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DID YOU KNOW? A raging fire in 1891 wiped out much of downtown Alliston

Sep 17, 2021 , , , , by shlf

Almost every small town has a great fire story, and Alliston is no different.

The great fire that happened May 8, 1891, decimated many of the stores and buildings that once lined Victoria Street.

A historical newspaper clipping that described the aftermath said the blaze consumed upwards of 30 acres of land and destroyed “two thirds of the prettiest and most lively main streets of any town in the province.”

According to historical records, the fire is believed to have started in the horse stables outside the Queen’s Hotel, which was located in the heart of downtown.

Historian Ralph Braden, who wrote about the fire in one of his books, said the blaze was able to spread quickly due to strong warm breezes and the cedar plank sidewalks that lined the streets.

He called it “an inferno waiting to happen.”

He said volunteers worked desperately to douse the flames with buckets of water, and the town had to call for help from neighbouring communities.

The Collingwood Fire Department answered the call and it brought its pumper to town on the train, but it didn’t arrive until late in the afternoon.

It took years for the town to rebuild, but a new downtown eventually rose from the ashes.

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Bradford plaza hit by three break-ins: police

Sep 17, 2021 , , , , by shlf

South Simcoe Police Service officers are appealing for information and security footage following three break and enters at a plaza in Bradford.

On November 13 at approximately 7:30 a.m., police were called to the plaza on Bridge Street after three businesses were broken into overnight.  

Police said it appeared that cash had been targeted, but that investigators were still assessing what had been taken.

Investigators are trying to determine possible links to other commercial break-ins in the area.

Anyone who witnessed suspicious activity, or who has security camera footage, can contact Sgt. Michael Adams at or Crime Stoppers.

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This month you can drop the guilt for enjoying McDonald’s fries

Sep 17, 2021 , , , , by shlf

McDonald’s Canada, which sells a whole lot of its “world famous fries”, is doing so for a cause through the month of November.

The company launched its #FriesForGood campaign, which continues until Nov. 30, in support of Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada (RMHC).

A portion of proceeds from fry sales will go to the charity, though the company did not specify how much. When McDonald’s Canada did this campaign back in May 2020, then in support of the Canadian Red Cross, it raised $1.1 million in two weeks.

“I’m so proud of how our restaurants, franchisees, guests and employees have rallied together to find ways, big and small, to support communities across Canada this year,” said McDonald’s Canada president and CEO Jacques Mignault, in a news release. “Like many Canadians, the support RMHC provides to families is near and dear to my heart, and I have no doubt that through Fries for Good we’ll make a significant impact in support of the Ronald McDonald Houses and Ronald McDonald Family Rooms that serve families across the country each and every day.”

Besides purchasing fries this month, customers can also round up their bill to the nearest dollar, with all proceeds going to RMHC. Customers can also contribute to RMHC coin boxes, or o cashless at the point of purchase. Furthermore, a portion of proceeds from every Happy Meal and RMHC Cookie sold goes to RMHC.

RMHC said it is experiencing a 60 per cent drop in revenue this year.

“Every generous action made by Canadians, such as purchasing an order of fries or rounding-up your order to the nearest dollar, will add up to make a big difference for our families – helping them to stay close to each other, and close to the medical care they need, at a time when it’s needed most,” said RMHC CEO Cathy Loblaw.

RMHC operates 16 Ronald McDonald Houses across Canada, which provides families of sick children with a place to stay near the hospitals where their children are being treated. The company says 65 per cent of families live outside a city with a children’s hospital and must travel for treatment if their child is seriously ill.

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‘What we ask of you is difficult’: Collingwood doctor urges community to follow public health advice on COVID-19

Sep 17, 2021 , , , , by shlf

The president of the medical staff at the Collingwood General & Marine Hospital is urging the community to take precautions while in public in an effort to prevent a surge of COVID-19 patients at the hospital.

In an open letter to the community, Dr. Gregg Bolton said almost 10 per cent of the patients in the hospital have COVID-19, and the surge in patients “hits us at a time when all of us would normally be planning Christmas dinners, trips with friends and family, and looking forward to well deserved holiday time.

“As your physicians, we have volunteered much of our time preparing for a day like this, all the while hoping it wouldn’t come,” wrote the doctor who has worked in Collingwood since 2009, primarily in the hospital’s emergency department.

In a news release, Dec. 9, hospital officials said the 18-bed alternate health facility had been opened following the recent sudden surge. It does not care for COVID-positive patients, but for patients who require transitional care before transfer to rehabilitation, long-term care, a retirement home, or post-acute-care services.

On Dec. 8, the hospital had six confirmed cases. According to the Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit, one of those patients has since been airlifted to Mount Sinai. On Dec. 10, the health unit reported the hospital had two COVID-positive patients.

In his letter, which was circulated to local media and also , Bolton said the 74-bed hospital is “in danger of being overwhelmed, and we may not humanly be able to take care of a large influx of patients.

Bolton urged residents to follow the public health advice that’s been communicated since the beginning of the pandemic: to wear a mask while indoors in public places, to maintain physical distancing of two metres, stay within a social bubble of 10 people, and to stay home and refrain from travelling.

“What we ask of you is difficult. These asks come at a time of year when social events are the norm,” he said. “A time of year when many of us attend celebrations and a time of year when we normally enjoy fellowship with others.”

Bolton said the medical staff have stepped up throughout the pandemic, assisting in the set-up of the COVID Assessment Centre and the alternate health facility at the legion. Staff has also ensured the hospital continued to have physician coverage, and helped to set up the drive-through flu-shot clinic.

“This year, there is no better way of showing our commitment to our community by following the asks we have of you,” he wrote. “In this way, you will show that you care enough about our community to keep it safe and healthy.”

Bolton said he wrote the letter to reaffirm the public health messaging and efforts to slow the spread of the virus in the community.

“We recognize the importance of social connections, as well as the mental health and safety of our community members,” Bolton told Simcoe.com. “We are asking for the community to help each other by practicing safe behaviours.”

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These Ontario school boards are blending in-class and online. Will others follow suit?

Sep 16, 2021 , , , , by shlf

The York Catholic and Dufferin-Peel Catholic school boards will soon be moving into a blended model of online and in-person learning – news that has sparked a new set of worries for many parents and educators across the regions.

This new model combines in-person and remote learners into the same class under the direction of the home school classroom teacher.

— Katie Taylor (@sinksships)

Both school board notices cite concerns over operational challenges as a primary reason for the switch. 

“This hybrid model has numerous benefits including keeping remote learners in their home school with their friends, maintaining physical distancing in classrooms, and offering a seamless transition from in-class learning to remote learning or vice-versa,” York Catholic District School Board’s (YCDSB) interim director Mary Battista wrote, Oct. 7. 

“We recognize this is a change in learning modes,” Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board’s (DPCDSB) director of education Marianne Mazzorato said in the board’s release on Oct. 8. “This change is necessary to ensure all students have access to the programs offered in DPCDSB and to provide flexibility regarding learning modes in this time of uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The YCDSB will begin implementing the new model on Oct. 14, followed by DPCDSB on Nov. 2. 

Upper Canada District School Board already rolled out a , through which classroom teachers use specific technologies approved by the board, to facilitate a more collaborative experience between students learning face-to-face, and those learning remotely.

Stephen Sliwa, Director of Education at Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB), said this model “provides students with the ability to connect with someone from their school that they may already know and stay connected with their peers during the school day.”

He added that the model also ensures flexibility for families who can move from one mode to another, when needed.

Liz Stuart, provincial president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association, said the amount and frequency of school reorganizations they have observed this year is unprecedented.

“This is a direct result of the Ford government’s lack of planning and funding for a safe school reopening,” she said, adding that many parents are uncomfortable with the current safety precautions.

“As a result … school boards are implementing impractical plans that do not meet anyone’s needs.”

Caitlin Clark, spokesperson for education minister Stephen Lecce, said the Ontario government believes in providing and supporting parental choice to decide what type of learning is best for their children.

“School Boards decide how they deliver quality learning for students in class and online,” Clark added. “We have set the highest standards in Canada for remote learning. For example, students will learn at least 75 per cent of the instructional day in a live synchronous setting, as well as being provided with a daily schedule or timetable.”

She said the Ontario government has dedicated approximately $24 million to YCDSB, $33 million to DPCDSB and $13 million to UCDSB to reopen their schools.

Sam Hammond, president of the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO), said ETFO has also expressed opposition to this blended learning model. 

“On so many levels this approach is wrong and it will no doubt compromise the high quality instruction that students need and deserve,” he said, adding that teacher-student interaction is a critical part of learning.

“Teachers cannot simply be in two places at once; it’s unmanageable,” Hammond said. “Where does a teacher devote their attention? Is it the classroom students or the online students? Because they certainly can’t do both at the same time effectively.”

Annie Kidder, executive director of the advocacy and research organization, People For Education, said there’s no way to determine how many schools will end up adopting this new model, but she thinks “boards are frantically trying to solve problems as best they can.”

“Sometimes necessity is the mother of invention and I don’t think any board would have chosen this if they didn’t feel it was necessary,” she added. 

However, she said, the province, school boards and parents need to acknowledge that these are not usual times and that there should be some leniency with regards to what teachers are expected to accomplish given the current circumstances.

“From a system perspective, there has to be flexibility about not assuming that teachers are going to implement new math curriculum at the same time for example, or meet all of the outcomes that are normally supposed to be met in curriculum by (a certain) date.”

Kidder said other factors that should be considered are hiring more support staff to help with both in-class and online learning, as well as affording teachers the opportunity to speak about what’s working and what isn’t. 

“I think what’s important is that we are immediately building in a method of learning about how this works so that we’re not just leaving teachers on their own to try and figure it out,” she said.

With files from Laura Broadley 

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Canada has approved a 15-minute COVID test. But the lineups will still go on for hours

Sep 16, 2021 , , , , by shlf

Health Canada has given the green light to a rapid test for , but experts say people shouldn’t expect the testing backlog — and lineups — will disappear anytime soon.

“It’s sort of sold as reducing the backlog,” Dr. Zain Chagla, an infectious disease specialist with McMaster University, said about the newly approved ID Now test. “I’m uncomfortable with this. I don’t think this is going to significantly reduce the backlog by any means.

“It is nice to have another tool to get people tested, but this is probably not the test that’s going to change the provincial testing queues altogether.”

Ottawa announced Wednesday it approved the test developed by Abbott Laboratories, which can deliver results in less than 15 minutes of a patient being swabbed, without having to first send the sample to a lab for processing.

Neither the company nor the federal government will be more specific about when the test kits will start arriving, other than “the coming weeks.”

The approval came a day after the federal government announced it had signed a deal to buy nearly eight million of the tests from the U.S.-based company, pending Health Canada approval, as well as 3,800 of the analyzer machines that process the results.

The ID Now test has been approved and used in the United States since the end of March under an emergency authorization, but not without controversy. Several clinical studies have since raised concerns over its accuracy, though others concluded with more favourable results.

“If you look at some of the literature that has come out around this machine, it does miss some positives,” noted Chagla. “From reading the U.S. experiences, people who are still having symptoms after a negative test are recommended to get another test.

“There’s limitation with this machine but it’s better than nothing at this point.”

According to an Abbott spokesperson, the test needs to be administered by a trained health-care provider.

A swab is taken either from the nose or the back of the throat, and then mixed with a chemical solution that can “recognize a unique section of the Coronavirus genome, while ignoring other viruses even if they’re similar strains,” the spokesperson told the Star in an email.

“ID NOW delivers reliable results in minutes, rather than hours or days, on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic with accuracy rates as high as 94.7% compared to lab-based PCR reference tests in the acute phase of illness.”

Dr. Andrew Morris, an infectious disease specialist at Sinai Health and University Health Network, called the approval of the rapid test “welcome” but not a surprise. The test “has been approved in almost every jurisdiction where there’s been an application,” he said.

The question now is when these tests are going to arrive.

Other countries and the World Health Organization have also purchased them, and it’s not clear “where we are in the pecking order,” Morris said.

“Inevitably it’s going to help us but we really needed it several weeks ago to avoid our backlog,” he said.

The province also needs to figure out how the new tests will be used as part of a larger strategy, which should include “surveillance, screening and diagnostic testing.”

That’s something “we’ve been really challenged by,” Morris said. “This will expand our capacity for testing, it probably won’t be used in the highest stakes, because almost certainly its quality is not going to be as good as the gold-standard PCR test.”

While the rapid test can relieve the pressure on the back end of the testing process at labs, Chagla said people still need to go through the same registration at COVID assessment centres and line up to get tested.

Local health authorities need to take a look at what their testing needs are and how the test can meet those needs.

The rapid test works best in remote areas where test centres and labs are far and apart, for asymptomatic people and at high-risk workplaces where routine testing is called for, said Chagla.

“We need to develop a system to determine who is best for what test,” Chagla said.

Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist at the University Health Network, said the approval will “provide incremental help” and is “an excellent move” but “not a silver bullet.”

It might be particularly helpful in remote or northern communities that are far from labs, for some workplace outbreaks, or even in underserved urban neighbourhoods that have been hard hit by COVID, to “remove barriers” to testing.

The newly approved rapid ID NOW test is not to be confused with antigen tests, which test proteins on the surface of the virus. Health Canada said Tuesday it’s still reviewing those.

The goal, said Bogoch, would be a rapid antigen test that you could do at home, before heading to work or school, similar to a pregnancy test.

If it was positive, he said, it would trigger a more formal test at the centre. But in the meantime it would let you know not to go to work and to isolate, to avoid infecting others.

Nicholas Keung is a Toronto-based reporter covering immigration for the Star. Follow him on Twitter:

May Warren is a Toronto-based breaking news reporter for the Star. Follow her on Twitter:

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‘They want to release the stress’: Having a bash in Orillia’s ‘rage room’

Sep 16, 2021 , , , , by shlf

Embroiled in a family drama?

Stiffed on that recent job promotion?

Workplace printer giving you grief?

There are myriad reasons people are grabbing a baseball bat or hammer, and blowing off steam while bashing bottles and other breakables in the ‘Rage Room.’

According to an owner of the local operation, the seemingly endless global pandemic is the latest stressor that is also driving a surge in business.

“Everyone’s cooped up inside and they want to get out and they want to release the stress,” said Rob Petrangelo, who runs the business with his wife, Kerri.

Located within Ax Men, a recreational axe throwing club on Ontario Street, the Rage Room opened shortly before the pandemic hit and was then closed for four months.

A return to business saw customers flock to the room to release pent-up stress.

“It’s actually more popular than the axe throwing at the moment,” Petrangelo added.

After signing a waiver, participants don protective jumpsuits, chest protectors, helmet/masks, and gloves before stepping into the room and unleashing their fury on smash-worthy items, ranging from beer bottles and computer monitors to printers.  

Many do this to a heavy metal soundtrack, having synced their phones to the business’s stereo system.

“People just take a bat or a hammer or a golf club, or just throw glasses up against the wall or beer bottles,” Petrangelo added.

Kelly Underhill travelled from Barrie with a friend on a recent Friday night to decimate a selection of wine bottles, plates and a printer.

“It gets the frustration out,” Underhill told Simcoe.com. “I’m a thrower naturally, so I can’t do it at home because I’ve got to clean up the mess, so here I don’t have to clean up the mess.”

Prices range from $35 for one person to $59 for two people to $99 for groups of up to four, with the number of breakables provided varying according to the package.

While the Rage Room has hosted couples, manager Amanda Wega said the majority of clients are women — often arriving fresh off a breakup.

Women, she said, tend to “hide our anger a lot better.”

For information, call or go to

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Doug Ford says COVID-19 trajectory trending ‘downwards’ as Ontario reports 834 new cases

Sep 16, 2021 , , , , by shlf

Premier says new computer modelling on the trajectory of shows it heading “downwards” after hitting back-to-back record highs on the weekend, including 1,042 cases Sunday.

“I wouldn’t go as far as flattening but we see it going in the right direction,” he told his daily news conference, revealing that new data will be presented by health officials Thursday.

The reassurance from Ford — who is under pressure over the closures of indoor dining and gyms in Toronto, Peel, York and Ottawa — came as Ontario reported 834 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, a minimal increase of seven.

Testing was up 25 per cent as health officials continue looking for a drop in new infections suggesting the modified Stage 2 restrictions in the four hot zones are taking hold and reducing the spread of the virus.

But Ford was he said the curve was being flattened — just days before the Thanksgiving Friday surge to a then-record 939 cases that prompted an abrupt reversal to impose a 28-day clampdown.

“I’ve said that before and it scares me because it comes back and bites you in the butt real quick if we don’t follow it up,” the premier acknowledged.

Experts later said a backlog in testing at the time hid the true picture of the spread of COVID-19, despite numerous warnings from Toronto Public Health and the Ontario Hospitalizations the pandemic was taking a bad turn.

Labs across the province processed 30,010 tests Tuesday with no backlog, an increase of about 6,000 from Monday but well below highs of around 48,000 and prompting concerns there is not enough testing.

“We see the curve going down, which is great news,” Ford added Wednesday, cautioning “just because we see it sloping down a bit doesn’t mean we can let our guard down” while expressing hopes more businesses can reopen soon.

Shortly after Ford spoke at Queen’s Park, Peel medical officer Dr. Lawrence Loh said a Thanksgiving surge in cases revealed in spiking numbers last weekend pushed the region into the second wave.

He urged residents to limit their in-person contacts and called on places of worship to return to virtual gatherings only, even though in-person services are allowed under the law.

“Assume that anyone else outside your immediate household could be carrying the virus,” Loh said.

Meanwhile, the possibility that regions could join Toronto, Peel, York and Ottawa in modified Stage 2 with bans on indoor dining and closures of gyms and theatres appeared less likely.

“The numbers in both Halton and Durham have remained relatively low,” said Health Minister Christine Elliott.

Halton had 24 cases, up from 10, and Durham 26, down from 44 with Hamilton reported 18, an increase of four. There were 299 new cases in Toronto, 186 in Peel, 121 in York Region and 76 in Ottawa.

In total, the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area accounted for 81 per cent of the new cases, and 12 of the province’s 34 public health units reported no new cases — a proportion that is higher than usual.

The province is operating on a baseline of positive tests that is higher every day than the first wave of the pandemic last spring, when cases topped out at 640 on April 24.

Cases have not been below that level in three weeks and a record 7,474 Ontarians are fighting active cases of the virus after testing positive in the last 14 days.

There were five new deaths reported Tuesday, including two in nursing homes, raising the total to 3,108 since the first fatality in March. More than 72,885 cases of the virus have been confirmed and 62,303 are considered resolved, although many people who have had COVID-19 feel lingering effects.

The Ministry of Long-Term Care said 87 of the province’s 626 nursing homes remained in outbreak mode, a drop of one with another 32 additional residents and three staff diagnosed with COVID-19 raising the number of active cases to 396 and 297 respectively.

To date, 1,996 nursing-home residents have died from the virus,

Amid concerns that hospitals could fill up over the winter because of COVID-19 and the flu, there were 312 Ontarians in hospital for the novel coronavirus with 71 requiring intensive care and 51 on ventilators to breathe.

That is a marked increase from the same day in September, when there were 128 people hospitalized, 29 in ICU and 17 ventilated.

As has been the case for a few days, there were no schools closed because of outbreaks, but schools reported 92 more cases in students and staff and there were 595 of the province’s more than 4,800 schools with infections, or about 12 per cent of the total.

Rob Ferguson is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow him on Twitter:

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Orillia houses damaged as novice driver loses control of vehicle

Sep 16, 2021 , , , , by shlf

A 17-year-old driver is charged with driving offences after her out-of-control vehicle damaged two Orillia houses on Colborne Street Nov. 18.

Police received a call at about 8 a.m. about a vehicle that struck a home and came to rest at a house across the street.

Orillia OPP charged the Rama First Nation resident with careless driving. As a novice driver, she was also charged with driving without a qualified driver in the vehicle.

The driver was treated for minor injuries at Soldiers Memorial Hospital.

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‘Climate change mitigation has a cost’: Collingwood environmental group calls for specialist post at town hall

Sep 16, 2021 , , , , by shlf

A citizens’ environmental group is calling on the Town of Collingwood to put its money where its mouth is on the issue of climate change.

Collingwood Climate Action Team (CCAT), a group formed in 2019 to raise awareness of climate issues, says council needs to consider hiring a climate change specialist as part of the town’s 2021 spending plans.

David Ohrling, who leads CCAT’s community engagement group, said council should view the position as an investment, rather than a cost.

“If you invest $1 now in climate change mitigation, you save $6 later,” he said. “You can make the case that it’s an investment, and the potential is there as an investment to access funds that would be beneficial to the town.”

Council approved a motion declaring a climate crisis in 2019, and directed staff in July to sign the town on to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Partners for Climate Protection. It also asked staff to create a three-year, part-time contract position to support “green” initiatives in the 2021 budget.

However, in the first budget overview presented to council in October, the position — pegged at a cost of $35,000 — was determined not to meet the threshold for a staff recommendation. In budget documents released on the town’s public-engagement website, , the position is now identified as costing $50,000 annually.

Coun. Deb Doherty questioned the recommendation in October, and told Simcoe.com the town needs a staff person to put a “green lens” on “everything we do,” including policies such as the cycling plan, urban tree canopy strategy, and the accommodation strategy.

Doherty said the responsibilities could fit into the job description of another position, such as the additional staff position being asked for within the facilities management division in 2021.

“Climate change mitigation has a cost. We’ve taken the line of least resistance for years, until we find ourselves in a position where we’re at a critical juncture (for greenhouse gases),” she said. “If we’re going to turn it around, we have to make an investment in turning it around.

“It’s one thing to make the declaration (of a climate crisis), but if you don’t provide some kind of affirmative action, it’s nothing but an empty motion.”

Ohrling said the position must be separate as it doesn’t fall into the responsibilities or agenda of any one department.

“There has to be an overarching lens … that should be incorporated into decisions and how they’re made,” he said.

Having the position in place would also allow the town to chase after funding programs that address climate change issues from other levels of government, he added.

“Everybody is recognizing there’s a problem and we need to move in a certain direction, but the town needs someone who can oversee that work if we’re going to do it effectively,” he said. “It needs to be looked at as an investment; these things are looked at as liabilities and costs, and the reality is the potential liability to the town is fairly significant.”