TARA COLLUM | Contributing columnist The news from Ukraine has been wrenching. As the conflict persists, how do we continue to show our support to the people of Ukraine, and friends and relatives who agonize about their safety? The Muskoka community has shown solitary in many wonderful ways, from the town of Gravenhurst flying Ukraine’s […]

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com GRAVENHURST — Russian bombing around Lviv is a new concern for Daniel Dutka. Two of his cousins live near the western Ukrainian city now under siege. But he’s not sure; and thinks they “may be on the move and may have fled to Poland and beyond” — like his parents once […]

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com MUSKOKA — A boost in COVID hospital cases ahead will see Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare (MAHC) with a new president and CEO to navigate the next phase of the pandemic. Cheryl Harrison takes over running of the hospitals in Bracebridge and Huntsville May 30. She replaces Vickie Kaminski, who took over Dec. […]

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — As Ontario’s science advisory table predicts COVID cases to rise in ICUs and hospitals after masks are removed next week, Simcoe-Muskoka again saw its confirmed numbers up to 120 today from 103 yesterday. That’s according the province. Local public health no longer reports Thursdays. Public Health Ontario also reported […]

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — The two-day COVID total by the health unit shows 196 new cases since it last reported on Monday. The province posted 150 cases for those same days. Both show daily increases this week. Today the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) reports 193 cases for this week (Sunday, Monday […]

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — The numerical importance of today is that COVID could still stab us in the back. The empirical importance of March 15 is the settling of debts. In keeping, the health unit Monday reported 26 cases — the province said it was more like 34. Today, Public Health Ontario (PHO) […]

MUSKOKA — Daylight saving time begins tomorrow and local fire departments are reminding residents and business owners to take time to change their smoke detector batteries as they move their clocks ahead one hour at 2 a.m. Gravenhurst Fire Department (GFD) says in case you haven’t noticed, things are getting a bit brighter every day. […]

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Sick of the pandemic? Two years in to coronavirus … so, too, have been at least 36,447 Simcoe-Muskoka residents. Minus that number those 422 local people who died since COVID-19 became official March 11, 2020 — most of them who were living in long-term “care.” Globally 6 million have […]

ORILLIA — A woman missing since last Friday has police asking the public if they have seen her. OPP at Orillia are looking for help to locate Kimberly Brouwer, 41, who was reported missing to police. Brouwer was last seen by her family on the morning of March 4. She is described as: 5-foot-6, with […]

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — “Learning to live with COVID-19 requires that everyone take responsibility for assessing their personal level of risk and taking precautions when out in public,” says Dr. Charles Gardner. “With the continued high rate of community transmission in Simcoe Muskoka, I strongly advise that everyone continue to wear a mask in […]

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — News that has the province lifting most mask mandates March 21 and all restrictions April 27 is being greeted with a mixture relief and trepidation. As was the case when they were imposed. The latest comes as Simcoe-Muskoka reports 79 cases Wednesday, bringing Sunday, Monday and Tuesday’s total to […]

Nancy Thompson Do you talk to your house plants? I do and they are starting to answer back — with droopy leaves and a lack lustre appearance. Now is time to give them a little extra TLC (tender loving care). Our inside plants start to grow as the days get longer. It is now that […]

PARRY SOUND-MUSKOKA — Local municipal social services will receive an extra $200,000 from the province for homeless programs in the riding. The Ontario government says it is investing $25 million more annually in a new Homelessness Prevention Program to connect people with housing services and other supports. They say the program will “streamline operations, allowing […]

BRACEBRIDGE — If COVID-19 has been a chilling page-turner, Tatiana Sutherland wants the post-pandemic chapter to be about families and recovery. Which is why the Bracebridge mom and small business manager wants a seat at Muskoka’s district council come the Oct. 24 municipal elections. Sutherland says she knows the pandemic has taken its toll on […]

HUNTSVILLE — A wanted man who fled a police stop last week was picked up two days later and faces several new charges. The OPP pulled over a vehicle March 2, arresting the driver and a passenger, both from Muskoka, with drug and weapons charges. Kali Lebrun, 22, of Bracebridge, and Kathleen van Duzen, 25, […]

HUNTSVILLE — A second business break-in has the same M.O. Police are looking for suspects after a pair of smash and grabs. The latest one took place Friday, March 4, at 9:23 a.m. The OPP said yesterday that officers were called to a business on Main Street East in response to a break and enter. […]

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com GRAVENHURST — The view overlooking Gravenhurst Bay at the end of Isaac Street is the best in town. On a sunny Friday afternoon — with whirling winds whipping snowdrifts up from Muskoka Lake — it’s still breath-taking. An inviting vista of the Segwun, Wenonah and Wharf for a couple of lucky […]

LETTER TO EDITOR: Europe has seen no conflict like that in Ukraine in 75 years, harkening back to the Second World War. Sure enough in the interim there have been the likes of the Hungarian Revolution, civil strife in Northern Ireland and the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia. However, from a global perspective the political […]