kawarthaNOW is providing a daily report of COVID-19 cases in the greater Kawarthas region.
Here’s today summary: there are 53 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area, 109 in the City of Kawartha Lakes, 14 in Northumberland County, 7 in Haliburton County, and 27 in Hastings County and Prince Edward County. That’s a total increase of 1 case from yesterday’s report (an additional case in Haliburton County).
There have been 34 deaths, with no increase in deaths from yesterday’s report.
Province-wide, there are 8,961 confirmed cases, an increase of 514 from yesterday’s report, and 423 deaths, an increase of 40 from yesterday’s report.
This report is based on data supplied by the province’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS). This information is at least 24 hours old, so it is not real-time data.
We publish the daily report, usually by late afternoon, with the most current information released by health units. Note that each health unit reports the information in a different way.
Peterborough Public Health’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
Confirmed positive: 53 (no change from April 15) Confirmed negative: 1,200 (increase of 16 from April 15) Results pending: 295 (increase of 62 from April 15) Deaths: 1 (no change from April 15) Resolved: 31 (increase of 2 from April 15) Institutional Outbreaks: Peterborough Regional Health Centre, St. Joseph’s at Fleming, Riverview Manor*
*Number of cases not reported.
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.
Confirmed positive: 130, including 109 in Kawartha Lakes, 14 in Northumberland, 7 in Haliburton (increase of 1 from April 15; additional case in Haliburton) Hospitalizations: 7 (no change April 15) Deaths: 33, including 29 in Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon (no change from April 15) Institutional Outbreaks: Pinecrest Nursing Home*
*Number of cases not reported.
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
Confirmed positive: 27 (no change from April 15) Probable cases: 252 (decrease of 9 from April 15) Deaths: 0 Institutional Outbreaks: Hallowell House (Picton), Hastings Manor (Belleville)*
*Number of cases not reported.
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 8,961 (increase of 514 from April 15) Under investigation: 4,323 (decrease of 106 from April 15) Hospitalized: 807 (increase of 12 from April 15) Hospitalized and in ICU: 248 (decrease of 6 from April 15) Hospitalized and in ICU with ventilator: 200 (increase of 12 from April 15) Deaths: 423 (increase of 40 from April 15) Resolved: 4,194 (increase of 292 from April 15)
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario by public health unit, January 15 – April 15, 2020. (Graphic: Public Health Ontario)
The COVID-19 Assessment Centre at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC). Assessment centres are also available in City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County (Cobourg and Trent Hills), and Haliburton County. (Photo: PRHC staff)
Aligning with recent direction from the Ontario government, Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) is ramping up testing at its COVID-19 assessment centre.
Any Peterborough-area residents who are experiencing symptoms of respiratory illness (even if mild) are asked to contact the PRHC COVID-19 assessment centre at 705-876-5086.
Symptoms include:
Fever/chills
Cough
Shortness of breath
Sore throat
Runny nose
Nasal congestion
Difficulty swallowing
Unexplained fatigue
Unexplained headache
Joint/muscle aches
Loss of taste or smell
If your symptoms are severe, call 9-1-1 and alert the dispatcher to your travel history and symptoms.
The PRHC COVID-19 Assessment Centre phone line is staffed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Assessments are available by appointment only; walk-ins are not permitted. Hospital staff will complete the assessment. If you have a scheduled appointment, show up at the centre at least 10 minutes prior to your appointment time.
You should clean their hands and apply a face mask as directed when entering. Following assessment, you will be directed on next steps, which may include self-monitoring instructions, returning home to self-isolate while waiting for test results, or remaining at the hospital for further assessment.
Not everyone who is assessed will be tested for COVID-19. Testing is administered according to Ministry of Health guidelines, depending on the results of the assessment.
Not a Peterborough-area resident?
Below is information about the other COVID-19 assessment centres in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ross Memorial Hospital (RMH) COVID-19 Assessment Centre – 705-328-6217
The RMH COVID-19 Assessment Centre phone line is staffed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The centre is staffed by nurses, who will complete a phone assessment and refer the caller for the appropriate next steps, which may include self-monitoring instructions, self-isolation instructions, testing at the offsite location (Lindsay Exhibition), or seeking care in the hospital.
Northumberland Hills Hospital (NHH) COVID-19 Assessment Centre – 905-377-7783
The NHH COVID-19 Assessment Centre phone line is staffed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Walk-ins are permitted. Staff will conduct screening, test if deemed appropriate, and direct people to proceed as required. These directions may be to go home with no action required at this time, go home on self-isolation to await a test result, of go to the NHH emergency department for further assessment by the health care team.
Haliburton County COVID-19 Community Assessment Centre – 705-457-1212 (press 6)
The Haliburton County COVID-19 Community Assessment Centre is staffed by health care providers who will complete a phone assessment and advise as to appropriate next steps, which may include self-monitoring instructions, self-isolation instructions, or further assessment and possible testing in the drive-through facility. The centre is for all residents of Haliburton County, regardless of whether you have a family doctor. Testing is by appointment only.
Trent Hills COVID-19 Assessment Centre
The Trent Hills COVID-19 Assessment Centre is a mobile COVID-19 assessment centre scheduled at locations in Campbellford, Warkworth and Hastings. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The centre is operated by the Trent Hills Family Health Team and the Northumberland County Ambulance & Paramedic Services.
Walk-ins (without an appointment) are not permitted. Community residents who have mild symptoms of COVID-19 should call their doctor or nurse practitioner’s office during business hours to book an assessment. Trent Hills Family Health Team patients should call their clinic: Campbellford site at 705-653-1801, Warkworth site at 705-924-2230, Hastings site at 705-696-2231, or Colborne site at 905-355-2075. Trent Hills residents who are not patients of the Trent Hills Family Health Team (no doctor or nurse practitioner or provider is not local) should call the Campbellford Virtual Care Clinic at 705-653-5040.
Pinecrest Nursing Home is a 65-bed long-term care facility in Bobcaygeon, Ontario. (Photo: Central East CCAC / YouTube)
For the seventh day in a row, no residents at Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon have passed away from COVID-19.
“We are fortunate to report that there are no new deaths at Pinecrest Nursing Home,” the home’s administrator Mary Carr writes in an update to the community.
Carr also says that many residents who had tested positive for COVID-19 previously have been healthy for at least 14 days, and that the home is planning to retest residents and also reintroduce exercise to residents who are doing well.
“With the support of Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit, we will be retesting residents next week to look for clearance of COVID-19,” Carr writes. “I will send an update regarding those results when information is available.”
“As part of our continued efforts to ensure residents receive the care that they need, we will be putting together a plan to reintroduce outdoor exercise for residents who are doing well.”
“We are committed to implementing all new and ongoing care directives, which includes keeping residents distanced from each other to prevent further spread of infection. As initiatives are reintroduced, we will remain diligent and focused on maintaining precautions to put our residents’ health and safety first.”
A total of 29 residents of the 65-bed nursing home have passed away due to COVID-19.
“Their courage is simply amazing as they risk their own lives to save others," says Patricia Morton of health care workers at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC). She and her husband David will be matching the community's donations to the PRHC Fundations's COVID-19 response by providing a gift of up to $50,000. (Photo: PRHC staff)
A local couple is encouraging the community to donate to the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation by helping donors double the impact of their donations to the foundation’s COVID-19 response fund.
David and Patricia Morton will be matching the community’s donations to the fund by providing a gift of up to $50,000.
“We believe there’s never been a more important time to support our hospital,” David says. “Our hope is that our gift will encourage others, and as a result our collective philanthropy will go twice as far to support the work of PRHC’s dedicated physicians, nurses. and staff.”
Members of the community who are able to give will have their COVID-19 donations matched dollar for dollar, up to $50,000, to help fund the investments the hospital needs to make provide the best possible care to patients, and to keep the front-line health care workers safe.
“Their courage is simply amazing as they risk their own lives to save others,” Patricia says.
David and Patricia Morton are well-known philanthropists in the Peterborough community, particularly when it comes to health care. (Photo courtesy of the Mortons / Facebook)
The Mortons are well-known philanthropists in the Peterborough community, having made generous gifts to organizations including Trent University, Peterborough Humane Society, United Way of Peterborough & District, and the Morton Community Healthcare Centre in Lakefield.
David, the former president and CEO of the Quaker Oats company since 1989, retired in 2001 to pursue charitable works, including the establishment of a philanthropic foundation with his wife, Dr. Patricia Morton. Patricia retired from Trent University in 2002 after 26 years of service as a professor.
David currently serves on the board of the PRHC Foundation, and was chair of the foundation’s campaign to build the new hospital. He has also been on the boards of Trent University (including as chair of the board of governors), Fleming College, and Five Counties Children Centre. Patricia has also been very involved with the community as a volunteer on many non-profit boards, including the Morton Community Healthcare Centre. The Mortons were inducted into the Peterborough Pathway of Fame in 2017.
David and Patricia Morton at the 20th annual Pathway of Fame induction ceremony at Showplace Performance Centre in Peterborough on September 9, 2017. The Mortons were inducted under a new “Community Builder” category in recognition of their philanthropic contributions to various community projects. (Photo: Sean Bruce, Freelance Photographer)
PRHC Foundation president and CEO Lesley Heighway explains that, with the Mortons’ matching gift, the foundation’s goal is to raise $100,000, part of its ongoing efforts to support PRHC’s COVID-19 response.
“On behalf of the hospital and PRHC Foundation, thank you to David and Patricia,” Heighway says. “We hope their generosity will inspire others to join us in supporting the front-line health care providers caring for patients through this crisis. Let’s all stand behind PRHC’s dedicated doctors, nurses, and staff as they face this challenge.”
Donations to the foundation’s COVID-19 response fund will help the hospital acquire additional ventilators, laryngoscopes for emergency intubation, additional ICU beds, provisions and wellness supports for staff who must stay at the hospital while treating patients, and more protective equipment and scrubs to help keep them safe.
Gifts will also support the area of greatest need as determined by the hospital, so that the foundation can quickly fund the most urgent COVID-19 priorities to help care for patients.
For more information about the PRHC Foundation and to make a donation, call 705-876-5000 or visit www.prhcfoundation.ca, where you can also share a message of support with PRHC’s front-line health care workers and staff. Donations will also be accepted by mail care of PRHC Foundation, 1 Hospital Drive, Peterborough, ON, K9J 7C6.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced an expansion of eligibility for the Canada Emergency Business Account on April 16, 2020. (Photo: CBC)
On Thursday (April 16), Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced an expansion of the eligibility criteria for interest-free loans of up to $40,000 for businesses and non-profit organizations.
However, small businesses and organizations that do not use a payroll system remain ineligible for the loans.
“When we hear the program is not reaching as many people as it should, we make changes,” Trudeau said. “A few weeks ago we launched the Canada Emergency Business Account to help small businesses struggling with cash flow. Under this program, banks are offering $40,000 loans that are guaranteed by the government.”
Trudeau said more than 195,000 small business loans have been approved, worth around $7.5 billion in credit to small and medium sized businesses.
Under the eligibility expansion, businesses that spent between $20,000 and $1.5 million in total payroll in 2019 can now apply for the loans.
Previously, the loans were only available for businesses and non-profit organizations with annual payrolls between $50,000 and $1 million.
“This is money and employers can use to cover operational costs and help with other immediate needs,” Trudeau said.
The expansion followed complaints from businesses with payrolls just under or just over the previous eligibility threshold who were not eligible for the loans.
However, small businesses that do not use payroll remain ineligible.
This includes self proprietors and small businesses that hire freelancers, people who work on commission, or gig workers.
Small business owners who pay themselves through management fees or dividends instead of salary are also not eligible for the loan.
Trudeau also announced plans to implement the Canada emergency commercial rent assistance program, which will help small businesses with rent for the months of April, May, and June. He said the federal government will have to work with the provinces and territories to implement the program as they govern rental relationships.
He said details of the new program would be announced soon.
Supporting wild pollinators in your yard can be easy and fun. Cavity-dwelling native bees use hollow stems as nesting sites in the spring. You can buy or build a bee house like this one made by Three Sisters Natural Landscapes. (Photo courtesy of GreenUP)
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s story is by Dawn Pond and Jenn McCallum from GreenUP’s Sustainable Urban Neighbourhoods and Downtown Vibrancy programs.
Growing season is nearly here, and those of us lucky enough to have a yard can enjoy quality time in the garden this spring and summer. You may be looking at which seeds to plant or considering how you could split or move plants around in your yard.
Before making those decisions, consider the network of organisms that actually help your garden grow.
Below are some fun activities (for kids and adults alike) and some tips on how to create gardens that are friendly for wild pollinators.
Find and support wild bees in your garden
Here are five ways you can find and support wild bees in your garden.
Look in hollow stems that have dried out over winter and are at least six inches long
An easy way to support wild pollinators in your garden is to leave perennial flower stems in place instead of removing them. The stems provide nesting habitat for wild bees. (Photo courtesy of GreenUP)
These stems can be suitable nesting locations for cavity-dwelling native bees. If the hollow centre of a stem is filled with bee cells (made of leaves and natural material) then it was home for new bees throughout the winter.
Look in the bare soil for evidence of wild bees
Ground-dwelling solitary bees emerge from their burrows as the weather warms up. Approximately 70 per cent of our native bee species in North America are ground dwelling.
The polyester bee (Colletes inaequalis, also known as the plasterer and cellophane bee) is one of the common native bee species in North America and one of the first to emerge each spring. This bee makes its nest in sandy, bare soil.
Ground-dwelling solitary bees emerge from their burrows as the weather warms up. Approximately 70 per cent of our native bee species in North America are ground dwelling. Polyester bees are among the earliest to emerge in spring. (Photo: Jon Rapp)
Check sandy areas in your garden and keep checking regularly for signs that the bees have emerged. If you are lucky, you will see tiny burrows where the bees have dug themselves out of the soil to pollinate your plants throughout the spring and summer.
Build or buy a bee house for newly emerged cavity-dwelling bees
Providing lots of places for bees to make their nests is a great way to support them in your yard. You can also support these bees simply by leaving hollow stems on your plants instead of removing them after the winter. The plants will grow new stems and it won’t be detrimental to the plant’s health to leave old stems. It is a win-win-win. Less work for you, the gardener, more homes for bees, and happy pollinated plants for everyone.
Spring-emerged wild bees will soon help pollinate apple blossoms in Peterborough. (Photo courtesy of GreenUP)
Create pollinated lunches with your family
Use ingredients that are pollinated by different animals. For example, bumblebees pollinate tomatoes. Spring-emerged native bees and domesticated honeybees pollinate apples. Squash bees pollinate cucumbers, pumpkins, and squashes. Flies pollinate the Theobroma cacao trees that we make chocolate from.
Design or plan gardens that support pollinators
Whether it is one new plant or a whole new garden, you can add to the biodiversity of your yard by including more native flowering species that support wild pollinators.
Make a pollinator-friendly garden using native plants
You may have heard of plants being referred to as native, aggressive, or invasive. Understanding these terms is important when making pollinator-friendly gardens.
“Native species are plants that have been here for such a long time that other plants and animals have evolved, and sometimes adapted, around the existence of the native plant,” explains Vern Bastable, manager of GreenUP Ecology Park.
Native plants such as bee balm, purple coneflower, and wild strawberry provide excellent habitat for pollinators. Each of these plants also has edible and medicinal properties for humans. These plants are perennials, meaning that as long as they are planted properly and regularly watered, they should come back year after year.
Aggressive plants can spread quickly, moving into unintended areas of a garden, however this does not mean they are necessarily affecting the environment in a negative way. For example, the wild strawberry is known to spread aggressively through its trailing root system, but its native status and fruit bearing ability make it beneficial for our area.
Often sold as an ornamental ground cover, periwinkle is actually an invasive plant in Ontario. Replace it with native wild ginger, wild strawberry, or mayapple. (Photo courtesy of GreenUP)
In addition to the native plants and some beneficial aggressive plants in Ontario, there are plants that are invasive in the province. Invasive plants have been brought here from elsewhere in the world, commonly Europe or Asia, and have a tendency to spread, and even out compete, native species.
“When invasive plants are allowed to establish, they will take over the ecosystem, altering it irreversibly to the detriment of the environment, economy, and social enjoyment,” says Belinda Junkin, executive director of the Ontario Invasive Plant Council. “If invasive plants are allowed to spread uncontrollably, they will become a costly and difficult issue to resolve in the future.”
Some invasive species have been intentionally introduced for food, or because they are attractive and self-sustaining in garden plots. For example, European buckthorn was planted in fencerows and windbreaks on North American farms in the 1880s. When birds eat the buckthorn berries, the seeds are quickly and widely distributed through their fecal matter allowing this plant to proliferate and out-compete shrubs that are native to this area.
Monarch butterflies are pollinators that depend upon native milkweed plants to survive. After hatching, the larva (caterpillar) feeds on milkweed leaves before transforming into an adult butterfly. (Photo courtesy of GreenUP)
To prevent the spread of invasive plants in Ontario, you can learn which plants are invasive. Research plants before introducing them to your yard. The Ontario Invading Species Awareness Program and the Ontario Invasive Plant Council are great resources for learning about these species. Learn more at ontarioinvasiveplants.ca.
For example, periwinkle, goutweed, and English ivy are frequently sold as ornamental ground covers, but are actually native to Europe and Asia and are extremely invasive here in Ontario.
For a handy list of native plant replacements for invasive counterparts, check out the Grow Me Instead (Southern Ontario) guide. For example, replace invasive periwinkle with native wild ginger, wild strawberry, or mayapple.
You can help researchers monitor the spread of invasive plants by reporting them online at eddmaps.org. This reporting app includes images, descriptions, and distribution maps to help you identify invasive species. You can also take your own pictures and report you own discoveries of invasive species.
Enjoy your garden this year by encouraging the growth of native, locally adapted species that look beautiful and support wild pollinators.
The Ecology Park Market Garden offers a wide variety of native wildflowers, shrubs, and trees. For updates on changes at Ecology Park due to COVID-19, please follow PtboGreenUP on social media or visit greenup.on.ca/ecology-park/
kawarthaNOW is providing a daily report of COVID-19 cases in the greater Kawarthas region.
Here’s today summary: there are 53 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area, 109 in the City of Kawartha Lakes, 14 in Northumberland County, 6 in Haliburton County, and 27 in Hastings County and Prince Edward County. That’s a total increase of 1 case from yesterday’s report.
There have been 34 deaths, with no increase in deaths from yesterday’s report. Province-wide, there are 8,447 confirmed cases, an increase of 494 from yesterday’s report, and 385 deaths, an increase of 51 from yesterday’s report.
The number of cases under investigation in Ontario has jumped dramatically to 4,429, an increase of 2,322 from yesterday’s report, presumably because of expanding testing announced by the Ontario government earlier this week.
This report is based on data supplied by the province’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS). This information is at least 24 hours old, so it is not real-time data.
We publish the daily report, usually by late afternoon, with the most current information released by health units. Note that each health unit reports the information in a different way.
Peterborough Public Health’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
Confirmed positive: 53 (no change from April 14) Confirmed negative: 1,184 (increase of 51 from April 14) Under investigation: 233 (increase of 26 from April 14) Deaths: 1 (no change from April 14) Resolved: 29 (increase of 5 from April 14) Institutional Outbreaks: Peterborough Regional Health Centre, St. Joseph’s at Fleming, Riverview Manor*
*Number of cases not reported.
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.
Confirmed positive: 129, including 109 in Kawartha Lakes, 14 in Northumberland, 6 in Haliburton (no change from April 14) Hospitalizations: 7 (no change April 14) Deaths: 33, including 29 in Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon (no change from April 14) Institutional Outbreaks: Pinecrest Nursing Home*
*Number of cases not reported.
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
Confirmed positive: 27 (increase of 1 from April 14) Probable cases: 261 (increase of 1 from April 14) Deaths: 0 Institutional Outbreaks: Hallowell House (Picton), Hastings Manor (Belleville)*
*Number of cases not reported.
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 8,447 (increase of 494 from April 14) Under investigation: 4,429 (increase of 2,322 from April 14) Hospitalized: 795 (increase of 26 from April 14) Hospitalized and in ICU: 254 (decrease of 1 from April 14) Hospitalized and in ICU with ventilator: 188 (decrease of 11 from April 14) Deaths: 385 (increase of 51 from April 14) Resolved: 3,902 (increase of 334 from April 14)
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario by public health unit, January 15 – April 14, 2020. (Graphic: Public Health Ontario)
The curve of COVID-19 cases in the Peterborough area appears to be flattening as of April 15, 2020, as represented in this detail of a chart supplied by Peterborough Public Health.
The number of positive COVID-19 cases in Peterborough city and county, Curve Lake, and Hiawatha has held steady this week at 53 — an encouraging sign according to Peterborough Medical Officer of Health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra.
During her weekly media briefing held on Wednesday (April 15), Dr. Salvaterra notes there have been no new positive cases reported since Monday (April 13) and just eight reported over the last seven days.
“We’ve put our data on a curve from the first case we had — March 2nd was the onset of symptoms — to today and you can see the curve is not rising as steeply as it was a few weeks ago,” says Dr. Salvaterra, adding there are benchmarks she has to see in the weeks ahead to convince her that we are closer to the end of the COVID-19 crisis.
“We would definitely want to see this continue. We would love to see days with no new cases. We would want to see the numbers at the hospital requiring ICU care decrease. We also want to see more testing being done and we’d like to see the tests coming back negative. The more we look for it and can’t find it, the more reassuring it is that we’re not missing it in the community.”
Since the first confirmed COVID-19 case in the Peterborough area on March 2, 2020, the curve is not rising as steeply between March 23 and April 15 as it was between March 16 and 23. (Graphic: Peterborough Public Health)
To date, 1,393 COVID-19 tests have been conducted locally with results awaited on 207 of those tested. Another 1,133 tests have come back negative, while 24 cases have now been resolved.
The first COVID-19 related death in the Peterborough area was reported on Sunday (April 12) by the Peterborough Regional Health Centre. Facebook posts identified the patient as 68-year-old Peterborough photographer and retired psychologist Dr. George Dimitroff.
Dr. Salvaterra notes there is now “capacity in the system to provide timely diagnosis for anyone who needs it,” adding test results for “priority populations are usually being reported within 24 hours.”
“Peterborough Public Health has now been asked to serve as regional hub for COVID-19 testing kits. We are in the process of assessing the needs of our community partners so we can order supplies to meet their demands. Peterborough is ready. We are awaiting guidance for testing specific vulnerable groups.”
Meanwhile, concerns expressed by rural township officials and resident about cottagers coming into their communities will soon see Peterborough Public Health reinforce the stay-at-home demand via the launch of a digital advertising campaign emphasizing that message.
“We’re taking an educational approach,” notes Dr. Salvaterra. “The measures that have been taken as part of the provincial directives — the closure of marinas, the closure of provincial parks — add to the messaging by removing access and making it more challenging for people to get their water access (properties).”
The health unit has also been in contact with the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Association (FOCA), which is “completely on board” according to Dr. Salvaterra and is asking its members to avoid heading to their cottages.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces expanded eligibility for the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit on April 15, 2020. (Photo: CPAC)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Wednesday (April 15) a loosening of the eligibility criteria for the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).
The benefit will now be available for people who are earning some income during the pandemic, as well as seasonal workers and those whose employment insurance (EI) has run out.
“Maybe you’re a volunteer firefighter, or a contractor who can pick up some shifts, or you have a part-time job in a grocery store,” Trudeau said.
“Even if you’re still working or if you want to start working again, you probably need help making ends meet.”
People who are earning up to $1,000 a month can now apply for CERB. Those expecting a seasonal job that isn’t going to be available because of COVID-19 will also be eligible, as can people who have run out of EI benefits since January 1, 2020.
“For others who still need help, including post-secondary students and businesses worried about commercial rent, we’ll have more to say to you very soon,” Trudeau added.
While its buildings are closed to the public, the Peterborough Humane Society has a small animal care team on site daily to cae for animals and provide them with love and enrichment. SPCAs and human societies across the province have cancelled fundraising events due to COVID-19, and the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society has set up an urgent animal care fund to help shelters cover the costs of caring for animals. (Photo courtesy of Peterborough Humane Society)
The Ontario SPCA and Humane Society has launched an urgent animal care fund to help animal organizations in Ontario continue to care for animals and support pet owners during the COVID-19 pandemic.
SPCAs and human societies across the province have closed their buildings to the public to help slow and stop the spread of COVID-19, and have cancelled fundraising events.
With adoptions put on hold, many SPCAs and humane societies — including the Peterborough Humane Society (PHS) — are facing growing costs as they continue to care for the animals who will now have to wait longer to be adopted.
Staff at the Peterborough Humane Society wear personal protective equipment while attending to a kitten. SPCAs and human societies across the province have cancelled fundraising events due to COVID-19, and the Ontario SPCA and Humane Society has set up an urgent animal care fund to help shelters cover the costs of caring for animals. (Photo courtesy of Peterborough Humane Society)
While adoptions are on pause, animals in shelters still need to be fed and receive veterinary care and daily attention to keep them healthy and happy.
“As Peterborough and the Kawarthas only open-admission shelter, the team at PHS continues to take in and provide care for stray, abandoned and emergency care animals,” says PHS executive director Shawn Morey.
In addition to closing its adoption centre, the PHS also suspended its volunteer programs and reduced the number of staff on site.
“We have a small animal care team on site daily to provide our animals with the love and enrichment they need and have amplified our enrichment programs to ensure that our animals remain healthy and happy during their extended stay with us,” Morey adds.
“With so many owned pets entering the shelter on a day-to-day basis, it is not feasible to place all animals into temporary foster homes.”
The urgent animal care fund will help SPCAs and humane societies across the province cover the costs of caring for animals in shelters. To donate, visit urgentanimalcarefund.ca.
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