Although Ontario has not yet set a date to exit the final step of its reopening plan, the provincial government has shared the regulation that will be come into effect on that date.

In summary, the regulation lifts most of the existing public health measures, including all capacity limits, according to a statement issued by the Premier’s Office on Friday (July 30). Under the regulation, people will still be required to wear face masks when inside a business or organization.

“As the Delta variant is the dominant strain in Ontario, which is not the case with some other provinces, face coverings will also continue to be required for indoor public settings,” the statement reads. “This is consistent with other jurisdictions such as Quebec and Israel, and the CDC recently updated their recommendation that fully vaccinated people begin wearing masks indoors again in locations with high COVID-19 transmission rates. The Chief Medical Officer of Health will continue to evaluate this need on an ongoing basis.”

However, face masks will not be required in schools or child care centres, day camps or overnight camps, developmental services group homes, or correctional facilities.

Those performing or rehearsing in a film or television production, concert, artistic event, or theatrical performance will also not be required to wear a mask.

Existing requirements that will remain in effect include the requirement for passive screening for COVID-19, such as posting a sign, safety plans for businesses, and the collection of names and contact information for contact tracing.

The announcement of the regulation comes the day after Ontario reached a milestone in its vaccine rollout, with 80 per cent of Ontarians aged 12 and over having now received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The province entered step three of the reopening plan on July 16th, and will remain in step three for at least 21 days (August 6th) and until 75 per cent of the eligible population aged 12 and over have received their second dose.

“The exit date will be confirmed as we get closer to achieving the additional vaccine milestones,” the statement from the Premier’s Office reads.

Although no details have been provided, it is possible that some regions of the province will exit step three before others.

“In addition, no public health unit must have less than 70 per cent of their eligible population aged 12 and over fully vaccinated, and other key public health and health care indicators must also continue to remain stable,” the statement reads.

The regulation includes a schedule called “Areas at the Roadmap Exit Step” which currently lists no areas.

PDF: Rules for Areas at Step 3 and at the Roadmap Exit Step
Rules for Areas at Step 3 and at the Roadmap Exit Ste

This story has been updated with information about the Ontario government’s back-to-school plan.

With the expected return to in-person school classes this September, Peterborough’s medical officer of health is urging unvaccinated youths who are eligible for vaccination “to act this week.”

During a Peterborough Public Health media briefing held Thursday (July 29), Dr. Rosana Salvaterra said the “window of opportunity for both students and school staff is closing.”

“We need to see much higher vaccination rates amongst youths in order to prepare for a safe return to school,” Dr. Salvaterra said. “First doses amongst the youngest age group only increased by about three per cent last week.”

“Our youth and younger adults still need better protection. The risk of getting COVID-19 is 6.4 times higher for unimmunized individuals. You do remain vulnerable until you get your shots.”

While confirming the health unit is looking at the feasibility of providing on-site vaccination clinics at both Trent University and Fleming College come the fall, Dr. Salvaterra isn’t ruling out the possibility of clinics being held on-site at high schools and even elementary schools.

“We have the capacity and the vaccine supply to see vaccination rates climb faster,” she said, noting anyone eligible who wants the vaccine can and will receive it upon making an appointment or arriving at a walk-in clinic — wheter for a first or second dose.

As of Wednesday (July 28) at 5 p.m., 200,092 total vaccines doses had been administered in the Peterborough region, with 103,414 having received their first dose and another 88,732 fully vaccinated with their second dose.

To date, 78.9 per cent of residents aged 12 and up have received one dose while 67.7 per cent of the same age group are fully vaccinated with two doses. However, the numbers are less impressive for the aged 12 to 17 demographic, now at 68.3 per cent with a first dose and just 43 per cent fully vaccinated with two doses.

To reinforce the message she has consistently emphasized since the first vaccines were administered, Dr. Salvaterra pointed to a recent Public Health Ontario estimation that 31,000 cases of COVID-19 among adults 18 years old and older have been prevented by immunization so far this summer. In addition, a further 2.500 hospitalizations or deaths have been prevented among adults aged 70 and older.

“These (numbers) are likely an underestimation but they tell the story of how well vaccines are saving lives, preventing hospitalizations, and protecting our communities,” said Dr. Salvaterra, acknowledging that vaccine complacency is a thing and it is an issue locally.

Dr. Salvaterra noted there’s no longer a need for people to wait three or four months for your second dose, as was the recommendation in the spring when there was less vaccine supply.

“We have thousands of people who got their first dose, were given an appointment for 12 to 16 weeks later for their second dose, and who are hanging on to those appointments,” she pointed out. “We have been reaching out to them. We’re now speaking to the province, where they are going to use some of their capacity at their call centre to start phoning these people and help them book an earlier appointment.”

“We have the availability,” Dr. Salvaterra said. “For those who are hanging on (to original booked appointments), we can do you sooner.”

Dr. Salvaterra also confirmed she supports the idea of some kind of vaccination certificate.

“We’ve used these for decades for entry into countries where there’s a public health risk from an infectious disease,” she said. “They’ve worked for us in the past and I can’t see why they won’t work fo us going forward.”

As for the hard numbers locally, the number of active cases in Peterborough city and county, Curve Lake, and Hiawatha was reported as five as of Wednesday (July 28) at 4:30 p.m. — the same number as one week ago. However, five new cases have been confirmed since Monday.

The number of close contacts of positive cases being monitored is 18 and there is one outbreak ongoing at a congregate living facility, but that’s expected to be declared over soon.

Also commenting during Thursday’s briefing were Peterborough County Warden J. Murray Jones, and Peterborough board of health chair and Selwyn mayor Andy Mitchell.

All that is bad about social media has proven to be no match for all that is good about Peterborough.

Through the strangest of circumstances, an 18-year-old Syrian refugee living alone in Turkey has connected with a Peterborough couple who are determined to bring him to Canada — potentially saving his life by offering the opportunity for a new one in a new country.

It was back in early May that Dave McNab, a retired Peterborough County OPP officer, checked out a private Facebook group about birds after he was notified about a thread and some comments that were being made.

“It looked like there was a squabble going on and that got me curious,” recalls McNab, noting another group member, Matt Park, was “smacking people for being rude to somebody.”

“As I started reading back through the thread, I saw that some members were attacking some young fellow. I read more and realized the fellow they were attacking was a refugee. Matt was basically saying ‘Give the guy a chance.’ He really shone through as somebody defending the underdog.”

The person some of the group’s members were attacking was named Rashid. With little knowledge of English, he had posted a request in the group — intended for people posting photos of birds — for guidance on how he can come to Canada to start a new and safer life.

What he received instead, McNab says, were “racist, hateful, and anti-immigrant” comments from a number of group members, with one member even commenting “Bomb them all … they’re worthless.”

How Rashid stumbled upon the private Facebook group was by pure chance, according to McNab, who speculates that, with his limited English, Rashid had seen the word ‘Canada’ in the name of the group and that had prompted him to post his desperate plea for help in the group. While some group members criticized Rashid for posting a topic unrelated to birds, others considered his post a scam and some turned to racism.

McNab, who says he was “angry, shocked, and disappointed” over the responses he read, resolved to do something after discussing the matter with his wife, veterinarian Kristy Hiltz. That something has evolved into a determined effort to sponsor Rashid to come to Canada and pursue his dream of studying to become an engineer.

Having been involved directly in five refugee sponsorships, this is nothing new for the couple.

Back in 2015, Hiltz began Salaam Peterborough, a group of Peterborough and Millbrook residents that sponsored Syrian refugees to come to Canada — their efforts to sponsor one family were profiled in Macleans magazine in 2016.

McNab says the couple’s motivation for getting involved this time around was two-fold.

“First, this poor kid was getting abused,” he explains. “From our previous experience with refugees, I knew that what he wrote in his post was exactly how things were. It reminded me so much of another fellow we sponsored — he had talked of running through the night to the border, and the fear and the desperation.”

“I thought, ‘This poor kid has probably gone through the same thing.’ Now he reaches out, thinking this is the one nation in the world that can help him, and they attack him. I thought ‘I’ve got to fix this.'”

McNab was also inspired by the efforts of group member Matt Park to turn the tide of abuse against Rashid.

“He’s basically at war with all these racists,” McNab says. “He had the courage to stand up to them. He took a bit of a bashing too. I said to Kristy ‘I’ve got to back him up.’ I messaged Rashid and wrote that I can help with information and answer any questions. I wrote ‘Message me and forget about the racists. Talk to me and Matt directly.'”

Initially, McNabb communicated with Rashid via a video call. He was greeted onscreen by a “a scared young man — very fearful, very nervous. He probably knew 10 words of English, and I knew 10 words of Arabic. We quickly exhausted that and then it was a bit of playing charades and some Google Translate. But now we knew he was who he said he was.”

The next day, while gardening at his home, McNab couldn’t stop thinking of his 10-minute chat with Rashid, and the reception the desperate teenager’s initial inquiry had received from some members of the Facebook group.

“I thought ‘I’ve got enough food growing out here to feed 10 families and that kid is probably starving.’ And I was still really upset over how he was treated. I saw some bad things over the course of my (policing) career, but they way they attacked this kid was like hyenas attacking a rabbit. It was unbelievable.”

Now, with guidance from Michael VanDenHerberg, a Peterborough resident who has helped facilitate the resettling and integration of several refugee families in the city, an effort is underway to bring Rashid to Peterborough.

McNab explains that what’s being sought is a church’s agreement to be the sponsorship agreement holder.

“We also have to raise about $18,000 to pay for his first year here for rent, food, clothing, transportation — things he’ll need to survive but not be a burden on taxpayers. That’s a government requirement.”

McNab was surprised and delighted when VanDenHerberg offered $5,000 to get that fund started — an act of generosity that inspired McNab to kick in $5,000 of his own.

“Suddenly it was real,” says McNab, who is seeking to crowdfund the remaining $8,000.

McNab is working on setting up a GoFundeMe page, but says he has encountered a delay with approvals from the U.S.-based company because the fundraiser mentions Syria and Turkey. Anyone who wants to donate immediately can email McNab at ptbocyclist@hotmail.com.

In addition, McNab — who is a photographer and videographer — is willing to work for donations from anyone who wants to preserve a memory or chronicle an event through photos or video.

“My hurdle with the money is going to be an easy one in comparison to the hurdle with the sponsorship agreement,” McNab notes.

“Michael has a connection with a church. He has approached them and asked if they’d consider Rashid under their umbrella. I’m waiting for an answer. If they say yes, it’s a one to two year process to bring him here.”

The fact that Rashid just turned 18 is significant, as no one under that age can be sponsored.

“I think of my kids at that age,” says McNab of where his empathy comes from. “Rashid doesn’t have official status in Turkey because he’s Kurdish. In the Middle East, with all the refugees and the political situation, if the police catch him, he’s illegally in Turkey and they’ll deport him back to Syria.”

“He’s in danger every day. He’s working, but we know it’s not safe for him to go out. He works for $300 a month and doesn’t do anything else. He’s afraid to leave his apartment.”

“Imagine you’re running from the police in Turkey, and yet there’s a police officer in Ontario who’s pretty much your only friend and your lifeline. The irony is unbelievable. The trust that requires on his part is phenomenal.”

As the effort to bring Rashid to Canada continues, McNab has been working with him to improve his English. Trent University, where McNab teaches part-time, has given him permission to use the university’s Zoom account to provide structured lessons to Rashid.

As with the other refugees he and his wife have helped bring to Canada, McNab says Rashid’s situation is another reminder of how fortunate we are to live in Canada.

“Rashid, for example, will say he’s cooking potatoes. He’ll send me a picture — and he’s having one potato for dinner. My leftovers are more than his meals. It has woken me up to just how hard things are for other people.”

“We’ve got people willing to come here and work their asses off for a better life,” McNab notes. “They want to pay taxes. They want to make Canada a better place. We have too much here to not share it. That’s the first lesson I learned. The second is anyone can make a difference. One person can make a huge difference for anyone else. All you have to do is wake up and try.

The end goal now, adds McNabb, is “to get Rashid here safely, get him going on his education and career, and then see if we can one day help him reunite with his family — if they’re still alive.”

“It feels like he’s part of the family now, but it’ll be better when he’s sitting at the table with his Canadian family, joining us for dinner and cottage time and all that Canada has to offer.”

This story has been updated to remove the name of the Facebook group to avoid confusion with similarly named Facebook groups.

This story has been updated with a link to Dave McNab’s GoFundMe campaign to bring Rashid to Canada.

Curve Lake First Nation and Hiawatha First Nation members will unite in Nogojiwanong-Peterborough on Tuesday (August 3) to “remember and recognize” Indigenous children who have lost their lives at residential schools in Canada.

The day of mourning is being held on the 215th day of the year — a reference to the remains of 215 Indigenous children found buried at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School Site near Kamloops, British Columbia.

Since that discovery back in May, more remains of Indigenous children have been found at residential school sites in Brandon, Manitoba as well as in Marieval, Saskatchewan and on Kuper Island, British Columbia.

The Kamloops Indian Residential School was in operation from 1890 to 1969m at which time the federal government took over its administration from the Catholic Church and operated it as a day school residence until its closure in 1978.

Since the discovery of the children’s remains, Indigenous communities across Canada have stood united in demanding an apology from the Catholic Church, as well as a more meaningful recognition of the horrible plight of children in the residential school system and the lasting effects of that shameful chapter of Canadian history.

The Day 215 event in Peterborough will begin with a sunrise ceremony in Del Crary Park, at which time a sacred flame will be lit and burn until sundown. That will be followed by a noon walk from Peterborough City Hall to Del Crary Park. There will be speakers at both locations.

On its Facebook page, Curve Lake First Nation has extended an invitation to all to “remember and recognize our lost children” by attending and showing support.

In addition, organizers are asking residents to decorate their homes with orange-coloured paper art and to obtain orange shirts from Indigenous businesses, such as the Every Child Matters T-shirts available locally at Nish Tees located at Fleming Place near Aylmer and Hunter streets.

In addition, businesses along the George Street route of the walk are asked to show their support by displaying orange-coloured decorations in their storefront windows.

kawarthaNOW reached out to Curve Lake First Nation Chief Emily Whetung to speak about the day of mourning, but she declined to be interviewed prior to the event taking place. She is encouraging other communities to hold their own day of mourning on August 3.

Hiawatha First Nation Chief Laurie Carr was also unavailable for comment. However, back in June, she issued a strongly worded statement on behalf of Hiawatha residents and her council, writing residential schools “were a deliberate plan on the part of Canada to commit cultural genocide and, in so doing, take the ‘Indian out of the child.'”

“These children were taken from families and homes…forced to live a life of mental, emotional, physical, spiritual and sexual abuse. Many of these children were horrifically abused. Many others were simply made to disappear, with no concern for their death and no closure for their families.”

In addition, Chief Carr calls for the following “only acceptable response”:

• Canada must, unequivocally, fully fund the search for our children at all residential school locations.
• Canada must recognize this loss by declaring a National Day of Mourning.
• Churches must unequivocally apologize for their actions and hold those involved accountable.
• Justice must prevail with all those involved or responsible held accountable for their crimes against our children.

Chief Carr adds “this cultural genocide” is more than simply “a dark chapter in Canadian history.”

“It is very much our continued reality with First Nations suffering under a legislative process imposed upon us by an antiquated Indian Act and the mindset that we are simply ‘wards of the Crown.'”

She closed by asking Canadians to write their political representatives and church leaders “demanding justice ad closure for all our lost children who are waiting to go home.”

This story has been updated to clarify the noon walk begins at Peterborough City Hall and proceeds to Del Crary Park.