Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) is located at 1 Hospital Drive in Peterborough. (Photo: PRHC)
The COVID-19 assessment centre at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) is expanding to double its capacity and to assess patients with moderate respiratory symptoms who might otherwise go to the hospital’s emergency department.
According to a media release from the hospital on Friday (November 13), the expansion in the capacity and scope of the assessment centre is in response to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and to prepare for “an anticipated seasonal surge in patient volumes in our community.”
The expanded centre will double the medical assessment and testing capacity to accommodate as many as 200 people every day, and will divert away from the emergency department those patients with moderate respiratory symptoms who require a physician assessment.
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While the assessment centre will be moving into a larger space, it will still be in the same location at the northwest corner of the hospital. It will also provide improved accessibility for patients, the hospital states.
To accommodate the move into the new space, the centre will be closed next Tuesday (November 17) and will reopen the following day at noon.
The booking process and screening criteria will remain the same at the expanded centre.
The PRHC assessment centre is for people who have COVID-19 symptoms and need to be assessed by a doctor. Contact the centre directly by phone at 705-876-5086 to determine whether an appointment is required. This phone line is staffed daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
People with severe COVID-19 symptoms should call 911 or go to the hospital’s emergency department.
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People with mild COVID-19 symptoms, or who meet the other criteria for COVID-19 testing, and don’t need to be assessed by a doctor can book an appointment at the testing centre at Northcrest Arena (100 Marina Blvd., Peterborough).
For people without COVID-19 symptoms, testing is available by appointment at Shoppers Drug Mart (741 Lansdowne St. W., Peterborough).
On the heels of another record increase of COVID-19 cases in Ontario, Premier Doug Ford urges Ontarians to follow public health advice at a media conference at Heddle Shipyards in Hamilton on November 12, 2020. (CPAC screenshot)
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
For the third day in a row, Ontario is reporting a record increase of COVID-19 cases, with 1,575 new cases today — breaking yesterday’s record of 1,426 new cases. This is the seventh straight day of more than 1,000 new daily cases, with the average number of daily cases over the past week now standing at 1,299.
At a media conference at Heddle Shipyards in Hamilton, Ontario Premier Doug Ford urged Ontarians to follow public health advice, including staying home if you’re sick and avoiding large gatherings.
“We’re seeing the numbers all over the world, all over Canada, and right here in Ontario — they’re climbing, and they’re going in the wrong direction,” Ford said. “It’s concerning, it’s alarming, and we have to stay on high alert.”
“I’m asking people to be responsible,” Ford added. “We’ve now learned that eight sick people all attended two separate weddings. No-one is immune to this virus, but a small chance to see friends and family led to 17 confirmed cases. When we do the contact tracing and follow-up, some of these people have been in contact with 50 people. Do the math — that’s 850 people.”
“This is how the virus spreads when we don’t follow simple public health advice,” Ford added. “We’ve implemented new protocols to keep people safe, protocols that allow us to celebrate life’s special moments like weddings, but they depend on each of us doing our part. If you’re sick, please stay at home and get tested. Keep two metres apart. Wear a mask. And please don’t gather in large groups. I know we’re all tired of this pandemic, but we need to stay strong, we need to stick together. That’s how we’ll get through this.”
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Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (472), Peel (448), and York (155), with smaller increases in Ottawa (91), Durham (61), Waterloo (58), Halton (54), Windsor-Essex (39), Hamilton (30), Niagara (27), Middlesex-London (23), Simcoe Muskoka (20), Southwestern Public Health (14), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (14), Chatham-Kent (13), Eastern Ontario Health Unit (12), Huron Perth (10), and Sudbury (8).
The remaining 16 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with only 5 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s cases, 51% are among people 40 years of age and older, but the highest number of cases (533) are among people ages 20 to 39. With 917 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has dropped by 0.4% to 83.8%. The positivity rate has decreased by 0.8% to 4.3%, meaning that 43 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on November 11.
For the tenth day in a row, there has been a double-digit increase in the number of deaths, with 18 new deaths reported today, 12 of which were in long-term care facilities. Hospitalizations have increased by 7 to 431, with 10 more patients with COVID-19 in ICUs and 5 more patients on ventilators.
A total of 39,559 tests were completed yesterday, and the backlog of tests under investigation has increased by 7,517 to 41,977.
There are 103 new cases in Ontario schools, a decrease of 95 from yesterday, with 51 student cases, 14 staff cases, and 38 cases among unidentified individuals. There are 10 cases in licensed child care settings, a decrease of 9 from yesterday, with 5 cases among children and 5 cases among staff.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 2 new cases to report in Peterborough, 2 new cases in Hastings and Prince Edward counties, and 1 new case in Northumberland (a previous case transferred from another health unit).
There is 1 new death in Peterborough, after a second resident at Fairhaven long-term care facility who tested positive for COVID-19 died.
Two additional cases have been resolved in Northumberland, and an additional case resolved in Haliburton (all cases in Haliburton are now resolved).
There are no new cases in Kawartha Lakes or Haliburton, and none of the reported new cases in Ontario schools and child care settings are in the greater Kawarthas region.
There are currently 17 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, including 12 in Peterborough, 3 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties, 1 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Northumberland.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 166 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (150 resolved with 4 deaths), 188 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (168 resolved with 32 deaths), 53 in Northumberland County (51 resolved with 1 death), 22 in Haliburton County (22 resolved with no deaths), and 84 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (76 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on November 12.
Province-wide, there have been 89,784 confirmed cases, an increase of 1,575 from yesterday, with 75,220 cases resolved (83.8% of all cases), an increase of 917. There have been 3,293 deaths, an increase of 18 from yesterday, with 2,099 deaths in long-term care homes, an increase of 12 from yesterday. The number of hospitalizations has increased by 7 to 431, with 10 additional patients with COVID-19 in ICUs and 5 additional patients on ventilators. A total of 5,516,370 tests have been completed, an increase of 39,559 from yesterday, with 41,977 tests under investigation, an increase of 7,517 from yesterday.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 4 p.m. the previous day. Health unit data is more current, and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day.
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: 166 (increase of 2) Active cases: 12 (increase of 1) Close contacts: 9 (decrease of 1) Deaths: 4 (increase of 1) Resolved: 150 (no change) Hospitalizations (total to date): 10 (no change) Total tests completed: Over 35,350 (increase of 100) Institutional outbreaks: Fairhaven (no change)
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
The health unit provides reports from Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 263, including 188 in Kawartha Lakes, 53 in Northumberland, 22 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Northumberland)* Active cases: 2, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland (net decrease of 2) Probable cases: 0 (no change) High-risk contacts: 22, including 8 in Kawartha Lakes, 11 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (decrease of 2) Hospitalizations (total to date): 15, including 11 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change) Deaths: 33 (no change) Resolved: 241, including 168 in Kawartha Lakes, 51 in Northumberland, 22 in Haliburton (increase of 3, including 2 in Northumberland and 1 in Haliburton) Institutional outbreaks: Warkworth Long Term Care (no change)
*One previously identified case for a neighbouring health unit has been assigned to Northumberland County based on where the person resided when they were identified as a case.
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 reports from Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 84 (increase of 2) Active cases: 3 (increase of 2) Deaths: 5 (no change) Hospitalized (total to date): 7 (no change) Hospitalized and in ICU (total to date): 2 (no change) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 2 (no change) Resolved: 76 (no change) Total tests completed: 6,933 (increase of 121) Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 89,784 (increase of 1,575) Resolved: 75,220 (increase of 917, 83.8% of all cases) Hospitalized: 431 (increase of 7) Hospitalized and in ICU: 98 (increase of 10) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 62 (increase of 5) Deaths: 3,293 (increase of 18) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 2,099 (increase of 12) Total tests completed: 5,516,370 (increase of 39,559) Tests under investigation: 41,977 (increase of 7,517)
New COVID-19 cases in Ontario from October 12 – November 11, 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 October 12 – November 11, 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)
Fairhaven is a municipal long-term care home facility located at 881 Dutton Road in Peterborough. (Photo: Fairhaven)
An outbreak of COVID-19 at Fairhaven Long-Term Care in Peterborough has resulted in the death of a second resident in just two days, and the isolation of five additional residents who have tested positive for the virus.
During the weekly Peterborough Public Health briefing held Thursday (November 12), Fairhaven executive director Lionel Towns confirmed all of the infected residents, who reside in the Westview 2 Area, are isolated in Fairhaven’s Great Room — which was converted earlier into an isolation unit sealed off from the rest of the facility.
“Fairhaven has lost two of our residents which has devastated our staff and, of course, their families during this already bleak period,” said Towns.
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“Out of an abundance of caution, all residents in the Westview 2 Area are in isolation and all of our support staff are cohorted with this home area. For the remainder of the home, there is a strict plan of cohorting of staff. Our goal is stop the spread not just within the Westview 2 Area but also the other home areas.”
“We’re not expecting any more (positive cases) but there could be,” Towns added. “We feel we’re on the right track to capping the number but the virus is incredibly heinous. We’re trying now to protect people based on when they could have been exposed.”
The effect of the pandemic, and now the outbreak, on both Fairhaven staff and residents is clear, said Towns.
“They’re scared and they’re tired of the pandemic, wishing they were out of the isolation that they’re feeling and going back to pre-pandemic times. They’re missing interactions with each other and their families. It’s very tough on them. There’s no way of sugarcoating it. There’s a lot of fear.”
In an email sent Wednesday morning to residents’ families, Towns noted “the terrible darkness” in the aftermath of the death of a second Fairhaven resident Tuesday night, crediting his staff for their “immense bravery and dedication” as they care for residents day to day.
“We went through several months of nothing and now we’re in the middle of one (an outbreak),” added Towns.
“Everybody’s a bit numb. We felt we had prepared extremely well. There was a lot of confidence amongst staff and our residents and their families. Frustrating is too weak a word.”
“We’ve had to look at the situation and try to move two steps forward and implement plans to ensure people are safe depending on what we think could happen.”
In addition to the five active Fairhaven resident cases, a caregiver also tested positive. Towns confirmed that individual is not a Fairhaven employee but provided no further details.
Westview 2 is the same unit that was visited by the caregiver, who tested positive on October 31st, prompting Peterborough Public Health to declare an outbreak at the home.
The two deaths that have resulted from this outbreak bring to four the number of COVID-related deaths in Peterborough Public Health’s catchment area of Peterborough city and county, Curve Lake, and Hiawatha.
As of 4 p.m. Wednesday (November 11), the region has seen a total of 164 total positive cases — an increase of 12 since last week. There are a total of 11 active cases, including the eight associated with the Fairhaven outbreak. In addition, public health staff are currently following 10 close contacts who are at higher risk of contracting the virus due to their contact with an infected person.
While Peterborough Medical Officer of Health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra admits to being “worried” in regards to the Fairhaven outbreak, she expressed her “full confidence in Fairhaven.”
“They (Fairhaven staff) have always taken infection prevention control very seriously. There is optimism that we can bring this under control but, at same time, recognizing the extreme vulnerability of these residents.”
A 40-year-old Peterborough man has been arrested and charged with several charges including uttering threats after a nationwide police investigation.
The man is accused of sending threats through email to various libraries, schools, and hotels across Ontario and in Vancouver on Monday and Tuesday (November 9 and 10).
Peterborough police began an investigation after receiving information the emails were being sent from an address in Peterborough.
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At around 10:10 p.m. on Tuesday morning, investigators executed a search warrant on a Rubidge Street residence.
As a result of the investigation, 40-year-old Joshua Kimble of Rubidge Street was arrested and charged with eight counts of conveying a false message, eight counts of public mischief, and two counts of uttering threats to cause death and or bodily harm.
Kimble was held in custody and attended court on Wednesday. He was remanded in custody and will appear in court again on Friday, November 13th.
Police have found a three-year-old child who became lost in the woods on Thursday morning (November 12) in Selwyn Township.
The child had been playing with other children in a wooded area behind a residence on Highway 28 prior to becoming separated from the group
Peterborough County OPP were called at around 10 a.m. on Thursday and — along with members of the Central Region Emergency Response Team, Central Region Canine Unit, and the Curve Lake Detachment of the Anishinabek Police Service — conducted a search of the area.
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At around 10:35 a.m., the child was found in good condition and transported out of the woods.
Paramedics assessed the child, who did not require medical attention.
An OPP helicopter had been called in to assist in the search, but was cancelled before it arrived.
If you have a birdfeeder in your backyard, you can get chickadees to come to you by temporarily removing the feeder and instead holding seeds in your hand. This is a fun way to connect with your natural surroundings in late fall and throughout the winter. (Photo: Leif Einarson)
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s story is by Leif Einarson, Communications and Marketing Specialist at GreenUP.
It’s no coincidence that Mental Health Awareness Day falls on November 4th.
This can be a challenging time of year for taking care of our mental health, and the ongoing pandemic does not help.
If you find yourself feeling down, here are a few happiness suggestions to consider.
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1. Awe walks in nature
We already know that spending time in nature benefits to our mental and emotional health.
How exactly do we find “green space” in November, you might ask? Right now, things are more brown and bare than green.
A recent study, however, demonstrates that benefits of time spent in nature have more to do with our intentions than the seasons. The study compared two groups of adults. Both groups were asked to take 15 minute walks every day for eight weeks. The first group was given no instructions about how to take those walks, but the second group was told to find “awe” or “wonder” in their natural surroundings.
Late fall is a great time of year to enjoy getting cozy in your space and in nature. GreenUP’s Vern and Beige have been busy “tucking in” all the trees at the Ecology Park Nursery with a cozy blanket of fall leaves. (Photo: Leif Einarson)
As a result, that second group demonstrated “greater joy” during their walks and “measurably broader smiles” than the first group. The second group also demonstrated “greater decreases in daily distress over time” as well as greater increases in positive emotions and feelings of social connection.
Two great ways to enjoy awe walks at this time of year are by wondering at silence and darkness.
There is something soothing about the silence of a forest or wetland in late fall. The leafless trees are quiet. Most songbirds have migrated. The frogs are hibernating.
In his lovely book Nature’s Year in the Kawarthas, local naturalist Drew Monkman describes November beautifully as a “hush upon the land.” I think that silence is a gift, especially in troubled times.
“Nature’s Year” by local naturalist Drew Monkman is an almanac of the key events occurring in the natural world over the course of a year in the Kawartha Lakes district. An excellent resource to enjoy awe in nature in any season, the book is available for $34.99 at the GreenUP Store and is also available in hardcopy and as an electronic resource at the Peterborough Public Library. (Photo: Leif Einarson)
In 2011, the World Health Organization reported on a 10-year study of environmental noise in Western Europe. They concluded that “there is overwhelming evidence that exposure to environmental noise has adverse effects on the health of the population,” including cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment in children, sleep disturbance, tinnitus, and annoyance.
That WHO study ranked traffic noise as second only to air pollution amongst environmental threats to public health.
Take some time to get away from traffic noise. Go for a bike ride (or drive) away from busy roads for a quiet hike and be in awe of the silence and peacefulness.
Like noise pollution, light pollution can also adversely affect our health by disrupting our sleep. Luckily in Peterborough we can more easily enjoy darkness than our big-city neighbours closer to Toronto. Stargazing is good even in backyards and parks just outside downtown Peterborough.
The night sky is awesome right now. After the time change, clear evenings are perfect for awe walks in a nearby park. Stop, look up, and feel awe at the billions of stars in the Milky Way.
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2. Feed the birds
As well as learning to feed chickadees from your hand, you can even put seeds in your hat to attract them, as GreenUP’s Leif Einarson demonstrates. (Photo: Leif Einarson)
Another way you can experience awe in nature at this time of year is by connecting with birds in your backyard or nearby nature areas.
The black-capped chickadee is a great bird to connect with at this time of year and throughout the winter.
You can learn more about the chickadee in this Bird of the Month profile at the Pathways to Stewardship & Kinship website.
If you want to get really close, check out Jacob’s “Speaking Chickadee” video below from March 27th, where he shows how you can feed chickadees from your hand!
Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute, explains the benefits of “hygge” like so: “Hygge is about an atmosphere and an experience, rather than about things. It is about being with the people we love, a feeling of home, and a feeling that we are safe and shielded from the world so we can allow ourselves to let our guard down.”
We have had our guard up against COVID-19 for months. We may not be able to gather with all the people we love, but we can still do simple things in our spaces to get cozy and enjoy some “hygge.”
Our natural neighbours are also getting cozy right now. I was excited to discover a fun Squirrel Nest Game in the Pathway to Stewardship & Kinship e-newsletter last month. In this game, you build nests of dry leaves and use a thermometer to see which one works best. We had lots of fun building and testing our nests.
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4. Travel vicariously
With travel limited because of COVID-19, it feels nice to reflect upon past adventures and dream of possible future adventures.
One fun way I’ve enjoyed dreaming of travels is by following the journeys of different animals that call Ontario home during the summer but migrate elsewhere during our winter. Following these journeys vicariously also builds my appreciation for how important it is that we respect and protect local habitats, and how remarkably inter-connected our global ecosystems are.
Each year, as we watch the milkweed grow and bloom, we marvel at the amazing metamorphosis and multi-generational migrations of monarch butterflies.
Last year I enjoyed travelling vicariously with the incredible Monarch Ultra Relay that followed the 4000-plus-kilometre migratory path of monarch butterflies from Peterborough to the rare oyamel fir forests in the mountains of Mexico.
Each fall the monarch butterflies that underwent metamorphosis in Peterborough join others from across eastern North America in the rare oyamel fir forests in the mountains of Mexico. This photo by Rodney Fuentes of the Monarch Ultra shows the butterflies bunched together as densely as 15,000 per branch in the Cerro Pelon Sanctuary. (Photo: Rodney Fuentes / Monarch Ultra)
If you’re feeling wanderlust, I recommend you take a scroll back through the 2019 dispatches of the Monarch Ultra at themonarchultra.com. That journey is a remarkable celebration of a species unlike any other on this planet.
It is also a celebration of sharing cultures and collective efforts to protect this species across three nations.
Enjoy your daily 15 minutes of awe in nature this November, and try to keep it going right through into 2021. I hope it brings you happiness and good health.
If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs help, the Four County Crisis Line is available 24/7 at 705-745-6484 or toll-free at 1-866-996-0991. The Four County Crisis Line provides free, confidential mental health crisis intervention support over the phone, for people 16 years and over. They will assist you in dealing with an immediate crisis, and provide support and referrals to appropriate resources.
Poet Justin Million, the 2020 Downtown Artist in Residence, performing at "An Afternoon of Spoken Word & Poetry #2" outside The Theatre on King in downtown Peterborough on November 7, 2020. The event was part of Artsweek SHIFT: Downtown, which Million curated, and featured poets and spoken word artists including Jon Hedderwick, Elizabeth Jenkins, Shaun Phua, Nick Taylor, and more. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
On Thursday, November 5th, the Electric City Culture Council (EC3), in partnership with the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) and Leslie Menagh of Madderhouse Textile Studios, announced that local poet Justin Million is the 2020 Downtown Artist in Residence.
Million’s residency will see him creating new work and performing and hosting workshops and studio hours out of Madderhouse Textile Studios at 383 Water Street from mid-November until the end of December.
Million ought to be an intimidating person to encounter. He’s a powerhouse intellectual with graduate credentials from Carleton University and an impressive 20 publications of his poetry — so far. That said, in addition to teaching creative writing workshops, the local poet could also teach courses on humility.
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As an artist and as a human being, Million is unreservedly genuine. His work, paradoxically simple and complex — serious and satirical — and reminiscent at times of cult-poet Charles Bukowski, offers his readers and audiences a level of accessibility that can only be described as generosity.
Since returning to home to Peterborough in 2015, Million has become a force in the local arts-scene, founding two widely successful event series: the Show and Tell Poetry Series and KEYBOARDS!.
Recently, he’s also curated part of EC3’s Artsweek Shift: Downtown, bringing spoken word, poetry readings, and “Menacing Beauty: the John Climenhage Storefront Project” to various locations downtown Peterborough.
Poet Justin Million, the 2020 Downtown Artist in Residence, performing at the Show and Tell Poetry Series Showcase at The Garnet in downtown Peterborough in April 2019. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
“Show and Tell Poetry Series started in 2015 at Curated, Melinda Richter’s oddity shop in the Charlotte Mews,” Million recalls, “I had just moved back to Peterborough and I didn’t know anyone. I ended up going to a reading there and said I was interested in starting a poetry reading series and Melinda — without knowing me at all — suggested that I do it at Curated.”
“So I started doing Show and Tell Poetry Series and I met a lot of really great people there, including my lovely partner Elisha Rubacha, and then from there we moved to The Garnet, which became our long-time home base, and that’s where I started KEYBOARDS!”
KEYBOARDS! — a live typewriter show — offered audiences a unique experience. Million would encourage audiences to talk among themselves while he harvested snippets of their conversations to craft his improvisational typewritten poems live on stage. The poet would ring a bell, read the unedited work aloud, and place the only existing copy of the found-poetry on a stool for audience members to purchase by donation.
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“People were shocked to be included in a genre that they consider to be high art,” explains Million of the iconic KEYBOARDS! happenings. “Most people who don’t avidly read poetry always say that they don’t understand it, but they also think that poetry is important.”
“I think that’s due to how we’re taught poetry,” he muses. “We’re taught that there’s some secret in a poem, and if you can’t decipher the secret of this 100-year-old poem then you’re an idiot. Which is ridiculous because most of my favourite poems are so accessible that — literally — if you can read, then you can understand the poem.”
Poet Justin Million, the 2020 Downtown Artist in Residence, at the farewell performance of KEYBOARDS! at The Garnet in downtown Peterborough in August 2018. In 2016, Million founded the spontaneous poetry event, which took place on the last Sunday of each month at The Garnet in downtown Peterborough. During 30 events, he created around 500 poems. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
This year was on track to be a banner one for Million, with the release of his highly anticipated first trade book slated for March 21st. However, as is the case for many of us, our year of the virus threw a proverbial wrench in his plans.
“This was my first trade book, perfect-bound by a real publisher — a life goal accomplished,” recalls Million, who was due to launch the book at Ottawa’s international poetry festival, Versefest, which Million helped to found 10 years ago.
“They were going to give me the treatment like I’ve never had. They were going to put me up in a hotel and give me a festival pass, an open bar pass, and a per diem — poets don’t get that kind of treatment!”
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“There was so much wrapped up in this book being launched and then it didn’t happen, which was particularly crushing,” Million adds. “But compared to what’s happening to other people all over the world, it was nothing. I mean, people are dying.”
Million’s grace in the face of loss gives poetic justice to his recent appointment as Peterborough’s 2020 Downtown Artist in Residence.
The program will provide Million with mentorship, a stipend, some production expenses and studio space, along with support for public engagement and audience participation in the downtown, allowing the poet to concentrate on his art practice.
Poet Justin Million, the 2020 Downtown Artist in Residence, performing at The Hi How Are You Revue at the Twisted Wheel in downtown Peterborough in September 2019. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
To execute the program quickly and efficiently, EC3 made the residency eligible only to artists who had been previously been nominated for, but had not won, a Peterborough Arts Award — an annual initiative launched by EC3 in 2018 and championed by Bill Lockington of LLF Lawyers where $2,000 awards are presented to six individuals who have shown outstanding achievement in the arts.
For the inaugural awards, Million was nominated as outstanding emerging artist and, the following year, as outstanding mid-career artist.
“I like to refer to myself as the Susan Lucci of the Peterborough Arts Awards,” Million laughs. “I’ve been nominated twice and haven’t won — I think Drew Hayden Taylor and I are the only two that have been nominated twice and are yet to win, so I’m in pretty decent company there.”
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With the 2020 edition of the Peterborough Arts Awards postponed due to the pandemic, Million considers his designation as 2020 Downtown Artist in Residence an appropriate substitute.
“This residency is basically an arts award,” he continues. “It made the application process that much more streamlined because EC3 didn’t have to vet all of the artists, because they’ve already been vetted for the arts award. In that sense they could launch the program and get things started that much faster.”
“The thing I’m looking forward to the most is the studio space — I’ve never had a studio. Ever. I’ll be able to walk into that room, close the door, and be as creative as I want to. I’ll get the chance to explore.”
“I’m also really looking forward to being able to up my game, so to speak, in terms of experimenting more with projections. I think there’s a lot of possibility to do that kind of bigger-ticket projection work at night in Peterborough so that larger audiences can see it.”
Poet Justin Million (right), the 2020 Downtown Artist in Residence, speaking during the “Writing off the Edge: Precarious Poetry and Prose” discussion, part of the 2017 Precarious Festival in Peterborough. Also pictured are Narthan Adler (left) and Elisha Rubacha (centre), who is also Million’s partner and a writer and publisher. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
The 2020 Downtown Artist in Residence program will also benefit the Peterborough community writ large.
“Community is made manifest in a live event,” explains Million. “You can feel what community means in the odd comfort of a shared experience.”
“It’s the same thing as when you’re watching a hockey game — I’m a big hockey fan. A typical playoff Hockey Night in Canada begins with a Joel Plaskett song and then Ron MacLean reads a Walt Whitman poem — that’s not a coincidence — art creates a narrative that elevates life experiences.”
“By supporting people in your community that are making art, you’re essentially elevating your own story. You are becoming part of it and you’re allowing that narrative to continue, which only makes your community bigger and better — it’s celebrating yourself in a way that is not born of hubris or misplaced pride.”
Poetry — indeed all the arts — can be an effective means not only for community-building and narrative-shaping, but also for better conceptualizing the challenges we face; thus, it can also play a role in helping us cope with such challenges.
Justin Million’s book “Ejecta: The Uncollected KEYBOARDS! Poems “, available from Apt 9 Press, contains 132 poems from Million’s KEYBOARDS! events that were not collected by members of the audience at the end of the events. (Photo: Apt 9 Press)
“Poetry is concision-based, so you can take a gigantic idea and take a corner of it and write that corner out to the point where it actually speaks to the whole,” explains Million.
Through the voice of poets, the “makers” as the Greek origin of the word indicates, we hear our own voices. Peterborough is blessed to have Justin Million as the 2020 Downtown Artist in Residence — to have the opportunity to embrace his poetic voice and to hear our own voices in it.
Visit EC3’s website at ecthree.org for updates regarding the 2020 Downtown Artist in Residence program or follow them on Facebook.
To buy a copy of Justin Million’s first trade book, Ejecta: The Uncollected KEYBOARDS! Poems, visit the Apt 9 Press shop on Etsy.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting yet another new record of 1,426 COVID-19 cases today, breaking yesterday’s record of 1,388 cases. This is the sixth straight day of more than 1,000 new daily cases, with the average number of daily cases over the past six days now standing at 1,253.
There has been a record increase of new cases in Peel (468), which has now overtaken Toronto (384) and, along with York (180), makes up the majority of the new cases.
There are smaller increases in Durham (63), Hamilton (62), Niagara (42), Waterloo (40), Halton (30), Ottawa (28), Simcoe Muskoka (27), Middlesex-London (20), Southwestern Public Health (12), Windsor-Essex (11), Thunder Bay (8), Eastern Ontario Health Unit (7), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (7), Sudbury (6), Huron Perth (6), and Brant County (6). The remaining 15 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with only 5 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s cases, 53% are among people under 40 years of age, with the highest number of cases (536) among people ages 20 to 39. With 886 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has dropped by 0.4% to 84.2%. The positivity rate has decreased by 0.6% to 5.1%, meaning that 51 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on November 10.
For the ninth day in a row, there has been a double-digit increase in the number of deaths, with 15 new deaths reported today, 7 of which were in long-term care facilities. Hospitalizations have increased by 2 to 424, with 6 more patients with COVID-19 in ICUs and 3 more patients on ventilators.
A total of 34,460 tests were completed yesterday, and the backlog of tests under investigation has increased by 6,658 to 34,460.
The number of new cases in Ontario schools has jumped to 198, an increase of 39 from yesterday, with 116 student cases, 21 staff cases, and 61 cases among unidentified individuals. There are 19 cases in licensed child care settings, a decrease of 3 from yesterday, with 6 cases among children and 13 cases among staff.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 2 new cases to report in Peterborough and 1 new death — a resident at Fairhaven long-term care facility.
There are no new cases in Hastings and Prince Edward counties, and an additional case has been resolved there. Reports are not available for Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, or Haliburton as the health unit is not publishing an update on Remembrance Day.
None of the reported new cases in Ontario schools and child care settings are in the greater Kawarthas region.
There are currently 16 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, including 11 in Peterborough, 1 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties, 1 in Kawartha Lakes, 2 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 164 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (150 resolved with 3 deaths), 188 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (168 resolved with 32 deaths), 52 in Northumberland County (49 resolved with 1 death), 22 in Haliburton County (21 resolved with no deaths), and 82 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (76 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Northumberland on September 8.
Province-wide, there have been 88,209 confirmed cases, an increase of 1,426 from yesterday, with 74,303 cases resolved (84.2% of all cases), an increase of 886. There have been 3,275 deaths, an increase of 15 from yesterday, with 2,087 deaths in long-term care homes, an increase of 7 from yesterday. The number of hospitalizations has increased by 2 to 424, with 6 additional patients with COVID-19 in ICUs and 3 additional patients on ventilators. A total of 5,476,811 tests have been completed, an increase of 36,707 from yesterday, with 34,460 tests under investigation, an increase of 6,658 from yesterday.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 4 p.m. the previous day. Health unit data is more current, and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day.
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: 164 (increase of 2) Active cases: 11 (increase of 2) Close contacts: 10 (no change) Deaths: 3 (increase of 1) Resolved: 150 (decrease of 1) Hospitalizations (total to date): 10 (no change) Total tests completed: Over 35,250 (increase of 100) Institutional outbreaks: Fairhaven (no change)
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
The health unit provides reports from Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays. There is no update on Remembrance Day; these numbers are from November 10.
Confirmed positive: 262, including 188 in Kawartha Lakes, 52 in Northumberland, 22 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Northumberland) Active cases: 4, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes, 2 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Northumberland) Probable cases: 0 (no change) High-risk contacts: 24, including 9 in Kawartha Lakes, 12 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Kawartha Lakes) Hospitalizations (total to date): 15, including 11 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change) Deaths: 33 (no change) Resolved: 238, including 168 in Kawartha Lakes, 49 in Northumberland, 21 in Haliburton (no change) Institutional outbreaks: Warkworth Long Term Care (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 reports from Monday to Friday, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 82 (no change) Active cases: 1 (decrease of 1) Deaths: 5 (no change) Hospitalized (total to date): 7 (no change) Hospitalized and in ICU (total to date): 2 (no change) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 2 (no change) Resolved: 76 (increase of 1) Total tests completed: 6,812 swabs completed (no change)* Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
*The health unit was previously reporting 48,710 tests completed; this appears to be an error or a change in how this data is being reported
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 88,209 (increase of 1,426) Resolved: 74,303 (increase of 886, 84.2% of all cases) Hospitalized: 424 (increase of 2) Hospitalized and in ICU: 88 (increase of 6) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 57 (increase of 3) Deaths: 3,275 (increase of 15) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 2,087 (increase of 7) Total tests completed: 5,476,811 (increase of 36,707) Tests under investigation: 34,460 (increase of 6,658)
New COVID-19 cases in Ontario from October 11 – November 10, 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 October 11 – November 10, 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)
Fairhaven is a municipal long-term care home facility located at 881 Dutton Road in Peterborough. (Photo: Fairhaven)
One resident at Fairhaven long-term care home in Peterborough who had tested positive for COVID-19 has died, and four more residents have tested positive for the disease.
kawarthaNOW obtained a copy of an email sent by Fairhaven’s executive director Lionel Towns to families on Wednesday (November 11).
“We are deeply saddened to confirm that one of our residents, who had tested positive for COVID-19, has passed away,” Towns writes. “We have been in touch with family members, whose loved one passed, to offer our heartfelt condolences. This is a terrible virus and our thoughts are with everyone impacted.”
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Towns also states that the facility, located at 881 Dutton Road, received four additional positive tests on Tuesday (November 10) for residents on the home’s Westview 2 unit.
“Families of the affected residents have been contacted and all (Westview 2) residents have now been isolated in their personal areas out of an abundance of caution,” Towns writes. “Staff are tightly cohorted and no one else will be entering this care area.”
The four additional infections come after the home advised on Monday (November 9) that an asymptomatic resident on the Westview 2 unit had been re-tested over the weekend, with Peterborough Public Health confirming a positive test result on Monday afternoon.
Westview 2 is the same unit visited by a caregiver who tested positive on October 31st, prompting Peterborough Public Health to declare an outbreak at the home.
After the positive resident test was confirmed on Monday, Fairhaven postponed all visits by essential caregivers, while allowing only a maximum of two palliative visitors.
All general visits had already been prohibited when the outbreak was declared, but essential caregiver visits were still allowed according to provincial guidelines.
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At the time the first resident tested positive, all other residents and staff on Westview 2 had been tested and all results received were negative. That changed on Tuesday (November 10), when the tests for four residents on the unit came back positive.
Towns did not provide any further details about the resident who died, other than that the person had tested positive for COVID-19.
Peterborough Public Health reported four new COVID-19 cases in its update on Tuesday afternoon, and has confirmed to kawarthaNOW that these are the four Fairhaven residents who have tested positive.
Women like Jodie Hames of Clayworks Pottery in Bethany own only 16 per cent of Canadian small and medium-sized businesses. To help ensure economic equality and prosperity for women, the Kawartha Lakes Small Business & Entrepreneurship Centre has launched the Women's Entrepreneurship Program, funded through the federal government's Women Entrepreneurship Strategy. Over the next three years, the pilot program will support 45 female entrepreneurs starting a new or early-stage business in Kawartha Lakes. There is no financial commitment to participate in the program. (Photo: City of Kawartha Lakes)
While the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic has varied depending on the industry, there’s one group that has been hit particularly hard across Canada: women-owned businesses.
Prior to the pandemic, 50 per cent of all ventures started across Canada were by women, and 16 per cent of those were small- and medium-sized businesses. Yet making it in business is no easy feat for women, who face a long list of obstacles that their male counterparts may not — lack of networks and mentors, less access to financing, and juggling family responsibilities, to name a few.
In an effort to ensure equality and prosperity for female entrepreneurs, Kawartha Lakes Small Business & Entrepreneurship Centre has launched the new Women’s Entrepreneurship pilot program.
Over the next three years, the program intends to support 45 female entrepreneurs starting a new or early-stage business in the Kawartha Lakes region, with training and development opportunities.
“This program is created specifically to assist women in starting, planning, and building full-time businesses in our communities,” says Diane Steven, manager with Kawartha Lakes Small Business & Entrepreneurship Centre. “We’re championing female entrepreneurs by helping them overcome hurdles they may face so they can unleash their full potential.”
This includes getting one-on-one guidance from a business consultant, giving participants the confidence to strengthen their entrepreneurial skills, build a solid business plan, identify their ideal customers, and to identify the tools and resources they’ll need to build a solid foundation for their business.
Female entrepreneurs like Dana Deathe, owner of The Book Lady bookshop and literary cafe in Fenelon Falls, face unique barriers when developing and growing their businesses, such as a lack of access to resources and funding and balancing family and business responsibilities. The Kawartha Lakes Small Business & Entrepreneurship Centre’s pilot Women’s Entrepreneurship Program will provide female entrepreneurs in Kawartha Lakes with virtual business training, workshops and webinars, mentorship, and networking opportunities at no cost. (Photo: City of Kawartha Lakes)
“When you want to start a new business, it’s important to understand the bigger picture and the demand for your product or service,” Steven notes.
Through the Women’s Entrepreneurship Program, selected participants can access virtual business training, workshops and webinars, mentorship, and networking opportunities with like-minded businesswomen — all at no cost.
Steven explains the virtual platform is convenient for women who have a multitude of responsibilities that may require them to have control over the times that they can access the training, and need business supports that work with their individual availability.
Women entrepreneurs are a driving force in Ontario’s economy and essential to creating dynamic communities. Through this program, Steven says, the federal government is recognizing we need to better evaluate and address the barriers faced by women and other underrepresented groups.
“These women are creating employment opportunities not only for themselves but for others as well,” Steven points out. “It’s a wonderful thing to encourage and support.”
The Women’s Entrepreneurship pilot program in Kawartha Lakes has been made possible thanks to the federal government’s Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, a $2-billion investment that seeks to double the number of female-owned businesses by 2025.
Women-led businesses like 11:11 Full Circle Healing in Lindsay, owned by Alyssa Huntley, are underrepresented in Canada’s economy. The Kawartha Lakes Small Business & Entrepreneurship Centre’s pilot Women’s Entrepreneurship Program will help women in the Kawartha Lakes region start, plan, and build full-time businesses. There is no cost to participate in the program. (Photo: City of Kawartha Lakes)
Kawartha Lakes Small Business and Entrepreneurship Centre has already supported hundreds of businesses start-ups in Kawartha Lakes by providing coaching, mentoring, and business development support services.
While the Women’s Entrepreneurship pilot program has recently accepted a handful of female founders, Steven encourages any other women who are interested to start the outreach process now.
To qualify for the program, you must be:
A female entrepreneur over 18 years old living in Kawartha Lakes.
The owner of either a new business that’s not yet registered or one that has been operating within the last four months.
Planning to start a new full-time permanent business that is your main source of income, working an average of 30 plus hours a week.
Operating as a sole proprietorship or partnership. For partnerships, the majority owner must complete the application and is responsible for executing the agreement terms.
There is no financial commitment to participate in the program.
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