If you’re still out of work due to COVID-19 and have been relying on the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), you no longer have to worry about how to pay your bills this summer.

The federal government will extending the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) for an additional eight weeks.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement on Tuesday (June 16) during a media conference from outside his home in Ottawa.

“Over the past few months, Canadians have been able to count on the Canada Emergency Response Benefit to help them get through a tough time,” Trudeau said. “And the reality is that, even as we start to reopen, a lot of people still need this support to pay their bills while they look for work.”

“That’s why today I am announcing that we will be extending eligibility for the CERB by eight weeks. So if you’ve been getting the CERB and you still can’t work because you’re unable to find a job, or it’s just not possible, you will keep getting that $2,000 a month.”

Trudeau said that, over the next few weeks, his government will be looking at international best practices and monitoring the economy and the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic to evaluate if any changes need to be made to CERB so that more people are supported.

CERB has provided a payment of $2,000 per month for a maximum of 16 weeks, retroactive to March, to Canadians who lost their employment or self-employment income due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Canadians who applied for CERB every month since the payment became available received their final payment in June.

Since the program was announced, more than 8.4 million Canadians have applied for CERB, with the federal government paying out more than $43.5 billion in benefits. Almost 1.2 million Canadians have left the program, either because they have resumed work or because their employers have taken advantage of the wage subsidy program.

Trudeau also announced the Canadian and American governments have agreed to keep the Canada-U.S. border closed to non-essential travel for an additional 30 days, until Tuesday, July 21st.

The federal government is providing more than $1.2 million over the next four years for the Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough’s peer-to-peer harm reduction and recovery program, which supports people who have experienced or are at risk of experiencing drug overdoses.

Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef made the announcement on Tuesday (June 16) on behalf of federal health minister Patty Hajdu.

“The opioid crisis is about ordinary people — our neighbours, friends, parents, and children who are struggling with addiction,” Monsef said. “Bringing an end to this crisis will not be easy, but we will do it by working together as a community with support and compassion for victims, service providers, families, and everyone involved.”

While public health authorities have been focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic, the opioid crisis in Peterborough has continued — with some experts claiming the pandemic has actually exacerbated the crisis. So far in 2020, Peterborough police have reported 17 suspected overdose deaths, along with one confirmed overdose death in January.

The Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough’s peer-to-peer harm reduction and recovery program supports people who are at risk of an overdose in the community or following their discharge from hospital. Under the program, peer support training will help substance users engage with people who have experienced overdoses.

“The answer to addiction is connection,” said Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough executive director Debbie Carriere. “People with lived experience will connect with individuals struggling with addictions in order to encourage and motivate them to move along the continuum of care to a healthier, more stable place.”

The program will feature six full-time staff providing 24-hour service, with the capacity to help 500 people annually. Under the program, hospital staff will also receive training to better understand the stigma surrounding substance use.

As of last Monday (June 8), the Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough has been accepting referrals from the Peterborough Regional Health Centre. In the near future, referrals may also be accepted from police, emergency services, social service agencies, correctional institutions, as well as self-referrals.

This $1.2 million in funding comes from Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program, which provides financial support to provinces, territories, non-governmental organizations, indigenous organizations, key stakeholders, and individuals to strengthen responses to drug and substance use issues in Canada.

Gardeners rejoice! GreenUP Ecology Park’s native plant and tree nursery at 1899 Ashburnham Drive in Peterborough is now open to the public for the 2020 season.

The nursery usually opens in mid May, but was delayed this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The nursery officially opened for the season on Saturday (June 13).

“While it’s later than usual, we’re happy to be opening and grateful for everyone’s support,” says Ecology Park manager Vern Bastable. “All the emails and phone calls were really heartwarming.”

The nursery is now open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday through Sunday until October 11th.

Things will operate a little bit differently this season though, largely because of public health requirements due to the pandemic. Through consultation with Peterborough Public Health, Ecology Park has taken measures to ensure the well-being, health, and safety of both customers and staff.

“Our purpose at the nursery has always been to offer native plants that benefit the community as a whole, so it feels natural that we would do that in a way that keeps our community healthy during this unusual time,” Bastable says.

Here are the notable changes:

• Only pedestrian access is permitted to the nursery. Parking is available the south end of the Beavermead Park parking lot, off Marsdale Drive at Ashburnham. Loading service for heavy purchase will be provided (customers are asked to follow instructions provided by Ecology Park staff and maintain physical distancing).
• No compost, mulch, or wood chips are available.
• Customers are asked to stay at home and not visit the nursery if they or anyone they have been in close contact with anyone who has a respiratory illness, has travelled outside of Ontario in the past 14 days, or is displaying any symptoms of COVID-19.
• Customers are asked to maintain physical distancing at all times (a minimum of two metres distance from others).
• Customers are asked to consider wearing a mask to protect others.
• Entry to the nursery will be limited (customers are asked to wait in line until directed by staff to enter the nursery).
• Customers are asked to sanitize hands before entering the sales area (hand sanitizer will be provided on site).
• Customers are asked to “go with the flow” and follow the directional arrows through the nursery space.
• Cashless payment is preferred.

VIDEO: COVID-19 procedures at Ecology Park Nursery

Before visiting the nursery, people are encouraged to check the price list greenup.on.ca/ecology-park/nursery/. The Ecology Park team updates this list every Tuesday to remove sold-out items.

It should be noted that the list may not always be entirely accurate. Since Ecology Park is a “welcoming home” to urban wildlife, wildlife may occasionally damage nursery stock.

Bastable adds “there’s no rush” if you’ve been waiting for the nursery to open for the season.

“We’ll be here all summer,” he says. “If the nursery is busy when you get here, slow down and perhaps enjoy a walk through the native tree arboretum, the demonstration gardens, and even along the Great Trail.”

“We take pride in doing things well here. Our customers know that our nursery offers hearty plants that are grown slowly and properly for our climate in Peterborough. When you’re at the nursery, we encourage everyone to slow down, follow the signs, and do our part to take care of each other.”

GreenUP is a non-profit charity and all proceeds from sales at the Ecology Park nursery contribute to the organization’s programs and resources.

The Ontario government is approving seven more regions — Durham, Halidmand-Norfolk, Halton, Hamilton, Sarnia-Lambton, Niagara, and York — to enter stage two of the province’s reopening as of Friday, June 19th.

Premier Doug Ford made the announcement at a media conference at Queen’s Park on Monday (June 15), along with health minister Christine Elliott, finance minister Rod Phillips, economic development minister Vic Fedeli, and heritage and tourism minister Lisa MacLeod.

In consultation with Ontario’s chief medical officer of health and local medical officers of health, regions of the province covered by the following health units can enter stage two on Friday: Durham Region Health Department, Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit, Halton Region Health Department, Hamilton Public Health Services, Lambton Health Unit, Niagara Region Public Health Department, and York Region Public Health Services.

Peel, Toronto, and Windsor-Essex remain in stage one for now.

“With the public health trends improving day by day across the province, I am hopeful all regions of Ontario will enter stage two very soon,” Ford said. “But we must remain on our guard to prevent any potential surge or secondary wave by continuing to follow the sound advice of our public health officials.”

Ford made the announcement as the number of daily positive COVID-19 cases across Ontario continues to drop, with the number of new cases falling below 200 in three of the past four days.

The drop in new cases continues despite a significant daily increase in COVID-19 tests, with more than 20,000 tests completed in each of the past five days — passing the one million mark in total tests completed on Sunday (June 14).

The number of Ontarians hospitalized because of COVID-19 has also continued to drop. As of Monday (June 15), 419 people are in hospitals due to COVID-19, with 104 in intensive care units and 69 on ventilators. A month ago, 986 Ontarians were hospitalized because of COVID-19, with 179 in intensive care and 135 on ventilators.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Peterborough Transit routes are getting an overhaul beginning on Sunday, June 28th, when regular service hours also resume.

There will be nine regular routes instead of 12 — with fewer routes going directly into the bus terminal on Simcoe Street in downtown Peterborough — as well as three new community bus routes.

According to a media release from the City of Peterborough, the changes are intended to protect the health and well-being of transit customers and employees as ridership increases during the reopening of Ontario’s economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the biggest changes is the reduction of routes that go directly into the bus terminal. While all 12 current routes go directly into the bus terminal, only five of the nine new routes will go into the terminal.

“Bringing all transit routes into the bus terminal at the same time creates congestion and doesn’t allow people to stay a safe distance from each other during the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Mayor Diane Therrien. “The changes to the route system will create a safer public transit service for our community during the pandemic recovery.”

Although fewer routes will go directly to the bus terminal, all routes in the new system will connect with other routes. This means riders who want to go to the bus terminal can still do so by transferring between routes.

All routes are changing under the new transit network, giving riders options for more direct trips. The route changes may also reduce travel times for riders by providing more direct point-to-point trips instead of having to transfer at the bus terminal.

In addition to the nine regular routes, there will also be three community bus routes serving major destinations such as medical centres, shopping centres, and community hubs.

With the new routes, some bus stop locations are also changing. Riders are encouraged to view the new route map and schedule, which will be posted at the bus terminal and are available online at peterborough.ca/transit. Transit customer service ambassadors will be at the bus terminal and onboard buses to help customers as they get comfortable with the new route system.

In addition to reducing congestion at the bus terminal and on buses, Peterborough Transit is putting other measures in place for the safety of customers and employees, including masks, face shields, and gloves for bus drivers. Protective shields are being installed around the driver’s area and transit will continue enhanced cleaning of buses and high-touch surfaces.

Seating limits will remain in place to support physical distancing on buses, and riders are strongly encouraged to wear masks and use hand sanitizer. Riders are being asked to continue to board buses at the rear doors only, unless they need to use the accessibility features at the front doors.

While fares are not being collected at this time, Peterborough Transit is putting in place measures for touchless payment and onboard safety that will allow for front-of-bus boarding. These changes will be announced when they are available.

When regular service hours resume, essential workers will be able to access conventional routes to key locations across the city. This means that by-reservation essential worker service will be discontinued, and accessible transit services will expand to regular hours to accommodate mobility customers.

The federal government will be extending the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) for Canadians who are unable to return to work due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement on Monday (June 15) during a media conference from outside his home in Ottawa.

“In the last few weeks, things have started to look up for a lot of people,” Trudeau said. “But that said, we also know that far too many Canadians are still struggling. If you’re having troubles finding a job, you shouldn’t also be worrying about whether you’ll hit the limit of your CERB benefits.”

CERB provides a payment of $2,000 per month for a maximum of 16 weeks, retroactive to March. Canadians who applied for CERB every month since the payment became available received their final payment in June.

“Right now we’re working on a solution to extend the benefit for people who can’t return to work yet.” Trudeau added. “We’ll have more details later this week. But for today, I want you to know that we will continue to be there for you and your family.”

Last Wednesday (June 10), the federal government tabled legislation that proposed extending CERB from July 5th to October 3rd, but with payments made in two-week instead of four-week periods. Draft bill C-17 also included penalties for people who fraudulently receive CERB with a fine of up to $5,000 or a fine and imprisonment of up to six months.

The legislation, which also authorized a one-time payment of $600 related to COVID-19 to people who are eligible for the Disability Tax Credit, was not supported by the opposition parties. The NDP, which supports the extension of CERB, objected to the proposed penalties that would also apply to Canadians who may have unintentionally received CERB as well as to fraudsters.