Niagara’s COVID situation
Niagara’s COVID case count continues to show signs of improvements. While the number fluctuates up and down slightly day-to-day they have been trending in the right direction. Yesterday, there were 104 new cases. There were 92 cases on Tuesday and 66 on Monday.
According to Niagara Region Public Health’s COVID stats website, St. Catharines continues to have by far the most active cases with 500, nearly double that of second place Niagara Falls which has 269 followed by Welland with 150.
Active cases per 10,000 people shows that Niagara-on-the-Lake leads with 49.3 active cases per 10,000 population followed by St. Catharines at 27.1 and Thorold at 24.9. Sadly, the number of deaths related to COVID-19 has jumped significantly in Niagara over the past week. The total number of Niagara residents who have lost their lives due to the virus now stands at 289.
All of Niagara’s long-term care homes have been vaccinated and nearly a quarter of the region’s retirement residences. In total, more than 3,700 doses have been administered. The province announced it will be redirecting its remaining supply of vaccine to long-term care homes so those high-risk individuals receive the second vaccination. Ontario and many other provinces are now short of vaccines as the federal government has failed to secure promised amounts.
Jan. 25 marked the one-year anniversary of the first positive COVID-19 case in Ontario.
New visitor restrictions at Niagara Health begin today
Starting today Niagara Health will restrict general visitation across all of its sites to limit traffic in the hospital as part of their ongoing COVID-19 response.
Visitation at Niagara Health hospitals will be permitted if the individual is supporting a patient in exceptional circumstances; or has been designated as an Essential Care Partner (ECP) for a patient. Niagara Health describes an ECP as someone who provides emotional, cognitive or physical care to their loved one and function as another member of the care team. Eligible patients can designate up to two ECPs. Loved ones are encouraged to contact the patient’s care team for more details.
Support persons may accompany outpatients and visit with inpatients to provide support in exceptional circumstances. Exceptions would also be made for patients coming to Emergency Departments/Urgent Care Centres.
Region establishes massive team to coordinate vaccine distribution
Regional Chair Jim Bradley has created a 22-member Community Coordination Task Force for COVID-19 Vaccination to ensure that Niagara’s vaccine rollout is “fair, equitable and ethical.”
The Region says that rollout to the broader Niagara community will require coordinated work by stakeholders across the region to ensure all residents have access to, and are motivated to receive, the vaccine.
Dr. David Dec has accepted the role of task force chair. In this role, Dr. Dec will act as the group’s primary community spokesperson and will also serve as the direct liaison between the task force and the Board of Health (Regional Council).
It was also announced that Dr. Robin Williams, former Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health for Ontario and former Niagara Medical Officer of Health, will act as a special advisor to the task force.
The Regional Chair’s decision to create this task force in part responds to the direction of Niagara’s Public Health and Social Services Committee on Jan. 12, 2021 to create such a group.
Another shooting in St. Catharines
On Friday, Jan. 22 around 7am, Niagara Regional Police (NRP) uniform officers and Emergency Medical Services attended the area of Haight Street and Disher Street, in St. Catharines in relation to a reported break and enter.
An unknown male was attempting to break into a residence in the area. Further investigation revealed, the male was seeking shelter as he had gunshot wounds and asked the homeowner to call 911. The 45 year old male victim was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The investigation remains on going by detectives. NRP say there is no threat to the public as detectives have investigative reasons to believe this was a targeted incident.
Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives at 905-688-4111 ext. 1009964.
Welland springs forward with speedy patio approval process for 2021
The City of Welland looks to support local restaurants and retail businesses by extending the 2020 streamlined approval process for temporary outdoor patios and adding outdoor displays for 2021.
In 2020, staff issued 14 approvals for new or expanded outdoor patios on public or private properties, four of these approvals were for outdoor patios on public lands, while 10 were for outdoor patios on private property. “Business owners were pleased with the efficient approval process as most approvals were issued in less than 24 hours,” said Grant Munday, Interim Director of Development and Building Services.
“Recognizing the impacts of COVID-19 will be realized further into 2021, extending Council approved initiatives from 2020 into the 2021 calendar year is another step forward for our community,” said Mayor Frank Campion. “Adding outdoor displays for retailers to the temporary outdoor patio exemption process will support more local businesses.”
Neil Peart Memorial call to artists
The City of St. Catharines is commissioning an original work of public art to recognize the significant contribution of legendary Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart who grew up in the Port Dalhousie area of St. Catharines. Interested artists and creative teams are invited to submit a response to the Request for Prequalification.
The commemorative work of art will be located in Port Dalhousie’s Lakeside Park. It will contribute to the identity and character of the area and will recognize the contributions of Peart to Canadian and world music.
The artwork will be funded via a public fundraising campaign, which is set to launch in
February at www.EngageSTC.ca/Neil-Peart.
Province investing more than $9.6 million in Niagara infrastructure projects
Through the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF), the province is helping municipalities with financial assistance as they build and repair roads, bridges, water and wastewater infrastructure.
This year, lower-tier municipalities in Niagara will receive more than $9.6 million to address local community infrastructure needs.
The total investment in Niagara is $9,637,560.00, including:
Municipality OCIF Allocation
Fort Erie $1,076,740.00
Grimsby $1,112,750.00
Lincoln $616,612.00
Niagara Falls $3,370,443.00
NOTL $815,143.00
Pelham $483,112.00
Port Colborne $418,760.00
Thorold $470,298.00
Wainfleet $50,000.00
Welland $950,916.00
West Lincoln $272,786.00
In total, approximately $200 million in funding was allocated to small, rural and Northern communities across Ontario for 2021. Municipalities may accumulate their OCIF funding for up to five years to address larger infrastructure projects.
