A major wrench has just been thrown into the plans to build a new Canadian Canoe Museum beside the Peterborough Lift Lock.

On Thursday (May 28), the museum announced that is own independent investigations have confirmed the designated site for the museum’s future building contains the chemical compound trichloroethylene (TCE).

A clear non-flammable liquid with a sweet smell, TCE was commonly used as an industrial solvent in the past. It is classified as a human carcinogen and a non-carcinogenic health hazard. Groundwater and drinking water contamination from industrial discharge of trichloroethylene is a major concern for human health and has resulted in numerous public health incidents and lawsuits in the U.S.

“All of us at the Canoe Museum, our project partners, and supporters are highly concerned and extremely disappointed by the situation,” says the museum’s executive director Carolyn Hyslop.

The ground water at 353 Hunter Street East, owned by Parks Canada, is believed to have been contaminated by chemicals seeping from an adjacent property. The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks has issued a provincial officers order under the Environmental Protection Act to the property’s owner, directing it to undertake air quality, ground water, and additional onsite investigations and to provide associating remediation plans.

The museum has not identified the property owner, but only two factories were located in the area.

Westclox (formerly The Western Clock Company) operated a clock-making factory on Hunter Street, on the hill overlooking the Trent Canal, from 1922 until the early 1980s. The building, which has since been converted into condos and offices, is now called Time Square and is operated by the Skyline Group of Companies. It is unknown whether industrial solvents were used in the manufacture and assembly of clocks.

Fisher Gauge operated a metal die-casting plant at 194 Sophia Street near the Trent Canal. The company, which later became FisherCast Global, was acquired by DynaCast in 2008 and currently operates a factory on Neal Drive. Industrial solvents such as TCE are used for both cleaning and finishing metals.

“We are working with all parties including the Ministry, Parks Canada, and our community and funding partners to evaluate the overall impacts of these findings to our operations and our new museum build,” Hyslop says.

Ironically, the existing site of the Canadian Canoe Museum at 910 Monaghan Road (which has remained closed during the COVID-19 pandemic) was the former location of the Outboard Marine Corporation of Canada. The company, which operated from 1913 to 1990, manufactured outboard motors and related marine products, as well as other small engines, and used TCE in its manufacturing process. As was the practice at the time, the company occasionally discharged waste onto the ground — waste that included TCE.

Ground-breaking for the museum’s new facility, to be located alongside the Peterborough Lift Lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway, was originally scheduled to begin this year. The 83,400 square-foot facility was designed by the award-winning Irish team of heneghan peng and Toronto’s Kearns Mancini Architects.

“While the full implications of this environmental interruption are not yet fully known, we are fully committed to building a new world-class museum that will deliver on its vision and serve the needs of its patrons and local community while honouring and preserving this unique cultural asset of national significance,” Hyslop says.

This story has been updated to include information about two factories that operated in the area.

It’s a baby step to be sure, but a small drop in the incidences of community transmission of COVID-19 in Peterborough city and county, Curve Lake, and Hiawatha is cause for optimism moving forward.

Countering that good public health news, however, is a dramatic increase in the number of suspected opiod-related deaths in May.

During her weekly media briefing held Wednesday (May 27), Peterborough’s medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra reported that 16 per cent of the total 83 positive COVID-19 cases found in the region have been a result of community transmission — down from more than 17 per cent seen over prior weeks.

Dr. Salvaterra has stated that before a return to pre-pandemic activity can occur, that number in particular must come down.

“It is encouraging to see that number come down,” she said, adding “It’s hard to know how low we can get it, but we certainly need to keep our eye on that number.”

Referring to updated COVID-19 data for the region, Dr. Salvaterra notes the total number of 83 positive cases for the region marks an increase of seven cases over the past week. Of the positive cases, 71 have been resolved while 10 cases remain active, with a total of two COVID-19 related deaths reported.

More than 7,350 people have been tested, 450 of them over the past week. One of every 20 residents in Peterborough Public Health’s catchment area has now been tested.

Meanwhile, with an earlier outbreak at Kawartha Heights Retirement Living resolved, there are currently no outbreaks reported in the region — a first since the very early days of the outbreak.

Particularly encouraging is the low number of cases locally in comparison to the provincial average. In this catchment area, there are 56 positive cases per 100,000 people compared to Ontario’s rate of 178 positives cases per 100,000 people. Meanwhile, the local incidence rate over the past week is 4.7 per cent, again much lower than the provincial incidence rate of 18 per 100,000.

Dr. Salvaterra says the relative success of local public health initiatives taken during the pandemic crisis hasn’t gone unnoticed in Ontario public health circles.

“I meet with all my medical officer of health colleagues at least three times a week by phone, and two of those calls are also with the Ministry of Health Emergency Operations Centre,” she said, noting best practices are shared during those chats and that some local initiatives have been adopted by other health units.

With the current hot and humid weather conditions, Dr. Salvaterra noted the particular challenge being posed in relation to outbreak control measures. With the province having extended emergency orders to June 9th, access to typical ways of cooling off, such as public swimming and wading pools, is prohibited for the next few weeks at least.

“We need to adapt our practices and find other ways to stay safe in the heat,” said Dr. Salvaterra.

“I’m hoping people will be able to take advantage of any existing shade in our outdoor green spaces. If you have vulnerable family members or friends, please check on them. The operation of businesses within this context is putting a strain on everyone.”

“Line-ups outdoors are the norm for people shopping for groceries and other essential goods. I’m asking everyone to continue to stay at home as much as possible and reduce the number of shopping related trips to weekly.”

Particularly disturbing for Dr. Salvaterra has been the receipt of complaints about human waste in public places including parking lots.

“This is simply unacceptable … it creates a health hazard and it is illegal,” she reminded, adding “Designated shoppers must be prepared to have no access to washrooms.”

Dr. Salvaterra also addressed a recent dramatic increase in the number of local suspected opioid-related deaths with three reported in the last 48 hours, bringing to six for the total in May.

“That is more than the COVID-related deaths that we’ve had since March,” she said.

“We need to continue to address this critical public health crisis which in some ways is intensifying due to COVID-19. Know what to when an overdose occurs and call 9-1-1 right away.”

The substance causing these poisonings is not yet confirmed. However, Peterborough Public Health says there are some reports of a blue (both a bright blue and a dark shade of blue) and dark purple opioid product that is suspected to primarily contain fentanyl.

Users are reminded to never use drugs alone, avoid mixing drugs, carry a naloxone kit and keep it visible for others to see, do not use drugs at the same time as those with you, and test your drug using a small amount first.

In relation to the COVID-19 connection to the increase in suspected drug overdoses, health promoter Deanna Vandenbroek suggested a possible reason.

“One, for example, could be changes to the drug supply. There are limits to the borders and ports which affect what drug supply could potentially be here. If certain drugs are less available, people could be turning to more toxic drugs which they may have little to no tolerance for.”

Also participating in Wednesday’s media briefing were Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef, Peterborough mayor Diane Therrien, and Selwyn Mayor and Peterborough Board of Health chair Andy Mitchell.

Beginning today (May 27), drive-through COVID-19 testing is available at the Kinsmen Civic Centre for Peterborough residents who want to be tested for the disease but who don’t have any symptoms.

Peterborough paramedics will be conducting the testing on a first-come, first-served basis. They will take a specimen using a nasopharyngeal swab and then send it to a public health lab for analysis.

Residents who are driving are asked to stay in their vehicles while waiting to be tested. Those who arrive on foot, by bicycle, or by other means will also be tested, but are asked to maintain appropriate physical distancing.

Testing is available from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. seven days a week. As of Thursday, June 11th, the clinic will operate from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday only and will continue until at least Friday, June 19th.

The Kinsmen Civic Centre is located at 1 Kinsmen Way, just off Sherbrooke Street. Residents are asked to bring their Ontario Health Card.

The drive-through testing is intended for asymptomatic residents only (those without symptoms of COVID-19). Those with symptoms of COVID-19 should book an appointment with the Peterborough Regional Health Centre COVID-19 Assessment Centre by calling 705-876-5086.

While testing is available for anyone who is worried about having been exposed to COVID-19, public health officials also strongly encourage anyone who works in public-facing roles or in close quarters with fellow employees to also get tested.

“We are hoping that anyone who works in a front-line role, such as grocery clerks, factory workers, pharmacy staff and other service providers will take advantage of this opportunity to get tested, even if they are not symptomatic,” says Peterborough medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra.

“This will help us identify positive cases early so we can follow up and test their close contacts to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.”

The drive-through testing clinic is a joint effort of Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC), Peterborough County-City Paramedics, and Peterborough Public Health, with the City of Peterborough making the Kinsmen Civic Centre available for use.

The Ontario government has extended all emergency orders under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act until Tuesday, June 9th.

The province issued a media release announcing the extension on Wednesday (May 27).

“We are extending these emergency orders to protect the health and safety of all individuals and families as we begin to gradually and safely reopen our province,” Premier Doug Ford says.

The emergency orders, which were set to expire this Friday (May 29), include the closure of outdoor playgrounds, play structures and equipment, public swimming pools, and outdoor water facilities, as well as bars and restaurants except for takeout and delivery.

The government is also continuing the restriction on social gatherings of no more than five people, and staff redeployment rules remain in place for long-term care homes and congregate settings like retirement homes and women’s shelters.

The move was prompted by recent increases in the number of positive COVID-19 cases in Ontario and the large group gathering at Trinity Bellwoods Park in Toronto this past weekend. On Monday (May 25) at a media briefing, health minister Christine Elliott said plans to expand the social gathering restriction to more than five people would be delayed.

“It is something that will be coming forward, but it has been pushed back a little bit,” Elliott said.

She added that the province’s chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams is reluctant to loosen the social gathering restriction, because of concerns about people gathering in large groups during the summer-like weather.

The Ontario government first declared a provincial emergency on March 17, 2020 under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. This declaration of emergency was most recently extended on May 12, 2020 and is currently in effect until June 2, 2020.

Here’s a list of all the emergency orders that have been extended until June 9, 2020:

• Closure of Establishments
• Prohibiting Organized Public Events, Certain Gatherings
• Work Deployment Measures for Health Care Workers
• Drinking Water Systems and Sewage Works
• Electronic Service
• Work Deployment Measures in Long-Term Care Homes
• Closure of Places of Non-Essential Businesses
• Traffic Management
• Streamlining Requirements for Long-Term Care Homes
• Prohibition on Certain Persons Charging Unconscionable Prices for Necessary Goods 
• Closure of Outdoor Recreational Amenities
• Enforcement of Orders
• Work Deployment Measures for Boards of Health
• Work Deployment Measures in Retirement Homes
• Access to COVID-19 Status Information by Specified Persons
• Service Agencies Providing Services and Supports to Adults with Developmental Disabilities
• Pickup and Delivery of Cannabis
• Signatures in Wills and Powers of Attorney
• Use of Force and Firearms in Policing Services
• Child Care Fees
• Agreements Between Health Service Providers and Retirement Homes
• Temporary Health or Residential Facilities
• Closure of Public Lands for Recreational Camping
• Work Deployment Measures for Service Agencies Providing Violence Against Women Residential Services and Crisis Line Services
• Limiting Work to a Single Long-Term Care Home
• Work Deployment Measures for District Social Services Administration Boards
• Deployment of Employees of Service Provider Organizations
• Work Deployment Measures for Municipalities
• Limiting Work to a Single Retirement Home
• Work Deployment Measures for Mental Health and Addictions Agencies
• Congregate Care Settings
• Access to Personal Health Information by Means of the Electronic Health Record
• Certain Persons Enabled to Issue Medical Certificates of Death
• Hospital Credentialing Processes
• Education Sector
• Management of Long-term Care Homes in Outbreak
• Electricity Price for RPP Consumers (until May 31, 2020)
• Global Adjustment for Market Participants and Consumers (until June 1, 2020)

Like any prudent business owner, Lindsay Drive-In owner Danny Zita has adopted preparing for a rainy day as a very sound business practice.

Still, not unlike millions of business owners around the globe, Zita didn’t see this coming — this being the COVID-19 pandemic that, since mid March, has closed stores, workplaces, and venues in a concerted bid to flatten the curve and get us back to some level of pre-outbreak normalcy.

For Zita, what that has looked like is a closed sign on the gate of the Lindsay Drive-In (229 Pigeon Lake Road, Lindsay, 705-340-6666) — a business that normally, with the warmer weather, would be thriving this time of year.

And while that is concerning enough for him and his wife Barb, the fact that he has a solid plan to reopen now that is being disallowed by public health officials is creating a level of frustration he struggles to contain.

“What’s really frustrating is the fact that drive-ins all over the world are open except in Ontario — that’s baffling to me,” says Mr. Zita, noting not only are drive-ins opening again but are doing really well.

According to a May 23rd CBC story by Jessica Wong, reopened established drive-ins as well as new pop-up versions are seeing resurging numbers as self-isolating film lovers get in line for their fix.

“Drive-ins are being overwhelmed with many at the point where you have to buy a ticket online in advance or you’re not getting in, especially with the fact that they’re operating at half capacity,” says Zita, terming the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic “bad timing” as far as his plans for his drive-in are concerned.

“We had high schools approaching us about wanting to hold graduation ceremonies here,” Zita adds. “Weddings too. I can’t even begin to think of how many people have asked us to do some sort of concert. It’s frustrating for them. They’re just itching to do what they love but have no place to do it.”

“We’re happy the golf courses and the marinas are open. We’re thrilled for them and I mean that sincerely. But we thought we would have been lumped into that category also, being seasonal and being able to accommodate, without question and with ease, self-distancing measures. But we’ve been excluded and that’s disappointing.”

In presenting his case to public health officials with the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit, Zita explained the drive-in would operate at half capacity, allowing space for 200 vehicles as opposed to 400, leaving some 10 feet of space between each vehicle. Strangely enough, the drive-in’s concession building has been green lit to open.

“We’ve put everything in place to allow us to open,” says Zita. “This COVID thing didn’t just happen yesterday. Along with everybody else, we’ve been thinking about how we can best protect our staff and patrons. We’ve reached out to other drive-ins that are open and learned what they’ve done, which seems to work fine. The snack bar isn’t close to being an issue.”

“A couple of weeks ago we wanted to start up our projectors at 9 p.m. for just half an hour to give kids some entertainment — to play some Looney Tune cartoons and, of course, do that free of charge just to get families out to enjoy themselves. We were told (by the health unit) it’s okay to open up our snack bar, but if we turn those projectors on we will be fined.”

The fact that Zita has had to layoff his nine employees — “They have been so loyal to us” — is only adding to his frustration.

It was some six years ago that the Zitas purchased the Lindsay Drive-in. Danny Zita brought to the business decades working in the industry in various capacities.

“When we took it over, it was a little bit of a going concern,” he recalls.

“We owned another drive-in near Sauble Beach. When the owner approached us to purchase the one here (in Lindsay), we knew it was a little rough but we were able to see through all that with a little bit of TLC. The support every year since has been phenomenal. We are overjoyed with how kind our patrons have been to us.”

Now Zita wants nothing more to serve those patrons. But he remains doubtful that will happen any time soon, based on the concerns expressed by Premier Doug Ford and Ontario public health officials regarding the number of positive cases holding steady as opposed to declining.

“I sympathize with how difficult a call this must be on the government’s part but, at the same time, smaller towns like Lindsay, like Peterborough, like Fenelon Falls and Haliburton, are paying the price for the numbers that are coming out of Toronto,” says Zita, adding it’s not his intention to press public health any further for the go-ahead to reopen.

“Some of the other drive-in owners are doing that (lobbying) but, as far as I’m concerned, they’ve heard us and they know we’re here. At this point, rather than fight them, I would rather patiently sit back. They’re under enormous pressure too. I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes. I don’t want to be the angry guy. We are going to get open at some point.”

Much has changed over the past few months, but what hasn’t changed for the Zitas is their attraction to what got them into the drive-in business in the first place.

“The romance of the drive-in on a beautiful summer night … you can’t beat that,” Zita says.

“We are going to reopen at some point and it’s going to be just wonderful. To go up in the projection room and look out throughout the windows and see cars out there — we long for that sight.”

Mr. Zita adds he’s still planning to build a permanent stage at his drive-in for staging concerts.

“I’ve thought about for years. I do think there’s a market for that.”

As for the very real prospect of being closed all summer, he says that’s something he tries not to think about, hard as that is.

“We certainly don’t want to go through that but we could absolutely survive. We haven’t spent any of the profits. We’ve reinvested into the property and that has put us in a better position.”

For more information on the Lindsay Drive-In, including updates it pertains to the COVID-19 situation and its effects on the business, visit www.lindsaydrivein.ca.

With the Havelock Family Drive-In permanently closing in 2019, the Lindsay Drive-In is one of two remaining drive-ins in the Kawarthas. kawarthaNOW also reached out to the Port Hope Drive-In in Cobourg, which is also temporarily closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but didn’t hear back by deadline.

A brief history of the drive-in theatre

This content was originally written by Bruce Head for kawarthaNOW in 2018 — the 85th anniversary of the drive-in theatre.

The concept of the drive-in theatre was invented in the late 1920s by Richard Hollingshead of Camden, New Jersey. The story goes that his overweight mother couldn’t get comfortable in regular movie theatre seats, so Hollingshead came up with the idea of an open-air theatre.

He mounted a 1928 Kodak movie projector on the hood of his car, projected the film onto a screen made of two sheets nailed between two trees, and placed a radio behind the screen for sound. Eventually he developed a ramp system so cars could park at different heights to see the screen without being unobstructed by other vehicles.

In 1933, Hollingshead received a patent for the concept, formed Park-In Theatres, Inc. and opened “Automobile Movie Theater” — the very first drive-in theatre. He charged 25 cents per person and 25 cents per car, with a maximum cost of $1. Park-It Theaters later licensed the concept to Loews Drive-In Theaters, Inc. (the origin of the phrase “drive-in theatre”), but drive-ins didn’t become popular until the advent of in-car speakers in the early 1940s. In 1946, Skyway Drive-In in Stoney Creek, Ontario (since closed) was the first drive-in theatre to open in Canada.

After some legal issues between Park-In Theaters and Loews Drive-In Theaters, Hollingshead’s original patent was overturned in 1950, and drive-ins began popping up everywhere. They were popular because they offered affordable family entertainment. People could bring their babies and kids and amorous teenagers could find some privacy from their parents in what became known as the “passion pit”.

During the drive-in peak of the late 1950s and early 1960s, there were more than 4,000 drive-in theatres in the U.S. and 250 in Canada. Today, there are fewer than 350 drive-ins left in the U.S. and fewer than 50 in Canada.

The decline of the drive-in began in the 1970s, with the rise of home entertainment options — colour television, cable, VCRs, and video rentals — that encouraged families to stay in the comfort of their homes. The energy crisis of the 1970s also had an impact, as did the widespread adoption of Daylight Saving Time (which forced movies to start an hour later, making them less family friendly).

To supplement their declining revenues, some drive-ins (which were already showing B movies rather than first-run movies, due to restrictions from movie studios) began screening mature films and adult films. However, this created a negative image and further discouraged families from attending.

The growing real estate market and increasing property taxes also affected the viability of drive-in theatres, many of which were located in the suburbs or in rural areas. Theatre owners ended up selling to developers who built shopping malls or residential housing developments on the properties.

Despite the decline in attendance that shuttered many theatres, the quality of the drive-in experience continued to improve. In the 1970s, the original sound system used for drive-in theatres (an external speaker hung inside a car’s window) was replaced by low-power AM broadcasts to car radios and, in the 1980s, by higher-quality FM radio broadcasts.

In the early 1990s, movie studios began offering first-run movies to drive-ins, and the drive-in theatre had somewhat of a resurgence. People could now see new and popular movies at drive-ins instead of going to a regular movie theatre.

The resurgence was short lived, however. In the 1990s and the 2000s, even more home entertainment options became available, including DVDs, larger and cheaper high-definition flat-screen televisions, and streaming internet video including Netflix. The final nail in the coffin for some drive-ins came in the early 2000s, when movie studios began to move away from producing 35mm film prints to digital, with an ultimatum issued to theatres to switch to digital in 2013.

This meant that drive-ins had to purchase high-definition digital projectors if they wanted to screen new movies. The conversion cost was $75,000 to $100,000 per screen — a difficult expense for drive-in theatres to justify with a limited number of daily screenings, and particularly for Canadian drive-in theatres that only operate for part of the year.

Still, even facing all these obstacles, drive-ins continue to make a go of it. But if you want to keep your local drive-in in business, make going to a drive-in movie a regular outing during the season.