MUSKOKA — Municipalites in Muskoka have issued local orders to close parks facilities following Monday’s provincial announcement to do so. In Gravenhurst all of its parks and recreational amenities are now closed until further notice effective Tuesday, March 30. They say staff will be cordoning off outdoor recreational amenities through a combination of fencing and warning tape […]
ONTARIO — It’s still OK for most people to go outside for a walk, a bike ride — or the kids to play in the backyard — but community park facilities are now officially off limits as are dog parks. Public trails are still OK to use — but keep your distance. Premier Doug Ford […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com MUSKOKA — Good news today for local COVID-19 preparedness. Muskoka’s two hospital “have just been able to procure four additional ventilators,” says Katherine Craine, of the Hunstville Hospital Foundation (HHF), which told officials to buy whatever equipment they need and could get their hands on and the foundation would cover the […]
QUEEN’S PARK — If you’re over age 70 — you’re in for a long haul. Today, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health recommended that everyone over 70 years of age or with a compromised immune system should self isolate as well. “Everyone has a role to play in reducing the risk of spreading COVID-19 – […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com MUSKOKA — The community response for emergency cash and supplies to combat COVID-19 has been enormous at the Bracebridge and Huntsville hospital foundations. In just 10 days since launching its Emergency Response Fund March 21, the South Muskoka Hospital Foundation (SMHF) has been overwhelmed with donations. Foundation director Colin Miller said […]
BRACEBRIDGE — Spring flooding has begun following rain during the weekend. Bracebridge works officials said Monday that a section Germania Road — in east end of town — is closed between Waters Road and 1507 Germania Rd. They are also urging caution on Campbell’s Road.
Two Orillia men claiming to be police were arrested after an attempted armed break-in Sunday. Provincial police arrested them March 29 after getting a 911 call at 4:20 a.m. about a break and enter in progress at a residence on Front Street South. They say suspects approached the house, attempted to gain entry and yelled […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com MUSKOKA — Concerns about cottagers coming north adding pressure to local health services are being met with a large donation by some of “neighbours.” In response to the hospitals’ call for cash and supplies for its Covid-19 Emergency Response Fund, a group of cottagers has donated $135,000 to the South Muskoka […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com MUSKOKA — The message clearly isn’t getting out in a bid to protect workers from the spread of the corona virus. A call last week by the District of Muskoka telling home and business owners to bag all their waste is being met with mixed results. Street curbs and roadsides are […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com MUSKOKA — One of Canada’s largest unions is calling on the federal government to ensure that Canadian media organizations survive the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to provide vital information to the public. “Almost every Canadian newspaper and television news outlet was teetering on the brink before the pandemic hit,” said Unifor national […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com GRAVENHURST — “We’re closed ….” But “We miss you” … “Be Safe.” The messages to customers are clear and heartfelt from the business community devastated by COVID-19. Core retailers here, forced to close, say it in signs posted on their front doors in professional and personal scripts. It’s their letters to […]
BARRIE — People who were swabbed at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) for COVID-19 are being asked not to call the hospital emergency department. In an urgent email this afternoon, RVH communications person Donna Danyluk asked the media to help us get this “important information out to the public.” She said many people are […]
MUSKOKA — With a wet weekend ahead, a spring flooding “water safety” advisory has been issued for Parry-Sound Muskoka. Just after noon Friday, March 27, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) sent out an update from its Bracebridge field office for its Parry Sound District. The means high flows, melting ice or other factors […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com BRACEBRIDGE — Is it OK to go out to give blood safe? Yes, according to the Town of Bracebridge that is working with the Canadian Blood Services to ensure the safety of donors and staff at a mobile blood donor clinic next Monday, March 30. The donor event will take place […]
HUNTSVILLE — Staying home to protect your property may be a good idea as thieves aren’t self-isolating. Provincial police at Huntsville say their Muskoka Community Street Crime Unit (CSCU) executed a search warrant in Innisfil Thursday, recovering two snowmobiles and a trailer stolen from Deerhurst Resort three weeks ago. They say that on March 7 […]
MUSKOKA LAKES — Three Bracebridge residents face numerous theft charges dating back to last summer after being stopped early yesterday morning. Provincial police at Bracebridge said today that they arrested three individuals in possession of a stolen float trailer and a Caterpiller 259D Skid Steer. They say that at 1:30 a.m., on March 26, an officer […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com MUSKOKA — The cheque is in the mail — and the mail is being delivered as an essential national service. That’s more important today, especially with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promising yesterday that the new million who are now expecting EI cheques that they are on their way. Of course, along […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com GRAVENHURST — Hidden in special electronic council meeting Friday to enact emergency off-site meeting measures amid the COVID-19 crisis is a bureaucratic and political move by the mayor and CAO to limit the public voices of councillors and residents. Councillors — some of whom have voiced concerns privately in the past […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com A Toronto Star report today says Ontario destroyed tens of millions masks vital in the pandemic fight, because their recommended best-before date had expired. Reporter Rosie DiManno says a decade after stockpiling N95 masks following the SARS epidemic, in 2013 the province began destroying most of them, along with thousand of […]
QUEEN’S PARK — Together apart, provincial politicians put partisanship aside here yesterday in response to COVID-19. The legislature agreed to the Ford government’s “action plan,” passing a bill to add an extra $3.3 billion to Ontario’s health-care system, and it says $3.7 billion in direct support for people and jobs. MPP Norman Miller said in […]