01142021 January 14 2021

CHAPLEAU EXPRESS

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Vol. 25, Issue 19, January 14, 2021

Ontario Declares Second Provincial Emergency to Address COVID-19 Crisis and Save Lives Province Issues Stay-at-Home Order and Introduces Enhanced Enforcement Measures to Reduce Mobility

I

n response to a doubling in COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks, the real and looming threat of the collapse of the province's hospital system and alarming risks posed to longterm care homes as a result of high COVID-19 transmission rates, the Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health and other health experts, is immediately declaring a second provincial emergency under s 7.0.1 (1) of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMPCA).

Details were provided today by Premier Doug Ford, Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health, Solicitor General Sylvia Jones, Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health, and Dr. Adalsteinn (Steini) Brown, Co-Chair of the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table.

"The latest modelling data shows that Ontario is in a crisis and, with the current trends, our hospital ICUs will be overwhelmed in a few short weeks with unthinkable consequences," said Premier Ford. "That's why we are taking urgent and decisive action, which includes declaring a provincial emergency and imposing a stay-at-home-order. We need people to only go out only for essential trips to pick up groceries or go to medical appointments. By doing the right thing and staying home, you can stay safe and save lives."

Long Term E f f e c t i v e Forecast Thursday, January 14, Thursday 2021at 12:01 a.m., the High -1 government is issuing a Low -4 stay-at-home order Friday requiring everyone to High -1 remain at home with Low -3 exceptions for essential Saturday High -3 Low -13 Sunday High -10 Low -19 Monday High -13 Low -20 Tuesday High -15 5Low -19

purposes, such as going to the grocery store or pharmacy, accessing health care services, for exercise or for essential work. This order and other new and existing public health restrictions are aimed at limiting people's mobility and reducing the number of daily contacts with those outside an immediate household. In addition to limiting outings to essential trips, all businesses must ensure that any employee who can work from home, does work from home.

These new public health measures will help stop the spread of COVID-19 by reducing concerning levels of mobility as the province continues its vaccine rollout and ramps up to mass vaccination when the federal government is able to provide the necessary supply to do so.

Additional Public Health Restrictions Since the implementation of the Provincewide Shutdown over two weeks ago, the latest modelling trends in key public health indicators have continued to worsen, forecasting an overwhelming of the health system unless drastic action is taken. Escalating case counts have led to increasing hospitalization rates and intensive care unit (ICU) occupancy which has Photo Kari Luhtasaari resulted in cancellations of scheduled surgeries and procedures.

Provincial modelling shows growth in COVID-19 cases has accelerated, leading to increased hospitalization rates and I C U occupancy. ICU occupancy by COVID-19 patients is now over 400 beds and is projected to be as high as 1,000 beds by early February which has the potential to overwhelm Ontario's hospitals. The number of COVID-19-related deaths continues to rise and is expected to double from 50 to 100 deaths per day between now and the end of February. Notably, data shows that

mobility and contacts between people have not decreased with the current restrictions. A new variant of COVID-19 emerged in November. If community transmission of this variant occurs, Ontario could experience much higher case counts, ICU occupancy and mortality.

In response to the alarming and exceptional circumstances at hand, and to further interrupt the deadly trend of transmission in Ontario communities, hospitals, and long-term care homes, the government will enact the following additional public health measures: -Outdoor organized public gatherings and social gatherings are further restricted to a limit of five people with limited exceptions. This is consistent with the rules during the lockdown during the first wave of COVID-19 in spring 2020 and will allow individuals and families to enjoy time outdoors safely.

-Individuals are required to wear a mask or face covering in the indoor areas of businesses or organizations that are open. Wearing a mask or face covering is now recommended outdoors when you can't physically distance more than two metres.

-All non-essential retail stores, including hardware stores, alcohol retailers, and those offering curbside pickup or delivery, must open no earlier than 7 a.m. and close no later than 8 p.m. The restricted hours of operation do not apply to stores that primarily sell food, pharmacies, gas stations, convenience stores, and restaurants for takeout or delivery.

-Non-essential construction is further restricted, including below-grade construction, exempting survey.

These measures will come into effect Cont’d on P.8

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CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, January 14, 2021

- Page 2

ON THE WRIGHT TRACK: MEMORIES FROM C.P.R. SCHOOL CAR # 2

By Bonnie Sitter: A review by William E. “Bill” McLeod “On the Wright Track: Memories from C.P.R. School Car # 2” is a delightful, well written and eminently readable account of the lives William and Helen Wright and their four children . From its inception in September of 1928 to its retirement in June of 1967, Mr. Wright taught in the railway school car that ran between the C.P.R. Divisional Points of Chapleau and White River in Northern Ontario.

The school cars (there were seven of them that ran on the C.N.R., C.P.R. and the T. & N.O.) were railway cars converted into a school room and living quarters for the teacher and his family.

The cars were conceived in the mid 1920s by J. B. MacDougall of the Ontario Ministry of Education. Their purpose was to deliver education to the children of railway workers, mostly track maintenance men, who lived and worked at isolated locations along the railways of Northern Ontario. The children of trappers, prospectors and lumber jacks were also welcome.

C.P.R. School Car # 2 ran from Chapleau to White River serving the remote whistle-stops of Esher, Nicholson, Bolkow, Carry, Grassett and OBITUARY Gail Lynda Pellow Gail in her 72nd year surrounded by her loving family passed away at home softly on January 8, 2021. Gail was born in the beautiful northern town of Chapleau, Ontario. Beloved wife of 51 years to Dr. Bruce PELLOW. Pre-deceased by her parents Betty and Trevor RILEY. Caring mother to Lindsay WHITE (Michael) and Brent PELLOW (Jennifer) She was a fulfilled NanaGail to her grandchildren Ian and Mallory PELLOW. Survived by sister Kim EDWARDS (David) and brother Ron RILEY(Carole).

Gail provided nursing care to many Londoners as an RNA on the surgical floor of Victoria Hospital and later as a community nurse. She enjoyed travelling with her family to their numerous sporting events. She amassed many friends through the years. Book clubs and friend outings to many area restaurants made for a fun life. She found time to do some pastel art and proudly climbed the CN Tower for the World Wildlife Fund charity.

As per Gail's wishes cremation has taken place and there will be no funeral service. She will return to her hometown and camp for a family interment. Gail's' giving nature provided her tissues for donation to the Trillium Gift of Life Network. Arrangements have been entrusted to Harris Funeral Home London Ontario.

Amyot. The car would be pulled by a freight train from one stop to the next where it would be shunted off the main line for a week during which time the children would be given a week of intensive teaching. They would then be given homework assignments to be completed before the train stopped again on its return trip. One cycle from Chapleau to White River would last about a month.

Teaching on the school cars required a very special person and his wife. It was a very remote existence and, if the couple had children, those kids would have to be raised without the benefit of interaction with peers their own age.

They made their own fun doing puzzles, playing board games, snaring rabbits, fishing and scavenging pop bottles that had been thrown from passing trains. In season they picked blueberries which they sold to their grandfather in Campbellford. They did very well on the Grade Eight high school entrance exams that were required in those days. Most went on to post secondary education.

To tell this story the author chose to invite the four Wright children to write a chapter describing their lives before they went off to high school. Shirley was born in 1935, Harvey in 1936, Nancy in 1938 and Chris in 1943. They had nothing but good things to say about their OBITUARY Claude Lionel Boulet It is with deep sadness that the family of Claude Lionel Boulet announces his sudden passing at the Sault Area Hospital, Sault Ste. Marie, on Friday, January 01, 2021, at the age of 63 years. He is survived by his sister, Anita Bellay (Victor) of Winnipeg; and by his 5 nieces and 2 nephews. He was predeceased by his father, Lionel; his mother, Robertine; his brothers Gerald and Andre; and his sister Claudette Denommee (Bernard). Claude was employed for many years by A. & L. Lafreniere Lumber Company until his retirement. He will be sadly missed by family and friends. Cremation has taken place and an interment of his ashes will take place in the Chapleau Municipal Cemetery with his family at a later date.

(Arrangements entrusted to the Kerry Funeral Home, Wawa, 1-800-439-4937). www.kerryfuneralhome.ca

experience. Two former pupils were also asked to make a contribution and they too were very positive.

In 1946, Mr. Wright built a cottage on Wangoon Lake at Esher which the family enjoyed until 1983 when they sold it to the Dixon family who still own it.

Whenever I read any comments about the school cars by the students they are invariably positive about their experiences and their respect for Mr. Wright.

However, in 1967, it was time to retire to a new home in Bobcaygeon, Ontario. Before leaving Chapleau the Wrights were honored at a reception thrown by the teachers of Chapleau High School and by the Reeve and Councillors of the town.

To order or obtain more information email bonnie.sitter@gmail.com Bill McLeod is the author of four books about Chapleau and area – The Chapleau Game Preserve, Murder in the Schoolhouse: Sudbury, Ontario’s Last Hanging, C H A P L E A U : Retrospective on Life in an Isolated Northern Community and St. John’s (Anglican ) Residential Schools, Chapleau, Ontario, 1907 to 1948 Details on content and ordering instruct i o n s c a n b e f o u n d o n B i l l ’s w e b s i t e billmcleodbooks.com.

Snowmobiler Survives Cold Water Exposure (WAWA, ON) - On January 8, 2021, at approximately 9:40 p.m., members of the Superior East Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to the report of an overdue snowmobiler in the area of Manitowik Lake near Wawa.

OPP officers and a Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) Conservation Officer attended the last known location of the missing person. Attempts were made to locate the person utilizing snowmobiles but were unsuccessful.

On the morning of January 9, 2021, an aerial search of the area was conducted utilizing local resources. Officers observed a single snowmobile track going off of the frozen lake surface onto a vast expanse of open water. While searching the area, officers noticed a set of tracks and a helmet on the ice over a kilometer away from where the sled initially went onto the open water.

While following the tracks, officers observed a large plume of smoke coming from the shoreline. As they approached, they observed the missing person standing outside a cabin waving to them. The letters "SOS" (written in coffee grounds) were also observed in the snow.

The individual was extracted and transported to hospital. They were treated for non-life threatening injuries and later released.

CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, January 14, 2021

Chapleau Moments by

Michael J. Morris The fledging Chapleau High 100th anniversary committee for 2022 has held its first meeting on "Zoom" and Graham Bertrand advises it went well with a number of persons interested in volunteering to be involved. It was decided to send out a number of letters seeking assistance. Everyone should keep in mind that no final decision will be made until later when it is known the state of the virus.

However, I started thinking about columns related to Chapleau High School over the past 100 years and being someone who attended the old school on Pine Street, the name of John McClellan came to mind. Into my files I went.

When he retired in 1956, hundreds of citizens packed the auditorium in the old Town Hall, to honour John 'Mac' McClellan, who had been a teacher and principal at Chapleau High School for 30 years. The town hall was filled to capacity as tributes were paid to 'Old Mac' as he was affectionately known although no student would ever call him by his nickname to his face.

The program opened with the singing of "O Canada" with Judy Gibson, a CHS student at the piano. A bouquet of roses was then presented to Mrs. McClellan.

J.G. "Jiggs" Goldstein was master of ceremonies and he read many congratulatory letters and telegrams from those who were unable to attend.

Township councillor Ernest Lepine brought a message from the municipality while D.O. Payette, high school board chairman spoke of the wonderful co-operation over the years

- Page 3

John 'Mac' McClellan defined Chapleau High School as teacher and principal for 30 years between Mr. McClellan and the board. Mr. McClellan was presented with a television, HiFi radio and record player by Jim Broomhead on behalf of the citizens of Chapleau while Mrs. McClellan was presented with a beautiful engraved silver bracelet by Mrs. Muriel E. Morris (my mother) For those of us who attended Chapleau High School during the McClellan years, he most assuredly defined the school which was summed up in a tribute in Chapleau Trails, edited and published by the late Dr. William R. Pellow. The tribute noted in part that " on his tip toes he could peer into the classroom and monitor the behaviour or lack of same with classes led by some very junior teachers. If it was wild enough inside the classroom, he opened the door and made an appearance and settled the rowdies down. He was like a bull with a red flag waving in front of him. He fumed, belted out commands, restored law and order, then left."

It also noted that he "ruled with an iron hand... and often lashed out with a sarcastic tongue, but as a "true teacher his goals were positive" and he was able "to force enough education down our throats to enable us to realize and appreciate the rudiments of a solid education."

At the retirement party, Mr. Payette spoke of Mr. McClellan's work over the years with Number 1181 Chapleau High School Cadet Corps, thanking him for his contribution. The writer in Chapleau Trails sums it up: "He was the commander in chief of the cadet, the bugle corps and the girls gymnastic team. Inspection day he was king."

A veteran of World War I, Mr. McClellan was a member of Branch Number 5 of the Royal Canadian legion, and although he may best be remembered for his work with the cadets, he also coached juvenile hockey with a school team and both he and his wife were avid golfers. After his retirement CHS hockey teams in the 50s competed against outside teams for the John McClellan Trophy which was established by the Students Council in his honour.

Mr. McClellan was a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the late Keith "Buddy" Swanson recalled him in an article for the

school's 75th anniversary newspaper in 1997.

Referring to Mr. McClellan, Buddy wrote: "Our principal, 'Old Mac' as he was nicknamed became an instant friend as well as tutor when he found out I was a Maple Leaf fan (and a ball fan to boot).

"One sunny October afternoon he told me to take the afternoon off and come back to report to him on the World Series game that was on that day. I remember it well because Bob Feller was pitching for the Cleveland Indians. He hurled a two hitter, but lost 1-0.

Mac's tough demeanour at times belied the fact that he was a great guy and a big influence on me... Under his steady principalship the school flourished."

Buddy also noted that Mr. McClellan had much more success with the cadets and bugle band than some of the lab experiments he tried to teach that didn't work. Buddy was a member of the class of 1952.

Writing in the same newspaper, Lillian (Crozier) Robinson noted that "...it seemed as if we all feared him, yet we loved him for his devotion to each student. He truly seemed Cont’d on P.5

CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, January 14, 2021

REPORT from OTTAWA Rapport d’Ottawa by/par

Carol Hughes Federal member of Parliament Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing

When historians examine the events that helped shape the Covid-19 pandemic they will have to look at the role that budget cuts and privatization played in Canada’s ability to respond. While market forces were prioritized in the years and decades prior to the pandemic, those efforts to arrive at efficiencies hampered our ability to respond quickly. That’s what happened when we needed to tap the stores of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) intended for moments just like these and found them depleted. Similarly, our ability to produce vaccines was lost as governments relented to the notion that markets can best provide what is needed and ultimately privatized our last producer.

Canada was not alone in this respect. The idea that we should be prepared for emergencies seems to have slipped from a position of overarching concern for most people and governments once the Iron Curtain collapsed at the end of the Cold War. As the years went by, balanced budgets became more desirable leading to costcutting measures that chipped away at

- Page 4

Can preparedness become politically desirable? preparedness. While we lost the ability to produce vaccines domestically decades ago, our PPE challenges stem from more recent decisions.

That meant that, although Canadian companies were involved in the research for vaccine candidates, we would have had to look outside the country to have any viable vaccine produced. Government’s had been lulled into a sense of security after Canada lost its last vaccine producing company, Connaught Labs. It had been operating at an arm’s length before being fully privatized by the Mulroney Government and sold to foreign interests. Subsequent governments weren’t concerned as it was easy to buy vaccines offshore when we were looking for predictable products. It is moments like we are experiencing now that show the benefit of domestic production more clearly.

The problems related to PPE are more recent. Canada had a stockpile, some of which had been allowed to deteriorate while some was shipped abroad when the pandemic began. As recently as the SARS outbreak in 2003, we were better prepared. Budgetary constraints in recent years are the reason that some of our PPE stocks were allowed to expire and hadn’t been replaced.

Perhaps worse, the government sent 16 tons of PPE to China when it seemed Covid-19 was confined to that country.

Despite the problems, our PPE deficiency seems to have been easier to pivot on. Within

weeks companies were reworking production lines to make the equipment we needed. That said, paramedics were still struggling to find appropriate masks in the summer and there is confusion over which replacements are most effective when the gold-standard N-95 masks are unavailable.

Additional concerns relate to production lines that have been established yet remain untapped by government procurement. The solution for vaccine production is not as simple.

New Democrats are calling on the government to get back in the business of making vaccines and other critical medications here in Canada to more quickly protect Canadians now and in future health crises. We believe the best vehicle for this would be a crown corporation. The argument against Connaught Labs was that the business model reflected its academic roots and couldn’t compete. That was a point where public health interests were over-ridden by market forces.

The same can be said for the decisions that left our PPE stocks decimated when we needed them. The notion that the market can address need has been shown to have its limits. While scientist warn us that pandemic events are likely to increase in our near future, it is unclear if those warnings will be heeded. We are learning there is a cost to everything, that includes costs associated with money not spent on things like domestic vaccine production capabilities and replenishing PPE stocks.

La prévoyance peut-elle devenir une ambition politique?

Un jour viendra où des historiens se pencheront sur les événements qui ont façonné la pandémie de la COVID-19; c’est alors qu’ils établiront le lien entre la capacité d’intervention du Canada, ses coupes budgétaires et ses mesures de privatisation. Au cours des années, voire des décennies qui ont précédé la pandémie, nous avons priorisé les lois du marché pour gagner en efficacité, au détriment de notre capacité à intervenir rapidement. Ainsi, lorsque nous avons voulu puiser dans nos réserves d’équipements de protection individuelle (EPI), justement censées couvrir de telles situations, nous nous sommes retrouvés devant des tablettes vides. Cela se reflète d’ailleurs dans notre incapacité à produire des vaccins; les gouvernements ayant conclu que les marchés pouvaient mieux répondre à la demande, ils ont fini par privatiser notre tout dernier fabricant.

Le Canada ne fait pas exception. Depuis la chute du rideau de fer à la fin de la Guerre froide, il semble que le monde et les gouvernements ont perdu tout sens de la prévoyance pour parer à d’éventuelles urgences.

Avec les années, on a plutôt privilégié l’équilibre budgétaire et les mesures d’austérité. Et bien que nous ayons perdu toute notre capacité à produire

nos propres vaccins il y a de cela quelques décennies, les défis d’approvisionnement en EPI que nous avons dû affronter découlent quant à eux de décisions beaucoup plus récentes.

Les entreprises canadiennes peuvent bien participer à la recherche de vaccins efficaces, il n’en demeure pas moins nécessaire de se tourner vers l’étranger pour être en mesure de les produire. Notre gouvernement se cachait derrière un faux sentiment de sécurité depuis l’abandon de son dernier fabricant de vaccins, Connaught Labs. Ce dernier fonctionnait de manière indépendante jusqu’à ce que le gouvernement Mulroney le privatise et le vende à des intérêts étrangers. Les gouvernements qui lui ont succédé ne s’en sont pas vraiment préoccupés puisqu’il restait plutôt facile de s’approvisionner en vaccins courants à l’étranger. Or, maintenant plus que jamais, nous pouvons constater tout l’intérêt de la production nationale.

Les problèmes d’approvisionnement en EPI sont plus récents. Le Canada avait en effet sa propre réserve : nous en avons laissé une partie se détériorer, tandis qu’une autre a été envoyée à l’étranger au début de la pandémie. Or, nous étions mieux préparés pour l’éclosion du SRAS en 2003. Cette fois, les restrictions budgétaires

des dernières années ont fait en sorte que notre réserve d’ÉPI, une fois périmée, n’a pas été renouvelée. Et peut-être même pire, le gouvernement a fait parvenir 16 tonnes d’EPI à la Chine alors qu’on pensait la COVID-19 contenue dans ses frontières.

Malgré tout, la pénurie d’EPI semble avoir été un problème plus simple à gérer. En à peine quelques semaines, les manufacturiers ont su assurer la production de l’équipement dont nous avions tant besoin. Cela dit, les travailleurs paramédicaux ont eu du mal à s’approvisionner en masques cet été, et une certaine confusion demeure quant aux solutions de remplacement valables à l’inégalable masque N-95. On se questionne également sur les chaînes de production qui ont été mises en place et qui demeurent inexploitées par l’approvisionnement gouvernemental. Et pour ce qui est de la production d’un vaccin, la solution n’est pas si simple.

Les néo-démocrates exhortent donc le gouvernement à rétablir une production nationale de vaccins et d’autres médicaments essentiels.

L’objectif : s’assurer de protéger plus rapidement les Canadiens et les Canadiennes, dès maintenant Suite P.6

CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, January 14, 2021

- Page 5

Gift ideas for new retirees Time To Learn Grow & Play at Algoma District School Board!

This year, as we strive to keep students, staff and parents safe and healthy, Algoma District School Board has moved their Kindergarten Registration online.

Parents/guardians are able to complete the Kindergarten registration form at www.adsb.on.ca anytime during the week of January 11th. Once complete, Chapleau Elementary School will reach out to finalize details and your child will receive a Kindergarten Welcome Package! Children born in 2017 may be registered for JK and those born in 2016 for SK. If you are unable to complete an online registration, please contact Chapleau Elementary School at 705-864-1170. Register your child for Kindergarten from the comfort of your home and at a time that is convenient for you!

That’s ADSB’s online Kindergarten registration, January 11th through 15th at www.adsb.on.ca.

Are you looking for the perfect retirement gift to offer a coworker, employee or loved one? Here are some ideas to inspire you. ! A designer accessory such as a wristwatch, necklace or handbag ! A gift basket filled with chocolates, teas, jams and cookies ! A backpack, walking stick or pair of binoculars for outdoor activities ! A gag gift such as a coffee mug or T-shirt with a funny inscription ! A rocking chair or recliner so they can put their feet up ! A set of tools or an assortment of craft supplies ! A kitchen gadget like an espresso machine or stand mixer ! A subscription to a magazine or monthly gift box The key to choosing a great retirement gift is to consider the person's interests and what hobbies they might take up after retirement.

Chapleau Moments Cont’d from P.3 interested in our academic growth and exerted so much of his own energy to motivate us" adding that "upon reflection it seems that this man made an everlasting impact on us all. Patience, resolve, dedication and tenacity were all demonstrated in his teaching."

Lillian was also a member of the Class of 1952.

Mr. and Mrs. McClellan retired to Whitby, Ontario, where for many years they hosted an annual Chapleau picnic, a must attend for many of his former students from CHS. I became a Grade Nine student at CHS in 1955-56, Mr. McClellan's final year there but looking back on it, I agree with Buddy and Lillian's comments. Let me give the last word on "Old Mac" to the unnamed person who wrote the tribute to him in Chapleau Trails: "We owe him so much and although it is too late to say so one on one, we salute you "Old Mac" and thank you most sincerely and graciously. We cherish your memory. Smile down on us now old warrior." Mr. McClellan died in 1973. My email is mj.morris@live.ca Back to the 100th anniversary. If you are interested in helping out with it, no matter where you may live now, please email Graham at chiefbizick@hotmail.com or Nadia Fortin at nadialee0627gmail.com. Over the next year I will also do columns about the school. Please feel free to email me or message me on Facebook with your memories of CHS.

CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, January 14, 2021

- Page 6

Emergency: COVID-19 Crisis Situation In Ontario Requires Stronger Measures AND Stronger Supports for People Impacted, Today is Deadliest Day of Pandemic So Far Today is the deadliest day of the pandemic so far, 89 people died in the last 24hour period. By every measure the situation is critical, warns the Ontario Health Coalition, and there can be no question remaining that stronger measures are needed to control the devastation the virus is wreaking. At the same time, stronger supports for people who are the most impacted need to be an integral part of the strategy.

Hospitals: • Public hospitals, which continue to make superhuman efforts to fill gaps, provide vital leadership and support across the health system, and keep hospital services open at the same time, are now at or above full capacity across the board.

• In Toronto, physicians are publicly reporting no beds, no resuscitation rooms, ICUs full, nowhere to admit patients.

• The Burlington field hospital is open and patients from full hospitals in the region are being transferred there.

• Morgues in London and Windsor are now full.

• The Ontario Hospital Association is calling the situation “extremely serious” has put into effect its surge plans and is warning that ICU capacity (across the province) will be exceeded in coming weeks. It is planning for large scale transfers of patients.

• ICUs from Chatham through the GTA are full (both with COVID patients and other patients). Surgeries and other care are being cancelled as a result.

Long-Term Care: • 218 long-term care homes are in outbreak. Despite the continued denial, downplaying and dissembling by the Minister of Long-Term Care, the numbers are truly alarming.

There are 160 new cases in the last 24 hours in long-term care, and 34 new deaths. There are 2,488 currently active cases in the last 24-hours (1,258 residents 1,230 staff), the most so far in the second wave. The deaths, which follow

infections by several weeks, have escalated dramatically month over month since October.

• Tragically, we have to report the escalation of deaths in long-term care in the second wave as follows: October 15 => 39 November 15 => 229 that is 190 in a month December 15 => 576 that is 347 in a month January 6 => 1,045 that is 469 in 3 weeks Statement from the Ontario Health Coalition: “The Ontario Health Coalition is in full support of stronger public health measures, including stronger safety and infection control measures in open businesses, full public reporting of outbreaks, more effective and coherent shutdowns.

We do not say this lightly.

We understand that shutdowns have impacts on health and wellbeing and that shutdown measures must include much stronger support measures for individuals, families, communities and local businesses.

Just as the terrible toll of the virus impacts some people more than others—racialized communities, working class and low-income people, the elderly, people in supportive congregate care among others – so too the shutdowns impact some groups more than others.

Understanding this, Ontarians need to take extraordinary and stronger measures to save the lives and health of people in our province and at the same time, individuals whose employment has been or will be impacted need full support

La prévoyance peut-elle devenir une ambition politique?

Suite de P.4 et dans l’éventualité d’autres crises sanitaires. Et pour y arriver, nous croyons que la solution réside dans la création d’une société d’État. L’abandon de Connaught Labs était motivé par le fait que son modèle d’affaires – un legs de ses origines universitaires – n’était pas concurrentiel. C’est ainsi que l’intérêt de la santé publique est passé en second, derrière les lois du marché. Il en va de même des décisions qui ont mené à la disparition de nos réserves d’EPI alors que nous en aurions eu besoin. Force est de constater que le marché ne suffit pas toujours à répondre à nos besoins. Les scientifiques nous mettent en garde : à l’avenir, la probabilité de faire face à des pandémies sera croissante. Tiendrons-nous compte de cet avertissement? Cette expérience nous aura montré que toute chose a un coût, et qu’il y a un prix à payer lorsque nous négligeons d’investir dans notre capacité de produire des vaccins au pays ou dans la reconstitution de nos réserves d’EPI.

for income and housing, and local businesses need full supports to survive the pandemic.

Families at risk and people, including young people, with mental health needs, need extra resources and support.

Our government can do a much better job of providing coordination and supports for these protections.

Across the board we need a much more competent response from our provincial government, including: • Stronger, more coherent public Cont’d on P.7

CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, January 14, 2021

- Page 7

Emergency: COVID-19 Crisis Situation In Ontario Requires Stronger Measures AND Stronger Supports for People Impacted, Today is Deadliest Day of Pandemic So Far Cont’d from P.6 health measures, including a fast ramp up of testing, contact tracing and quarantine capacity in public health and labs must be undertaken now so that the province can get the spread of the virus under control.

• There must be fewer contacts among people to reduce community and workplace transmission and stronger public health measures across the board, including shutdowns and stronger safety measures in open businesses, must be undertaken.

• Ontarians need to stay home as much as possible.

• The crisis in staffing capacity in longterm care must be addressed without any further delay. We need a large-scale paid recruitment, training and deployment of staff, with improved wages and working conditions for those staff.

This needs to start right away. LTC homes must have systematic interventions at a very early point in outbreaks to stabilize staffing and ensure infection control practices are followed; and resources for cohorting must be provided, including field hospitals or similar. Hospital teams must be sent into all of the homes where staffing has fallen to unsafe levels and the military is needed as an emergency measure where hospital overloads are delaying decisions to send in teams. Long-term care homes that are demonstrating negligence and incompetence must face strong accountability measures, orders, fines and license revocations.

• Wherever possible, public field hospitals or the like need to be staffed and opened to help with the overload of residents in long-term care and retirement homes with COVID-19 and the hospital overload. All-hands-on-deck are needed now. The province must help with a major

recruitment drive to get staff to ramp up this capacity.

• The vaccine roll-out needs to be coherent, competent and much faster. All long-term care and retirement home staff, residents and essential care givers must be vaccinated as a priority without delay. The thousands of health professionals from primary and community care that have volunteered to staff 24/7 vaccination clinics and teams must be integrated into the rollout to maximize capacity and public health nurses must be included as leaders in the planning because they have the with the experience and expertise for mass-scale vaccine roll out.

• Community care, which is taking more of the burden of COVID-19 cases as hospitals are full, must be provided with clear directives to ensure staff have proper PPE including N95 masks.”

CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, January 14, 2021

- Page 8

Ontario Declares Second Provincial Emergency to Address COVID-19 Crisis and Save Lives Province Issues Stay-at-Home Order and Introduces Enhanced Enforcement Measures to Reduce Mobility Cont’d from P.1 between Tuesday January 12, 2021 and Thursday, January 14, 2021, including the provincial declaration of emergency under the EMCPA, orders under that Act, and amendments to regulations under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020.

"Despite our best efforts, COVID-19 is continuing to spread in our communities, our hospitals, our long-term care homes, and our workplaces. We are continuing to see concerning trends across the province, including a tragic number of deaths," said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. "We have made great strides in vaccinating tens of thousands of Ontarians, and we can't let these efforts go to waste. Urgent action is required to break this deadly trend of transmission, ensure people stay home, and save lives."

To help quickly identify and isolate cases of COVID-19 in workplaces and service providers permitted to remain open such as longterm care homes and schools, the province will provide up to 300,000 COVID-19 tests per week to support key sectors such as manufacturing, warehousing, supply chain and food processing, as well as additional tests for schools and longterm care homes. This volume of rapid tests would support antigen screening for up to 150,000 workers per week over the next 4-5 months in Ontario's most critical workplaces.

The province is expecting to receive 12 million Panbio tests from the federal government over the next several months and continues to pursue opportunities to purchase additional rapid tests.

"The trends in key public health indicators are continuing to deteriorate, and further action is urgently required to save lives," said Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health. "By strictly adhering to all public health and workplace safety measures, we can reduce the transmission of COVID-19 and keep our loved ones and our communities safe. It will take the collective efforts of us all to defeat this virus."

The government knows that in order to keep Ontarians safe, it is important that they are not forced to leave their homes during the new state of emergency. Ontario is exploring all options available to put a temporary residential evictions moratorium in place, and will have more to say in the coming days.

The additional public health restrictions introduced expand on the existing measures put in place to keep Ontarians safe and healthy.

New Enforcement Measures Under the declaration of a provincial emergency, the province will provide authority to

all enforcement and provincial offences officers, including the Ontario Provincial Police, local police forces, bylaw officers, and provincial workplace inspectors to issue tickets to individuals who do not comply with the stay-athome-order, or those not wearing a mask or face covering indoors as well as retail operators and companies who do not enforce. Those who decide not to abide by orders will be subject to set fines and/or prosecution under both the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, (ROA) and EMCPA. In addition, all enforcement personnel will have the authority to temporarily close a premise and disperse individuals who are in contravention of an order and will be able to disperse people who are gathering, regardless whether a premise has been closed or remains open such as a park or house.

"Extraordinary action is needed to protect the health and safety of Ontarians as we deal with this growing crisis," said Solicitor General Sylvia Jones.

"Our government is providing police and bylaw officers with the tools, and the authority, they need to enforce these critical restrictions and protect public health."

S c h o o l s a n d C h i l d C a re Centres Based on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, schools in the following public health units (PHUs) will not return to in-person instruction until February 10, 2021: Windsor-Essex Peel Region Toronto York Hamilton

By January 20, 2021, the Chief Medical Officer of Health will advise the Ministry of Education on which public health units (PHUs) will be permitted to resume in-person instruction, based on the most up-to-date data and modelling.

Before- and after-school programs can be offered when in-person instruction resumes.

Schools in northern PHUs will continue to remain open.

To continue to keep

students, staff and communities safe, the following new health and safety measures will be put in place for in-person learning: -Masking for Grade 1-3 and requirements for mask wearing outdoors; -Enhanced screening protocols; and -Expanded targeted testing.

The government will also implement new health and safety measures in Ontario child care settings, such as enhanced screening to align with school requirements, voluntary participation in targeted testing and additional infection prevention and control measures to align with schools. These enhancements are in addition to the existing health and safety measures already being implemented in child care settings across the province.

Child care centres for non-school aged Cont’d on P.12

Over the Christmas Holidays, like most people, my mind was full of memories of days gone by, yester year and the “good ol' days.” I admit that I was relieved to have a chance to sit back and actually clear my mind to some degree of all of the trials and tribulations we all are experiencing in these times. I thought back to years gone by when my sons were little, when I was young man and even back to my own childhood. I know I even said aloud to myself several times, “ah the good old days.”

Then I watched some kids playing with their dad and it occurred to me that, of course, these will be “the good ol' days” for those children – and rightly so. The world that my parents raised me in decades ago was far from perfect. It's all a matter of time and perspective.

It suddenly occurred to me to get my head out of the clouds and wishful thinking, and take a look at the reality of the good things in our life right now. The first thing that comes to mind is how fortunate we are to live in these times and consider how lucky we are to have witnessed incredible leaps in technology, science and medicine. We have just witnessed the development of a vaccine to combat the COVID19 virus in under a year. That is absolutely incredible. This really hits home if you consider that the development of the Salk vaccine to fight polio began in the 1930s and wasn't discovered until 1953 by Jonas Salk.

So while there is a lot to be said about the “good ol' days,” in the words of pop singer Carly Simon's song Anticipation, “These are the good old days.” So when things are looking so bleak in these modern days, let's just be sure to recall from time to time how lucky we are to live in these times as well.

Readers may recall in a recent preChristmas column that I raised real concern that Doug Ford decided to call a recess for MPPs earlier than scheduled. It is more than obvious that this was a means for the Conservative government to make a hasty retreat and avoid facing tough questions and demands for decision making accountability daily in the Ontario Legislature.

Ontario is in the midst of a pandemic that is debilitating for all citizens as well as small business, so there is no possible justification to

CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, January 14, 2021 - Page 9 say that things are all caught up and we can just choose to terminate the entire investigation relax. As the second wave rages on, Ontarians are midway through.

Doug Ford made a politically based witnessing spikes in daily case counts, decision choosing to prioritize saving a buck over hospitalizations and fatalities. The province's lagging vaccination plan means our most saving the lives of thousands of seniors. He chose vulnerable community members are waiting too to protect for-profit interests who make millions long for the life-saving shots. Doug Ford must from this broken system at the expense of stop his pattern of doing too little too late and protecting seniors. The commission has already looking out for the bottom line instead of peoples' provided interim reports, and they should be required to provide another interim report by the lives.

Shamefully, the Ford government is still April deadline — but without question they refusing to ban residential evictions, forcing should be given all the time required to complete families into overcrowded shelters or shared their work. They need to be given the time and accommodation, putting them at even greater risk access to every piece of evidence they need, so we of being infected with the virus. We need a faster can learn from this disaster, change the system, vaccine rollout, a plan for asymptomatic testing in and never put our loved ones at risk like this again.

While Ontario certainly could never have schools, paid sick days for all workers and a moratorium on evictions for families without avoided the effects of this terrible pandemic, regular income. Our small businesses are being clearly the situation this province is in could have been mitigated to a large degree by strong decimated and need direct support to survive.

The people of Ontario have every right to leadership focussed solely upon protecting the expect their elected representatives to work for people of this province. New Democrats want to them, particularly during the pandemic. But right get back to Queen's Park to ensure that seniors, when Ontarians are desperate for strong workers, businesses and schools have the leadership, Doug Ford decided to take a vacation resources they need to stay safe and the support so he can avoid the hot-seat in the Legislature they need to get through this crisis.

So yes, our parents and grandparents were where the Official Opposition will call on his government to account for and justify their plans fortunate to have lived back in the “good ol' days,” but in the same way, so do we now. They and decisions.

The Legislature must return to work to did their very best day in and day out to make effectively utilize billions in unspent COVID-19 decisions based upon the best information and funds to shore up hospitals and long-term care advice available at the time. Remember, for our homes. The NDP wants the Canadian Armed children, “These are the good old days.” Our Forces recalled to long-term care homes in crisis leaders need to do better for our children's sake. and federal funding for Red Cross deployments to As always, please feel free to contact my office about these issues, or any other provincial be spent, instead of being sat on by Doug Ford.

New Democrats support decisions that matters. You can reach my constituency office by are based upon advice from medical and public email at mmantha-co@ndp.on.ca or by phone at health professions that utilize medical and 705-461-9710 or Toll free 1-800-831-1899. scientific evidence. Instead what Ontario is seeing is a government that has been shown to ignore or even contradict professional advice in favour of making decisions based upon politics and the support of special interest groups.

Here is an example of an entirely politically motivated decision by Ford. Months ago it became apparent that the Province failed to implement proper and necessary policies and regulations to protect vulnerable residents of long-term-care homes – for no better reason than to save the government money on inspections and to reduce costs for LTC business owners. In light of this, the NDP called for an Independent Judicial Public Inquiry into long-term care be conducted. Instead Ford settled for a much weaker commission that does not have nearly the power and scope of an inquiry.

Why, you ask? It was because Ford has much greater control over the investigation and can limit their scope and deadline. In fact, he can

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CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, January 14, 2021

- Page 10

Last weeks solutions MOMENTS IN TIME On Jan. 31, 1944, D-Day is postponed until June when several key leaders agreed that there would not be enough ships available by May. D-Day would later be postponed once more, by a single day due to high winds.

Finally, on the morning of June 6, the long-awaited invasion of France began.

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ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (A.A).Open discussion meeting every Monday evening. Brunswick House First Nation Band office lounge 7pm. Narcotics Anonymous(N.A) every Tuesday same place same time.

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CHADWIC HOME, FAMILY RESOURCE CENTRE. Offers shelter, emotional support, and information for women and their children who are in crisis situations. We have a Toll Free Crisis Line which is staffed 24 hours a day. We can arrange for free transportation to the Centre for women who live in the Algoma/Chapleau area. We also offer support to women who live in the communities of Chapleau, White River, Dubreuilville, and Hornepayne through our Outreach Program. Our Outreach Worker travels to those communities to meet with women who need emotional support as well as information about their rights and options. If you need to speak with the Outreach Worker when she is in your community, you can call the Centre at any time to set up an appointment. You do not need to be a resident of the Centre in order to use our services. If you need someone to talk to or if you just need someone to listen, call our Toll Free Crisis line at 1800-461-2242 or you can drop in at the Centre. We are here for you.

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CHAPLEAU EXPRESS, January 14, 2021

- Page 12

Ontario Declares Second Provincial Emergency to Address COVID-19 Crisis and Save Lives Province Issues Stay-at-Home Order and Introduces Enhanced Enforcement Measures to Reduce Mobility Cont’d from P.8 children will remain open, and emergency child care for school-aged children will end in approved PHU regions on January 22, 2021 as these elementary schools return to in-person learning.During this extended period of online learning, in areas where in-person elementary learning is suspended, emergency child care will continue for eligible families in regions subject to school closures, as identified by the Chief Medical Officer of Health.

"At the heart of our continued efforts to protect against the spread of COVID-19 in our communities is a firm commitment to return kids to school safely," said Education Minister Stephen Lecce. "Protecting our students, staff and their families is our top priority, and these additional measures build on our comprehensive plan to reopen schools and keep young children in child care safe."

Workplace Safety The Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development is taking additional steps to protect workers with the launch of the "Stay Safe All Day" campaign, focusing workplace inspections in areas of high transmission, including break rooms, and providing new educational materials to employers to promote safe behaviour before, during and after work.

Evidence gathered from COVID-19 related workplace inspections to date shows the

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vast majority of employers and workers are following COVID-19 safety requirements when working. However, when in a break room, a vehicle or not on the clock, there is a tendency to forget about the importance of wearing masks, maintaining physical distance and hand hygiene.

As part of the "Stay Safe All Day" campaign, inspectors will use a data-driven approach to focus on workplaces with reported COVID-19 outbreaks, manufacturing businesses, warehouses, distribution centres, food processing operations, construction projects and publicly accessible workplaces deemed essential, such as grocery stores. The Ministry is also using a new data-sharing program, in conjunction with the Ministry of Long-Term Care and the Retirement Regulatory Authority, to focus onsite inspections of long-term-care homes and retirement homes.

"We know the majority of businesses are operating safely and responsibly to protect their workers and customers. But as COVID-19 cases continue to rise, we all need to step up and take additional measures to stop the spread," said Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development. "This includes increasing our inspections to look at everything workers do both while on the job and throughout the workday."

In the unfortunate event that an employee becomes infected with COVID-19, they may be entitled to federally funded paid sick leave of up to $500 a week for two weeks. Workers can also access Canada's Recovery Caregiver Benefit of up to $500 per week for up to 26 weeks if they are unable to work because they must care for their child under 12 years old or a family member who needs supervised care.

Over the summer, the government enacted a new regulatory amendment that put non-unionized employees on Infectious Disease Emergency Leave during the COVID-19 outbreak any time their hours of work are temporarily reduced by their employer due to COVID-19, ensuring businesses aren't forced to terminate employees after their ESA temporary layoff periods have expired. As part of the Safe Restart Agreement, the federal government is funding a temporary income support program that allows workers to take up to 10 days of leave related to COVID-19, preventing the risk of further spread in the workplace and allowing workers to focus on their health.

The Government of Ontario declared its first provincial emergency in response to COVID-19 on March 17, 2020 which remained in effect until July 24, 2020 when the ROA was introduced. 47 emergency orders were made under the EMCPA. An emergency declaration pursuant to s.

7.0.1 is terminated 14 days after being made and may be extended for up to a further 14 days by the Lieutenant Governor in Council. Thereafter, extensions require approval of the Legislature for additional periods of up to 28 days. Orders made during the declaration of emergency pursuant s.

7.0.2 (4) will automatically terminate after 14 days unless they are extended for additional periods of up to 14 days, while orders pursuant to s. 7.1 can be for a period of up to 90 days and renewed for additional periods of up to 90 days.

The orders currently in force under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 (ROA) remain in effect until January 20, 2021. Under the ROA, orders can be extended for up to 30 days at a time, and the government must continue to report on all order extensions to the Select Committee on Emergency Management Oversight.

A full list of emergency orders under the EMPCA as well as orders under the ROA can be found on the e-Laws website and at Ontario.ca/alert.

As of January 10, 2021, there have been 215,782 reported COVID-19 cases and 4,983 related deaths in Ontario.

Ontario has implemented the largest immunization plan in its history and to date, a total of over 130,000 doses have been administered provincewide.

Building on the efforts of the targeted testing in Phase 1, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health will work together with Ontario Health, PHUs and school boards to expand access to COVID-19 testing.

Wash your hands and Practice Social Distancing

Call 705-864-2579 chaexpress@sympatico.ca