Barrie, Ont. –

The Simcoe County Meals Council encourages municipal leaders to sort out poverty head-on to deal with “staggering” ranges of meals insecurity within the area.

Knowledge from the 2016 Census finds that one in eight Simcoe County households faces meals insecurity, with members unable to afford meals or skip meals.

The pandemic has solely deepened the disaster.

“I’ve seen numbers now, the place households it is one in six, after which with kids, one in 4,” says Simcoe County Meals Council Neighborhood coordinator Courtney O’Neill.

The group is presenting to metropolis councillors in Barrie and Wasaga Seaside Monday and Tuesday, respectively, to shut out a digital tour of the area.

O’Neill says at this stage, the meals council is trying to forge connections and be certain that decision-makers perceive {that a} lack of funds is driving meals insecurity.

“Initiatives or charity meals like meals banks aren’t fixing the issue. They’re supportive for individuals, however they don’t deal with the foundation trigger,” she says.

The sentiment is echoed by Chris Peacock, the manager director of Orillia’s Sharing Place. He’s additionally a member of the meals council.

“The work we’re doing here’s a stop-gap,” Peacocks says, gesturing to the meals financial institution’s cabinets.

“If you happen to actually need to resolve the issue, enhance social help, enhance minimal wage, pay individuals extra at corporations to purchase meals, to pay for fuel, to pay for housing. All these issues which can be persevering with to go up,” Peacock provides.

A lot of the meals council’s work focuses on advocacy and leaning on Queen’s Park to make adjustments.

However O’Neill highlights that prioritizing reasonably priced housing and transit are methods for municipalities to assist.

TORONTO —
The dispute between optometrists and the province is nearing the 2 month mark, that means nearly 4 million individuals in Ontario nonetheless haven’t any entry to eye checks.

“Usually I’ve my eyes examined yearly, as a result of my mom had a historical past of glaucoma and macular degeneration,” stated Don Brooks of Caledon, Ont.

Brooks is 66 years previous and anybody who’s over the age of 65, below the age of 20 or has sure eye situations are presently not in a position to get a watch examination in Ontario as a consequence of a pay dispute between optometrists and the Ontario authorities.

Because the work stoppage drags on, some Ontario sufferers are touring to Quebec and the US to have their eyes examined.

Brooks, a snowbird who winters in Florida, stated he needs to get his eyes checked and if he can’t get a watch examination on this province he’ll get one when he goes to Florida subsequent month.

“Once I stated I might need to go to the US to get my eyes examined, they stated effectively if it’s a must to – it’s a must to,” stated Brooks.

Optometrists in Quebec stated they’re additionally getting calls from individuals in Ontario who need journey there to will get their eyes examined.

Optometrists in Ontario say they’re the bottom paid in Canada and that the province pays about $44 for a watch examination, which the group stated solely covers about half the fee.

The province did give optometrists $39 million and provided an 8.48 per cent elevate, however the Ontario Affiliation of Optometrists (OAO) stated that doesn’t enable the career to catch up from years of underfunding.

OAO President Dr. Sheldon Salaba stated the affiliation is dissatisfied the dispute has not been resolved but and blames the federal government for the stalemate.

“We’re sitting right here and ready for them to return again to us and set up some phrases of engagement which is able to enable us to enter a sturdy negotiating course of” stated Salaba.

However on Friday Ontario Premier Doug Ford stated it was the optometrists who wanted to get again to the negotiating desk.

“You possibly can’t negotiate by your self,” stated Ford. “As premier I’m asking you please come to the desk. The one individuals you’re hurting are the individuals of Ontario, so I need a deal achieved.”

Salaba stated Ford saying he needs a deal achieved provided a “glimmer of hope” that one might be reached.

“It is the primary time we’ve got heard from him in 12 months. I’m glad he’s lastly acknowledging that this is a matter for him and his authorities” stated Salaba.

The province has stated it’s prepared to provide optometrists extra funding to assist cowl their working prices, however stated it will not hand over a clean cheque.

Some sufferers say they’re prepared to pay for his or her eye exams, however that is not allowed in Ontario as sufferers cannot pay for a service that’s lined by OHIP.

Barrie, Ont. –

Enterprise house owners throughout Barrie are cautiously optimistic because the province lifts some security measures, permitting eating places, theatres, casinos and health centres to function at full capability after almost two years.

“It is a step ahead, for certain. So long as we do not return, we’ll be very blissful,” mentioned Steve Ricalis.

Ricalis co-owns three institutions within the downtown core and mentioned he had misplaced roughly $2 million in income throughout the pandemic amid lockdowns and restrictions.

“Everyone thought it was going to final three months, six months, one yr, two years. Now it is two years. It is loopy,” he mentioned.

Ricalis mentioned he took out loans to maintain his companies afloat, with almost 125 workers on the payroll.

He mentioned he additionally paid virtually utterly out of pocket for plexiglass to separate clients.

“We spent virtually round $40,000 for these plastic partisans, and now, what am I going to do with them?” he requested.

Ricalis mentioned he would possible hold the partisans till the spring however is ready for steering from the province or public well being.

Whereas Ricalis is anxious to fill seats, Krista Westerneng at Namaste North Yoga Studio mentioned they’re taking a extra gradual strategy.

“We’re so excited to be seeing some restrictions lifting and welcoming extra individuals again into our house, however we’re simply slowly rising class sizes based mostly on the consolation and security of our college students,” she defined.

Late final week, the province introduced that extra restrictions and protocols would ease within the coming months with its long-term pandemic plan.

Proof of vaccination mandates will begin to raise within the new yr, and masking may turn out to be a factor of the previous by the spring, so long as COVID-19 traits do not turn out to be a priority.

The Simcoe Muskoka well being unit experiences 82 per cent of eligible residents are totally immunized.

On Monday, the well being unit listed 43 new COVID-19 infections. There are additionally three elementary college outbreaks within the area, with dozens of pupil infections, however no faculties have closed.

Premier Doug Ford mentioned the province’s plan was “tremendous cautious.”

Capability restrictions on nightclubs, marriage ceremony receptions and strip golf equipment will raise in mid-November.

REGINA –

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says he is not going to usher in further COVID-19 measures as a result of it in the end takes away folks’s private freedoms.

Moe made the remark whereas delivering a state of the province tackle in Saskatoon to members of town’s chamber of commerce.

He says COVID-19 vaccines are broadly out there, so his Saskatchewan Get together authorities is not going to impose lockdowns or restrictions that might result in enterprise closures.

Some medical consultants and the Canadian Medical Affiliation have been calling for restrictions on gathering sizes as hospitals proceed to confess a excessive variety of COVID-19 sufferers.

Information from the Saskatchewan Well being Authority for this month exhibits Saskatchewan has had probably the most residents in intensive care models per capita than some other province at any level within the pandemic.

Final week, the province’s chief medical well being officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, mentioned COVID-19 vaccines usually are not sufficient to cease Saskatchewan’s fourth wave.

TORONTO —
Each public college in Toronto may have take-home COVID-19 check kits obtainable by the tip of the week.

Metropolis officers say the take-home PCR kits can be utilized when a pupil reveals signs of the virus or if one other pupil or employees member of their class has examined optimistic.

The check is run by swabbing the tongue, cheek and contained in the nostril, or by amassing saliva — versus the nasopharyngeal swab generally used for COVID-19 testing.

As soon as the check is full, households can drop off the COVID-19 check at an area pop-up testing website or choose colleges for processing and outcomes, which may take 24 to 48 hours.

PCR checks have been distributed to some colleges as a part of a pilot challenge earlier this 12 months. That challenge is now being expanded to serve the entire metropolis.

Town says it is the primary program of its type in Ontario, permitting for optimistic instances to be extra simply recognized earlier than COVID-19 can unfold.

This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Oct. 25, 2021.

Barrie, Ont. –

Well being consultants have opened the door to trick-or-treating this 12 months, however Gray Bruce’s prime physician recommends residents be cautious whether or not trick-or-treating or internet hosting a Halloween gathering Sunday.

After Halloween 2020 was a bust, Dr. Ian Arra says kids’s psychological well-being “desperately wants this kind of smile throughout this time.”

However the area’s chief medical officer of well being says security is important to trick-or-treating in a pandemic.

“In case you are unwell, particularly with COVID-19 signs, keep at residence and away from others,” Arra said in a launch on Monday.

The physician says residents ought to contemplate at-home Halloween-themed events to keep away from pointless publicity in its place solution to rejoice.

However for these decided to move door-to-door, the physician has just a few suggestions.

• 
  Stay outside and do not crowd doorsteps;
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  Put on a face overlaying;
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  Do not sing or shout for treats and maintain interplay transient; and
• 
  Use hand sanitizer usually.

HANDING OUT TREATS

The medical officer of well being says anybody handing out treats ought to maintain kids transferring to keep away from crowding and extended interactions.

Arra suggests anybody handing out treats put on a face masks and do not encourage singing or shouting for treats.

He additionally says it is clever to wash palms utilizing cleaning soap and water or hand sanitizer usually.

HOSTING OR ATTENDING A HALLOWEEN PARTY

For anybody internet hosting or attending a Halloween get together, Arra says there are some things to notice.

• 
  Not more than 25 folks can collect indoors, and 100 outside.
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  Be sure to supply hand sanitizer and open home windows if doable for air flow.
• 
  Clear and disinfect high-touch surfaces and make a contact tracing listing of all company.

Arra provides that it isn’t crucial to wash and disinfect pre-packaged treats.

KINGSTON, ONT. —
Greater than $100,000 in fines had been handed out in Kingston, Ont. following a second straight weekend of enormous crowds within the metropolis’s college district.

Round 4,000 folks gathered in Kingston on Saturday for so-called “pretend homecoming” events, one week after 8,000 folks had been within the metropolis for unsanctioned Queen’s College homecoming events.

The crowds this previous weekend had been a lot smaller than the anticipated 16,000 those that authorities had mentioned they anticipated. Cops from Durham and York areas, Toronto, Gananoque, Smiths Falls, Belleville, and the OPP had been known as in to help Kingston police on Saturday. The native police service mentioned one officer was injured in the course of the enforcement.

Aggravated nuisance events had been declared Saturday afternoon on two streets, and officers cleared the realm within the house of about two hours.

Police Chief Antje McNeely mentioned in a press launch that whereas there was an enchancment within the crowds this previous weekend in comparison with the weekend earlier than, there was nonetheless, “aggressive, unstable, and disrespectful behaviour that has sadly turn out to be the norm these previous weeks.”

Kingston’s commissioner of neighborhood companies Paige Agnew famous that quite a lot of time, effort and sources had been utilized in preparation for the previous two weekends.

In a launch, town mentioned the police handed out $30,000 price of tickets for nuisance events and arrested 12 folks for public intoxication. One one that was arrested and charged with weapon and drug possession. Eighty-one Liquor Licence Act expenses and two Freeway Visitors Act expenses had been additionally laid.

Kingston bylaw officers handed out an extra 30 fines for failing to adjust to an emergency order ($2,000 every), one $2,000 aggravated nuisance celebration effective, $6,000 price of noise fines, $200 price of tickets for yelling/shouting, and one $500 effective for obstructing an officer. 

Police search to ID man who gave pretend identify to cops

Kingston police issued a separate launch Monday concerning a person who was fined on Saturday, however who allegedly gave officers a pretend identify.

The person was fined for collaborating in an aggravated nuisance celebration on Aberdeen Avenue at round 2:42 p.m. He was photographed sporting a white and orange long-sleeved shirt with “Queen’s” and “41” printed on the entrance and saggy orange pants.

Anybody who can establish the person is requested to name Kingston police at 613-549-4660 ext. 6327.

TORONTO –

As Canadian dwelling costs proceed to rise and turn into more and more unaffordable, mother and father are giving their grownup kids document quantities of cash — even outpacing dwelling value inflation — to assist with the costly buy, a transfer that additionally widens the wealth hole, in keeping with a CIBC report.

The report, revealed on Monday, discovered that roughly 30 per cent of first-time homebuyers and almost 9 per cent of current owners obtained monetary assist from household this previous yr to buy a home, in keeping with CIBC knowledge. First-time consumers obtained a median present measurement of $82,000, whereas “mover-uppers” had been gifted a whopping common of $128,000 in September 2021.

In 2015, shut to twenty per cent of first-time homebuyers obtained a median of $52,000 in assist from relations. Through the pandemic, the variety of households serving to out was regular amongst first-time consumers and fell barely amongst those that had bought a house earlier than. The general sum of money mother and father have given their kids since 2015, nevertheless, has elevated and decreased, monitoring fluctuations in housing costs, however outpaced dwelling value inflation by two proportion factors at 9.7 per cent per yr.

“General we estimate that over the previous yr, gifting amounted to only over $10 billion, accounting for 10% of complete down funds out there as a complete throughout that interval,” wrote Benjamin Tal, Deputy Chief Economist of CIBC World Markets, and the creator of the report.

PARENTS NOT GOING INTO DEBT, BUT WEALTH GAP WIDENS

Tal famous that whereas there was hypothesis that implies many mother and father have gone into debt to assist their kids, the numbers don’t essentially help that assumption. Taking a look at knowledge from credit score reporting company Equifax, he estimated that solely 5.5 per cent of oldsters who gave cash to their children in 2020 to assist with their down cost went into debt to finance that cash. And whereas it’s the next proportion than it was in 2019 in most main cities, particularly in Vancouver, the 5.5 per cent charge was nonetheless comparatively low, he stated.

“Plainly a big portion of the gifting comes from mother and father’ financial savings, which in fact grew notably through the pandemic—permitting for the will increase within the measurement of the typical present,” Tal wrote in his report.

Offering this present helps slender the wealth hole considerably amongst mother and father, Tal says, however it creates larger inequality between homebuyers who’ve assist from mother and father and those that don’t.

“That enhance within the hole is far bigger than the precise present measurement as it would make the distinction between proudly owning and not-owning a home, with receivers probably benefiting from future dwelling value appreciation,” he wrote. It will possibly additionally generate vital curiosity cost financial savings if the quantity of mortgage being carried by these homebuyers is smaller, he added.

PRIMARY SOURCE OF DOWN PAYMENT

For homebuyers who obtained items that type the majority of their down cost — that’s two-thirds of first-time consumers — the typical present quantity rose even increased to $104,000. Amongst current dwelling house owners utilizing a gifted quantity to cowl most of their down cost, the typical jumped to $157,000.

The typical present measurement for markets like Toronto and Vancouver are even increased, with first-time consumers in Toronto receiving a median of $130,000 through the first three quarters of 2021, and $200,000 amongst non-first timers. In Vancouver, these items had been an eye-popping $180,000 and $340,000 on common amongst first-time consumers and current owners seeking to purchase once more.

“Given the pattern and the dimensions of gifting, it’s clear that this phenomenon is changing into an necessary issue impacting housing demand and subsequently dwelling costs in Canada,” the report stated.

Victoria –

The Canadian Coast Guard says a hearth aboard a container ship off the coast of Victoria continues to smoulder.

The coast guard says in a press release posted on social media {that a} salvage crew from Resolve Marine is on the scene, however the wind storm that lashed Vancouver Island and the south coast has prevented anybody from boarding the ship.

Not less than 10 containers on the MV Zim Kingston caught fireplace on Friday, whereas one other 40 fell into the water and efforts to choose them up are being hampered by the storm.

The coast guard says emergency responders proceed “boundary cooling,” spraying water on the hull and on containers close to the fireplace, though the flames are thought-about underneath management.

A number of the containers that burned contained hazardous supplies, nevertheless the coast guard says there aren’t any impacts to human well being for residents of the Victoria space.

The Kingston, a Greek-based ship, had reported harm because it approached Vancouver and it anchored for repairs within the Strait of Juan de Fuca earlier than reporting the fireplace to the coast guard.

This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Oct. 25, 2021.