Year in Review – Part 8 – August

Continued from “Year in Review – Part 7 – July” (https://thestandardnewspaper.ca/year-in-review-part-7-july/)

Robert Rock becomes a councillor SCUGOG: Robert Rock has been chosen as the next Scugog Island representative on town-ship council. At a special council meeting, on Monday, August 9th, councillors heard from five candidates for the vacant Ward 3 councillor position. Those included Mr. Rock, Marc Gibbons, Bob Gilmore, former coun-cillor Don Kett and Donald McBey. When the process moved to nominations, two names were approved. Ward 2 Councillor Janna Guido nominated Mr. Gibbons, and Regional Councillor Wilma Wotten nominated Mr. Rock. A recorded vote was held, and five out of six council members voted for Mr. Rock to be appointed to the role.

Pinecrest inspection report KAWARTHA LAKES: Pinecrest Nursing Home in Bobcaygeon was inspected by the Ministry of Long Term Care in the summer of 2020 after a complaint was filed about the facility’s infection control measures. In an inspection report, recently found by The Standard, the ministry found the facility failed to comply with Ontario regulations regarding infection prevention and control (IPAC).

Local teen at dance competition NORTH DURHAM/ KAWARTHA LAKES: A local teenager from Fenelon Falls is competing with her dance team for the World Cup, in an international dance competition, hosted in Monterrey, Mexico. Jaliyah (Gia) Power, 14, dances with the Port Perry Dance Academy. In her spare time, Gia is also a model for Harley Gs in Port Perry. In the autumn, she is going into Grade 10 at Fenelon Falls Secondary School.

Federal election called DURHAM/KAWARTHA: Canadians will be going to the polls for a federal election next month. On Sunday, August 15th, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the decision, at a televised press conference. “I have just had a talk with our Governor-General, and she has accepted my request to dissolve parliament. Canadians will therefore vote on September 20th.”

HKPR closing fixed vaccine sites KAWARTHA LAKES: The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPR) will be closing their COVID-19 mass immunization sites next month.“After what feels like many months; it has been many months, of supporting the fixed-site mass-immunization-clinics in Cobourg, Campbellford, Fenelon Falls and Minden. Those clinics will be closing after September 3rd,” local Medical Officer of Health Dr. Natalie Bocking an-nounced, at a virtual press conference on Wednesday, August 11th. “September 3rd will be the last day those clinics operate in their current format.”

Big Brothers, Big Sisters anniversary celebration NORTH DURHAM: Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Durham, (BBBSND) are celebrating their 45th Anniversary of mentoring children & youth in the Scugog, Brock and Uxbridge area.

Protest rallies at local hospitals DURHAM: The union representing registered practical nurses, personal support workers, enviro-nmental cleaners, and other staff at local Durham hospitals has been holding protest rallies at hospitals in Whitby, Uxbridge, Port Perry and Bowmanville this past week.“Nearly 70,000 Ontario hospital workers who are members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) and SEIU Healthcare are currently negotiating a new provincial contract. But after working the past 18 months at a hectic pace in a pandemic, these workers feel devalued and betrayed by both the province and their hospital employers,” read a CUPE press release.

Required vaccination policy DURHAM/KAWARTHA: The Ontario government announced a number of new measures aimed at protecting the public from COVID-19 on Tuesday, August 17th.One of the directives put in place by the Chief Medical Officer of Health’s office makes it mandatory for hospitals, home and community care service providers, and ambulance services to have a COVID-19 vaccination policy in place for their employees and volunteers. The province is also going to start offering third doses of the vaccine to “those at highest risk.”

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