More than 30 patients from other regions have already been transferred to Peterborough Regional Health Centre under an earlier provincial directive. A new emergency order issued by the Ontario government which took effect April 9, 2021 will allow hospitals overwhelmed by COVID-19 to transfer patients to other hospitals without obtaining patient consent. (Photo: PRHC)
The Ontario government announced on Friday (April 9) it has issued two emergency orders to help hospitals cope with the surge in COVID-19 patients.
One of the temporary orders will allow hospitals “at significant and immediate risk of becoming overwhelmed” to transfer patients to another hospital, without requiring the consent of the patient or the patient’s substitute decision maker.
“During major surge events where the demand for critical care threatens to overwhelm a hospital, the province will allow hospitals the flexibility to transfer patients to alternate hospital sites without obtaining the consent of the patient or, where the patient is incapable, their substitute decision maker,” states a media release.
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“Hospitals may rely upon this order to facilitate the transfer of a patient to an alternate hospital site only when necessary to respond to a major surge event, when the attending physician is satisfied that the patient will receive the care they require at that other site and that the transfer can be effected without compromising the patient’s medical condition, and where all of the other conditions specified within the order have been met.”
The government says, when a major surge event is over, “reasonable efforts” would be made to transfer the patient back to the original hospital, or to another suitable location with the consent of the patient or substitute decision maker.
The other order will allow health care professionals and other workers in Home and Community Care Support Services organizations (formerly known as Local Health Integration Networks) and Ontario Health — such as care coordinators and nurses — to be redeployed to hospitals, with the organizations authorized to backfill the redeployed staff.
Both orders, which came into effect on Friday, remain in effect for two weeks unless revoked or extended under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act.
In addition to the two orders, the province has also instructed all hospitals — except those in northern Ontario — to ramp down all elective surgeries and non-urgent activities effecting Monday (April 12).
All three measures are expected to increase ICU capacity in the province by up to 1,000 patient beds, according to the government. There are currently 552 patients in Ontario ICUs because of a COVID-related critical illness, with 359 of these patients on ventilators.
The emergency order allowing patient transfers is in addition to an earlier provincial directive, which has already resulted in 33 patients from other regions being transferred to Peterborough Regional Health Centre.
The Who’s Next barber shop is located at 72 Hunter Street East in Peterborough's East City. (Photo: Bruce Head / kawarthaNOW)
On Friday (April 9), Peterborough Public Health served the operator of a barber shop in Peterborough’s East City with a Section 22 order requiring him to close his premises.
The Who’s Next barber shop is located at 72 Hunter Street East in Peterborough.
Barber shops are among personal care service establishments that are required to close under the provincial state of emergency.
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“Personal service settings like hair salons and tattoo parlours are high risk for COVID-19 transmission because of the inability to maintain two metres distance,” states medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra in a media release. “In fact, there is currently an active outbreak linked to another local personal service setting that has resulted in eight cases so far.”
Dr. Salvaterra added the health unit served the barber shop operator with a Section 22 order “because he has been wilfully defying the provincial order to close, despite warnings and charges laid under the Reopening Ontario Act.”
Failure to comply with the Section 22 order “will lead to an escalation of measures necessary to ensure that public health measures are being followed” according to the media release, which may include a fine of up to $5,000 for every day or part of each day on which the offence occurs or continues.
Sunset Park, greenspace located at Sunset Boulevard and Chemong Road in Peterborough, was one of two remaining locations under consideration for the location of a new fire hall for the City of Peterborough. City staff will be recommending the fire hall be located at the site of the to-be-closed Northcrest Arena. (Photo: Google)
Among the many entertaining witticisms uttered by New York Yankees legend Yogi Berra, “It’s déjà vu all over again” remains high on the most memorable list.
For residents of the neighbourhood surrounding Sunset Park, it indeed felt just like that as they mobilized to fight the inclusion of that greenspace on the short list of consultant-recommended sites for a new north-end Peterborough fire hall.
Last year saw members of Friends of Inverlea Park vehemently protest that park’s inclusion on the short list, a movement that ultimately proved successful with Inverlea Park being dropped from new fire hall site consideration in January. In the aftermath, what was three recommended sites became two: Sunset Park where Sunset Boulevard meet Chemong Road, and the site of to-be-closed Northcrest Arena on Marina Boulevard.
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Enter Friends of Sunset Park, a residents’ group determined to let city councillors know, loudly and clearly, that their neighbourhood green space isn’t an option.
On Monday night (April 12), city councillors meeting at the committee level will vote on a staff recommendation that the new $11-million fire hall be located at the Northcrest Arena site.
According to Councillor Andrew Beamer, Peterborough Fire Services chair and one of two Northcrest Ward representatives, his council colleagues “will be very supportive” of the staff recommendation, which after Monday’s preliminary vote will go to full council April 26 for final approval.
“People are absolutely ecstatic,” says Monica Moran who, with Franco Mattiucci, started and organized Friends of Sunset Park to have “our neighbourhood gem” removed from the proposed site list.
The pair led an effort that saw flyers printed and distributed door-to-door and then collected with signatures of support attached. In addition, they liaised with members of Friends of Inverlea Park, not only calling on their protest experience but also borrowing their lawn signs, which were adapted to read ‘Save Sunset Park’.
“I do understand the importance of integrating fireballs with neighbourhoods,” says Moran.
“What we didn’t agree with is taking our park away or even being considered and being put on that list. To us, that is head shaking. Parks are for people, not fire halls.”
Mattiucci concurs, saying “It didn’t make any sense to me … I was very surprised they would consider (Sunset Park as a location for the new fire hall).”
Back in June of last year, the city hired Toronto-based Dillon Consulting to review city-owned properties where a new fire hall could be built to replace the 52-year-old often-flooded Fire Hall 2 on Carnegie Avenue. Therein, says Moran, lays the problem.
“I was born and raised in Peterborough … the tag line in the 1960s was Peterborough First,” says Moran.
“You employed local people and the money would go back into the community. Hiring consultants from Toronto … they don’t have exposure to what the city looks like. When that list came out, I thought ‘Holy mackerel. Do they not understand where Sunset Park is?’ To me it looked like they took at an aerial map and just picked out vacant land.”
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“People refer to it as vacant piece of land,” says Moran.
“They haven’t explored or walked through that park. The schools in our neighbourhood take students for walks there to learn firsthand about nature and wildlife and that kind of thing.”
Adding to Friends of Sunset Park’s concern, says Moran, was a perceived lack of promised public consultation starting in early 2021 regarding the Sunset Park location. She says in lieu of that, a short-term online survey was issued in February.
That, shes adds, was a problem for many of the neighbourhood’s senior residents who don’t have access to a computer. It was then that both she and Mattiucci undertook the door-to-door blitz distribution of some 200 flyers.
According to the report recommending the Northcrest Arena site authored by Peterborough Fire Services Chief Chris Snetsinger, there were 210 survey responses with 87 per cent of respondents in support of the Northcrest site and 13 per cent of respondents in favour of the Sunset Park site.
City of Peterborough staff will recommend to city council that the new $11-million Peterborough fire hall be located at the site of Northcrest Arena. (Photo: City of Peterborough)
In addition, respondents indicated that support of green spaces and parks ranked as the most important consideration, with fire response times being the second consideration.
While Councillor Beamer wasn’t, and still isn’t, surprised by the resulting backlash from both neighbourhood groups, he says the consultants’ mandate was to look at the best possible sites with provincially mandated emergency response times front of mind.
“Putting a fire hall in any location is complex,” he says, acknowledging the Northcrest Arena site “was always the preference” over the park locations.
“A lot of factors have to be looked at. One of the top ones is emergency response time. You can’t build a new fire hall that’s three miles away from the nearest house.”
Councillor Beamer adds that once the Northcrest Arena site is approved by council, demolition of the arena will commence this fall as schematic designs of the new fire hall are made. He notes public consultation with those living in the area of the site will be held.
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“I don’t anticipate too much push back,” he says, adding “The expectation is that shovels will be in the ground in the spring of 2022.”
Admitting the fire hall site shortlist “created a lot of buzz,” Beamer says the exercise proved something he already knew — “Residents are passionate about their neighbourhoods.”
“At the end of the day, we’ll have a state-of-the-art fire hall. The north end is the fastest growing area of the city. Safety is priority number one. This will make sure the north end is well covered for emergency response times.”
Ahead, Beamer adds, is the identification of potential sites for yet another new fire hall in East City — a rapidly growing part of the city that does not have a fire hall.
"I'm grateful to all the frontline health care heroes who are helping with this monumental effort and getting shots into arms, including mine." Ontario Premier Doug Ford receiving his first dose of the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine at an Etobicoke pharmacy on April 9, 2021. (Photo: Office of the Premier)
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ontario is reporting a record-high single day increase of 4,227 new cases today, with 9 public health units in Ontario reporting triple-digit cases. The seven-day average of daily cases has increased by 163 to 3,256. The number of people hospitalized because of COVID-19, in ICUs, and on ventilators continues to increase.
There are now 11,492 cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant in Ontario, an increase of 1,860 from yesterday, with 1 more case of the B.1.351 South Africa variant and 2 more cases of the P.1 Brazilian variant.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 48 new cases to report and an additional 40 cases resolved, with the number of active cases climbing by 10 to 381. See below for detailed numbers from each regional health unit.
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Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (1,218), Peel (762), York (532), Durham (247), Ottawa (246), Halton (174), Middlesex-London (159), Hamilton (133), and Niagara (107).
There are double-digit increases today in Simcoe Muskoka (96), Windsor-Essex (69), Waterloo (67), Eastern Ontario (64), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (64), Lambton (35), Brant (30), Southwestern (24), Sudbury (23), Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (22), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (18), Grey Bruce (17), Haldimand-Norfolk (17), Hastings Prince Edward (16), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (16), Renfrew (12), and Peterborough (10), with smaller increases in Northwestern (9), Chatham-Kent (9), Porcupine (8), Huron Perth (8), and Thunder Bay (7).
The remaining 3 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with all health units reporting at least 1 cases.
Of today’s new cases, 57% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (1,599) among people ages 20-39 followed by 1,229 cases among people ages 40-59 and 799 cases among people 19 and under.
With 2,641 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has decreased by 0.3% to 90.2%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has increased by 0.3% to 6.3%, meaning that 63 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on April 8.
Ontario is reporting 18 new COVID-19 deaths today, including 1 new death in a long-term care home. Ontario has averaged 14 new daily deaths over the past week, a decrease of 1 from yesterday.
The number of hospitalizations increased by 75 yesterday to 1,492, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs increasing by 27 to 552 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators increasing by 28 to 359.
With 61,410 tests completed yesterday, Ontario has administered more than 13 million tests during the pandemic. The backlog of tests under investigation has increased by 168 to 42,572.
A total of 2,940,166 doses of vaccine have now been administered, an increase of 105,382, with 328,598 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 2,238.
The number of fully vaccinated people represents 2.23% of Ontario’s population, an increase of 0.01% from yesterday, with fully and partially vaccinated people representing 19.96% of the population, an increase of 0.72% from yesterday. An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.
There are 199 new cases in Ontario schools, a decrease of 102 from yesterday, including 160 student cases, 36 staff cases, and 3 cases among unidentified people. There are 67 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, a decrease of 85 from yesterday, including 39 cases among children and 28 cases among staff.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 48 new cases to report, including 18 in Hastings Prince Edward, 15 in Peterborough, 12 in Northumberland, 2 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Haliburton.
An outbreak at an unidentified workplace in Peterborough County was declared on April 9.
There are 6 new hospitalizations in Hastings Prince Edward, including 4 people in ICU and 2 on ventilators.
There are 26 new regional cases of variants of concern, including 16 in Hastings Prince Edward and 10 in Peterborough.
An additional 40 cases have been resolved, including 20 in Hastings Prince Edward, 8 in Northumberland, 6 in Peterborough, 5 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Haliburton. An outbreak at The Richmond Retirement Residence in Belleville was declared resolved on April 9.
There are currently 381 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 10 from yesterday, including 169 in Hastings Prince Edward (51 in Quinte West, 70 in Belleville, 8 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 3 in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, 15 in Prince Edward County, 20 in Central Hastings, and 1 in North Hastings), 101 in Peterborough, 82 in Northumberland, 23 in Kawartha Lakes, and 6 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 975 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (862 resolved with 12 deaths), 615 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (550 resolved with 55 deaths), 595 in Northumberland County (501 resolved with 12 deaths), 76 in Haliburton County (69 resolved with 1 death), and 688 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (513 resolved with 6 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on April 8.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 4 p.m. the previous day, as well as from systems in Toronto, Ottawa, and Middlesex-London at 2 p.m. the previous day. Data from local health units is more current and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day. There may be discrepancies between the Ontario data reported today (which is from yesterday) and the local health unit data reported today (which is from today).
Peterborough Public Health’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 975 (increase of 15) Total variants of concern cases: 274 (increase of 10) Active cases: 101 (increase of 9) Close contacts: 272 (increase of 15) Deaths: 12 (no change) Resolved: 862 (increase of 6) Hospitalizations (total to date): 32 (no change)* Total tests completed: Over 47,500 (no change) Outbreaks: Empress Gardens retirement home in Peterborough, Unidentified workplace #2 in Peterborough, Unidentified workplace #3 in Peterborough, Champlain Annex at Trent University in Peterborough, Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School in Peterborough, Unidentified workplace #4 in Peterborough County (increase of 1)* Vaccine doses administered: 34,612 (increase of 4,179 as of April 8)
*As of April 9, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting fewer than 10 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (decrease of 2) and 33 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (no change).
**An outbreak at an unidentified workplace in Peterborough County was declared on April 9.
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
The health unit provides reports from Monday to Saturday, excluding Sundays and statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 1,286, including 615 in Kawartha Lakes, 595 in Northumberland, and 76 in Haliburton (increase of 15, including 2 in Kawartha Lakes, 12 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton)* Cases with N501Y mutation: 118, including 41 in Kawartha Lakes, 76 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change)** Active cases: 111, including 23 in Kawartha Lakes, 82 in Northumberland, and 6 in Haliburton (net increase of 4) Probable cases: 2 in Northumberland (no change) High-risk contacts: 384, including 54 in Kawartha Lakes, 233 in Northumberland, and 15 in Haliburton (net increase of 27)*** Hospitalizations (total to date): 53, including 32 in Kawartha Lakes, 18 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (no change)**** Deaths (including among probable cases): 68, including 55 in Kawartha Lakes, 12 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change) Resolved: 1,120, including 550 in Kawartha Lakes, 501 in Northumberland, 69 in Haliburton (increase of 14, including 5 in Kawartha Lakes, 8 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton) Tests completed: 167,402 (increase of 3) Vaccine doses administered: 30,408 (last updated April 6) Number of people fully vaccinated: 2,989 (last updated April 6) Outbreaks: St. Mary Catholic Secondary School in Cobourg, Timber House Resort in Brighton, Swiss Chalet in Cobourg, Christian Horizons in Port Hope (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.
**The N501Y mutation has been identified in variants of concern including the B.1.1.7 UK variant, the B.1.351 South Africa variant, and the P.1 Brazilian variant.
***This total includes an additional 84 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
****As of April 9, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 5 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (increase of 2).
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 688 (increase of 18) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 108 (increase of 16) Active cases: 169 (decrease of 2) Deaths: 6 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 8 (increase of 6) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 4 (increase of 4) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 2 (increase of 2) Resolved: 513 (increase of 20) Tests completed: 88,320 Vaccine doses administered: 39,316 (increase of 1,329) Number of people fully vaccinated: 3,204 (increase of 5) Outbreaks: Unidentified workplace in Trenton, Unidentified setting in Belleville, Unidentified child care facility in Belleville, Unidentified workplace in Quinte West, Tri-board Bus #499 (decrease of 1)*
*An outbreak at The Richmond Retirement Residence in Belleville was declared resolved on April 9.
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 378,339 (increase of 4,227) COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) cases: 11,492 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 1,860); 76 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (increase of 1); 133 of P.1 Brazilian variant (increase of 2)* VOC R(t): 1.23 (decrease of 0.01, last updated April 2)** 7-day average of daily new cases: 3,256 (increase of 163) Positivity rate: 6.3% (increase of 0.3%) Resolved: 341,200 (increase of 2,641), 90.2% of all cases (decrease of 0.3%) Hospitalizations: 1,492 (increase of 75) Hospitalizations in ICU: 552 (increase of 27) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 359 (increase of 28) Deaths: 7,512 (increase of 18) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 14 (decrease of 1) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,905 (increase of 1) Total tests completed: 13,030,542 (increase of 61,410) Tests under investigation: 42,572 (increase of 168) Vaccination doses administered: 2,940,166 (increase of 105,382), 19.96% of Ontario’s population (increase of 0.72%)*** People fully vaccinated (two doses): 328,598 (increase of 2,238), 2.23% of Ontario’s population (increase of 0.01%)***
*On April 8, the government changed the way it reports cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant. Previously they were reported only when genetic sequencing confirmed they were of the B.1.1.7 lineage. Since genetic sequencing completed to date has determined 95% of specimens screening positive for the N501Y mutation have been found to be the B.1.1.7 UK variant, specimens with the N501Y mutation are now reported as cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant.
**R(t) is a virus’s effective reproduction number, which is the average number of new infections caused by a single infected individual at a specific time (t) in a partially immunized population. To successfully eliminate a disease from a population, R(t) needs to be less than 1.
***An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from March 9 – April 8, 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 March 9 – April 8, 2021. The red line is the daily number of tests completed, 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 March 9 – April 8, 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 patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from March 9 – April 8, 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 March 9 – April 8, 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)
Tiny Bromley's Tiny Green Plant Shop in downtown Peterborough offers a huge selection of plants, pots, arrangements, and accessories. Prior to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Tiny Greens was also a food and micro-greenery business, but has since closed those offerings to expand their retail space. Under the current government restrictions, Tiny Greens is classified as an indoor greenhouse that engages in retail sales and is open for in-person shopping (maximum of five customers at a time) and also offers curbside pickup. (Photo courtesy of Tiny Greens)
It’s no secret that most small businesses have been in survival mode over the past year of COVID-19 shutdowns and restrictions.
This story is one of an ongoing series by kawarthaNOW in support of locally owned businesses.
For Tina Bromley, owner of Tiny Greens plant shop in downtown Peterborough, it was survival that motivated her decision to shut down the food portion of her business and focus instead on selling plants and giftware.
Prior to the pandemic, a significant portion of Bromley’s small business was dedicated to the production of microgreens — nutrient-rich seedlings of edible vegetables and herbs — as well as a café and smoothie and juice bar. Bromley says closing these facets of her business was a tough decision, but she had to do what would keep her business alive.
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“I am a single mom with three kids and I had to make it,” Bromley explains. “The food and juice — there was just no business (due to the pandemic). I decided to emotionally un-attach. Our plant and giftware shop was doing so well, so I made the decision to shut the smoothie and juice bar and the café microgreen production while we continued to build the website.”
Transitioning to online sales was another major pivot for Tiny Green. Before the pandemic, their website was only used for publicity to draw new clients into the bricks-and-mortar location and had no online store. Without a functioning online store, Bromley had no revenue stream during the first OVID-19 lockdown.
“We quickly worked on our website and got that up and going,” Bromley recalls. “Putting everything online was a huge to-do.”
Tina Bromley, owner of Tiny Green Plant Shop in downtown Peterborough, won a free year-long lease of her storefront through the Win This Space Peterborough contest in 2017. Since then, she has garnered several awards, including a Business Excellence Award from the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce and a Sustainable Peterborough award in 2019. (Photo courtesy of Tiny Greens)
According to Bromley, online sales have been an incredible asset during the pandemic as Tiny Greens has able to offer curbside pickup during store closures. However, the shop does not have a full-time employee for the website — which is what it would take to get everything in the very large plant shop onto a website.
While the Tiny Greens website has a great selection, there’s 60 to 70 per cent more product inside the store itself. While Bromley’s plant shop is named Tiny Greens, it’s a reference to her original focus on microgreens rather than the size of the shop, which is itself quite large.
Shutting down portions of the pre-pandemic business has allowed Bromely to continually expand her plant and giftware shop. Now, all the space previously used for the smoothie and juice bar, kitchen, and microgreen production, has been emptied and filled with plants, pots, and home decor — well-received additions since plant sales have blossomed during the pandemic.
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“I don’t know if plants have ever been more appreciated than they are right now,” says Bromley. “They’re good for mental health and air purification. They cheer up an environment and make people happy. They are one of the most beautiful gifts you can give someone.”
“People are investing more money in their homes and in their environments to feel good and make their home their haven,” she adds. “We also have so many plants that are animal friendly. Often plant lovers are also animal lovers. ”
The increased demand for plants is a bright side to a challenging year for Tiny Greens. Bromley says she loves seeing customers of all ages and genders coming together online through a shared love of plants.
“Plants really are for everyone,” she says. “We get to see a lot of joy.”
Tiny Greens is a family business, with owner Tina Bromley’s 15-year-old daughter Kiana running the store’s popular Instagram account @tinygreensca, where you can findsales, promotions, and giveaways, in addition to showing off beautiful pictures of the store’s merchandise. The Instagram account also serves as an interactive space for plant lovers to build community. (Photo courtesy of Tiny Greens)
Tiny Green’s popular Instagram page, run by Bromley’s 15-year-old daughter Kiana, is a fun interactive space for plant lovers. Here, Tiny Greens promotes its latest sales and other fun initiatives such as giveaways.
“One benefit that came out of (COVID-19) is I did acquire new clientele from people just searching online and having no idea we were already here downtown,” Bromley notes. “New customers have meant the world because, having to close the food and drink side of the business, I needed to find a way to get more customers.”
Another portion of the shop that has been lost during the pandemic is a workshop space for customers. Staff would assist customers in picking a plant, pot, and decorations, and then the customers would sit down for DIY planting. Bromley hopes to reopen this portion of the shop in the future but, until then, Tiny Greens offers a creative alternative.
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“We have some kits that are already made and we can also make up new kits for people,” says Bromley. “You can still have fun picking your plant, pot, and decorations. We can help assist you if you’re building a terrarium or a multi-planted pot arrangement. We’ll help you with what plants work well together, teach you a little bit about design, and then you can do it at home.”
For those visiting the store, Bromley says they’ve tried to create an appealing, beautiful, and safe experience for everyone who comes in. Under the current government restrictions, Tiny Greens is classified as an indoor greenhouse that engages in retail sales and is permitted to operate at a 25 per cent capacity — this allows them to have a maximum of five customers inside the store at any one time. For those who would like to make a purchase without coming inside the shop, Tiny Greens offers curbside pickup for any items sold on their website (and they are always adding more).
Bromley also notes that her staff is on a strict cleaning schedule, including sanitizing shopping baskets after each use and wiping down high-touch areas throughout the day. Employees wear personal protective equipment and ensure there is enough space for physical distancing for those in the shop.
As an alternative to the Tiny Greens’ DIY planting workshop station fo customers, which is closed during the pandemic, the plant shop offers pre-packaged planting kits that include a succulent, a character pot, and decorations. The kits (which make great gifts) can be purchased in-store or ordered online for curbside pickup. (Photo courtesy of Tiny Greens)
“I have a really amazing staff,” Bromley notes. “I don’t know where I would have been without them — they make it possible for me to be able to go home and be with my children and know that the shop is taken care of. Customers rave about them all the time.”
When asked about what the community can do to support her business during this challenging time, Bromley tells kawarthaNOW she feels odd to be asking for rather than giving community support.
“The one thing that I’ve enjoyed so much as a business owner is you can give back to the community in levels that you never could before you owned a business,” Bromley explains. “You see how much it’s possible, and it makes you such a strong interactive member of the community. I miss that. I felt very involved in the community.”
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“I was used to giving and it felt good,” she adds. “So it was the oddest feeling in the world to suddenly be isolated and have it be about me and how I’m going to survive.”
That said, Bromley does ask the community to remember their locally owned businesses, follow and support their social media accounts, and tell their friends if they have a good experience at any local shop.
“If someone gives me a nice comment on my Facebook or Instagram, or if someone comes in and tells me that their friend said they just had to come in, that picks me up,” she says. “I’m really thankful for all of the community support.”
Tiny Greens in downtown Peterborough offers a wide range of plants and pots as well as planting kits. The store is open for in-person shopping during the provincial shutdown and you can also can order a selection of items from the shop’s website for curbside pickup. Gift cards are also available. (Photo courtesy of Tiny Greens)
Tiny Greens plant shop is located at 431 George Street North in Peterborough. The shop is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday for in-person shopping and curbside pickup.
For more information about the plant shop and to place an order for curbside pickup, you can visit the Tiny Greens website at www.tinygreens.ca.
You can also support Tiny Greens on social media by following them on Facebook and Instagram.
This story has been updated to reflect that Tiny Greens is open for in-person shopping (at 25 per cent capacity) during the provincial shutdown.
Dr. Barbara Yaffe, Ontario's associate chief medical officer of health, explains how the province has changed its reporting of variants of concern during a media briefing at Queen's Park on April 8, 2021. (CPAC screenshot)
Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.
On the first day of the month-long stay-at-home order, Ontario is reporting 3,295 new cases — the highest daily increase since January 17 when 3,422 cases were reported. Nine public health units in Ontario are reporting triple-digit cases, with the seven-day average of daily cases increasing by 105 to 3,093 — the first time it has exceeded 3,000 since January 18.
The number of people hospitalized because of COVID-19, in ICUs, and on ventilators continues to increase, with ICU admissions more than 100 higher than the peak of the second wave.
There are now 9,632 cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant in Ontario, an increase of 7,341 because of a change in the way the province is reporting cases of the UK variant.
“Genome sequencing is no longer required to confirm the specific variant,” said associate chief medical officer of health Dr. Barbara Yaffe during a media briefing on Thursday, explaining that genetic sequencing completed to date has determined 95% of specimens screening positive for the N501Y mutation have been found to be the B.1.1.7 UK variant.
“As a result, reporting of cases that are positive only for the N501Y mutation is now categorized under the lineage of B.1.1.7,” Dr Yaffe said. “This means we’ll see a significant increase in the total number of B.1.1.7 cases in the report starting today.”
There are also 3 more cases of the B.1.351 South Africa variant and 11 more cases of the 131 of P.1 Brazilian variant.
In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 54 new cases to report and an additional 41 cases resolved, with the number of active cases climbing by 22 to 371. There has been 1 new death in Peterborough. See below for detailed numbers from each regional health unit.
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Most of today’s new cases are in Toronto (933), Peel (649), York (386), Durham (165), Halton (156), Ottawa (160), Middlesex-London (125), Simcoe Muskoka (124), and Niagara (110).
There are double-digit increases today in Hamilton (83), Waterloo (64), Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (43), Eastern Ontario (38), Windsor-Essex (38), Hastings Prince Edward (29), Brant (20), Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (19), Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington (17), Lambton (17), Leeds, Grenville & Lanark (16), Southwestern (15), Haldimand-Norfolk (15), Peterborough (14), Sudbury (13), and Grey Bruce (12), with smaller increases in Huron Perth (8) and Renfrew (7).
The remaining 7 health units are reporting 5 or fewer new cases, with only 1 health unit (Timiskaming) reporting no new cases at all.
Of today’s new cases, 57% are among people 39 and younger, with the highest number of cases (1,280) among people ages 20-39 followed by 953 cases among people ages 40-59 and 602 cases among people 19 and under.
With 2,576 more cases resolved since yesterday, the percentage of resolved cases has decreased by 0.1% to 90.5%. The average positivity rate across Ontario has decreased by 0.7% to 6.0%, meaning that 60 out of every 1,000 tests performed were positive for COVID-19 on April 7.
Ontario is reporting 19 new COVID-19 deaths today, with no new deaths in long-term care homes. Ontario has averaged 15 new daily deaths over the past week, a decrease of 1 from yesterday.
The number of hospitalizations increased yesterday by 20 to 1,417, with the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs increasing by 21 to 525 and the number of patients with COVID-19 on ventilators increasing by 20 to 331.
A total of 63,846 tests were completed yesterday, with the backlog of tests under investigation increasing by 780 to 42,404.
A total of 2,834,784 doses of vaccine have now been administered, a record single day increase of 108,563, with 326,360 people fully vaccinated with both doses of vaccine, an increase of 1,577.
The number of fully vaccinated people represents 2.22% of Ontario’s population, an increase of 0.02% from yesterday, with fully and partially vaccinated people representing 19.24% of the population, an increase of 0.74% from yesterday. An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.
There are 301 new cases in Ontario schools, a decrease of 418 from yesterday, including 245 student cases and 56 staff cases. There are 152 new cases in licensed child care settings in Ontario, a decrease of 47 from yesterday, including 89 cases among children and 63 cases among staff.
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In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 54 new cases to report, including 22 in Northumberland, 17 in Hastings Prince Edward, 11 in Peterborough, 3 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Haliburton.
Outbreaks at Swiss Chalet in Cobourg and Christian Horizons in Port Hope were declared on April 7.
There has been 1 new death in Peterborough (a resident of Empress Gardens retirement home) and 1 new hospitalization.
There are 41 new regional cases of variants of concern, including 18 in Peterborough, 14 in Hastings Prince Edward, 6 in Northumberland, and 3 in Kawartha Lakes.
An additional 31 cases have been resolved, including 12 in Hastings Prince Edward, 7 in Peterborough, 7 in Northumberland, 4 in Kawartha Lakes, and 1 in Haliburton.
There are currently 371 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 22 from yesterday, including 171 in Hastings Prince Edward (57 in Quinte West, 65 in Belleville, 8 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, 3 in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, 16 in Prince Edward County, 20 in Central Hastings, and 1 in North Hastings), 92 in Peterborough, 79 in Northumberland, 22 in Kawartha Lakes, and 7 in Haliburton.
Since the pandemic began in the greater Kawarthas region, there have been 960 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (856 resolved with 12 deaths), 609 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (545 resolved with 55 deaths), 583 in Northumberland County (493 resolved with 12 deaths), 76 in Haliburton County (68 resolved with 1 death), and 670 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties (493 resolved with 6 deaths). The most recent death was reported in Peterborough on April 8.
The provincial data in this report is pulled from Ontario’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) at 4 p.m. the previous day, as well as from systems in Toronto, Ottawa, and Middlesex-London at 2 p.m. the previous day. Data from local health units is more current and is usually reflected in the provincial data the following day. There may be discrepancies between the Ontario data reported today (which is from yesterday) and the local health unit data reported today (which is from today).
Peterborough Public Health’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
The health unit provides daily reports, including on weekends, excluding statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 960 (increase of 11) Total variants of concern cases: 264 (increase of 18) Active cases: 92 (increase of 3) Close contacts: 257 (increase of 11) Deaths: 12 (increase of 1)* Resolved: 856 (increase of 7) Hospitalizations (total to date): 32 (increase of 1)** Total tests completed: Over 47,500 (increase of 150) Outbreaks: Empress Gardens retirement home in Peterborough, Unidentified workplace #1 in Peterborough, Unidentified workplace #2 in Peterborough, Champlain Annex at Trent University in Peterborough, Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School in Peterborough (no change) Vaccine doses administered: 34,612 (increase of 4,179 as of April 8)
*A resident of Empress Gardens retirement home in Peterborough has passed away.
**As of April 8, Peterborough Regional Health Centre is reporting 12 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (increase of 1) and 33 patients transferred from other areas as a result of a provincial directive (increase of 6).
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
The health unit provides reports from Monday to Saturday, excluding Sundays and statutory holidays.
Confirmed positive: 1,268, including 609 in Kawartha Lakes, 583 in Northumberland, and 76 in Haliburton (increase of 26, including 3 in Kawartha Lakes, 22 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton)* Cases with N501Y mutation: 118, including 41 in Kawartha Lakes, 76 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (increase of 9, including 3 in Kawartha Lakes and 6 in Northumberland)** Active cases: 107, including 22 in Kawartha Lakes, 79 in Northumberland, and 7 in Haliburton (net increase of 14) Probable cases: 2 in Northumberland (no change) High-risk contacts: 357, including 54 in Kawartha Lakes, 195 in Northumberland, and 16 in Haliburton (net increase of 39)*** Hospitalizations (total to date): 53, including 32 in Kawartha Lakes, 18 in Northumberland, and 3 in Haliburton (no change)**** Deaths (including among probable cases): 68, including 55 in Kawartha Lakes, 12 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton (no change) Resolved: 1,106, including 545 in Kawartha Lakes, 493 in Northumberland, 68 in Haliburton (increase of 12, including 4 in Kawartha Lakes, 7 in Northumberland, and 1 in Haliburton) Tests completed: 167,399 (increase of 826) Vaccine doses administered: 30,408 (last updated April 6) Number of people fully vaccinated: 2,989 (last updated April 6) Outbreaks: St. Mary Catholic Secondary School in Cobourg, Timber House Resort in Brighton, Swiss Chalet in Cobourg, Christian Horizons in Port Hope (increase of 2)*****
*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.
**The N501Y mutation has been identified in variants of concern including the B.1.1.7 UK variant, the B.1.351 South Africa variant, and the P.1 Brazilian variant.
***This total includes an additional 76 high-risk contacts directly followed up through the Public Health Ontario contact tracing process that are missing the contacts’ county.
****As of April 8, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay reports 3 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (increase of 1).
****Outbreaks at Swiss Chalet in Cobourg and Christian Horizons in Port Hope were declared on April 7.
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: 670 (increase of 17) Confirmed variants of concern cases: 92 (increase of 14) Active cases: 171 (increase of 4) Deaths: 6 (no change) Currently hospitalized: 2 (decrease of 1) Currently hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (decrease of 1) Currently hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator (total to date): 0 (no change) Resolved: 493 (increase of 12) Tests completed: 115,292 (increase of 12) Vaccine doses administered: 37,987 (increase of 1,310) Number of people fully vaccinated: 3,199 (increase of 15) Outbreaks: Unidentified workplace in Trenton, Unidentified setting in Belleville, Unidentified child care facility in Belleville, Unidentified workplace in Quinte West, The Richmond Retirement Residence in Belleville, Tri-board Bus #499 (no change)
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Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 374,112 (increase of 3,295) COVID-19 variants of concern (VOC) cases: 9,632 of B.1.1.7 UK variant (increase of 7,341); 75 of B.1.351 South Africa variant (increase of 3); 131 of P.1 Brazilian variant (increase of 11)* VOC R(t): 1.23 (decrease of 0.01, last updated April 2)** 7-day average of daily new cases: 3,093 (increase of 105) Positivity rate: 6.0% (decrease of 0.7%) Resolved: 338,559 (increase of 2,576), 90.5% of all cases (decrease of 0.1%) Hospitalizations: 1,417 (increase of 20) Hospitalizations in ICU: 525 (increase of 21) Hospitalizations in ICU on ventilator: 331 (increase of 20) Deaths: 7,494 (increase of 19) 7-day average of daily new deaths: 15 (decrease of 1) Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 3,904 (no change) Total tests completed: 12,969,132 (increase of 63,846) Tests under investigation: 42,404 (increase of 780) Vaccination doses administered: 2,834,784 (increase of 108,563), 19.24% of Ontario’s population (increase of 0.74%)*** People fully vaccinated (two doses): 326,360 (increase of 1,577), 2.22% of Ontario’s population (increase of 0.02%)***
*The government has changed the way it reports cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant. Previously they were reported only when genetic sequencing confirmed they were of the B.1.1.7 lineage. Since genetic sequencing completed to date has determined 95% of specimens screening positive for the N501Y mutation have been found to be the B.1.1.7 UK variant, specimens with the N501Y mutation are now reported as cases of the B.1.1.7 UK variant.
**R(t) is a virus’s effective reproduction number, which is the average number of new infections caused by a single infected individual at a specific time (t) in a partially immunized population. To successfully eliminate a disease from a population, R(t) needs to be less than 1.
***An estimated 70-90% of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario from March 8 – April 7, 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 March 8 – April 7, 2021. The red line is the daily number of tests completed, 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 March 8 – April 7, 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 patients with COVID-19 in ICUs. (Graphic: kawarthaNOW.com)COVID-19 deaths in Ontario from March 8 – April 7, 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 March 8 – April 7, 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 first shipment of 5,850 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine arrive at Peterborough Regional Health Centre on February 23, 2021. (Supplied photo)
While more than 21 per cent of Peterborough region residents have now received at least their first dose of vaccine — well above the provincial average of 14 per cent — a deficit of close to 11,000 vaccine doses is projected for April.
“We know how much vaccine we’re going to get (in April), we know how many appointments are booked for April, and we know how many people in total that we still have to vaccinate,” explained medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra during her weekly virtual media briefing at Peterborough Public Health on Thursday (April 8th). “That’s how we’re getting that figure.”
Dr. Salvaterra’s confirmation of a vaccine shortfall echoed a similar concern jointly expressed by Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien and Peterborough County Warden J. Murray Jones. In a statement issued Thursday morning, they called on the province to increase the supply of vaccines coming to the region.
“This stay-at-home order is a critical time for us to ensure we have the vaccine supply we need to meet the month end target of having everyone over 60 vaccinated,” they wrote, citing the high number of “older persons” in this region compared to the Ontario average and variants of concern now associated with 80 per cent of local new positive cases. “Right now we don’t have enough allocated for our area to meet this target.”
While lauding the success of the local vaccination effort that has seen 34,612 residents receive at least their first dose (an increase of 4,179 over the past week), Dr. Salvaterra acknowledged “the demand for vaccine is outstripping our supply.”
“When we do the math we could easily use another 11,000 doses of vaccine this month,” she said. “If we had that we could potentially finish everyone who is 60 years old and over by the end of the month.”
“We’ll actually dry up several times before the end of the month. We’re trying to get needles into arms and empty the freezers. There are several times this month that we’ll actually go down to zero and wait for the next delivery to arrive. We’re getting everything we can out.”
“We do have an older demographic and we have started second doses in both First Nation communities. That again has been a drain on our vaccine allocation. It’s all good but it means that we have more people who are currently eligible waiting for vaccine.”
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Meanwhile, three local pharmacies — Costco Pharmacy, 485 The Parkway; High Street Guardian Pharmacy, 815 High Street, Unit 9; and Walmart Pharmacy, 1002 Chemong Road — continue to book vaccination appointments for those aged 55 and up who wish to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine. Dr. Salvaterra said a fourth pharmacy will be added to the mix soon.
With Ontario now in a third state of emergency with a four-week stay-at-home order in place, local COVID-19 infection numbers show little sign of levelling off. As of Thursday morning, there were 89 local active cases reported with 246 close contacts of positive cases being monitored.
To date in April, 74 new cases have been reported, putting April on pace to eclipse the highest local monthly total of 225 new cases reported in March. As for the more transmissible and potentially deadly COVID variants of concern, the Peterborough region total now stands at 252 cases.
And this week saw COVID claim the life of an Empress Gardens resident — the 11th local COVID death reported in the region since the pandemic began. An outbreak at Empress Gardens remains declared, along with outbreaks still ongoing at Trent University’s Champlain Annex, Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School, and at two unidentified workplaces.
Also commenting during Thursday’s media briefing were Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef, Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith, Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien, Peterborough County Warden J. Murray Jones, and Peterborough board of health chair and Selwyn mayor Andy Mitchell.
While agreeing Peterborough needs to push harder for its fair share of vaccine, MPP Smith noted that 89.2 per cent of local residents aged 80 and over have received at least their first shot — tops in the province.
A local bakery made these cookies in support of Bobcaygeon's bid to be voted the winner of Kraft Hockeyville 2021 Canada. Voting opens at 9 a.m. on April 9 and continues until 5 p.m. on April 10. (Photo supplied by City of Kawartha Lakes)
Update – April 10
Elsipogtog First Nation in New Brunswick was crowned Kraft Hockeyville Canada 2021.
As one of the three second-place winners, Bobcaygeon will receive $25,000 in arena upgrades and $10,000 in brand new hockey equipment from the NHL Players’ Association Goals & Dreams Fund for deserving youth in the community.
If you want to see Bobcaygeon voted the winner of the 15th annual Kraft Hockeyville contest, register now at www.krafthockeyville.ca and start voting at 9 a.m. on Friday (April 9).
Voting continues until 5 p.m. on Saturday, with the community receiving the most votes declared the winner. Once you create an account, you can vote as many times as you like.
Bobcaygeon is one of four finalists, competing for votes against Elsipogtog First Nation in New Brunswick, Lumsden in Saskatchewan, and Saint Adolphe in Manitoba.
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If Bobcaygeon wins, the community will receive $250,000 to upgrade Bobcaygeon-Verulam Community Centre and the chance to host an NHL pre-season hockey game there.
“Bobcaygeon is passionate about hockey and our local arena brings us together as fans, friends, family and ultimately as a community,” says Kathleen Seymour-Fagan, City of Kawartha Lakes councillor for Ward 2 and owner of Kawartha Coffee Company in Bobcaygeon.
“To keep the game alive in our community, the arena needs accessibility upgrades to ensure that all players, regardless of age, gender or ability, are able to access the facility,” Seymour-Fagan says, explaining how Bobcaygeon would use the $250,000 for the arena. “Winning Kraft Hockeyville 2021 is a shot at opening the doors to new generations of hockey players and fans.”
Bobcaygeon is competing against three other communities to be voted the winner of Kraft Hockeyville 2021 Canada. If Bobcaygeon wins, the community will use the $250,000 to upgrade accessibility of the Bobcaygeon-Verulam Community Centre among other things. (Photo supplied by City of Kawartha Lakes)
The three second-place communities will each receive $25,000 for arena upgrades, along with $10,000 in brand new hockey equipment from the National Hockey League Players’ Association’s Goals & Dreams Fund for deserving youth in the community.
Bobcaygeon’s hockey roots go back to when the village was incorporated in 1876. Since then, many hockey players from Bobcaygeon have gone on to play with the Peterborough Petes and other OHL teams as well as the NHL, including the likes of Rollie Kimble, Geoff Ingram, Paul Grills, Joe Junkin, Bill Stewart, and Brady Austin.
The late NHL legend Allan Stanley, who won four Stanley Cups while playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1981, settled in Bobcaygeon with his wife after retiring and operated the Bee Hive Hockey School Complex for more than 20 years.
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Winning Kraft Hockeyville 2021 Canada would be a big morale boost for Bobcaygeon, which has been hit hard by the pandemic.
A COVID-19 outbreak at Pinecrest Nursing Home at the very beginning of the pandemic, the largest outbreak in Ontario at the time, would eventually claim the lives of 28 residents of the home. The shutdowns and restrictions during the pandemic have also had a huge impact on Bobcaygeon businesses, which rely on summer tourism to sustain them through the winter.
To get ready to cast your votes for Bobcaygeon, register now at www.krafthockeyville.ca. Voting opens at 9 a.m. on Friday and closes at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
VIDEO: Why Bobcaygeon should be Kraft Hockeyville 2021 Canada
Scott Murison, co-owner of Wild Rock Outfitters in downtown Peterborough and a founding member of Green Economy Peterborough, says being part of the network means local businesses can share ideas, learn from others, and set an example that others can follow. Green Economy Peterborough officially launches on Earth Day (April 22) with a virtual event featuring local business leaders and a presentation by a sustainability expert. (Photo: Ben Hargreaves)
Organizations across Peterborough, Canada, and the world are recognizing that growth is neither profitable nor sustainable if it fails to include a plan for climate action.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s story is by Natalie Stephenson, Hub Coordinator of Green Economy Peterborough, a project of GreenUP.
“Climate change and the transition to low-carbon growth will have profound impacts on virtually every sector of the economy in the decades ahead,” said Tiff Macklem, governor of the Bank of Canada, at the Public Policy Forum in Ottawa last November. “We need to position Canada to seize the climate-smart opportunities that consumers, workers, and investors are looking for.”
More Canadian organizations, including those in the greater Peterborough area, are motivated by both the threats and the opportunities brought by climate change. Businesses are beginning to focus on climate solutions and recognize the benefits of these efforts.
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“I think the local business community is a lot more aware of not only the micro reasons to consider the climate, but also that it’s good financially for them,” says Terry Guiel, executive director of the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA). “They really see it as a worthwhile endeavour.”
The local business community is indeed showing strong interest in climate action. GreenUP conducted market research interviews with local business leaders as part of the development of the new Green Economy Peterborough hub. Results from this market research confirm that businesses have a strong appetite for support to help them make reductions in emissions, water, and waste.
While large corporations have been pushing forward to develop strategies that both protect the environment and leverage opportunities, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), constituting 98 per cent of all businesses in Canada, have been left behind. These SMEs require different supports to become more efficient and environmentally sustainable — including more information, resources, staff capacity, and financial options.
Sparo Lindsay, owner of Union Studio in downtown Peterborough and a founding member of Green Economy Peterborough, holds a bag of metal foils that have been collected and cleaned for recycling after being used for hair colouring. She believes businesses in the beauty industry have a responsibility to the environment as they produce a lot of waste. (Photo: Ben Hargreaves)
Enter Green Economy Peterborough, which will work with local SMEs to reap the benefits of becoming more sustainable, including improved efficiency and cost savings, an expanded and enhanced relationship with customers and clients, and a greater connection to their community and environment.
“As a business owner, I feel like (the environment) is even more our responsibility because we are providing services for a lot of people and creating, in the beauty industry, a lot of garbage, a lot of waste,” says Sparo Lindsay, owner of Union Studio and a founding member of Green Economy Peterborough.
“It’s important for me to compensate for that waste by managing it appropriately and reducing our overall carbon footprint,” Lindsay adds. “If we wait around for somebody else, or an organization or government to take care of things or take action, it’s not going to happen.”
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When a business becomes a Green Economy Peterborough member, they receive one-to-one coaching, training, and measurement and tracking tools to achieve tangible reduction targets. Their activities and successes are celebrated and promoted publicly by the hub. Upon joining, members also become a part a vibrant local network that shares knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm.
“Being part of a local network is an important part for our business, so that we can share ideas, learn from others, and set an example that others can follow,” says Scott Murison, co-owner of Wild Rock Outfitters and a founding member of Green Economy Peterborough. “It’s important to be connected to the local community.”
Green Economy Peterborough’s official launch will take place from 3 to 4:30 p.m. p.m. on Earth Day (Thursday, April 22nd) and will feature local business leaders speaking on the connection between sustainability and a thriving local economy. The virtual celebration offers an exciting opportunity to connect with business peers committed to building their competitive advantage through climate action.
Green Economy Peterborough, a project of GreenUP, launches on Earth Day (April 22) with an online event that includes a presentation by Bob Willard of Sustainability Advantage, a leading expert and author on the business case for organizational sustainability. (Photo courtesy of Bob Willard)
A highlight of the launch festivities will be a presentation by Bob Willard of Sustainability Advantage, a leading expert and author on the business case for organizational sustainability. Joining us from the Durham area, he is excited to see a business network developing in this region.
“Peterborough is well-positioned to be a leading resilient, sustainable community in Canada,” observes Willard. “Community engagement is key, including the business and Indigenous communities. Peterborough is doing this and working with Green Economy Canada experts to build on that base of support. It’s off to a great start.”
Willard applies business and leadership experience from his 34-year career at IBM Canada to engage the business community in proactively avoiding risks and capturing opportunities by using smart environmental, social, and governance practices.
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“Businesses are discovering that paying attention to sustainability is not only good for the environment and the community,” Willard says. “Climate action is also good for business and the local economy.”
The Green Economy Peterborough team is working with founding members from across the region’s economic sectors. More members are welcome, and Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development has offered a number of subsidies to assist early adopters through 2021.
The network is supported by an advisory committee made up of business and community leaders, including Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development, the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, the Peterborough DBIA, Curve Lake First Nation, Trent University, the County of Peterborough, and the City of Peterborough.
Natalie Stephenson is the Hub Coordinator of Green Economy Peterborough, a project of GreenUP, which officially launches on April 22, 2021. (Photo: Ben Hargreaves)
Green Economy Peterborough’s launch is an excellent opportunity for businesses to make a commitment to climate action, and contribute to to a resilient, low-carbon economy for Peterborough region.
To register for the launch event, or for more information about how to get involved with Green Economy Peterborough, visit www.greeneconomypeterborough.ca.
Residents 80 years of age and older receiving their first doses of the Pfizer vaccine at the COVID-19 immunization clinic in Peterborough on March 21, 2021. (Photo: Jeannine Taylor / kawarthaNOW)
City of Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien and Peterborough County Warden J. Murray Jones have jointly called on the provincial government to increase the supply of COVID-19 vaccines to the Peterborough region.
“This stay-at-home order is a critical time for us to ensure we have the vaccine supply we need to meet the month end target of having everyone over 60 vaccinated,” reads the statement, which was issued on Thursday (April 8) — the same day the province’s third state of emergency went into effect, including a four-week stay-at-home order.
“Right now, we don’t have enough allocated for our area to meet this target,” Therrien and Jones add, pointing out the area needs more than 10,000 doses to meet the goal of vaccinating everyone over the age of 60.
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The statement notes the percentage of older people in the Peterborough region is eight per cent higher than the provincial average, and also mentions the high level of variants of concern in the region.
Therrien and Jones also point out a large number of visitors come to the area every weekend during spring, adding “This puts our residents and communities at risk.”
“We are so glad to see our community embrace the vaccine and have a very low rate of vaccine hesitancy,” the statement reads. “Help us help them!”
The statement concludes with a request to the provincial government “to support our residents and businesses as we eventually can open back up and welcome visitors back to our area.”
A copy of the complete statement is provided below.
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