downtown Vibrancy Project’s Painted Paddle installation will be on display from 6 to 8 p.m. inside the Commerce Building, located at the northwest corner of Water and Hunter streets in downtown Peterborough, as part of the First Friday Peterborough COVID-modified art crawl.

Throughout February, the installation was on display as part of a passive art crawl, with individual paddles displayed in street-front windows at various locations throughout downtown Peterborough. All 20 paddles will be brought together for the first time at the First Friday exhibit in the Commerce Building.

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Some of the people and organizations who contributed painted paddles for the installation included Peterborough mayor Diane Therrien, Hiawatha First Nation, Wiigwaas Hiawatha Store, Peterborough Police Service, Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA), GreenUP, Trent Gzowski College, Trent Veg Garden, Peterborough Pollinators, Princess Gardens Retirement Residence, Empress Gardens Retirement Residence, St. Anne’s School, VegFest, B!KE, the Art School of Peterborough, city councillors Kim Zippel and Kemi Akapo, mother-and-daughter team Eileen and Kendron Kimmett, local Anishinaabe artist Kyler Kay, and local artist Tiphaine Lenaik.

“We are so grateful to everyone in the community who took part in the tour, voted for your favourite paddles, and bid in the paddle auction,” says Terry Guiel, executive director of the DBIA. “We hope they brought you as much joy as they have brought us here at the DBIA.”

From February 19th to March 4th, the paddles were auctioned off to raise funds for the One City Employment Program, which provides meaningful work to those with barriers to traditional employment. More than 500 bids were received, raising over $5,000 for the One City Employment Program.

“From connecting with the volunteer artists to setting up the tour, this project has been a complete joy to organize,” says Dawn Pond, Downtown Vibrancy Manager of the DBIA. “Although it is easy to forget sometimes, especially being so separated during lockdown, that incredible people are doing incredible things here in Peterborough. I hope the painted paddles brightened up your winter days and reminded you that our community is pretty special.”

New COVID-19 outbreak at Trent University’s Champlain College student residence in Peterborough

By kawarthaNOW -
The Champlain College student residence, located on Trent University's Symons Campus in Peterborough, provides housing for more than 200 students. (Photo: Trent University)

There’s a new COVID-19 outbreak at the Champlain College student residence at Trent University in Peterborough.

Peterborough Public Health declared the outbreak on Thursday night (March 4).

kawarthaNOW reached out to the health unit for information on the number of confirmed cases related to this outbreak and whether this outbreak is related to the one at Severn Court Student Residence near Fleming College.

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Peterborough Public Health has advised kawarthaNOW that, as of noon on Friday (March 5), there are five COVID-19 cases associated with the Champlain College outbreak. The health unit does not yet know how many, if any, of these cases have screened positive for variants of concern.

The health unit has also confirmed the index case for the Champlain College outbreak is connected to the Severn Court outbreak. Peterborough Public Health declared the outbreak at Trent University because of evidence of virus transmission occurring at the Champlain College residence.

The health unit has also noted that there are two separate groups of students at Trent University related to the two outbreaks: Trent students who were exposed at Severn Court and are now self-isolating at the Otonabee College residence, and Trent students exposed at the Champlain College residence who are now self-isolating there. The first group of Trent students is not being counted as part of the Champlain College outbreak.

The Champlain College residence, located on Trent University’s Symons Campus, provides rooms for more than 200 students.

On Thursday night, Trent University sent an email to all faculty and students about the outbreak and the following public health measures to contain the spread of the virus:

  • Students living in residence at Champlain College who are asymptomatic and have not been identified as a direct contact of someone with a COVID case will receive special support as they remain in residence, attend their classes remotely or online only, and pick up food exclusively at the Great Hall at Champlain College.
  • Champlain students will be prohibited from using other facilities such as the Athletics Centre, the Student Centre and other spaces outside of their college.
  • Champlain students will not be able to entertain guests, gather in residence or college common spaces.
  • Additional cleaning and sanitizing protocols have been be added.
  • Arrangements will be made for students living in residence from the other colleges on Symons Campus to dine in alternative dining halls.
  • Any students with COVID-19 currently residing on campus or identified as close contacts of someone with COVID are staying in the separate residence specially designated for isolation. All are connected with Peterborough Public Health and receiving support and services from the university.
  • No individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 will leave isolation until advised by Peterborough Public Health that it is safe to do so.
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The university states it continues to work with the health unit to prevent any further spread of the outbreak and will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates.

The outbreak at the Champlain College residence comes less than a week after an outbreak was declared at Severn Court Student Residence, a privately owned student housing complex near Fleming College. The outbreak was the result of one or more parties held at the residence on February 20th, which included several Trent University students.

As of Thursday, the Severn Court outbreak has resulted in 44 positive cases of COVID-19, 30 of which have screened positive as a presumed COVID-19 variant of concern. There are also 40 high-risk cases living at the six-building complex, and more than 60 high-risk contacts have been identified outside of the Severn Court residence.

Ontario reports 994 new COVID-19 cases, including 15 in Peterborough

By kawarthaNOW -

Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.

Today, Ontario is reporting 994 new cases, with the seven-day average of daily cases decreasing by 20 to 1,064.

There are 92 new cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant, for a total of 644, and 4 new cases of the B.1.351 South Africa variant, for a total of 31.

In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 20 new cases to report and an additional 11 cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region increasing by 9 to 118. The first COVID-related death in Haliburton County has been reported.

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Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (298) and Peel (171).

There are double-digit increases in York (64), Ottawa (49), Hamilton (40), Simcoe Muskoka (39), Lambton (39), Niagara (37), Halton (33), Thunder Bay (24), Durham (23), Waterloo (23), Sudbury (18), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (18), Windsor-Essex (16), Middlesex-London (12), and Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (10), with smaller increases in Eastern Ontario (9), Peterborough (9), Brant (9), Haldimand-Norfolk (8), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (7), Huron Perth (7), and Southwestern (6).

The remaining 10 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 3 health units reporting no new cases at all.

Of today’s new cases, 55% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (382) among people ages 20-39 followed by 277 cases among people ages 40-59.

With 1,072 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases remains unchanged at 94.3%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has decreased by 0.3% from yesterday to 2.1%, meaning that 21 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on March 3.

Ontario is reporting 10 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 2 new deaths in a long-term care homes. Ontario has averaged 15 new daily deaths over the past week, a decrease of 2 from yesterday).

Hospitalizations have decreased by 19 from yesterday to 649, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs increasing by 7 from yesterday to 281, and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators decreasing by 5 from yesterday to 183.

A total of 65,643 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 416 to 42,723.

A total of 784,828 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 30,409 from yesterday, with 268,118 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 1,408 from yesterday, representing 1.82% of Ontario’s population.

There are 101 new cases in Ontario schools, a decrease of 59 from yesterday, including 77 student cases, 21 staff cases, and 3 cases among unidentified people. There are 22 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, a decrease of 3 from yesterday, with 11 cases among children and 11 cases among staff.

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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 20 new cases to report, including 15 in Peterborough, 4 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward. There are no new cases in Northumberland or Haliburton.

There are now 43 presumed cases of variants of concern in Peterborough. An outbreak was declared at Trent University’s Champlain College in Peterborough on March 4.

There has been a COVID-related death in Haliburton, the first in that county. This death appears to have been a case that was earlier reported as resolved.

An additional 11 cases have been resolved, including 5 in Northumberland, 2 in Peterborough, 2 in Kawartha Lakes, and 2 in Hastings Prince Edward.

There are currently 118 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 9 from yesterday, including 76 in Peterborough, 21 in Hastings Prince Edward (16 in Belleville, 3 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 1 in Prince Edward County, and 1 in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory), 11 in Kawartha Lakes, and 10 in Northumberland. There are no active cases in Haliburton.

Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 691 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (606 resolved with 9 deaths), 542 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (489 resolved with 55 deaths), 444 in Northumberland County (423 resolved with 11 deaths), 51 in Haliburton County (50 resolved with 1 death), and 425 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (398 resolved with 6 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Haliburton on March 4.

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).

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Peterborough Public Health

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: 691 (increase of 15)
Confirmed variants of concern cases: 1 (no change)
Presumed variants of concern cases: 43 (increase of 16)
Active cases: 76 (increase of 13)
Close contacts: 252 (increase of 11)
Deaths: 9 (no change)
Resolved: 606 (increase of 2)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 25 (increase of 1)*
Total tests completed: Over 43,850 (increase of 100)
Outbreaks: Empress Gardens retirement home, Severn Court Student Residence, Trent Champlain College (increase of 1)**
Vaccine doses administered: 5,927 (increase of 4,791)

*As of March 4, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting fewer than 5 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change) and 17 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (no change).

**An outbreak was declared at Trent University’s Champlain College in Peterborough on March 4.

 

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: 1,037, including 542 in Kawartha Lakes, 444 in Northumberland, and 51 in Haliburton (increase of 4 in Kawartha Lakes)*
Cases with N501Y mutation: 14, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 12 in Northumberland (no change)**
Active cases: 21, including 11 in Kawartha Lakes and 10 in Northumberland (net decrease of 3)
Probable cases: 0 (no change)
High-risk contacts: 91, including 37 in Kawartha Lakes, 50 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton (net increase of 9)***
Hospitalizations (total to date): 44, including 27 in Kawartha Lakes, 15 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton (no change)****
Deaths (including among probable cases): 67, including 55 in Kawartha Lakes, 11 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Haliburton)*****
Resolved: 962, including 489 in Kawartha Lakes, 423 in Northumberland, 50 in Haliburton (increase of 6, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 5 in Northumberland)*****
Tests completed: 146,264 (increase of 789)
Outbreaks: Regency long-term care home in Port Hope (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 2 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.

****As of March 4, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports no patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change).

*****This death appears to have been a case that was earlier reported as resolved, as the number of resolved cases in Haliburton has decreased by 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: 425 (increase of 1)
Active cases: 21 (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: 398 (increase of 2)
Tests completed: 66,296 (increase of 4)
Vaccines administered: 4,123 (increase of 396)
Outbreaks: Unidentified workplace in Central Hastings, unidentified workplace in Belleville (no change)

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Province of Ontario

Confirmed positive: 304,757 (increase of 994)
Total COVID-19 variant cases: 644 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 92); 31 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (increase of 4); 3 of P.1 Brazilian variant (no change)
7-day average of daily new cases: 1,064 (decrease of 20)
Resolved: 287,424 (increase of 1,072, 94.3% of all cases)
Positivity rate: 2.1% (decrease of 0.3%)
Hospitalizations: 649 (decrease of 19)
Hospitalizations in ICU: 281 (increase of 7)
Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 183 (decrease of 5)
Deaths: 7,024 (increase of 10)
7-day average of daily new deaths: 15 (decrease of 2)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,871 (increase of 2)
Total tests completed: 11,229,191 (increase of 65,643)
Tests under investigation: 42,723 (decrease of 416)
Vaccination doses administered: 784,828 (increase of 30,409)
People fully vaccinated (two doses): 268,118 (increase of 1,408), 1.82% of Ontario’s population (est. 70-90% required for herd immunity)

COVID-19 cases in Ontario from February 1 - March 3, 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 cases in Ontario from February 1 – March 3, 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 1 - March 3, 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 tests completed in Ontario from February 1 – March 3, 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 February 1 - March 3, 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 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from February 1 – March 3, 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 1 - March 3, 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 deaths in Ontario from February 1 – March 3, 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 1 - March 3, 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)
COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Ontario from February 1 – March 3, 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 more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.

Peterborough may move into more restrictive ‘Red-Control’ level due to dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases

By Paul Rellinger -
A COVID-19 outbreak originating from social gatherings at the privately owned Severn Court Student Residence has resulted in a dramatic increase of cases in the Peterborough region, including 30 presumed cases of more transmissble COVID-19 variants of concern. (Photo: Severn Court Management Company)

A dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases in Peterborough will likely result in the Ontario government soon moving the region into the very restrictive ‘Red-Control’ level of its COVID-19 response framework.

During a Peterborough Public Health media briefing held Thursday (March 4), medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra reported there are 63 active positive cases of COVID-19 in the region.

However, of greater concern is the weekly rate of local positive cases per 100,000 people, which has grown to 40 this week from 16 last week.

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“Forty cases per 100,000 is the threshold for moving into the Red-Control level,” said Dr. Salvaterra, noting local data is presently being shared with the office of Ontario’s chief medical officer of health.

“We are expecting a decision that might see Peterborough moved into a more restrictive level to align better with the amount of COVID-19 transmission that appears to be occurring here now,” Dr. Salvaterra said.

“These decisions are usually made on Friday for the following Monday, but the chief medical officer of health does have his emergency break authority so he could implement something sooner and something even more severe.”

On February 26th, Ontario did just that for Thunder Bay District Health Unit and Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit, moving the two regions into the most restrictive ‘Grey-Lockdown’ level to curb community transmission of the virus. At the same time, the province also moved Niagara Region Public Health into the ‘Red-Control’ level.

If Peterborough moves into the ‘Red-Control’ level, existing restrictions would be tightened ever further, including fewer people allowed to gather (5 indoors, 25 outdoors), a maximum of four people seated together in restaurants, reduced capacity in retail stores, the closure of movie theatres, and more. For a complete list of restrictions, visit ontario.ca/page/covid-19-response-framework-keeping-ontario-safe-and-open#red.

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The culprit behind the dramatic rise in positive COVID-19 cases in the Peterborough region remains the outbreak stemming from one or more parties held February 20th at the Severn Court Student Residence on Wilfred Drive, in the southeast of the city near Fleming College.

To date, 44 positive cases have been detected, 30 of which have screened positive as a presumed COVID-19 variant of concern that is more transmissible. In addition, there are 40 high-risk cases living at the six-building complex, and there are more than 60 high-risk contacts identified outside of Severn Court.

A Section 22 class order previously issued by Dr. Salvaterra has closed the privately owned student residence to visitors, and requires by law that all 200 students living at the complex self-isolate. Meanwhile all in-person instruction of some 700 students at Fleming’s Sutherland Campus has been suspended until at least March 14th.

According to Dr. Salvaterra, one student who defied her Section 22 order has been warned.

As for any charges related to the party or parties held February 20th, a city police investigation has been ongoing with more news on that front imminent. However, inspector John Lyons says the large number of people involved has presented a challenge in terms of who, if anyone, will be charged.

“We’re trying to isolate and identify any and all of those involved,” he said. “That does take some time. Also we have people in quarantine, so that makes it very difficult to make contact with individuals involved. There also has been some movement of people.”

“There’s a lot of misinformation that has been provided to try and distract any potential investigation,” Lyons added. “We can’t charge people just because it’s time-sensitive — we have to be thorough.”

When charged, an individual receives a ticket for $750. Because seven days have passed since the February 20th incident being investigated, anyone ticketed will have to appear in court as opposed to just paying the fine and walking away.

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Meanwhile, Fleming College president Maureen Adamson noted the college is launching its own investigation.

“Under our student rights’ responsibility policy, we would set up a tribunal where we would have representation from our student association, faculty, and an administrator,” she explained. “Once we determine who the individuals (involved) are, we’ll look at each individual’s circumstances and determine what might be an appropriate action.”

“It could be anything along the continuum — a written reprimand, suspension, (the signing of) a behavioural contract, all the way through to the ultimate which would be expelling the student,” Adamson added.

If cities like Peterborough were designed with women in mind, they would work better for everyone

By GreenUP -
If cities were designed with the needs of women in mind, they would work better for everyone. For instance, women spend more time on public transit than men and spend more time on quick household-related errands and unpaid caregiving than men. During a GreenUP NeighbourPLAN infrastructure pop-up in Peterborough's Talwood neighbourhood, this temporary crosswalk was installed to demonstrate how a coloured crossing can improve pedestrian safety for women, men, and children. (Photo: Leif Einarson)
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s story is by Laura Keresztesi, NeighbourPLAN Coordinator at GreenUP.

International Women’s Day is Monday, March 8th. The theme this year is “Choose to Challenge”. Join me as I choose to challenge gender bias in how cities have conventionally been designed.

Many cities have been designed by urban planners who identify as men for residents who identify as men.

This privileges the structures and patterns of a patriarchal world, like the weekday routine of travelling between home and work for a 9-to-5 job. This patriarchal way of designing cities values business places and the economic status associated with the cars and roads that get people to and from those places of business.

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By comparison, little value is placed on the domestic spaces and unpaid labour of childcare and housekeeping that necessarily support that patriarchal world of business.

“The design of public spaces is not neutral,” says Jay Pitter, award-winning placemaker and author in an interview with She Does The City. “Feminist scholars have found that the home, a domestic space associated with nurturing and child-rearing, was conceived as a women’s space. And the city, associated with economic opportunity, mobility, and exploration, was conceived as a space for men.”

“Challenges women face — such as navigating public transit with strollers, accessing family-friendly public restrooms, and overall safety in the public realm — are all linked to fundamental, gender-based urban design biases,” Pitter adds.

As part of GreenUP's NeighbourPLAN Vision for the Jackson Park-Brookdale neighbourhood in Peterborough, this visionary rendering of Wolsely and Donegal shows a stop sign, clearly marked crosswalk, cycling lanes, and gardens in the boulevard. These enhancements to the intersection would make the crossing experience safer for the young families who walk to Highland Heights Public School. (Illustration: Basterfield & Associates for GreenUP)
As part of GreenUP’s NeighbourPLAN Vision for the Jackson Park-Brookdale neighbourhood in Peterborough, this visionary rendering of Wolsely and Donegal shows a stop sign, clearly marked crosswalk, cycling lanes, and gardens in the boulevard. These enhancements to the intersection would make the crossing experience safer for the young families who walk to Highland Heights Public School. (Illustration: Basterfield & Associates for GreenUP)

Urban planning has traditionally privileged a set eight-hour workday for men over the less regular, often part-time, and unpaid labour that has been associated with women.

For example, in Canada, women are twice as likely as men to work part-time. Women make up a higher percentage of those who commute to work on public transit than men. Statistics from the 2016 Census show 58.5 per cent of transit users in Toronto were women and 41.5 per cent were men. Women spend an average of 5.4 hours per day on unpaid work activities related to housekeeping and caregiving, whereas men spend an average of 2.9 hours per day.

To keep the household running smoothly, it is still women who do more short-trip, dart-and-dash activities to various destinations. Active transportation like biking or walking is often a more cost-effective and time-efficient method for these shorter trips than a privately owned car or public transit. Urban spaces need to be planned with different priorities to accommodate these trips.

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The safety of women and children — as well as other segments of the population — would be improved significantly if streets were designed with wide sidewalks and boulevards, protected bicycle lanes, places to sit, and intersections with short crossing distances. Slower vehicular traffic also improves safety for women and the children who often accompany them on these trips.

Access to public washrooms would also make an enormous difference in women’s ability to enjoyably participate in their cities. Women have to use washrooms more often than men, and women are more likely to be out with children who need these facilities on a frequent and often urgent basis.

When we choose to challenge gender bias, everyone benefits. For example, in the 1990s, Toronto changed bus and streetcar services to address women’s safety needs. Women were allowed to request a stop between regular stops. This service now extends to all passengers.

VIDEO: “How to Build a City for Women”

Better cycling infrastructure encourages more people to feel safe when cycling and can also increase retail spending in downtown cores. Increases in active transportation can improve air quality and personal health. Better active transportation infrastructure also makes business and services more accessible for folks who cannot afford, or choose not to own, a car.

Everyone — not just women — benefits from compact, mixed-use, walkable neighbourhoods. The Canadian population is aging and women, on average, live longer than men. Compact, walkable communities can create a better quality of life for elderly women living alone and for everyone else too.

More walkable communities provide better quality of life to Canada’s aging population, and these communities are also more attractive places to live in general. A 2014 study revealed that 81 per cent of homebuyers would choose to live in less car-dependent neighbourhoods over having big lawns and extra bedrooms, if cost were not a factor.

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All levels of government need to coordinate to create affordable housing plans and compact, mixed-use, walkable neighbourhoods. If you want to learn more from exemplars around the world, look to the design of the Aspern community in Vienna: one half of the development area is devoted to public space, building height allows for enhanced safety and better “eyes on the street,” and the streets are named after women.

You can also look for more inclusive urban design solutions closer to home.

Over the past year we all experienced how the COVID-19 emergency made it essential to our health, safety, and local economy to adopt many urban design measures that are prioritized in approaches that consider the experiences of women: dedicated cycling lanes, larger pedestrian spaces with more outdoor seating/patios, and reduced vehicle speed limits.

Because there is no safe crossing anywhere on Goodfellow between Clonsilla and Sherbrooke in Peterborough, families walking to St. Alphonsus Catholic Elementary School and Keith Wightman Public School have to walk along this narrow sidewalk, where people may also be standing at the transit stop. (Photo: GreenUP)
Because there is no safe crossing anywhere on Goodfellow between Clonsilla and Sherbrooke in Peterborough, families walking to St. Alphonsus Catholic Elementary School and Keith Wightman Public School have to walk along this narrow sidewalk, where people may also be standing at the transit stop. (Photo: GreenUP)

Over the past four years, as part of GreenUP’s NeighbourPLAN program, I have had the privilege of meeting with over 1,000 people of all genders and walks of life: drivers, cyclists, walkers and rollers, students, and retired folks, those with comfortable incomes and those surviving on low and fixed incomes.

All these people experience our city in their own unique ways, and yet they share common dreams for their neighbourhoods. They want safe and accessible streets, as well as more beauty and greenery. They have some great ideas on how to adapt current public space to achieve these goals.

Through collaboration with built environment professionals, these ideas have been distilled into actionable vision documents that you can view at greenup.on.ca/neighbourplan/.

VIDEO: “Designing cities for women” – Lucy Turnbull

Great things can happen when we choose to challenge urban designs that prioritize men over women, cars over people, 9-to-5 jobs over part-time and irregular shift work. The people who call our cities home are more diverse than these either-this-or-that divisions.

Championing these changes and this diversity should not be a fight. When we design cities to work for the most vulnerable people, we get cities that work better for everyone. Choose to challenge how your city works for you.

Vaccinations complete for long-term care residents in Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton

By Hannah Abrahamse -
Lorraine Button, a resident of Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon, received her first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on January 27, 2021. As of March 3, around 1,700 residents of long-term care homes in Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. (Photo: Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit / Facebook)

Vaccine rollout is progressing in the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit region.

In a virtual media briefing on Wednesday (March 3), acting medical officer of health Dr. Ian Gemmill announced the health unit has completed vaccinating residents of long-term care homes in the region, which includes the City of Kawartha Lakes and Northumberland, and Haliburton counties.

About 1,700 residents have now received both doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, Dr. Gemmill said.

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“We have now immunized most of the residents of long-term care, twice, which means they are done,” Dr. Gemmill announced. “We’ve started on the staff and essential caregivers of long-term care homes with the assistance of our hospitals. Also, some of the highest-risk health care workers have received their first dose of the vaccine.”

“We are also working with Alderville (First Nation) to make sure that community is getting their first doses of the Pfizer vaccine,” he added.

According to Dr. Gemmill, as of Tuesday, there have been roughly 5,400 shots of COVID-19 vaccines distributed in the area. Around 2,000 long-term care staff and priority health care workers have received their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The other 3,400 shots were first and second doses of the Moderna vaccine given to long-term care residents.

Dr. Ian Gemmill, acting medical officer of health for Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit, provided a virtual media briefing on the status of the pandemic in Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton on March 3, 2021. (Screenshot)
Dr. Ian Gemmill, acting medical officer of health for Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit, provided a virtual media briefing on the status of the pandemic in Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton on March 3, 2021. (Screenshot)

The health unit has about 6,000 more doses of the Pfizer vaccine and is set to have those distributed by the end of next week, Dr. Gemmill said. These doses are allocated for long-term care staff and high-priority health care workers.

For those 80 years of age and older waiting for to be inoculated, Dr. Gemmill asked for patience.

“I can’t tell you exactly when older people living in the community or home care will be getting their vaccine, but stay tuned,” Dr. Gemmill said. “It could be happening very soon because things are changing all the time.”

In terms of cases in the area, Dr. Gemmill noted a significant fall in cases reported in the area over the last 14 days. Only 52 cases have been reported in the last 14 days — a significant drop compared to the previous week’s 114 cases.

Dr. Gemmill cited vaccine distribution among long-term care residents and the resulting drop in outbreaks as a primary reason for the decrease in cases.

Related story
COVID-19 outbreak at Caressant Care McLaughlin Road in Lindsay declared over

The outbreak at Caressant Care McLaughlin Road in Lindsay — the largest and most fatal COVID-19 outbreak in the health unit’s region since the one at Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon at the beginning of the pandemic — was declared resolved on Monday.

The outbreak was first declared on January 9th, with a total of 62 residents and 49 staff testing positive for COVID-19 during the outbreak. Of the residents who were infected, 18 lost their lives as a result of the disease.

There is currently only one active outbreak in the region, at Regency Long-Term Care Home in Port Hope.

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Dr. Gemmill also speculated last month’s stay-at-home order and the approaching end of winter might also have affected the number of cases. Nevertheless, he reminded those living in the area not to relax due to the declining numbers.

“Things are better, and I’m pleased about that, but 98 per cent of our population still is not protected,” Dr. Gemmill pointed out. “We still have a lot of susceptible people out there, and therefore I’m asking people not to relent on the messages: stay at home, don’t travel, and if you have to go out, wear a mask and physical distance. These are the things that are going to keep things down until the vaccines are distributed.”

Dr. Gemmill added that the spread of variant of concern cases (VOCs) is also a reason to remain vigilant until more people are protected by the vaccine. There have been 14 VOC cases reported to date in the area, including two in Kawartha Lakes and 12 in Northumberland County.

“That is of course of concern, but very sadly, this is just a reflection of what is going to be happening right across Ontario,” Dr. Gemmill remarked. “Let’s continue our patient approach to this because once we get these variants more common, they’re much more transmissible, and that can send the rates up. What we’re trying to do is keep the rates down until people get protection with a safe and effective vaccine.”

As for the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine, which Health Canada licensed last Friday (February 26), Dr. Gemmill said there is no indication that this vaccine will be coming to local health units any time soon.

Although Health Canada approved the vaccine for use in all age groups, on Monday the National Advisory Committee on Immunizations recommended against the use of this vaccine for people over the age of 65.

“There is not anything wrong with the vaccine,” noted Dr. Gemmill. “It is not dangerous. It has been licensed for people over the age of 65. Health Canada has said it has good efficacy and good safety records, but the suggestion is that since there are two other vaccines, they should be used first until we get more data.”

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In the meantime, Dr. Gemmill said the health unit is gearing up to distribute the vaccine doses they expect to receive within the next few weeks.

Although plans are not official, Dr. Gemmill said he expects the health unit to set up at least two vaccine distribution clinics in each of the region’s three counties. These clinics will occur within well-situated community centres or arenas, but the precise buildings have not been decided yet.

“There will be at least a couple of our clinics distributing vaccine in each county along with the vaccine that pharmacies, family doctors, and hospitals get,” Dr. Gemmill explained. “I’m really looking forward to the day when we have lots of options for people to get the vaccine.”

As of Wednesday, there were 24 active cases of COVID-19 in the health unit’s region, including 9 in Kawartha Lakes and 15 in Northumberland.

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