The Ontario government has announced it is extending all emergency orders made under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act until Tuesday, May 19th.

The announcement was included in a media release issued on Wednesday morning (May 6) that the Province is extending emergency electricity rate relief to families, farms, and small businesses until Sunday, May 31st.

Customers who pay time-of-use electricity rates will continue to be billed at the lowest price, known as the off-peak price, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The electricity rate relief, initially provided for a 45-day period starting on March 24th, has been extended by an emergency order and is intended to be in place for an additional 24 days.

On April 23rd, the government announced it would be extending emergency orders until Wednesday, May 6th. Although the state of emergency has already been extended until May 12th, the provisions of the legislation only allow the extension of emergency orders in 14-day increments.

The government statesit is extending the emergency orders on the advice of Ontario’s chief medical officer of health.

Here is the complete list of emergency orders that have been extended until May 19th:

• Closure of Establishments
• Prohibiting Organized Public Events, Certain Gatherings
• Work Deployment Measures for Health Care Workers
• Drinking Water Systems and Sewage Works
• Electronic Service
• Work Deployment Measures in Long-Term Care Homes
• Electricity Price for RPP Consumers
• Closure of Places of Non-Essential Businesses
• Traffic Management
• Streamlining Requirements for Long-Term Care Homes
• Prohibition on Certain Persons Charging Unconscionable Prices for Sales of Necessary Good
• Closure of Outdoor Recreational Amenities
• Enforcement of Orders
• Work Deployment Measures for Boards of Health
• Work Deployment Measures in Retirement Homes
• Access to COVID-19 Status Information by Specified Persons
• Service Agencies Providing Services and Supports to Adults with Developmental Disabilities
• Pickup and Delivery of Cannabis
• Signatures in Wills and Powers of Attorney
• Use of Force and Firearms in Policing Services
• Child Care Fees
• Agreements Between Health Service Providers and Retirement Homes
• Temporary Health or Residential Facilities
• Closure of Public Lands for Recreational Camping
• Work Deployment Measures for Service Agencies Providing Violence Against Women Residential Services and Crisis Line Services
• Limiting Work to a Single Long-Term Care Home
• Work Deployment Measures for District Social Services Administration Boards
• Deployment of Employees of Service Provider Organizations
• Work Deployment Measures for Municipalities
• Limiting Work to a Single Retirement Home
• Work Deployment Measures for Mental Health and Addictions Agencies
• Congregate Care Settings
• Access to Personal Health Information by Means of the Electronic Health Record
• Global Adjustment for Market Participants and Consumers
• Certain Persons Enabled to Issue Medical Certificates of Death
• Hospital Credentialing Processes

kawarthaNOW is providing a daily report of COVID-19 cases in the greater Kawarthas region.

Here’s today summary: there are now 68 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area, 138 in the City of Kawartha Lakes, 13 in Northumberland County, 7 in Haliburton County, and 43 in Hastings County and Prince Edward County.

That’s a net decrease of 5 cases from yesterday’s report, with 1 case in Peterborough and 4 cases in Kawartha Lakes removed due to false positive test results. An outbreak declared at Adelaide Place Retirement Community in Lindsay on May 1 has been lifted, as the test for the single resident who had tested positive for COVID-19 was a false positive due to a lab error.

There have been 38 deaths, with the most recent death reported on April 30 by Hastings Prince Edward Public Health.

Province-wide, there are 18,310 confirmed cases, an increase of 387 from yesterday’s report, with 12,779 cases resolved, an increase of 274 from yesterday’s report. There have been 1,361 deaths, an increase of 61 from yesterday’s report. A total of 352,714 tests have been completed, an increase of 10,654 from yesterday’s report, with 6,023 tests under investigation.

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

Peterborough Public Health’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.

Confirmed positive: 68 (decrease of 1 from May 4)*
Confirmed negative: 2,798 (as of April 28)**
Results pending: 829 (as of April 28)**
Deaths: 2 (no change from from May 4)
Resolved: 48 (increase of 1 from May 4)
Total tests completed: 3,713 (as of April 28)**
Institutional Outbreaks: St. Joseph’s at Fleming, Extendicare Lakefield, Peterborough Retirement Residence (no change from May 4)***

*The total number of positive cases may no longer be accurate. On May 4, the health unit advised that 22 positive cases reported between April 22 and 29 may be false positives due to a technical error at an Ottawa laboratory.

**Due to increased testing in long-term care facilities, there is a delay in reporting these numbers.

***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: 158, including 138 in Kawartha Lakes, 13 in Northumberland, 7 in Haliburton (decrease of 4 from May 4)*
Hospitalizations: 10 (no change from May 4)
Deaths: 32, including 28 in Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon (no change from May 4)
Resolved: 123 (no change from May 4)
Institutional Outbreaks: Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon, Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay, Case Manor in Bobcaygeon (decrease of 1 from May 4) **

*A laboratory decision was made to reject all COVID-19 positive test results performed over the weekend of Apr 25-26. After re-swabbing and re-testing, 5 cases previously reported confirmed cases have been removed as re-testing has indicated negative results for COVID-19.

**An outbreak declared at Adelaide Place Retirement Community in Lindsay on May 1 has been lifted, as the test for the single resident who had tested positive for COVID-19 was a false positive due to a lab error.

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.

Confirmed positive: 43 (no change from May 4)
Probable cases: 192 (decrease of 3 from May 4)
Deaths: 4 (no change from May 4)
Hospitalized: 1 (no change from May 4)
Hospitalized and in ICU: 1 (no change from May 4)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 0 (no change from May 4)
Recovered: 20 (no change from May 4)
Total tests completed: 3,438 (increase of 236 from May 4)
Institutional Outbreaks: Hastings Manor in Belleville, Moira Place in Tweed (no change from May 4)*

*Number of cases not reported.

Province of Ontario

Confirmed positive: 18,310 (increase of 387 from May 4)
Hospitalized: 1,043 (increase of 59 from May 4)
Hospitalized and in ICU: 223 (decrease of 2 from May 4)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 166 (increase of 9 from May 4)
Deaths: 1,361 (increase of 61 from May 4)
Total tests completed 352,714 (increase of 10,654 from May 4)
Tests under investigation: 6,023 (decrease of 242 from May 4)
Resolved: 12,779 (increase of 274 from May 4)

For more information about COVID-19 in Ontario, visit covid-19.ontario.ca.

This story has been updated with results from Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit that were released at 9 p.m. on May 5.

Premier Doug Ford says that Ontario will not issue an emergency order banning people from visiting their cottages during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ford made the comments at a media briefing on Tuesday afternoon (May 5) when responding to questions from reporters about cottagers preparing for the Victoria Day long weekend.

“There’s no order on the table right now and there won’t be,” Ford said. “People are cooperating, so we have to give a little bit of leniency. If you put down the hammer, and say you just aren’t coming, people aren’t going to listen.”

Mayors of some rural communities have expressed concerns that a sudden influx of seasonal residents could strain local resources, including health care services and businesses supplying food and other essentials to year-round residents.

Some mayors and public health officials also worry that cottage owners who normally reside in Toronto and the GTA — areas with the highest COVID-19 infection rates in the province — will potentially infect local residents and place further stress on local hospitals.

Ford will be speaking with the mayors of cottage country on Wednesday (May 6) to discuss the issue of people visiting their secondary residences on the Victoria Day weekend.

“I want to make sure we’ve got collaboration from all the communities, all the mayors. Be prepared, people are coming up on May the 24th. But in saying that, I truly believe that people are going to bring their own supplies, they’re going to bring their own food, they’re going to stay at their cottage. People won’t be going to go into town as much as a typical May 24th weekend.”

Ford said that the spread of COVID-19 has been slowing in Ontario and that “on May the 24th, three weeks down the road, hopefully the numbers will be down.” The Victoria Day weekend is actually in less than two weeks; it’s colloquially called the May 24 weekend, but the federal holiday is always celebrated on the last Monday preceding May 25th, which in 2020 is Monday, May 18th.

“It’s going to be hard to hold back people going back to their cottages,” Ford said. “I’m getting calls about ‘Why should I pay my taxes if I’m not allowed to go up to my cottage?” I understand it, but I just want to make sure that when that time comes — if it does come, and hopefully it will — that people bring up their own supplies and they don’t go into town — even though when I spoke to one of the mayors, he said it’s not an issue right now, it’s not an issue with hospitals, with food in the stores.”

Ford also noted that businesses in cottage country rely on cottagers to keep their businesses open.

The Premier was unaware that Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, the medical officer of the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit, had issued an order on April 23rd under Ontario’s Health Protection and Promotion Act (HPPA) prohibiting owners of secondary residences from visiting their properties in Haldimand and Norfolk counties.

That region of the province includes towns and villages along Lake Erie, such as Port Dover, Turkey Point, and Long Point. People who breach the order could face fines of up to $5,000 per day.

“This is the first time I’ve heard of this,” Ford said when a reporter asked about the order. “How can you predict three weeks down the road? We’re doing pretty good. Then how do you tell people that are paying taxes, that are paying the bills for the vast majority of people there, to stay home? Do you have enough by-law officers, enough police, to enforce this? The answer is no.”

Last weekend, in response to the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit order, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams issued a memo to local medical officers of health across the province advising against the issuance of such orders.

“After consultation with the Public Health Measures Table chaired by Dr. David McKeown, Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health, my current recommendation is to not prohibit access to secondary residences through legal order, but to continue to provide communications that discourage their use,” Williams wrote. “I similarly recommend that medical officers of health do not issue Section 22 class orders under the HPPA prohibiting access to these residences.”

At the media briefing, a reporter asked Ford whether people who don’t own cottages will also be able to enjoy the Victoria Day long weekend by visiting local parks or playgrounds.

“Yes, you will be,” Ford replied. “It’s not fair, and we’ll have some good announcements moving forward this week.”

Memo from Chief Medical Officer of Health: Advice on the Access to Secondary Residences

Section 22 Order from Haldimand-Norfolk Medical Officer of Health

Miskin Law plans to take a Ottawa testing laboratory and a COVID-19 test manufacturer to court for a series of false positive COVID-19 test results.

According to a media release from the Peterborough-based law firm issued on Tuesday (May 5), false positive test results of staff members and residents at Case Manor Care Community, a long-term care facility in Bobcaygeon, “created distress and severe hardship for people living at Case Manor and those who care for them.”

According to the media release, Miskin Law says samples from staff and residents taken in late April were sent to Bio-Test Laboratories in Ottawa. Miskin Law also claims the tests were provided by Spartan Bioscience, also of Ottawa.

The results showed eight positive COVID-19 cases among 13 people tested. On Friday (May 1), Bio-Test Laboratories advised the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (HKRP) District Health Unit that 13 of the lab’s positive COVID-19 test results were affected by a technical error that may have resulted in false positives.

On Sunday (May 3), Health Canada announced it was restricting the use of a rapid COVID-19 test created by Spartan Bioscience after the National Microbiology Lab (NML) found reliability issues with the test.

Responding to the original version of this story, Spartan Bioscience director of communications Molly Kett writes in an email to kawarthaNOW that the NML found that issues with Spartan’s proprietary swab led to false negatives and not false positives.

Kett also disputes the claim by Miskin Law that Spartan Bioscience tests were used by Bio-Test Laboratories.

“There is no indication that Bio-Test Laboratories received Spartan’s test, and Bio-Test is not a Spartan customer,” Kett writes.

Miskin Law states it has been retained on behalf of the people involved and will be proceeding in the Ontario Court with a class action lawsuit to be issued online for the Superior Court in Peterborough against the lab and test manufacturer.

“The Bobcaygeon community has already been devastated by COVID-19,” says Murray Miskin, senior lawyer and managing director of Miskin Law. “To have false positive test results at Case Manor has made people terrified and they have suffered genuine financial losses in addition to emotional harm.”

Miskin Law states the claim is on behalf of staff and their close friends and family members who have had to stop work and go into isolation, and also for residents and their families.

“Miskin Law is hoping to also work in co-operation with Sienna Senior Living, the owner of the facility, to recover its financial losses resulting from the incorrect testing,” states the media release.

Based in Peterborough with offices in Lindsay and Whitby, Miskin Law is the leading Canadian law firm for asbestos injury compensation and is involved in numerous prescription drug and other injury class actions in addition to local and national personal injury litigation.

This story has been updated with a response from Spartan Bioscience regarding the allegations made by Miskin Law.

The Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation announced on Tuesday (May 5) that donations to the organization’s COVID-19 response fund will now be matched up to $190,000, thanks to additional contributions from businesses and community leaders.

Local philanthropists David and Patricia Morton got the ball rolling in April when they helped donors double the impact of their donations to the fund by providing a matching gift of up to $50,000.

“More community leaders and businesses have come forward to join the Mortons with the hopes of inspiring others to stand behind our front-line health care workers as they respond to the COVID-19 crisis,” says PRHC Foundation president and CEO Lesley Heighway. “The additional $140,000 in committed funds brings our matching gift total to an incredible $190,000.”

Heighway says that the new donations were inspired by the dedication of PRHC’s health care professionals, the Mortons’ generosity, and the community’s “incredible response” to the crisis.

The additional $140,000 in matching funds were donated by Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers, The Staffing Connection/Level A Professional Group, and the combined support of other anonymous community leaders, Heighway says.

Donations to the PRHC Foundation’s COVID-19 response fund are supporting the hospital’s most urgent pandemic-related priorities. Heighway says gifts made to date are already helping protect front-line workers, prevent the spread of infection, and support vulnerable patients and their families.

“Thanks to the community’s generosity, the foundation was able to immediately fund a crucial supply of additional scrubs for staff and physicians, as well as new plexiglass screening stations now installed throughout the hospital,” Heighway explains.

“We were also able to support PRHC’s new virtual visiting program by funding new iPads and supportive equipment, making it possible for palliative patients to connect with family members and friends who are unable to visit them due to the current restrictions.”

Heighway adds that, while PRHC’s front-line workers and leaders have been preparing to respond to COVID-19 for months, an urgent need still exists for the technology and supplies required to equip, support, and maintain the “extraordinary changes” undertaken at PRHC in a short period of time.

“We’d like to thank the Mortons, Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers, The Staffing Connection/Level A Professional Group, our anonymous donors, and everyone who has already donated to the COVID-19 response fund,” she says. “Your generosity is ensuring PRHC’s doctors, nurses and health care support workers can continue to save patients’ lives while protecting their own.”

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.

Construction on the new Scotts Mills Dam at Lock 19 on the Trent-Severn Waterway is set to resume shortly — as early as this week, according to a media release from Parks Canada.

The good news for Peterborough residents where the dam is located, south of Lansdowne Street where it crosses the Otonabee River, is that pile driving won’t resume until June.

The loud pounding of the pile driving, which could be heard from kilometres away, was a regular feature of the construction before it was temporarily halted to accommodate heavy water flows associated with the spring melt, as well as in-water work restrictions outlined by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Construction will be resuming on the first two sluices and completion of the secant retaining wall on the eastern shoreline. Demolition and excavation are almost complete, with construction of the pier, base slab, and stilling basin to follow.

Local residents can expect additional construction noise when construction resumes, especially in June when pile driving resumes.

According to Parks Canada, the new dam will respect the historic look of the site and will have a life expectancy of more than 80 years.

It will optimize hydraulic capacity, increase the safety of water management operations, and be constructed in a way that allows improved access for maintenance activities.

In addition, the project will be the first step in creating a more public-friendly lock site. Once restored, the dam will include pedestrian access onto the dam itself.

This story has been corrected to indicate that the temporary break in construction was previously planned and was unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic.

All three public health units in the greater Kawarthas region have now released guidelines and instructions for the safe operation of community gardens in their respective areas.

On April 25th, the Ontario government announced that emergency orders under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act will be amended to permit the use of allotment gardens and community gardens across the province. The gardens, which are a source of fresh food for people including those who face food insecurity, were previously not considered an essential service.

With the growing season approaching, many advocates for food security and community gardens had raised concerns that the gardens were forced to remain closed under Ontario’s state of emergency.

The province also announced that local medical officers of health would be providing advice, recommendation, and instructions that the gardens must meet to operate, such as physical distancing, and cleaning and disinfecting commonly used equipment and surfaces.

The guidelines recently released by Peterborough Public Health, Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit, and Hastings Prince Edward Public Health share some common instructions, including maintaining physical distancing of at least two metres (six feet) between gardeners, providing a hand-washing or hand sanitizer station at the garden with instructional signage, avoiding the sharing of tools between gardeners, and regularly disinfecting tools and high-touch surfaces.

Other instructions vary, but frequent ones include avoiding the community garden if you feel sick, prohibiting public guests in the garden (members, staff, and volunteers only), limiting the number of people in the garden at any one time to five, bringing children to the garden only on an as-needed basis, prohibiting pets (except for service animals), limiting the amount of time spent in the garden, and prohibiting social gatherings, workshops, and similar group events.

Detailed guidelines and instructions are available from each health unit’s website:

• Peterborough Public Health – Recommendations and Instructions for Safe Community Gardening and COVID-19 Prevention
• Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit – Community Gardens and COVID-19
• Hastings Prince Edward Public Health – COVID-19 Safe Operating Requirements for Community Gardens

All 20 staff members of Hospice Peterborough have tested negative for COVID-19, including the facility’s medical director Dr. John Beamish, according to a media release issued by the facility on Tuesday (May 5).

Last Tuesday (April 29), the palliative care facility revealed that a resident with cancer had tested positive with COVID-19.

The resident showed no symptoms of COVID-19 and the positive test result is now believed to have been one of the false positive results resulting from a technical error at Bio-Test Laboratories in Ottawa.

Hospice Peterborough continues to accept new admissions to the palliative residence and will continue to screen residents, essential visitors, and staff to its London St. location.

In accordance with Hospice Peterborough’s COVID-19 outbreak management plan, the building has undergone deep cleaning and disinfecting.

To minimize the risk of community transmissions and for the safety of residents, their families, clients, volunteers, and staff, Hospice Peterborough made the decision in early March to restrict entry to its London Street location to essential resident visitors and staff only.