This photograph of poet Elizabeth Jenkins is one of 17 photos of 20 local artists that are part of "ESSENTIAL", a new photography project by Julie Gagne commissioned by Peterborough's Electric City Culture Council to raise awareness of the precarious situation of local artists and arts organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gagne's photographs will be released weekly on EC3's website and kawarthaNOW's website over the coming weeks. (Photo: Julie Gagne)
A new photography project launched on Monday (August 31) by Peterborough’s Electric City Culture Council (EC3) is raising awareness of the precarious situation of local artists and arts organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Part of EC3’s Peterborough Arts Alive initiative, “ESSENTIAL” is a series of photos by local photographer Julie Gagne that depicts 20 local artists during the pandemic.
kawarthaNOW.com will be releasing Julie Gagne’s photos from Electric City Culture Council’s ESSENTIAL project every week over the next two months.
Each of the 17 photos features an artist (or, in the case of four photos, two artists together) in their home or workplace, captured on rooftops, isolated behind windows, on balconies, or in doorways — all at a safe physical distance — and is accompanied by a statement from the artists about their experience of the pandemic.
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“Julie’s photos made us think,” says EC3 executive director Sue Ditta. “We have all benefited from the work of artists during the pandemic. We’ve listened to music, read books, watched films, toured virtual exhibitions, tuned in to living room concerts.”
Whatever their discipline, artists across Ontario have been inordinately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Performing artists, visual artists, and musicians have all had their options for live public performances and indoor events drastically curtailed. Many artists have lost fees, sales, and gigs, while arts organizations and facilities have lost revenue and face an uncertain future.
“What has it been like for the artists?” Ditta adds. “Will people remember how essential the arts were to getting through the pandemic when it comes to recovery funding and budget planning? Will arts organizations be supported in a robust recovery plan?”
ESSENTIAL was inspired by Julie Gagne’s “Within” series of photo portraits taken during the COVID-19 lockdown, similarly photographed from exteriors, including one of an artist.
Poet Elizabeth Jenkins from the Electric City Culture Council’s ESSENTIAL project, with photography by Julie Gagne, curation and coordination by Sarah McNeilly, and layout and design by Rob Wilkes. (Graphic courtesy of Electric City Culture Council)
When Ditta saw Gagne’s photos, she commissioned the photographer to do a similar series focusing exclusively on local artists.
Peterborough theatre artist Sarah McNeilly curated and coordinated the project, with Rob Wilkes of Big Sky Design in Peterborough responsible for the project’s layout and design.
“We are all pursuing art in the face of unprecedented challenges,” Gagne explains. “As restrictions continue to lift, most of Peterborough is able to return to work.”
“That is not the case for our local artists; they continue to experience limitations and face challenges. This series is a testament to their resilience.”
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The ESSENTIAL project is available to view on the EC3 web site at ecthree.org/program/essential-project/, and kawarthaNOW will also be releasing Gagne’s photos on its website every week over the next two months.
ESSENTIAL is the latest project in EC3’s Peterborough Arts Alive suite of COVID-19 response and recovery programs and services.
Other programs include the Peterborough Arts Alive Fund (a fundraising effort for strategic recovery grants for local arts organizations), Culturecast Reprise (a playlist of interviews with local artists pulled from EC3’s Trent Radio show and podcast The Electric City Culturecast), and Conversations on Art During a Pandemic (Peterborough Arts Alive on the Slack group-chat service, providing an online discussion space for and by artists).
Cellist Joy Simmonds and singer Colin McAdam from the Electric City Culture Council’s ESSENTIAL project, with photography by Julie Gagne, curation and coordination by Sarah McNeilly, and layout and design by Rob Wilkes. (Graphic courtesy of Electric City Culture Council)
There’s also Digital Uplift (which provided consultations on digital skills development for almost 20 local artists and arts, culture, and heritage organizations), and a series of micro subsistence grants for local professional artists.
EC3 is a not-for-profit, arts, culture, and heritage organization providing advocacy, programs and services that support the sector in Peterborough and the surrounding region.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Today, Ontario is reporting 114 new cases of COVID-19, the 11th straight day of increases over 100. The majority of the new cases are in Toronto (41), Ottawa (21), Peel (16), and York (12). The remaining 30 of Ontario’s public health units are reporting five or fewer cases, with 18 reporting no new cases at all.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there is one new case to report in Peterborough (reported on August 30) and two new cases today in Kawartha Lakes. There are no new cases to report in Northumberland, Haliburton, or Prince Edward or Hastings counties. There are 2 active cases in Peterborough, 2 in Kawartha Lakes, 1 in Northumberland, and 5 in Prince Edward or Hastings counties.
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Since the pandemic began, there have been 104 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (100 resolved with 2 deaths), 179 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (158 resolved with 32 deaths), 32 in Northumberland County (31 resolved with no deaths), 15 in Haliburton County (15 resolved with no deaths), and 49 in Hastings County and Prince Edward County (39 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported on May 7 by Hastings Prince Edward Public Health.
Province-wide, there have been 42,309 confirmed cases, an increase of 114 from yesterday’s report, with 38,277 (90.5% of all cases) resolved, an increase of 73 from yesterday. There have been 2,811 deaths, an increase of 1 from yesterday, with 1,815 deaths reported in long-term care homes (an increase of 1). A total of 2,966,343 tests have been completed, an increase of 25,098 from yesterday, with 13,542 tests under investigation, a decrease of 10,338.
This report is based on data supplied by the province’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS), as well as any additional information supplied by health units. This information is at least 24 hours old, so it is not real-time data. Note that each health unit reports the information in a different way.
Peterborough Public Health’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
Confirmed positive: 104 (increase of 1)* Active cases: 2 (decrease of 1) Deaths: 2 (no change) Resolved: 100 (no change) Total tests completed: Over 24,850 (increase of 50) Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
*This new case was reported on August 30.
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 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 226, including 179 in Kawartha Lakes, 32 in Northumberland, 15 in Haliburton (increase of 2, in Kawartha Lakes) Probable cases: 1 (increase of 1) Hospitalizations (total to date): 15 (no change) Deaths: 32 (no change) Resolved: 204, including 158 in Kawartha Lakes, 31 in Northumberland, 15 in Haliburton (no change) Active cases: 3, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland Institutional outbreaks: Campbellford Memorial Multicare Lodge (no change)
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
The health unit provides reports on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 49 (no change) Active cases: 5 (no change) Deaths: 5 (no change) Hospitalized: 0 (no change) Hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 0 (no change) Recovered: 39 (no change) Total tests completed: 22,768 (increase of 623) Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 42,083 (increase of 148) Resolved: 38,126 (increase of 103, 90.6% of all cases) Hospitalized: 51 (decrease of 10) Hospitalized and in ICU: 17 (decrease of 1) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 5 (increase of 7) Deaths: 2,809 (no change) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 1,814 (no change) Total tests completed: 2,916,275 (increase of 32,106) Tests under investigation: 29,491 (decrease of 1,021)
New COVID-19 cases in Ontario from July 31 – August 30, 2020. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from July 31 – August 30, 2020. The red line is the number of tests completed daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
The drive-through COVID-19 testing clinic at Kinsmen Civic Centre in Peterborough for residents without symptoms has been running since May 27, 2020. (Photo: Peterborough Paramedics / Twitter)
Peterborough’s drive-through COVID-19 testing centre will relocate to Northcrest Arena at 100 Marina Drive effective Tuesday, September 8.
The clinic, for people without COVID-19 symptoms, will operate the same hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. from Monday to Friday.
The final day for testing at the clinic’s current location at the Kinsmen Civic Centre will be Friday, September 4th. It will not be open on Monday, September 7th because of the Labour Day holiday.
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The drive-through clinic, which has been testing more than 250 people daily on a first-come first-served basis, is operated by Peterborough Paramedics, Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC), and Peterborough Public Health.
People with or without symptoms who want to be tested on the weekend can call the COVID-19 Assessment Centre at PRHC at 705-876-5086 to book an appointment.
The PRHC Assessment Centre runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, seven days a week, by appointment only.
20-year-old Tyler Christine-Bourgeois of Azilda near Sudbury died after he fell through the ice on Bass Lake when riding on a toboggan behind a snowmobile on March 7, 2020. Police have now charged 45-year-old William Robson of Trent Lakes with three charges including dangerous operation causing death and impaired by alchohol causing death. (Photo: Christine-Bourgeois family)
A 45-year-old Trent Lakes man is facing charges after a March incident on Bass Lake, about 15 kilometres north of Bobcaygeon, that claimed the life of a 20-year-old Sudbury man who was being towed on a toboggan behind a snowmobile.
On the afternoon of March 7, police and fire services responded to a call that a man was missing after falling through the ice.
Police recovered the man’s body from the lake the next morning and identified him as Tyler Christine-Bourgeois, 20, of Azilda near Sudbury.
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On Monday (August 31), Peterborough County OPP announced that the driver of the snowmobile, 45-year-old William Robson of Trent Lakes, faces three charges in Christine-Bourgeois’s death.
Robson has been charged with dangerous operation causing death, operation wile impaired – alcohol causing death, and operation while impaired – blood alcohol concentration (80 plus) causing death.
The accused man is scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Peterborough on October 29, 2020.
The Exton family, which owns the popular Canoe & Paddle pub and restaurant at 18 Bridge Street in Lakefield, have had a busy summer season on their expanded patio, which has allowed them to keep customers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. As an added attraction to draw both locals and visitors, the patio features AstroTurf from the Skydome in 1993, which the Toronto Blue Jays played on when they won the World Series. The Extons also own and operate Stuff'd Ice Cream Bakery and Café and gift boutique Stuff in Lakefield. (Photo courtesy of Canoe & Paddle)
Being completely committed to customer safety is nothing new for Gill and Nick Exton and their family.
This story is one of a five-part series sponsored by Selwyn Township, as part of the Township’s campaign to promote local businesses and community organizations as they recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
For years, the Extons have run Lakefield’s popular pub the Canoe & Paddle, along with Stuff’d Ice Cream Bakery and Café and Stuff, the gift boutique.
Gill is happy to share everything she has learned about working safely in a pandemic to show her community some love while they shop and dine — safely — in the heart of the Village of Lakefield.
For Gill, love comes in the form of serving beer, ice cream, and more to her customers, so she was willing to make whatever changes were necessary to keep her patrons safe.
“From the first moments we knew something was happening, we decided to make this work,” Gill says, recalling the start of a whirlwind of changes, adaptations, and constant creativity. “There was no time to sit back, and you can’t be half-safe, so we got to work.”
The early stages of the pandemic saw their beloved gift shop closed, just as winter stock was set to go on sale and spring and summer items began to flood the store.
“We have so many Easter bunnies,” Gill laughs, referring to leftover stock from early on during the pandemic.
The Canoe & Paddle and Stuff’d Ice Cream Bakery, both owned by the Exton family, are located in the same building at 18 Bridge Street in Lakefield. The Extons have managed to keep both businesses running during the pandemic, along with their gift boutique Stuff (located at 49 Queen Street), thanks to a lot of hard work keeping customers safe and with support from Sewlyn Township and the Lakefield community. (Photo courtesy of Canoe & Paddle)
With the gift boutique shuttered, the family shifted its focus to the specific changes needed at the Canoe & Paddle, right before a big St. Paddy’s event was set to roll — changes that went far beyond the mad hunt for plexiglass dividers and hand sanitizer.
Within days, their single phone line was put to the test as the Canoe & Paddle’s entire menu, except for Toad in the Hole, was ready for customer takeout and local delivery to boot.
The Extons also launched frozen meals and quickly built an online ordering system so out-of-town folks could send food to local loved ones. With frozen favourites like mac and cheese, shepherd’s pie, and beef stew with mash, it was easy to gain the joked-about extra “COVID-15” pounds.
With the Canoe & Paddle in good shape all things considered, Stuff’d Ice Cream, Bakery and Café was also seeing solid sales.
Among other treats, Stuff’d Ice Cream Bakery and Café serves 33 flavours of Kawartha Dairy ice cream. The bakery and cafe is located in the same building as the Canoe & Paddle, at 18 Bridge Street in Lakefield. (Photo: Strexor Harrop)
“Suddenly, even on bad weather days, dads would be walking all the kids in for an ice cream while mom was at home on a conference call,” Gill says. “It wasn’t a usual time to go for ice cream, but we were there, ready to scoop.”
Gill is grateful to those who came in for ice cream — especially when a myth was spreading on social media that cold beverages and ice cream helped spread the virus.
“Here I was trying to sell ice cream and for a few days they were saying don’t have cold things,” Gill recalls. “I was so upset but we moved on from that pretty quickly.”
Through all the ups and downs, Gill and her family have stayed connected with the community they support, and they have in return been supported by the community.
In addition to Lakefield’s popular Canoe & Paddle pub and restaurant, the Exton family operates Stuff’d Ice Cream Bakery and Café in the same building, offering Kawartha Dairy ice cream, pastries, breads, sandwiches, coffee and tea, and more. The Extons also run the Stuff gift boutique at 49 Queen Street. (Photos courtesy of Stuff’d)
From a break in rent from their landlord — which deeply moved Gill — to the good-natured local building official who helped them get the pub’s patio expanded in record time, it’s been a real community effort in their small village.
“You have to take the knocks with all the good humour and the kindness,” Gill notes.
And thanks to some good luck, Gill’s original concern that they wouldn’t even have a summer season has been replaced with trying keep up with demand for the Canoe & Paddle newly expanded patio. That luck, Gill believes, comes from the very special AstroTurf that now lines the patio.
“It’s from the SkyDome from 1993,” Gill says. “World Series Blue Jays baseball AstroTurf that we ended up with.”
But luck is not enough to bring three local businesses back to life: it’s also day after day of hard work.
Canoe & Paddle owners Nick and Gill Exton, who are originally from the U.K., have been awarded the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce’s 2020 New Canadian Entrepreneur Of The Year award. (Photo courtesy of the Exton family)
The Stuff gift boutique has now reopened to the public after lots of effort to create space and get the store organized in a better way — because, as Gill points out, browsing down one-way aisles in a gift boutique doesn’t really work.
“We enjoy being creative, so this has been our focus,” Gill says. “How do we keep this all safe, functioning, and supporting those who want to have fun and shop and those who come in for social reasons?”
That social connection is something Gill is especially happy she didn’t have to lose at Stuff’d Ice Cream Bakery and Café.
“This is sometimes about being there for the older people who just want to come in for a cup of coffee, to have someone to see, to talk to,” she reflects. “It’s about people living alone and those who maybe need to know that there is a good reason to get up in the morning.”
Gill and her family are passionate about being part of the small Lakefield community, where local businesses owners are neighbours and friends. This deep caring has continued with the patio expansion at Canoe and Paddle.
The Extons were thrilled when the Peterborough area moved into stage three of Ontario’s reopening but, as they noted in a Facebook post to loyal fans and followers, there was only one shot at doing this safely — and they were not willing to put anyone at risk.
“The food industry has good training in safety and looking after people, but there was still this feeling of what if I spread it,” Gill acknowledges.
That focus on safety, experience, and rapid learning is at the root of even more changes at the Canoe & Paddle. One person places the group order at the order window, and dishes are only cleared away on the patio after diners have departed their table. Servers are giving detailed instructions and overall, customers understand the changes.
Gill trusts her loyal patrons knew this was not a reduction in service, but rather an increase in care at a time when that is the safest thing to be serving up.
In August, the Exton family completed renovations inside the Canoe & Paddle in Lakefield so they could resume indoor service. In addition to the 16 tables on the extended patio, there are now five tables and eight bar seats inside, with all of them physically distanced or screened with plexiglass to help keep customers and staff safe. (Photo courtesy of Canoe & Paddle)
In addition to the 16 tables on the extended patio, the Extons have since returned to full service with indoor seating — limited to five tables and eight bar seats, all of them physically distanced or screened with plexiglass to help keep customers and staff safe. In accordance with public health directives, customers are required to wear masks inside until they are seated.
With the summer season in high gear, Gill has also been happily welcoming back tourists — although, with the Canada-US border remaining closed, she’s missing American visitors.
She’s also thankful for the help, support, and care shown by Selwyn Township and the community and she’s keeping a positive focus on providing excellent, safe options for both local dining and shopping in her family’s three Lakefield businesses.
The Canoe & Paddle is located at 18 Bridge Street in Lakefield. For more information, call 705-651-1111 or visit www.canoeandpaddle.com. You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram. Stuff’d Ice Cream Bakery & Cafe is also located at 18 Bridge Street (705-651-1111) and the Stuff Store is located at 49 Queen Street (705-651-4411).
The Township of Selwyn has created a comprehensive strategy to help assist local businesses and community organizations recover from the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Selwyn COVID-19 Economic Recovery Strategy includes a five-month multimedia marketing campaign to promote Selwyn’s businesses and community organizations, municipal grants for not-for-profit organizations, the Selwyn Business Re-Opening Program in partnership with Community Futures Peterborough that provides $250,000 to help Selwyn businesses with COVID-19 related adaptation expenses, and much more.
For more COVID-19 resources for Selwyn businesses, visit selwyntownship.ca.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 148 new cases of COVID-19 today, the highest daily increase since July 23. Most of the new cases are in Toronto (41), Peel (32), Ottawa (20), Windsor-Essex (19), Waterloo (7), York (7), and Durham (7). The remaining 27 public health units are reporting five or fewer cases, with 18 reporting no new cases.
More than a third of the new cases are among people between 20 and 39 years of age, with 26 per cent among those between 40 and 59 years of age and 20 per cent among those 19 and younger.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are no new cases to report today in Peterborough. While the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit and Hastings Prince Edward Public Health do not issue reports on weekends, Ontario data show no new cases today in Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, Haliburton, or Prince Edwards and Hastings counties.
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Since the pandemic began, there have been 103 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (98 resolved with 2 deaths), 177 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (158 resolved with 32 deaths), 32 in Northumberland County (31 resolved with no deaths), 15 in Haliburton County (15 resolved with no deaths), and 49 in Hastings County and Prince Edward County (39 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported on May 7 by Hastings Prince Edward Public Health.
Province-wide, there have been 42,083 confirmed cases, an increase of 148 from yesterday’s report, with 38,126 (90.6% of all cases) resolved, an increase of 103 from yesterday. There have been 2,809 deaths, with 1,814 deaths reported in long-term care homes (no change from yesterday). A total of 2,916,275 tests have been completed, an increase of 32,106 from yesterday, with 29,491 tests under investigation, a decrease of 1,021.
This report is based on data supplied by the province’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS), as well as any additional information supplied by health units. This information is at least 24 hours old, so it is not real-time data. Note that each health unit reports the information in a different way.
Peterborough Public Health’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
Confirmed positive: 103 (no change) Active cases: 3 (no change) Deaths: 2 (no change) Resolved: 98 (no change) Total tests completed: Over 24,650 (increase of 150) Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
The health unit provides reports on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, excluding statutory holidays. These numbers are from August 28.
Confirmed positive: 224, including 177 in Kawartha Lakes, 32 in Northumberland, 15 in Haliburton (increase of 1, in Northumberland) Probable cases: 0 (no change) Hospitalizations (total to date): 15 (increase of 1)* Deaths: 32 (no change) Resolved: 204, including 158 in Kawartha Lakes, 31 in Northumberland, 15 in Haliburton (no change) Institutional outbreaks: Campbellford Memorial Multicare Lodge (increase of 1)*
*An outbreak was declared August 26 after one symptomatic resident tested positive for COVID-19. The individual has been admitted to Campbellford Memorial Hospital and is isolated. The health unit is continuing to work with staff from the facility and hospital to conduct case and contact tracing.
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
The health unit provides reports on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, excluding statutory holidays. These numbers are from August 28.
Confirmed positive: 49 (no change) Active cases: 5 ((no change) Deaths: 5 (no change) Hospitalized: 0 (no change) Hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 0 (no change) Recovered: 39 (no change) Total tests completed: 22,145 (increase of 623) Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 42,083 (increase of 148) Resolved: 38,126 (increase of 103, 90.6% of all cases) Hospitalized: 51 (decrease of 10) Hospitalized and in ICU: 17 (decrease of 1) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 5 (increase of 7) Deaths: 2,809 (no change) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 1,814 (no change) Total tests completed: 2,916,275 (increase of 32,106) Tests under investigation: 29,491 (decrease of 1,021)
New COVID-19 cases in Ontario from July 29 – August 28, 2020. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from July 29 – August 28, 2020. The red line is the number of tests completed daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
One of several photos of garbage left behind by visitors shared on Facebook by Ontario Parks, the government agency responsible for 340 provincial parks and 295 conservation reserves in Ontario. Littering at provincial parks has increased this pandemic summer, and parks staff have been "working tirelessly" to clean it up. (Photo: Ontario Parks / Facebook)
Staff at Ontario Parks have been cleaning up mounds of trash left behind at provincial parks by some visitors.
On Friday (August 28), Ontario Parks posted a series of photos on its Facebook page of littering at unidentified parks.
“These photos break our hearts”, the post reads.
These photos break our hearts.
Remember: your trash does not belong on the ground at provincial parks. ALL garbage…
There’s always been littering in provincial parks and other public spaces, but the problem has become much worse this summer. While more people are visiting public spaces as they stay close to home for their summer vacations during to the pandemic, it’s not entirely clear why some visitors are exhibiting bad behaviour such as littering.
Perhaps some of the people are just ignorant of the environmental aphorism “take only memories, leave only footprints” — a phrase attributed to Chief Si’ahl, leader of the Duwamish first peoples in the U.S. Pacific Northwest in the 19th century, whose settler name was “Seattle” (the city is named after him).
This isn’t the first time this summer Ontario Parks has publicly commented about the increase in littering. In late July, they posted on their blog that “In many parks, trash is being left on the beach faster than our staff can clean it up. We know you can do better, Ontario.”
They repeated the same message again in early August, sharing photos of trash left behind on beaches at provincial parks.
Littering is on the rise.
In many parks, trash is being left on the beach faster than our staff can clean it up.
With their most recent Facebook post, Ontario Parks is encouraging everyone to “Help us get the word out and inspire all Ontarians to share a sense of pride and stewardship for our protected spaces.”
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For its part, Ontario Parks says staff have been hard at work cleaning up the garbage some visitors have been leaving behind.
“Our staff are working tirelessly to operate our parks under challenging circumstances,” Ontario Parks writes in a comment on their Facebook post. “Their efforts to keep both our visitors and our natural spaces protected is nothing short of heroic.”
Ontario Parks, an agency of the Ontario government, manages 340 provincial parks and 295 conservation reserves in Ontario.
An outbreak has been declared at Campbellford Memorial Multicare Lodge in Northumberland County after a symptomatic resident tested positive for COVID-19. The resident has been admitted to the adjacent Campbellford Memorial Hospital and is now in isolation. (Photo: Google Maps)
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
After reporting 118 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, Ontario is reporting another 122 new cases today. As has been the trend, most of the new cases are in Toronto (32), Peel (27), and Ottawa (17), with a new spike in York (15) and in Simcoe Muskoka (6). The remaining 29 public health units are reporting five or fewer cases, with 17 reporting no new cases. Over the past two days, almost half of the new cases have been among people ages 20-39, with over 20 per cent of the cases among people 19 or younger.
There has also been a sudden increase in hospitalizations, with 13 new hospitalizations reported today, which is the first double-digit daily increase since July. There is also an increase of deaths, with 7 deaths reported in long-term care homes — the largest one-day increase since July 17.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, an outbreak has been declared at Campbellford Memorial Multicare Lodge in Northumberland County after one symptomatic resident tested positive for COVID-19. The individual has been admitted to Campbellford Memorial Hospital, which is adjacent to the retirement facility, and is isolated. The health unit is continuing to work with staff from the facility and hospital to conduct case and contact tracing.
There are no new cases to report today in Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton, or Prince Edward and Hastings counties.
Since the pandemic began, there have been 103 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (98 resolved with 2 deaths), 177 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (158 resolved with 32 deaths), 32 in Northumberland County (31 resolved with no deaths), 15 in Haliburton County (15 resolved with no deaths), and 49 in Hastings County and Prince Edward County (39 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported on May 7 by Hastings Prince Edward Public Health.
Province-wide, there have been 41,935 confirmed cases, an increase of 122 from yesterday’s report, with 38,023 (90.7% of all cases) resolved, an increase of 83 from yesterday. There have been 2,809 deaths, an increase of 6 from yesterday, with 1,814 deaths reported in long-term care homes, an increase of 7. A total of 2,884,169 tests have been completed, an increase of 31,823 from yesterday, with 30,512 tests under investigation, an increase of 4,333.
This report is based on data supplied by the province’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS), as well as any additional information supplied by health units. This information is at least 24 hours old, so it is not real-time data. Note that each health unit reports the information in a different way.
Peterborough Public Health’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
Confirmed positive: 103 (no change) Active cases: 3 (no change) Deaths: 2 (no change) Resolved: 98 (no change) Total tests completed: Over 24,500 (increase of 100) Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
The health unit provides reports on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 224, including 177 in Kawartha Lakes, 32 in Northumberland, 15 in Haliburton (increase of 1, in Northumberland) Probable cases: 0 (no change) Hospitalizations (total to date): 15 (increase of 1)* Deaths: 32 (no change) Resolved: 204, including 158 in Kawartha Lakes, 31 in Northumberland, 15 in Haliburton (no change) Institutional outbreaks: Campbellford Memorial Multicare Lodge (increase of 1)*
*An outbreak was declared August 26 after one symptomatic resident tested positive for COVID-19. The individual has been admitted to Campbellford Memorial Hospital, which is adjacent to the retirement facility, and is isolated. The health unit is continuing to work with staff from the facility and hospital to conduct case and contact tracing.
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
The health unit provides reports on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 49 (no change) Active cases: 5 ((no change) Deaths: 5 (no change) Hospitalized: 0 (no change) Hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 0 (no change) Recovered: 39 (no change) Total tests completed: 22,145 (increase of 623) Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 41,935 (increase of 122) Resolved: 38,023 (increase of 83, 90.7% of all cases) Hospitalized: 61 (increase of 13) Hospitalized and in ICU: 18 (no change) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 12 (increase of 2) Deaths: 2,809 (increase of 6) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 1,814 (increase of 7) Total tests completed: 2,884,169 (increase of 31,823) Tests under investigation: 30,512 (increase of 4,333)
New COVID-19 cases in Ontario from July 28 – August 27, 2020. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from July 28 – August 27, 2020. The red line is the number of tests completed daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
Every Friday during swimming season, we post The Beach Report™ — our weekly report of the results of water quality testing at beaches in the greater Kawarthas region — and update it throughout the week as conditions change. This is the final beach report for summer 2020, as health units do not test water quality in September.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, going to the beach is a different experience this year. Public health officials recommend staying home if you feel sick, visiting a beach close to your home to avoid unnecessary travel, bringing hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes, and maintaining at least two metres of physical distance from other beachgoers.
As of Friday, August 28th, the following beach has been posted as unsafe for swimming:
Rotary Head Lake Beach in Haliburton County (based on August 25 sample)
The following beaches are closed until further notice due to COVID-19:
Hiawatha in Hiawatha First Nation (Peterborough County)
Crowe Bridge Park in Trent Hills (Northumberland County)
Victoria Park in Cobourg (Northumberland County)
Little Lake in Cramahe (Northumberland County)
Sandy Bay Beach in Alnwick Haldimand (Northumberland County)
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Below are the complete results of water quality testing at beaches in Peterborough, the City of Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, and Northumberland County.
In the City of Peterborough, Peterborough Public Health Inspectors sample the beaches at Rogers Cove and Beavermead every business day, and public beaches in the County of Peterborough are sampled at least once a week (except for Chandos Beach, Quarry Bay Beach, and White’s Beach which are sampled at least once in June, July, and August).
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit provides weekly testing results for beaches in the City of Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton County, and Northumberland County. Testing is based on the most recent test results from the provincial lab in Peterborough for water samples taken from these beaches.
During the summer, local health units sample water at area beaches and test for bacteria such as E. coli to determine if the water quality at a beach is safe for public use. Popular beaches, like the beach at Roger’s Cove in Peterborough’s East City, are tested every business day while most other beaches are tested weekly. (Photo: Bruce Head / kawarthaNOW.com)
Important note
The following test results may not reflect current water quality conditions. Water samples can take one to three days to process and heavy rainfall, high winds or wave activity, large numbers of waterfowl near a beach, or large numbers of swimmers can rapidly change water quality.
You should always check current conditions before deciding to use a beach. You should also monitor other factors that might suggest a beach is unsafe to use, such as floating debris, oil, discoloured water, bad odours, and excessive weed growth.
While we strive to update this story with the current conditions, you should confirm the most recent test results by visiting the local health unit websites at Peterborough Public Health and Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit. As noted above, the beaches at Rogers Cove and Beavermead are tested every business day so the results listed below may not be current.
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Peterborough City/County
City of Peterborough Beaches (sampled each business day)
Roger’s Cove (131 Maria St, Peterborough) – sample date 27-Aug-2020 – SAFE
The "Home Again" benefit concert for Lindsay's Academy Theatre, taking place September 30 and October 1, 2020 at the Lindsay Drive-In, features live performances by James Barker, Darryl James, Jeremy Drury, and Jon Hembrey of The Strumbellas, Heaps Tyler Kyte and Nick Rose of Dwayne Gretzky, Tom Collver and Sophia Mackey, Luis Segura of Los Poetas, and more. (Graphic: Academy Theatre)
Tickets are now available for this fall’s two-night “Home Again” benefit concert for the Academy Theatre in Lindsay.
Country musician James Barker will headline both nights of the concert, which takes place at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, September 30th and Thursday, October 1st at the Lindsay Drive-In (229 Pigeon Lake Rd., Lindsay).
A native of Woodville west of Lindsay, Barker and his band won the 2018 Juno award for country album of the year and have been nominated for multiple Canadian Country Music Association awards.
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Other performers include Darryl James, Jeremy Drury, and Jon Hembrey of the Juno award-winning band The Strumbellas, Heaps (formerly The Kents), Tyler Kyte and Nick Rose of Dwayne Gretzky, Tom Collver and Sophia Mackey, Luis Segura of Los Poetas, and more.
The two-night concert is called “Home Again” because many of the performers are natives of the Kawartha Lakes who are coming “home again” to support the Academy Theatre which, like many performance venues, is in a financially tenuous position due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Each night will feature the same performers. In addition to the live performances, there will also be video performances and messages from other special guests in support of the Academy Theatre.
VIDEO: “Slow Down Town” – James Barker Band
The concerts at the Lindsay Drive-In will feature both open-air seating and parking for cars. Tickets are $60 per person for VIP seating in front of the stage (bring your own lawn chair) and $150 per vehicle for general admission (with a maximum of seven people per vehicle).
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