Tag: Covid-19

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

Council Debates By-Law Enforcing Social Distancing

John Draper

At a council meeting on April 27, a bylaw was introduced to increase enforcement of social distancing required for management of the Covid-19 pandemic in Cobourg.  But Adam Bureau moved that the By-Law be “tabled”.  His motion passed and the possible by-law was killed, at least for the time being.  But at the Committee of the Whole meeting on Monday June 1st, Aaron Burchat moved that this bylaw be “removed from the table” (resurrected!) and be put to a vote.  In a recorded vote, his motion passed 4-3 with Councillors Adam Bureau, Emily Chorley and Deputy Mayor Suzanne Séguin against.  But after extensive discussion, approval (or not) of the by-law was deferred to the June 22nd Committee of the Whole… Read complete articleCouncil Debates By-Law Enforcing Social Distancing

NHH Implements Virtual Visits

John Draper

Visitors have been banned at Northumberland Hills Hospital (NHH) now for some time and although seemingly effective in fighting the pandemic it causes a lot of heartache for loved ones as well as those stuck in a hospital bed.  But if people in offices and at home can have virtual contact with others, why not in the Hospital?  It started as a trial with 50 participants but will now expand to all inpatients thanks to the donation of eight ipads by Grafton & Community Sports and Events Committee and an anonymous couple.  The technology used is Microsoft Teams and if you need help setting up your computer a member of NHH’s Virtual Visiting Team will be happy to work through… Read complete articleNHH Implements Virtual Visits

Police and CTA Disagree on Beach opening

John Draper

Last Friday, the Town of Cobourg announced that Parks and Beaches would be opened up for normal activities except for organized sports. Social distancing requirements and limits on groups larger than five would still be required.  It was not a council decision but was authorized by the Mayor.  Since then, we have had one weekend with only a few people on the beach with citizens and (presumably) visitors following the rules.  In fact in a Press Release, Police Chief Paul VandeGraaf thanked citizens for their good behaviour and provided photos as backup (see below).  But many do not agree with the decision and the Cobourg Tax Payers Association (CTA) have started an online petition asking for the beach to be… Read complete articlePolice and CTA Disagree on Beach opening

Farmers’ Market Opens

John Draper

The rules set by the province on what is allowed are changing week by week – but under the rules in place at the time, the Cobourg’s Farmers’ Market adopted a “pre-order – pickup” protocol.  The first day for that was today, May 23rd.  There were 10 vendors participating out of 23 possible (food vendors) and over 40 total (all products).  Judging by the parcels waiting for pickup, some had significantly more customers than others.  Auxiliary Police were on hand to help ensure social distancing and entry only for those making a pickup.  It was a glorious Spring day but few people came and there was plenty of parking on Albert and across the road.  Organizers were hopeful that future… Read complete articleFarmers’ Market Opens

Beach and Parks to open in Cobourg starting May 23

John Draper

Some will require a day or two more for Town staff to prepare but the Town is now following Provincial Guidelines and opening up the Beach and Parks as long as social distancing is maintained. The Provincial rules allow reopening of “Outdoor sports facilities and multi-use fields, off-leash dog areas and outdoor picnic sites, benches and shelters”.  The Town is therefore opening tennis courts and pickleball courts although organized sports are still not allowed.  Still closed are outdoor playgrounds, play structures, outdoor splash pads, swimming pools and “all communal facilities intended to be used by persons using outdoor sports amenities”.  The beach will be open for “non-contact unorganized sports”, plus sun-bathing and presumably swimming, although non-family groups can be no… Read complete articleBeach and Parks to open in Cobourg starting May 23

Many Events Cancelled up to September First

John Draper

At Tuesday’s regular Council meeting, Council debated what to do about events that are handled through the “Community Events Process” – and the list is long, see link below.  Some of the events have already been cancelled but a notable exception was the Sand Castle Festival.  The motion originally proposed provided for staff to decide what to do and specifically cancelled the Sand Castle Festival.  But Adam Bureau modified this to make it clear that all community events up to 1 September 2020 would be cancelled and then require that all new events from September 1st to December 31st must be approved by Council instead of being only approved by Staff.  In discussion it was made clear that this affected… Read complete articleMany Events Cancelled up to September First

Cobourg Community Comes Together Online

John Draper

Local Media Producer Graham Beer organized an online event on Saturday night that he called “Cobourg Together at Home – Community Special”.  The “show” was a mix of entertainment, tributes and information featuring an all-local cast.  It was professionally produced (by Graham) and broadcast on Facebook. It was co-hosted by Graham and Councillor Nicole Beatty.  The video has since been posted on You-Tube and is embedded below.  The focus was on good news and of course a significant coverage of what is happening locally to cope with the Covid-19 virus crisis.  The video finished with two performances:  1) a song by Caroline Brooks, Kerri Ough and Sue Passmore – the Good Lovelies and 2) a fun group sing-along of Hey Jude… Read complete articleCobourg Community Comes Together Online

No Large Crowd on the Beach

John Draper

This weekend was intended as a test of whether a fence was needed to close the Victoria Park Beach.  It’s too early for hot weather but the sun was out and being on the beach was pleasant – at least when I visited around 1:10 pm on Saturday.  There were not the hundreds that were reported on an earlier warm weekend and most – but not all – were following the rules.  Most groups appeared to be families although one group of young people that I saw were obviously not family.  Most were just walking through but some were letting children play in the sand or having a picnic.  When I arrived, two officers were leaving – one regular and… Read complete articleNo Large Crowd on the Beach

Farmers Market Hopes to Open May 16

John Draper

But “open” means something different than previously – the idea is that they will simply be there to provide pickup of orders made online – the Town calls it an “E-Commerce/Curb Side Pickup Service Delivery Model”.  Only food vendors will be allowed and a number of other restrictions will be required – see below.  The details will be presented to council at their Committee of the Whole (C.O.W.) meeting on Monday May 11.  Any resolution passed requires ratification at a regular Council meeting and the next one scheduled is on May 19 – after the Victoria Day weekend.  So to expedite approval, immediately after the COW meeting on Monday, a special meeting has been called to pass the required by-law…. Read complete articleFarmers Market Hopes to Open May 16