Neil Young performing 'Comes a Time' at an empty Coronation Hall in Omemee. He is making the film of his 2017 'Hometown' concert in Omemee, directed by his wife Daryl Hannah, available for free on his website during the month of December. (Screenshot)
Neil Young has just released a video of himself performing “Comes A Time” in an empty Coronation Hall in his childhood home of Omemee.
Note for mobile users
The video links are only available on the desktop version of the NYA website. However, you can adjust the settings of your mobile web browser to display the desktop version.
Young released the video as a promotion of his 2017 “Hometown” concert, also recorded in Omemee, which you can watch for free on NYA during the month of December.
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“Coronation Hall in Omemee Ontario is a wonderful old theater,” Young writes on the website. “It holds many memories of my family, all together there in that little town. My dad played Coronation Hall once in a local show as my mother, my brother and I sat in the audience.”
While the 2017 concert — which was directed by Young’s wife Daryl Hannah — was a promotion for the release of Young’s record The Visitor, it was also a promotion for the launch of NYA.
“I was uncharacteristically nervous that night in 2017 playing Coronation Hall by myself for the first time and streaming to the world,” he writes.
“‘Hometown’ is now an NYA tradition, showing every year, right here throughout the holidays.”
Neil Young performing ‘Comes a Time’ at an empty Coronation Hall in Omemee. He is making the film of his 2017 ‘Hometown’ concert in Omemee, directed by his wife Daryl Hannah, available for free on his website during the month of December. (Screenshot)
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Along with the “Hometown” concert, Young has made all of the NYA content — both music and films — free for everyone through to the end of December.
“I know this time of year is going to be hard for a lot us as we long to be with our loved ones,” Young writes.
“Our hearts go out to all of you. We send much love and a Coronation Hall quarantine ‘Comes A Time’.”
The new Canadian Canoe Museum will be located at 2077 Ashburnham Drive, north of Beavermead Park and south of Parks Canada's Trent-Severn Waterway head offices. The site is a short walk to the shores of Little Lake. (Graphic: Canadian Canoe Museum)
Peterborough’s Lett Architects Inc. will be designing the new Canadian Canoe Museum at Johnson Park on Ashburnham Drive.
The museum announced on Tuesday (December 22) that the property at 2077 Ashburnham Drive, which is owned by the City of Peterborough, has been deemed viable for the building of the new facility.
“We are thrilled that recently concluded due diligence explorations, environmental assessments, testing and feasibility studies have substantiated the Johnson Park location as a viable site for the building of the new world-class canoe museum,” says Carolyn Hyslop, the museum’s executive director.
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Hyslop says the museum will move to the next phase of feasibility and validation activities for the Johnson Park site, which is located on the west side of Ashburnham Drive, north of Beavermead Park and south of Parks Canada’s Trent-Severn Waterway head offices. The site is a short walk to the shores of Little Lake.
“This process will help us fine tune budget and overall costs, design and the project schedule with a view to being shovel-ready by the end of 2021,” Hyslop says.
According to a media release from the museum, the new facility will be built away from the floodplain, on a flat portion of the property on the open land along Ashburnham Drive.
“This will preserve the existing trail, shoreline and natural waterfront,” the museum states.
The museum also announced that Lett Architects Inc. of Peterborough will be designing the new museum.
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“Lett Architects are thrilled to be working with the Canadian Canoe Museum on a new home for their comprehensive collection and programming,” says Bill Lett, managing principal with Lett Architects Inc. “As a local studio, we are excited for the opportunity to design this new facility and for the first-hand chance to experience its positive impact on our own community.”
The new museum was originally going to be located beside the Peterborough Lift Lock on property owned by Parks Canada, with a design by Heneghan Peng Architects of Dublin. In October, the museum abandoned both the original location and design after an independent investigation by the museum in May determined the site contains the chemical compound trichloroethylene (TCE), along with a variety of other chemicals.
Hyslop says the museum’s original goals and vision continue to guide the new build project. These include establishing a home for 100 per cent of the museum’s canoe collection that meets Class A conservation standards, directly on the water, which allows for increased on-water and in-person programming.
“In a year that has brought every manner of exceptional challenges to us all, we are delighted to close out 2020 with positive and hopeful news,” Hyslop says. “Having found a viable site for this extraordinary project that will see the new museum situated on the shores of Peterborough’s Little Lake — what a terrific kick off to 2021.”
Rotarians Lynne Chant and Dawn Straka provide items to a successful bidder in the pick-up area after the Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha's annual Christmas auction, which raised $18,622 for YES Shelter for Youth & Families. (Photo courtesy of Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha)
The Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha has raised $18,622 through its annual Christmas auction.
The online auction was held from November 23 to December 6, with local businesses donating 201 items for the auction.
Club president Dan Grady expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the business community for their generosity, despite the pandemic and its impact on business.
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Spring 2021 will mark the 100th anniversary of Rotary in the Peterborough area, and the funds raised from the auction will support the club’s 2021 Centennial Project — a construction project at the YES Shelter for Youth & Families in Peterborough.
In addition to its 2021 commitment to YES Shelter for Youth & Families, recent Kawartha Rotary contributions to the community include:
an emergency grant to Community Care in Apsley to support the food bank given the recent fire that destroyed the village’s only grocery store.
a contribution to the lighting project in Peterborough’s East City for the Rotary Trail.
a contribution to the new building fund for the Peterborough Humane Society.
a contribution to the musical instruments playground at the Peterborough Zoo.
an annual sock drive that contributed over 500 pair of socks, mittens, scarves and touques to YES Shelter for Youth & Families.
participation in the Salvation Army’s Kettle Campaign and donating books for children for Christmas through the Salvation Army’s Christmas Hamper Program.
For more information about the Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha, visit portal.clubrunner.ca/220.
"9to5: The Story of a Movement" is one of the big-name features screening at the 2021 ReFrame Film Festival. By Academy Award winning filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar, the film tells the story of 9to5, an organization established in 1973 that is dedicated to improving working conditions and ensuring the rights of women and families in the United States, and which inspired the 1980 hit film starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton. (Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival)
Early this January, ReFrame Film Festival will release the full film guide for the week-long documentary film festival, available online province-wide and running from Friday, January 22nd to Friday, January 29th.
In the meantime, ReFrame creative director Amy Seigel has graciously given kawarthaNOW readers an early look at some of the upcoming festival programming in advance of ReFrame’s official announcement.
“The program is feeling really exciting,” says Seigel. “I think our audiences are in for a treat. There’s going to be over 50 films, workshops, panel discussions, Q&As, and more.”
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Despite the fact that the festival has been moved online, there will still be an opening night event, streamed live and in real time so audiences can share a virtual collective experience.
“On the opening night of the festival January 22nd, there will be a keynote address by Drew Hayden Taylor, the award-winning playwright, author, and filmmaker from Curve Lake,” Seigel announces.
“Local poets will join Drew and we will be streaming the event live from Market Hall. We really miss our venues so much and we hope to offer audiences a glimpse into at least one of our cherished spaces.”
The opening night of the 2021 ReFrame Film Festival will feature a keynote address by award-winning playwright, author, and filmmaker Drew Hayden Taylor, streamed live from Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough. (Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival)
Audiences can also expect to see homegrown works by local filmmakers, investigating current issues through a regional lens.
“Cara Mumford’s new film ‘Sing Them Home’ is a meditation on local water systems,” Seigel says, referring to the Métis/Chippewa Cree filmmaker from Alberta who has been living in Peterborough since 2010.
“It is a collaboration with dancer Jenn Cole that incorporates the words of Leanne Besamoke Simpson.”
The 2021 ReFrame Film Festival will also feature films from local filmmakers. “Sing Them Home” is Cara Mumford’s collaboration with dancer Jenn Cole that incorporates the words of Leanne Besamoke Simpson. (Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival)
“Also there’s ‘The River’, a short by Benjamin Hargreaves about The River magazine — it’s a really wonderful portrait of the community.”
“We’re also really excited to premiere our first commissioned project that was created in collaboration with Public Energy,” Siegel adds.
“It documents many of the local artists who were involved in the Pivot Series and discusses a lot of the issues currently facing the performing arts community.”
The 2021 ReFrame Film Festival will also feature films from local filmmakers. “The River” by Benjamin Hargreaves is a documentary that follows the hardship and creativity of a contributor to The River magazine, which features art and stories of those who identify as living in poverty in Peterborough. (Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival)
In addition to programming created by Peterborough and regional filmmakers, audiences can also expect the big-name features that have put ReFrame on the map.
“‘9to5: The Story of a Movement’ is a film by Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar,” Seigel says, pointing out that Reichert and Bognar won the Best Documentary Feature Academy Award last year for their film American Factory.
“The film follows the 1970s movement for office workers that inspired the movie ‘9 to 5’,” Siegel explains, referring to the hit 1980 satrical film starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, and Dolly Parton. “It’s the story of a feminist movement from organizing on a grassroots level to massive nation-wide union building.”
VIDEO: “9to5: The Story of a Movement” trailer
Also screening at the festival is the Canadian documentary film No Ordinary Man, directed by Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt and written by Chin-Yee and Amos Mac, which premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival in September.
“‘No Ordinary Man’ documents the life of American jazz musician Billy Tipton,” Seigel explains.
“In this film, Tipton’s story is reimagined and performed by trans artists as they collectively paint a portrait of this hero.”
VIDEO: “No Ordinary Man” trailer
Also screening at the festival are the Canadian documentary films John Ware Reclaimed, which premiered at the Calgary International Film Festival in September, and Judy Versus Capitalism, which had its Canadian premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in May.
“‘John Ware Reclaimed’ is a film that follows filmmaker Cheryl Foggo on her quest to re-examine the mythology behind John Ware, a black cowboy who settled in Alberta before the turn of the 20th century,” Siegel says. “‘Judy Versus Capitalism’ tells the story of the fight for abortion rights here in Canada through an artful portrait of the life of activist Judy Rebick, and we’ll be talking with Judy through the festival.”
VIDEO: “John Ware Reclaimed” trailer
VIDEO: “Judy Versus Capitalism” trailer
In addition to the numerous local, national, and international short and feature length documentary films that audiences can watch on-demand for the duration of the festival, ReFrame will also offer many filmmaker talks, panel discussions, Q&As, and workshops.
For the first time ever, ReFrame will be offering a special opportunity for emerging filmmakers in collaboration with Peterborough’s Electric City Culture Council (EC3).
“Something that both ReFrame and EC3 are passionate about is to foster a filmmaking community here in Nogojiwanong/Peterborough,” says Seigel. “We’re excited to have a professional development workshop for emerging filmmakers that will bring together funders and experienced artists to discuss some of the issues and pathways towards making a documentary film.”
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Festival pass holders will have access to all these films, panels, workshops, and more.
All-access passes and five-packs (you can pick your five favourite films to watch) are available for purchase now — they make wonderful holiday gifts — at my.reframefilmfestival.ca/passes/buy. Single film tickets will also be available when the festival’s online film guide is released in early January.
Siegel reminds audiences that, just like the traditional in-person festival, there are a set number of “seats” for every virtual screening. This means that, when the film guide is released online in January, you will need to pre-register tickets for each film you would like to see.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a sponsor of the 2021 ReFrame Film Festival.
Slot machines at Shorelines Casino Peterborough. (Photo: Shorelines Casino Peterborough)
Great Canadian Gaming Corporation has announced that both Shorelines Casino Peterborough and Shorelines Slots at Kawartha Downs will be closing as of 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday (December 23), in advance of the provincial lockdown.
Also closing at the same time are Great Canadian Gaming at Shorelines Casino Thousand Islands and Shorelines Casino Belleville.
The closures follows the Ontario provincial government’s announcement on Monday (December 21) that all non-essential businesses across the province, such as casinos, will be required to close as of 12:01 a.m. on Boxing Day (December 26).
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The four locations had re-opened on September 28 with a limited capacity of 50 people and no table games or food and beverage amenities.
The company’s other Ontario locations (Casino Woodbine, Elements Casino Mohawk, Elements Casino Flamboro, Casino Ajax, Great Blue Heron Casino, and Elements Casino Grand River) were previously closed this fall as a result of their respective health units moving into more restrictive public health measures.
Details regarding the reopening of the company’s Ontario properties will be announced at a later date.
With Ontario reporting 2,123 new cases today, the seventh straight day of cases over 2,000, the Ontario government announced a province-wide shutdown taking effect at 12:01 a.m. on Boxing Day (December 26). The shutdown — with strict public health measures including no social gatherings outside of your own household — will last 28 days in southern Ontario and 14 days in northern Ontario,
With today’s new cases, the seven-day average of daily cases across the province has increased by 26 to 2,276.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 23 new cases to report and 12 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region increasing by 13 to 109.
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Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (611), Peel (480), York (192), and Windsor-Essex (138).
There are double-digit increases in Waterloo (94), Halton (92), Durham (91), Niagara (68), Middlesex-London (64), Simcoe Muskoka (61), Hamilton (36), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (33), Ottawa (32), Southwestern Public Health (21), Haldimand-Norfolk (19), Brant (16), and Eastern Ontario Health Unit (11), with smaller increases in Thunder Bay (9), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (8), Lambton (8), Hastings Prince Edward (6), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (6), Peterborough (6), and Grey Bruce (6).
The remaining 10 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with only 2 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s cases, 51% are among people under 40 years of age, with the highest number of cases (785) among people ages 20 to 39 followed by 577 cases among people ages 40 to 59. With 1,654 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has decreased by 0.1% to 85.3%. The average positivity rate across Ontario since December 16 has increased by 0.8% to 4.7%, meaning that 47 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on December 20.
Ontario is reporting 17 new COVID-19 deaths today, all of which are in long-term care facilities. Hospitalizations have increased by 40 to 915, although over 10 per cent of Ontario hospitals did not submit data for this report. There are 4 more patients with COVID-19 in ICUs and 4 fewer patients on ventilators.
A total of 54,505 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 15,440 to 39,106.
There are 154 new cases in Ontario schools today, an increase of 21 from December 16, with 119 student cases and 35 staff cases. There are 18 new cases in licensed child care settings, an increase of 5 from December 16, with 8 cases among children and 10 cases among staff.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 23 new cases to report, including 16 in Northumberland, 4 in Peterborough, 2 in Hastings Prince Edward, and 1 in Kawartha Lakes. There are no new cases in Haliburton.
An additional 12 cases have been resolved, including 8 in Northumberland, 2 in Hastings Prince Edward, and 2 in Peterborough.
Of today’s cases in Ontario schools, there is 1 new staff case to report at St. Mary Catholic Secondary School in Cobourg. None of the cases reported today in licensed child care settings are in the greater Kawarthas region.
There are currently 109 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 13 from yesterday, including 49 in Northumberland, 30 in Hastings Prince Edward (11 in Quinte West, 6 in Belleville, 8 in Prince Edward County, 2 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, and 3 in Central Hastings), 26 in Peterborough, and 4 in Kawartha Lakes. There are no active cases in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 274 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (243 resolved with 5 deaths), 221 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (198 resolved with 32 deaths), 210 in Northumberland County (160 resolved with 1 death), 27 in Haliburton County (27 resolved with no deaths), and 252 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (217 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on November 23.
Province-wide, there have been 158,053 confirmed cases, an increase of 2,123 from yesterday, with 134,867 cases resolved (85.3% of all cases), an increase of 1,654 from yesterday. There have been 4,167 deaths, an increase of 17 from yesterday, with 2,581 deaths in long-term care homes, an increase of 17 from yesterday. The number of hospitalizations has increased by 40 to 915, although over 10 per cent of Ontario hospitals did not submit data for this report. There are 4 more patients with COVID-19 in ICUs and 4 fewer patients on ventilators. A total of 7,426,037 tests have been completed, an increase of 54,505 from yesterday, with 39,106 tests under investigation, a decrease of 15,440 from yesterday.
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.
Confirmed positive: 274 (increase of 4) Active cases: 26 (increase of 2) Close contacts: 110 (increase of 5) Deaths: 5 (no change) Resolved: 243 (increase of 2) Hospitalizations (total to date): 12 (no change)* Total tests completed: Over 38,450 (no change) Institutional outbreaks: Fairhaven in Peterborough (no change)
*Peterborough Regional Health Centre reports that, as of December 18, there is currently 1 patient with COVID-19 on an inpatient unit.
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
The health unit provides reports from Monday to Saturday, excluding statutory holidays. These numbers are from December 20 and 21.
Confirmed positive: 458, including 221 in Kawartha Lakes, 210 in Northumberland, 27 in Haliburton (increase of 17, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 16 in Northumberland)* Active cases: 53, including 4 in Kawartha Lakes and 49 in Northumberland (net increase of 11) Probable cases: 0 (no change) High-risk contacts: 344, including 35 in Kawartha Lakes, 180 in Northumberland, and 5 in Haliburton (net increase of 33)** Hospitalizations (total to date): 18, including 11 in Kawartha Lakes, 6 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change) Deaths: 33 (no change) Resolved: 385, including 198 in Kawartha Lakes, 160 in Northumberland, 27 in Haliburton (increase of 8 in Northumberland) Institutional outbreaks: Extendicare Kawartha Lakes in Lindsay, Case Manor Care Community in Bobcaygeon (no change)
*The total case counts have been adjusted to reflect regular data cleaning. This has resulted in 1 additional case in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumblerand.
**This total includes 117 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
The health unit provides daily reports, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 252 (increase of 2) Active cases: 30 (no change) Deaths: 5 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 2 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change) Resolved: 217 (increase of 2) Swabs completed: 15,867 (no change) Institutional outbreaks: Seasons Dufferin Centre in Quinte West (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 158,053 (increase of 2,123) Resolved: 134,867 (increase of 1,654, 85.3% of all cases) Hospitalized: 915 (increase of 40)* Hospitalized and in ICU: 265 (increase of 4) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 152 (decrease of 4) Deaths: 4,167 (increase of 17) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 2,581 (increase of 17) Total tests completed: 7,426,037 (increase of 54,505) Tests under investigation: 39,106 (decrease of 15,440)
*Over 10 per cent of Ontario hospitals did not submit data for this report.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from November 20 – December 20, 2020. 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 November 20 – December 20, 2020. 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 November 20 – December 20, 2020. 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 November 20 – December 20, 2020. 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)
Ontario Premier Doug Ford at Queen's Park on December 21, 2020, announcing a province-wide shutdown due to the COVID-19 that begins at 12:01 a.m. on December 26 and continues for 28 days in southern Ontario and 14 days in northern Ontario. (CPAC screenshot)
The Ontario government will impose a province-wide shutdown at 12:01 a.m. on Boxing Day (December 26), for 14 days in northern Ontario and 28 days in southern Ontario.
Premier Doug Ford made the announcement at a media conference on Monday afternoon (December 21) along with health minister Christine Elliott, education minister Stephen Lecce, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams, and Dr. Naveed Mohammad, president and chief executive officer of William Osler Health System.
“Our COVID-19 numbers continue accelerating at an alarming rate,” Ford said. “Unfortunately, despite the restrictions, we’ve seen growing numbers of people travelling between regions in Ontario. COVID is spreading rapidly from high-outbreak areas to areas with fewer cases. As it does, our hospitals are filling up more each day. We’ve seen a 70 per cent increase in hospitalizations and 80 per cent increase in ICU admissions in the past few weeks.”
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“Remember, 75 per cent of our intensive care unit beds at any given time are taken up by people who have had car accidents, or heart attacks, or other emergencies,” Ford added. “Above all, we need to preserve capacity in our ICUs and hospitals, but because of increased cases of COVID-19 filling up our hospitals, we’re on the verge of cancelling more elective surgeries — and we already have thousands and thousands of backlogged surgeries.”
Ford said he is also “extremely alarmed” by reports of a new strain of COVID-19 that is much more contagious, adding that he will continue to ask the federal government to secure the borders.
“Sixty-three thousand people are going unchecked every week just through Pearson International Airport (in Toronto),” Ford said. “At minimum, we need to test air travellers when they arrive at the airport. This is critical. If they don’t do it, we will do it ourselves if needed.”
The province-wide shutdown will include the following measures:
Restricting indoor organized public events and social gatherings, except with members of the same household (the people you live with).
Prohibiting in-person shopping in most retail settings (although curbside pickup and delivery can continue). Discount and big box retailers selling groceries will be limited to 25 per cent capacity for in-store shopping. Supermarkets, grocery stores and similar stores that primarily sell food, as well as pharmacies, will continue to operate at 50 per cent capacity for in-store shopping.
Restricting indoor access to shopping malls, with only essential retail stores such as grocery stores and pharmacies permitted to open. Patrons will only be allowed only to go to a designated indoor pickup area (by appointment only) or to outdoor designated pickup areas.
Prohibiting indoor and outdoor dining. Restaurants, bars, and other food or drink establishments will be permitted to operate only by take-out, drive-through, and delivery.
“This difficult action is without a doubt necessary to save lives and prevent our hospitals from being overwhelmed in the coming weeks,” Ford said. “Make no mistake, thousands of lives are at stake right now. If we fail to take action now, the consequences could be catastrophic.”
The government is advising all Ontarians to stay home as much as possible, limiting trips outside the home to necessities such as food, medication, medical appointments, or supporting vulnerable community members. The province is also asking employers in all industries should make every effort to allow employees to work from home.
While the province-wide shutdown is in effect, the province’s current COVID-19 response framework will be paused. The government will evaluate the impacts during the shutdown to determine if it is safe to lift any restrictions or if they need to be extended. Ontario’s chief medical officer of health will assess and apply any lessons learned during the shutdown to the COVID-19 response framework after the shutdown ends.
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In addition to the shutdown, all publicly funded and private elementary and secondary schools will move to teacher-led remote learning when students return from the winter break on Monday, January 4th.
Elementary and secondary schools in northern Ontario can resume in-school classes on Monday, January 11th. Elsewhere in the province, elementary school students can return to class on January 11th and secondary school students can return to class on Monday, January 25th.
The government has also announced the new Ontario Small Business Support Grant, providing a one-time grant of $10,000 to $20,000 to small businesses required to close or restrict services under the province-wide shutdown. Essential businesses that are allowed to remain open will not be eligible for the grant. Businesses affected by the shutdown will also be eligible for property tax and energy cost rebates.
Peterborough singer-songwriter Kate Suhr. (Photo: Jennifer Moher)
Peterborough singer-songwriter Kate Suhr has just released a new lyric video for her new single “Better off Together”.
The song was released on Spotify last Tuesday (December 15), and is also available on Apple Music.
Produced by Toronto’s Dora-nominated composer and audio engineer James Bunton, “Better off Together” features Suhr performing on vocals accompanied by a string arrangement by Toronto-based violinist Drew Jurecka.
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VIDEO: “Better off Together” – Kate Suhr
The song was mastered by Heather Kirby’s Dreamlands Mastering.
The video features footage by local photographer Jennifer Moher with the lyric production by Peterborough’s Adam Martignetti.
A 34-year-old Brampton woman is facing multiple charges after her vehicle was found in a ditch 20 metres off Highway 115 in Peterborough on December 19, 2020. (Photo: Peterborough County OPP)
A 34-year-old Brampton woman is facing multiple charges after a motor vehicle collision on Highway 115 in Peterborough on Saturday night (December 19).
Peterborough County OPP responded to a report of a collision on Highway 115 just before midnight on Saturday.
A vehicle was located in the ditch around 20 metres off the highway. The driver and passenger were transported to a local hospital as a precaution.
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The driver was found to be in possession of illicit drugs.
Dawn Locey, 34, of Brampton, was arrested and charged with possession of a Schedule I substance (cocaine), driving a vehicle with cannabis readily available, and operating a motor vehicle without insurance.
Locey is scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Peterborough on January 27, 2021.
The cause of the collision remains under investigation.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Update
Initial reports leaked to the media over the weekend indicated the lockdown would begin on Christmas Eve (December 24). On December 21, 2020, the Ontario government announced the lockdown would begin on Boxing Day (December 26). We have updated the headline of this story accordingly to prevent confusion.
Ontario is reporting 2,357 new cases today — the six straight day of cases over 2,000, increasing the seven-day average of daily cases by 91 to 2,250.
According to Global News, CTV News Toronto, and 680 News, sources familiar with the matter say the Ontario government is planning to implement a province-wide lockdown beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Christmas Eve (December 24). According to the reports, the lockdown will remain in place for 28 days in southern Ontario and 14 days in northern Ontario.
If the lockdown is based on the current grey-lockdown level of Ontario’s coronavirus response framework, it would mean no indoor social gatherings with anyone outside of your household, the closure of non-essential retail businesses and most fitness facilities, limiting restaurants and bars to take-out service only, and 50 per cent capacity limits on essential retailers.
According to sources, elementary school students would not return to in-school classes until January 11, spending the first week of school in the new year learning at home, and high school students would not return to in-school classes at all during the lockdown.
Premier Doug Ford is expected to announce details of the lockdown at a media conference at Queen’s Park on Monday afternoon.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 8 new cases to report and 14 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region decreasing by 6 to 96. However, these numbers exclude Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton as the health unit does not issue updates on Sundays.
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Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (486), Peel (468), York (326), Windsor-Essex (151), and Niagara (128).
There are double-digit increases in Halton (97), Waterloo (91), Hamilton (88), Durham (82), Middlesex-London (80), Simcoe Muskoka (62), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (48), Ottawa (38), Southwestern Public Health (25), Eastern Ontario Health Unit (22), Lambton (19), Huron Perth (14), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (13), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (10), and Haldimand-Norfolk (10), with smaller increases in Grey Bruce (9), Thunder Bay (8), Timiskaming (7), Hastings Prince Edward (7), and Chatham-Kent (6).
The remaining 9 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 3 health units (all in northern Ontario) reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s cases, 52% are among people 40 years of age and older, with the highest number of cases (769) among people ages 20 to 39 followed by 704 cases among people ages 40 to 59. With 1,931 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has decreased by 0.1% to 85.4%. The average positivity rate across Ontario is unavailable on weekends.
Ontario is reporting 25 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 18 in long-term care facilities. Hospitalizations have decreased by 20 to 875, although over 10 per cent of Ontario hospitals did not submit data for this report. There are 5 more patients with COVID-19 in ICUs and 10 more patients on ventilators.
A total of 69,412 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 23,601 to 54,546.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 8 new cases to report, including 5 in Hastings Prince Edward and 3 in Peterborough. Reports are unavailable on Sunday for Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, or Haliburton.
An additional 14 cases have been resolved, including 11 in Hastings Prince Edward and 3 in Peterborough.
There are currently 96 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 6 from yesterday, including 30 in Hastings Prince Edward (11 in Quinte West, 6 in Belleville, 8 in Prince Edward County, 2 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, and 3 in Central Hastings), 40 in Northumberland, 24 in Peterborough, and 2 in Kawartha Lakes. There are no active cases in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 270 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (241 resolved with 5 deaths), 219 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (198 resolved with 32 deaths), 193 in Northumberland County (152 resolved with 1 death), 27 in Haliburton County (27 resolved with no deaths), and 250 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (215 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on November 23.
Province-wide, there have been 155,930 confirmed cases, an increase of 2,316 from yesterday, with 133,213 cases resolved (85.4% of all cases), an increase of 1,931 from yesterday. There have been 4,150 deaths, an increase of 25 from yesterday, with 2,564 deaths in long-term care homes, an increase of 18 from yesterday. The number of hospitalizations has decreased by 20 to 875, although over 10 per cent of Ontario hospitals did not submit data for this report. There are 5 more patients with COVID-19 in ICUs and 10 more patients on ventilators. A total of 7,371,532 tests have been completed, an increase of 69,412 from yesterday, with 54,546 tests under investigation, a decrease of 23,601 from yesterday.
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.
Confirmed positive: 270 (increase of 3) Active cases: 24 (no change) Close contacts: 105 (increase of 39) Deaths: 5 (no change) Resolved: 241 (increase of 3) Hospitalizations (total to date): 12 (no change)* Total tests completed: Over 38,450 (increase of 150) Institutional outbreaks: Fairhaven in Peterborough (no change)
*Peterborough Regional Health Centre reports that, as of December 18, there is currently 1 patient with COVID-19 on an inpatient unit.
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
The health unit provides reports from Monday to Saturday, excluding statutory holidays. These numbers are from December 19.
Confirmed positive: 439, including 219 in Kawartha Lakes, 193 in Northumberland, 27 in Haliburton (increase of 10 in Northumberland) Active cases: 42, including 7 in Kawartha Lakes and 40 in Northumberland (decrease of 10, including 5 in Kawartha Lakes and 5 in Northumberland) Probable cases: 0 (no change) High-risk contacts: 311, including 24 in Kawartha Lakes, 165 in Northumberland, and 5 in Haliburton (net decrease of 6)* Hospitalizations (total to date): 18, including 11 in Kawartha Lakes, 6 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change) Deaths: 33 (no change) Resolved: 377, including 198 in Kawartha Lakes, 152 in Northumberland, 27 in Haliburton (increase of 20, including 5 in Kawartha Lakes and 15 in Northumberland) Institutional outbreaks: Extendicare Kawartha Lakes in Lindsay, Case Manor Care Community in Bobcaygeon (no change)
*This total includes 117 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
The health unit provides daily reports, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 250 (increase of 5) Active cases: 30 (decrease of 6) Deaths: 5 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 2 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change) Resolved: 215 (increase of 11) Swabs completed: 15,867 (no change) Institutional outbreaks: Seasons Dufferin Centre in Quinte West (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 155,930 (increase of 2,316) Resolved: 133,213 (increase of 1,931, 85.4% of all cases) Hospitalized: 875 (decrease of 20)* Hospitalized and in ICU: 261 (increase of 5) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 156 (increase of 10) Deaths: 4,150 (increase of 25) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 2,564 (increase of 18) Total tests completed: 7,371,532 (increase of 69,412) Tests under investigation: 54,546 (decrease of 23,601)
*Over 10 per cent of Ontario hospitals did not submit data for this report.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from November 19 – December 19, 2020. 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 November 19 – December 19, 2020. 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)
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