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The
THIS WEEK
Citizen
Huron County’s most trusted independent news source
Thursday, April 8, 2021
$1.50 GST included
Volume 37 No. 14
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0
Klassen preaches continued caution By Denny Scott The Citizen
Dig! While the provincial government has pulled the “emergency brake” in order to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the province, schools, including those in Huron and Perth Counties, are due to remain open. This has been heralded as good news by many and bad news by others, but
Brooklyn, left, and Charlotte Hakkers seem to be happy enough attending classes at Hullett Central Public School, as it affords them the opportunity to get their hands (and gloves) dirty at recess. For a full story on the provincial shutdown, see page 20. (Denny Scott photo)
Provincial budget delivers: Thompson With yet another shutdown in place and the fight against COVID19 ramping up, the provincial government has released a budget that Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson says is focused on healthcare and economic recovery. The provincial government’s budget announcement came late last month when Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy tabled his first provincial budget. One item that jumped off the page was that it could take the government until at least 2029 to balance its budget as a result of COVID-19 relief funding and other associated economic fallout. Over the last year, the Ontario economy has shrunk by nearly six per cent. The budget includes benefits, grants and tax credits for
families and businesses in addition to significant funding for the healthcare and tourism sectors. In an interview with The Citizen, Thompson said that before the numbers could be crunched, it was important to remember that the province is still very much embroiled in a fight against the COVID-19 virus. She says it’s appropriately referred to internally as an “action plan” that focuses on healthcare and jobs. She reiterated the impact the budget will have on the residents of Huron and Bruce Counties by revisiting recent funding announcements in her riding, including the funding of new longterm care spaces in Southampton,
Goderich and Wingham. She says such investments show the government is taking the threat of COVID-19 very seriously. That long-term care home investment, she said, is part of an overall commitment of $933 million across the province for new longterm care beds. She also pointed to an investment of over $50 billion across the province over the next four years to fight the pandemic, whether it’s personal protective equipment or other supplies. Thompson says this year’s budget has really “pushed over silos” between different ministries, encouraging ministers and their staff to work with one another to find solutions that are in the
best interests of the province. Thompson also highlighted a number of small business grants designed to keep the province’s businesses profitable during the pandemic. She said she’s heard from many small businesses in both Huron and Bruce Counties that the provincial government’s small business grant has been a lifesaver for them. She also noted a regional grant for Huron and Bruce Counties providing incentive for businesses to relocate to the area, as well as a $10 million grant for the agri-food sector aimed at providing assistance to wineries and cideries that have been adversely affected by the pandemic. In regards to the years of deficits Continued on page 11
With Ontario entering lockdown due to strain on the healthcare system, Huron and Perth Counties currently have no residents hospitalized due to COVID-19. As of Monday, there were 22 new cases of COVID-19 reported throughout Huron and Perth Counties, bringing the cumulative total to 1,436 for the area since the pandemic began over a year ago. During a press conference hosted by Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH), Medical Officer of Health Dr. Miriam Klassen said there are 13 presumptive COVID-19 variants of concern cases (VOCs) in the area, with three of them remaining active. “We all must act as if we could come into contact [with COVID-19 variants] anywhere in the community,” she said. There is currently one active outbreak in Huron and Perth Counties at Ritz Lutheran Villa in West Perth with one resident and one staff member each testing positive. Klassen, during the press conference, explained that both the resident and staff member were fully vaccinated, however the staff member retested as negative. Klassen took several questions regarding the lockdown, including one regarding the frustration of Huron and Perth residents who have limited exposure to COVID-19 being under the same lockdown measures as locations in the province that have full hospitals and intensive care units. “COVID-19 is all around us,” she said “There are no borders where the virus is concerned. If part of the province is struggling, the whole province is.” Klassen also said half-measures won’t help fix the pandemic, though she agrees that schools are essential and should stay open as part of student development. “Schools should be among the first to open and the last to close,” she said. Klassen went on to say that experts and policymakers are trying to find the right balance of recognizing the adverse mental health impacts of the lockdown and weighing them against the need for protection. As far as local numbers, cases across the southern and central parts of Huron County have increased in the past week. New cases have been reported in Bluewater, which Continued on page 20