Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com GRAVENHURST — With Bala’s Cranberry Festival — which would have been this weekend — cancelled and Muskoka’s Festival of Colour falling by the wayside faster than the leaves, tourism is on the wane. The flood of Thanksgiving day-trekkers is trickling to a halt across Central Ontario — no thanks to COVID. […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com MUSKOKA — A drop of almost 150 cases in Ontario from Saturday to Sunday is encouraging news on the COVID front compared to numbers in Quebec that continued to top well over 1,000. Ontario reported 658 cases today, compared to 805 the day before. Quebec fell to 1,094 from 1,279 Saturday. […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com BRACEBRIDGE — The hallmark of a good story — or a greeting card for that matter — is the message conveyed by the overall visual image. Same goes for a movie. Well, a little hail this afternoon sure made things interesting on the Manitoba Street set of the Typhoon Kiss as […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com MUSKOKA — As the week ends with little easing or end in sight for COVID-19, local numbers remain on par with past recent days. Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit reports 14 new cases Friday, Oct. 16. That brings this week’s total to 93 cases, down from 110 last week. One was […]
LETTER TO EDITOR: Thank you for being so supportive to our family. This has been and continues to be at times almost unbearable, but having wonderful friends like you helps us carry on. Adanna, Thea, Chase, GMA Betty and myself are so appreciative for your cards, texts, emails, calls, visits, gifts, delivered meals and love. […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com BRACEBRIDGE — Neil Hutchinson caused quite a storm downtown here today. You might say it was a ‘Typhoon Kiss’ aimed at a certain person on NBC tonight. The environmental consultant was surprised to look out his office window this morning, overlooking Manitoba Street, and see not the usual Canadian flag hanging […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com MUSKOKA — A little good news today on the COVID front. From a Muskoka perspective. Eleven new cases and none north of Simcoe. However, notably, the health unit says three cases that were previously assigned to Bracebridge were re-assigned to Muskoka Lakes; one case previously assigned to Severn was re-assigned to […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com GRAVENHURST — Mayor Paul Kelly’s cataract operation led to a fortuitous meeting two weeks ago with Simon Lu on his first day as owner of the Shoppers Drug Mart. They talked about was getting COVID testing in Gravenhurst. Lu was on board “right away.” With MPP Norm Miller’s help the Gravenhurst […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com GRAVENHURST — An Esso gas bar and convenience store are the first phase of a proposed dine and drive development on Bethune Drive. The one-storey multi-million investment — at the intersections of Veterans’ Way, Pinedale Road and Main Street — would be located adjacent to the legion, Hydro One and Muskoka […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com GRAVENHURST — Ten months after COVID crippled the country, Gravenhurst residents will finally be able to rely on regular access to a corona virus test without having to leave town. After token testing at popular Muskoka Paramedic pop-ups, Shoppers Drug Mart has been officially designated by the province to provide asymptomatic […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com MUSKOKA — COVID’s constant hold continues with a consistent count. Today’s numbers for the Simcoe and Muskoka are about average since last Friday with 18 new cases reported Oct. 14. One of them is a Muskoka Lakes male, aged 45-64, who had close contact with someone else with the corona virus. […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com GRAVENHURST — Fire Prevention Week had a “happy ending” on Thanksgiving weekend for a family of three on Peninsula Road. A working smoke alarm is being credited with waking up and saving the parents and a toddler at a cottage late on Saturday, Oct. 10, in the southwest end of town. […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com MUSOKA — With two new Muskoka COVID cases today, we asked MAHC CEO Natalie Bubela last week for an update on how the hospitals are handling testing and treatment of any potential corona-related cases in the second wave. She said there are currently no positive cases at either of MAHC’s sites […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com MUSKOKA — As COVID cases rose over Thanksgiving, look for more restrictions “soon” across the province soon like the Toronto, Ottawa and Peel red zones. So says Dr. Charles Gardner, chief medical officer of health for the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit. He said with 1,553 new Ontario cases the past […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com BRACEBRIDGE — Eva Olsson says it’s a “miracle” she’s still alive. Four hours from death in a Nazi concentration camp, she was liberated 75 year ago. “Orders were given that all prisoners were to be shot at 3 o’clock that afternoon and we were liberated by the British and Canadians that […]
PORT SYDNEY — Smoke alarms are being credited today for helping a family escape an early morning fire here. Huntsville/Lake of Bays firefighters responded to a structure fire shortly before 1:30 a.m., Sunday Oct. 6, on South Mary Lake Road. Fire prevention officer Mike Vadlja says in a release that when crews from Port Sydney […]
HUNTSVILLE — A busy thief or thieves must be tired. Provincial police are investigating the theft last weekend of tires and rims with an estimated value of $6.000. And they want the public’s help tracking them down. They say eight Goodyear 285/45R22 tires and a silver rim package were stolen sometime between 4:30 p.m. Saturday, […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com NOTTAWASAGA — As families gather for Thanksgiving, they’re reminded to keep dinners small, lest they face hefty fines for breaking new Ontario pandemic rules — as happened this week. Provincial police at Nottawasaga charged 10 people at two large Airbnb gatherings after midnight Tuesday and Wednesday and fined them. And readers […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com MUSKOKA — Simcoe-Muskoka topped 100 cases of COVID this week, a 50 per cent increase over last week. Today’s daily count also shows three Muskoka Lakes residents are among 23 reported Oct. 9. They are a female, aged 45-64, who had close contact. And two males, one also 45-64 with close […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com MUSKOKA — Two large institutional outbreaks — including one in Beeton with 33 cases — have again pushed local health unit numbers to their highest level of the pandemic. The 19 cases reported today, Oct. 8, by the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit push this week’s total to 92. That includes […]