In a video taken by staff of Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon, health care workers at the home applaud as 91-year-old resident Lorraine Button goes for a walk on April 17, 2020 for the first time since the deadly outbreak of COVID-19 in the home, which has claimed the lives of 29 residents. (Screenshot)
A resident of Pinecrest Nursing Home ventured outside today for the first time since the outbreak of COVID-19 at the Bobcaygeon long-term care facility.
The home’s administrator Mary Carr shared the video taken by staff on Friday (April 17) of 91-year-old resident Lorraine Button.
“Lorraine loves to be outdoors and goes on walks around the community daily, so this breath of fresh air tastes especially sweet today,” Carr writes. “This video captures the first walk of its kind in weeks and the staff are clearly thrilled to share this moment with her.”
VIDEO: Pinecrest resident goes for a walk for the first time since COVID-19 outbreak
Carr says that, with the support of the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit, residents who had previously tested positive but have been healthy for at least 14 days are able to reintroduce exercise into their daily routine.
“Lorraine first tested positive on April 1st, but is seen here doing well and ready to resume her walks,” Carr writes.
A deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the home has claimed the lives of 29 residents, but the last death of a Pinecrest resident occurred on Thursday, April 9th. Many of the residents who had previously been ill or tested positive for COVID-19 are now doing much better, according to Carr.
This man is wanted by the Kawartha Lakes Police Service in connection with in a stolen vehicle investigation in Lindsay. He was on video surveillance at a gas station in Cobourg on March 31, 2020, where he stole gasoline. (Police-supplied photo)
The Kawartha Lakes Police Service is asking for the public’s help in identifying a suspect in a stolen vehicle investigation in Lindsay. The man is also wanted for stealing gas in Cobourg.
On March 21, 2020, a vehicle was reported stolen from a parking lot in Lindsay.
Ten days later (March 31), photographs of the vehicle and a male suspect were captured on video surveillance at a gas station in Cobourg, where the suspect stole gasoline.
This man is wanted by the Kawartha Lakes Police Service in connection with in a stolen vehicle investigation in Lindsay. He was on video surveillance at a gas station in Cobourg on March 31, 2020, where he stole gasoline. (Police-supplied photos)
The stolen vehicle was recovered by police last Tuesday (April 7) near Smiths Falls, where it was found abandoned in a ditch on Roger Stevens Drive.
Kawartha Lakes police is asking anyone who may have information about this incident to call them at 705-324-5252.
If you wish to provide information anonymously, you can do so through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at www.kh.crimestoppersweb.com.
Healthcare workers at Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon wave as passing cars honk support on April 1, 2020. (Photo: Fred Thornhill / The Canadian Press)
After more than a week with no resident passing away from COVID-19, the administrator of Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon believes the home has “turned a corner.”
“Many of our residents who had previously been ill or tested positive for COVID are now doing much better,” Mary Carr writes in an update to the community on Friday (April 17).
The last death of a Pinecrest resident occurred on Thursday, April 9th. A total of 29 people living at the home have succumbed to COVID-19, devastating their families as well as workers at the home and the entire Bobcaygeon community.
Carr says the home will begin testing residents again for COVID-19 next week and will also begin taking healthy residents for walks on Friday, in accordance with protocols from public health officials.
“This is positive news after a very challenging time,” Carr writes. “We’re not out of the woods yet, but these are very encouraging signs.”
Carr says she will issue no updates over the weekend unless there is new information to report.
The midway at the Cobourg Waterfront Festival, which was scheduled to take place from July 1 to 4, 2020. The festival has been cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with all other activities related to Canada Day, including the annual parade and fireworks display. (Photo: Experience Cobourg / experiencecobourg.ca)
There will be no municipal Canada Day celebrations in the Town of Cobourg this year.
As its virtual meeting on Tuesday (April 14), municipal council passed a motion to cancel all activities related to Canada Day, including the annual parade and fireworks display, in response to continuing efforts to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and support physical distancing.
In early April, the Town of Cobourg in partnership with the Rotary Club of Cobourg and Lions Club of Cobourg announced the cancellation of this year’s Cobourg Waterfront Festival, originally scheduled for Wednesday, July 1st to Saturday, July 4th.
“Although Canada Day will not feel the same in Cobourg as it has for the last few decades, we are encouraging all residents to continue to celebrate the nation’s birthday, while following physical distancing guidelines and procedures,” says Mayor John Henderson.
“We are always inspired by the creative and innovative ways our community continues to support and encourage each other through this very difficult time.”
The town has also cancelled the community clean-up during Pitch-in Week, an annual country-wide environmental conservation initiative that runs in April. The entire initiative has been postponed across the country because of COVID-19.
For information about COVID-19 related program and service updates and news in Cobourg, visit cobourg.ca/covid19.
Prosecutors have withdrawn second-degree murder charges against 23-year-old Aaron Simmonds and 18-year-old Zachary Simmonds, who were arrested following the shooting death of 18-year-old Alex Tobin in Omemee on February 18, 2020. (Photo courtesy of Tobin family)
On Friday (April 17), Pamela Vanmeer of Kawartha 411 broke the news that second-degree murder charges have been withdrawn against two brothers from Bethany in shooting death of 18-year-old Alex Tobin in Omemee on February 18, 2020.
Tobin was shot in an apartment at 36 King Street East in Omemee, a small apartment building located across from Omemee Foodland, and died in hospital.
The following day, Kawartha Lakes OPP arrested 23-year-old Aaron Simmonds and 18-year-old Zachary Simmonds, both of Bethany, after witnesses provided descriptions of the suspects in the shooting. The two men were charged with second-degree murder.
Kawartha 411 reports that the charges have now been withdrawn and that police say the investigation is active and ongoing.
According to Kawartha 411, Marie Henein of Henein Hutchison LLP in Toronto, the lawyer for the Simmonds brothers, says the Crown withdrew the charges because her clients are innocent.
“The Crown withdrew the charges because there was no reasonable prospect of conviction,” Henein explained to Kawartha 411. “A review of the evidence in the possession of the police determined that Zachary Simmonds and his brother, Aaron, were not at the scene at the time of the offence and did not commit the crime. Zachary and Aaron Simmonds are innocent as the evidence established.”
Henein’s previous clients include former Ontario attorney general Michael Bryant, who was charged with criminal negligence causing death and dangerous driving causing death after dragging a man with his car causing his death, and former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi, who was charged in four cases of sexual assault and one case of choking a woman. Both Bryant and Ghomeshi were cleared of the charges.
Toronto Life has called Henein “one of the most respected and feared criminal lawyers in the country” and The National Post called her the “most high profile criminal defence lawyer in the country.”
In related news, Kawartha 411 reports that the OPP says it is no longer looking for a grey Ford Focus in connection to the case.
A previous version of this story was based on material written by Todd Vandonk of Peterborough This Week. The story has now been modified to indicate that local independent media outlet Kawartha 411 broke the story and to include information from Kawartha 411’s original reporting.
There'll be no boats passing through the Peterborough Lift Lock or elsewhere on the Trent-Severn Waterway until at least June 1, 2020 after Parks Canada announced the opening of the navigation season has been delayed because of COVID-19. (Photo: Parks Canada)
Parks Canada is delaying the scheduled opening of the Trent-Severn Waterway due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The waterway was originally scheduled to open on Friday, May 15th, but is now delayed until at least Sunday, May 31st. The earliest the waterway will open for navigation is Monday, June 1st.
The navigation season usually runs every year from the first Friday of the Victoria Day long weekend until the end of the Canadian Thanksgiving Day long weekend.
The seasonal opening has been delayed in previous years due to high water flow but, as with many other attractions, this is the first time the opening has been affected by a pandemic.
Parks Canada previously suspended all visitor services and motor vehicle access by visitors as of March 25th. On Wednesday (April 15), Parks Canada announced they would remain suspended until May 31st.
Visitor services including all lockstations, visitors centre, parking lots, day use areas, trails, and boat launches and mooring areas, are closed. Seasonal lockage and other permits are also not available.
Parks Canada will continue to deliver critical services to support public safety including water management on the Trent-Severn Waterway and the Rideau Canal.
In addition, Parks Canada has suspended camping, group activities, and events at all national parks, national historic sites, heritage canals, and national marine conservation areas until at least May 31st.
Parks Canada will not be taking new reservations until at least June 1st. All existing reservations set to take place prior to May 31st will be automatically cancelled and refunded in full.
kawarthaNOW is providing a daily report of COVID-19 cases in the greater Kawarthas region.
Here’s today summary: there are 53 confirmed positive cases in the Peterborough area, 109 in the City of Kawartha Lakes, 14 in Northumberland County, 7 in Haliburton County, and 27 in Hastings County and Prince Edward County. That’s a total increase of 1 case from yesterday’s report (an additional case in Haliburton County).
There have been 34 deaths, with no increase in deaths from yesterday’s report.
Province-wide, there are 8,961 confirmed cases, an increase of 514 from yesterday’s report, and 423 deaths, an increase of 40 from yesterday’s report.
This report is based on data supplied by the province’s integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS). This information is at least 24 hours old, so it is not real-time data.
We publish the daily report, usually by late afternoon, with the most current information released by health units. Note that each health unit reports the information in a different way.
Peterborough Public Health’s service area is the City and County of Peterborough and the Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations.
Confirmed positive: 53 (no change from April 15) Confirmed negative: 1,200 (increase of 16 from April 15) Results pending: 295 (increase of 62 from April 15) Deaths: 1 (no change from April 15) Resolved: 31 (increase of 2 from April 15) Institutional Outbreaks: Peterborough Regional Health Centre, St. Joseph’s at Fleming, Riverview Manor*
*Number of cases not reported.
Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit
The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit’s service area is the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, and Haliburton County.
Confirmed positive: 130, including 109 in Kawartha Lakes, 14 in Northumberland, 7 in Haliburton (increase of 1 from April 15; additional case in Haliburton) Hospitalizations: 7 (no change April 15) Deaths: 33, including 29 in Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon (no change from April 15) Institutional Outbreaks: Pinecrest Nursing Home*
*Number of cases not reported.
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health’s service area is Hastings County (including Bancroft) and Prince Edward County.
Confirmed positive: 27 (no change from April 15) Probable cases: 252 (decrease of 9 from April 15) Deaths: 0 Institutional Outbreaks: Hallowell House (Picton), Hastings Manor (Belleville)*
*Number of cases not reported.
Province of Ontario
Confirmed positive: 8,961 (increase of 514 from April 15) Under investigation: 4,323 (decrease of 106 from April 15) Hospitalized: 807 (increase of 12 from April 15) Hospitalized and in ICU: 248 (decrease of 6 from April 15) Hospitalized and in ICU with ventilator: 200 (increase of 12 from April 15) Deaths: 423 (increase of 40 from April 15) Resolved: 4,194 (increase of 292 from April 15)
Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario by public health unit, January 15 – April 15, 2020. (Graphic: Public Health Ontario)
The COVID-19 Assessment Centre at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC). Assessment centres are also available in City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County (Cobourg and Trent Hills), and Haliburton County. (Photo: PRHC staff)
Aligning with recent direction from the Ontario government, Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) is ramping up testing at its COVID-19 assessment centre.
Any Peterborough-area residents who are experiencing symptoms of respiratory illness (even if mild) are asked to contact the PRHC COVID-19 assessment centre at 705-876-5086.
Symptoms include:
Fever/chills
Cough
Shortness of breath
Sore throat
Runny nose
Nasal congestion
Difficulty swallowing
Unexplained fatigue
Unexplained headache
Joint/muscle aches
Loss of taste or smell
If your symptoms are severe, call 9-1-1 and alert the dispatcher to your travel history and symptoms.
The PRHC COVID-19 Assessment Centre phone line is staffed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Assessments are available by appointment only; walk-ins are not permitted. Hospital staff will complete the assessment. If you have a scheduled appointment, show up at the centre at least 10 minutes prior to your appointment time.
You should clean their hands and apply a face mask as directed when entering. Following assessment, you will be directed on next steps, which may include self-monitoring instructions, returning home to self-isolate while waiting for test results, or remaining at the hospital for further assessment.
Not everyone who is assessed will be tested for COVID-19. Testing is administered according to Ministry of Health guidelines, depending on the results of the assessment.
Not a Peterborough-area resident?
Below is information about the other COVID-19 assessment centres in the greater Kawarthas region.
Ross Memorial Hospital (RMH) COVID-19 Assessment Centre – 705-328-6217
The RMH COVID-19 Assessment Centre phone line is staffed from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The centre is staffed by nurses, who will complete a phone assessment and refer the caller for the appropriate next steps, which may include self-monitoring instructions, self-isolation instructions, testing at the offsite location (Lindsay Exhibition), or seeking care in the hospital.
Northumberland Hills Hospital (NHH) COVID-19 Assessment Centre – 905-377-7783
The NHH COVID-19 Assessment Centre phone line is staffed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Walk-ins are permitted. Staff will conduct screening, test if deemed appropriate, and direct people to proceed as required. These directions may be to go home with no action required at this time, go home on self-isolation to await a test result, of go to the NHH emergency department for further assessment by the health care team.
Haliburton County COVID-19 Community Assessment Centre – 705-457-1212 (press 6)
The Haliburton County COVID-19 Community Assessment Centre is staffed by health care providers who will complete a phone assessment and advise as to appropriate next steps, which may include self-monitoring instructions, self-isolation instructions, or further assessment and possible testing in the drive-through facility. The centre is for all residents of Haliburton County, regardless of whether you have a family doctor. Testing is by appointment only.
Trent Hills COVID-19 Assessment Centre
The Trent Hills COVID-19 Assessment Centre is a mobile COVID-19 assessment centre scheduled at locations in Campbellford, Warkworth and Hastings. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. The centre is operated by the Trent Hills Family Health Team and the Northumberland County Ambulance & Paramedic Services.
Walk-ins (without an appointment) are not permitted. Community residents who have mild symptoms of COVID-19 should call their doctor or nurse practitioner’s office during business hours to book an assessment. Trent Hills Family Health Team patients should call their clinic: Campbellford site at 705-653-1801, Warkworth site at 705-924-2230, Hastings site at 705-696-2231, or Colborne site at 905-355-2075. Trent Hills residents who are not patients of the Trent Hills Family Health Team (no doctor or nurse practitioner or provider is not local) should call the Campbellford Virtual Care Clinic at 705-653-5040.
Pinecrest Nursing Home is a 65-bed long-term care facility in Bobcaygeon, Ontario. (Photo: Central East CCAC / YouTube)
For the seventh day in a row, no residents at Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon have passed away from COVID-19.
“We are fortunate to report that there are no new deaths at Pinecrest Nursing Home,” the home’s administrator Mary Carr writes in an update to the community.
Carr also says that many residents who had tested positive for COVID-19 previously have been healthy for at least 14 days, and that the home is planning to retest residents and also reintroduce exercise to residents who are doing well.
“With the support of Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit, we will be retesting residents next week to look for clearance of COVID-19,” Carr writes. “I will send an update regarding those results when information is available.”
“As part of our continued efforts to ensure residents receive the care that they need, we will be putting together a plan to reintroduce outdoor exercise for residents who are doing well.”
“We are committed to implementing all new and ongoing care directives, which includes keeping residents distanced from each other to prevent further spread of infection. As initiatives are reintroduced, we will remain diligent and focused on maintaining precautions to put our residents’ health and safety first.”
A total of 29 residents of the 65-bed nursing home have passed away due to COVID-19.
“Their courage is simply amazing as they risk their own lives to save others," says Patricia Morton of health care workers at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC). She and her husband David will be matching the community's donations to the PRHC Fundations's COVID-19 response by providing a gift of up to $50,000. (Photo: PRHC staff)
A local couple is encouraging the community to donate to the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation by helping donors double the impact of their donations to the foundation’s COVID-19 response fund.
David and Patricia Morton will be matching the community’s donations to the fund by providing a gift of up to $50,000.
“We believe there’s never been a more important time to support our hospital,” David says. “Our hope is that our gift will encourage others, and as a result our collective philanthropy will go twice as far to support the work of PRHC’s dedicated physicians, nurses. and staff.”
Members of the community who are able to give will have their COVID-19 donations matched dollar for dollar, up to $50,000, to help fund the investments the hospital needs to make provide the best possible care to patients, and to keep the front-line health care workers safe.
“Their courage is simply amazing as they risk their own lives to save others,” Patricia says.
David and Patricia Morton are well-known philanthropists in the Peterborough community, particularly when it comes to health care. (Photo courtesy of the Mortons / Facebook)
The Mortons are well-known philanthropists in the Peterborough community, having made generous gifts to organizations including Trent University, Peterborough Humane Society, United Way of Peterborough & District, and the Morton Community Healthcare Centre in Lakefield.
David, the former president and CEO of the Quaker Oats company since 1989, retired in 2001 to pursue charitable works, including the establishment of a philanthropic foundation with his wife, Dr. Patricia Morton. Patricia retired from Trent University in 2002 after 26 years of service as a professor.
David currently serves on the board of the PRHC Foundation, and was chair of the foundation’s campaign to build the new hospital. He has also been on the boards of Trent University (including as chair of the board of governors), Fleming College, and Five Counties Children Centre. Patricia has also been very involved with the community as a volunteer on many non-profit boards, including the Morton Community Healthcare Centre. The Mortons were inducted into the Peterborough Pathway of Fame in 2017.
David and Patricia Morton at the 20th annual Pathway of Fame induction ceremony at Showplace Performance Centre in Peterborough on September 9, 2017. The Mortons were inducted under a new “Community Builder” category in recognition of their philanthropic contributions to various community projects. (Photo: Sean Bruce, Freelance Photographer)
PRHC Foundation president and CEO Lesley Heighway explains that, with the Mortons’ matching gift, the foundation’s goal is to raise $100,000, part of its ongoing efforts to support PRHC’s COVID-19 response.
“On behalf of the hospital and PRHC Foundation, thank you to David and Patricia,” Heighway says. “We hope their generosity will inspire others to join us in supporting the front-line health care providers caring for patients through this crisis. Let’s all stand behind PRHC’s dedicated doctors, nurses, and staff as they face this challenge.”
Donations to the foundation’s COVID-19 response fund will help the hospital acquire additional ventilators, laryngoscopes for emergency intubation, additional ICU beds, provisions and wellness supports for staff who must stay at the hospital while treating patients, and more protective equipment and scrubs to help keep them safe.
Gifts will also support the area of greatest need as determined by the hospital, so that the foundation can quickly fund the most urgent COVID-19 priorities to help care for patients.
For more information about the PRHC Foundation and to make a donation, call 705-876-5000 or visit www.prhcfoundation.ca, where you can also share a message of support with PRHC’s front-line health care workers and staff. Donations will also be accepted by mail care of PRHC Foundation, 1 Hospital Drive, Peterborough, ON, K9J 7C6.
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