Lindsay Advocate — News. Community. Wellness.

More opportunities for local vaccinations as supply ramps up

Published on May 12, 2021 in Health by Lindsay Advocate

With an increase in the amount of vaccine being received locally, area residents now have more options to get their COVID-19 vaccination, according to a media release from the local health unit.

The Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPR) has been notified that it will receive more vaccine in the coming weeks and as a result, the Health Unit has increased the number of clinics it will be offering throughout May.

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Podcast Teaser: Balancing act is vital in journalism

Published on May 12, 2021 in Community/Opinion by Denis Grignon

More than 30 years ago, when I was a young and green and still-a-very-much-learning-my-craft journalist in Ottawa, I was given some words of wisdom that, ever since, I’ve always strived to adhere to.

“As a reporter, you can never be unbiased,” my good friend and a veteran of both print and broadcast media had warned me. His point was that we’re all human beings, not robots, and therefore have opinions – and that journalists have plenty of them. “But,” he stressed, “as a reporter you can, and must, always be fair.”

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National census reflects who we are and how we are changing

Published on May 11, 2021 in Community/Opinion by Geoff Coleman

There are many things we can learn from other countries, but one lesson involving nearby New York state is particularly timely.

Canada’s national Census Day is May 11, and by now you probably have received your package in the mail, or from a wave of enumerators bringing them door to door.

The United States held theirs last year, and since census data showed they did not have the population to maintain the same representation, the Empire State lost one seat in Congress. The mind-blowing part is that they were only 89 people shy of the threshold required. There’s a pretty good chance that in a state with more than 20 million people, at least 89 people did not return their completed census questionnaire.

In other words, the census matters. Keep Reading

Letham likely to return to private sector after 2022 election

Published on May 11, 2021 in Municipal by Kirk Winter

One of the most difficult decisions for most politicians to make is to know when it is time to walk away and do something else.

In a telephone interview with the Advocate, Mayor Andy Letham shared his reasons for announcing he will not seek a third term in 2022, where he thinks council is headed, the pros and cons of a smaller council and what the future holds for him post-politics.

The decision

“I decided a while ago not to run (for a third term),” Letham said, “and if other people are thinking about it they can now put their minds to it. I don’t want to be seen as pretending (I am interested in a third term). I can now be as frank as I want to be. Council knew a month ago when I told them in closed session. Two terms was my goal. I like what we have done and where we are going.”

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New model of care piloted in Kawartha Lakes for palliative patients

Published on May 7, 2021 in Health by Lindsay Advocate

The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care announced a new model of care for palliative patients that will be implemented as a pilot including Kawartha Lakes, Peterborough, Northumberland, Haliburton and Region of Durham Paramedic Services.

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Ministry of Education offers money but amount barely keeps up with inflation

Published on May 6, 2021 in Education by Kirk Winter

The Ministry of Education will provide nearly $26 billion to all school boards for the coming year — but it’s an amount that barely keeps pace with inflation.

The breakdown is $12,686 for every student currently enrolled in publicly funded schools. Locally Trillium Lakelands is to receive $207 million and Peterborough Victoria Northumberland Clarington Catholic will receive $186 million.

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Local man says Kawartha Lakes should allow tiny houses

Published on May 6, 2021 in Municipal/Social Issues by Kirk Winter

With local real estate prices spiralling into the stratosphere, Peter Wallace wants Kawartha Lakes to allow the construction and full-time occupancy of tiny homes.

Wallace argues it should be both tiny homes on foundations or on wheels as a partial solution to the lack of affordable housing in the area. He would also like to see tiny homes permitted as both secondary dwellings on properties with existing residential homes and as primary dwellings on vacant land.

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More off-road vehicle road access criticized in pitches to council

Published on May 5, 2021 in Municipal by Kirk Winter

Public shares differing views on off-road vehicle bylaw changes

Six local citizens took on the challenge of sharing with council — in just five minutes or less over Zoom — their views on ORV access to municipal roads in the south of the city. Five of them spoke out strongly against allowing more ORV access on city roads.

Their efforts earned the praise of deputy-mayor Patrick O’Reilly who said, “the deputations were well thought out and worthy of consideration.”

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Council approves ATV access in principle, details to come

Published on May 5, 2021 in Municipal by Kirk Winter

Kawartha Lakes council got one step further to allowing ATVs access to a number of designated rural roads in the south of the city, and routes through Lindsay and Bobcaygeon — creating a united trail system for recreational vehicles running from the Ganaraska Forest all the way to Haliburton.

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