A Buckhorn man, identified only by his first name Rob, with the deer he rescued after it had fallen through the ice on Lower Buckhorn Lake on January 14, 2021. After recovering, the deer returned to the woods. (Photo: Shelley Fine / Facebook)
A Buckhorn man is being hailed as a hero for saving a young deer that had fallen through the ice on Lower Buckhorn Lake on Thursday (January 14).
“This has been such a heartwarming day,” Fine writes in her Facebook post. “My neighbour spotted a young deer who had fallen through the ice and went out in his kayak to save her with a rope.”
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Fine, who only identifies her neighbour by his first name Rob at his request, goes on to describe his heroic efforts to save the deer.
“She struggled for an hour as he tried to get her up on solid ice but she kept going under,” she writes. “He saw she wasn’t going to make it so he crawled out on his belly and used his hands to pull her to safety.”
Rob heads out in his kayak to rescue a deer that had fallen through the ice on Lower Buckhorn Lake. (Photo: Shelley Fine / Facebook)
“He carried her to his shed and he and his wife dried and warmed her off. The deer slept for three hours then took off like a shot.”
Fine calls Rob a hero in her post.
“You acted from your heart,” she writes. “Bravo and so happy the deer was saved.”
After an hour of the deer struggling to get back on solid ice, Rob crawled out on the ice and pulled the deer to safety. He and his wife took the deer to their shed where they dried her off and warmed her up. (Photo: Shelley Fine / Facebook)After sleeping for three hours, the deer woke up and took off into the woods. (Photo: Shelley Fine / Facebook)
klusterfork's Linda Kash (top left) during a six-week improv intensive series on Zoom this past summer, when a group of 10 students enjoyed live and interactive online classes from Canadian entertainment industry pros. Starting January 18, 2021, klusterfork is offering another round of workshops featuring industry pros including Lisa Merchant, Steve Ross, Michael Walters, Wendy Hopkins, Brent Haynes, and more. (Photo courtesy of klusterfork)
Klusterfork’s LOL workshop saved my soul.
I know what you’re thinking. It sounds like hyperbole. Maybe it is. The thing is, I really do notice a significant improvement in my quality of life after participating in the LOL workshop.
Let’s be honest. None of us were naive enough to believe that 2021 would magically erase all of the woes 2020 brought to our lives, but I don’t think any of us expected the New Year to begin like this.
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Two weeks in, and we’ve already witnessed an entire year’s worth of tragedy and upheaval.
Somewhere along the line — likely due to the constant barrage of near-apocalyptic events, the doom-scrolling, the inevitable mind-numbing fatigue that accompanies life in a post-truth society — much to my detriment, I had forgotten how to play, how to laugh.
Thankfully, klusterfork jogged my memory and I am all the better for it.
Like many, I have experienced my fair share of Zoom calls since the pandemic began, but this was a Zoom like no other.
klusterfork co-founder Linda Kash, who performed as the iconic Philadelphia Cream Cheese Angel in the beloved TV commercials from the 1990s, reprised her role in 2020 when Kraft was searching for her successor. Kash is also known for her roles in Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and the Fargo series opposite Ewan McGregor. (Photo: Kraft Heinz Canada)
When I entered the virtual room, I was greeted by the excited faces of the other workshop participants and Linda Kash, the Philadelphia Cream Cheese Angel herself!
I can see how, for some people, the thought of doing improv with Linda Kash, a literal superstar of Hollywood fame, sounds intimidating; however, my experience was anything but. For other people, the opportunity for intimate access to industry giants such as Linda Kash sounds like a dream come true!
Linda and the entire group were nothing but accessible. With Linda at the helm, my nerves quickly gave way to excitement. Her leadership inspired a willingness to play and the group did just that.
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We began with a drawing exercise in which we were tasked to draw a portrait of another group member without ever looking at the page we were drawing on. The task required the participants to be present in the moment. Laughing at our blind-portraiture, we quickly let go of our inhibitions and learned to trust the process.
Next, using the chat feature of the Zoom interface, the group collaboratively wrote a poem. Hilarity ensued. With the stroke of a few keys, our group of individuals was quickly transformed into a team, a collective with a common goal: to play.
We then went on to a series of rapid-fire improv games: “headlines”, character work, scene work, “fortunately/unfortunately”. Each new exercise seamlessly built on the skills developed in the previous one. And, most importantly, each exercise brought another opportunity for raucous laughter.
The session went by so quickly that I totally forgot to take a screen shot for posterity. I can’t remember the last time I laughed that hard nor can I remember the last time I truly played.
During her klusterfork workshop with Linda Kash, kawarthaNOW’s Sarah McNeilly participated in a drawing exercise, where participants were tasked with drawing a portrait of another participant without ever looking at the page they were drawing on. Here’s the hilarious result. (Photo: Sarah McNeilly)
The most beautiful thing about play is that it is not ultimately ‘for’ any other purpose.
Play, necessarily, is opposed to work. It is part of what makes us human. In fact, play is a universal element of human behaviour that presupposes culture; it is a widespread behaviour among most animals too.
Play also has wonderful side effects — mainly that it is fun! Play is related to laughter. Currently, there exists mounting data pointing to the medical benefits of laughter.
Laughter releases endorphins, activates the neurotransmitter serotonin (the same brain chemical affected by most anti-depressants), and stimulates the vagus nerve, which activates the parasympathetic nervous system (also known as the “rest and restore” system).
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All this laughter-induced chemical stimulation leads to lower stress, a strengthened immune system, pain relief, mood improvement, and increased personal satisfaction.
Laughter really is the best medicine.
Directly after participating in klusterfork’s LOL workshop, I noticed significant improvements in my quality of life.
After the most-cathartic experience of playing and laughing, I noticed my stress level had dropped precipitately, which subsequently brought relief to the tension and pain I was feeling in my neck and back. More focused and clear-headed, I was able to complete my tasks with ease. That night, for the first time in weeks, I slept like a baby.
If you’re a professional artist, I need not convince you of the immense benefits of enrolling in one of klusterfork’s workshops. It’s a no-brainer.
An investment in in your art practice now means that, if and when you are ever able to return to work, you will improve our chances at landing the gigs you audition for. Now is the time for skills-building and professional development and what better way to do so than with intimate guidance from industry giants.
klusterfork co-founder Linda Kash’s connections in the Canadian entertainment industry has allowed her to recruit some big names for the workshops, including award-winning actor, improvisor, producer, and instructor Lisa Merchant who will be leading the “genre improv” workshop. (Photo source: lisamerchant.com)
However, the benefits of klusterfork’s LOL workshops go far beyond artistic professional development. From sales people to CEOs, the corporate world has long known that improv training is great for business training.
Beyond the many benefits that improv training can bring to your professional life, it is also good for your soul. It teaches adaptation — radical acceptance. Self-care is so much more than bubble baths. It is so important, now more than ever, to make time for play. Play is healing. You deserve to play.
And, heck, it’s cheaper than therapy!
The next series of workshops begin the week of January 18th. Class sizes range from six to 12 students and range in price from $339 to $425.
Unique access workshops include “Musical Theatre: Auditioning The Song with Steve Ross and special guest Michael Walters”, “Making the Pitch with Wendy Hopkins and special guest Brent Haynes”, “Start-Me-Up Improv with Linda Kash and friends”, “Improv: Genres with Lisa Merchant”, and “Start Me Up: Singing with Kate Suhr”.
For more information about the workshops and how to enroll, visit www.klusterfork.com.
Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for Hastings County, including Bancroft, calling for up to 15 cm of snow on Friday night (January 15) and Saturday.
A strong low pressure system is forecast to track along the U.S. east coast to New England this weekend.
Most of the snow will fall in New Brunswick, southern Quebec, and the most eastern part of Ontario, with 10 to 15 cm of snow expected for Hastings County.
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Snow will begin on Friday night and continue through Saturday, tapering off to scattered flurries by Saturday night.
Other areas of the greater Kawarthas region — including Haliburton, Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, and Northumberland — can expect between 2 and 5 cm by Saturday.
Across the Kawarthas region, temperatures will remain at or slightly above freezing until Saturday night.
Poor winter driving conditions are expected. Motorists should consider changing their travel plans accordingly.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
After two days of cases below 3,000, Ontario is reporting 3,326 new cases today. The seven-day average of daily cases across the province has decreased by 28 to 3,480.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 14 new cases to report, 1 new death, and 21 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region decreasing by 5 to 134.
Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (968), Peel (572), York (357), Windsor-Essex (268), Niagara (165), Ottawa (144), Hamilton (107), Middlesex-London (102), and Waterloo (100).
There are double-digit increases in Durham (93), Halton (85), Simcoe Muskoka (80), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (57), Eastern Ontario (39), Huron Perth (29), Brant (29), Lambton (20), Thunder Bay (19), Southwestern (18), Chatham-Kent (17), and Grey Bruce (11), with smaller increases in Haldimand-Norfolk (8), Peterborough (7), Sudbury (6), and Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (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.
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Of today’s new cases, 50% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (1,240) among people ages 20-39, followed by 977 cases among people ages 40-59. With 3,593 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.4% to 84.9%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has decreased since yesterday by 0.9% to 5.1%, meaning that 51 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on January 13.
Ontario is reporting 62 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 29 in long-term care homes. Hospitalizations have decreased by 17 from yesterday to 1,657, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs increasing by 3 to 388, and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators increasing by 4 to 280.
A total of 71,169 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation increasing by 5,681 to 66,940. A total of 159,021 doses of vaccine have been administered, with 14,237 daily doses administered and 13,293 total vaccinations completed (i.e., both doses administered).
Due to the winter break and the remote learning period during the state of emergency, there will be no data to report for schools in southern Ontario until at least January 26. There are 35 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, a decrease of 13 from yesterday, with 17 cases among children and 18 cases among staff.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 14 new cases to report, including 5 in Peterborough, 5 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Northumberland, 1 in Hastings Prince Edward. There are no new cases to report in Haliburton. None of the new cases reported today in licensed child care settings are in the greater Kawarthas region.
There is 1 new death in Northumberland, of a resident at Hope Street Terrace long-term care home in Port Hope.
An additional 21 cases have been resolved, including 7 in Peterborough, 7 in Kawartha Lakes, 4 in Northumberland, 2 in Haliburton, and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward.
There are currently 134 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 5 from yesterday, including 51 in Peterborough, 31 in Kawartha Lakes, 29 in Northumberland, 22 in Hastings Prince Edward (2 in Quinte West, 16 in Belleville, and 4 in Central Hastings), and 1 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 459 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (403 resolved with 5 deaths), 328 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (274 resolved with 36 deaths), 315 in Northumberland County (281 resolved with 4 deaths), 39 in Haliburton County (38 resolved with no deaths), and 338 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (311 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Northumberland on January 14.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 12 p.m. the previous day. Data from local health units is more current and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day. There may be discrepancies between the Ontario data reported today (which is from yesterday) and the local health unit data reported today (which is from today).
Peterborough Public Health’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 459 (increase of 5) Active cases: 51 (decrease of 2) Close contacts: 113 (decrease of 27) Deaths: 5 (no change) Resolved: 403 (increase of 7) Hospitalizations (total to date): 19 (no change)* Total tests completed: Over 40,300 (increase of 100) Outbreaks: Community Living Trent Highlands group home in Peterborough, Fairhaven long-term care home in Peterborough (no change)
*As of January 14, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting fewer than 10 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, with fewer than 10 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive. The hospital is not providing exact numbers of patients.
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
The health unit provides reports from Monday to Saturday, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 682, including 328 in Kawartha Lakes, 315 in Northumberland, and 39 in Haliburton (increase of 8, including 5 in Kawartha Lakes and 3 in Northumberland)* Active cases: 61, including 31 in Kawartha Lakes, 29 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (net decrease of 3) Probable cases: 5, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 4 in Northumberland (net increase of 4) High-risk contacts: 149, including 70 in Kawartha Lakes, 50 in Northumberland, and 5 in Haliburton (no net change)** Hospitalizations (total to date): 29, including 19 in Kawartha Lakes, 9 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change)*** Deaths (including among probable cases): 41, including 36 in Kawartha Lakes and 5 in Northumberland (increase of 1 in Northumberland)**** Resolved: 593, including 274 in Kawartha Lakes, 281 in Northumberland, 38 in Haliburton (increase of 13, including 7 in Kawartha Lakes, 4 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton) Institutional outbreaks: Hope St. Terrace long-term care home in Port Hope, Fenelon Court in Fenelon Falls, Island Park Retirement Residence in Campbellford, Maplewood long-term care home in Brighton, Caressant Care McLaughlin Road in Lindsay, Tower of Port Hope (no change)
*The health unit states that total counts and counts for individual counties may fluctuate from previously reported counts as cases are transferred to or from the health unit based on case investigation details and routine data cleaning.
**This total includes 24 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
***As of January 14, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 5 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19.
****On January 13, the COVID-related death of a resident at Hope Street Terrace long-term care home in Port Hope was confirmed.
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: 338 (increase of 1) Active cases: 22 (no change) Deaths: 5 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 3 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 1 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change) Resolved: 311 (increase of 1) Tests completed: 34,106 Institutional outbreaks: Hastings Manor Beech Villa in Belleville (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 228,310 (increase of 3,326) Resolved: 193,814 (increase of 3,593, 84.9% of all cases) Positivity rate: 5.1% (decrease of 0.9%) Hospitalized: 1,657 (decrease of 17) Hospitalized and in ICU: 388 (increase of 3) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 280 (increase of 4) Deaths: 5,189 (increase of 62) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,092 (increase of 29) Total tests completed: 8,714,916 (increase of 71,169) Tests under investigation: 66,940 (increase of 5,681) Vaccinations: 14,237 daily doses administered, 159,021 total doses administered, 13,293 total vaccinations completed (both doses)
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from December 14, 2020 – January 13, 2021. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from December 14, 2020 – January 13, 2021. The red line is the number of tests completed daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from December 14, 2020 – January 13, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of hospitalizations, the purple line is the daily number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs, and the dotted orange line is a five-day moving average of is a five-day moving average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from December 14, 2020 – January 13, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily deaths, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of daily deaths. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
The coroner is investigating after a man’s body was discovered beside train tracks in Peterborough on Thursday morning (January 14).
At around 10:45 a.m. on Thursday, Peterborough police were called to the area after reports of a man found beside train tracks between The Parkway and Lansdowne Street West.
Emergency services had already been called to the scene and determined vital signs were absent.
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Police say there is no threat to public safety.
The area had been cordoned off after the body was found, but was reopened by 3 p.m. on Thursday.
Police are assisting the coronor with the investigation. A coroner is called to investigate deaths that appear to be from unnatural causes or natural deaths that occur suddenly or unexpectedly.
Police say that trains will be stopped or diverted until the investigation is completed.
The Ontario government has released the legal text of the stay-at-home order, which took effect at 12;01 a.m. Thursday (January 14).
The regulation, made under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, provides further details on when you can leave your home for essential purposes.
However, the regulation doesn’t actually use the phrase “essential purposes”; instead, it defines the purposes for which it’s allowed to leave your home.
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This may seem obvious, but the regulation doesn’t apply to people who are homeless. It also doesn’t apply to the outdoor parts of your home (such as your backyard) or to outdoor or indoor common areas (including lobbies) of communal residences. And it doesn’t prevent you from returning to your home when you’ve left it for an allowed purpose.
Here’s a summary of when you can leave your home according to the regulation. The actual full legal text of the regulation is provided at the end of this story.
You’re allowed to leave your home to go to work or to volunteer, when you’re unable to do so from home.
You can also leave home to go to school (including post-secondary institutions), to obtain or provide child care, or to receive or provide training or educational services.
Obtaining goods and services
You’re allowed to leave your home to obtain food, beverages, personal care items, or health care services and medications.
You can also leave home to obtain goods and services or to perform activities related to maintaining and cleaning your home, business, means of transportation, or “other places”.
You can leave your home for curbside pickup, when you have an appointment with a business or a place that’s allowed to remain open, or when you need to obtain services from a financial institution or a cheque-cashing service.
You are also allowed to leave home to obtain government services, social services and supports, and mental health support and addiction support services.
Assisting others
You’re allowed to leave your home if you need to deliver goods or provide care or support to a person who needs it.
This includes providing care to someone in a congregate care setting (for example, if you’re an essential caregiver) and accompanying someone who needs help to make an essential trip (for example, if you need to take your elderly parent to the grocery store).
It also includes taking a child to their parent or guardian or their home, or taking a member of your household to a place they are allowed to go for essential purposes (for example, driving your child to a medical appointment).
Health, safety, and legal purposes
You’re allowed to leave your home whenever it is necessary to respond to or avoid an imminent health and safety risk. This includes protecting yourself or others from domestic violence, leaving or helping someone else to leave unsafe living conditions, or seeking emergency assistance.
You are also allowed to leave your home to exercise, including walking or moving around outdoors using a assistive mobility device or using an outdoor recreational amenity that’s allowed to be open. The regulation doesn’t mention other forms of exercise (such as running, cycling, or hiking) but it doesn’t exclude them either. Walking the dog is allowed in a later section.
You can leave your home if you have to attend a place as required by law or for a purpose related to the administration of justice. You can also leave your home to exercise a recognized Aboriginal or treaty right.
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Multiple residences and moving
You’re allowed to leave your home to travel to another residence if you are going there for one of the purposes allowed in the regulation, but only if you are staying at the other residence for less than a day.
You can also travel to another residence if you’re going to stay there for at least two weeks. For example, if you leave home to visit your cottage for purposes other than maintenance, you would have to stay there for two weeks.
You can travel between your home and those of parents, guardians, or caregivers if the person is under your care.
You can also leave your home if you’re making arrangements to buy or sell a home, or making arrangements to begin or end a residential lease. Finally, you can leave your home if you are moving residences.
Travel
Even though the government is recommending against travel outside the province, you can leave your home if you are going to an airport, bus station, or train station for the purpose of travelling to a destination outside of the province.
The regulation doesn’t say it’s allowed to leave your home to go to to an airport, bus station, or train station if you are travelling within the province.
Gatherings
You’re allowed to leave your home to attend a permitted wedding, funeral, or religious service, rite or ceremony, or to make the necessary arrangements for one.
If you live alone, you’re also allowed to leave your home to gather with members of one other household.
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Animals
You’re allowed to leave your home to obtain goods and services for the health and safety of an animal (including veterinary services), to obtain animal food or supplies, or to walk or exercise an animal.
You’re allowed to leave your home whenever it is necessary to respond to or avoid an imminent health and safety risk to an animal, including protecting an animal from abuse.
Water is a recurring motif in many films featured in ReFrame 2021. "The River Guards" is a U.S. documentary about a Massachusetts community on the Housatonic River where activists have been fighting for three decades against pollution from a GE plant. ReFrame 2021 will host a discussion featuring those activists and Peterborough activists also fighting against GE pollution. (Photo courtesy of ReFrame)
From January 22 to 29, the first-ever virtual ReFrame Film Festival will connect the community when we need it most.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s column, by GreenUP Communications and Marketing Specialist Leif Einarson, features an interview with ReFrame Film Festival creative director Amy Siegel.
Whether you are a loyal participant in ReFrame, or a relative newcomer, I know you will miss the chance to connect with the ReFrame team, volunteers, and community members in person this year.
With that in mind, I’m going to hand the rest of this column off to Amy Siegel, creative director of the ReFrame Film Festival. I enjoyed the gift of a Zoom chat with Siegel, and I wish nothing more than to pass that gift on to you as directly as possible.
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“I am happy to offer ReFrame at the same time of year it has been for the past 17 years,” Siegel said. “ReFrame brightens up the depths of winter each year, and this year that matters even more. We are looking forward to the conversations and actions that result from watching these films together.
“I am pleasantly surprised by how the online festival can connect us even more directly than face to face. I hope people make the connection between art and activism in these films and all the online festival has to offer.
“Those are the two things — art and activism — that ReFrame brings together. Not only is Peterborough home to great artists who care a lot about their work, but these artists are also passionate activists who care about their community. I love these relationships.
“These relationships are one of the best things about Peterborough and ReFrame. Those people who connect their art and expertise with how much they care about their community — those people help create an artistic and activist community.”
Canadian filmmaker Jennifer Abbott’s film, The Magnitude of All Things, explores parallels between personal and planetary loss. Abbott reflects on her grieving the death of her sister to cancer (here she scatters her sister’s ashes) and the losses of climate change. (Photo courtesy of ReFrame Film Festival)
“A huge theme at ReFrame this year is water — water stories from around the world and close to home,” Siegel said. “I think it is imperative that we continue talking about water right now. ”
“I was actively interested in generating more conversation about water issues locally. I am always so excited by the local film projects at ReFrame. They locate the festival in community and connect the big issues to the local issues. I am excited by how these connections have emerged in the program.
“The opening address to the festival this year will be by Drew Hayden Taylor,” says Siegel, referring to the award-winning Canadian playwright, author, columnist, and filmmaker. He is also originally a resident of Curve Lake First Nation, one of several First Nation communities across Canada without clean drinking water.”
The opening address for ReFrame 2021 will be given by Drew Hayden Taylor, an award-winning Canadian playwright, author, columnist, and filmmaker. He is also originally a resident of Curve Lake First Nation, one of several First Nation communities across Canada without clean drinking water. ReFrame will be screening Taylor’s documentary “Cottagers and Indians”, which examines the conflict between Indigenous people and local home owners over large-scale changes in the Trent-Severn Waterway. (Photo courtesy of ReFrame)
Siegel said Drew Hayden Taylor’s address will focus on the role of storytelling across different disciplines and media. His documentary Cottagers and Indians, which will screen during the festival, is based on the same topic as Taylor’s stage play by the same name.
In the documentary, Taylor examines issues of food sovereignty, property rights, racism, privilege, contract law, and Indigenous poverty in the conflict between Indigenous people and local home owners over large-scale changes in the Trent-Severn Waterway.
Siegel also provided details of some of the other local water-related films screening at this year’s festival.
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“The film Sing them Home is a collaboration between filmmaker Cara Mumford and dancer Jenn Cole. This film is a personal essay about the waterways in our area and incorporates the words of local Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg writer Leanne Betasamosake Simpson.
“Rematriate: Passing the Seeds is a short film by Shelby Lisk, a filmmaker, artist, and writer from Kenhté:ke (Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory). The film follows the creation of a wampum belt as a treaty between the nuns who have been holding these seeds and who then give the seeds back to the Kenhté:ke Seed Sanctuary. It succinctly shows what can happen when you take the time and care to properly respect relations.
“This year’s festival will feature a Sacred Water Teaching by Elder Dorothy Taylor (Gichitwaa Nibi – Sacred Water), and Elder Doug Williams is also featured in a short film (On Treaties with Elder Doug Williams) about how Indigenous people were prevented from buying land that is now privately owned.”
Local films are always a highlight at ReFrame. “Headwaters to Hearts”, a short film by GreenUP, will tell the story of students and teachers from St. Anne’s Catholic Elementary School as they transform their relationship with water and protect the local watershed. In this photo (from before the March 2020 lockdown), students learn from Elder Dorothy Taylor of the Curve Lake First Nation as she performs an Anishinaabe Water Ceremony. (Photo: Leif Einarson)
“These local films are the things I’m really proud to present in ReFrame 2021,” Siegel said. “They connect global issues to local ones. The Sacred Water Teaching by Elder Dorothy Taylor was filmed as part of a GreenUP project. A film called Headwaters to Hearts: Education in Action, which will also be featured in the festival.”
“So many great people are doing amazing work to protect water in our community. I’m grateful that ReFrame can amplify those voices.
“ReFrame 2021 is also going to host an online trans-national dialogue by bringing together activists from Peterborough and other communities around the world.
“The River Guards is a documentary from the USA about a community on the Housatonic River. Activists there have been fighting for three decades against pollution from a GE plant.”
VIDEO: “The River Guards” trailer
“Following the screening of The River Guards, ReFrame will host an online conversation between activists who will talk about their respective fights in Peterborough and the USA for access to clean water and all the ramifications of living in a town polluted by a GE plant,” Siegel adds.
“Several of the films at ReFrame this year explore that global-local connection by focusing on the big players, how they are staying in control of industries, and how that affects communities on the ground.
“The New Corporation is a sequel to The Corporation, a 2003 exposé about how multinational corporations have taken over as unregulated global entities.
VIDEO: “The New Corporation” trailer
“The 2020 sequel looks at trends in rebranding and greenwashing that cover up underlying destructive and capitalist actions. This documentary asks how democracy plays into this.
“Because The New Corporation just came out this year, it ties in to the pandemic, the protests in response to the murder of George Floyd, and how dependent many people are on Amazon.”
“The Story of Plastic traces not only how plastic is made but also how it has evolved within our society over time. The film does an excellent job of examining exactly how the plastic industry is inseparable from the fossil fuel industry.
VIDEO: “The Story of Plastic” trailer
“The Magnitude of All Things is about climate grief. This film explores parallels between Abbott’s own experience of losing her sister to cancer and the grief of the entire planet as we live through climate breakdown. It is a heartbreaking and beautiful examination of grief.”
“The Magnitude of All Things is by Canadian filmmaker Jennifer Abbott, who is also one of the filmmakers behind The New Corporation.”
ReFrame films are geoblocked, meaning that you will need to be in Ontario to watch the films. Selected screenings include prerecorded filmmaker Q&As and extended discussions. A full schedule of events, including filmmaker Q&As, will be released on Monday, January 18th.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a sponsor of the 2021 ReFrame Film Festival.
The Rotary Harbourfront Outdoor Rink in Cobourg. (Photo: Town of Cobourg / Facebook)
After deciding last month to keep the Rotary Harbourfront Outdoor Rink open during the province-wide shutdown, the Town of Cobourg has now decided to temporarily close the rink.
Municipal council held a special emergency council meeting on Wednesday night (January 13) and unanimously decided to temporarily close the rink until 10 a.m. on Saturday, January 16th, until the Ontario government provides further clarity on what is allowed under the province’s stay-at-home order.
“We are trying to get this right in a very challenging and difficult environment,” said Cobourg mayor John Henderson. “Once we receive further direction from the Ontario government on the stay-at-home order, we can move forward with a more permanent decision on the rink.”
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During an emergency meeting on December 23, council had decided to keep the rink open for the duration of the province-wide shutdown, which began on Boxing Day. A maximum of 10 skaters were allowed on the rink, which matched the maximum limit on outdoor gatherings allowed during the shutdown.
However, when the province declared a state of emergency on Tuesday (January 12), the maximum number of people allowed in an outdoor gathering was further restricted to five.
The province’s stay-at-home order, which came into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, allows people to leave home for essential purposes only. Although exercise is listed as an essential purpose, the government has provided no guidance on acceptable forms of exercise.
“What that means will be unique to each individual Ontarian,” reads a statement released by the Premier’s Office on Wednesday. “Some may wish to go for a walk around the block, while others may wish to go to a local basketball court with their household to shoot some hoops. We recommend that Ontarians consult their local public health unit or municipality to understand what recreational amenities are open in their community.”
Environment Canada has issued a freezing drizzle advisory for Thursday morning (January 14) for northern areas of the greater Kawarthas region.
The advisory is in place for northern Peterborough County including Apsley, northern Kawartha Lakes including Fenelon Falls, all of Haliburton County, and Hastings Highlands including Bancroft.
Areas of freezing drizzle are expected or occurring on Thursday morning.
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Patchy freezing drizzle will continue early Thursday morning and hen taper off in the early afternoon.
Surfaces such as highways, roads, walkways and parking lots may become icy and slippery.
Slow down driving in slippery conditions. Watch for taillights ahead and maintain a safe following distance.
Dr. Ian Gemmill, acting medical officer of health for Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit, during a virtual media briefing on January 13, 2021. (YouTube screenshot)
The acting medical officer of health for the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit expects every person to adhere to the stay-at-home order, apart from “logical, necessary, and approved reasons.”
During a virtual media briefing on Wednesday (January 13), Dr. Ian Gemmill said he is “fully supportive” of the restrictions announced by Premier Ford on Tuesday afternoon, including the stay-at-home order that goes into effect just after midnight on Thursday.
“I hope it will have the desired effect for getting a better handle, a better control, on this virus,” Dr. Gemmill said.
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In provincial modelling data presented Tuesday morning at Queen’s Park, Ontario’s top public health officials said mobility and contacts between people have not decreased under current restrictions.
Without the stay-at-home order, “we would be in very serious condition four weeks from now,” Dr. Gemmill said. “Gathering and travelling is the cause of much of the spread I have seen.”
“We are expecting every person to be staying at home except for essential work, medical, or health-related appointments, and issues like medications, groceries, exercise, and family emergencies. There are no other reasons.”
Dr. Gemmill also emphasized the importance of adhering to the stay-at-home order even for residents of potentially lower-risk areas, such as Haliburton.
“I think the fact that someone lives in a small, lower-tiered township is neither here nor there,” he explained. “Every winter’s virus will eventually affect all areas. For that reason, people in no area should think ‘This shouldn’t affect me, I don’t have to worry about this.'”
“We need to make sure that our health system is able to accommodate not just people with coronavirus, but people with other illnesses. People still have heart attacks, people still have strokes, people still get cancer. Those things aren’t going away.”
According to Tuesday’s provincial modelling data report, Ontario’s health care system is becoming overwhelmed, with COVID-19 ICU occupancy now at over 400 beds. Surgeries are being cancelled and “the access to care deficit will continue to increase with real consequences for health”.
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“We are in a race against this virus,” Dr. Gemmill said. “Some people are making it easy for the virus to win.”
“If we are going to win this race, we need to stop helping the virus along the way by gathering and travelling,” he added, urging the importance of holding off people from getting sick until the vaccine is widely available. “We have hope now, through a vaccine.”
As for the vaccine rollout, Dr. Gemmill said the health unit hopes to begin phase one of distributing the Pfizer vaccine to residents, staff, and essential caregivers at area long-term care homes in early February. However, this is subject to change based on the availability of the vaccine.
“We are in the process of planning for this … dusting off our mass immunization plan and working with our partners in the health sector and municipal sector and others to be ready,” he said. “Not only for phase one but also when we move into phase two.”
Phase two of the vaccine rollout — which will include essential workers, older adults, and eventually all community members who wish to be vaccinated — will take place sometime later in the spring to early summer, according to Dr. Gemmill.
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Dr. Gemmill has high hopes for the Pfizer vaccine, calling it “one huge bright light that we have. It is going to be the magic bullet if we can get it into the arms of people before they get sick.”
A minimum of 70 per cent of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity — community-wide protection from the virus.
Dr. Gemmill said the health unit currently does not have the required facilities to store the Pfizer vaccine, so it is likely to be transferred by other facilities nearby. The health unit is currently in discussion with the province about how they are to receive the Pfizer vaccine, which will allow them to determine which long-term care homes will first receive it.
Until then, Dr. Gemmill stressed that adhering to the stay-at-home order is critical, even for people who may think it is okay if they get sick.
“Every person is only two or three degrees of separation away from a possibly vulnerable person,” he pointed out. “You can’t pretend this is 2019. It’s not. We are in the very middle of an illness that is clogging up the health system and is killing a section of the population that would otherwise be okay.”
As of Wednesday afternoon, there are 64 active cases of COVID-19 in the region served by the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit, including 32 in the City of Kawartha Lakes, 30 in Northumberland County, and two in Haliburton County.
There have been six COVID-related deaths in the region so far this year, including four in Kawartha Lakes and two in Northumberland — with the most recent being the death of a resident at Hope Street Terrace long-term care home in Port Hope.
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