Ontario education minister Stephen Lecce says he would support school boards that wish to stagger the beginning of the school year on September 8th.

Lecce’s comment at a media conference on Thursday afternoon (August 13) came hours after the Ontario Principals’ Council released a statement recommending all class sizes be limited and that the Ontario government delay the reopening of schools by an additional week, as well as stagger the first week of school.

The council, a voluntary professional association with 5,400 members, has four recommendations it believes will help ensure schools can reopen safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There are additional concerns that we believe the government needs to address immediately, to ensure that students, parents, staff and administrators feel comfortable returning to school,” the statement reads.

The council is recommending that:

• All elementary and secondary schools classes be limited to a size that ensures a minimum of two metres of physical distancing between students and staff, and that all kindergarten classes be limited to 15 students.
• The start of the 2020 school year be delayed for all students until September 14, to allow schools more time to prepare for reopening.
• Students be staggered back into schools over the course of the week of September 14-18, so that not all students return to schools at once. The council states this will allow both staff and students to adjust to the new situation.
• Resources be put in place to ensure any student or staff member who may have developed the virus be tested and receive their results back on an expedited basis.

The council’s complete statement is provided at the end of this story.

During his Thursday afternoon media conference at Queen’s Park, Lecce provided an update on Ontario’s back-to-school plan.

“Effective immediately I’m directing that boards will be able to invest nearly half a billion dollars in funding to support local priorities, with a focus on greater social distancing in class,” Lecce announced. “While many boards are already looking at utilizing other school community spaces, this funding will also support them further to do that if it is required.”

Lecce says the $496 million in funding will come from school boards’ reserve funds. The government will allow boards to access up to two per cent of their unspent contingency funding, for this year only, with the government providing up to $11 million in funding for the four boards that have no reserves.

School boards can use the reserve funds to support increased physical distancing among students by leasing additional space for classrooms, hiring additional teachers and staff, or both.

Lecce also announced $50 million in new one-time support for schools to upgrade their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to improve air flow and quality.

“This will give peace of mind that the air our children is breathing is safe,” Lecce said. “These upgrades can commence immediately.”

For students learning remotely, from kindergarten to grade 12, Lecce says the Ontario government is mandating up to 225 minutes of the standard 300-minute day (75 per cent) for live synchronous learning (video conferencing) with a teacher. The government will provide $18 million to help school boards to hire support staff to deliver the live synchronous learning.

While Lecce did not address the statement from the Ontario Principals’ Council, in response to questions from several reporters asking how schools would be able to make any necessary improvements as a result of Lecce’s announcement before September 8th, the minister said he would support boards that wish to stagger the beginning of the school year.

“If school boards are saying to me that a bit of a more cautious restart — a staggered restart, having lower numbers of students en masse enter school — and they’d rather do it through that approach, I’m going to support any concept to de-risk the circumstance for kids, and that seems reasonable and not outside the spirit of our plan, which is to get kids back to school the beginning of September,” Lecce said.

PDF: Statement by the Ontario Principals’ Council – Reopening of Schools
Statement by the Ontario Principals' Council - Reopening of Schools

Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region.

Ontario is reporting 78 new cases of COVID-19; however, this does not include cases from Toronto as those numbers are unavailable today. Hospitalizations have declined again and the number of ICU admissions and patients on ventilators remains the same.

In the greater Kawarthas region, Peterborough Public Health is reporting its 100th case of COVID-19. The health unit advises the infected person is in isolation and all close contacts have been traced. This is the only active case of COVID-19 in the Peterborough area.

Numbers are unavailable for Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, Haliburton, or Prince Edward and Hastings counties, as the respective health units for those areas only issue reports on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Since the pandemic began, there have been 100 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area (97 resolved with 2 deaths), 177 in the City of Kawartha Lakes (156 resolved with 32 deaths), 26 in Northumberland County (26 resolved with no deaths), 15 in Haliburton County (12 resolved with no deaths), and 44 in Hastings County and Prince Edward County (38 resolved with 5 deaths). The most recent death was reported on May 7 by Hastings Prince Edward Public Health.

Province-wide, there have been 40,367 confirmed cases, an increase of 78 from yesterday’s report (this excludes Toronto cases as those numbers are unavailable today). Of confirmed cases, 36,689 (90.9% of all cases) are resolved, an increase of 99. There have been 2,787 deaths (no change from yesterday), with 1,800 deaths reported in long-term care homes (no change from yesterday). A total of 2,498,266 tests have been completed, an increase of 29,626 from yesterday, with 29,049 tests under investigation, an increase of 6,995.

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 health units. This information is at least 24 hours old, so it is not real-time data. 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: 100 (increase of 1)
Active cases: 1 (increase of 1)
Deaths: 2 (no change)
Resolved: 97 (no change)
Total tests completed: Over 22,900 (increase of 200)
Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)

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.

The health unit provides reports on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, excluding statutory holidays. These numbers are from August 12.

Confirmed positive: 218, including 177 in Kawartha Lakes, 26 in Northumberland, 15 in Haliburton (no change)
Probable cases: 1 (no change)
Hospitalizations (total to date): 14 (no change)
Deaths: 32 (no change)
Resolved: 194, including 156 in Kawartha Lakes, 26 in Northumberland, 12 in Haliburton (increase of 1, in Northumberland)
Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health

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

The health unit provides reports on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, excluding statutory holidays. These numbers are from August 12.

Confirmed positive: 44 (no change)
Deaths: 5 (no change)
Hospitalized: 0 (no change)
Hospitalized and in ICU: 0 (no change)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 0 (no change)
Recovered: 38 (no change)
Total tests completed: 19,479 (increase of 189)
Institutional outbreaks: None (no change)

Province of Ontario

Confirmed positive: 40,367 (increase of 78)*
Resolved: 36,689 (increase of 99, 90.9% of all cases)
Hospitalized: 43 (decrease of 7)
Hospitalized and in ICU: 20 (no change)
Hospitalized and in ICU on ventilator: 10 (no change)
Deaths: 2,787 (no change)
Deaths of residents in long-term care homes: 1,800 (no change)
Total tests completed: 2,498,266 (increase of 29,626)
Tests under investigation: 29,049 (increase of 6,995)

*As updated data from the Toronto Public Health CORES system is not available, this is an underestimation of the daily case count.

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

Municipalities in the greater Kawarthas region are receiving more than $28 million in COVID-19 emergency funding from the Ontario and Canadian governments, including over $3.9 million to support public transit.

The funding amounts were announced on Wednesday (August 12) at Queen’s Park by Premier Doug Ford along with finance minister Rod Phillips, associate transportation minister Kinga Surma, and Jim McDonnell, parliamentary assistant to the municipal affairs and housing minister.

The funding is part of the provincial and federal joint commitment to provide up to $4 billion in urgently needed one-time assistance to Ontario’s 444 municipalities.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have had the backs of our municipalities, which is why we are announcing up to $1.6 billion in critical funding today to help strengthen our communities and safely restart our economy,” Ford said. “This first round of funding will address the most urgent needs of our communities, ensuring critical services like transit and shelters are there when people need them most.”

In the greater Kawarthas region, the City of Peterborough will receive the most funding at just over $8 million, which includes almost $3.6 million for public transit.

The City of Kawartha Lakes — which includes all communities in the city — will receive over $4.9 million in funding, which includes almost $109,000 for public transit.

The counties of Northumberland, Peterborough, Hastings, and Haliburton will each respectively receive over $2.4 million, $2.2 million, $1.4 million, and $1.4 million.

Through its Safe Restart Agreement with the federal government, Ontario is providing $695 million through this first round of emergency funding to help Ontario’s 444 municipalities address operating pressures related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and over $660 million to support public transit systems.

The transit funding can be used to provide immediate relief from transit pressures, such as lower ridership, as well as for new costs due to COVID-19, such as enhanced cleaning and masks for staff.

The province is also providing an additional $212 million through the Social Services Relief Fund to help vulnerable people find shelter.

The funding is allocated on a per household basis and is equally shared between upper and lower-tier municipalities. In the second round of funding, up to $695 million will be available to eligible municipalities after they have provided the province with information on their estimated COVID-19 related financial pressures.

Here’s the breakdown of the funding for municipalities in the greater Kawarthas region:

Peterborough City and County

City of Peterborough – $8,002,182 (includes $3,578,682 for transit)
Peterborough County – $2,219,037 (includes $15,437 for transit)
Township of Selwyn – $527,700
Municipality of Trent Lakes – $420,200
Township of Havelock–Belmont–Methuen – $264,500
Township of North Kawartha – $238,700
Township of Douro–Dummer – $221,600
Township of Cavan Monaghan – $217,100
Township of Otonabee–South Monaghan – $194,800
Township of Asphodel-Norwood – $119,000

City of Kawartha Lakes

City of Kawartha Lakes (includes all communities) – $4,943,793 (includes $108,793 for transit)

Northumberland County

Northumberland County – $2,472,900
Town of Cobourg – $669,580 (includes $97,780 for transit)
Municipality of Port Hope – $506,207 (includes $54,807 for transit)
Municipality of Trent Hills – $458,036 (includes $17,436 for transit)
Municipality of Brighton – $326,600
Township of Hamilton – $300,200
Township of Alnwick/Haldimand – $207,600
Township of Cramahe – $191,522 (includes $16,922 for transit)

Haliburton County

Haliburton County – $1,435,300
Municipality of Dysart et al – $489,693 (incldues $14,293 for transit)
Township of Minden Hills – $402,200
Municipality of Highlands East – $281,700
Township of Algonquin Highlands – $275,900

Hastings County

Hastings County – $1,485,400
Municipality of Hastings Highlands – $236,600
Municipality of Tweed – $195,800
Municipality of Marmora and Lake – $182,787 (incldues $17,587 for transit)
Town of Bancroft – $147,523 (incldues $22,523 for transit)
Municipality of Centre Hastings – $143,400
Township of Stirling-Rawdon – $128,000
Township of Tyendinaga – $100,500
Township of Faraday – $85,100
Township of Wollaston – $66,400
Township of Madoc – $58,700
Township of Tudor and Cashel – $51,700
Town of Deseronto – $71,353 (incldues $21,753 for transit)
Township of Carlow/Mayo – $43,000
Township of Limerick – $36,300

With the first day of school during the COVID-19 pandemic fast approaching, many parents continue to have concerns about the safety of their children — not only while at school but while getting there.

School bus drivers also have concerns about their own safety. According to the Bus Carriers Federation, the average age of school bus drivers is 55 years old, putting them at increased risk of hospitalization if they contract COVID-19.

The concerns have been heightened as the Ontario government, in its guide to reopening Ontario’s schools, states that school boards “may be required to increase the utilization of buses beyond one student per seat and operate closer to capacity”. The government also states that, while face masks are mandatory on school buses for students in Grades 4 to 12, they are optional for students in Kindergarten to Grade 3.

On Tuesday (August 11), the Student Transportation Services of Central Ontario (STSCO) — which serves the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, the Peterborough Northumberland Victoria and Clarington School Board, and the MonAvenir Catholic School Board — released a set of COVID-19 student transportation guidelines for parents.

The Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) — which provides transportation for students in the City of Kawartha Lakes, County of Haliburton, and District of Muskoka — is in the process of updating its return-to-school plan. The board has asked parents to re-register their children for in-school or at-home remote learning for September and to indicate whether their child, if eligible, will be taking bus transportation to and from school. Re-registration closes on Thursday (August 13).

Once TLDSB has received numbers it will be update its return-to-school plan, which will include information about transportation safety protocols. TLDSB says families will receive information about how to access the return-to-school plan before the start of the school year.

STSCO, which provides transportation for over 26,000 elementary and secondary school students at 120 schools using more than 750 vehicles, developed its pandemic guidelines according to Ontario government and public health recommendations.

The STSCO guidelines cover cleaning of vehicles, non-medical face coverings for students, physical distancing at bus stops, screening of students, loading of students, seating plans, allowed items on a school bus, emergency situations, and special needs transportation. The guidelines are summarized below:

Cleaning of Vehicles

All high-touch surfaces on school buses will be cleaned with a disinfectant prior to the start of each bus run, including seat cushions, the top of seats, handrail, seatbelts, and driver controls.

The type of disinfectant used will be in accordance with public health recommendations.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

STSCO recommends students wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds (or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer) before and after each trip on the bus.

Parents are asked to supply children in Grade 4 and above with a non-medical face covering.

A supply of masks will be available on each bus for students who do not have one, or for a parent who needs to to board the bus to help with a seatbelt.

Bus Stops

STSCO recommends students and their parents maintain a two-metre distance from others while waiting at a bus stop.

Students must follow the direction of the driver when boarding the bus.

Students who have symptoms associated with COVID-19 or think they have been exposed to COVID-19 will not be allowed to take transportation. Parents must screen their child for any symptoms prior to sending them to board the bus.

If a student at a bus stop is displaying symptoms such as coughing, fever, or other obvious signs of an illness, they will not be allowed to board the bus.

If the child’s parent or guardian is at the bus stop, the bus driver will advise them the child cannot board the bus. If there is no parent or guardian with the child, the driver will contact dispatch to advise the family that the child cannot be transported.

If a child exhibits symptoms of illness before boarding a bus after school, they will also not be allowed to board the bus.

Loading of Students

The number of students allowed on a bus will be limited to one family per bench seat, with a maximum of three children from the same family on the same seat. Students from single-child families, or students from the same household who are not related, will be grouped together where possible.

Students must follow the bus driver’s instructions and sit in the seat assigned to them. Students will not be allowed to change seats at any time during the bus trip.

All students will load from the back of the bus to the front of the bus when being picked up, and vice versa when being dropped off. This will limit close contact between students on the bus.

STSCO encourages students to walk to their bus seat without touching other seats.

Seating Plans

Seat assignments for students will be mandatory and must be followed by the bus driver and enforced by the school principal.

The front two seats will remain empty and be used for emergency purposes only where possible.

Bus drivers will maintain a daily log of which students rode the bus for any trip for contact-tracing purposes.

Items on a Vehicle

Students will not be allowed to bring large items on the bus that would not ordinarily fit inside a knapsack.

There will be no waste containers on the bus.

As always, food or drink is not permitted on a school bus.

Emergency Situations

In an emergency situation where a student on the bus requires assistance, the bus driver will radio dispatch for clear direction.

If a student requires immediate attention, the bus driver will park the vehicle in a safe location and turn the vehicle off, be certain to keep their PPE on, and attend to the student, calling 911 if necessary.

In the case of major issues such as vomiting, bleeding, or showing symptoms of COVID-19, the bus driver will pull over and inform radio dispatch to send another bus. The parent or guardian of the student will be instructed to meet the bus to pick up the student in question.

If the bus driver must provide immediate assistance to the student, the driver will wear additional PPE such as eye protection, face shields, and gloves. The bus will then be returned to the bus yard for thorough cleaning prior to being put back into service.

Special Needs Transportation

In situations where parents, guardians, or school staff need to board a bus to assist with the student’s seat belt, harness, or car seat, they must wear a mask and eye protection (shield) when boarding the vehicle.

Upon boarding the vehicle, prior to touching anything, they must sanitize their hands (hand sanitizer will be available on the bus).

The bus driver will remind them to not touch anything on the bus except the student’s seat belt, harness, or car seat.

This story has been updated with information provided by the Trillium Lakelands District School Board about its return-to-school plan, including student transportation safety protocols.

Peterborough police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating missing person 31-year-old Heather Luxton.

She was last seen at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Monday (August 10) in the area of King and Aylmer Streets in downtown Peterborough.

Luxton is described as a Caucasian female, 5’3″ tall and 115 lbs, with auburn hair. She was last seen wearing a blue dress with a white design and Birkenstock sandals, with her hair in a bun.

Ayone with information is asked to call the Peterborough Police Service at 705-876-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or online at stopcrimehere.ca.

The Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) has a new mission to further improve internet access in rural Ontario, this time by proposing a $1.6 billion private-public partnership that would deliver ultra-fast gigabit internet to homes and business in the region.

EORN, a non-profit organization created by the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC), works with governments and community organizations to improve and leverage broadband access to fuel economic development and growth.

The latest EORN proposal was prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has highlighted the crisis in rural internet access for businesses, student learning, and health care and government services.

In a media release, EORN says an internet speed of one gigabit per second (“gig”) would provide seamless and reliable connectivity to meet growing demand and would also support the real-time data sharing needed for smart technologies.

“This would be a game-changer for eastern Ontario to attract and retain businesses and residents and to compete globally over the long term,” says EOWC chair Andy Letham.

The EORN Gig project would serve a geographic area that, in the greater Kawarthas region, includes the City of Kawartha Lakes and the counties of Peterborough, Northumberland, Haliburton, and Hastings, as well as eight other counties in eastern Ontario.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has declared 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload internet speeds as a minimum basic service level. Currently about 63 per cent of homes and businesses in eastern Ontario have access to 50/10 Mbps service.

Without additional public investment, EORN states, it is unlikely that parts of eastern Ontario would reach these service levels before 2030. EORN estimates it would cost between $500 million and $700 million to provide 95 per cent of eastern Ontario with 50/10 Mbps service, and $1.2 billion to $1.6 billion to provide gig service instead.

“Demand for broadband is growing exponentially,” says EORN chair J. Murray Jones. “Half-measures and baby steps won’t get us there. We need a long-term solution. The EORN Gig Project is a lasting investment in our prosperity.”

EORN is seeking to fund the project through a combination of funding from the federal and provincial governments, loans from the Canada Infrastructure Bank, and the private sector. As gig service generally involves a fibre optic or cable connection, EORN is looking to improve the region’s internet infrastructure with a fibre optic backbone.

“Asking rural customers to settle for the minimum level of service when urban residents and businesses currently enjoy far greater speeds is just not acceptable,” Jones adds. “Our residents and businesses need to be on the same playing field as those in towns and cities.”

Among others, the EORN Gig project is supported by Fleming College, Loyalist College, Northumberland Hills Hospital, and the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations.

From 2010 to 2014, EORN helped to improve broadband access to nearly 90 per cent of eastern Ontario — providing 423,000 homes and businesses with access to internet services providing up to 10 Mbps download — through a $175 million public-private partnership.

EORN is currently working on a $213 million project, funded by public and private sector partners, to improve and expand cellular services across the region. Building on that project is expected to begin in early 2021.

For more information on the EORN Gig project, visit eorn.ca/en/projects/broadband-phase-2.aspx.