Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — The end of vaccine passports March 1 in Ontario comes as 322 confirmed COVID cases were reported this weekend for Simcoe-Muskoka. And Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is close to enacting federal emergency powers to end national protests, following Premier Doug Ford’s similar announcement last week to end Windsor’s border […]
MUSKOKA LAKES — A snowmobiler who hit a tree about midnight Saturday, is in hospital in Toronto with life-threatening injuries. Police say the 31-year-old man was not wearing a mandatory helmet at the time of the collision. The OPP and Muskoka EMS responded to the single snowmobile collision Sunday Feb. 13 at 12:07 a.m. They […]
TARA COLLUM | Contributing columnist In China and Uzbekistan the government forces people into the back-breaking labour of cotton picking. That is what government repression looks like. Was the government overstepping when it banned indoor smoking? Remember when Tim Hortons in Gravenhurst had the glass walled-off smoking room? Guess how fun it was as a […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Doug Ford declared a state of emergency today. For Muskoka’s most famous cottager it might as well have been about political damage control, after the publicly AWOL premier was spotted snowmobiling here Saturday as anti-vaxx protests rocked the province and country. Today in a firm, but politically calculated, message […]
GRAVENHURST — A traffic stop last night led police on a two-hour chase that ended just after midnight today with drug charges against two York Region men. Police also seized a loaded pistol. Both men are in custody and appeared in the Ontario Court of Justice in Bracebridge today for a bail hearing. This was […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Muskoka has had 1,195 confirmed COVID cases since Dec. 12. Since the beginning of the fifth wave 7 per cent of Simcoe-Muskoka’s cases have been Omicron, says the health unit in new statistics requested yesterday by MuskokaTODAY.com and released to us today. They say the total for the latest […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com GRAVENHURST — It’s curtains up and new doors are open on the Opera House as the box office reopened today with tickets on sale for the first show in almost two years March 26. And 305 newly upholstered seats await you upstairs in the theatre, where extensive renovations the past 18 […]
HUNTSVILLE — A burning candle is being blamed for a fire that caused $50,000 damage to rural home here in Huntsville yesterday. “With working smoke alarms and the occupants closing the doors as they evacuated the home, fire damage was limited to the room of origin and spared the home from heavy damage,” said interim […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Dr. Charles Gardner “feels for the people impacted” by trucker protests and says continuation of the vaccine passports while not generally providing that much protection to the public will still “help reduce transmission to those who are unvaccinated.” The region’s medical officer of health said today: “I do note […]
LOIS COOPER | MuskokaTODAY.com These are troubling times in the world, but the trouble in Canada is of grave concern to me. This wonderful country of ours seems to be in a winter of great discontent to a vocal segment of the country’s population. I ask myself over and over, what I can do to […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Deaths and hospitalizations were down, ICU admissions remained the same, but confirmed COVID cases more than tripled today in the region. Simcoe-Muskoka’s COVID roller coaster continued Tuesday with 7 deaths (down 1), 45 in hospital (down 3), 11 in ICU and 124 positive cases (up from 45 yesterday), according […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — With a state of emergency in Ottawa and provincial capital buildings also on guard against protests led by truckers, 8 deaths in Simcoe and 45 cases yesterday highlight the weekend’s COVID by the health unit. They are among 324 virus cases on the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDH) […]
Stephen Richards | Special to MuskokaTODAY.com | FICTION A Pavilion in Muskoka, Summer of 1943 Beatrice, ‘Trixie Orange’ to her friends, is twirling around in some form of a square dance in her orange tulip print dress. The letter ‘B’ is embroidered on the front over her heart. She is 5 in a strange land, […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com GRAVENHURST — Andrey Petrov knew it wouldn’t last — at least not all winter. His tower of power, which took a week to build, lasted exactly a week. A few more days would have been nice. But it wasn’t for lack of trying. He gave it the same level of TLC […]
TARA COLLUM | Contributing columnist The people who have not gotten a vaccine until now aren’t playing. From what I understand they don’t want to be vaccinated for two reasons: They don’t trust the vaccine, and they don’t think COVID is that bad. This does not at all include people that can’t get a vaccine […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com MUSKOKA LAKES — Monday’s reopenings in Ontario, while positive for business, highlight “the very real consequences of labour shortages, global supply chain disruptions and inflation.” A survey including local business owners out today says: “Pain points throughout Ontario’s economy are impairing business operations, and now consumers are feeling the pinch, too. […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Five more people in region over 80 have died in accounting today by the health unit. One of them is a man from Muskoka who died in the community. The other four were in Simcoe and were outbreak related: Male, 80+, Simcoe, outbreak, DOD – Feb 3 Male, 80+, Muskoka, community, DOD – […]
WASHAGO – A Gravenhurst man is dead and woman is in hospital with minor injuries after a multi-vehicle accidents this morning. Police say that at 8:22 a.m. officers responded to a collision on Highway 11 at the Severn River Bridge. Emergency crews from the Gravenhurst Fire Department, Severn Fire Department, Muskoka Emergency Medical Services and Simcoe […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Justin Trudeau said he disagreed with Erin O’Toole, but wished him and his family well. One thing they would have agreed on was not bringing the military in to clear truckers from Ottawa’s streets. The prime minister said “that’s not in the cards.” Doug Ford may say otherwise if […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — You may have had COVID and didn’t know it — even if you didn’t show symptoms. So agrees Dr. Charles Gardner, who says he himself hasn’t gotten COVID — “to my knowledge or had symptoms. “I’ve been extremely careful. I’ve taken every precaution that I advised.” He said: “Me […]