Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com GRAVENHURST — Hundreds lined up here this morning for walk-in booster shots. No going online to book an appointment. But the wait was at least two hours after the Shoppers Drug Mart opened at 8 a.m. The line-up circled the store, down Muskoka Road, around and down on to James Street […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — With 19 Muskoka COVID cases on the weekend, Omicron’s regional effect last week was a 50 per cent increase in cases over the previous week. The 846 cases reported last week by local public health tops 564 the week before. The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) is also […]
TARA CALLUM | Contributing columnist With unseasonably mild days and the threat of yet another variant, it can be difficult for things to look a lot like Christmas. What is the season supposed to be anyway? It can create a lot of pressure. People go into debt piling presents to the ceiling. We overindulge on […]
BRACEBRIDGE — A man suspected of being impaired was confronted by group of citizens who were trying to stop the motorist from leaving when police arrived. The incident occurred Thursday, Dec. 16, on Manitoba Street near Mary Street, just before 10 p.m. Police arrested and charged 26-year-old Blair Laing, of Muskoka Lakes Twp., with Impaired […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — More than 10 per cent of 142 local COVID cases today were reported in Muskoka as the province is adding new capacity limits Sunday. And 10 of those 15 Muskoka cases were in Huntsville. They are: Bracebridge woman, 18-34, under investigation, reported Dec. 16, first episode Dec. 14 Georgian […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE MUSKOKA — An “overwhelming demand” for booster shots has local public health providing more vaccines this weekend. They say in a release at noon Friday that following the province’s announcement to rapidly expand booster eligibility to all individuals 18 and older and to decrease the wait time between second and third […]
BRACEBRIDGE — A loaded pistol and drugs worth an estimated $60,000 were seized in three police raids yesterday in which officers arrested two people after a month-long investigation here. The OPP say that in November their Muskoka Community Street Crime Unit (CSCU) began investigating the drug trafficking in Muskoka. On Thursday, Dec. 16 the CSCU), […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Another half dozen Muskoka COVID cases today — all likely Omicron — are among 159 regional cases being reported by the health unit. This as word spreads that Omicron is an airborne spreader. Dr. Steini Brown, co-chair of the Science Advisory Table, confirmed today that the most up-to-date modelling […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Omicron’s here. It’s “very hazardous” and it’s going to get worse “in the weeks ahead.” That’s the blunt message from Dr. Charles Gardner today as he reported 26 cases of the new variant in the region — including 4 “very likely” in Muskoka. That has hospitals “very concerned” about […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — I had a rapid test yesterday morning — and got my booster shot in the afternoon. Today I picked up rapid test kits from the Gravenhurst Chamber of Commerce — enough to get me through the holidays. I’m asymptomatic and I passed my test in 15 minutes. So I’m […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — With health officials on both sides of the Atlantic urging a “call for arms” and citing the “grave threat” of Omicron 96 local cases is the new norm. A half dozen of today’s cases are in Muskoka. And by all accounts they are most likely Omicron. No wonder Ontario’s […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — With 211 regional cases over the weekend — 14 in Muskoka — the floodgates are reopen again. In Canada and around the world COVID is going to get much worse before Christmas, experts say. And soon you’ll definitely know people who have been expected. You won’t be able to […]
TORRANCE — A 26-year-old MacTier man died late last night after a snowmobiling accident. Police, fire and paramedics responded to the single vehicle snow vehicle collision on Friday, Dec. 10, at 11 p.m. on East Black Lake Road in Muskoka Lakes Township. They say the sled was travelling west on East Black Lake Road when […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Smug Muskokans are in for a lump of coal in their Christmas stocking if they don’t “they-up” and mask-up. Mostly insulated from the harsh realities of COVID, Omicron could be a wakeup call for district and Simcoe County residents with 106 new cases Friday. Muskoka accounted for 11 of […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com MUSKOKA — A nurse who rose through the ranks to become a president and CEO with wide experience across Canada and in Australia is taking over interim operations management Christmas Eve at Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare. Vickie Kaminski takes on the same role at the Bracebridge and Huntsville hospitals with the retirement […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — A daily drop in COVID cases today may be significant or insignificant. Depends on whose numbers you’re counting — as we’ve often reported in the past. The health unit said cases fell to 86 from 106; Public Health Ontario said the drop was just a few to 103. Confused? […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — More than two dozen Muskoka COVID cases Tuesday shows the variance of the variants. Yesterday the health unit reported 4 cases. Today’s cases are among 106 across the region — including 7 “highly suggestive” of being the new “concerning” Omicron variant of concern (VOC). Dr. Charles Gardner said this […]
PARRY SOUND-MUSKOKA — Ontario is returning more than $13 million to repair local infrastructure in the riding. The $13,634,772 for Parry Sound-Muskoka is part of the government’s expansion of the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF). Funding allocations are based on a formula that recognizes the different needs and economic situations of each community. The annual funding […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE MUSKOKA — After showing up in Toronto and York, Omicron has moved north to Simcoe. The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) says today it is investigating a household cluster in Simcoe County with seven confirmed COVID-19 cases that have a strong probability of being the Omicron variant of concern. They […]
GRAVENHURST — A hit-and-run call led police to charge a Muskoka Lakes man with impaired driving last night. They say that at 9:10 p.m., Dec. 7, the OPP received a call that a motor vehicle had failed to remain after colliding with a vehicle on Muskoka Road 169, in Gravenhurst. Thirty minutes later a second […]