Annamie Paul, leader of the Green Party of Canada, spoke at the virtual annual general meeting of the Peterborough-Kawartha Greens on February 20, 2021. Currently without a seat in the House of Commons, Paul plans to run in Toronto Centre in the next federal election. (Photo: Green Party of Canada / Facebook)
On Saturday (February 20), Annamie Paul, the Green Party of Canada’s newly elected leader, spoke virtually at the annual general meeting of the Peterborough-Kawartha Greens.
Paul, who holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Ottawa and a Masters in Public Affairs from Princeton University, was elected leader this past October, replacing former leader Elizabeth May and making history as the first Black and first Jewish woman to lead a major political party in Canada.
In Paul’s remarks at Saturday’s meeting, she built momentum for the upcoming federal election, congratulating the Peterborough-Kawartha Electoral District Association (EDA) for their efforts.
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“Whoever becomes your contestant will be so lucky,” Paul said. “I am so incredibly impressed by everything that your local EDA and local volunteers are doing to stay engaged even between the election cycles, because it’s not just about the election itself. (It’s about) everything you’re doing to help your communities, everything that you’re doing to make sure that there is a strong Green voice and strong Green representation all year long.”
Looking towards the next federal election, Paul said she is excited to promote and support whatever candidate the Peterborough-Kawartha Greens nominates for federal MP.
“I am very excited when you finally do have your confirmed candidate to promote and support that person,” she said. “We can do everything to make sure that person gets elected, and your communities have the strong Green representation that they deserve.”
In the meantime, Paul encouraged attendees who are excited about the Green Party and their policies to contribute in any way they can.
“We are completely people-powered, and we’re still very much a start-up,” said Paul. “Anything that we accomplish, we are going to accomplish it only together.”
Annamie Paul was elected leader of the Green Party of Canada on October 3, 2020, replacing Elizabeth May and becoming the first Black Canadian and first Jewish woman to be elected leader of a major political party in Canada. The 48-year-old has been involved in politics since she was 12, when she worked as a page in the Ontario legislature. (Photo: Green Party of Canada / Facebook)
According to Paul, she and the Green Party have recently been working on sharing their policies and values with Canada by getting mainstream media attention. Paul said she has done between 700 to 800 interviews since becoming the party’s leader.
“We’re working really hard to make sure that our voice is heard, particularly at this time when there are so many important decisions that are being made and some that are not being made,” she remarked.
In terms of the party’s current goals in response to COVID-19, Paul said they are “talking a lot about the need to complete a social safety net now and in the future, how we’re going to protect people until the very end of this pandemic, and how we’re going to learn the lessons to move beyond that and ensure that we don’t end up in this situation again.”
Paul noted The Green Party of Canada is committed to being the loudest voice for speaking for the climate and environment.
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“We have the chance of a lifetime to create a green recovery from the pandemic,” she said. “We have the chance to create an economy that is sustainable, that recognizes the finite resources of our planet, and that allows everyone to have an equitable access to a dignified life.”
“Racial and social justice as well,” she added. “These are things that cannot be forgotten, and we are reminded of the reasons every day during this pandemic.”
Paul said that, while the Green Party of Canada is a relatively small federal party with only three seats in the House of Commons, it can have a big impact.
“We are small but mighty, and I can tell you sincerely that every Green that gets elected is like electing three or four members from every other party,” Paul told the meeting’s attendees. “They work hard. They are so committed.”
In a call to action, Paul concluded her speech by acknowledging the recent strides the party has made and congratulating the work of the local Greens.
“We are seeing support and momentum for our party in places that we had not seen before or certainly at this level,” Paul said.
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“We’ve been seeing some extraordinary polling results here in Ontario. There was just a poll last week that had us at six per cent in Alberta, which is just unheard of.”
“This is a moment for us to really seize on that momentum and offer a really bold alternative to people that are looking for positive, progressive politics now and in the next election. I am very excited to be working on that with all of you. I am very excited to see all that you will be doing as a local EDA community.”
Currently, Paul is the only federal party leader represented in the House of Commons who is not also an MP. She ran in the October by-election in Toronto Centre, which was held by former finance minister Bill Morneau until he resigned in the wake of the WE Charity scandal. Paul was defeated by Liberal Marci Ien, but she plans to run in the riding again in the next federal election.
The federal election is scheduled for October 16, 2023, but could take place earlier if the minority Liberal government is defeated in a non-confidence vote.
Peterborough Police Service headquarters on Water Street in Peterborough. (Photo: Pat Trudeau)
Peterborough police are looking for two suspects after a home invasion robbery on Sunday morning (February 21).
At around 6 a.m. on Sunday, police received a call that two men had broken into a home in the Monaghan Road and Brown Street area, stealing six long guns and a bayonet.
The homeowner was treated at Peterborough Regional Health Centre treated for injuries and released.
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The canine unit was called in to help track the two suspects, but was unsuccessful.
The first suspect is described as a man with a white complexion, possibly in his mid-30s, around 5’9″ tall with a medium muscular build. The second suspect is described as a man with a white complexion, possibly in his mid-20s, around 5’9″ tall with a thin build.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Peterborough Police Service at 705-876-1122, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at www.stopcrimehere.ca.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 1,087 new cases today, including 5 new cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant, for a total of 391. The seven-day average of daily cases in Ontario has increased by 15 to 1,031.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are no new cases to report in Peterborough or Hastings Prince Edward, with 1 additional case resolved and the number of active cases across the region decreasing by 1 to 99. However, updates for Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton are unavailable on Sundays.
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Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (344), Peel (156), and York (122).
There are double-digit increases in Ottawa (77), Durham (51), Simcoe Muskoka (49), Waterloo (43), Windsor-Essex (32), Thunder Bay (31), Hamilton (26), Halton (20), Brant (15), Lambton (13), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (13), Huron Perth (12), and Middlesex-London (10), with smaller increases in Northwestern (9) and Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (6).
The remaining 16 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with only 1 health unit (Temiskaming) reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 56% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (414) among people ages 20-39, followed by 315 cases among people ages 40-59.
With 1,140 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases is unchanged at 94.1%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased by 0.5% from yesterday to 2.7%, meaning that 27 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on February 20.
Ontario is reporting 14 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 4 in long-term care homes. Ontario has averaged 24 new daily deaths over the past week.
Hospitalizations have decreased by 39 from yesterday to 660, but more than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for this report, so the actual number of hospitalizations may be higher. The number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs has increased by 14 to 277, and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators remains unchanged at 181.
A total of 48,178 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 13,455 to 17,307.
A total of 556,533 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 16,404 from yesterday, with 235,922 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 6,771 from yesterday, representing 1.6% of Ontario’s population.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are no new cases to report in Peterborough or Hastings Prince Edward. However, reports for Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton are unavailable as the health unit does not issue updates on Sundays.
An additional 1 case has been resolved in Peterborough.
There are currently 99 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, a decrease of 1 from yesterday, including 41 in Peterborough, 24 in Kawartha Lakes, 21 in Northumberland, 12 in Hastings Prince Edward (1 in Quinte West, 6 in Belleville, 2 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 2 in Prince Edward County, 1 in Central Hastings), and 1 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 607 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (557 resolved with 9 deaths), 525 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (461 resolved with 53 deaths), 422 in Northumberland County (390 resolved with 11 deaths), 51 in Haliburton County (50 resolved with no deaths), and 395 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (377 resolved with 6 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Hastings Prince Edward on February 20.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 12 p.m. the previous day. Data from local health units is more current and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day. There may be discrepancies between the Ontario data reported today (which is from yesterday) and the local health unit data reported today (which is from today).
Peterborough Public Health’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 607 (no change) Active cases: 41 (decrease of 1) Close contacts: 239 (decrease of 3) Deaths: 9 (no change) Resolved: 557 (increase of 1) Hospitalizations (total to date): 24 (no change)* Total tests completed: Over 43,050 (increase of 300) Outbreaks: Buckhorn Day Care and Nursery School (no change) Vaccine doses administered: 976 (as of February 19)
*As of February 19, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting fewer than 5 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change) and 17 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (no change).
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
The health unit provides reports from Monday to Saturday, excluding Sundays and statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 998, including 525 in Kawartha Lakes, 422 in Northumberland, and 51 in Haliburton (increase of 5, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 4 in Northumberland)* Active cases: 46, including 24 in Kawartha Lakes, 21 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no net change) Probable cases: 3 in Northumberland (no change) High-risk contacts: 140, including 65 in Kawartha Lakes, 63 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (net increase of 1)** Hospitalizations (total to date): 44, including 27 in Kawartha Lakes, 15 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton (no change)*** Deaths (including among probable cases): 64, including 53 in Kawartha Lakes and 11 in Northumberland (no change) Resolved: 901, including 461 in Kawartha Lakes, 390 in Northumberland, 50 in Haliburton (increase of 5, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 3 in Northumberland) Tests completed: 138,497 (increase of 678) Institutional outbreaks: Caressant Care McLaughlin Road long-term care home in Lindsay, Regency long-term care home in Port Hope, Warkworth Place in Warkworth (decrease of 3)****
*The health unit states that total counts and counts for individual counties may fluctuate from previously reported counts as cases are transferred to or from the health unit based on case investigation details and routine data cleaning.
**This total includes an additional 11 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
***As of February 19, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 1 patient is hospitalized with COVID-19 (decrease of 1).
***Outbreaks at Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Extendicare Cobourg long-term care home, and Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon were declared resolved on February 20.
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: 395 (no change) Active cases: 12 (no change) Deaths: 6 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 0 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change) Resolved: 377 (no change) Tests completed: 60,528 (increase of 3,380) Vaccines administered: 1,483 (no change) Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 293,086 (increase of 1,087) 7-day average of daily new cases: 1,031 (increase of 15) Resolved: 275,854 (increase of 1,140, 94.1% of all cases) Positivity rate: 2.7% (increase of 0.5%) Hospitalizations: 660 (decrease of 39)* Hospitalizations in ICU: 277 (increase of 14) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 181 (no change) Deaths: 6,861 (increase of 13) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 24 (no change) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,853 (increase of 4) Total tests completed: 10,694,158 (increase of 48,178) Tests under investigation: 17,307 (decrease of 13,455) Vaccination doses administered: 556,533 (increase of 16,404) People fully vaccinated (two doses): 235,922 (increase of 6,771), 1.6% of Ontario’s population Total COVID-19 variant cases: 391 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 5); 9 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (no change); 1 of P.1 Brazilian variant (no change)
*More than 10% of hospitals did not submit data for this report, so the actual number of hospitalizations may be higher than is shown here.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from January 21 – February 20, 2021. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from January 21 – February 20, 2021. The red line is the number of tests completed daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from January 21 – February 20, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of hospitalizations, the purple line is the daily number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs, and the dotted orange line is a five-day moving average of is a five-day moving average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from January 21 – February 20, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily deaths, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of daily deaths. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Ontario from January 21 – February 20, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of daily doses. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
Throughout the pandemic, Dr. J's BBQ & Brews in downtown Peterborough continues to offer barbecue, smoked fresh daily. They also sell a selection of specialty beers and bourbons. With the recent lifting of the stay-at-home order, the restaurant is once again offering COVID-safe in-person dining. (Photo courtesy of Dr. J's)
The coronavirus pandemic has brought physical and social isolation, meaning for many, feelings of community and togetherness are needed more than ever. Throughout the rollercoaster ride of COVID-19, father-and-son duo Addison and Ted Brown, owners of Dr. J’s BBQ & Brews in downtown Peterborough, have stayed true to their business model — bringing people together through barbecue.
The recent transition out of the provincial stay-at-home order and into the colour-coded framework was welcomed news for the Browns, since they could once again reopen their doors for in-person dining.
According to Addison, the pair are excited to continue sharing what is special about their barbecue: the unique social atmosphere that he experienced at family dinners growing up.
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“We have a passion for barbecue,” Addison says. “We just want to continue bringing families and friends together and allow them to enjoy the food that I grew up with.”
Addison and Ted opened Dr. J’s in 2014. Addison tells kawarthaNOW there have been many ups and downs throughout their eight years in business, with the pandemic being a massive hurdle. Nevertheless, he says running this establishment has “been one of the most incredible experiences of my life,” even throughout this past and very difficult year.
“The second lockdown was very tough on us,” Addison explains. “The time of year we were shut down, January and February, is the slowest time of year for Dr. J’s and most restaurants.”
Addison Brown and his father Ted opened Dr. J’s BBQ & Brews in 2014. Addison, pictured pre-pandemic, says their goal with the business is to recreate the the atmosphere of their own family dinners. (Photo courtesy of Dr. J’s)
Addison says they were forced to lay off their staff throughout the lockdown, but continued business by offering curbside takeout and delivery.
“My dad and I just worked by ourselves grinding out food and getting orders out to keep us going,” he recalls.
Now that their indoor dining has reopened, Dr. J’s staff have returned to continue offering customers takeout and delivery as well as sit-down dining under the increased safety protocols mandated by the provincial government.
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Although safety measures cause less physical togetherness, Addison says the ability to see and chat with his regular customers safely has been a very nice change.
“The way we’ve got it spread out with tables six feet apart and limiting the numbers of people at each table, I still think it’s a really fun atmosphere,” says Addison. “You can still come and watch a game, have a beer, and enjoy some good barbecue.”
“It was nice to see regulars coming back in and see that they’re doing okay — to be able to have a friendly chat with the people you care about,” he adds.
Dr. J’s also offers catering. Catering orders can be made online within 48 hours’ notice. (Photo courtesy of Dr. J’s)
While Addison says he hopes customers experience a fun and social environment when visiting the restaurant, he adds that his priority is making customers safe.
“Every table is six feet apart,” Addison explains. “All the staff are wearing masks and continually washing hands. I think that the people who do come out to our establishment have that safe feeling of sanitization and comfort.”
Dr. J’s still offers takeout and delivery for those wanting to bring the experience of barbecue home with them. To order takeout, you can call 705-874-5717 to place an order or come inside the building and order from a server. You can pick up your food inside or call the store to request curbside pickup, where staff will bring orders to your vehicle.
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In terms of delivery, you can order Dr. J’s directly through their website at www.drjs.ca. Although delivery is also available through DoorDash, Addison urges customers to order directly through the Dr. J’s website since DoorDash takes a significant cut of their profits.
“It is better for our business, but it also supports another local business,” Addison notes. “The delivery company we use is A&B Delivery, and it’s a locally owned business.”
Dr. J’s business model of bringing people together in a positive way is exemplary not only in customer experience but also in the ways they give back to the Peterborough community.
In December 2020, Dr. J’s raised $2,450 for mental health and suicide awareness by holding a gift-wrapping fundraiser. (Photo courtesy of Dr. J’s)
In December, the restaurant raised $2,450 for suicide awareness through the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Haliburton Kawartha, Pine Ridge. At this fundraiser, which Addison hopes to make an annual event, individuals brought in their Christmas presents and paid to have volunteers with masks and gloves wrap them. One hundred per cent of the donations went directly to the CMHA.
“Especially with what’s happening today with lockdowns and closures, mental health is a severe issue,” says Addison. “It affected our family personally with friends passing.”
Dr. J’s charity work did not stop there, with Addison also heading up the donation of a Christmas dinner to One Roof Community Centre.
In December 2020, Dr. J’s also gave back to the community by coordinating the donation by local restaurants of 160 meals for One Roof Community Centre. They’re asking the community to also give back by supporting locally owned restaurants. (Photo courtesy of Dr. J’s)
“It started off when I was just going to donate a couple of turkeys to One Roof because I’ve volunteered there before, and a hot meal can go very far, especially around the holidays,” Addison recalls.
“I was talking to my good buddy George from Primal Cuts, and he goes ‘Well, I’ll throw in four [turkeys].’ I thought to myself, that was easy. I have a lot of friends who own restaurants in downtown Peterborough, so I thought instead of just doing turkeys, let’s try to do a whole meal.”
From there, Addison phoned around and got an overwhelming response from fellow business owners. For example, Rare committed to providing roasted vegetables, and The Publican House committed to providing stuffing.
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Ashburnham Realty then sent out an email about the Christmas dinner to all of their commercial tenants, bringing many more donations.
Within the span of two days, about 20 local businesses came together to provide a spread that made up over 160 meals for One Roof Community Centre.
“Even though I had an idea with just a couple of items, it was incredible to see all these struggling businesses still take a bit out of their business to help others,” Addison says. “It was amazing. It made my year. I truly believe that Peterborough is known for rallying together to help people out.”
Located at 282 Aylmer Street, Dr. J’s BBQ & Brews is named after Dr. John Harvey, for whom the original building was built in 1858. The building was sold in 1870 and became a boarding house called “The Montreal House”. Before Dr. J’s opened in 2014, The Montreal House was a well-known local bar. Pre-pandemic, Dr. J’s also hosted the Peterborough Musicians Benevolent Association’s monthly Deluxe Blues Jam. (Photo: Google Maps)
For local businesses like Dr. J’s to continue spreading this sense of togetherness, Addison reminds the community to please reciprocate the support, especially throughout the pandemic.
“By supporting local businesses, the community will see that the support from local restaurants will just keep increasing,” Addison says. “I think it’s a very important cycle for people to help all of us out.”
To view their menu or place an order for delivery, you can visit their website at www.drjs.ca.
Dr. J’s BBQ & Brews is located at 282 Aylmer Street in downtown Peterborough. Currently, they are open from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Sunday.
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting 1,228 new cases today, the highest single day increase since February 13 when 1,300 cases were reported. There is 1 new case of the B.1.1.7 UK variant, for a total of 386. The seven-day average of daily cases in Ontario has decreased by 10 to 1,016.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 11 new cases to report and 8 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region increasing by 1 to 100. There is 1 new COVID-related death in Hastings Prince Edward.
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Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (331), Peel (228), and York (132).
There are double-digit increases in Hamilton (86), Ottawa (54), Durham (47), Thunder Bay (41), Halton (40), Waterloo (38), Simcoe Muskoka (36), Windsor-Essex (31), Middlesex-London (24), Northwestern (20), North Bay Parry Sound (17), Brant (17), Lambton (14), Niagara (13), and Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (11), with smaller increases in Eastern Ontario (8), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (7), Peterborough (6), and Haldimand-Norfolk (6).
The remaining 12 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 4 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 53% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (436) among people ages 20-39, followed by 345 cases among people ages 40-59.
With 1,313 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has increased by 0.1% to 94.1%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased by 0.1% from yesterday to 2.2%, meaning that 22 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on February 19.
Ontario is reporting 28 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 11 in long-term care homes. Ontario has averaged 24 new daily deaths over the past week, a decrease of 4 from yesterday.
Hospitalizations have increased by 10 from yesterday to 699, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs decreasing by 6 to 263 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators decreasing by 9 to 181.
A total of 57,194 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 9,208 to 30,762.
A total of 540,129 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 21,295 from yesterday, with 229,151 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 11,436 from yesterday, representing 1.56% of Ontario’s population.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 11 new cases to report, including 4 in Northumberland, 3 in Peterborough, 3 in Hastings Prince Edward, and 1 in Kawartha Lakes. There are no new cases in Haliburton.
There is 1 new COVID-related death in Hastings Prince Edward. A member of the Tyendinga Mohawk Territory who recently tested positive for COVID-19 has passed away.
An additional 8 cases have been resolved, including 3 in Northumberland, 3 in Hastings Prince Edward, 1 in Peterborough, and 1 in Kawartha Lakes. Outbreaks at Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Extendicare Cobourg long-term care home, and Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon were declared resolved on February 20.
There are currently 100 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 1 from yesterday, including 42 in Peterborough, 24 in Kawartha Lakes, 21 in Northumberland, 12 in Hastings Prince Edward (1 in Quinte West, 6 in Belleville, 2 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 2 in Prince Edward County, 1 in Central Hastings), and 1 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 607 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (556 resolved with 9 deaths), 525 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (461 resolved with 53 deaths), 422 in Northumberland County (390 resolved with 11 deaths), 51 in Haliburton County (50 resolved with no deaths), and 395 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (377 resolved with 6 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Hastings Prince Edward on February 20.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 12 p.m. the previous day. Data from local health units is more current and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day. There may be discrepancies between the Ontario data reported today (which is from yesterday) and the local health unit data reported today (which is from today).
Peterborough Public Health’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 607 (increase of 3) Active cases: 42 (increase of 2) Close contacts: 242 (increase of 7) Deaths: 9 (no change) Resolved: 556 (increase of 1) Hospitalizations (total to date): 24 (no change)* Total tests completed: Over 42,750 (increase of 100) Outbreaks: Buckhorn Day Care and Nursery School (no change) Vaccine doses administered: 976 (as of February 19)
*As of February 19, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting fewer than 5 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change) and 17 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (no change).
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
The health unit provides reports from Monday to Saturday, excluding Sundays and statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 998, including 525 in Kawartha Lakes, 422 in Northumberland, and 51 in Haliburton (increase of 5, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 4 in Northumberland)* Active cases: 46, including 24 in Kawartha Lakes, 21 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no net change) Probable cases: 3 in Northumberland (no change) High-risk contacts: 140, including 65 in Kawartha Lakes, 63 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (net increase of 1)** Hospitalizations (total to date): 44, including 27 in Kawartha Lakes, 15 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton (no change)*** Deaths (including among probable cases): 64, including 53 in Kawartha Lakes and 11 in Northumberland (no change) Resolved: 901, including 461 in Kawartha Lakes, 390 in Northumberland, 50 in Haliburton (increase of 5, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes and 3 in Northumberland) Tests completed: 138,497 (increase of 678) Institutional outbreaks: Caressant Care McLaughlin Road long-term care home in Lindsay, Regency long-term care home in Port Hope, Warkworth Place in Warkworth (decrease of 3)****
*The health unit states that total counts and counts for individual counties may fluctuate from previously reported counts as cases are transferred to or from the health unit based on case investigation details and routine data cleaning.
**This total includes an additional 11 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
***As of February 19, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 1 patient is hospitalized with COVID-19 (decrease of 1).
***Outbreaks at Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Extendicare Cobourg long-term care home, and Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon were declared resolved on February 20.
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: 395 (increase of 3) Active cases: 12 (decrease of 1) Deaths: 6 (increase of 1)* Currently hospitalized: 0 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change) Resolved: 377 (increase of 3) Tests completed: 57,148 (no change) Vaccines administered: 1,483 (no change) Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
*A member of the Tyendinga Mohawk Territory who recently tested positive for COVID-19 has passed away.
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 291,999 (increase of 1,228) 7-day average of daily new cases: 1,016 (decrease of 10) Resolved: 274,714 (increase of 1,313, 94.1% of all cases) Positivity rate: 2.2% (increase of 0.1%) Hospitalizations: 699 (increase of 10) Hospitalizations in ICU: 263 (decrease of 6) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 181 (decrease of 9) Deaths: 6,848 (increase of 28) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 24 (decrease of 4) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,849 (increase of 11) Total tests completed: 10,645,980 (increase of 57,194) Tests under investigation: 30,762 (decrease of 9,208) Vaccination doses administered: 540,129 (increase of 21,295) People fully vaccinated (two doses): 229,151 (increase of 11,436), 1.56% of Ontario’s population Total COVID-19 variant cases: 386 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 1); 9 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (no change); 1 of P.1 Brazilian variant (no change)
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from January 20 – February 19, 2021. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from January 20 – February 19, 2021. The red line is the number of tests completed daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from January 20 – February 19, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of hospitalizations, the purple line is the daily number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs, and the dotted orange line is a five-day moving average of is a five-day moving average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from January 20 – February 19, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily deaths, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of daily deaths. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Ontario from January 20 – February 19, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of daily doses. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
Olde Stone Brewing Company and Hot Belly Mama's are two popular restaurants located at 180 George Street in downtown Peterborough. (Photo via Olde Stone Brewing Company on Facebook)
Two iconic downtown Peterborough restaurants have fallen victim to the pandemic.
Travis Smith, owner of Olde Stone Brewing Company and Hot Belly Mama’s, announced on Facebook on Saturday (February 20) that the two restaurants will be closing at the end of the month.
“It is with deep regret and sadness that we are informing you today that as of March 1st we will be closing our doors to the public for good,” Smith writes. “We tried very hard to continue on and persevere throughout this pandemic and subsequent lockdowns but unfortunately we were beaten by it.”
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Located at 380 George Street, Olde Stone Brewing Company was founded in 1996 by well-known restaurateur Scott Wood, who currently owns Ashburnham Ale House, as one of the first craft breweries in Ontario. Wood later acquired Hot Belly Mama’s and relocated it beside Olde Stone.
Smith, who worked at Olde Stone in 2000 and later at Ashburnham Ale House, purchased the two restaurants from Wood several years later.
Olde Stone Brewing Company is a traditional pub and Hot Belly Mama’s is Cajun creole restaurant. Both restaurants serve Olde Stone’s craft beer.
Travis Smith, owner of Olde Stone Brewing Company and Hot Belly Mama’s in downtown Peterborough. (Photo via Olde Stone Brewing Company website)
“We want to take a minute to thank every single one of you that supported us over the last 25 years from celebration dinners to first dates, to a Friday night pint and everything in between,” Smith writes. “We have watched your families grow, and we have toasted those who have had to leave us. We truly feel very fortunate to have been a part of such a vibrant, tight-knit and caring community.”
Both restaurants will continue to offer takeout or curb-side pickup Wednesdays through Sundays from noon to 8 p..m. until the end of February.
“So please give us a call to enjoy that blackened catfish or a mound of sweet potato fries and we’ll be here with big smiles on our faces waiting to see you,” Smith writes. ” Thank you Peterborough and we’ll see you soon!”
“Many don’t even know about the health struggles Travis has been facing the past year,” Day-Ross writes on her Facebook page. “Let’s show him what our community is about.”
As of 3:30 p.m. on February 20, in only three hours after it was created, the campaign had already raised more than $14,000. The original goal of raising $100,000 has since been changed to $500,000.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on people experiencing homelessness. Trent University student Simal Iftikhar has organized a virtual "sleep out" to raise awareness and funds for the YES Shelter for Youth and Families in Peterborough. (Photo courtesy of Simal Iftikhar)
While assuring she’s not an alarmist, Meagan Hennekam is, well, alarmed, and has been for quite some time now.
As executive director of Peterborough’s YES Shelter for Youth and Families, Hennekam has been, and remains, an up-close-and-personal witness to the devastating effects that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had on homeless youths and families.
While it’s easy for most all of us to look the other way as we deal with our own issues around self-isolation and the pandemic’s effects on family life, income, and lifestyle, Hennekam doesn’t have the benefit of out-of-sight-out-of-mind. With the heightened struggles of the homeless in her face daily, the luxury of aloofness isn’t hers to enjoy.
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“I don’t think I could have ever imagined a circumstance that could be much worse,” says Hennekam, now in her fourth year at the helm of the Brock Street YES shelter.
“Everyone is really tense. You can feel and see people’s frustration. There’s not anywhere near the same level of hope. Before COVID, about 85 per cent of youths experiencing homelessness would have some sort of severe mental health distress and 42 per cent would attempt suicide within the first year of being homeless. If they did the same study now, I can’t even imagine what it would tell us.”
That’s not to say there haven’t been studies done examining COVID’s impact on homeless and marginalized people. There have been several throughout the course of the pandemic including one published in January in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Conducted by the Lawson Research Institute and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, the study followed 30,000 people with a recent history of homelessness over a six-month period. Its central finding is they are 20 times more likely to test positive for COVID-19, 10 times more likely to develop complications and require intensive care, and five times more likely to die.
VIDEO: Mark Graham, Canadian Mental Health Association Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge
But as disturbing as that finding is, the pandemic’s impact on the already fragile mental state of homeless people is no less cause for concern. Few are as well aware of that as Mark Graham, the longtime chief executive officer of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge.
“We know that the pandemic has widened mental health inequities, making things worse for those who were already vulnerable due to experiences of marginalization, including individuals who are homeless or have substance abuse issues,” says Graham, summarizing the findings of a 2020 nationwide survey on the pandemic’s mental health impacts undertaken jointly by the CMHA and researchers with the University of British Columbia.
In addition, says Graham, homeless people “have limited ability to prevent infection”, and their options are few in terms of accessing the health care they need should they test positive.
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Over the last year CMHA’s Four County Crisis Line (705-745-6484) has seen a marked increase in the number of calls pertaining to a wide range of mental health issues. Graham says that’s going to be the norm for quite awhile going forward.
“We’re going to get more calls as things open up and people start readjusting to normalcy. People will all of a sudden realize ‘Oh my goodness, I didn’t realize it was this bad.’ When you’re in it, you struggle and manage through it. It isn’t until things get better that you realize how bad it was. It’s almost like PTSD.”
But at YES, Hennekam’s primary focus is on today, not tomorrow, starting with the shelter capacity’s having been reduced by one-third due to COVID restrictions — a challenge common to all shelters across Peterborough.
Located on Brock Street in Peterborough, the YES Shelter for Youth and Families helps youth and families experiencing homelessness by providing shelter, education, and transitional supports. (Photo courtesy of YES)
“For the first time in the last couple of years we’ve had to turn people away,” she says. “What we used to do in the past was tuck a cot in a corner or something like that. That’s not a good solution but it’s better than saying ‘Sorry’. We’re not allowed to do that now.”
And then there’s the inescapable fact that isolating is a much different animal for shelter clients than it is for most everyone else.
“All of us who have stayed home have the internet and the finances to order books and do whatever else we can do to stay busy — even those folks are feeling really isolated and their well-being has declined. The homeless were isolated before the pandemic. If you’re in the emergency shelter today, your options are to sit on a bunk bed with usually one other roommate, or be outside. And it’s been really cold.”
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That, adds Hennekam, has resulted in a “pressure cooker” environment.
“We’ve seen a huge increase in suicide attempts in shelters, a really serious decline in people’s well-being, and behavioural outbursts that are not normal. They’re so unwell that there’s not the same level of control.”
Adding to the tension, says Hennekam, is heightened stress for shelter workers. She says when the adverse effects of the pandemic on frontline workers is referenced, shelter and social service outreach workers are rarely, if ever, mentioned.
Meagan Hennekam, executive director of the YES Shelter for Youth and Families in Peterborough. (Photo courtesy of YES)
“They (shelter staff) are here at 3 a.m. when clients are in some sort of crisis,” she explains. “Quite literally, there are moments when I’m working in my office and I can hear people screaming and crying. That used to happen some of the time but it’s almost a daily occurrence now. Our staff try to calm them down and give hope but it’s really hard on them.”
As chief executive officer of the United Way Peterborough and District, Jim Russell is the public face of what is a five-year $5 million fundraising campaign for 19 agencies serving the city and county, YES among them. He says the pandemic has served as “an amplifier of underlying issues that exist.”
“We have this whole hashtag unignorable campaign around homelessness, around mental health, around addictions, around domestic violence, around unemployment and income. For us the danger (of the pandemic) is we’ll forget about those things. What we have learned is those things have only been exacerbated.”
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“I think this time has really helped us recognize that we’re all the same. We all have the same desires. We desire community. We desire love. We desire respect. That we need to extend all that to people who are vulnerable and certainly those that are homeless. My hope is coming out of this there’s a more inclusive sense of what community is and can be.”
“We can’t un-know what we know now as a result of coming through COVID times. We have to think strategically. We have to invest money. We have to understand that for people to be safe from COVID in the future they need to be housed.”
Russell wholly shares Hennekam’s concerns about the impact on those who work to ease the lot of the homeless.
“Shelter staff are making minimum wage, maybe a bit more,” he notes.
“We tend to demean people that are making a minimum wage, not a living wage. What COVID has done, I hope, has help us recognize other positions that might not be seen as professional but are certainly just as necessary in terms of meeting people’s needs.”
Jim Russell, chief executive officer of the United Way Peterborough and District, pictured here before the pandemic. (Photo courtesy of United Way)
Not unlike her counterparts at dozens of social service agencies and service locations across the region, Hennekam is “particularly concerned” about the level of funding support that will come from governments dealing with the hangover of COVID-19 relief spending and looking to make spending cuts.
Noting that 85 per cent of Peterborough’s emergency shelter program is funded by the municipality, Hennekam says fundraising is relied on to make up the difference, but adds raising awareness of the growing need for more shelter space and affordable housing is no less important moving forward.
Enter Simal Iftikhar. On Friday, March 26th into Saturday, March 27th, the Trent University student will sleep outside in Peterborough to raise funds for YES, as well as to bring awareness to the daily experience of Peterborough’s homeless.
To date, her modest goal of $1,500 has been surpassed by $700 as other Trent students and some co-workers of hers have also signed on to sleep outside the same night and morning. To donate, visit canadahelps.org/en/pages/virtual-sleep-out/
People experiencing homelessness are more likely to test positive for COVID-19, develop complications and require hospitalization, and die from the disease. As a result of the pandemic, they are also experiencing even more isolation and mental health issues and, due to public health restrictions, have less access to spaces in shelters. (Stock photo)
“A big roadblock is the stigma around homelessness,” says Iftikhar, who helped establish a walk-in clinic at a local agency and who now works in the mental health field.
“Unless you educate yourself, it is easy to walk to the other side of the street. A lot of times all they (homeless people) are looking for is a conversation. We don’t stop anymore to say ‘Hello’. We have assumptions and stereotypes of things we think are going to happen if we associate ourselves with anyone who is homeless.”
Iftikhar says that during the pandemic, homelessness has become “a crisis within a crisis.”
“The homeless don’t have the proper PPE. They don’t have transportation to take them to screenings and tests. And there is less available programming like drop-in programs they can access.”
When all is said and done, she says her sleep-out fundraiser, which is part of the annual Peterborough Cares initiative, is really all about walking a mile in the shoes of homeless people.
“When we wake up in the morning, we’ll be alone,” Iftikhar says of her virtual sleep out. “That is how they feel every day.”
This story has been corrected. Simal Iftikhar’s sleep-out event will take place in Peterborough, not Ajax, and the pre-COVID suicide rate for homeless youth is 42 per cent, not 92 per cent.
Ontario health minister Christine Elliott responds to a reporter's question during a media briefing on the province's COVID-19 vaccination plan at Queen's Park on February 19, 2021. (CPAC screenshot)
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
With Ontario reporting 1,150 new cases today, including 37 more cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant for a total of 385, the provincial government announced the stay-at-home order is being extended for an additional two weeks in Toronto, Peel, and North Bay Parry Sound.
The province also announced York will move back into the COVID-19 response framework at the Red-Control level, and Lambton in southwestern Ontario will move from Orange-Restrict to Red-Control as a result of worsening public health trends in that region over the past week.
“These are difficult but necessary decisions, in order to protect against COVID-19 variants and maintain the progress we have all made together,” said Ontario health minister Christine Elliott. “Until vaccines are widely available, we continue to urge all Ontarians to follow public health advice and measures, and stay home, stay safe, and save lives.”
With today’s new cases, the seven-day average of daily cases in Ontario has increased by 10 to 1,026.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 15 new cases to report and 5 additional cases resolved, with the number of active cases across the region increasing by 9 to 99. There are 2 new COVID-related deaths in Kawartha Lakes.
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Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (376), Peel (264), and York (108).
There are double-digit increases in Ottawa (73), Hamilton (43), Durham (41), Waterloo (41), Halton (37), Simcoe Muskoka (23), Windsor-Essex (22), Niagara (17), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (17), Thunder Bay (15), and Eastern Ontario (12), with smaller increases in Lambton (7), Porcupine (6), Southwestern (6), and Haldimand-Norfolk (6).
The remaining 16 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with 3 health units reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 55% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (453) among people ages 20-39, followed by 326 cases among people ages 40-59.
With 1,255 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases remains unchanged at 94.0%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has decreased by 0.1% from yesterday to 2.1%, meaning that 21 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on February 18.
Ontario is reporting 47 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 18 in long-term care homes. Ontario has averaged 27 new daily deaths over the past week, an increase of 4 from yesterday.
Hospitalizations have increased by 69 from yesterday to 689, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs decreasing by 8 to 269 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators decreasing by 2 to 190.
A total of 65,372 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation decreasing by 4,562 to 39,970.
A total of 518,834 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 16,967 from yesterday, with 217,715 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 11,913 from yesterday, representing 1.48% of Ontario’s population.
There are 80 new cases in Ontario schools, an decrease of 17 from yesterday, including 64 student cases and 16 staff cases. There are 14 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, a decrease of 11 from yesterday, with 6 cases among children and 8 cases among staff.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 15 new cases to report, including 6 in Peterborough, 4 in Kawartha Lakes, 3 in Hastings Prince Edward, and 2 in Northumberland. There are no new cases in Haliburton.
There are 2 new COVID-related deaths in Kawartha Lakes. There are 2 new hospitalizations in Kawartha Lakes and 1 in Northumberland.
An additional 5 cases have been resolved, including 2 in Northumberland, 1 in Kawartha Lakes, 1 in Peterborough, and 1 in Hastings Prince Edward. Outbreaks at Peterborough Retirement Residence and the Cobourg Police Station were declared resolved on February 19.
There are currently 99 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 9 from yesterday, including 40 in Peterborough, 25 in Kawartha Lakes, 20 in Northumberland, 13 in Hastings Prince Edward (1 in Quinte West, 4 in Belleville, 3 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 1 in Prince Edward County, 2 in Tyendinga Mohawk Territory, 1 in Central Hastings), and 1 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 604 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (555 resolved with 9 deaths), 524 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (459 resolved with 53 deaths), 418 in Northumberland County (387 resolved with 11 deaths), 51 in Haliburton County (50 resolved with no deaths), and 392 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (374 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent two deaths were reported in Kawartha Lakes on February 19.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 12 p.m. the previous day. Data from local health units is more current and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day. There may be discrepancies between the Ontario data reported today (which is from yesterday) and the local health unit data reported today (which is from today).
Peterborough Public Health’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 604 (increase of 6) Active cases: 40 (increase of 5) Close contacts: 235 (decrease of 2) Deaths: 9 (no change) Resolved: 555 (increase of 1) Hospitalizations (total to date): 24 (no change)* Total tests completed: Over 42,650 (no change) Outbreaks: Buckhorn Day Care and Nursery School (decrease of 1)** Vaccine doses administered: 976 (as of February 19)
*As of February 19, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting fewer than 5 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (no change) and 17 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (no change).
**The outbreak at Peterborough Retirement Residence was declared resolved on February 19.
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: 993, including 524 in Kawartha Lakes, 418 in Northumberland, and 51 in Haliburton (increase of 6, including 4 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Northumberland)* Active cases: 46, including 25 in Kawartha Lakes, 20 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (increase of 1 in Kawartha Lakes) Probable cases: 3, including 3 in Northumberland (net decrease of 1) High-risk contacts: 139, including 61 in Kawartha Lakes, 64 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (decrease of 52)** Hospitalizations (total to date): 44, including 27 in Kawartha Lakes, 15 in Northumberland, and 2 in Haliburton (increase of 3, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Northumberland)*** Deaths (including among probable cases): 64, including 53 in Kawartha Lakes and 11 in Northumberland (increase of 2 in Kawartha Lakes) Resolved: 896, including 459 in Kawartha Lakes, 387 in Northumberland, 50 in Haliburton (increase of 3, including 1 in Kawartha Lakes and 2 in Northumberland) Tests completed: 137,819 (increase of 799) Institutional outbreaks: Caressant Care McLaughlin Road long-term care home in Lindsay, Regency long-term care home in Port Hope, Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Extendicare Cobourg long-term care home, Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon, Warkworth Place in Warkworth (no change)****
*The health unit states that total counts and counts for individual counties may fluctuate from previously reported counts as cases are transferred to or from the health unit based on case investigation details and routine data cleaning.
**This total includes an additional 13 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
***As of February 19, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 1 patient is hospitalized with COVID-19 (decrease of 1).
***The outbreak at the Cobourg Police Station was declared resolved on February 19.
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: 392 (increase of 3) Active cases: 13 (increase of 2) Deaths: 5 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 0 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change) Resolved: 374 (increase of 1) Tests completed: 57,148 (increase of 1) Vaccines administered: 1,483 (no change) Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 290,771 (increase of 1,150) 7-day average of daily new cases: 1,026 (increase of 10) Resolved: 273,401 (increase of 1,255, 94.0% of all cases) Positivity rate: 2.1% (decrease of 0.1%) Hospitalizations: 689 (increase of 69) Hospitalizations in ICU: 269 (decrease of 8) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 190 (decrease of 2) Deaths: 6,820 (increase of 47) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 23 (increase of 4) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,838 (increase of 18) Total tests completed: 10,588,786 (increase of 65,372) Tests under investigation: 39,970 (decrease of 4,562) Vaccination doses administered: 518,834 (increase of 16,967) People fully vaccinated (two doses): 217,715 (increase of 11,913), 1.48% of Ontario’s population Total COVID-19 variant cases: 385 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 37); 9 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (decrease of 1); 1 of P.1 Brazilian variant (no change)
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from January 19 – February 18, 2021. The red line is the number of new cases reported daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of new cases. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 tests completed in Ontario from January 19 – February 18, 2021. The red line is the number of tests completed daily, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of tests completed. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 hospitalizations and ICU admissions in Ontario from January 19 – February 18, 2021. The red line is the daily number of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of hospitalizations, the purple line is the daily number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs, and the dotted orange line is a five-day moving average of is a five-day moving average of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from January 19 – February 18, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily deaths, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of daily deaths. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Ontario from January 19 – February 18, 2021. The red line is the cumulative number of daily doses administered, and the dotted green line is a five-day moving average of daily doses. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)
The staged rollout of Peterborough’s COVID-19 vaccination program will ramp up next week with the delivery of 1,100 Moderna doses and close to 6,000 Pfizer doses.
During a Peterborough Public Health media briefing held Friday (February 19), medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra said the Moderna vaccine is destined to go into the arms of residents at eight long-term care homes who have already received their first dose of that vaccine.
The Pfizer vaccine, she added, will be used to first-dose inoculate long-term care home staff and caregivers as well as the “highest priority” health care workers.
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“We’re making headway in our preparations to immunize other priority groups in phase one (of the local vaccination plan), including residents and staff of senior congregate settings such as retirement homes, adults in the community who are 80 years of age and older, Indigenous adults, and home care patients,” said Dr. Salvaterra, adding “We hope to start that in early March as vaccine supply permits.”
In response to family health care providers hearing from residents who want to know they will receive their vaccine, Dr. Salvaterra said “We do communicate as much as we can,” adding one way that is being done is via the sharing of highlights of weekly meetings of the Peterborough Inter-Agency Vaccine Planning Team.
“We have a primary care lead on the inter-agency planning team. That person is communicating with doctors. She’s already had conversations with family doctors to find out if we can use their electronic medical records to identify those over 80 (years old).”
At a media briefing held at Queen’s Park on Friday afternoon, retired general Rick Hillier, chair of Ontario’s COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Task Force, said the province plans to move forward inoculations of the 80-plus age group.
“By the middle of March, we want to be able to start vaccinating those 80 years of age and older,” Hillier said. “We will be reaching out to them in the next week to two weeks to tell them when their opportunity is going to become available, where they can go to book their appointments, either online or through a phone line, and where they can get their information.”
Hillier added the vaccinations will be delivered by public health units in collaboration with local hospitals and primary caregivers and family doctors (possibly through mass immunization clinics). Plans are also underway to involve pharmacies.
The Peterborough region, which earlier this week was placed in the “Yellow-Protect” level of Ontario’s COVID-19 Response Framework, currently has 35 current active COVID cases, an increase of 13 cases since Tuesday (February 16). The health unit is also following closely the progress of 237 identified high-risk contacts of positive cases, 32 more than earlier this week.
The main culprit behind the rise in the number of close case contacts being followed is an outbreak declared February 16th at Buckhorn Day Care and Nursery School, where 12 positive cases have now been confirmed — six involving staff members and the other six involving children. The close contacts of each those cases, such as family members, are being followed as a result.
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“The index case (point of origin) was not a variant of concern but you can see how quickly outbreaks can develop even when a variant of concern is not involved,” said Dr. Salvaterra, noting the day care has been closed.
Meanwhile, an outbreak declared January 26th at Peterborough Retirement Residence has been declared over, leaving the outbreak at Buckhorn Day Care and Nursery School as the only outbreak at present.
While more aggressive COVID-19 variants of concern have been confirmed in regions across Ontario, none of have been detected as of yet in the Peterborough region. That, said Dr. Salvaterra, is “very likely” to change.
“Although public health measures are effective, what other jurisdictions have seen is where mobility continues — where people are moving around, whether it’s to the store or driving to other places — there will be spread of the variants. Unless we had much more restriction on travel, I expect we will see variant cases here. What we’re trying to do is contain the spread as best we can and slow it down.”
Dr. Salvaterra stressed “Being in yellow does not mean a return to normal,” noting the lifting of the stay-at-home order comes with new requirements.
“Everyone is accountable for their behaviour and can face a penalty if found to be non-compliant,” she said. “Regulation 364 reminds us we must all wear a mask or face covering when we are in any indoor area. We must wear a mask when we are participating in any event or gathering which is permitted and any time we are within two metres of another individual who is not part of our household. That applies to outdoors as well.”
On the enforcement front, a multi-ministerial blitz is underway. According to Julie Ingram, Peterborough Public Health’s manager of environmental health, more than 20 provincial offences officers began inspections of grocery and retail stores in the city and county on Wednesday (February 17), and will continue their inspections through this Saturday.
“They’ve visited about 100 businesses so far and the overall compliance rate is about 50 per cent,” said Ingram. “So far they’ve issued four tickets under the Reopening Ontario Act and issued 22 formal warnings. The most common violations being seen are not having a COVID-19 safety plan and not following appropriate screening measures.”
In response to why so many businesses have received a warning almost a full year into the pandemic, Ingram said education remains “one of tools in our enforcement toolbox. Warning is the first step and then we go to a charge.”
“The regulations are very fluid. They are updated on a regular basis. They have new additions and slight changes. A warning situation typically involves a recent change in the requirements that hasn’t been put in place.”
“The compliance rate (result) means 50 per cent of businesses are essentially fully compliant. The other 50 per cent have something they can improve on. Any little thing would put that premise into non-compliance.”
Ingram added that a business that is warned is required to take the required action or face a fine upon a return visit. As for not naming businesses that have been ticketed, Ingram said while she appreciates that people want to know, “There really is a difference between wanting to know and needing to know.”
“If there is a risk to the public, we would disclose the information. If a business has been charged but there is no risk to the public, that’s not something we’re going to disclose. Even if a business has been charged, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s unsafe for people to go there.”
Also commenting during Friday’s briefing were Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef, Northumberland-Peterborough South MPP Dave Piccini, Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien, Peterborough County Warden J. Murray Jones, and Peterborough Board of Health chair and Selwyn Mayor Andy Mitchell.
In the Hallmark feature-length film "Two for the Win", Peterborough actor Naomi Duvall plays ski-mom Margaret Ainsley, who bids in a charity auction to try to win a day with champion ski-racer Justin O'Neill, played by Trevor Donovan. The movie was filmed in the Ottawa area in November 2020. (Supplied photo)
Naomi Duvall is one of the hardest-working artists in the region.
She works across multiple disciplines, including but not limited to acting (stage, television, and film), puppetry and object art, playwriting, and burlesque comedy. Duvall is known to have numerous projects on the go at any given time.
Perhaps this is why so many people in the Peterborough-Nogojwanong arts community are celebrating Duvall’s recent speaking role in the feature-length Hallmark film Two for the Win.
It’s wonderful to see all of her hard work paying off.
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A graduate of the professional theatre acting program at John Abbott College in the west island of Montreal, Duvall has worked on nearly every stage in Peterborough.
Though she has worked extensively in television, commercials, and film, Two for the Win represents a breakout role for the actor’s career.
The film, starring Trevor Donovan and Charlotte Sullivan, is about a champion ski-racer (Donovan) who returns to his hometown, where he reconnects and eventually falls in love with a local ski instructor (Sullivan).
VIDEO: “Two for the Win” preview and sneak peek
Duvall plays the role of Margaret Ainsley, a ski-mom who rather comically fawns over Donovan’s character and even bids in a charity auction to try to win a day with him.
“This is my first speaking role ever,” Duvall says, “I’m so excited.”
“In a sense, my time doing a Hallmark movie feels like a true Hallmark experience — I feel like Tiny Tim,” she laughs. “For a small-town girl like me, it feels really good.”
“Before reading the script fully, I actually thought it was a Christmas movie,” Duvall recalls, laughing. “I was so excited — I had this notebook and I decorated it with Christmas stickers, like a 12-year-old kid. I was so pumped, and then I showed up on set with my Christmas notebook and realized it was a skiing movie.”
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“For the first time in my life, I got my own trailer, which was amazing,” she adds. “I was absolutely losing my mind — I even took a video of myself.”
The actor landed the role by means of a self-tape audition — a prerecorded video audition where an actor reads selected script portions, called sides, which are then submitted to casting directors.
“Because of COVID, I’ve been getting a lot more self-tape auditions,” says Duvall.
“During non-pandemic times, I would be going to Toronto maybe twice a month for auditions — and that would be a really good month in terms of auditions. Now, it seems like I’m getting like one a week. Not too long ago, I actually did four self-tape auditions in one weekend, which was what my monthly quota for in-person auditions used to be before the pandemic.”
Peterborough-Nogojiwanong actor Naomi Duvall. (Supplied photo)
The online nature of work during the pandemic has levelled the playing field, in a sense, for regional artists who normally would be required to travel to urban centres for work opportunities.
As is the case for workers in every sector, the pandemic certainly made work more difficult for the actor but Duvall feels lucky that she was able to do her work safely.
“I was really, really lucky in that respect. We were shooting in Ottawa and I had really good friends who were able to give me rides there and back, which was a huge relief from the anxiety of dealing with public transit. I was also able to find, through a local forum, a wonderful contactless Airbnb.”
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On set, multiple precautions were taken to ensure the safety of the cast and crew.
“We had to get tested beforehand and send them the results,” explains Duvall. “And then, while you’re on set, they test you regularly as well. They had a mobile testing unit on site. I think it took a lot of planning, but I feel like the film industry is used to that.”
“Obviously, I would have liked it more if my first experience had not been during COVID,” says Duvall of shooting during the pandemic. “We were pretty isolated from each other on set.”
“It just wasn’t the same. Because of COVID, it was a lot more like background work. You’re shooting and then you’re holding but then you just stay there and try to keep six feet apart from everyone and wear your mask whenever you can.”
Peterborough actor Naomi Duvall as ski-mom Margaret Ainsley fawning over champion ski-racer Justin O’Neill (Trevor Donovan) in a deleted scene from the Hallmark feature-length film “Two for the Win”. (Supplied photo)
“Still, I had a really great experience,” she says. “The director was amazing to work with, and the one thing that really, really sticks with me was how supportive the crew was.”
“After we shot one scene, the whole crew clapped and cheered for me,” Duvall recalls. “Of course, that was the scene that ended up being cut — it was also the scene with last-minute script changes. The scene may have been cut, but the memory in my head lives on.”
“There’s so many things I’m grateful for — I’m grateful for it all,” says an exuberant Duvall. “Now, I’m just so excited to share this film with others.”
Two for the Win airs Friday, February 19th at 8 p.m. on CityTV.
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