Lindsay Advocate — News. Community. Wellness.

Board re-opening plan faces trustee scrutiny

Published on August 5, 2020 in Education by Kirk Winter

Wes Hahn, the newly minted director of education for Trillium Lakelands School Board, presented to trustees an update on the board’s re-opening plan for Sept. 8 but faced a multitude of questions from the trustees who were present.

This included questions about bus safety, cafeteria protocols, upgrading HVAC systems, social distancing plans, and much more.

“We are living in unprecedented times,” Hahn began, “and we will try to present to you the most current information that we have.”

Hahn said they met for two hours with the deputy minister of education last week and believe a good foundation is in place. Keep Reading

You have a choice: Save the Grand, reader tells new owners

Published on August 5, 2020 in Letters to the Editor by Lindsay Advocate

To the new owners of the Grand the citizens of Lindsay ask that you please work with owner Charlie McDonald and save our iconic restaurant.

There are few things left that reminds us of our humble beginnings.

The Grand the building and the Grand the bar are two different things to most of us.

The bar-restaurant has been here for 160 years and Charlie and his staff have made it a home away from home for over 10 years.

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Could Grand Experience become a franchise restaurant? ‘It’s a historical landmark’

Published on August 4, 2020 in Business/Municipal by Roderick Benns

Mayor Andy Letham says the Grand Hotel buildings were sold sometime in the past week or so – again – and the new owners must have quickly decided to evict the restaurant owner from the building.

APG Kent Street Properties Corp had plans for the properties at 171-185 Kent Street that would have included retail stores, a restaurant, and offices on the upper floors. Mid-pandemic, the buildings have now been sold again.

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Grand Experience to close at end of August

Published on August 4, 2020 in Business by Roderick Benns

Charlie McDonald, owner of The Grand Experience in Lindsay, says on a social media post that the well-known restaurant and bar will close by the end of August.

“After 160 years of serving the downtown Lindsay community, the buildings of 171-185 Kent Street have been sold, and because I have not had a lease since this past March, we have been evicted with 30 days notice,” McDonald writes.

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Basic Income Plus: Five demands for a better Canada

Published on August 3, 2020 in Editorials by Lindsay Advocate

Pandemics force us to take stock of our values in society; they clarify our sense of mortality and reveal how strong or weak our social fabric is.

More sensitized to our common humanity now, we must organize our economy to care for one another better.

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Tents and trailers: A history of camping in Kawartha Lakes

Published on August 2, 2020 in Just in Time by Ian McKechnie

Twilight falls over a nearby lake as you stand at the foot of the picnic table and scrape the remnants of Hamburger Helper into a garbage bag. Hamburger Helper again? For the third night in a row? Why, of course — and scalloped potatoes from a box, too. You finish scraping the dishes and pile them into a tub of hot water.

The water was boiled in a dented kettle over the same Coleman stove you have brought on every summer vacation since, well, since … it doesn’t really matter. It’s been around for as long as you can remember. You have, after all, been doing this thing called camping since you were very young.

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Cycling through time: A few moments in Fleetwood

Published on August 1, 2020 in Just in Time by Ian McKechnie

In July’s issue of The Lindsay Advocate, associate editor Nancy Payne took a road trip to the “most sparsely populated part of Kawartha Lakes,” while contributing writer Jamie Morris travelled to Fenelon Falls via electric bicycle.

Thinking their thoughts after them, I elected to combine two passions of mine — cycling and exploring — and set out on my trusty Opus Porto bike at 10:03 a.m. on a Saturday in late June with a large bottle of water, two cans of Canada Dry ginger ale, a peanut butter sandwich on raisin bread, some slices of leftover pizza, and a large Granny Smith apple. Oh, and plenty of sunscreen, too.

It’s a long way to Fleetwood, after all.

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All students must re-register for school as TLDSB gauges interest from parents

Published on July 31, 2020 in Education by Kirk Winter

Following closely on the heels of the provincial announcement that Trillium Lakelands District School Board buildings will be able to re-open Sept. 8 with few restrictions, the local board is trying to assess how many children will actually be returning to school in the fall.

“Next week all TLDSB families will receive an email with a link to a form asking to re-register each child for in-person and at-home learning,” a press release on the board websites shares.

“Once this information is received a program will be developed with enhanced public health protocols in place.”

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Ontario government opens ‘fall harvest’ on cormorant

Published on July 31, 2020 in Community/Environment by Lindsay Advocate

The Ontario government says it’s taking steps to protect fish stocks and natural habitat “from the harmful impacts of double-crested cormorants” by introducing a fall harvest for the species.

The harvest will help address concerns about impacts to local ecosystems by cormorants, a bird that preys on fish, eating a pound a day, and that can damage trees in which they nest and roost, according to a media release from the province.

The announcement was made today by John Yakabuski, minister of natural resources and forestry.

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More service cuts coming: ‘People are going to notice,’ says mayor

Published on July 30, 2020 in Municipal by Kirk Winter

Mayor Andy Letham says “people are going to notice” the service cuts that are coming to Kawartha Lakes because of the pandemic.

“Ditching and brushing, reduction of staff as we move into the fall, grass cutting, street sweeping and capital projects that aren’t do or die for the city,” Letham itemized.

“People are going to notice — they can’t help but” notice, he says.

“Service centres, arenas and community centres are also going to be impacted (by this budget crunch),” Letham added.

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