For the second year in a row, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) has closed Crown land adjacent to Burleigh Falls to the public.

Located on Highway 28 around 30 kilometres north of Peterborough, the area was first closed to the public in July 2020 following a large increase in visitors, resulting in numerous complaints involving liquor consumption, parking violations, excessive noise, littering, outdoor urinating and defecating, and mischief.

That trend has continued over the past three weekends of May, according to a media release from Peterborough County OPP.

“Police continue to receive complaints involving liquor consumption, parking violations, littering and COVID-19/social distancing violations,” the media release reads. “Health and safety concerns are being communicated as public washrooms and hand-washing stations are not available.”

The MNRF has declared the area unsafe and it will be closed to the public until further notice, with Peterborough County OPP and Selwyn Township supporting the decision.

Both the MNRF and Peterborough County OPP will be enforcing the closure. Police say they will tow vehicles and issue provincial offence notices to those found in contravention of the closure.

Ontario will proceed to administer second doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, beginning with those who received their first dose between March 10 and 19 — when the AstraZeneca vaccine first became available in the province.

“Nothing is more important than the health of Ontarians, and for the best protection against COVID-19 it is vital that everyone who received the AstraZeneca vaccine for their first dose receives a second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine,” said Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, during a virtual media briefing on Friday (May 21) with Dr. Dirk Huyer, coordinator of the provincial outbreak response.

Beginning the week of May 24, for a limited time, people who received their first dose of AstraZeneca from March 10 and 19 can contact the pharmacy or primary care provider where they received their first dose and book an appointment for their second dose.

The province announced on May 11 it was pausing the administration of first doses of AstraZeneca, because of an observed increase in Ontario of an adverse reaction known as vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT). The risk of VITT in Ontario was observed to be 1 in every 60,000 people vaccinated rather than the previously observed rate of 1 in every 100,000 vaccinated.

While the pause on first doses is still in effect while the province’s health experts review data on the VITT risk for first doses, Dr. Williams said data from the UK suggests the risk of VITT in people receiving their second dose of AstraZeneca is one in 600,000 — higher than the previously observed rate of one in one million but still relatively rare.

The only people who received their first dose of AstraZeneca from March 10 and 19 were Ontarians aged 60 to 64 who booked an appointment at one of 325 pharmacies in Toronto, Windsor-Essex, and Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington, or were contacted by primary care providers in Hamilton, Toronto, Guelph, Peterborough, Simcoe-Muskoka, and Peel.

People vaccinated during this period who consent to receive the second dose, will be receiving it at 10 to 11 weeks instead of the original interval of 16 weeks. The original clinical data for the AstraZeneca vaccine indicates the second dose should be administered no later than 12 weeks after the first dose, and studies from the UK and other jurisdictions have shown the highest efficacy of the vaccine occurs when the second dose is administered at 12 weeks.

“We are providing these individuals with a safe option based on the available data and evidence and will continue to work with Health Canada to monitor the quality and efficacy of all COVID-19 vaccines being used in Ontario,” Dr. Williams said.

Ontario has 55,000 doses of AstraZeneca that will expire by May 31. Dr. Huyer said more than 55,000 people received their first dose between March 10 and 19, so not everyone who received their first dose during this period will be able to get a second dose.

Dr. Williams said people who received their first dose of AstraZeneca after March 19, as well as for those who received it between March 10 and 19 but do not get a vaccine appointment during the week of May 24, will be able to receive their second doses within the now-recommended interval of 12 weeks.

The provincial government is working with primary care providers and pharmacies to ensure second dose appointments are scheduled in advance of the 12-week interval, and will provide further information in the near future on how people who received their first dose of AstraZeneca can book a second dose appointment.

As for the possibility of people who received their first dose of AstraZeneca receiving a second dose of Pfizer or Moderna instead, Dr. Williams said the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) is currently not recommending vaccines of different types (e.g., mRNA vaccine and viral vector vaccine) be mixed, since the efficacy of mixing vaccine types is not yet known.

That may change next month however, as Dr. Williams said NACI is reviewing evidence from a clinical trial in the UK evaluating the administration of two doses of different vaccines and expects NACI will be making a recommendation in June.

Ontario golfers will be able to hit the links the Victoria Day long weekend, with the Ontario government announcing a three-step “roadmap” for reopening the province.

The three-step plan is scheduled to begin the week of June 14th, but the government will allow some outdoor recreational amenities to reopen this Saturday (May 22).

These include golf courses and driving ranges, soccer and other sports fields, tennis and basketball courts, and skate parks, with outdoor gathering limits expanded to five people, including members from different households. No outdoor sports or recreational classes are permitted.

“Today we’re seeing increasingly positive trends in key public health indicators,” Premier Doug Ford said at a media conference at Queen’s Park on Thursday afternoon (May 20). “As a result, we are now in a position to look at a slow and measured reopening of the province.”

The three-step reopening plan, which is based on hitting vaccination targets and key public health and health care indicators, will replace the previous colour-coded framework.

Step one of the plan will include resuming outdoor activities with smaller crowds, where the risk of virus transmission is lower, along with permitting non-essential retail at 15 per cent capacity. The limit on outdoor gatherings will increase to a maximum of 10 people, and outdoor dining would be allowed with a maximum of four people per table. Outdoor recreational amenities and activities, including pools, splash pads, fitness classes, zoos, and religious services will be allowed to resume.

Step two would further expand outdoor activities and resume limited indoor services with small numbers of people wearing face coverings. The limit on outdoor gatherings would increase to a maximum of 25 people and outdoor sports and leagues would be allowed to resume. Non-essential retail would be expanded to 25 per cent capacity. Public libraries and personal care services where face coverings can be worn would be allowed to reopen, with capacity limits, and indoor religious services can resume at 15 per cent capacity.

Step three would expand access to indoor settings with restrictions, including where there are larger numbers of people and where face coverings cannot always be worn. This includes gyms, cinemas, performing arts facilities, museums and art galleries, casinos and bingo halls, and indoor dining, all with capacity limits.

Each step is linked to provincial vaccination rates, with at least 60 per cent of adults having received one dose for step one, 70 per cent of adults having received one dose and 20 per cent fully vaccinated with two doses for step two, and 70 to 80 per cent of adults having received one dose and 25 per cent fully vaccinated with two doses for step three.

Ontario would remains in each step for at least three weeks, to allow the province to evaluate the impact on public health indicators and decide whether to proceed to the next step.

The province expects to begin step one the week of June 14th, but will confirm closer to that date. Assuming that each vaccination target is met and public health indicators are favourable, step two would begin the week of July 5th and step three would begin the week of July 26th.

In the interim, the stay-at-home order will expire on June 2 but all other public health measures will remain in effect.

Absent from the announcement was a decision on whether or when students will return to in-person classes before the end of the school year.

“We have some different opinions,” Premier Ford said in response to a reporter’s question. “Dr. Williams is in favour of reopening the schools. We have a few doctors on the science table that aren’t in favour. Then we have the teachers that want to put an injunction in if we move forward. We just have to get around the table and make sure we have agreement on this.”

Ford added that he is concerned by modelling projections released today that show cases could increase by 11 per cent if schools are reopened.

“That’s concerning to me, when it increases 11 per cent, because it compounds so quickly,” Ford said. “We can’t afford an increase of 11 per cent right now.”

With the current stay-at-home order expiring on June 2, Ontario’s top health experts are recommending delaying a partial reopening in the province for an additional two weeks, until June 16.

Adalsteinn Brown, co-chair of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, and Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, provided an update on Ontario’s COVID-19 modelling data during a media conference at Queen’s Park on Thursday afternoon (May 20).

“The direction of the pandemic has turned and, if we’re careful and cautious, we can maintain this momentum — and this momentum is what gets us to a good summer,” Brown said. “The number of cases and hospitalization are falling. That is good news, but we need to temper this good news with the knowledge that our hospitals are still under incredible strain.”

Brown added that, while hospitalizations are decreasing, the number of people in hospital with COVID-19 has just dropped below the peak of the second wave.

“We still have a very high number of patients with COVID-19 in our intensive care units, and a higher proportion of these patients remain on life support,” he said.

While Brown said control of the pandemic, especially in hot spots, is improving due to public health measures, vaccinations, and the efforts of Ontarians, “We’re nowhere near yet the case counts in countries like the United Kingdom.”

Brown said the models suggest a partial reopening of the province on June 2 will lead to a rise in cases that will only subside later in the summer. Delaying the reopening until the middle of June will bring cases down to a very low level, with a consistent downward trend throughout the summer.

“Opening schools on the 2nd, and nothing else, takes us somewhere between these options,” Brown added, with modelling suggesting the case increase from reopening schools “may be manageable”.

Brown said partial reopening includes the reopening of retail, schools, and outdoor amenities — similar to the situation in March before the current stay-at-home order went into effect.

In either scenario, Brown said outdoor activities are much safer than indoor activities and should be encouraged. People only need to wear masks during outdoor activities if they can’t maintain two metres of distance (for example, when playing basketball).

However, people engaging in outdoor activities should avoid socializing with others afterwards (such as by dining together or sharing food), going to crowded outdoor places, carpooling together, travelling between regions, sharing overnight accommodation with others, or using locker rooms, clubhouses, or shared amenities.

Premier Doug Ford is scheduled to make an announcement at Queen’s Park at 3 p.m. on Thursday afternoon.

PDF: Update on COVID-19 Projections (May 20, 2021)
Update on COVID-19 Projections (May 20, 2021)

There’s a new salsa brand in Kawartha Lakes that will leave a good taste in your mouth and a good feeling in your heart.

Kawartha Lakes Food Source has launched its own brand of salsa, with proceeds from its sale helping to offset operating expenses such as rent for the non-profit organization, which procures and distributes food to 35 local agencies and delivers food literacy programs.

“Our hope is that this social enterprise will help Kawartha Lakes Food Source be financially resilient in the midst of any future economic uncertainty,” says Heather Kirby, the organization’s executive director.

“The project will be an ongoing self-sustaining source of revenue that complements our regular fundraising efforts,” Kirby adds.

The idea to produce a food product began with an online poll in early 2020, when Kawartha Lakes Food Source asked members of the community what type of food product produced by the organization they would be most interested in purchasing. Move than 70 per cent of respondents voted for salsa.

Since then, the organization has been working on recipe development, marketing assessments, and regulatory compliance. The final salsa recipe was developed in collaboration with George Brown College’s Food Innovation and Research Studio, with the salsa produced by Kawartha Lakes Food Source staff and volunteers alongside employees of the Ontario Agri-Food Venture Centre.

The mild, runny salsa has seven ingredients (crushed tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeno, salt, citric acid, and spices) and includes locally sourced ingredients.

To date, Kawartha Lakes Food Source has produced 3,000 jars of salsa, priced at $4.99, which will be available at selected retail locations beginning Thursday (May 20).

Retail locations will include Reid’s Valu-Mart (422 Russell St. W., Lindsay), Farmers Butcher Shop (3 Commerce Place, Lindsay), Mariposa Woolen Mill (1275 Highway 7, Oakwood), Fresh FueLL (172 Angeline St. N., Lindsay), and Burns Bulk Food (118 Kent St. W., Lindsay).

Kawartha Lakes Food Source will also be partnering with Mariposa Woolen Mill’s Kawartha Box to have the salsa included in an upcoming bundle, and the salsa will also be available for sale at assorted events including local farmers’ markets.

An initial grant for the salsa project was provided through the investment readiness program of the Community Foundations of Canada.

For more information, visit kawarthalakesfoodsource.com/salsa.

Cobourg town council has decided to temporarily close Victoria Park Beach until Monday, June 7th in an attempt to discourage out-of-town visitors and others from congregating on the beach during the province’s stay-at-home order.

“Our beach is already seeing hundreds of visitors daily and, with the upcoming long weekend, we want to ensure our community remains safeguarded against further potential spread of this virus,” said Cobourg mayor John Henderson.

Council held a virtual emergency meeting on Wednesday night (May 19) to discuss a recommendation from the town’s emergency control group, supported by the health unit, to temporarily close the beach and install fencing with two emergency entrances and exits and signage.

Although beaches fall under the same category and are allowed to remain open during the stay-at-home order, council voted to accept the recommendation in anticipation of crowding during the Victoria Day long weekend.

Councillors Emily Chorley, Aaron Burchat, and Nicole Beatty voted against accepting the recommendation. Councillor Chorley, who is also coordinator of parks and recreation services, had earlier brought forward a motion to amend the staff recommendation to only close the beach on weekends and statutory holidays. That motion, supported by the same councillors, was defeated in a vote.

Town staff will begin installing the fencing and signage along the board walk on Thursday (May 20).

Council will reconvene for a special emergency meeting on Wednesday, May 26th to decide on the continued operation of the beach over the remainder of the spring and summer.

Police have recovered the body of a missing boater from Mink Lake, located around 30 kilometres north of Bancroft in Hastings Highlands.

Shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Sunday (May 16), Bancroft OPP responded to a report of an unoccupied boat circling on the lake.

Bancroft OPP, including an OPP helicopter, and Hastings Highlands Fire Department conducted a search of the area but were unable the missing boater.

Police continued the search on Monday, joined by the OPP Underwater Search and Recover Team.

Late on Wednesday afternoon (May 20), OPP divers recovered the body of 68-year-old Gordon Blair of Ajax.

The office for the Chief Coroner of Ontario is leading the investigation into Blair’s death with the assistance from the Bancroft OPP. A post-mortem examination has been scheduled.

Police say foul play is not suspected.