Only a handful of positive COVID-19 cases have been confirmed so far among the 3,560 residents and staff tested in 20 seniors' residences in the Peterborough area. A single positive case in a staff member at Kawartha Heights Retirement Living has resulted in the declaration of an outbreak at the retirement home. (Photo: Kawartha Heights Retirement Living / Facebook)
Peterborough Public Health says COVID-19 testing has now been completed for 3,560 residents and staff in 20 seniors’ residences in the Peterborough area.
The testing, completed over the past three weeks, took place in eight licensed long-term care homes, 11 retirement homes, and the Congregation of Sisters of St. Joseph’s.
On April 21st, the Ontario government announced that testing would be increased on both symptomatic and asymptomatic staff and residents in long-term care homes.
“Thanks to the tremendous support of our local healthcare partners, we were able to go above and beyond the ministry’s request and include retirement homes in our surveillance testing as well,” says Peterborough’s medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra.
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The testing was completed at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre’s COVID-19 assessment centre, by Peterborough County/City Paramedics, and by the facilities themselves,
Peterborough Public Health says that, while local test results are still being received, only a few positive cases have been identified so far.
“The low number of positive cases detected is good news for our seniors and reflects the strong infection prevention and control practices at these facilities where testing occurred,” Dr. Salvaterra says.
On Monday (May 11), Peterborough Public Health declared a COVID-19 outbreak at Kawartha Heights Retirement Living based on a single positive case in a staff member discovered during the surveillance.
Peterborough Public Health staff are supporting the facility in managing the outbreak, which Dr. Salvaterra describes as being “well under control.”
The 108-suite retirement residence opened in August 2017.
A sign posted by the municipality of Kawartha Lakes advising a boat launch on Washburn Island in Lake Scugog is now open After closing all public boat launches on April 2, 2020, the municipality reopened them on May 14th in time for the Victoria Day long weekend. (Photo: Astrid Hood / @astridhood Instagram)
The municipality of Kawartha Lakes will begin opening public boat launches on Thursday, May 14th, just in time for the Victoria Day long weekend.
Members of the public will be allowed to launch their boats, in groups of less than five people who maintain a physical distance of at least six feet from each other.
“Kawartha Lakes continues to take all necessary precautions to ensure the health and safety of residents and staff,” states the municipality in a media release. “Boat launches will continue to be monitored closely and the closures could be reinstated if the municipality sees any increased signs of risk.”
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Signs will be placed at boat launches reminding boaters of public health precautions. The municipality also says the public should expect to see an increased presence of local law enforcement.
The municipality of Kawartha Lakes will replace public boat launch closure signs with these signs reminding boaters of COVID-19 safety requirements. (Graphic: Kawartha Lakes)
Kawartha Lakes originally closed all public boat launches on April 2nd, along with all other outdoor recreational amenities. Playgrounds, sports fields, sports courts, skateboard parks, picnic areas, outdoor exercise equipment, washroom facilities, beaches, and park shelters remain closed.
The municipality has also lifted a few other restrictions.
The municipal-wide burn ban was lifted on Friday, May 8th; however, the northern part of Kawartha Lakes is still under Ontario’s restricted fire zone.
On Monday, May 11th, the Lindsay landfill site reopened to the public with some restrictions including no cash payment and a limit on the number of vehicles allowed on site. The Fenelon and Eldon landfills will also reopen to the public on Monday, May 18th with the same protocols in place.
On Tuesday, May 12th, the multi-use Victoria Rail Trail reopened to ATVs (the trail was already open to walking and cycling).
kawarthaNOW is providing a daily report of COVID-19 cases in the greater Kawarthas region.
Here’s today summary: there are 73 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area, 139 in the City of Kawartha Lakes, 14 in Northumberland County, 7 in Haliburton County, and 42 in Hastings County and Prince Edward County.
That’s an increase in 2 cases since yesterday’s report, with 2 new cases reported in Kawartha Lakes.
An outbreak was also declared at Kawartha Heights Retirement Living by Peterborough Public Health on May 11.
There have been a total of 39 deaths. The most recent death was reported on May 7 by Hastings Prince Edward Public Health.
Province-wide, there are 20,907 confirmed cases, an increase of 361 from yesterday, with 15,391 cases resolved, an increase of 260 from yesterday. There have been 1,725 deaths, an increase of 56 from yesterday. A total of 459,921 tests have been completed, an increase of 11,957 from yesterday, with 10,811 tests under investigation, an increase of 1,793 from yesterday.
This report is based on data supplied by the province’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS), as well as any additional information supplied by hospitals. 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: 73 (no change from May 11) Confirmed negative: Data currently unavailable* Results pending: Data currently unavailable* Deaths: 2 (no change from from May 11) Resolved: 64 (increase of 2 from May 11) Total tests completed: Over 4,800 (no change from May 11)* Institutional outbreaks: St. Joseph’s at Fleming, Kawartha Heights Retirement Living (increase of 1 from May 11)**
*Peterborough Public Health and its partners are currently testing in long-term care homes and retirement homes. This is rapidly increasing the number of tests performed and causing a delay in the health unit’s ability to accurately report these figures. Current data will be provided as soon as possible.
**An outbreak at Kawartha Heights Retirement Living was declared on May 11.
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: 160, including 139 in Kawartha Lakes, 14 in Northumberland, 7 in Haliburton (increase of 2 from May 11) Probable cases: 2 (increase of 2 from May 11) Hospitalizations: 11 (no change from May 11) Deaths: 32, including 28 in Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon (no change from May 11) Resolved: 127 (decrease of 1 from May 11) Institutional outbreaks: Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon, Caressant Care Lindsay, Maplewood Nursing Home in Brighton (no change from May 11)*
*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: 42 (no change from May 11) Probable cases: 182 (decrease of 3 from May 11) Deaths: 5 (no change from May 11) Hospitalized: 1 (no change from May 11) Hospitalized and in ICU: 1 (no change from May 11) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 0 (no change from May 11) Recovered: 25 (increase of 1 from May 11) Total tests completed: 4,457 (increase of 121 from May 11) Institutional outbreaks: Hastings Manor in Belleville (no change from May 11)*
*Number of cases not reported.
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 20,907 (increase of 361 from May 11) Hospitalized: 1,025 (decrease of 2 from May 11) Hospitalized and in ICU: 192 (decrease of 2 from May 11) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 146 (decrease of 1 from May 11) Deaths: 1,725 (increase of 56 from May 11) Total tests completed 459,921 (increase of 11,957 from May 11) Tests under investigation: 10,811 (increase of 1,793 from May 11) Resolved: 15,391 (increase of 260 from May 11)
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario by public health unit, January 15 – May 11, 2020. (Graphic: Public Health Ontario)
Premier Doug Ford during question period on May 12, 2020, when members of the Ontario legislature voted to extend Ontario's state of emergency until June 2, 2020. (Screenshot / Legislative Assembly of Ontario)
At a special sitting of the Ontario legislature on Tuesday (May 12), MPPs voted to extend the province’s declaration of emergency under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (ECMPA) until Tuesday, June 2nd.
The declaration will allow the Ontario government to continue to enforce existing emergency orders, such as restricting retirement and long-term care home employees from working in more than one facility and prohibiting events and gatherings of more than five people.
“We are making steady progress to flatten the curve and get more people back to work safely, including our legislators, but we still have far to go in defeating COVID-19,” said Premier Doug Ford. “Extending the declaration of emergency will allow us to continue to take action to protect Ontarians, while carefully and cautiously reopening more parts of our economy.”
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. On April 14th, the legislature approved an extension of the state of emergency until Tuesday, May 12th.
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The Ontario legislature also passed the COVID-19 Response and Reforms to Modernize Ontario Act, 2020, which will help people conduct business while practising physical distancing by:
providing authority to address in-person attendance rules for school board trustees’ meetings in regulation. This would provide the flexibility in certain emergency situations to allow trustees to meet virtually during school closures.
enabling corporations to call and hold meetings virtually, as applicable, and extending the time period in which annual meetings must be held in specific circumstances.
allowing designations of a beneficiary to be provided electronically for Retirement Savings Plans, Retirement Income Funds, Locked-in Retirement Accounts, Life Income Funds and Tax-Free Savings Accounts.
allowing electronic filing of business registration documents, and the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services to accept copies of business registration documents and e-signatures.
allowing for regulations to set out the parameters for remotely commissioning or notarizing a document.
extending, on a one-time basis for 2020, the legislated four-year period during which a Métis Nation of Ontario election is mandated to be held to give more time to support remote voting.
The government also tabled its estimates for the 2020-21 fiscal year, which include $17 billion in program spending to support the province’s response to COVID-19.
Potter and baker Bill Reddick's gluten-free chocolate cake makes the list of four decadent comfort foods to try in Peterborough now. (Photo: Bill Reddick)
This month, food writer Eva Fisher rounds up some of the best locally made ways to treat yourself, discovers a farmers’ black market for produce and artisan food, enjoys the walk up gelato window at Canoe Co. Café in downtown Peterborough, and binge watches Nourish Project’s online cooking show (featuring an easy recipe for oatmeal cake with red apple sauce).
Four decadent comfort foods to try in Peterborough now
Staying home has its ups and downs. If you’re in need of a lift, here our four local restaurants and makers with some great options to treat yourself to go.
1. Backdoor Breaky from Rare (166 Brock Street, Peterborough, 705-742-3737)
Rare’s Backdoor Breaky breaks new ground for the fine dining restaurant, which doesn’t normally offer breakfast. (Photo: Rare)
Normally, Rare isn’t known as a breakfast restaurant, but recently they have begun to offer ‘Backdoor Breaky,’ a freshly made english muffin topped with egg, cheese, and meat.
One week it was homemade bologna, another week sausage patty made in-house from pork shoulder from Otonabee meat packers. The sandwich comes with a side of triple-cooked homefries with red peppers, onions, garlic, and smoked paprika.
Payment is taken by e-transfer only, and orders are best placed by email at info@rareexperience.ca or by direct message on social media.
2. Donuts from Two Dishes Cookshop (261 Charlotte St, Peterborough, 705-775-2650)
Donuts from Two Dishes Cookshop are made from scratch every week by a small but dedicated staff. (Photo: Two Dishes Cookshop)
It’s no wonder they sell out so quickly: Two Dishes Cookshop makes each of their 600 donuts a week by hand, starting work at three in the morning to fill all of the orders.
The donuts are a mix of brioche, cronuts, and sometimes cake donuts. All fillings and toppings are made in-house.
Donuts are posted on Two Dishes Cookshop’s Facebooke and Instagram every week on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Act fast, previous batches have sold out within 15 minutes.
3. Bill Reddick’s gluten-free chocolate cake
Potter and baker Bill Reddick’s decadent gluten-free cake weighs in at 3.5 pounds and can be shipped anywhere in Canada. (Photo: Bill Reddick)
Whether or not you avoid gluten, potter and baker Bill Reddick’s gluten-free chocolate cake is a moist, rich, and decadent treat.
The outer icing is cooked dark fudge made with free trade organic cocoa. The mocha middle layer contains a blend of free trade organic bitter chocolate and fresh ground, locally roasted decaffeinated coffee.
Each cake provides 12 to 16 servings, and can be shipped anywhere in Canada by request (pickup is also available).
4. The Mozzarella Burger from Southside Pizzeria (25 Lansdowne St, Peterborough, 705-748-6120)
Southside Pizzeria’s Mozzarella Burger is an over-the-top cheese-loaded treat that’s making waves on social media. (Photo: Southside Pizzeria)
With one of the largest takeout menus in town, Southside Pizzeria is a great pick for those nights when you just can’t decide.
Their mozzarella burger is a popular pick, tipping the scales with two all-beef patties, cheese, bacon and three mozzarella sticks — all covered in mozzarella cheese.
Now available online, the Farmers Black Market began as a secret invitation-only pop-up market held at a series of unique locations. Pictured is a market held at a Toronto theatre in 2017. (Photo: Farmers Black Market)
Since November of 2016, people in southern Ontario have been gathering for a series of secret pop-up farmers’ markets known as the Farmers Black Market — accessible only to those who knew the secret password.
Now the black market has gone digital, and is being made available to everyone at farmersblackmarket.com.
Fox Jones, market manager of Farmers Black Market, describes the market’s earlier days.
“We would hold pop-up markets in Toronto and in Peterborough, in warehouses, art studios, back alleys, tailgate parties — anywhere we could gather.”
Farmers Black Market market manager Fox Jones hosting a virtual market on Facebook Live on May 3, 2020. (Screenshot)
He notes that these provided a great opportunity for customers and for vendors.
“It was a great way to connect with your neighbours and farmers and food producers in your community. It was also a really great low-barrier entry for a lot of hobbyists and home bakers, and people that would normally be selling at bake sales or farmgate sales.”
The in-person markets have been cancelled for the time being out of concerns for safety during COVID-19, but Fox felt that it was especially important at this time for people to have access to food sourced directly from farmers and producers.
“Today with traditional supply chains being disrupted, consumers are finding it even more difficult to connect with and trust their food sources than ever before.”
A web developer by day, Fox decided it was time for the Farmers Black Market to open to the general public.
“I just wanted to give all of the sellers and listers the best opportunity, and I thought it was in the best interest of everyone to open the doors a little bit and finally come out in the open and make it public.”
Bittersweet Botanicals offer their bitters and a cocktail kit through the Farmers Black Market’s online store. (Photo: Bittersweet Botanicals)
The website is based in Peterborough, but Fox has set it up to be available to producers and buyers across the country.
“The main focus is to support local business and to connect people with their neighbours, but it’s also a vehicle to empower small farms and food producers to reach a wider audience and to go beyond their backyard.”
To filter for local producers, you can go to the map view on the site at farmersblackmarket.com to see the listings closest to you.
Check out the walk up gelato window at the newly rebranded Canoe Co. Café at Euphoria Wellness Spa
Canoe Co. Café’s walk up gelato window is open now with enhanced health and safety measures, just in time for gelato season. (Photo: Canoe Co. Café)
Euphoria Wellness Spa (290 Water St, Peterborough, 705-741-4772) has rebranded its onsite cafe, renaming it Canoe Co. Café. The building housing Spa Euphoria used to be the home of the Peterborough Canoe Company, and the new name honours that history.
Rebecca Desjardins, manager at Canoe Co. Café and Euphoria Wellness Spa, says that they will be adding a door so that people can access the cafe directly from Water Street.
“With it being within the spa, sometimes people don’t realize that they can come in off of the street and enjoy it.”
The cafe’s pickup window is currently open for homemade gelato and Starbucks drinks. A full reopening — including baked goods, wraps, and salads from The Pin, Lakefield Bakery on Queen and Baked4U — will wait until it is safe to do so.
The newly rebranded Canoe Co. Café pays homage to the history of the Euphoria Wellness Spa building, which used to house to Peterborough Canoe Company. (Photo: Canoe Co. Café)
In the meantime, you can walk up to their takeout window for a scoop (or two) of gelato. The cafe is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“With summer coming it’s a perfect time to enjoy gelato,” Rebecca says. “We have 10 different flavours, our most popular being chocolate peanut butter.”
There are vegan gelato options as well.
The cafe has adapted to provide safe service, with only one staff member working at a time, a plexiglass shield, hand sanitizer available for customer use, enhanced sanitation, and encouraging customers to pay with a card rather than cash.
“We’re going with all of the government regulations as to what we should be doing.”
Rebecca would like to thank the customers who continue to support local businesses through this tough time.
“We so appreciate everyone’s support through all of this. Local businesses are really depending on that. We’re so thankful for anyone who feels comfortable coming.”
Nourish’s new Cooped Up Cooking show brings cooking skills home
Chef Amy Comber hosts “Cooped Up Cooking”, a weekly online cooking show that celebrates experimentation and substitution in the kitchen. (Photo: Nourish)
During the COVID-19 pandemic, sourcing ingredients has become more difficult. Now the Nourish Project in Peterborough has developed a new online cooking show to help you cook with confidence with whatever ingredients you have on hand.
“Cooped up Cooking” is hosted by Nourish’s food skills facilitator Amy Comber and edited by knowledge transfer specialist Elisha Rubacha.
Amy describes the program’s approach to cooking as quite loose, with a focus on experimenting with the ingredients you have on hand.
“I like to give people recipes that they can play with at home. It’s not a strict ‘you must follow this recipe to get the result’. I’m trying to teach the confidence to experiment with recipes.”
Normally Amy teaches classes at the Peterborough Public Health Unit, but with COVID-19 restrictions in effect, these have been cancelled for the time being. Amy runs a variety of classes, including “Cooking Out of the Box”, a class aimed at using the food provided in Nourish’s food boxes.
“If people don’t know what to do with the ingredients, they can come to my class and we go over different recipes they can use with the food boxes.”
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nourish’s food box program has switched to an emergency food box. The regular food box was offered on a sliding payment scale twice a month. Emergency food boxes are delivered to the homes of people who are in need on a weekly basis.
“We are delivering about 100 boxes throughout the city on one day,” Amy says.
“Cooped up Cooking” recipes often focus on the ingredients being sent out in these boxes and on healthy low-cost ingredients.
“If I’m using something that might be inaccessible, I always try to offer suggestions on how to substitute ingredients. Accessibility is a big thing for me with the ingredients and the recipes I choose.”
“Cooped up Cooking” is posted every Tuesday on Nourish’s Youtube channel, where you can also view past episodes.
VIDEO: Cooped Up Cooking: Episode 05 – Oatmeal Cake
The latest episode features an easy oatmeal cake. Amy has provided the recipe below (printable version here):
Easy Peasy Oatmeal Cake
Pre-heat oven to 350°F (177°C).
Combine and let stand for 20 minutes:
1 cup (250 ml) quick-cooking oats (whole oats)
1-1/4 (310 ml) boiling water
Cream together until light and fluffy:
1/2 cup (113 g) butter, margarine or shortening)
1/2 cup (125 ml) brown sugar
1/2 cup (125 ml) white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla
Add oatmeal mixture and beat well.
Sift together:
1-1/2 cup (375 ml) white or whole wheat flour
1 tsp (5 ml) baking soda
1 tsp (5 ml) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2 ml) salt
1 tsp (5 ml) cinnamon
Add these ingredients to the creamed mixture and beat well.
Pour into a greased 9″ x 13″ cake pan and bake for 35 minutes, or until you insert a knife into the centre and it comes out clean.
Feel free to get creative and add nuts or raisins into the cake if you like.
This cake is traditionally served with an apple sauce (recipe below).
Red Apple Sauce
2 lb (1 kg) red apples (use local produce if available)
1 cup (250 ml) water
1/2 tsp (2 ml) ground vanilla extract
1 tsp (5 ml) ground cinnamon or cardamom
1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice (optional)
1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh ginger, grated (optional)
Rinse the apples and chop them in bite-size pieces, discarding the cores.
Place in a large saucepan along with water, fresh ginger, vanilla powder, and cinnamon.
Let simmer on low heat for approximately 20 minutes or until soft.
When the apples are done, use a hand (immersion) blender to mix into a smooth apple sauce.
Stir lemon juice into the sauce, leave to cool, or scoop into a large jar and place in the fridge.
Non-urgent appointments, tests, and procedures at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) remain on hold until the hosptial can complete the necessary planning set out in a framework provided by the Ontario government. (Photo: Michael Hurcomb)
While non-urgent appointments, tests, and procedures remain on hold at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC), hospital vice-president Dr. Lynn Mikula says the hospital is actively working toward a return to normalcy in accordance with criteria set forth by the Province.
Last week, the Ontario government provided a framework to help hospitals assess their readiness and better plan for the gradual resumption of scheduled surgeries and procedures, while still maintaining the capacity to respond to COVID-19.
Dr. Mikula says that framework is guiding PRHC as it looks ahead.
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“In order to resume non-urgent care, specific readiness criteria must be met in both the community and hospital,” she says.
“These include having a 30-day supply of PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) on hand, the ability to maintain a certain amount of capacity within the hospital to meet a pandemic-related medical surge, and developing a coordinated regional plan for resuming non-urgent care.”
“Restarting the engine of health care won’t happen overnight,” Dr. Mikula notes. “We also won’t go back quickly to where we were before. We will have to stay ready for future surges, which means keeping the hospital bed occupancy at about 85 per cent. This might mean we won’t be able to do as much as before.”
Speaking to the criteria as it pertains to PRHC, Dr. Mikula says “there are some parts of PPE where we are in very good shape (but) there are other PPE items where we don’t currently have a 30-day supply on hand,” adding PRHC is working on resolving that shortfall.
“In terms of clinical capacity, today our occupancy is 84 and one half per cent. What we’re aiming for is to keep it below 85 per cent. Today we’re good, tomorrow that may well shift. Prior to the pandemic, we typically operated at or above 100 per cent (clinical capacity), so this is going to take a lot of coordination and creative thinking to manage things in this new world.”
While PRHC strives to meet those criteria, Dr. Mikula says PRHC’s response to the COVID-19 crisis has provided a template that will serve the hospital well moving forward.
“We’re not wasting this opportunity to learn,” she says. “We’re actually in the midst of doing a big learning and debrief activity to gather the lessons learned and decide what we’re going to take forward from here.”
“This was a real test of our emergency response system. In the early days (of the pandemic), we were planning for the very worse. Those plans are now developed and if we to activate and implement them we are ready to do so at a moment’s notice. We’ve learned a lot about what we can do and we’re going to keep taking lessons away from this.”
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To date, the PRHC Assessment Centre had tested 4,000 people. The hospital is treating one COVID-19 patient in its intensive care unit, while a hospital staff member who previously tested positive is currently self-isolating at home.
An appointment with the PRHC Assessment Centre can be made by calling 705-876-5086. The centre is open seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
As of Tuesday morning (May 12), there have been 73 positive COVID-19 cases detected in Peterborough city and county, Curve Lake and Hiawatha with 62 of those cases now resolved. More than 4,800 have been tested for the virus in the region.
A large crowd at Del Crary Park in downtown Peterborough watches a performance on the Fred Anderson stage at Peterborough Musicfest, Canada's longest-running free-admission summer concert series. For the first time in its 33-year history, the festival has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo: Peterborough Musicfest)
In a normal year, a highlight of May is Peterborough Musicfest’s announcement of which musical acts will be performing at Del Crary Park in downtown Peterborough over the summer.
But it’s not a normal year. With music festivals across Canada and around the world being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Peterborough Musicfest has now followed suit.
Canada’s longest-running free-admission summer concert series has officially postponed its 34th season until 2021.
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The board of directors of the non-profit organization made the announcement on Tuesday morning (May 12).
“To postpone an entire season — a first in our thirty-three year history — is disheartening to say the least,” says Peterborough Musicfest board chair Brenda O’Brien. “That said, we know it is the right thing to do. These are unprecedented times that require concrete action to save lives. Our community, performers, staff members, contractors, and volunteers deserve no less.”
The 2020 festival had been scheduled to run every Saturday and Wednesday evening from June 27th to August 22nd.
While individual concerts in a season have been cancelled in the past due to inclement weather, this is the first time in its 33-year history an entire festival season has been cancelled.
Around 135,000 people attended Musicfest in 2019, generating an estimated $5 million for the local economy. Musicfest also helps create the equivalent of 44 local jobs every summer.
“We know the festival’s postponement will be very difficult for many workers, businesses, attractions and performers to shoulder”, reads a festival media release. “We hope to have more information about new initiatives in the coming months, and we very much look forward to seeing you all in Del Crary Park in 2021, where we will once again join together to celebrate our spirited community with the life-giving force that is music.’
Founded by the late Fred Anderson in 1986, the festival held its inaugural concert on July 1, 1987 featuring the late jazz great Moe Koffman as the headliner.
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The festival was originally called the Peterborough Summer Festival of Lights, as each concert was followed by an illuminated boat show and a fireworks display over Little Lake.
For financial reasons, the boat show was dropped in 2005, as were the fireworks in 2009. The following year, the festival was renamed Little Lake MusicFest and then to Peterborough Musicfest in 2013.
The festival’s concerts are free admission as they are funded by a mix of corporate sponsorships, government grants, fundraising initiatives, and private donations.
Musicians who have performed at the festival over the years include Ronnie Hawkins, Gordon Lightfoot, Buffy Sainte-Marie, John McDermott, Kim Mitchell, Tom Cochrane, Blue Rodeo, Serena Ryder, Carly Rae Jepsen, Tegan and Sara, Our Lady Peace, Randy Bachman, Chad Brownlee, and City and Colour.
kawarthaNOW is providing a daily report of COVID-19 cases in the greater Kawarthas region.
Here’s today summary: there are 73 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area, 137 in the City of Kawartha Lakes, 14 in Northumberland County, 7 in Haliburton County, and 42 in Hastings County and Prince Edward County.
That’s a decrease of 1 since yesterday’s report, with Hastings Prince Edward Public Health reducing its positive case count by 1 (no explanation was provided for the change).
There have been 39 deaths. The most recent death was reported on May 7 by Hastings Prince Edward Public Health.
Province-wide, there are 20,546 confirmed cases, an increase of 308 from yesterday, with 15,131 cases resolved, an increase of 359 from yesterday. There have been 1,669 deaths, an increase of 35 from yesterday. A total of 447,964 tests have been completed, an increase of 13,970 from yesterday, with 9,018 tests under investigation, a decrease of 5,798 from yesterday. A total of 1,027 people are hospitalized, an increase of 66 from yesterday, with an increase of 7 people in ICUs on ventilators.
This report is based on data supplied by the province’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS), as well as any additional information supplied by hospitals. 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: 73 (no change from May 10) Confirmed negative: Data currently unavailable* Results pending: Data currently unavailable* Deaths: 2 (no change from from May 10) Resolved: 62 (increase of 1 from May 10) Total tests completed: Over 4,800 (no change from May 10)* Institutional outbreaks: St. Joseph’s at Fleming (no change from May 10)**
*Peterborough Public Health and its partners are currently testing in long-term care homes and retirement homes. This is rapidly increasing the number of tests performed and causing a delay in the health unit’s ability to accurately report these figures. Current data will be provided as soon as possible.
**Number of cases not provided.
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: 158, including 137 in Kawartha Lakes, 14 in Northumberland, 7 in Haliburton (no change from May 10) Probable cases: 0 (no change from May 10) Hospitalizations: 11 (no change from May 10) Deaths: 32, including 28 in Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon (no change from May 10) Resolved: 128 (increase of 2 from May 10) Institutional outbreaks: Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon, Caressant Care Lindsay, Maplewood Nursing Home in Brighton (no change from May 10)*
*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: 42 (decrease of 1 from May 10) Probable cases: 185 (no change from May 10) Deaths: 5 (no change from May 10) Hospitalized: 1 (no change from May 10) Hospitalized and in ICU: 1 (no change from May 10) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 0 (no change from May 10) Recovered: 24 (increase of 2 from May 10) Total tests completed: 4,336 (increase of 341 from May 10) Institutional outbreaks: Hastings Manor in Belleville (no change from May 10)*
*Number of cases not reported.
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 20,546 (increase of 308 from May 10) Hospitalized: 1,027 (increase of 66 from May 10) Hospitalized and in ICU: 194 (decrease of 1 from May 10) Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 147 (increase of 7 from May 10) Deaths: 1,669 (increase of 35 from May 10) Total tests completed 447,964 (increase of 13,970 from May 10) Tests under investigation: 9,018 (decrease of 5,798 from May 10) Resolved: 15,131 (increase of 359 from May 10)
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario by public health unit, January 15 – May 10, 2020. (Graphic: Public Health Ontario)
Fleming College has campuses in Peterborough (pictured), Lindsay, Haliburton, and Cobourg. (Photo: Fleming College)
On Monday (May 11), Fleming College announced that its fall semester, which begins on Tuesday, September 8th, will not include face-to-face classes.
Instead, the fall semester for the college’s 6,800 full-time and 10,000 part-time students will begin with online classes and alternative course delivery until a transition to face-to-face classes can take place.
“Our fall semester will be delivered through alternate models as we prepare for multiple scenarios for our campuses and classrooms to create the utmost in safe learning environments,” says Fleming College president Maureen Adamson. “We will follow guidelines from public health and the province, and our delivery decisions will be focused on the health and safety of everyone in our community.”
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Fleming College — which has campuses in Peterborough, Lindsay, Cobourg, and Haliburton — says its “Fleming Safe” plan will ensure that students can complete the learning outcomes required in their programs while maintaining the highest possible safety standards in compliance with all government and public health directives.
“The plan allows flexibility to react to the loosening of health and safety restrictions by being ready to begin face-to-face applied learning responsibly and appropriately,” Adamson says.
“We do not anticipate that all health and safety restrictions will be lifted all at once — we are ready to respond swiftly to advance student success effectively given the circumstances that will present themselves.”
Fleming College says it will work with community partners to re-establish field placements, field trips, clinical placements, and other applied learning opportunities aligned with health and safety directives.
At the outset of COVID-19 pandemic, Fleming College established task teams to develop the response to the pandemic. The teams assigned to academic programming and facilities protocols are now assembling detailed plans for the return to classes in September.
Alongside planning for the return to class and access to campus facilities this fall, the college is also assessing how students will safely access residence, food services, and athletics.
The college will share decisions on these broader college services and programs in the near future.
“I want to thank our students for their patience,” Adamson says. “We are taking these steps to provide as much certainty as we can for students and their families at this point in time. In keeping with our guiding principle of ‘safety first’, we are dedicated to moving forward and mitigating any risk of recurrence.”
“I also want to thank our Fleming employees for their incredible resilience and dedication to our students and our communities.”
Not bags of cement: 20-kilogram bags of flour at No Frills in downtown Peterborough on May 7, 2020. According to Statistics Canada, sales of flour at Canadian grocery stores peaked at 200 per cent in March over the same time last year, reflecting the number of Canadians baking at home during the pandemic. Flour sales slowed in early April, but continue to exceed last year's sales by 81 per cent. (Photo: Bruce Head / kawarthaNOW.com)
Hand sanitizer, flour, alcohol, coffee filters, hair dye … and condoms.
These are some of the products that saw record increases in sales at Canadian grocery stores during March and early April, according to a new study released by Statistics Canada on Monday (May 11).
On the other hand, cut flowers, cosmetics, and hair styling and cutting supplies saw a drop in sales.
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Canadian Consumers Adapt to COVID-19: A Look at Canadian Grocery Sales up to April 11 is a follow-up study to Canadian Consumers Prepare for COVID-19, a similar study released by Statistics Canada in early April.
The April study had found a surge in grocery store sales in March, with the biggest increase in sales in hand sanitizers (up 792 per cent over the previous year) and masks and gloves (up 377 per cent). Personal cleaning products also saw a dramatic increase in sales, with facial tissues up 253 per cent, bathroom tissue up 241 per cent, personal wipes up 231 per cent, and paper towels up 187 per cent from 2019.
The April study also found that Canadians were busy stocking up their pantries in March with shelf-stable products, with sales of rice up 239 per cent over the same period in 2019, pasta up 205 per cent, canned vegetables up 180 per cent, flour up 179 per cent, and canned fish, meat, and seafood up 169 per cent.
52-week change in weekly sales of select grocery retailers. (Chart: Statistics Canada)
While staples such as eggs, butter, and bread also increased in the second week of March, along with fresh foods including potatoes and meat, sales for perishables increased by much less than dry and canned goods.
Statistic Canada’s most recent study finds that, by early April, the sales of many health and personal care items had slowed. While hand sanitizer sales were still high, they had dropped from 792 per cent over the previous year to 345 per cent.
Interestingly, while sales of cold remedies surged 226 per cent over the previous year in early March, by April their sales had returned to pre-pandemic levels. It’s possible Canadians initially scooped up cold remedies believing they would help with COVID-19.
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Sales for household paper products also slowed in the first weeks of April, although they still remained higher than last year — reflecting the number of Canadians sheltering at home. People are doing their “business” at home rather than at work and school.
By April 11th, sales of shelf-stable foods had returned closed to pre-pandemic levels, with one notable exception. Flour sales, which peaked at 200 per cent in March, continued to exceed last year’s sales at 81 per cent over the previous year.
Canadians busy with pandemic baking also purchased more butter and margarine (18 per cent more than last year), eggs (44 per cent more than last year), and milk (21 per cent more than last year) — although the increase in milk sales may have more to do with cereal sales, which are up 70 per cent over 2019.
In the week leading up to Easter, cut flowers and chocolate usually see rising sales. This year though, the sales of cut flower in grocery stores fell 47 per cent over last year, while chocolate sales only rose by one per cent.
52-week change in weekly sales of alcohol and coffee filters. (Chart: Statistics Canada)
With the closure of bars and restaurants, Canadians have been drinking more at home. In provinces where beer and wine are available from grocery stores, Canadians purchased alcohol for home consumption at levels notably higher than in 2019, peaking at an 80 per cent increase by the third week of March. By April 11th, alcohol sales in grocery stores were still at 68 per cent higher than last year.
Not surprisingly, with people out of work or working from home and with less access to coffee shops, the sales of coffee filter increased 68 per cent compared to the same period in 2019.
With the closure of hair salons, sales of hair colouring products had increased to 75 per cent over last year by April 11th. But, while people weren’t willing to let their hair go grey, they were willing to do without makeup. By the end of March, the sales of cosmetics had dropped by 44 per cent. Sales picked up a bit in April, but were still 33 per cent lower than the same time last year.
People were also willing to let their hair grow longer, but only to a point. Hair styling and cutting supplies fell by 35 per cent in March but, two weeks later, rose again by 17 per cent.
Finally, Canadians apparently were initially concerned about a pandemic baby boom. By the third week of March, sales of family planning products including condoms and contraceptives had risen to 41 per cent over the same time last year.
However, by the end of March and early April, sales dropped back to normal levels — perhaps because Canadians found themselves with more family planning products they could use despite the lockdown (or they were too busy baking).
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