NanoNation Canada is a 100% Indigenous-owned company specializing in the distribution and application of antimicrobial cleaning products ideally suited for use in hospitals, long-term care facilities, schools, food processing plants, restaurants, retail outlets, and more. The Peterborough-based company is also entering the retail market as an exclusive distributor of Bacoban disinfecting and cleaning wipes and spray bottles. (Photo: NanoNation Canada)
More than a year after sensing “there’s a good business opportunity here,” Steve Daynes is both anxious and excited to “hit it head on” with the official launch of his new business NanoNation Canada.
The 100 per cent Indigenous-owned Peterborough-based company (Daynes is the general manager and clearly very proud of his Indigenous roots) specializes in the distribution and application of antimicrobial cleaning products ideally suited for use in hospitals, long-term care facilities, schools, food processing plants, restaurants, retail outlets – anywhere that pathogens like viruses and bacteria find a home.
At the heart of NanoNation’s success is its exclusive use of Bacoban, a multifunctional hard surface disinfectant and cleaning agent manufactured in Lindsay. While deadly to disease-causing microbes, Bacoban is non-toxic to humans and animals and is perfectly safe for use on hard surfaces including cell phones, computers, and medical equipment.
“We saw that Bacoban came out of Germany and is a solid product, so we joined up and here we are,” says Daynes, who also owns and oversees Level A and The Staffing Connection, two Peterborough-based businesses that connect people with jobs, both temporary and permanent, in professional fields.
“It was in January of last year that we started talking to some people about this idea,” Daynes recalls. “We’ve had some pretty good clients since then, both here in the Kawarthas and as far away as the Northwest Territories.”
“All our clients have been quite happy,” he adds. “It has given them the reassurance they’re doing everything they can to keep themselves, their own clients, and their staff safe.”
Approved by Health Canada, Bacoban’s colourless and odourless solution kills 99.9 per cent of bacteria, viruses, and fungi while leaving behind a protective hygienic surface that prevents growth of bacteria, mold, and mildew. It’s highly effective on a variety of surface types, including plastic, ceramic, metal, stainless steel, porcelain, and glass.
NanoNation Canada uses electrostatic technology so that sprayed disinfectant uniformly reaches and bonds on all surfaces. This is followed by the application of a protective nano-coating that actively inhibits pathogens for up to 90 days. (Illustration: NanoNation Canada)
Unique to NanoNation Canada is its application process, which uses electrostatic technology so that the sprayed disinfectant uniformly reaches and bonds on all surfaces, followed by the application of a protective nano-coating that actively inhibits pathogens for up to 90 days. This is a huge plus over other cleaning solutions where surfaces can soon become contaminated again, requiring repeated disinfection and increasing costs.
With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, Daynes admits the timing of his starting his business “was impeccable” as things turned out. While NanoNation Canada wasn’t started with COVID in mind, it has certainly become much more relevant and needed as a result of the pandemic.
“There was a need for this product before COVID and there’s going to be a need for it after COVID,” Daynes explains. “It’s unfortunate that a lot of businesses have been affected negatively by the pandemic, but this product is definitely a good news story for them.”
NanoNation Canada is an exclusive distributor of Bacoban, a multifunctional hard surface disinfectant and cleaning agent manufactured in Lindsay that kills 99.99% of viruses, bacteria, and fungi, including durable disinfecting and cleaning wipes (pictured) and spray bottles for consumer use. (Photo: Bacoban Canada)
To coincide with the official launch of NanoNation Canada, Daynes is also branching into the retail market to have his product distributed and sold for home use. This will see wipes and spray bottles made available for use in smaller settings such as homes, vehicles, and small offices.
“We’re in talks with a couple of grocery stores,” he says, pointing out that consumers will notice an important difference with NanoNation Canada’s wipes.
“Our wipes are an actual thick towelette. A lot of competitors use a very thin cloth — so when you go to wipe something it rips on you. With our towelettes, you have to physically pull on them hard to rip them.”
VIDEO: NanoNation Canada and Bacoban partnership
Having started and overseen his other business interests for close to 20 years now, Daynes says lessons learned from those experiences are guiding him through this new venture.
“I’ve made sure I have the right people in the right places to help me be successful,” he says. “I’ve got a good team of people and I have the infrastructure in place to support me.”
“It’s exciting to be back in the trenches starting up a new business and being able again to do all those things I once did,” Daynes adds. “It’s nice to get back into the grassroots of building a business from scratch. I really enjoy it.”
For more information about NanoNation Canada and its application process or to purchase Bacoban products, visit www.nanonationcanada.com.
At a media conference on May 5, 2021, Ontario health minister Christine Elliott reported that 43% of Ontario adults have now received their first dose of vaccine, with 65% of adults expected to receive one dose by the end of May. (CPAC screenshot)
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
With Ontario reporting 2,791 new cases today, the second straight day of cases under 3,000, Ontario health minister Christine Elliott said 43% of Ontario adults have now received their first dose of vaccine.
“We expect to administer first doses to 65% of Ontarians aged 18 and over by the end of May — nearly 7.9 million Ontarians,” Elliott said during a media briefing at Queen’s Park this afternoon. “The light of the end of the tunnel grows brighter with every vaccine administered.”
Elliott’s remarks came on the same day that Health Canada announced it had approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for use in children and youth aged 12 through 15, lowering the previous recommended age of 16 and older. It is the first COVID-19 vaccine approved in Canada for the younger age group, with the three other available vaccines — Moderna, AstraZeneca, and the recently approved Johnson & Johnson — currently limited to those 18 and over.
Of today’s new cases, Toronto and 8 other health units are reporting triple-digit increases, with the seven-day average of daily cases falling by 77 to 3,432 and the number of active cases continuing to decline. There are 2,862 more cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant, 8 more cases of the B.1.351 South Africa, and 30 more cases of the P.1 Brazilian variant.
Hospitalizations and ICU admissions have both decreased, but the number of patients on ventilators has climbed. Ontario is reporting 44 deaths today, including 1 new death in a long-term care home. This is the highest single-day increase since February 18 when 47 new deaths were reported.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 30 new cases to report (including 11 in Peterborough, 11 in Hastings Prince Edward, 6 in Kawartha Lakes, and 2 in Northumberland) and an additional 31 cases resolved, with the number of active cases decreasing by 3 to 199. There has been 1 new COVID-related death in Hastings Prince Edward, the region’s 10th death.
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Most of the new cases reported today are in Toronto (924), Peel (565), York (254), Durham (171), Hamilton (149), Ottawa (140), Middlesex-London (114), Halton (114), and Niagara (108).
There are double-digit increases reported today in Simcoe Muskoka (65), Windsor-Essex (47), Waterloo (45), Brant (31), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (27), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (25), Southwestern (18), Lambton (17), Haldimand-Norfolk (17), Hastings Prince Edward (15), Eastern Ontario (12), Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (12), Peterborough (12), and Huron Perth (11), with smaller increases in Sudbury (9), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (9), and Thunder Bay (8).
The remaining 8 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 1 health unit (Algoma) reporting no new cases.
Of today’s new cases, 58% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (1,194) among people ages 20-39 followed by 871 cases among people ages 40-59 and 523 cases among people 19 and under.
With 4,361 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.4% to at 91.0% — the 16th straight day the percentage of resolved cases has increased. The average positivity rate across Ontario has dropped by 2.5% to 6.6%, meaning that 66 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on May 4.
Ontario is reporting 44 new COVID-19 deaths today, with 1 new death in a long-term care homes. This is the highest single-day increase since February 18 when 47 new deaths were reported. Ontario has averaged 28 new daily deaths over the past week, an increase of 2 from yesterday.
The number of hospitalizations has fallen by 92 to 2,075, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs decreasing by 4 to 886 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators increasing by 11 to 620.
A total of 45,767 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation rising by 4,130 to 29,179.
A total of 5,599,723 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 132,603 from yesterday, with 381,123 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 3,038 from yesterday.
The number of fully vaccinated people represents 2.59% of Ontario’s population, an increase of 0.02% from yesterday, with fully and partially vaccinated people representing 38.01% of the population, an increase of 0.90% from yesterday. An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 30 new cases to report, including 11 in Peterborough, 11 in Hastings Prince Edward, 6 in Kawartha Lakes, and 2 in Northumberland. There are no new cases in Haliburton.
There are 10 new regional cases of variants of concern, including 5 in Hastings Prince Edward, 3 in Peterborough, and 2 in Kawartha Lakes.
There has been 1 new COVID-related death in Hastings Prince Edward and 1 new hospitalization in Northumberland. An outbreak involving 3 cases in the ICU of QHC Belleville General Hospital was declared on May 4.
An additional 31 cases have been resolved, including 11 in Peterborough, 10 in Hastings Prince Edward, 8 in Northumberland, 1 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Haliburton. An outbreak at Empress Gardens retirement home in Peterborough was declared resolved on May 5.
There are currently 199 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 3 from yesterday, including 73 in Peterborough, 72 in Hastings Prince Edward (11 in Quinte West, 42 in Belleville, 1 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 11 in Prince Edward County, 3 in Central Hastings, and 3 in North Hastings), 27 in Northumberland, 24 in Kawartha Lakes, and 3 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 1,265 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,178 resolved with 14 deaths), 738 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (671 resolved with 56 deaths), 830 in Northumberland County (789 resolved with 14 deaths), 105 in Haliburton County (101 resolved with 1 death), and 969 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (887 resolved with 10 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Hastings Prince Edward on May 5.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 4 p.m. the previous day, as well as from systems in Toronto, Ottawa, and Middlesex-London at 2 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: 1,265 (increase of 10)* Total variants of concern cases: 470 (increase of 3) Active cases: 73 (decrease of 1) Close contacts: 204 (decrease of 9) Deaths: 14 (no change) Resolved: 1,178 (increase of 11) Hospitalizations (total to date): 53 (no change)** ICU admissions (total to date): 8 (no change) Total tests completed: Over 50,400 (increase of 150) Outbreaks: Unidentified congregate living facility #3 in Peterborough, Unidentified workplace #5 in Peterborough, Unidentified workplace #7 in Peterborough, Unidentified workplace #8 in Peterborough, Sunshine Daycare in Peterborough, Unidentified home child care centre #1 in Peterborough County (decrease of 1)*** Vaccine doses administered: 56,409 (increase of 12,806 as of April 29) Number of people fully vaccinated: 4,211 (increase of 1,730 as of April 29)
*The health unit is reporting 11 new cases in the last 24 hours. The total case count has increased by 10 because 1 case has been removed from a previous day.
**As of May 5, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting 15 patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 (decrease of 2) and a total of 67 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (no change).
***An outbreak at Empress Gardens retirement home in Peterborough was declared resolved on May 5.
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
The health unit provides reports from Monday to Saturday, excluding Sundays and statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 1,673, including 738 in Kawartha Lakes, 830 in Northumberland, and 105 in Haliburton (increase of 8, including 6 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Northumberland)* Total variants of concern cases: 403, including 139 in Kawartha Lakes, 243 in Northumberland, and 21 in Haliburton (increase of 2 in Kawartha Lakes) Active cases: 54, including 24 in Kawartha Lakes, 27 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (net decrease of 2) Probable cases: 0 (decrease of 2, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland) Hospitalizations (total to date): 61, including 33 in Kawartha Lakes, 25 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Northumberland)** Deaths (including among probable cases): 71, including 56 in Kawartha Lakes, 14 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change) Resolved: 1,561, including 671 in Kawartha Lakes, 789 in Northumberland, and 101 in Haliburton (increase of 10, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes, 8 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton) Tests completed: 182,778 (increase of 625) Vaccine doses administered: 72,365 (increase of 7,412 as of May 3) Number of people fully vaccinated: 4,271 (increase of 723 as of May 3) Outbreaks: Transition House shelter in Cobourg (no change)
*The health unit states that total counts and counts for individual counties may fluctuate from previously reported counts as cases are transferred to or from the health unit based on case investigation details and routine data cleaning.
**As of May 5, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 7 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (decrease of 1).
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 969 (increase of 11) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 338 (increase of 5) Active cases: 72 (no change) Deaths: 10 (increase of 1) Currently hospitalized: 15 (decrease of 3) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 7 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 6 (no change) Resolved: 887 (increase of 10) Tests completed: 132,220 (increase of 12) Vaccine doses administered: 63,258 (increase of 1,622) Number of people fully vaccinated: 4,388 (increase of 290) Outbreaks: Unidentified workplace in Prince Edward County, Unidentified workplace in Belleville, QHC Belleville General Hospital, Unidentified workplace in Belleville, Unidentified congregate living facility in Belleville, Unidentified child care facility in Quinte West, ICU of QHC Belleville General Hospital (increase of 1)*
*An outbreak involving 3 cases in the ICU of QHC Belleville General Hospital was declared on May 4.
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 479,633 (increase of 2,941) COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) cases: 80,511 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 2,862); 317 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (increase of 8); 1,001 of P.1 Brazilian variant (increase of 30)* VOC R(t): 0.92 (increase of 0.03 as April 30)** 7-day average of daily new cases: 3,432 (decrease of 77) Positivity rate: 6.6% (decrease of 2.5%) Resolved: 436,470 (increase of 4,361), 91.0% of all cases (increase of 0.4%) Hospitalizations: 2,075 (decrease of 92) Hospitalizations in ICU: 882 (decrease of 4) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 620 (increase of 11) Deaths: 8,187 (increase of 44) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 28 (increase of 2) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,929 (increase of 1) Total tests completed: 14,310,628 (increase of 45,767) Tests under investigation: 29,179 (increase of 4,130) Vaccination doses administered: 5,599,723 (increase of 132,603), 38.01% of Ontario’s population (increase of 0.90%)*** People fully vaccinated (two doses): 381,123 (increase of 3,038), 2.59% of Ontario’s population (increase of 0.02%)***
*While Ontario’s daily update still is not yet reporting this information, Public Health Ontario confirmed on April 23 that 36 cases of the B.1.617 variant, a so-called “double mutation” variant first identified in India, have been detected in Ontario.
**R(t) is a virus’s effective reproduction number, which is the average number of new infections caused by a single infected individual at a specific time (t) in a partially immunized population. To successfully eliminate a disease from a population, R(t) needs to be less than 1.
***An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from April 4 – May 4, 2021. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from April 4 – May 4, 2021. The red line is the daily number of tests completed, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from April 4 – May 4, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day rolling 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 rolling average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from April 4 – May 4, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily deaths, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of daily deaths. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Ontario from April 4 – May 4, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of daily doses. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
In April 2021, the Ontario legislature appointed Scarborough spoken word artist Randell Adjei as Ontario's first-ever poet laureate, a position created by legislation in memory of the late poet and singer Gord Downie. Through the Electric City Culture Council, the City of Peterborough is in the process of selecting its own first-ever poet laureate. (Photo: Lady Mensah Studios)
After a long and rather tumultuous process, Peterborough-Nogojiwanong will soon have its first-ever poet laureate.
Nominations are now open for a professional poet to serve a one-year term in the honorary position, which will recognize the excellence and outstanding achievements of a professional (print/page and/or spoken word) poet living and working in the City of Peterborough or Peterborough County.
The poet laureate will be paid a $2,000 honorarium for their term, which will run from June 20, 2021 until April 30, 2022.
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The tradition of the poet laureate dates back to the ancient Greeks, who gave crowns or wreaths of laurel to recognize the achievements of celebrated poets and heroes. The tradition was revived during the Renaissance to recognize poetic preeminence at European universities in the Middle Ages, and has since been institutionalized by numerous nation states and cities around the world.
Today, in Canada, poets laureate are selected to reflect the cultural life of the city in which they live and write through poetry.
With the launch of the Poet Laureate Pilot Program, the City of Peterborough joins 16 other Ontario municipalities with existing poet laureate programs. Comparable regions include Barrie, Cobourg, Kingston, London, Owen Sound, and Windsor.
Poets laureate promote the importance of literature, arts, and culture in society by working to strengthen the public’s relationship to poetry and civic identity. The position of poet laureate recognizes the contributions of poets to the cultural life of the community in which they are appointed.
“Through poetry, a poet laureate inspires us and encourages us to reflect on our lives and the life of our community,” Mayor Diane Therrien stated in a media release.
“The arts community is a key part of the cultural, social. and economic vibrancy of Peterborough. Our first poet laureate is arriving at a milestone in the history of our community as we look forward to emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic when we will build back better together.”
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The city’s poet laureate will be required to compose and present poems for Peterborough city council and for official city events and occasions, which will be determined annually in coordination with city staff and the Electric City Culture Council (EC3), which is administering the program under the guidance of the City of Peterborough’s Arts Culture Heritage Advisory Committee (ACHAC).
The program requires a total of four new works and four public readings to be created and presented during the poet laureate’s one-year term.
In addition to creating and presenting new works of poetry to enhance civic identity, the poet laureate will be required to liaise with city staff and EC3 on a quarterly basis, work with city staff and EC3 to develop a legacy project, provide a written report regarding the experience at the end of their term, and participate in the following year’s poet laureate selection committee.
“The Poet Laureate Pilot Program supports outstanding professional literary artists in the creation and presentation of new work that speaks to our lives in this place called Peterborough/Nogojiwanong,” said EC3 executive Director Su Ditta.
As an arm’s length independent arts council mandated by the City of Peterborough, EC3 will coordinate the nomination process and facilitate the selection process, including the appointment of the independent selection committee and the management of its work according to best practice arts council standards.
The Peterborough Poetry Collective, which first proposed a poet laureate for the City of Peterborough in 2017, is a working collective of spoken word artists that presented the monthly Peterborough Poetry Slam series before the pandemic, as well as other spoken word, poetry, hip-hop, and storytelling performances, workshops, and initiatives. In 2015, the collective hosted SLAMtario! The Ontario Poetry Slam Team Championship (pictured are the Peterborough participants) and in 2017 hosted the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word. (Photo: Andy Carroll)
The city’s poet laureate program took several years to develop and was not without controversy. Following a 2017 request from the Peterborough Poetry Collective, the previous city council agreed to a poet laureate program on the condition that the collective fundraise for the program.
However, after receiving inaccurate information in a 2019 report by city staff, which erroneously claimed the Peterborough Poetry Collective had not raised the required funds, councillors Leslie Parnell and Henry Clarke voted against offering $2,000 of city funding for the program, much to the frustration of local poets.
The program was ultimately deemed a civic project to be funded by the City of Peterborough and was slated to begin in 2020. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic hit before the program could be launched.
To be eligible for selection, nominees must be 18 years of age or older, a current resident of the City of Peterborough or Peterborough County, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, and have made a significant contribution to poetry or spoken word arts and the literary life of the municipality or surrounding region.
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Nominees must also be professionally published according to the eligibility criteria, prepared to accept the responsibilities of the position, and accustomed to citizen engagement and community outreach. Self-nominations are not permitted.
Nomnations are open until Tuesday, May 25th, with the selected poet laureate to be announced on Wednesday, June 23rd. A nomination information session will be held on Zoom from 7 to 8 p.m. on Monday, May 10th.
The top six photos submitted to Peterborough photographer Heather Doughty's international 'She Inspires Me' contest (clockwise from top left): Angel (Sacramento, California), Neave Alderson (Peterborough, Canada), Thereza Campagnani (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Dr. Kathy Reilly Fallon (New York City, USA), Port Melbourne Icebergs (Melbourne, Australia), and Maibritt Jensen (Newbury, UK). (Photos supplied by Inspire: The Women's Portrait Project)
Peterborough photographer Heather Doughty’s Inspire: The Women’s Portrait Project has revealed the top six photos in the ‘She Inspires Me’ contest — and is dedicating the photographic campaign to the late Jessica Dalliday.
The contest, which ran during March and April, encouraged people from around the world to submit a photo they had taken of a woman in their life who inspires them and to share a little insight into why.
From the 48 submissions, a judging committee selected the top six photos that best represented the mission of the Inspire project: to create a safe space to honour, share, and celebrate the stories of women by recognizing “the remarkable in the regular”, according to a media release.
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Here are the top six photos in alphabetical order:
Angel, a mom in Sacramento, California, USA
Neave Alderson, a 13-year-old cancer survivor in Peterborough, Canada
Thereza Campagnani, a 90-year-old grandmother in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Maibritt Jensen, an operations coordinator at a soup kitchen in Newbury, UK
Port Melbourne Icebergs, an outdoor swimming group in Melbourne, Australia
Dr. Kathy Reilly Fallon, surgeon and co-founder of a children’s charity in New York City, USA
Along with the submitted photos, the collection now includes a seventh photo of a posthumous nominee to whom the collection is now dedicated: the late Jessica Dalliday, who tragically died in hospital in April after giving birth to her second daughter, who had passed away five days earlier.
“Jessica Dalliday was the definition of an inspiring woman,” says Doughty, the creator and founder of Inspire. “It is our honour to announce that the She Inspires Me Project will run annually in honour and memory of Jess.”
In the words of Jessica’s family, “Although her life was cut tragically short, her words and actions have the power to continue to inspire us to live each day with love in our hearts, to fearlessly pursue our passions, to find gratitude, and to encourage others to see the beauty in each day.”
‘She Inspires Me’ is dedicated to the memory of Jessica Dalliday, who tragically died in April 2021 after giving birth to her second daughter. (Photo: Chantelle Watt Photography)
‘She Inspires Me’, which was sponsored in its first year by Fox Law of Peterborough, will run for two months every year.
Susan Sauve, transportation demand management planner with the City of Peterborough, demonstrates unloading a bike from a bicycle rack on the front of a Peterborugh Transit bus. The bike racks are part of a pilot program and are available on a limited number of buses on Routes 4, 5, and 8. (YouTube screenshot)
Peterborough Transit has just launched a bicycle rack pilot program on a limited number of buses on Route 4 (Weller), Route 5 (The Parkway), and Route 8 (Monaghan).
The racks, each with space for two bikes, are installed on the front of the bus, similar to bike racks on GO Transit and TTC buses.
There’s no additional charge to use the bike racks, but you have to load and unload the bike yourself and remove all detachable items from the bike. The racks fit regular-sized bicycles only with a minimum wheel size of 16 inches (not fat bikes or scooter-style bikes).
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“Bike racks on buses enable people to get between one place and another more easily using different types of transportation,” says councillor Kemi Akapo, the city’s transportation chair, in a media release. “This is the way of the future, making sustainable, lower carbon transportation options more convenient and attractive.”
Although bike racks on buses were first recommended to the City of Peterborough by the Share the Road Cycling Coalition in 2019, the city has had operational challenges accommodating bike racks on its buses — including how to accommodate the racks at the downtown Transit Terminal and in bus repair bays.
The pilot program will help Peterborough Transit to work through these challenges.
VIDEO: Transit Bike Racks Announcement
Cycling supporter Wild Rock Outfitters in downtown Peterborough is sponsoring the bike racks.
“Anything that helps get people out of cars and onto bikes is good for the people, the planet, and the parking,” says Wild Rock co-owner Scott Murison.
Through the pilot program, the city will gauge demand for the service and determine what’s required to expand the program.
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“Bike racks on buses are helpful to cyclists who may need to take transit for part of their trip or who prefer to take the bus one way and cycle the other,” says councillor Don Vassiliadis, the city’s transportation co-chair.
The bike racks are available on a first come, first served basis. Instructions for how to use the bike racks are printed on the racks.
“Access to transit services with a bicycle are appreciated in many circumstances, but especially when there is a drastic change in weather, to avoid difficult portions of bike routes or to avoid riding after dark in unlit areas,” says Vassiliadis.
Dane Bland, who is seeking the provincial Liberal nomination for Peterborough-Kawartha, is holding a livestreamed virtual town hall on May 16th at 7 p.m. open to all community members and engaged voters around the province. Bland has also invited subject-matter experts from the community to ask him questions about issues directly impacting the community. (Photo courtesy of Dane Bland)
Dane Bland, who is seeking the provincial Liberal nomination for Peterborough-Kawartha, is holding a livestreamed virtual town hall at 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 16th. The event will be held via Zoom, with more information and a registration form available at www.danebland.ca/townhall.
Hosted by Linda Kash, the event will see Bland answering questions from the community about both his ideas and his vision for Peterborough-Kawartha.
In March, Bland first declared his intentions to seek the nomination for the Liberal Party of Ontario. The graduate of Trent University’s business administration program and Seneca College’s fundraising management program has over a decade of experience working in provincially regulated fields such as arts, culture, heritage, education, and health care, long-term care, and human rights. Currently, he works for an international LGTBQI human-rights organization.
VIDEO: Dane Bland Campaign Announcement
In addition to answering questions from the community, the May 16th virtual town hall will feature subject-matter experts who will ask Bland about issues directly impacting the Peterborough-Kawartha community.
According to Bland, experts in health care and long-term care, mental health, climate change, education, and more will come prepared with questions he will not know in advance.
“These are people who have really specific subject matter expertise in these areas,” Bland says. “I want them to ask me questions they’ve heard in their day-to-day lives.”
“They can ask me important and critical questions, in a way that translates the complexity of the way the system works directly to the issues that impact people and matter to them most,” he adds.
Bland says the benefit of inviting these experts to pose questions is they will hold him to account.
“It would be one thing for me to say ‘I believe in improving our long-term care system,’ but an expert is going to ask ‘Yes, but what are you going to do?'” Bland explains. “I think that’s where the value is.”
Experts will be announced in the lead-up to the event at www.danebland.ca/townhall, where people will also be able to email their questions in advance if they prefer not to ask their question publicly at the virtual town hall.
“We’re opening these questions up to anybody who wants to ask me one,” Bland notes. “Everybody attending is an expert in their own right in how the provincial government impacts their day-to-day lives.”
Well-known Peterborough actor, director, and teacher Linda Kash has endorsed Dane Bland and will be hosting his virtual town hall at 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 16th. (Photo courtesy of Linda Kash)
The virtual town hall will be hosted by award-winning actor, director, and teacher Linda Kash.
“Linda keeps things moving,” Bland says. “She brings energy and brightness. Having somebody like Linda on board — who’s brilliant, unbelievably talented, and genuinely kind and funny — is going to make this an enjoyable evening for people to attend, beyond hearing about political issues.”
Kash, who endorses Bland, is well known and respected in the Peterborough community.
“I am so proud to be part of this diverse community and continue to be invested in its success,” Kash says. “I’m concerned by the issues we face, but I’m excited by Dane’s fresh perspective and commitment to change our local politics. I’m excited to learn more on May 16th with each of you and to support Dane.”
“I have an unlimited amount of respect for Linda,” Bland says. “The fact that she is willing to step up and do this and be a positive supporter of mine — I can’t describe what that means.”
The town hall is being held on the Zoom video-conferencing platform rather than as an in-person gathering due to the pandemic, which Bland notes has led to many changes in the way he would typically campaign for the nomination.
To accommodate the restrictions created by the pandemic, Bland is focusing on livestreamed events, social media engagement, phone outreach, and flyer distribution.
“The nomination stage of the process is built by grassroots support,” Bland explains. “Grassroots support is usually driven by me slapping on a pair of running shoes and introducing myself to people. Of course, for safety purposes, we can’t do that anymore. No candidate across the entire province can do that anymore — it’s against regulations to do it.”
Dane Bland’s virtual town hall takes place at 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 16th. Hosted by Linda Kash, the event will be livestreamed via Zoom and recorded and shared online for people to watch at a later date. (Graphic courtesy of Dane Bland)
The downside to livestream events is that those without broadband access cannot participate.
“At this stage with everything that’s going on — from the nomination process to education to health care — internet access is critical,” says Bland. “That’s part of what I stand for as well as a potential candidate.”
Bland encourages anyone who cannot participate in the virtual town hall but would still like to know more about his vision for the community to speak with him directly by calling 705-313-2333.
“The number is open day and night for potential voters and for people who want to get to know me a little bit better,” Bland says.
“My version of door-to-door has been over the phone,” he points out. “On the one hand, it’s easier to reach more people that way. On the other hand, I’m missing out on meeting people face-to-face and having some of those interactions you only get when you introduce yourself to people on their front steps.”
As for the importance of events such as the virtual town hall, Bland says his main goal is to make it easy for people to learn more about how they can participate in the nomination stage of the democratic process.
“One of the things about the nomination process is that it often happens behind closed doors and only a few hundred people end up participating as voters,” says Bland. “One of my utmost goals in doing things like this town hall is building that tent a little bit bigger so more people have a say at this critical juncture in our democratic process.”
“If I can make it so that more people in our community feel inspired to attend events like this, learn about how they can get involved, and then take action and do it, that’s a huge win for me,” he adds. “I am so inspired by everybody who’s doing that, whether they’re going to vote for me or not.”
The town hall livestream will allow people to learn more about Bland and to decide whether they share his vision for the community.
“I don’t want to ask a single human being to vote for me without getting to know me first,” Bland remarks. “I hope that people who come and attend will get a sense of what it is that I’m trying to achieve.”
The livestream is expected to take just over an hour, but Bland says he will stay on as long as there are questions to answer. Those who cannot attend the entire event can tune in and out at their convenience. According to Bland, the event will also be recorded and shared online for people to watch at a later date.
A graduate of Trent University and Seneca College, Dane Bland has over a decade of experience working in provincially regulated fields such as arts, culture, heritage, education, and health care, long-term care, and human rights. Currently, he works for an international LGTBQI human-rights organization. (Photo courtesy of Dane Bland)
As for his motivation for entering politics, Bland says he learned from a young age that if you want things to change you have to be willing to step up.
“My mom taught me a basic lesson when I growing up: if something is broken, you can either complain about it or you can roll up your sleeves,” Bland says. “Seeing everything that’s going on, I decided now was the right time for me to roll up my sleeves and to be a part of making a change.”
For more information about Bland’s platform and the May 16th virtual town hall, visit www.danebland.ca, where you can also sign up to support him or to donate to his nomination campaign.
“It’s unbelievably humbling every time anybody signs up at DaneBland.ca, becomes a member, and is willing to invest their political capital behind this campaign — this movement that we’re building for positive change,” Bland says.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 2,791 new cases today — the lowest single-day increase since March 31 when 2,557 cases were reported.
Toronto and 6 other health units reporting triple-digit increases, with the seven-day average of daily cases falling by 68 to 3,509 and the number of active cases continuing to decline.
There are 2,303 more cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant, 8 more cases of the B.1.351 South Africa, and 51 more cases of the P.1 Brazilian variant.
Hospitalizations have increased significantly, but more than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for the past 2 days so this increase reflects earlier underreporting. There’s been a small decrease in both the number of ICU admissions and the number of patients on ventilators.
Ontario is reporting 25 deaths today, including 9 new deaths in long-term care homes — the highest single-day increase in long-term care homes since February 20 when 11 new deaths were reported.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 32 new cases to report (including 15 in Hastings Prince Edward, 10 in Peterborough, 5 in Northumberland, and 2 in Kawartha Lakes) and an additional 32 cases resolved, with the number of active cases decreasing by 3 to 202.
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Most of the new cases reported today are in Toronto (931), Peel (653), York (275), Durham (147), Hamilton (128), Ottawa (112), and Halton (101).
There are double-digit increases reported today in Niagara (89), Middlesex-London (61), Waterloo (56), Simcoe Muskoka (52), Windsor-Essex (34), Brant (25), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (25), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (19), Haldimand-Norfolk (13), and Eastern Ontario (11), with smaller increases in Southwestern (9), Northwestern (7), Sudbury (7), Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (7), North Bay Parry Sound (6), and Lambton (6).
The remaining 11 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with all health units reporting at least 1 new case.
Of today’s new cases, 60% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (1,199) among people ages 20-39 followed by 778 cases among people ages 40-59 and 469 cases among people 19 and under.
With 3,323 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.1% to at 90.6% — the 15th straight day the percentage of resolved cases has increased. The average positivity rate across Ontario has decreased by 0.6% to 9.1%, meaning that 91 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on May 3.
Ontario is reporting 25 new COVID-19 deaths today, with 9 new deaths in long-term care homes. This is the highest single-day increase in long-term care homes since February 20 when 11 new deaths were reported. Ontario has averaged 26 new daily deaths over the past week (no change from yesterday).
The number of hospitalizations has increased by 242 to 2,167, but more than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for today’s report, so this increase reflects earlier underreporting. The number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs has decreased by 3 to 886 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators has decreased by 2 to 609.
A total of 33,740 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation rising by 9,930 to 25,049.
A total of 5,467,120 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 88,871 from yesterday, with 378,085 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 2,180 from yesterday.
The number of fully vaccinated people represents 2.57% of Ontario’s population, an increase of 0.02% from yesterday, with fully and partially vaccinated people representing 37.11% of the population, an increase of 0.60% from yesterday. An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 32 new cases to report, including 15 in Hastings Prince Edward, 10 in Peterborough, 5 in Northumberland, and 2 in Kawartha Lakes. There are no new cases in Haliburton.
There are 7 new regional cases of variants of concern, including 4 in Hastings Prince Edward, 2 in Peterborough, and 1 in Kawartha Lakes.
There is 1 new hospitalization in Hastings Prince Edward and 2 more patients on ventilators.
An additional 32 cases have been resolved, including 11 in Peterborough, 10 in Hastings Prince Edward, 6 in Northumberland, 4 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Haliburton. An outbreak at Trent Champlain Residence E/F Tower in Peterborough was declared resolved on May 1.
There are currently 202 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 3 from yesterday, including 74 in Peterborough, 72 in Hastings Prince Edward (14 in Quinte West, 42 in Belleville, 1 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 11 in Prince Edward County, 3 in Central Hastings, and 1 in North Hastings), 32 in Northumberland, 20 in Kawartha Lakes, and 4 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 1,255 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (1,167 resolved with 14 deaths), 733 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (670 resolved with 56 deaths), 827 in Northumberland County (781 resolved with 14 deaths), 105 in Haliburton County (100 resolved with 1 death), and 958 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (877 resolved with 9 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on April 28.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 4 p.m. the previous day, as well as from systems in Toronto, Ottawa, and Middlesex-London at 2 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: 1,255 (increase of 10) Total variants of concern cases: 467 (increase of 2) Active cases: 74 (decrease of 1) Close contacts: 213 (increase of 20) Deaths: 14 (no change) Resolved: 1,167 (increase of 11) Hospitalizations (total to date): 53 (no change)* ICU admissions (total to date): 8 (no change) Total tests completed: Over 50,250 (increase of 50) Outbreaks: Empress Gardens retirement home in Peterborough, Unidentified congregate living facility #3 in Peterborough, Unidentified workplace #5 in Peterborough, Unidentified workplace #7 in Peterborough, Unidentified workplace #8 in Peterborough, Sunshine Daycare in Peterborough, Unidentified child care centre #1 in Peterborough County (decrease of 1)** Vaccine doses administered: 56,409 (increase of 12,806 as of April 29) Number of people fully vaccinated: 4,211 (increase of 1,730 as of April 29)
*As of May 4, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting 17 patients currently hospitalized with COVID-19 (increase of 1) and a total of 67 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (increase of 5).
**An outbreak at Trent Champlain Residence E/F Tower in Peterborough was declared resolved on May 1.
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
The health unit provides reports from Monday to Saturday, excluding Sundays and statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 1,665, including 733 in Kawartha Lakes, 827 in Northumberland, and 105 in Haliburton (increase of 7, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 5 in Northumberland)* Total variants of concern cases: 401, including 137 in Kawartha Lakes, 243 in Northumberland, and 21 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Kawartha Lakes) Active cases: 56, including 20 in Kawartha Lakes, 32 in Northumberland, and 4 in Haliburton (decrease of 6, including 3 in Kawartha Lakes, 2 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton) Probable cases: 2, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland (decrease of 2, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland) Hospitalizations (total to date): 60, including 33 in Kawartha Lakes, 24 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (no change)** Deaths (including among probable cases): 71, including 56 in Kawartha Lakes, 14 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change) Resolved: 1,551, including 670 in Kawartha Lakes, 781 in Northumberland, and 100 in Haliburton (increase of 11, including 4 in Kawartha Lakes, 6 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton) Tests completed: 182,153 (increase of 734) Vaccine doses administered: 72,365 (increase of 7,412 as of May 3) Number of people fully vaccinated: 4,271 (increase of 723 as of May 3) Outbreaks: Transition House shelter in Cobourg (no change)
*The health unit states that total counts and counts for individual counties may fluctuate from previously reported counts as cases are transferred to or from the health unit based on case investigation details and routine data cleaning.
**As of May 4, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 8 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (decrease of 2).
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 958 (increase of 15) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 334 (increase of 4) Active cases: 72 (increase of 4) Deaths: 9 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 18 (increase of 1) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 7 (decrease of 2) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 6 (increase of 2) Resolved: 877 (increase of 10) Tests completed: 132,208 (increase of 72) Vaccine doses administered: 61,636 (increase of 736) Number of people fully vaccinated: 4,098 (increase of 45) Outbreaks: Unidentified workplace in Prince Edward County, Unidentified workplace in Belleville, QHC Belleville General Hospital, Unidentified workplace in Belleville, Unidentified congregate living facility in Belleville, Unidentified child care facility in Quinte West (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 476,692 (increase of 2,791) COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) cases: 77,649 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 2,303); 309 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (increase of 8); 971 of P.1 Brazilian variant (increase of 51)* VOC R(t): 0.89 (decrease of 0.04 as April 27)** 7-day average of daily new cases: 3,509 (decrease of 68) Positivity rate: 9.1% (increase of 0.6%) Resolved: 432,109 (increase of 3,323), 90.6% of all cases (increase of 0.1%) Hospitalizations: 2,167 (increase of 242)*** Hospitalizations in ICU: 886 (decrease of 3) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 609 (decrease of 2) Deaths: 8,143 (increase of 25) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 26 (no change) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,928 (increase of 9) Total tests completed: 14,264,861 (increase of 33,740) Tests under investigation: 25,049 (increase of 9,930) Vaccination doses administered: 5,467,120 (increase of 88,871), 37.11% of Ontario’s population (increase of 0.60%)**** People fully vaccinated (two doses): 378,085 (increase of 2,180), 2.57% of Ontario’s population (increase of 0.02%)****
*While Ontario’s daily update still is not yet reporting this information, Public Health Ontario confirmed on April 23 that 36 cases of the B.1.617 variant, a so-called “double mutation” variant first identified in India, have been detected in Ontario.
**R(t) is a virus’s effective reproduction number, which is the average number of new infections caused by a single infected individual at a specific time (t) in a partially immunized population. To successfully eliminate a disease from a population, R(t) needs to be less than 1.
***More than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for the past 2 days, so this increase reflects earlier underreporting.
****An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from April 3 – May 3, 2021. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from April 3 – May 3, 2021. The red line is the daily number of tests completed, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from April 3 – May 3, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day rolling 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 rolling average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from April 3 – May 3, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily deaths, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of daily deaths. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Ontario from April 3 – May 3, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered, and the dotted green line is a five-day rolling average of daily doses. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
High to moderate COVID transmission of COVID-19 in the Peterborough region coupled with still high Ontario-wide case counts has medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra urging residents yet to be immunized to “take whatever vaccine you can get.”
“The first vaccine you can access remains the best vaccine for you,” said Dr. Salvaterra during a Peterborough Public Health media briefing held Tuesday (May 4).
Dr. Salvaterra’s directive came during her take on the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) now investigating the merits of mixing vaccines.
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“Mixing vaccines isn’t going to speed up the (immunization) timeline,” Dr. Salvaterra said. “The timeline really depends on the availability of all the vaccines coming into the province.”
“With AstraZeneca now being in short supply, I know there a lots of people getting worried, asking ‘Will there be AstraZeneca for me when it’s my turn to get my second dose?’ We believe there will be. The NACI recommendation remains to complete your vaccination with whatever you started with.”
Dr. Salvaterra noted there is “fascinating” research underway into the efficacy of mixing different types of COVID-19 vaccines.
“There are some promising results starting to emerge from this research that shows there may actually be an advantage to mixing and matching — that our immune system can benefit from being nudged in a different way,” she said. “We need to stay tuned and wait for that research to be published.”
This development aside, it doesn’t change the fact that the Peterborough region remains on track to receive substantial deliveries of Pfizer vaccine starting May 17. That will create the potential for at least 1,000 people a day to be immunized with their first shot.
Many people have already had an appointment booked for weeks, but the recent diversion of vaccines to COVID hotspots combined with a shortfall in the amount of vaccine coming to Canada has seen their immunization put on hold.
Dr. Salvaterra said there remains about 4,500 appointments available for the month of May at clinics in the region, but expects those will be booked soon.
Those aged 55 and up can book vaccine appointments now. Dr. Salvaterra noted that’s scheduled to be expanded to 50 and older “likely this Thursday”, to 40 and older the week of May 10, to 30 and older the week of May 10, and to 18 and older come the week of May 24.
“The light is getting brighter at the end of the tunnel but we are still in the midst of a stay-at-home order,” reminded Dr. Salvaterra.
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With the local vaccination appointment call centre having shut down, area residents are directed to phone the provincial call centre at 1-833-943-3900 to book their COVID vaccination appointments when they are in the age group that has become eligible. The line is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. seven days per week.
Eligible residents can also continue to book their appointments online by visiting ontario.ca/bookvaccine.
To date 56,409 people in the Peterborough region have received at least one dose — 52,143 of those Peterborough and area residents and the remainder residents from neighbouring health unit jurisdictions who secured a local appointment.
Meanwhile, the number of people fully immunized with two doses sits at 4,211. Local vaccination numbers are updated Thursdays between 4 and 5 p.m.
As of Monday (May 3) at 4:30 p.m., active cases stood at 75 in Peterborough city and county, Curve Lake and Hiawatha — down seven from what was reported the previous Friday. Since Monday, three new cases have been detected, bringing the total of new cases in May to 19.
Meanwhile, the number of close contacts of positive cases being closely monitored by public health staff continues its drop as of late, now pegged at 193, down 26 from Friday.
There are currently seven active outbreaks in the region, including two in daycare settings, one of those being at Sunshine Daycare on Bensfort Road that, according to Dr. Salvaterra, has seen both staff and children infected.
Also commenting during Friday’s briefing were Peterborough County Warden J. Murray Jones, and Peterborough board of health chair and Selwyn mayor Andy Mitchell.
The first two murals funded by the City of Peterborough's public art program are installed underneath the Hunter Street bridge: Edmonton artist Jill Stanton's "Bloodroot" in the foreground with Toronto artist Kirsten McCrea's "Electric City" in the background. For summer 2021, the city is funding the installation of eight temporary road murals and artists' gardens along four sites on Hunter Street West in downtown Peterborough and is seeking proposals from individual artists and teams, with the proposal deadline May 29, 2021. (Photo: Samantha Moss / kawarthaNOW)
The City of Peterborough’s public art program has issued a call for proposals to artists for two public art projects — the Road Mural Project and the Artists’ Garden Project, collectively called ‘Renaissance on Hunter’ — which will be installed along Hunter Street West in downtown Peterborough by early summer.
Due to the pandemic, the city will once again be making temporary changes to Hunter Street West this spring. To allow for expanded pedestrian space conducive for physical distancing, Hunter Street between George and Aylmer streets will be reduced to one-way westbound traffic.
This year, however, this city will make proverbial lemonade out of lemons by using the traffic calming and mobility strategy on Hunter Street as an opportunity to showcase public art and celebrate local artists.
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“The Renaissance on Hunter projects call to our artists will help transform the downtown corridor into a welcoming, engaging pedestrian space for the warm weather season,” says Mayor Diane Terrien in a media release. “The installations will adhere to COVID-19 Re-Opening Ontario guidelines and will contribute to making the area feel safer, while supporting business activity and public health as we enter and navigate the pandemic recovery together.”
The two public art projects, which will consist of a series of temporary murals on the asphalt and themed gardens/interventions in planters, will be featured in four new pedestrian spaces created between Aylmer and Chambers Streets.
The road murals and the combination of portable planters and barricades installed along the streetscape will provide physical separation between pedestrian space and the traffic lane. They will also further enhance accessibility for those with low vision.
In 2017, Prince Edward County artist Chrissy Poitras was commissioned to paint her “Floral Abstraction” mural on the south wall of the building at 378 Aylmer Street in Peterborough. For summer 2021, the City of Peterborough’s public art program is seeking artists to install temporary road murals at four sites along Hunter Street West in downtown Peterborough. (Photo courtesy of the Peterborough DBIA)
In addition to beautifying the temporary downtown public space changes, Renaissance on Hunter was also created with local artists in mind — the opportunity for paid work provides a vital lifeline for an otherwise hard-hit community.
“Public art priorities this year were for achievable projects in a short time frame,” says Wendy Trusler, the city’s public art facilitator. “We wanted to get the maximum impact both on the broader community, who will benefit from the project’s budget, and on the artists who will be making them.”
The two public art projects are open to both emerging and established professional artists and ad hoc artist teams or collectives working in a range of disciplines and media. Trusler is encouraging partnerships and collaborations to create and optimize opportunities for a variety of local artists.
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“I wanted to really encourage people to come together and work as teams to make more opportunities for more artists,” explains Trusler of the decision to allow for group submissions, adding “It’s not just for visual artists, but also for people in the performance world who have been really impacted by the pandemic.”
When it became clear that physical distancing measures would once again be required for the warmer months, Trusler reached out to the city’s planning and transportation departments to propose Renaissance on Hunter.
Funded through its public art program, the city is presenting Renaissance on Hunter in partnership with the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) and GreenUP.
“When it occurred to me that we’re going to have to shut down the roadways again, we put our heads together to see how things might shape up differently this year,” explains Trusler. “And then talking with GreenUp and the DBIA — they’re always doing fabulous things — and they wanted to come together and help. So it feels like there’s a critical mass of people behind the projects.”
“Daisy World”, an artists’ garden by Sandra Rechico installed at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto in 2004. For summer 2021, the City of Peterborough’s public art program is seeking artists to install temporary gardens at four sites along Hunter Street West in downtown Peterborough. (Photo: Harbourfront)
Trusler says artists’ gardens “have long been an interest of mine”, inspiring her to include them as part of Renaissance on Hunter.
“There was a very successful artists’ garden project in the 1980s at Harbourfront which went on for many years, with different artists doing installations, field plantings, and really interesting interventions in the spaces near the power plant,” Trusler recalls.
“As for the Road Mural Project, it’s no secret to anyone that road murals have become very, very important during the pandemic. When I started to look into road murals further, I saw all sorts of fabulous initiatives when streets are closed down temporarily.”
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There’s no shortage of creativity in Peterborough-Nogojiwanong, which means there’s great potential for some amazing public art this summer.
There will be four road murals and four artists’ gardens, with budgets ranging from $3,000 to $9,500 depending on the project and the site. The selected artists will receive an honorarium based on each project site’s budget. The city will supply the planters and soil and the paint required for each project, with the artists responsible for the costs of other required materials.
To read the call for proposals for both the Road Mural Project and the Artists’ Garden Project, including more information about the project parameters and tips to assist with the application process, visit the city’s public art program web page at peterborough.ca/publicart.
The proposal deadline for both projects is 5 p.m. on Friday, May 28th. All proposals must be submitted online, and a selection committee will review the proposals. Selected artists will be notified in early to mid-June, with projects to be completed by late June. All artworks will remain in place until the projects end in mid-October.
The Workforce Development Board's free local Labour Market Information (LMI) Help Desk provides employers, job seekers, and employment support agencies with a better understanding of the labour market in Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, and Northumberland, as well as Muskoka. (Photo: WDB)
More than a year into the pandemic, new and rebounding jobs are offering a hint of hope for the economy. But whether you’re a person looking for work, a business looking to hire, or an organization delivering an employment program, it can be a challenge finding the information you need to make the best-informed decisions.
Enter the Workforce Development Board’s local Labour Market Information (LMI) Help Desk at www.wdb.ca/lmi-help-desk/. This free online tool provides employers, job seekers, and employment support agencies with a better understanding of the labour market in Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, and Northumberland, as well as Muskoka.
“Labour market information can give you an advantage when making education, career, and employment decisions,” explains Jennifer Lamantia, chief executive officer of the Peterborough-based Workforce Development Board (WDB).
Anyone can access the free LMI Help Desk service, ranging from students seeking career information, employers looking for information to set competitive salaries, and economic development providers requesting skills and occupations that are in high demand in the area.
Government policymakers, economic developers, industry associations, human resources departments, educators, and school boards will also find it useful, according to Lamantia.
What skills are in demand in my area? What is the median wage for my occupation? What is the demographic of workers in my area? What industries and companies are trending in my area? These are just a few of the questions the LMI Help Desk can answer.
Anyone can access the Workforce Development Board’s free LMI Help Desk service, ranging from students seeking career information, employers looking for information to set competitive salaries, and economic development providers requesting skills and occupations that are in high demand in the area. Government policymakers, economic developers, industry associations, human resources departments, educators, and school boards will also find it useful. (Stock photo)
If you’re looking for work or thinking about changing jobs, Lamantia says labour market information can help you find career paths that suit your skills and interests. It can show you which jobs have the best outlooks, where those jobs are located, what skills are in demand, and the requirements for a certain type of job.
“If you’re not sure what the future looks like for a personal support worker or a carpenter, ask the LMI Help Desk and we can get that information for you,” Lamantia says, adding that the help desk can also guide you to local employment services providers, where you will find information on available training programs, including those where tuition may be covered.
For employers, the LMI Help Desk can supply data about workplace changes, regional and demographic trends, and industry statistics — all of which can help businesses and organizations make informed and targeted decisions for training or hiring.
“This inevitably helps with an employer’s recruitment efforts because it makes them more attractive and competitive to people looking to find a job locally,” Lamantia says.
Entrepreneurs and start-ups can use insights gathered from the LMI Help Desk for market research and to help solidify their business plan.
“The data can help them figure out how many other businesses like theirs already exist in the region, what the talent pool is like if they want to grow, and the need to hire people with a specific skill set,” Lamantia points out.
Labour market information can be confusing and overwhelming, and the LMI Help Desk can quickly get you the data you actually need while also making it accessible.
To make a request to the Workforce Development Board’s local Labour Market Information (LMI) Help Desk, you can email helpdesk@wdb.ca, call 705-749-3250, or complete an online form at www.wdb.ca/lmi-help-desk/. (Graphic: WDB)
“Data is most useful when analyzed and distributed in a clear and easy-to-understand format,” says Lamantia, adding that not everybody has the time or ability to find and sort through the wealth of labour market data already available on the internet, including on WDB’s website at www.wdb.ca.
“WDB also has access to data that you probably wouldn’t have access to,” Lamantia notes. “All you have to do is simply submit a request and we do the work to get you that information.”
All requests are processed by WDB’s in-house labour market information analyst Sean Dooley, who is well-versed with data, analysis, and charts. You will receive a branded, professional report that can be shared with others.
“For example, if you’re an employment service provider and you request information about the skills employers are looking for, we’ll send you a nice-looking report that you can then share electronically with your team,” Dooley explains. “We also credit the source, so it has the quality behind it as well.”
Since the LMI Help Desk’s initial launch in 2016, requests have tripled, with over 400 reports issued. Dooley adds there has been an uptick in requests now that more businesses have resumed operations over the past eight months.
“When lockdown restrictions started to ease last July, people wanted data about what was going on in the area,” Dooley recalls. “We started to see more requests than we would typically get in those summer months when it’s a little quieter, but it was very busy.”
The data gathered by WDB has already had a positive impact on the labour market in the greater Kawarthas region, supporting education and skills training programs, grant applications, recruitment by local employers, career planning, and expanding the knowledge base of local industry trends.
The Workforce Development Board’s LMI Help Desk can provide free local labour market information for Northumberland, Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, and Muskoka. Presented in a clear and easy-to-understand format, the information can help for job seekers, businesses, and other organizations making better-informed decisions related to employment. (Stock photo)
Initially a WDB pilot project in Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, and Northumberland, the LMI Help Desk was set to end this spring when funding from the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development decreased.
However, after Lamantia shared data about the success of the project, the ministry asked WDB to help six other workforce planning boards in Eastern Ontario and Muskoka expand their existing help desks or launch new ones based on the WDB model, and funded an Ontario Labour Market Partnership project that is currently underway.
The six boards also plan to adopt WDB’s Local Jobs Hub, a free online tool that automatically pulls local job listings from online job boards and allows job seekers to filter listings by key criteria, including skill level and type, part-time or full-time jobs, and whether a job is temporary, contract, or permanent.
“It’s wonderful to see the ripple effect that our services are making in the community to help with the local labour market and the strength of the economy, especially now when we’re looking at recovery,” Lamantia says.
To make a request to WDB’s local Labour Market Information (LMI) Help Desk, visit www.wdb.ca/lmi-help-desk/, where you can email, call, or complete an online form.
The website also includes an LMI User Guide and FAQ section for those who would like more information.
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