A virtual interfaith service is taking place on April 18, 2020 as the 17th annual Abraham Festival in Peterborough has been postponed due to COVID-19. (Graphic: Abraham Festival)
Although the 17th annual Abraham Festival in Peterborough — originally scheduled for Friday, April 17th to Sunday, April 19th — has been postponed because of COVID-19, local religious leaders are hosting a special virtual interfaith service on Saturday afternoon (April 18).
It’s the first service of its kind in Ontario, according to organizers.
The Abraham Festival is a coalition of Muslims, Jews, and Christians in the Peterborough area who consider themselves all to be descendants of Abraham, the common patriarch of Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. The group has been hosting the annual festival since 2003.
The special online service called “Our Faiths Teach Us to Look After Each Other” will take place on the Zoom video conferencing platform at 2:15 p.m. on Saturday, April 18th. It will feature readings from The Quran, The Torah, and The New Testament.
“Each of the three faith leaders will share a reading from their own scripture, and will discuss how each other’s readings give them comfort and wisdom in looking after family, friends and those in need in our communities,” organizers state in a media release.
The service co-leaders will be Imam Habeeb Alli, Dr. Daniel Houpt from Beth Israel Synagogue, and United Church Ministers Julie Haaften and Jessica Beecham Stockton.
After you register, organizers will email you instructions by Friday April 17th on how to join the virtual service. The service is limited to 100 people.
A six-year-old girl is in critical condition in Toronto after an attack by two dogs in Dysart Et Al Township south of Haliburton on Easter Sunday (April 12).
Shortly before 4 p.m., officers with Haliburton Highlands OPP and emergency crews were called to an address on Gainforth Road to assist with a serious dog bite complaint.
A six-year-old girl and her mother were walking near their home when they were attacked by two Saint Bernard dogs.
The child’s bites were extensive and she was flown by Ornge air ambulance to a Toronto area trauma centre with critical injuries.
The mother’s injuries were listed as non-life threatening and she has been released from hospital.
Pending the outcome of this ongoing police investigation, the animals have been placed in quarantine outside of the community by order of the health unit.
Five-year-old Neil Young in August 1950, fishing from a wooden bridge over the Pigeon River in Omemee. In August 1951, Young contracted polio and almost lost his life. (Photo: Harold Whyte)
It was 65 years ago this week when a vaccine was approved to prevent polio, the most feared disease of the 20th century and one that almost took the life of the Kawarthas’ most famous native son — Neil Young.
For many of us, the COVID-19 pandemic is the first time we’ve faced widespread closures of public facilities and experienced the stress and anxiety of catching a virus that causes a potentially deadly disease, and for which we have no vaccine.
But for Canadians who grew up in the first half of the last century, COVID-19 is a reminder of the ravages of polio, which was also called “infantile paralysis” and “the crippler” because the virus can permanently damage nerve cells that control muscles and result in paralysis.
A nurse cares for children with polio at the University Hospital in Edmonton in this undated photo. (Photo: Library and Archives Canada)
Polio was also called the “summer plague”, because epidemics happened again and again during the warmest months, and the “middle class plague”, because it was most prevalent in countries with higher standards of living.
Famous Canadians who contracted polio include Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, who were both infected in 1951 during the a major outbreak of the disease in Canada — an epidemic with 2,568 cases nationwide, including 1,701 in Ontario.
Other celebrities who contracted polio in the 20th century include pianist Carl Perkins, folk singers Judy Collins and Donovan, jazz saxophonist David Sanborn, and rock musicians Ian Dury and Gene Simmons.
Five-year-old Neil Young in August 1950, fishing from a wooden bridge over the Pigeon River in Omemee. Some people believe that Young’s 1970 song “Helpless” partially refers to his experience with polio — both in the song’s title and with the line “The chains are locked and tied across the door” being a reference to a polio isolation ward. (Photo: Harold Whyte)
Neil Young developed symptoms on the morning of August 31, 1951, when he almost six years old and living in Omemee.
The previous day, he and his father Scott had gone swimming in Pigeon River and Neil woke up the next morning with a fever and a sharp pain in his shoulder. By the next day, the fever had intensified and the pain had worsened so much the Youngs’ family doctor suspected polio.
“I was real young and I had no idea what the fuck was goin’ on,” Neil says in Shakey, a biography by James McDonough. “I just remember lying there, partially paralyzed.”
Neil’s parents drove him to Toronto’s SickKids Hospital, where he underwent an excruciating extraction of spinal fluid to confirm he had polio. While Neil remained isolated in the hospital’s polio ward, the Young family returned to Omemee where they were quarantined in their home.
A physiotherapist with a young polio patient in at the walking bars in the polio clinic at Sudbury General Hospital in March 1953. (Photo: Canadian Public Health Association)
After six days in hospital, Neil returned home to Omemee to undergo several months of painful recovery. In December, the Young family moved to Florida, where they remained until the spring of 1952 so Neil could continue his recovery.
It’s believed that Young’s 1970 song “Helpless” refers to his experience with polio — both in the song’s title and with the line “The chains are locked and tied across the door” being a reference to a polio isolation ward.
Polio (poliomyelitis) is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. It enters the body through the mouth, multiplying along the way to the digestive tract, where it multiplies even more.
Highly contagious, poliovirus spreads through person-to-person contact, primarily through exposure to contaminated feces and sometimes through saliva.
In about 98 per cent of cases, polio is a mild illness, with no symptoms or with viral-like symptoms. In paralytic polio, the virus leaves the digestive tract, enters the bloodstream, and then attacks nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
Around one per cent of people who contract polio become paralyzed. In severe cases, the throat and chest may be paralyzed, resulting in death if the patient does not receive artificial breathing support.
The virus is believed to be thousands of years old, but reached epidemic proportions in the early 20th century. The first polio outbreaks appeared in Europe in the early 1800s and, in 1894, the first major documented polio outbreak in the United States occurred in Vermont, resulting in 18 deaths and 132 cases of permanent paralysis. In 1916, a major outbreak in New York City killed more than 2,000 people, and paralyzed thousands more.
VIDEO: “The Shot Felt ‘Round the World” Trailer
At the time, nobody knew how poliovirus spread or why outbreaks occurred without warning during the summer and early fall. Similar to wild theories about COVID-19, some believed polio was spread from imported bananas or stray cats. There was no cure or vaccine, creating fear and anxiety in families around the world.
The first known outbreak in Canada occurred in 1910 in Hamilton, Ontario. Despite various experimental treatments and efforts by public health authorities to contain the virus, including quarantining infected people, nothing worked. Later, it was theorized the virus spread in developed countries because improved sanitary conditions meant that mothers no longer had antibodies against the virus to pass on to their children.
Swimming pools and movie theatres were regularly closed during epidemics, and parents stopped sending their children to playgrounds or birthday parties for fear they would catch polio. During the polio epidemic in 1937, public schools in Ontario were closed until Thanksgiving.
Between 1949 and 1954, around 11,000 Canadians were left paralyzed by polio, with the disease peaking in 1953 with nearly 9,000 cases and 500 deaths — the most serious epidemic in Canada since the 1918 influenza pandemic.
A polio patient in the “iron lung”, an artificial respirator for patients suffering from paralytic polio developed by Philip Drinker and Louis Agassiz Shaw Jr. in 1929. (Photo: National Library of Medicine)
In 1929, Philip Drinker and Harvard University’s Louis Agassiz Shaw Jr. invented what became known as “the iron lung” — an artificial respirator for patients suffering from paralytic polio.
In 1930, Canada’s first iron lung was brought to The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto from Boston. After a severe outbreak in 1937, there was a rush to assemble more iron lungs, with the Ontario government paying to have 27 iron lungs assembled in a six-week period.
Building on the work of scientists between the 1930s and 1950s, Jonas Salk and his team at the University of Pittsburgh developed the first successful polio vaccine, an injected dose of dead poliovirus. On April 12, 1955, the Salk vaccine was declared “safe, effective, and potent” and was rapidly adopted around the world.
Jonas Salk and his team at the University of Pittsburgh developed the first successful polio vaccine, an injected dose of dead poliovirus, which was approved for use on April 12, 1955. The vaccine was largely funded by the March of Dimes, an organization founded as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis in 1938 by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who himself was thought to have contracted polio in 1921, leaving his legs paralyzed. (Photo: March of Dimes Foundation)
After two years of field trials involving more than 1.8 million children, the Salk vaccine proved to be up to 90 per cent effective in preventing paralytic polio. Following mass immunizations, the annual number of polio cases in the United States was reduced from a peak of nearly 58,000 cases to 5,600 cases. Salk become a hero, and was featured on the cover of Time magazine.
Entertainer Eddie Cantor with a model in a 1946 March of Dimes publicity shot. (Photo: March of Dimes Foundation)
The vaccine was largely funded by the March of Dimes, an organization founded as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis in 1938 by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt himself was thought to have contracted polio in 1921, leaving his legs paralyzed for life.
Despite the condition, which he hid from the public, Roosevelt went on to become Governor of New York in 1928, and then defeated Republican President Herbert Hoover in a landslide in the 1932 presidential election.
The name “March of Dimes” was coined by entertainer Eddie Cantor, who suggested on the radio that people send dimes to President Roosevelt at the White House to help fight polio. Within a few weeks, people had mailed 2,680,000 dimes to the President.
Eight years after the Salk vaccine, Albert Sabin developed an oral polio vaccine that used live but attenuated (weakened) poliovirus. After Sabin’s vaccine was approved for use, a second wave of mass immunizations led to a further decline in the number of cases, with only 161 cases recorded in the United States by 1961.
In Canada, the last major outbreak happened in 1959 with nearly 2,000 cases. The vaccines brought polio under control by the early 1970s, and Canada was certified polio free in 1994.
Humans are the only known reservoir of poliovirus and vaccination efforts continue today in the few regions where polio continues to circulate, including countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia — a testament to why vaccines are the greatest public health success of all time.
Peter Salk receiving the polio vaccine from his father, Jonas Salk, in 1953. Salk injected himself, his wife, and their three sons with his experimental poliovirus vaccine. Today, Dr. Peter Salk lives in California where he is president of the Jonas Salk Legacy Foundation, as well as a visiting professor of infectious disease and microbiology at the University of Pittsburgh, where his father created the polio vaccine. (Photo: March of Dimes Foundation)
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 26 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 7,953 confirmed cases, an increase of 483 from yesterday’s report, and 334 deaths, an increase of 43 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 13) Confirmed negative: 1133 (increase of 112 from April 13) Under investigation: 207 (decrease of 61 from April 13) Deaths: 1 (no change from April 13) Resolved: 24 (no change from April 13) 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 (increase of 1 from April 13, with 1 new case in Kawartha Lakes) Hospitalizations: 7 (increase of 1 from April 13) Deaths: 33, including 29 in Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon (no change from April 13) 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: 26 (no change from April 13) Probable cases: 260 (decrease of 4 from April 13) Deaths: 0 Institutional Outbreaks: Hallowell House (Picton), Hastings Manor (Belleville), Quinte Healthcare (Belleville)*
*Number of cases not reported.
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 7,953 (increase of 483 from April 13) Under investigation:2,107 (increase of 573 from April 13) Hospitalized: 769 (increase of 9 from April 13) Hospitalized and in ICU: 255 (decrease of 8 from April 13) Hospitalized and in ICU with ventilator: 199 (decrease of 4 from April 13) Deaths: 334 (increase of 43 from April 13) Resolved: 3,568 (increase of 211 from April 13)
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario by public health unit, January 15 – April 13, 2020. (Graphic: Public Health Ontario)
Self-isolation means not leaving home at all or having any visitors except as permitted by the local health unit, such as a health care worker who must visit the home. People in self-isolation should arrange to have groceries and other necessities delivered to them.
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (HKPR) District Health Unit is taking stronger steps to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in the community by issuing an order on Tuesday (April 14) requiring anyone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19, is considered a probable case, or has had contact with a confirmed case, to self-isolate in their home for 14 days.
The order, made under section 22 of Ontario’s Health Protection and Promotion Act, comes with a penalty of up to $5,000 per day for anyone who fails to self-isolate as required.
“The health unit has heard from many people that there are others who have returned from travel or been confirmed to have COVID-19 and are seen outside of their home, shopping, or visiting friends,” says Dr. Lynn Noseworthy, medical officer of health for the HKPR District Health Unit. “This order allows the health unit to ensure those people are isolating and not spreading the virus to others in the community.”
The HKRP District Health Unit serves the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County, so all residents of these areas are subject to the order. As of April 14th, there are 109 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the City of Kawartha Lakes, 14 in Northumberland County, and six in Haliburton County. There have been 33 deaths, including 29 at Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon.
“We are asking everyone to do their part to help stop the spread of COVID-19 through our communities,” Dr. Noseworthy says. “If we all work together, we can keep each other safe.”
Health unit staff are continuing to contact area residents who have tested positive for the virus, as well as anyone who has had contact with those individuals. Staff ensure those affected understand they are required to stay home.
Self-isolation means not leaving home at all or having any visitors except as permitted by HKPR District Health Unit, such as a health care worker who must visit the home. People in self-isolation should arrange to have groceries and other necessities delivered to them.
If a person with COVID-19 is homeless, or where their home is otherwise unsuitable or unsafe for isolation purposes, the HKRP District Health Unit will accommodate them in an isolation facility to be determined.
“It is our hope that everyone understands the importance of self-isolating and we do not need to levy any fines under this order,” Dr. Noseworthy adds.
The health unit is also encouraging anyone who is not ill or required to self-isolate to continue to heed public health guidance of staying home to stay safe:
Asking people to stay at home other than for essential reasons including obtaining groceries or medicines and going to medical appointments. Daily exercise should be done alone or with one family member or to exercise a pet.
Encouraging people over the age of 70 to stay at home, emerging only for essential needs (groceries, medications, or seeking health care). If possible, they should rely on family and social supports to minimize interaction with others. This advice also applies to people who have underlying medical conditions or compromised immune systems.
Asking people who have seasonal cottages to refrain from going to the cottage, as it could put extra strain on the already limited resources of the cottage communities.
Asking essential businesses that choose to remain open to limit access to their facilities and the number of occupants on their premises. They must also move their operations to delivery and pick-up as much as possible and maximize physical distancing, infection prevention and control practices, and cleaning.
Asking essential businesses that choose to remain open should also consider active screening of their employees and staff for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
If residents who are not symptomatic or not required to self-isolate at home must leave their home, they are reminded to practise physical distancing, avoid crowds and physical contact, and stay a safe distance of at least two metres (six feet) from other people.
Premier Doug Ford addresses the speaker of the house during a special sitting of the Ontario legislature on April 14, 2020 to extend the the province's state of emergency for an additional 28 days until Tuesday, May 12th. (Photo: Legislative Assembly of Ontario)
As expected, the Ontario government is extending the province’s state of emergency for an additional 28 days until Tuesday, May 12th.
The extension under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA) was approved on Tuesday (April 14) during a special sitting of the Ontario legislature, on the advice of Ontario’s chief medical officer of health and with the full cooperation of all the parties.
“During these unprecedented times, we cannot let our guard down,” Premier Doug Ford said. “The actions being taken by everyone to stay home and practice physical distancing are making a difference, but we are not out of the woods yet. With the support of every Ontario MPP, we continue to take any and all actions necessary to support our front-line health care workers and respond rapidly and decisively to slow the spread of this deadly virus.”
VIDEO: Premier Doug Ford addresses the Ontario legislature – April 14, 2020
The provincial government first declared a 14-day state of emergency on Tuesday, March 17th. Under the provisions of the ECMPA, the state of emergency could be extended for one additional 14-day period (until April 14th) with further 28-day period extensions requiring the support of the legislature.
The extension of the provincial declaration of emergency allows Ontario to continue to enforce current emergency orders, such as the closure of all non-essential workplaces, outdoor amenities such as parks and recreational areas, public places and bars and restaurants, as well as restrictions on social gatherings of more than five people, and prohibitions against price gouging.
The legislature also passed the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Support and Protection Act to amend the Education Act, Planning Act, Development Charges Act, Police Services Act and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act.
The amendments to the Education Act will allow school boards to continue charging fees on new construction to retain a source of revenue for new school projects. The bill also includes an amendment to provide consistent province-wide approach to addressing school suspensions and expulsions for the safety of students and staff upon the reopening of schools.
The changes to the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act will temporarily suspend student loan payments for OSAP borrowers and initiate a six-month interest-free moratorium on OSAP loans.
The government is making it possible to suspend certain municipal planning decision timelines during the state of emergency, changing the Development Charges Act to ensure municipalities can continue to count on a source of revenue that helps pay for local growth-related infrastructure, such as roads, water and sewers, as well as fire and police services.
The amendments to the Police Services Act also allow the Solicitor General to give municipalities an extension beyond January 1, 2021 to prepare and adopt a community safety and well-being plan.
The Peterborough Police Service is reminding residents that police are continuing to enforce emergency orders made under Ontario’s Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA).
The emergency orders include the closure of non-essential workplaces, public places, and bars and restaurants, as well as a prohibition on gatherings of five or more people — even at someone’s home (unless the people live together).
Over the course of the Easter long weekend, Peterborough police received and responded to 23 EMCPA-related complaints and issued three warnings.
While no charges were laid in the 23 incidents, police have the option to lay charges for three offences under the Provincial Offences Act:
Fail to comply with an order made during an emergency = Fine of $750
Obstruction of person exercising a power in accordance with an emergency order = Fine of $1,000
Obstruction of person performing a duty in accordance with an emergency order = Fine of $1,000
Corporations (as a Part 3 offence) Fine = $500,000
Under Ontario’s Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, gatherings of five or more people are prohibited, even if these gatherings take place at someone’s home (unless the people live together). (Graphic: Peterborough Police Service)
People who are being charged with an offence under EMCPA are also required to identify themselves if asked by a provincial offences officer, which includes police officers, First Nations constables, special constables and municipal by-law enforcement officers. This temporary power was approved by the Ontario government on Tuesday, March 31st through an emergency order.
Failing to correctly identify oneself carries a fine of $750 for failure to comply with an order made under the EMCPA, or $1,000 for obstructing any person in exercising a power if a provincial offences officer issues a ticket.
In addition, failure to comply with an emergency order could carry punishments of up to one-year imprisonment or a fine of up to $100,000 for an individual, $500,000 for a director of a corporation, or $10,000,000 for a corporation itself if a provincial offences officer charges the individual by issuing a summons.
These penalties apply in addition to the penalties for breaching other emergency orders.
Peterborough residents who wish to report a complaint of a violation of EMCPA should call the non-emergency line at 705-876-1122. Do not call 9-1-1 to report ECMPA complaints.
On Tuesday (April 14), the Ontario legislature is expected to approve the extension of Ontario’s state of emergency by another 28 days.
The provincial government first declared a 14-day state of emergency on March 17, 2020. Under the ECMPA, a state of emergency can be extended for one additional 14-day period (until April 14th) with further 28-day period extensions requiring a vote in the legislature.
A health care worker at Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon, Ontario responds to passing cars honking support on Tuesday, March 31, 2020. (Photo: Fred Thornhill / The Canadian Press)
For the fifth day in a row, Pinecrest Nursing Home is reporting no additional deaths of residents at the long-term care facility in Bobcaygeon.
The number of people who have died from COVID-19 at the home remains at 29.
“We are fortunate to report, for the fifth day in a row, there are no new deaths at Pinecrest Nursing Home,” the home’s administrator Mary Carr shared in an update to the community on Tuesday (April 14).
“We are also pleased to welcome a few staff members back to the team. I want to thank all our staff for their diligence in providing safe and compassionate care to our residents.”
Carr also says that the home currently has a surplus of personal protective equipment (PPE) that they will be sharing with other facilities.
“Our staff continue to have access to the PPE they need at all times while working in the home. We currently have a surplus of PPE and are working to share much-needed supplies with other homes in the province.”
“Our home is committed to working with other long-term care homes, our partners at Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit and with the Ministry of Health to ensure all new and ongoing care directives are implemented. The health and safety of our residents and our staff is, and always has been, our number one priority.”
Carr also noted that the Bobcaygeon and Area COVID-19 Relief Fund has raised more than $100,000 in donations.
“I want to again acknowledge the support from the community. The Bobcaygeon and Area COVID-19 Relief Fund, created two weeks ago to support the needs of people affected by coronavirus, has now received more than $100,000 in donations. This fund, along with many other daily acts of kindness, illustrates what our community is made of, and how we will get through this together.”
Cedar Grove Organic Farm is offering porch delivery of fresh, seasonal vegetables during COVID-19. It's just one of many local food-related businesses that are adapting to the pandemic. (Photo: Cedar Grove Organic Farm)
This month, food writer Eva Fisher takes a look at some of the many fresh, vibrant, and local food options available during the COVID-19 pandemic, including farms, bulk stores, small food shops, and restaurants.
Local farmers offer convenient and fresh food options during COVID-19
You can respect social distancing protocols and still support local farmers; in fact, it may be easier than placing that grocery order. Local farms are offering new ways to get farm fresh produce, meat, honey, maple syrup, and more.
Lunar Rhythm Gardens (253 Gray Rd, Janetville, 905-986-9612) is offering an on-farm mini-market. Orders are placed in advance online. To get an order form, you can either follow them on Facebook or sign up on their website at www.csafarmdurhamkawartha.com to receive emails.
Lunar Rhythm Gardens offer a contact-free on-farm market with products from their farm, as well as other farmers and small businesses. (Photo: Lunar Rhythm Gardens)
Farm owner, operator, manager, and field worker Jessica Foote originally set up online ordering for their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) boxes.
“I never expected it to be our primary sales means,” she says.
For safety, customers aren’t allowed in the farm building. Jessica recommends parking on the side of the road and calling the farm. The order will be brought out to a freshly sanitized table for pickup. Trunk drops are available for people who request it.
Lunar Rhythm Gardens offers certified organic vegetables and naturally raised pork and beef. Since opening the on-farm mini-market, they have expanded to offer products from other farms and small businesses, including Honey from Jon’s Wildflower Honey, Yellowlees Family Farm lamb, Puddleduck Maple Syrupduck eggs, baked goods, and Kombucha from the Food Shop in Peterborough. They also sell Tall Boy Roasters Coffee Black Peppercorn sourced directly from a friend’s farm in Vietnam,and products from South Pond Farms.
Jessica says that this is an important time for them to support their neighbours.
“I’m committed to growing and keeping local small businesses going as much as I can. Right now is the time to support what you want to see come out of this. If you want your local people and your friends and your neighbours to be around that’s what we’ve got to dig in and work with.”
Meanwhile, Cedar Grove Organic Farm (625 Shamrock Rd, Omemee, 705-799-1728) is offering porch delivery of their produce. Owner and operator Scott King takes orders through an online form. Customers have until Thursday evening to place their order, then it is harvested on Friday and delivered on Saturday. Payment is taken exclusively by e-transfer.
As the season progresses, Cedar Grove Organic Farm will offer more produce options, including freshly harvested kale. (Photo: Cedar Grove Organic Farm)
Cedar Grove Organic Farm currently offers lettuce mix from the greenhouses and root vegetables like carrots and turnips and watermelon radish. In the next few weeks, they will also offer heads of lettuce, bok choi, kale, kale mix and stirfry mix, and by summertime they will have a full selection of vegetables and berries.
While the delivery program has been successful, Scott emphasizes that farmers’ markets are still very important.
“The more that the market gets supported, it basically provides a more robust food system in Ontario. Right now a lot of our food comes from elsewhere, but it doesn’t have to. It’s just because we haven’t encouraged our local food economy.”
He says that markets are the key to this.
“As much as I enjoy deliveries, I really want to say how important market is.”
Speaking of local farmers’ markets, the Peterborough Regional Farmers’ Market operates every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Citi-Centre courtyard, at the corner of Aylmer and Charlotte Streets in downtown Peterborough. They have moved to this outdoor location to offer safer service during the pandemic. For more information, visit ptboregionalfarmersmarket.org.
The Peterborough Farmers’ Market at Morrow Park has temporarily closed due to the pandemic, but they recently published an online catalogue with farmgate sales options for many of their producers. You can find that listing on their Facebook page at facebook.com/peterboroughfarmersmarket/.
Avoid big grocery store stress and support independent locally owned businesses
Jo Anne’s Place is offering porch deliveries throughout the Kawarthas to minimize contact during COVID-19. (Photo: Julia Burnett)
For those who are daunted by big line ups at grocery stores, or who don’t want to risk facing the crowds, small groceries and bulk businesses are offering a physical-distancing-friendly shopping experience. Here are just some of the businesses in the Kawarthas that are stepping up to the challenge of COVID-19, offering heightened safety measures and in some cases contact free purchasing and deliveries.
The Lakefield Pantry
(44 Queen St, Lakefield, 705-652-6062)
At the Lakefield Pantry, customers are asked to phone in their order in advance by calling 705-652-6062. The order will be prepared, then a staff member will call you when it is ready.
Customers are allowed inside the storefront to pick up and pay for their order, or payment can be processed manually and they will meet you outside. For high-risk customers, The Lakefield Pantry is offering porch delivery.
The Lakefield Pantry stocks flour, yeast, Empire Cheese, local beef, Kawartha Dairy milk and ice cream, local honey, spices, gluten-free baking supplies, cereals, and pastas.
Burns Bulk Food
(118 Kent St W, Lindsay, 705-324-8501)
Burns Bulk Food is encouraging customers to place phone-in orders. They will put together an order based on a customer’s list, and they take payment by phone so orders can be completely contact free. They are also offering free in-town delivery.
The store is open an hour earlier on weekdays exclusively for seniors to shop, and every aisle of the store is equipped with hand sanitizer.
Customers aren’t allowed to scoop their own products, and staff are there to guide customers through the store and minimize contact.
Jo Anne’s Place
(1260 Lansdowne St, Peterborough, 705-749-9474 and 84 Russell St W, Lindsay, 705-328-3628)
Jo Anne’s Place is offering free delivery to Lindsay and Peterborough customers, and paid delivery to Bobcaygeon, Buckhorn, Stoney Lake, Lakefield, Omemee, and Port Hope, with delivery charges ranging from $12 to $30.
You can also place an order and pick it up in store. More information about pickup and delivery can be found at Jo Anne’s Place’s website at joannesplace.ca.
In addition, from 9 to 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday, Jo Anne’s Place offers “Mindful Shopping”, which restricts store access to elderly and immune-vulnerable people, including pregnant women. Note: Jo Anne’s Place has temporarily closed their Water Street location in Peterborough.
The Food Shop
(372 Water St, Peterborough, 705-775-7467)
The Food Shop is offering curb side pickup, delivery and in store shopping with a limit of two people. They also offer to shop for people while they’re in store to limit contact if they desire. Private shopping is available after hours or by appointment for people who would like to limit contact. They sanitize contact spots after each customer.
The Main Ingredient
(326 Charlotte St, Peterborough, 705-745-5271)
The Main Ingredient is taking orders by email. The order will be packed, then sent to processing where it is double-checked. The processor then calls the customer and either takes payment over the phone by credit card or arranges with the customer to do contact-free payment in the front foyer of the store.
With around 6,000 items in store, there is no product list, but you can watch a video on their website at themainingredient.wixsite.com/mysite to get a sense of what is available.
VIDEO: The Main Ingredient 2020 Tour
Highlights include baking ingredients, cooking ingredients, spices, teas, coffees, chocolate, pasta, sugars, Empire cheese, and organic milk.
Co-owner Ken Fraser urges customers to be mindful of the added strain that COVID-19 has put on staff, and be understanding if they are running a few days behind.
He also encourages customers to stick to the necessities and try to be organized with your order: last-minute add-ons mean the whole order needs to be reprocessed. He also suggests that you may want to think about how your consumption habits are changing while in self isolation and order accordingly.
“A customer wrote yesterday and said ‘We usually have a pound of coffee to last us a week’,” Ken recalls. “They ordered four pounds of coffee for the next week. They said ‘All we do is sit home and drink coffee!'”
Hungry? This list shows what’s available for delivery and takeout in downtown Peterborough
Downtown Peterborough’s listing of restaurants open for takeout and delivery makes it easy to support Peterborough’s downtown businesses through the COVID-19 pandemic. (Graphic: Peterborough DBIA)
The Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) has released a list of every downtown business open for takeout and delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic.
DBIA executive director Terry Guiel says that having this information centralized will make it easier for people to support their downtown businesses.
“Everybody right now is bombarded with information, so we want to make it as easy as possible for our members and for the public to access that information.”
Terry points out that supporting downtown restaurants isn’t just a matter of enjoying a convenient and delicious meal, it’s key for Peterborough’s economic future.
“One of our largest employers in the city of Peterborough is the hospitality industry,” Terry points out. “It’s not Quaker, it’s not Trent University, it’s not PepsiCo — it’s the hospitality industry. To make sure that remains healthy is essential for the workforce.”
Restaurants also provide essential revenue to the city, Terry notes.
“Our downtown, which the restaurants make up a great deal of, makes up 32 per cent of the commercial tax base for the City of Peterborough. That’s a significant amount of money that the xity gets from the downtown to operate the rest of the city.”
Terry stresses that the survival of these restaurants is essential to the city as a whole, including social benefits with restaurants being key partners for local charities and not-for-profits.
“Our downtown restaurants are very receptive of sponsoring events, providing gift certificates for special events and silent auctions. They’re also front and centre with charitable events such as Paint the Town Red.”
Furthermore, restaurants are an important part of the downtown scene.
“Restaurants are a rich part of our culture and identity in Peterborough.”
The Electric City Bread Company is offering family-style takeout, such as this roast chicken dinner with carrots and roasted potatoes. (Photo: Jonathan Linton)
So how can we support our restaurants, beyond ordering delivery and takeout? Terry recommends ordering gift certificates if your finances allow, but to hold off on spending them all at once until restaurants have had a chance to bounce back.
“When the all-clear happens and you get into September or October, it’s going to do them no good to have 100 people walking in with $50 gift certificates. Spread it out, have it for Christmas. Do it for Christmas stockings. Think down the road.”
For those who are experience financial hardship during the pandemic, Terry points out that there are other ways to support restaurants.
“Send a message, do a posting about your favourite restaurant. Go on Google and do a Google review. Send them a little message that says you can’t wait until they open, or post a fond memory on Facebook of the birthday lunch you had or the pints you had with friends. They will appreciate that. This is a very very fearful time. And sometimes there’s the economic help but there’s also the community spirit help.”
Terry says that if any businesses can survive the pandemic, it’s those found in Peterborough’s downtown.
“I have immense faith in the strong, resilient and creative entrepreneurs that we have in our downtown that run the restaurants, and I have complete faith that many of them will come through this stronger and better positioned and they will be victorious against COVID-19.”
New online Peterborough community celebrates local takeout and delivery options
That’s a Wrap Catering is one of the businesses featured in the new PTBO Food To Go – during COVID19 Facebook group. Pictured is their rib steak with broiled mushrooms, baked potato, and sauteed peppers. (Photo: Heather Doughty)
When local real estate agent Wade Hamblin noticed that local restaurants were struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, he decided to do something about it.
His new Facebook group PTBO Food To Go – during COVID19 is growing quickly and has become a space for restaurants and caterers to offer behind-the-scenes videos, post their menus, and offer specials to people looking for local takeout and delivery options.
Wade points out that restaurants are key to our community.
“Our local restaurant owners (and any local business owners) have always been the backbone of Peterborough. They are continually sponsoring our kids’ sports teams and local events that Peterborough is known for.”
He also notes that the outlook is dire for restaurants. A recent survey by Restaurants Canada revealed that one in 10 restaurants in Canada have already closed permanently as a result of the pandemic. Wade is hoping that his group will help to offset this trend.
The Peterborough Chamber of Commerce has spearheaded a new Takeout Tuesday campaign. Making a plan to order takeout or delivery regularly helps small businesses thrive. (Graphic: Peterborough Chamber)
While Wade recommends ordering take-out whenever it’s convenient for your family, he also points to “Takeout Tuesday”, a challenge offered by the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, as a great way to show your support for local businesses.
Finally, Wade would like to thank the community for coming together on all fronts to take on the challenge of COVID-19.
“I am so proud of our fantastic community for all the support and unity surrounding all aspects of this pandemic. This truly shows the heart of Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Let’s not just ‘get through this’, let’s become better because of this!”
The main entrance of Peterborough Regional Health Centre. (Photo: PRHC)
Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) is currently treating two COVID-19 patients in its intensive care unit (ICU) while three staff members who earlier tested positive continue to self-isolate at home.
During a media briefing held Tuesday morning (April 14), Dr. Lynn Mikula, the hospital’s vice-president, chief medical executive and chief of staff, noted she is cautiously encouraged that the hospital “has not seen a surge” in positive COVID-19 cases.
“There is a little bit of promising evidence that we may be seeing a little bit of the flattening of the curve … a slowing of the rate of the number of positive cases per day both provincially and in the region,” Dr. Mikula said.
“But I think it’s too early to say if things are going to get better or worse or stay the same,” she added. “We need to continue to watch the situation very closely and hold ourselves in readiness. At this point I don’t feel we’re prepared to make predictions.”
Previously, the hospital had been treating three COVID-19 patients in the ICU, but one patient died on Sunday (April 12) from complications of the disease — the first COVID-19 related death in the Peterborough area. Facebook posts on Sunday afternoon identified the patient as 68-year-old Peterborough photographer and retired psychologist Dr. George Dimitroff.
As of Tuesday morning, Peterborough Public Health reported a total of 53 positive COVID-19 cases in Peterborough city and county, Curve Lake, and Hiawatha. However, 268 test results are pending.
Across the province, the total number of positive cases stands at 7,470 with 3,357 of those resolved and 291 deaths linked to COVID-19. Just more than 108,000 people have been tested with results awaited on 1,534 tests.
Dr. Mikula also updated the operation of the COVID-19 Assessment Centre at PRHC, noting, to date, more than 1,000 people have been tested at that location with the daily average of people tested in the 20 to 40 range.
She stressed that anyone who is having symptoms can be tested there but must phone ahead for an appointment. The number to call is 705-876-5086 and the centre is open seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
PRHC, adds Dr. Mikula, has “a lot of capacity” should there be a surge of COVID-19 patients.
“We are prepared to increase beyond our usual capacity quite significantly if we need to,” she said.
“We’re not putting an absolute upper limit on the number of people we will care for. We’ll care for however many people we need to, to the utmost of our ability.”
“We’re watching our levels of many different items of PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) very closely on a daily basis. We’re not in immediate danger of running out of anything.”
Dr. Mikula adds the 1,000 Mask Challenge issued earlier has so far seen more than 5,000 masks made by the community sent the hospital’s way.
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