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Hungry: Food Insecurity in Canada

65% of food insecure Canadian households report having job income.

60% of Canadian households reliant on social assistance are food insecure.

Source: Food Insecurity Policy Research

Denmark gets it right on elder care

Elder care in Denmark starts with generous spending — more than 2.2 per cent of GDP.

Each municipality in Denmark has senior citizen councils where the rights of the elderly are front and centre. Improvements are made every three years wherever they are needed, based on data collected.

Older people stay in their homes as long as possible with regular house calls from health professionals, paid for by the state. Most aspects of elder care, such as senior centres, adapted transportation and meals-on-wheels programs are also paid for the by the state. Nursing homes are mostly public and council-run.

UPFRONT

Perry departs Health Team for role with Métis Nation of Ontario

Mike Perry, long-time executive director of the Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team, will leave the organization in the coming weeks to take on a new opportunity with the Métis Nation of Ontario.

The new position is as Lead — Government Law and Constitution with the Métis Nation of Ontario, said Perry.

A historic 2019 agreement set a new government-togovernment relationship between Canada and the Métis Nation of Ontario. There is now recognition that Métis Nation of Ontario-recognized communities have the right of self-government.

Dr. Peter Anderson, president of the Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team, wished Perry well, saying the organization is “grateful for the expertise that Mike has brought to his position” over the past 10 years.

“The medical community and local health care have benefited greatly from his guidance, energy and skills. We wish him all the very best.”

Perry called it a “rare honour” to be able to help improve health care in the area. “I have worked with — and learned from — so many extraordinary professionals and community members over the past decade,” Perry said.

During Perry’s tenure as executive director, nurse practitioners were brought to smaller communities such as Omemee, Woodville, Bobcaygeon and Fenelon Falls, and new family doctors were also recruited to Kawartha Lakes. A health clinic was opened in Little Britain and a new team of mental-health workers was established. There was also enhanced care for transgender patients and a push for “same or next day” appointments for patients.

“I am very excited about this new opportunity to serve and return to legal work and build again — especially being Métis myself,” Perry said.

Perry will continue to live in Lindsay and said he will be as active as ever in the local community including volunteering to help with COVID vaccinations. www.lindsayadvocate.ca

Business UPFRONT

Passion for Italian food at the heart of Che Figata in Bobcaygeon Mother-daughter team launches online clothing boutique

As its website will tell you, Che Figata is an Italian phrase meaning “that’s awesome!”

Since Bobcaygeon’s new Italian restaurant opened last November, though, there are many Kawartha Robert Mangoni with his Lakes residents who haven’t had daughter, Alessia Mangoni, the opportunity yet to discover the at Che Figata in Bobcaygeon business for themselves.

Roberto Mangoni, a former Toronto resident, has had a cottage in the area since 2015 but once the pandemic struck, he — like so many others — decided to leave the crowded city behind and relocate to a smaller town.

While not a trained chef, the self-taught Mangoni has had a passion for cooking since he was just eight years old. He travelled for two years in Italy to eat and experience the Italian pizza and pasta industry before opening his own restaurant here.

Mangoni says he wants to give the community and its visitors “an experience of modern Italian cuisine with the use of top ingredients.”

As for Mangoni’s favourite menu items, he found it difficult to choose but eventually settled on fried polenta, arugula and endive salad, sausage and rapini pizza, spaghetti carbonara and the homemade tiramisu — something from all four menu categories. To learn more visit chefigata.ca www.lindsayadvocate.ca

Emma Scully shows off some items from her new online boutique.

Bonita Clothing & Co., an online and independently owned women’s clothing boutique based in Downeyville, has launched.

Emma Scully and her mother Lori Scully are the team behind Bonita Clothing & Co. The business is “powered by women,” says Emma, given that besides her and her mother, the models used in their social media posts are all female family and friends.

The business name is inspired by Emma’s late Aunt Bonnie, “who shared a love for dressing up.” Bonnie’s birth name was Bonita, which means “pretty” in both Spanish and Portuguese. The boutique was created in her memory, so the name was fitting, says Emma.

“Bonnie was beautiful, independent, fun-loving and successful. She was fashionable and always kept up to the latest trends,” says Emma.

“She generally gifted family and friends with trendy clothing pieces or accessories tailored to their personalities. She inspired women of all ages.”

Much like her Aunt Bonnie, Emma says she has hand-selected these all-new pieces for others to enjoy.

While the Scullys are starting out 100 per cent online, they don’t discount the possibility of a physical location one day. Visit bonitaclothingandco.com and follow the business on Instagram and Facebook @bonitaclothingandco.