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The
THIS WEEK
Citizen
Huron County’s most trusted independent news source Volume 36 No. 46
Thursday, November 12, 2020
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0
Cases surge due to Stratford outbreak By Denny Scott The Citizen
On target Two Blyth Brussels U9 squads took each other on over the weekend, tangling at the Blyth and District Community Centre on Saturday afternoon. The U9 Black Crusaders took on their U9 Burgundy colleagues, keeping within their team bubbles, as prescribed by provincial hockey associations in order to curb the spread of COVID-19. (John Stephenson photo)
With a 32 per cent increase in cases (since the pandemic began) in just over a week, COVID-19 is still very active in Huron and Perth Counties according to Huron-Perth Medical Officer of Health Dr. Miriam Klassen. As of Monday, there have been 203 cases of the virus in the region since the pandemic began. This is an increase of 49 confirmed cases in one week, 48 of which remain active. This surge represents not only the biggest single week increase in the area since the pandemic began, but it is also the highest number of active cases the two counties have ever had at one time. Many of those cases are tied to Cedarcroft Place in Stratford, which is in the midst of an active outbreak. With 34 residents and 12 staff having confirmed cases, a total of 46 cases have been discovered at the retirement home in the past weeks. There have also been three deaths at the site, bringing the total deaths related to COVID-19 in Huron and Perth Counties to eight since the pandemic started earlier this year. Klassen did say, during a teleconference on Monday, that
most of the cases in the retirement home are mild or asymptomatic. She said that could change rapidly given the home’s older population, many of whom have underlying health conditions. Klassen reported that the site is working with Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH), Ontario Health and the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance to help control the outbreak. “We continue to look for why the spread does continue,” she said. “We have not determined how COVID-19 was introduced into the facility in the first place.” Klassen said that, unlike earlier outbreaks of the pandemic, there is sufficient personal protective equipment at the site to prevent infection and control the outbreak. During a teleconference on Monday, Klassen also reported outbreaks at Knollcrest Lodge in Perth East, where one staff member tested positive for COVID-19, but was asymptomatic. A similar situation arose recently at the Mitchell Nursing Home in West Perth, however the single staff member’s test result couldn’t be repeated, leading Klassen to say it was either a false positive or an inactive infection. Despite that, the site is still operating as if there were an outbreak, including prevalence Continued on page 3
Budget aids families, seniors, businesses: Thompson By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen The provincial budget, released last Thursday after being delayed for eight months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, includes a record deficit and no path to balance it, but HuronBruce MPP Lisa Thompson says the spending is necessary to get through the pandemic. In an interview with The Citizen, Thompson said there will be record spending in the budget ($187 billion in total spending with a deficit of $38.4 billion) and a path to balancing the budget will be part of the 2021 budget. Right now, she said, the priority is working to help families and businesses stay strong during this unprecedented disruption.
When he tabled the plan in the legislature, Finance Minister Rod Phillips said he hoped the budget would “provide as much certainty as possible in an uncertain time.” He added that there is a greater degree of risk with the budget than normal. Much of the new spending is focused on beefing up healthcare, with $7.5 billion earmarked for the sector over the next three years, as well as $2.5 billion more this year on hospitals than last year, which includes over $570 million directly for COVID-19 costs. Phillips also said that under the province’s current plan, over 90 per cent of businesses in Ontario will see a reduction in their property taxes. There will also be new spending for children and seniors. The
government will provide another $200 directly to parents for each child under the age of 12 and $250 for every child with special needs under the age of 21. There is also a home renovation tax credit for seniors or families that have a senior at home, which the government hopes will result in elderly residents staying in their homes longer. The status of the province’s deficit will depend on the rate of economic growth in Ontario, meaning that if the province’s economy rebounds quicker, the deficit will shrink faster than expected. In an interview with The Citizen, Thompson said the budget is “good news for Ontario”, especially when it comes to an action plan to combat what the COVID-19 pandemic has done not only to residents and
families, but to businesses and the economy. Thompson said that while the budget will work to help the economy recover, it also acknowledges that Ontario is in the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and aims to work through that with Ontarians. To that end, she said the budget includes plenty of funding for urgent COVID-19 response projects. She also said the support for businesses is crucial to keep people working. The benefits offered to small businesses specifically, she said, will help keep them in business and to perhaps hire another employee or two, which will stimulate the economy and ensure families have steady income streams.
In regards to the record spending levels, Thompson said the government has to spend money in order for the province to recover, so that figure shouldn’t shock too many people. She said the government needs to spend in order to keep the “cash flowing” for Ontarians. She also said that the unusual step of not including a path to balancing the budget in this year’s plan is a symptom of the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic. When the province’s next budget is tabled in March of 2021, she said there will be a plan put forward. At the same time, Thompson said her government is aware that only so much debt can be carried forward every year. In Huron and Bruce Counties Continued on page 3
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