A fire at Rileys Bar and Grill in Bobcaygeon on June 24, 2020. (Photo: Rileys / Facebook)
As if the COVID-19 pandemic was not enough, Bobcaygeon’s newest restaurant has just suffered a devastating blow.
On Wednesday morning (June 24), Don and Laurie Riley, owners of Rileys Bar and Grill at 50 Canal Street in Bobcaygeon, received a call saying their restaurant was on fire.
“We are beyond upset and in total shock that this has even happened,” the couple write on their Facebook page. “Everyone is thankfully safe. We want to thank all the firefighters who’ve worked tirelessly to put out the flames.”
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Police and emergency services responded to the fire at around 5:20 a.m., which was eventually extinguished. The Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate the scene.
Rileys is now closed, and the owners say they will be contacting all those who made reservations to let them know.
The Rileys purchased the Canal Street building, the location of the former Water’s Edge Restaurant, in 2019.
They then completed extensive renovations to turn it into a year-round business.
A fire at Rileys Bar and Grill in Bobcaygeon on June 24, 2020. (Photo: Rileys / Facebook)
The restaurant held its soft opening on February 1st, with plans for an official opening on the Victoria Day weekend.
A month later, the COVID-19 pandemic closed all restaurants in Ontario, except for take-out and delivery — which Rileys began offering.
The restaurant had just reopened its river-side patio for daily service earlier this month, after the Ontario government allowed outdoor dining areas to reopen.
The restaurant just reopened its river-side patio for daily service earlier this month, after the Ontario government lifted restrictions. (Photo: Rileys / Facebook)
The Rileys are originally from Brantford and also own Steertech Performance, which services trucks, with locations in Brantford and Peterborough. After they opened the Peterborough location, they decided to because restaurateurs.
kawarthaNOW is providing a daily report of COVID-19 cases in the greater Kawarthas region.
Here’s today summary: there are 95 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area, 162 in the City of Kawartha Lakes, 19 in Northumberland County, 9 in Haliburton County, and 43 in Hastings County and Prince Edward County.
There are no new cases to report in Peterborough, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, or Haliburton. Hastings Prince Edward Public Health had not provided a report for June 23 as of the time of publication of this story; however, the last positive case reported there was May 18.
There has been a total of 39 deaths. The most recent death was reported on May 7 by Hastings Prince Edward Public Health.
Province-wide, there are 33,853 confirmed cases, an increase of 216 from yesterday’s report. A total of 29,107 cases are resolved, an increase of 174 from yesterday. There have been 2,619 deaths, an increase of 10 from yesterday, with 1,664 of the deaths being residents in long-term care homes, an increase of 10. A total of 1,212,816 tests have been completed, an increase of 16,189 from yesterday, with 16,418 tests under investigation, and increase of 6,391.
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 and hospitals. This information is at least 24 hours old, so it is not real-time data.
We publish the daily report, usually by late afternoon, with the most current information released by health units. 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: 95 (no change) Active cases: 4 (no change) Deaths: 2 (no change) Resolved: 89 (no change) Total tests completed: Over 15,050 (increase of 50) 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.
Confirmed positive: 190, including 162 in Kawartha Lakes, 19 in Northumberland, 9 in Haliburton (no change) Probable cases: 0 (no change) Hospitalizations: 13 (no change) Deaths: 32 (no change) Resolved: 166 (increase of 1) Institutional outbreaks: Fenelon Court Long Term Care Home in Fenelon Falls (no change)
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
Confirmed positive: 43 (no change, last positive case reported on May 18)* Probable cases: 181 (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: 36 (no change)* Total tests completed: 8,161 (increase of 461)* Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)*
*Hastings Prince Edward Public Health had not provided a report for June 23 as of the time of publication of this story.
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 33,853 (increase of 216) Hospitalized: 288 (increase of 23) Hospitalized and in ICU: 75 (decrease of 1) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 54 (decrease of 4) Deaths: 2,619 (increase of 10) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 1,664 (increase of 10, 63.5% of all deaths) Total tests completed 1,212,816 (increase of 16,189) Tests under investigation: 16,418 (increase of 6,391) Resolved: 29,107 (increase of 174)
New COVID-19 cases in Ontario from May 23 – June 22, 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 May 23 – June 22, 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)
Peterborough Kiwanis Club and mobility and accessibility business Motion with the two trail chairs they have donated to Camp Kawartha to increase accessibility of trails at both of the camp's sites. Pictured from left to right: Camp Kawartha executive director Jacob Rodenburg, Kiwanis Club of Peterborough spokesperson Terry McLaren, Camp Kawartha Environment Centre manager Craig Brant, and Motion accessibility consultants Shelley McNamara and Rob Carleton. (Photo courtesy of Camp Kawartha)
The Kiwanis Club of Peterborough and mobility and accessibility business Motion are making hiking trails at Camp Kawartha more accessible with their recent donation of two trail chairs to the not-for-profit charity.
One of the chairs will be available at the Camp Kawartha’s Environment Centre on Pioneer Road in Peterborough, which backs onto the Trent trails system. Camp staff use the trails regularly as a teaching area.
The second chair will be used at the main site on Clear Lake, where the camp has five trails that wind their way through 185 acres of forest, fields and wetlands. The trails have QR codes that connect hikers to an online trail guide, explaining the unique natural history of this region.
“We are absolutely delighted to add these chairs to our accessibility equipment,” says Camp Kawartha executive director Jacob Rodenburg. “These chairs are much more robust than the average wheelchair, and this means any camper or student can join with their peers and friends in an exciting hike through the woods.”
One of the chairs was donated by the Kiwanis Club of Peterborough.
“The Kiwanis Club is so pleased to help out with this purchase,” says club spokesperson Terry McLaren. “Helping children access a woodland trail, maybe for the first time, is something the whole membership responded to, and we had no trouble making the investment. We know Camp Kawartha will make good use of them.”
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The other chair was donated by Motion, Canada’s leading provider of comprehensive and customized mobility and accessibility solutions for a wide variety of clients from children to elderly adults. Motion, which helped source both chairs, donated the second chair to ensure that both of Camp Kawartha’s sites have chairs available.
“We thought it was an important contribution to make,” says Motion accessibility consultant Shelley McNamara.
“When we heard the camp’s story from Terry, it wasn’t difficult to make the decision to help out,” adds Motion accessibility consultant Rob Carleton.
Camp Kawartha offers year-round programming to children, youth and adults, focusing on outdoor education, environmental stewardship, and building leadership skills.
While Camp Kawartha’s outdoor education programming and summer camp this year have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization is already planning for celebrations in 2021 — its 100th anniversary.
Originally from the Curve Lake First Nation, award-winning Ojibwe playwright, novelist, and filmmaker Drew Hayden Taylor wrote a play in 2018 about the wild rice conflict between cottagers on Pigeon Lake and indigenous grower, harvester, and educator James Whetung. Taylor has taken the name and concept behind the play to create the documentary "Cottagers & Indians", which explores the wild rice conflict and other indigenous issues across Canada, including in Osoyoos B.C. (pictured). The documentary premiere on CBC Television on July 4, 2020. (Photo: Sam Karney)
Award-winning Ojibwe playwright, novelist, and filmmaker Drew Hayden Taylor moves from stage to screen with his new documentary Cottagers & Indians, which brings more attention and perspective to ongoing land disputes and cultural clashes affecting indigenous peoples across the country.
Based on his successful and national-touring play of the same name and topic, Taylor’s new doc is set to premiere on CBC Television on Saturday, July 4th at 8 p.m.
Making its debut in February 2018 at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre, Taylor’s stage play Cottagers and Indians was inspired by the decades-old battle between Curve Lake First Nation’s James Whetung and cottagers and residents on Pigeon Lake, located northeast of Toronto.
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For many years, Whetung has been growing and harvesting wild rice — called “manomin” in the language of the Ojibwe people, meaning “gift from the creator” — in Pigeon Lake, arguing that doing so is an indigenous right of food sovereignty. On the other side of the issue, residents and cottagers who want to maintain the lake for recreational use (which is hampered by the thick growth of wild rice) believe Whetung is breaking the law.
Taylor’s play, which takes a balanced and light-hearted look at the conflict, included sold-out shows at the Market Hall in Peterborough. It was selected as a runner-up for the 2020 Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour.
Herbie Barnes as Arthur Copper (inspired by James Whetung) and Tracey Hoyt as Maureen Poole in the original Tarragon Theatre production of “Cottagers and Indians”, Drew Hayden Taylor’s light-hearted exploration of the real-life conflict between cottagers objecting to the production of wild rice in Pigeon Lake by James Whetung of Curve Lake First Nation. (Photo: Cylla von Tiedemann)
Taylor has a long history of writing about the topic of indigenous rights and sovereignty in Canada using dramatic humour but also through documentary film. And according to Taylor, documentaries are much more challenging.
“There are two sides to every story,” Taylor explains. “In drama, each character thinks they’re right. In documentary it is harder. You have to respect the people you are interviewing in a doc.”
Taylor’s new film delivers by respectfully showcasing the different perspectives of historic land disputes and considers the causes of conflict, from the debate over wild rice in Pigeon Lake to larger issues such as food sovereignty, property rights, restricted access to capital on reserves, racism, privilege, contract law, and indigenous poverty.
VIDEO: “Cottagers & Indians” Trailer
Through each conflict, Taylor — who both presents and directs the film — explores what it might look like to simply coexist, through individual and personal perspectives after spending months building the trusted relationships needed to get the stories to the screen.
“These are all the repercussions of what happened years ago,” Taylor explains. “Communicating is good — and so is understanding both sides. There are still land issues, people are still going to court, and this is still creating animosity.”
Taylor’s cross-country journey takes him to Shoal Lake 40, an isolated reserve thatt has provided the city of Winnipeg with pristine drinking water for a century, while leaving the First Nation with a boil water advisory since the 1980s. He is wowed by Canada’s most prosperous indigenous bands in Osoyoos B.C., and he meets an indigenous chief and small-town mayor with different perspectives on the ownership of Sauble Beach, one of Canada’s most popular beaches.
It’s a journey filled with laughter, tears, joy, and anger as Taylor returns to meet with the adversaries at Pigeon Lake, all of whom are still hoping to find a solution many years later.
The inspiration for the pivotal character in Taylor’s play Cottagers and Indians, Whetung also features prominently in the documentary. Knowing Whetung through his own connection to Curve Lake, Taylor was prompted to write the play by Tarragon Theatre’s artistic director Richard Rose.
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“When I started working on the play, I was a bit reluctant,” Taylor admits. “How do you dramatize a bag of wild rice?”
But Taylor says once he put on his objective eyeglasses, he was able to put different clothes on the story, going deeper and bringing awareness.
Now, in a documentary form, the story remains rich and full of twists and turns.
“James barely lives above the poverty line because education is so important to him,” Taylor explains. “He takes groups out (on Pigeon lake), he gives lots of the wild rice away, and he has built up many allied supporters.”
Taylor says he looks forward to the new doc continuing to shine a light on the still-growing conflict and exposing real issues between that have a long history across the country.
Cottagers & Indians debuts on CBC Television’s Docs POV on Saturday, July 4th at 8 p.m. and on the free CBC Gem streaming service.
A 31-year-old Peterborough man is dead after an accident early Tuesday morning (June 23).
At around 12:30 a.m., Peterborough police and emergency services responded to a single-vehicle collision on Park Street between Wolfe and Townsend streets.
The driver of the vehicle has died. His next of kin have been notified.
There were no passengers in the vehicle.
Following the accident, police remained on the scene for an investigation and Peterborough Utilities crews were also at the scene to repair hydro poles that were struck by the car.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Peterborough Police Service Traffic Unit at 705-876-1122 ext. 289.
Some of the colourful rocks in Peterborough GreenUP's Rainbow Rock Garden celebrating Pride Month. The garden is located in the DePave Paradise boulevard right in front of the GreenUP Store & Resource Centre at 378 Aylmer Street North in downtown Peterborough. (Photo: Natalie Stephenson / GreenUP)
June is Pride Month, and Peterborough GreenUP is celebrating with a Rainbow Rock Garden.
The garden, filled with colourful painted stones, is located in the DePave Paradise boulevard right in front of the GreenUP Store & Resource Centre at 378 Aylmer Street North in downtown Peterborough.
The idea for the Rainbow Rock Garden began on a sunny day this pandemic spring when the GreenUP water department team was weeding and planting the boulevard (while maintaining physical distancing).
The Rainbow Rock Garden is installed in the DePave Paradise boulevard right in front of the GreenUP Store & Resource Centre at 378 Aylmer Street North in downtown Peterborough. (Photo: Dawn Pond / GreenUP)Spreading the message of love in the Rainbow Rock Garden. (Photo: Dawn Pond / GreenUP)
While they were planting, they were discussing Pride Month (and Peterborough Pride, which is celebrated in September). They were also talking about how they could use river stones to spruce up areas of the boulevard that don’t have plants.
The two ideas soon came together when they realized they could paint rocks with rainbow colours for Pride Month and place them in the space.
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“The entire GreenUP team loved the idea and thought we could also encourage all of Peterborough to paint and place rainbow rocks in their own gardens or yards,” GreenUP communication and marketing specialist Leif Einarson tells kawarthaNOW.
“We’re using the hashtag #RainbowRockGarden and asking everyone to spread the message that, however you identify and whoever you love, you belong here.”
GreenUP communication and marketing specialist Leif Einarson involved his kids in a family activity to paint rocks for Peterborough GreenUP’s Rainbow Rock Garden. The painted rocks are intended to spread a message of belonging and acceptance. (Photo: Leif Einarson / GreenUP)A collection of rocks for Peterborough GreenUP’s Rainbow Rock Garden painted by GreenUP communication and marketing specialist Leif Einarson and his kids. (Photo: Leif Einarson / GreenUP)
GreenUP is encouraging Peterborough residents to place painted rocks in a publicly visible area of their homes or in shared green spaces.
Take photos of the rocks, post them on social media with the hashtag #RainbowRockGarden, and tag @PtboGreenUP.
Of course, as an environmental organization, GreenUP is asking that people respect pathways, lawns, growing plants, sidewalks, and habitats when placing rocks.
June is Pride Month in Canada, when we celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and two-spirit (LGBTQI2S) communities and promote acceptance and belonging. (Photo: Hayley Goodchild / GreenUP)Members of the water department team at Peterborough GreenUP, including water education programs coordinator Karen O’Krafka, came up with the idea of the Rainbow Rock Garden this spring while they were weeding and planting the DePave Paradise boulevard in front of the GreenUP Store & Resource Centre. (Photo: Karen O’Krafka / GreenUP)The message behind the Rainbow Rock Garden is that, no matter how you identify and who you love, you belong to the community. (Photo: Karen O’Krafka / GreenUP)
One person has been airlifted to hospital after a serious collision on Highway 28 near Big Cedar Lake Road between Burleigh Falls and Woodview.
On Monday (June 22), the Peterborough County OPP and emergency crews responded to a report of a vehicle that left Highway 28 at around 1:30 p.m. and collided head-on with a rock cut.
The driver was treated at the scene before being airlifted to a Toronto-area hospital with life-threatening injuries.
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Highway 28 was closed as of 4:30 p.m. between Big Cedar Lake Road and Mount Julian Viamede Road while police trained in collision reconstruction measure and document the scene.
A detour is in place on Highway 28 at County Road 6 to Northeys Bay Road (County Road 56).
The closure will remain in place for several hours while police investigate.
kawarthaNOW is providing a daily report of COVID-19 cases in the greater Kawarthas region.
Here’s today summary: there are 95 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area, 162 in the City of Kawartha Lakes, 19 in Northumberland County, 9 in Haliburton County, and 43 in Hastings County and Prince Edward County.
There is 1 new case to report today in Kawartha Lakes. There are no new cases to report in Peterborough, Northumberland, Haliburton, or Hastings and Prince Edward.
There has been a total of 39 deaths. The most recent death was reported on May 7 by Hastings Prince Edward Public Health.
Province-wide, there are 33,637 confirmed cases, an increase of 161 from yesterday’s report. A total of 28,933 cases are resolved, an increase of 214 from yesterday. There have been 2,609 deaths, an increase of 3 from yesterday, with 1,654 of the deaths being residents in long-term care homes, a decrease of 3 (the decrease is unexplained, but appears to be a data reporting adjustment). A total of 1,196,627 tests have been completed, an increase of 21,900 from yesterday, with 10,027 tests under investigation, a decrease of 5,397.
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 and hospitals. This information is at least 24 hours old, so it is not real-time data.
We publish the daily report, usually by late afternoon, with the most current information released by health units. 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: 95 (no change) Active cases: 4 (no change) Deaths: 2 (no change) Resolved: 89 (no change) Total tests completed: Over 15,000 (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.
Confirmed positive: 190, including 162 in Kawartha Lakes, 19 in Northumberland, 9 in Haliburton (increase of 1) Probable cases: 0 (no change) Hospitalizations: 13 (no change) Deaths: 32 (no change) Resolved: 165 (no change) Institutional outbreaks: Fenelon Court Long Term Care Home in Fenelon Falls (no change)
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
Confirmed positive: 43 (no change, last positive case reported on May 18) Probable cases: 181 (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: 36 (no change) Total tests completed: 8,161 (increase of 461) Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 33,637 (increase of 161) Hospitalized: 265 (decrease of 21) Hospitalized and in ICU: 76 (increase of 10) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 58 (decrease of 1) Deaths: 2,609 (increase of 3) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 1,654 (decrease of 3, 63.4% of all deaths)* Total tests completed 1,196,627 (increase of 21,900) Tests under investigation: 10,027 (decrease of 5,397) Resolved: 28,933 (increase of 214)
*The decrease in deaths of residents in long-term care homes is unexplained, but appears to be a data adjustment.
New COVID-19 cases in Ontario from May 22 – June 21, 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 May 22 – June 21, 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)
Ontario Premier Doug Ford expresses his frustration with farmers in Windsor-Essex during a media conference at Queen's Park on June 22, 2020. Despite the efforts of health officials to conduct proactive testing on farms, the number of COVID-19 cases among farm workers continues to rise, leaving Windsor-Essex the only region of Ontario that remains in stage one of Ontario's reopening. (Screenshot / CPAC)
Effective Wednesday (June 24), the Ontario government is allowing the City of Toronto and Peel Region to move into stage two of Ontario’s reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic — leaving Windsor-Essex as the sole region remaining in stage one because of a high number of cases among temporary foreign workers in the agri-food industry.
Premier Doug Ford made the announcement on Monday (June 22) at Queen’s Park, along with health minister Christine Elliott, finance minister Rod Phillips, and labour minister Monte McNaughton.
“No-one wants to see every region of Ontario open more than I do, but we have to do it right,” Ford said. “Unfortunately, right now the threat of this virus in Windsor-Essex is still too great.”
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Moving into stage two means that restaurant patios in Toronto and Peel can open, along with shopping malls (except for sit-down dining), hair salons, tour and guide services, swimming and wading pools, libraries, and more. For a full list of places that can open in stage two, visit ontario.ca/page/reopening-ontario-whats-each-stage#section-2.
Windsor-Essex will remain in stage one as the government continues to assess the situation there.
“We’ve already taken a number of steps, including enhancing and expanding our testing strategy,” Ford said. “On Saturday, we began proactive testing on farms, starting with sending our mobile testing units to the largest farms, including many in Windsor-Essex. We’re also conducting the same proactive testing at many of our food processing plants.”
On Monday (June 22), the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit reported 32 new cases of COVID-19, with 31 of those cases among workers in the agri-food sector. There are currently seven workplace outbreaks in the sector.
Given that only one case was not a farm worker, a reporter asked Ford whether he would consider taking a regional approach to reopening in Windsor-Essex, to allow areas without farm workers to enter stage two.
Ford’s frustration with the lack of testing of farm workers was evident in his reply.
“I love the farmers, but guys, you gotta help us here,” Ford said. “We’re sending in units, but farmers just aren’t cooperating — they aren’t sending out the people to be tested.”
He urged farmers to get their workers tested.
“You’re affecting the largest region, and it’s not fair to the people of Windsor. It’s not fair for the region, for the businesses, by not getting the workers tested. It’s very simple.”
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Ford also threatened to take additional steps if the situation does not improve.
“I’ll go to the extreme, whatever tool I have to protect the people of Windsor, and the food supply chain, and the farmers, and the workers,” he said. “I’ll start pulling out every tool I have at my disposal to make sure this gets done.”
Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Monday afternoon (June 22) for Hastings Highlands, including Bancroft.
Conditions are favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms that may be capable of producing strong wind gusts, large hail, and heavy rain.
Thunderstorms are expected in the area on Monday afternoon (June 22).
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Large hail can damage property and cause injury. Strong wind gusts can toss loose objects, damage weak buildings, break branches off trees and overturn large vehicles. Lightning kills and injures Canadians every year. Remember, when thunder roars, go indoors!
Severe thunderstorm watches are issued when atmospheric conditions are favourable for the development of thunderstorms that could produce one or more of the following: large hail, damaging winds, torrential rainfall.
The Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management recommends that you take cover immediately if threatening weather approaches.
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