Nurses Campaign for Equity

John Draper

In late 2019, the Provincial Government passed a law that limited salary increases for workers in the Public sector to 1% per year for three years.   Not too terrible (more below) but it exempted Firefighters and Police officers which are predominantly male while Nurses who are predominantly female are not exempt.  Given their role in the current fight against the pandemic, Nurses are not happy and the Ontario Nurses Association (ONA) LOCAL 105 decided to have a day of action.  They campaigned outside the Port Hope Office of MPP David Piccini and their spokesperson Sarah Cowin had a meeting with David.  I counted about 16 demonstrators although some were representing Gay Pride – I’m not sure what the connection is…. Read complete articleNurses Campaign for Equity

Cobourg Entertainment in Covid-19 era

John Draper

There has of course been a lot of talk about the Beach and Restaurants but it’s not only commercial life that has been affected but also entertainment and social activities.  The Cobourg Community Centre and other Arenas are closed so there is no Hockey or LaCrosse or even Curling.  You can golf if you follow the rules and you can now play tennis but contact sports like Rugby are not allowed.  The Loft and Rainbow theatre have been closed for months and there have been no Concerts at Victoria Hall or Port Hope’s Capitol.  Outdoor events like the Waterfront Festival, the Highland Games and Rib Fest have all been cancelled.  But let me look at each Sector in more detail… Read complete articleCobourg Entertainment in Covid-19 era

Recycling to transfer from County to Producers

John Draper

Last August, the Province announced a new recycling program that will improve its effectiveness and will transfer responsibility from municipalities to the “Producers”, that is to the companies that design, create and market packaging, paper and paper products.  The program should reduce the amount of plastic finding its way into waterways and oceans and will be phased in between Jan 2023 and December 2025.  When operational, the cost of all recycling will transfer away from the County and save almost $3M per year.  At their next Council meeting on 17 June, County Council will be asked to approve a staff recommendation to begin the transition on 1 January 2023 and to adopt Option 2 of three alternative scenarios.  More detail… Read complete articleRecycling to transfer from County to Producers

Farmers’ Market now operating normally

John Draper

On June 13, at the fourth market for 2020, there were 20 vendors and at least two of them were non-food vendors. They all seemed to be accepting onsite orders as well as online orders (see link below for first attempt at opening).  The weather was perfect and although not crowded, a good number came out.  The area was “roped off” with Police tape and admission was managed.   I suppose we can say that the Farmers’ Market is back to normal. All we need now is a return to the ideal space grouped around the fountain (or oval as some call it).  People seemed to be keeping their social distances – I guess this is about as normal as it’s… Read complete articleFarmers’ Market now operating normally

Town is Helping Restaurants Set Up Patios

John Draper

The Town of Cobourg today hosted a virtual seminar for Restaurant owners to discuss the newly allowed Patios.  Starting June 12, although dining in is not allowed, restaurants will be allowed to serve meals and drinks to patios – in some cases patios will be new and for others they will be existing or an expansion.  In all cases, social distancing will be required with rules on table spacing.  All relevant departments were on the Zoom call:  Planning, Building, Fire, Works and Clerks departments as well as representatives from AGCO (Alcohol and Gaming Commission) and HKPR DHU (Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit). I counted about 6 businesses although Town Clerk Brent Larmer said that there had already been… Read complete articleTown is Helping Restaurants Set Up Patios

Council Debates Re-opening

John Draper

On Monday, Premier Ford announced stage 2 re-opening for the region that includes Cobourg (see previous post) and on Monday night there was also a Council meeting.  Mayor John Henderson made it clear that he was not ready to act on the changes because the Provincial “regulations” had not yet been issued although they were expected within 48 hours.  But there were decisions to be made as requested by Community Services.  These included re-opening the Trailer Park (now called a campground), opening the Centennial Pool, allowing transient boaters and more.  But in the end, decisions were made plus Adam Bureau proposed encouraging restaurants to provide patio service in line with Provincial direction. It was clear however, that the ECG (Emergency… Read complete articleCouncil Debates Re-opening

Province Opens Up – Partially

John Draper

Today, Premier Ford announced that starting this Friday, June 12, the Province will loosen Covid-19 restrictions. Social gatherings of 10 are now permitted instead of 5 and now allowed to open will be Churches (subject to limits) restaurants (outdoor patios only), hair salons (subject to limits), swimming pools and more (details below).  But this does not apply to all of Ontario; a notable exception is the GTA plus a few other locations.  The HKPR District Health Unit which includes Cobourg is included in the loosened rules.  In all cases physical distancing apply. This is in line with the Province’s plan to move to Stage 2 on a regional basis (see link below for a description of Stage 2). As we’ve… Read complete articleProvince Opens Up – Partially

FSD Pharma scales down Cannabis cultivation

John Draper

As announced in April, FSD Pharma is selling their Cobourg building and Bloomberg reports that that part of the business (cannabis cultivation) has been scaled down to a bare minimum. Instead, the company will “double down on our biosciences and specialty R&D pharmaceutical efforts”.  In line with this, on June 3 they announced that they had received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to design a proof-of-concept study for a potential Covid-19 treatment.  But this drug does not involve any sort of cannabis-derived compound which implies that growing marijuana plants is no longer where they see their future.  It looks like Cobourg’s hope that they would provide large employment opportunities has gone.  Perhaps a new owner of the building will… Read complete articleFSD Pharma scales down Cannabis cultivation