Volume 49 No. 17
BEACHMETRO.COM
November 17, 2020
Lest We Forget!
Fundraising efforts continuing for Share a Christmas
PHOTO: ALAN SHACKLETON
Graydon Power plays at a Remembrance Day gathering in front of the Kew Gardens Cenotaph on the morning of Nov. 11. For more photos and story, please see Page 17.
LOCAL RESIDENTS are coming together in a number of ways to help support Community Centre 55’s Share a Christmas campaign this year. With the COVID-19 pandemic making what are already difficult circumstances for many people much worse, the need for the campaign which helps out families in need over the holiday season is especially acute this year. Also, due to the pandemic, Community Centre 55 has had to change a number of ways it operates the program in order to keep people safe. That means donations of food items will not be collected this year. Instead residents are being encouraged to make cash contributions or donate gift cards. To help generate money for Share a Christmas, local lacrosse supporters are doing their part. Since it did not take place earlier this year because of COVID-19, the
Beaches Lacrosse Jammer Tournament has some legacy funding available and they are going to be using it to help Community Centre 55 and to encourage others to contribute. The Jammer Tournament will be matching donations made to Community Centre 55’s Share a Christmas campaign up to $5,000 this year. “The goal is being to garner $10,000 for families in need in our community, perhaps even more,” said Mark Kuhlman. The Jammer Classic Field Lacrosse Tournament, which began in 2009, is held in memory of former Beaches Lacrosse player Jamieson Kuhlman, 15, who died while playing a game in Newmarket in May of 2008. Mark is Jamieson’s father. He is hoping the lacrosse community from the Beach and beyond will Continued on Page 5
Main Street Terrace long-term care home reports seven deaths from COVID-19 By Ali Raza, Local Initiative Reporter
Journalism
MAIN STREET Terrace longterm care home is reporting seven deaths, and 43 active cases of COVID-19, as cases continue to grow across Toronto and the province. The number of cases reported on Nov. 15 at the home, on Main Street between Gerrard Street East and Kingston Road, are down from a peak of 65 reported on Nov. 2. But since then there have been seven reported deaths among the residents. The home has 150 residents.
Main Street Terrace has an outbreak management team from Michael Garron Hospital, Toronto Public Health, and Revera Inc. that is responding to the situation. It’s one of many COVID-19 outbreaks declared at long-term care homes in Toronto. The province announced on Nov. 13, that there is an update to its COVID-19 response framework, which means more health units across the province – including Toronto Public Health – will be moved into its Red-Control level. However, Toronto Public Health added its own
stricter measures on top of the provincial rules, as the daily case count continues to break records. Toronto had its highest daily case count on Nov. 10 with 533 infections. On Nov. 15, Toronto reported 404 new cases. The city has also seen an approximately 18 per cent increase of COVID-19 patients in hospitals over the past two weeks. There are 4,043 active cases of COVID-19 in the city as of Nov. 13. Between March, 1 and Nov. 13, 410 people have died from the disease in Toronto. Michael Garron Hospital medical
director of critical care Dr. Michael Warner has been vocal in his criticism of the province’s handling of the pandemic. “Whether you are a business owner who has lost their business, an employee who no longer has a job, a loved one of a long term care resident who has passed away, a health care worker exposing themselves to risk every day or an average Ontarian just trying to make it through the day, it’s time for Premier Ford to provide us with clear honest answers,” he said. Continued on Page 5
See our Beach Village BIA Gift Guide pullout centrespread in today’s paper.