On March 27, Kawartha Lakes residents heard two very different messages regarding seasonal residents heading to their cottages and rural properties during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Early on Friday afternoon Premier Doug Ford stated categorically, “that residents in urban areas should avoid heading to their cottages and rural properties across the province during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
In a conference call with local reporters today Mayor Andy Letham provided updates on a story covered by the Advocate on March 25.
At the final two full meetings of Kawartha Lakes City Council on March 17 and 19, 2020, council approved a by-law that will give the chief administrative officer, Ron Taylor, sweeping powers to manage the city during the COVID-19 crisis.
The document, entitled “A By-law to Delegate Authority for Decisions to the Chief Administrative Officer in the City of Kawartha Lakes,” was first introduced and debated on March 17. It was then approved on March 19 at the last regular council meeting until May 1, 2020.
Mayor Andy Letham has enacted a declaration of a state of emergency. This decision is in line with the previous Provincial declaration. It will allow the municipality to mobilize local resources where needed to support front line health care partners and emergency services to support the COVID-19 pandemic efforts.
At the regular council meeting on March 19, council extended the community paramedic pilot program that was set to expire at the end of the month.
The program was created to help reduce patient re-admission with a focus on seniors at Ross Memorial Hospital in Lindsay.
The paramedics have completed the first six months of the program with significant positive outcomes for patients. At the last committee of the whole meeting, Councillor Doug Elmslie asked staff to present options for continuing to fund the program.
Earlier this morning I wrote a piece that criticized the City of Kawartha Lakes for their tone deaf messaging yesterday regarding the payment of municipal taxes and utilities.
On a day like yesterday (Thursday, March 19), when so many Kawartha Lakes residents were dealing with being laid off or having reduced work hours; when business owners were frantically trying to figure out next steps as many of them were closing; when families were huddled together just trying to deal with the new emotional and financial reality of social distancing and all the worries that come with it, the City of Kawartha Lakes took time to make an important announcement about COVID-19.
Just inside the doors of the city’s economic development department is a cluster of framed photos depicting the nine people who work there.
It’s conspicuous not just because the photos are an unexpected touch for a department that some might assume would be a little rigid and dry (just how exciting could “economic development” really be?) but rather because since 2018 there hasn’t been a single man to be seen on that wall.
As concerns about the impact of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) continue to grow, health and safety is the City of Kawartha Lakes’ number one priority, according to a press release.
For just over five months seniors at risk in Kawartha Lakes have had paramedic Julie Milne in their corner – and it’s made all the difference in the world to them.
Milne, of Kawartha Lakes Paramedic Services (KLPS), spoke to Kawartha Lakes City Council yesterday at the committee of the whole meeting to share her experiences about the community paramedic pilot program. She was the lead (and only) paramedic who was assigned to the pilot to determine if better health outcomes for seniors was possible. Another goal was to prevent further hospital visits and prolonged stays.
