Month: September 2021

A flock divided by COVID-19: As some snowbirds brace for first Canadian winter in years, others sit poolside in Florida

Normally at this time of year, Jeff Read and his wife, Dollie, would be at their vacation home in a gated community on Florida’s Atlantic coast.

The from Cornwall, Ont., typically spend their days at the pool or the beach. Read enjoys riding his Harley with a motorcycle club.

“It’s easy living,” says the 68-year-old retiree.

But when the Star caught up with Read this week, he was still in Ontario, staring out at a snow-covered driveway and seemingly resigned to the fact that the couple would be staying put this winter.

It is, after all, the year of .

In the same way Canadians coast to coast are having to wrestle with to see loved ones in other parts of the country this holiday season, snowbirds who escape to warmer destinations every winter are having to make tough choices: Do they visit the winter homes they’ve poured their retirement savings into or stay put and brave a Canadian winter?

The Canadian Snowbird Association estimates that 70 per cent of its 110,000 members will hunker down. The federal government has urged Canadians to avoid non-essential travel.

Read cited the ongoing closure of the land border as a big factor in their decision. He and Dollie usually like to drive down with their two dogs. Plus, he was worried about the pandemic.

According to U.S. media reports, the number of coronavirus cases per week in the state has tripled since Gov. Ron DeSantis reopened Florida in late September, lifting all restrictions on restaurants and other businesses and banning local fines against people who refuse to wear masks.

Florida now has the third-highest number of confirmed cases in the U.S. after Texas and California.

“There’s a lot of people that don’t like to be told what to do mask-wise,” Read said. “I don’t really feel like getting sick because somebody doesn’t want to wear a mask down there.”

So, he’d just purchased a whole assortment of winter essentials: a snowblower, snowbrush, boots, crampons, gloves and antifreeze windshield-washer.

Scroll through recent posts on a snowbirds Facebook group and it doesn’t take long to see the contrast in choices. While some members have been posting pictures of themselves on sun-drenched beaches and patios — “I am sitting in my lanai in Florida drinking my favourite wine for $10 at 10 p.m. in my shorts,” one snowbird posted recently — others have shared pictures of their snow-covered yards.

“I just bought a snow shovel … after 12 years,” Jarmila Pitterman, 76, of Kitchener, Ont., wrote, followed by two sad-faced, teary-eyed emojis.

Bob Slack also counts himself among those getting re-acquainted with snow gear.

Slack, past president of the Canadian Snowbird Association, and his wife normally spend their winters in Winter Haven, Fla., where they own a property on a golf course.

This will be their first winter in Canada in 23 years.

Slack, 78, of Athens, Ont., said he recently got snow tires and boots. His wife bought a new winter coat.

“We went to Canadian Tire today and bought a new shovel,” he said.

Like Read, Slack cited the land border closure and pandemic as key reasons for their decision.

“We get a report everyday from Florida with the number of cases in the state and in our county. Not looking great at all. If you get sick and the hospitals are full, what do you do?” he said.

While they’ll miss Euchre nights and Friday night fish fries at the clubhouse, Slack said he has regained an appreciation of the beauty of freshly fallen snow.

“The big thing we’re worried about is getting used to the driving again. When you haven’t driven on snow and ice in many years, you’re timid to go out.”

That’s exactly the reason Bruce Murray believes he and his wife, Heather Dodge, made the right call to flee Halifax for Largo, Fla., earlier this month.

“If you’re down here enjoying the sunshine, it’s healthier for you than shovelling snow or driving in winter … or depression or loneliness,” he said.

Murray, 57, said he and his wife never had any doubts about going south for the winter.

Before booking their flights, the couple, who purchased a mobile home in Largo last year, contacted friends in the area whom they trust and were satisfied it was safe to come down.

“We decided that we’d be healthier and just as well here as we would be in Nova Scotia,” he said, noting that, in recent days, COVID-19 numbers have climbed in the Atlantic region, as they have in other parts of Canada. (On Wednesday, Pinellas County, where Largo is located, topped 300 confirmed cases of COVID-19 for the second consecutive day. By comparison, Nova Scotia reported 16 new cases.)

Murray said they mostly cook at home but will occasionally do takeout from restaurants. Anytime they’ve ventured into a public space, such as Home Depot, people are masked, he said. Even people attending outdoor yard sales are masked, for the most part.

There is little congestion at the beaches or parks where they like to roller blade, bike and bird watch, he said. And when he had to go to the DMV to pick up licence plates for the used car he had purchased, it was by appointment only and the place was virtually empty.

Murray said the riskiest activity he and his wife engage in is probably pickleball, but they are careful about not touching their faces after handling the balls.

“We haven’t seen anything that’s scared us yet,” he said.

“Every morning we get up, the sun is shining, the birds are singing. If you don’t watch the news, we wouldn’t know COVID existed here, except for the masks.”

Brian Hoffman, 50 and newly retired, said he and his wife, Lesley, similarly have no regrets after coming down to their vacation home in Punta Gorda about a week ago.

“Cheap gas, cheap alcohol. Lots of sun,” he said.

The couple, of Lake Temagami, Ont., started coming to Florida four or five years ago. At first, they weren’t sure whether they’d make it down this year, but when they heard way to get themselves — and their car — across the border, they jumped.

They hired a company to ship their car across the border to Detroit and then hopped on a short charter flight from London, Ont., to Detroit where they reunited with their car.

During their runs to Costco or Wal-Mart for supplies, most people are masked and there’s plenty of social distancing, he said. Even though the state is pretty much “wide open,” most restaurants in their area seem have chosen to limit seating or do takeout only.

For the most part, they stick to their home.

“Usually we keep the pool at 85 and we’re floating and watching birds.”

Asked what advice he has for those sitting on the fence, Hoffman noted there are some parts of Florida, such as Miami-Dade County, that have far higher rates of infection than others. (On Wednesday, Miami-Dade County reported 2,120 new confirmed cases of COVID-19).

That said, “If they’re healthy and able to get insurance and able to come down responsibly and isolate appropriately and take the same precautions as they are taking at home, we haven’t seen a big difference. I would invite them to come down,” he said.

“You should live your life, as long as you’re responsible doing it.”

If snowbirds do decide to travel, they need to protect themselves, said Evan Rachkovsky, the snowbird association spokesperson.

“This includes purchasing sufficient travel medical insurance, with COVID-19 coverage, prior to their departure,” he said.

“There are several insurance providers placing $200,000 caps on COVID-19-related claims. This level of coverage, particularly when travelling to the United States, is inadequate. Snowbirds who choose to travel also need to follow quarantine requirements as well as health and safety protocols at the federal, state and local levels.”

Late Wednesday, Read notified the Star that he and his wife had had a change of heart.

They decided to book a flight for Florida for next month, after all.

The “cold” and “dampness” from spending part of the day shovelling and snowblowing may have been a contributing factor, he said.

The trip won’t be entirely for pleasure. They plan to put their home in Port St. Lucie up for sale. While they would like to have gotten another five years out of it, it was “costing me a small bundle to keep that place empty,” he said.

Read said he and his wife are now thinking of spending future winters down in Mexico, Cuba or Jamaica.

Asked about the worsening COVID-19 situation in Florida, Read said they have every intention of following the same precautions they’ve been following in Canada down in Florida.

“Grab the groceries and get out.”

With files from The Associated Press

Douglas Quan is a Vancouver-based reporter for the Star. Follow him on Twitter:

‘Because ultimately, it’s all of us:’ Orillia medical esthetician joins clean air research team

Looking for solutions to keep his anti-aging clinic safe from COVID-19, an Orillia medical esthetician and his partner have become ambassadors in a Canadian-made portable air filtration system and they are working to bring the technology to other companies within their industry.

“We actually had clients who were a little scared to come in because of COVID and this is putting them at ease,” Ben Tiessen said. 

Blade (a medical esthetician) and Ben Tiessen’s business, The Anti-Aging Clinic — at 43 Colborne St. W., in Orillia — is the first of its kind to use the Airborne Infection Isolation and Removal (AIIR) device by Care Health Meditech.

Care Health Meditech — based in Kelowna — has teamed up with researchers from the University of British Columbia to develop the AIIR device. Stephen Munro, managing partner of operations with Care Health Meditech, said AIIR isolates and eliminates airborne droplets and particles, like the COVID-19 virus. AIIR was originally designed for dental offices, Munro said. 

The company has plans to expand AIIR. They are working with Interior Health Authority in British Columbia, the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia on a device for operating and emergency rooms, Munro said. Care Health Meditech has received federal grants for the AIIR project, he added.

Munro said Care Health Meditech is doing this “out of a passion for public health.”

“Because of that, we made decisions that were good not just for public health, but good for the local economy,” he said, adding the research and development, manufacturing, workers and components are Canadian. 

The Anti-Aging Clinic in Orillia paid about $4,000 for an original model. 

Blade and Ben are on AIIR’s advisory board and have provided input on how the device could be altered to better serve their industry. A less expensive, more user-friendly model is coming out soon.

Asked why they are interested in getting involved in introducing the product to their market, Blade said: “Because ultimately, it’s all of us. It has to be everyone protecting everybody, or it’s not going to work.” 

AIIR is just one of a series of COVID-19 safety protocols at The Anti-Aging Clinic. 

Georgian Bay General Hospital reporting 19 cases of COVID-19

The COVID-19 outbreak at Midland’s Georgian Bay General Hospital now includes 19 positive cases.

On Dec. 8, hospital officials announced an additional three staff members and one patient had tested positive for the virus, bringing the total at GBGH to 16 staff members and three patients.

Hospital staff, in consultation with the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, have been conducting extensive contact tracing. If someone received care at GBGH between Nov. 23 and Dec. 4 and were in contact with a patient or staff member who has tested positive for COVID-19, their names have been identified through contact tracing and they’ve been contacted.

GBGH continues to test staff to identify any positive cases. All inpatients have been tested and all new patient admissions to the hospital are being tested.

“Over the past four days, the hospital has tested more than 520 credentialed staff,” said Dr. Dan Lee, COVID medical lead and chief of Emergency Medicine at GBGH. “As more testing tends to net more positive results, we do expect the potential to see an increase in positives, similar to when testing increases in the community and more positive cases are detected.”

The Midland COVID-19 Assessment Centre has also seen an increase in positive cases, with four new confirmed community cases reported on Dec. 7 and another four reported on Dec. 8. These eight cases are not related to the outbreak at GBGH. 

Anyone in the community experiencing symptoms should seek COVID-19 testing at the Midland COVID-19 Assessment Centre, located in the GBGH parking lot, by or by calling .

Overnight on-street parking restrictions take effect in Barrie on Tuesday

Although winter weather is often random and unpredictable, City snow removal efforts are not. The City is once again prepared and committed to providing a high level of snow removal service throughout the winter season.

Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for much of southern Ontario, including Barrie, due to a potential winter storm. The latest forecast is showing the possibility of snowfall amounts of up to 30 cm from Monday evening through to Wednesday morning. The City has winter maintenance crews on standby to address road conditions accordingly. Staff monitor the weather closely and plows, salters and sanders are dispatched as needed.

If required, the City of Barrie will post City service information related to the storm on Twitter (), Facebook () and . Service requests should be sent to Service Barrie by calling Monday–Friday, 8am–5pm (if the concern needs to be addressed after-hours, press zero for assistance), by emailing , or by using the Pingstreet mobile app.

A reminder that on-street parking is not permitted on City streets from 12:01–7 a.m. and 3–6am within the Downtown Business Improvement Area, from December 1 through to March 31. This ensures that the streets can be completely cleared and that emergency vehicles can get down the street.

Plowing of City roads

The priority is the main roads—those with the most traffic in the city. These roads are serviced when at least five cm of snow has fallen. The secondary (residential) routes are plowed when there is at least eight cm of snow. The goal is to have most routes plowed 12–24 hours after the end of a snow event. With Barrie’s Plow Tracker, you can track the progress of the road plows and see when your street was last serviced. Remember, plows can’t avoid leaving snow at the bottom of driveways because they can’t lift the blades in between driveways. If you need help with snow removal, Snow Angels Canada is an online platform where residents who require assistance with snow shoveling can post a request for service and volunteers can reach out to help. Visit to sign up for help or to be a volunteer in your neighbourhood.

Sidewalk plowing

Sidewalk plowing is done on main sidewalks when five cm of snow falls and on residential sidewalks when there’s eight cm of snow.

Waste collection

Shovel out a small area at the bottom of your driveway for your garbage, recycling boxes and your green bin, as far from the road as possible without blocking the sidewalk. Do not place them on top of or behind the snowbank.

For more information and updates about winter maintenance, visit

Millennials, Gen Z most concerned about finances amid COVID-19: survey

For millennial Devanshi Vijay, managing finances during the pandemic has been quite the roller-coaster ride.

After her work contract ended in March, the Toronto resident, who held a government position in environmental science, found herself in limbo for a couple of months waiting for her contract to be renewed. 

During that time, she relied on CERB and tried to be vigilant in saving up what she refers to as “cushion money.”

“I realized the importance of saving some money so that if I didn’t get paid for the next few months, I (would) still have that money to be able to survive and not lose my home,” she said.

This meant going back to the basics, just buying what she needed and cutting out any extra frills.

“You have to make do with super little money,” she said. “I live in downtown Toronto, so expenses are generally very, very high and moving during pandemic was not even an option because of the health risks.”

According to a recent survey by Interac, which included responses from just under 1,000 Canadians, 53 per cent of Gen Z adults and millennials are “more concerned about managing their finances than ever before.”

When compared to generations before them, these two cohorts expressed most financial concern amid the pandemic, with 50 per cent of millennials and 47 per cent of Gen Z adults citing concerns about overspending.

As well, the survey reported that 50 per cent of individuals in these two groups have turned to digital payments as a means of tracking their spending.

Vijay said she is one of those people.

“I have not used cash payments (in) the past six months even once,” she said, adding that digital modes of payment make her feel more in control, especially when buying online. “Before actually paying, I rethink again on whether I really need the item (or) service or not. I get more control on my accounts too, as I can review the payments every month. With cash, there is no real accountability on the expenditures.”

“The adoption of digital payments has accelerated over the course of the pandemic for reasons beyond convenience alone,” William Keliehor, chief commercial officer of Interac Corp., said. “We hope Canadians understand ways they can take ownership over everyday activities, like spending.”

Ariana Zeppieri-Makhan, who recently opened her own private psychotherapy practice, said while she has been fortunate enough to continue to work throughout the pandemic, business has been slower as a result, with more people having less money to spend on therapy.

She said keeping track of her finances digitally has been very helpful, especially during this time.

“I have an app that tracks my income and my outgoing finances and it does all my invoicing and stuff for me,” said, adding that she uses it in conjunction with her banking app.

“Those have been fantastic for tracking finances,” she said. 

Principals in Toronto and Peel schools get permission to dismiss class if there’s a case of COVID-19

Principals of Toronto and Peel region’s publicly funded schools can now dismiss an entire cohort of kids from class if they have had exposure to a confirmed case of , without waiting for permission from their respective public health units.

This new power, handed down this week, allows principals to be more nimble and act more quickly to make a decision that could keep an entire class — or school — from being exposed to the virus. The change comes as continue to climb across the GTA.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Toronto District School Board was reporting 110 students and 41 staff infected in 106 schools. Peel was reporting 42 schools with one or more case.

In a letter to the Peel school community Monday, Peel Public Health said: “Starting today, if there is a confirmed positive COVID-19 case in a class or cohort, the students and the teacher in the class must go home immediately. Please have a plan for your child to be picked up during the school day in these situations,” said the directive.

Dr. Lawrence Loh, Peel’s medical officer of health, said this new measure is a way to further stop the spread.

“Students and staff often notify the school administration of their positive result directly. Principals work with the school boards and Peel Public Health to determine if a lab-confirmed case has attended school,” said Loh. “The principal will proceed to dismiss the class and advise the school community of the dismissal while Peel Public Health begins its investigation.”

He said the region is “still actively contact tracing and continues to prioritize those cases at highest risk of transmission and infection. As case counts are increasing in school, immediate class dismissal acts as another proactive measure to stop the spread immediately.”

Toronto Public Health said it created a “guide for principals to dismiss cohorts to self-isolate” so that if a “principal is aware of a confirmed case of COVID-19 in a student or staff, the principal can dismiss the (cohort) for self-isolation including classroom, bus and before/after school programs attended by the case immediately upon learning this information,” said Dr. Vinita Dubey, the associate medical officer of health.

“The principal will send communication to the cohort(s) that they are to be self-isolating for now, and why, and that this is pending TPH’s investigation of the case and their contacts. Once TPH has completed the investigation, we will send a letter to the close contacts in the school setting with information on next steps based on information obtained through the investigation.”

“TPH wanted to enable the TDSB out of an abundance of caution,” Toronto District School Board spokesperson Ryan Bird said.

While it’s unclear how long the process of dismissing a cohort, or isolating an entire class, may take, because each case is different and timing varies, Bird said this new measure will undoubtedly hasten the process. Often, principals are alerted about cases after hours, if a parent or someone in the community alerts them, Bird said.

Until late last week, the cohort possibly exposed to a positive COVID case may have had to come to school the next day — possibly being exposed or only to be told to turn around and go back home.

To help principals decide whether and how to make the decision to send an entire cohort home, or keep them from arriving at school in the morning, Toronto Public Health has created a “decision tree” that walks them through the steps.

According to the chart, principals will only be required to dismiss the cohorts immediately affected. They will not be required to provide direction to siblings of students in a dismissed cohort, nor will they ask staff or students potentially exposed to the positive case outside the cohort to self-isolate. They will wait for direction from TPH before doing so.

And if the COVID-19 positive case is an itinerant worker who goes to many classes or cohorts, the case will be flagged to TPH and the principal will await direction.

Noor Javed is a Toronto-based reporter covering current affairs in the York region for the Star. Follow her on Twitter:

Michele Henry is a Toronto-based investigative reporter for the Star. Follow her on Twitter:

‘We will never have to move again’: Barrie family overjoyed with new Habitat for Humanity home

It’s was tough to hold back the tears of joy as a Barrie family received the keys to their new Habitat for Humanity home Sept. 30.

Tara Graham and her children, Isabella and Dylan Rayner, finally stood in a home of their own after being forced to move six times in the past eight years.

“Thanksgiving this year will give us one more thing that we are all thankful for and that is this house and it’s ours,” Graham said as she struggled to hold back tears during the key ceremony.

The Lampman Lane home, which is the 44th home erected by Habitat for Humanity Huronia in 25 years, was made possible with donated materials and labour from several Barrie companies.

Habitat for Humanity homeowners put in their own “sweat equity” and financial contributions to make home ownership possible.

Before she discovered Habitat for Humanity, Graham feared she would never find a stable home for her children.

Two years ago, she worried her income was too high to be accepted but is happy she decided to apply anyway.

“For me to see the smiles on their faces because they know we will never have to move again is all I need,” Graham said during the ceremony. “Isabella already has most of the house decorated and Dylan is anxious to unpack for the last time.”

Graham, who fell on hard times following a separation from her husband, said a string of bad luck found them moving from house to house.

Disrepair, pest, and untreated mould issues forced the family to look for other accommodations again and again.

With the high cost of renting, she never thought she would never be able to safe enough money to pay for a down payment on a house of their own.

That’s where Habitat for Humanity Huronia came in.

“You have given something to myself and my children that no words can ever express how grateful we are and will always be,” she told Habitat staff and volunteers. “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

Several companies, including Barrie Trim and Mouldings, helped make the new Habitat home possible.

Civil rights watchdog accuses Ford government of pandemic power grab ‘by stealth’

A civil rights watchdog is accusing government of “emergency management regulation by stealth” because restriction orders like last Friday’s ban on in Toronto, Peel and Ottawa are not quickly and officially posted online for all to see.

“Our constitution demands government by laws, not by press release,” Michael Bryant, executive director and general counsel of the said Tuesday after raising concerns in a two-page letter to Attorney General Doug Downey.

It took until Tuesday afternoon for the government to publish the that also require the closures of gyms, theatres, bingos and casinos in the three municipalities with the highest incidences of for at least 28 days.

A government spokesman said the government is responding at “unprecedented speed” to the pandemic, which is why Ford and cabinet ministers hold regular updates at news conferences every weekday to keep Ontarians informed.

“Changes to orders are published online as quickly as is operationally feasible,” said Stephen Warner, press secretary to Solicitor General Sylvia Jones.

Bryant said other provinces and the federal government release such orders simultaneously, which is important because the businesses impacted and their lawyers are entitled to read the fine print, which police forces also need to see.

“I don’t understand how law enforcement is supposed to enforce all this,” added Bryant, who served as attorney general in the Liberal government of Dalton McGuinty.

“I hope they’re not releasing the regulations to the police and not everybody else.”

Warner said the solicitor general “provides information to law enforcement partners regarding any relevant changes to orders.”

In a two-page letter obtained by the Star, Bryant said new COVID-19 regulations and orders-in-council approved by members of Ford’s cabinet should be disclosed in a “timely and consistent manner.”

“During the pandemic, most Canadians must conduct themselves in accordance with frequently changing communications from local public health officers, premiers, mayors, and provincial/territorial cabinet ministers,” Bryant wrote.

“Whether a podium announcement carries lawful authority, as opposed to being a request for guidance, is often unclear to the public,” he said.

“Sometimes, the only way to find out is to check the law itself, which is supposed to be publicly accessible.”

Bryant said delays of at least one to three days in officially posting the orders have been common in Ontario and have been “problematic” since last spring.

“In the absence of any law available to the public, it cannot be said that the premier or any cabinet minister speaks with lawful authority when they announce new restrictions, like those put in place for the Thanksgiving weekend,” he added in the letter.

“The failure to disclose orders upon which the provincial government bases its public pronouncements risks governing COVID by stealth,” he said, describing it as behaviour that is “unconstitutional and destabilizes our democracy.

The new restrictions that took effect Saturday were a sudden reversal for Ford, who had maintained earlier in the week that Ontario was “flattening the curve.”

Additional measures included limiting organized public events to 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors — matching limits imposed in September for private gatherings like house and backyard parties — and banned team sports indoors, such as hockey games at arenas.

Rob Ferguson is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow him on Twitter:

Barrie’s Georgian College hosting first-ever virtual convocation for graduates

Fall convocation, celebrating the accomplishments of its graduates, has been a Georgian tradition since 1968.

The college is hosting its first-ever virtual convocation ceremonies this month to recognize almost 2,000 graduates who will join Georgian’s family of more than 85,000 alumni. Due to the pandemic, an in-person celebration is not possible.

“Now, more than ever, we need Georgian graduates. They will be the leaders who define and influence a better future for us all,” said Dr. MaryLynn West-Moynes, president and CEO. “We’re proud of their accomplishments and resilience. They’ve proven earning a credential during a global pandemic is possible, even while facing incredible uncertainty. Georgian graduates will be an integral part of our recovery and developing solutions for whatever challenges we face next.”

A virtual convocation ceremony for the Automotive Business School of Canada took place Oct. 8. Two additional ceremonies will take place Oct. 20 at . The first ceremony will feature graduates from various programs in health, wellness and sciences, and technology and visual arts. The second ceremony is for graduates from programs in areas including business and management, hospitality, tourism and recreation, human services and community safety, and liberal arts.

Students, supporters and viewers from across the globe are invited to watch the ceremonies, learn about alumni perks, shop Georgian Stores (book store), take part in a fun photo booth and more. The microsite will go live at 10 a.m. on the ceremony dates and remain live until the end of October.

‘I’m running out of ammunition.’ Peel’s medical officer of health looks at more curbs as region faces Ontario’s scariest COVID numbers

Peel’s medical officer of health is “running out of ammunition” to control the epidemic in his region and warns of further restrictions if the curve doesn’t begin to bend.

Dr. Lawrence Loh said additional “closures or curtailments” to reduce person-to-person interactions are being considered and may be implemented in the coming days if Peel’s daily COVID-19 cases remain the same or continue to rise.

The warning comes as Peel region reports a COVID-19 test positivity rate of 11.8 per cent — by far the highest in the province and more than double the provincial rate.

“We’re running out of time,” Loh told the Star. “I’m running out of ammunition.”

In the last two weeks, Loh has beyond provincial controls, including a ban on wedding receptions and social gatherings in businesses like banquet halls, and that could see employers face fines of $5,000 per day for not co-operating with outbreak investigations.

He has also repeatedly urged Peel residents to only leave home for essential reasons and to not socialize with anyone outside their household.

Yet the , putting hospitals, long-term-care homes and other vulnerable populations at risk, Loh said.

“We need people to hunker down over the next two to four weeks to cut down on the number of interactions,” he said. “But at a local level, I’m running out of ways to manage a decrease in the number of interactions in my community.”

Premier Doug Ford on Wednesday can be expected Friday for Peel, Toronto and York, saying “the virus is spreading at an alarming rate in these areas.”

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie echoed Loh’s concerns at a Wednesday press conference and also hinted at further public health measures, saying Peel is facing a “sobering reality” with widespread COVID-19 transmission where “the virus is controlling us.”

Crombie said Mississauga’s current test positivity rate shows nearly eight per cent of COVID-19 test are coming back positive. She also pointed to a rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations in Peel and the growing number of outbreaks in congregate settings as among her top concerns.

Peel currently has 11 long-term-care homes, five retirement homes and four group homes in outbreak, Crombie said. One long-term-care home currently has more than 90 residents and 60 staff who have tested positive for the virus, she said.

At Trillium Health Partners, the two-hospital system is nearing capacity and is caring for 42 patients with suspected COVID-19 and 60 confirmed COVID-positive patients, 12 of whom are in intensive care, she said.

“That’s 114 rooms being used for just COVID,” she said, adding that staff are preparing for more cases, and that while elective surgeries have not yet been cancelled that prospect is “a growing concern.”

Crombie called the situation at William Osler Health System, which includes Brampton Civic Hospital, “even more dire,” saying the hospital is in gridlock with a total of 120 patients who are COVID-positive or who are awaiting COVID tests.

Osler president and CEO Dr. Naveed Mohammad said the hospital system is facing less pressure this week after starting on Nov. 6, and postponing some elective outpatient surgeries at its Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness.

“We are holding our head above water but we’ve had to manage and move things around on a day-by-day basis,” he said. He added that he shares Loh’s concern about Peel’s local epidemic and supports Peel Public Health’s recent additional measures and restrictions.

Mohammad said the recent small drop in COVID-19 cases in Peel might be related to the three-day closure of one of Brampton’s busiest testing centres after it was damaged in a weekend windstorm. The centre, which reopened Wednesday, typically processes more than 600 tests a day, with a recent test positivity rate of 19.8 per cent.

“Even though we transferred some people to Peel Memorial (to be tested), some of the lower case numbers in the last couple days may have been the result of that testing centre’s temporary closure. My fear is that because we were hampered for the last three or four days, cases may have been artificially low.”

At a Wednesday morning press conference, Loh said there are nearly 2,000 active COVID-19 cases in Brampton, with the city adding 200 new cases a day.

“This deeply concerns me. If even 10 per cent of those individuals require hospitalization our hospitals will continue to be challenged.”

On Friday, Peel Public Health abandoned some aspects of its contact tracing after facing a growing backlog of new cases, Loh said. Since mid-October, shore up its tracing but even that wasn’t enough to keep up, he said.

The new streamlined process, which focuses on high-risk exposures and asks some people to notify their own close contacts, is reaching people with new COVID-19 infections more quickly and has cut the backlog by 30 per cent, Loh said.

Colin Furness, an infection-control epidemiologist at the University of Toronto, said Peel creates the perfect storm for COVID-19 with its high proportion of large households, and some areas of the region densely populated with essential workers.

“It is not about local public health leadership and it’s not about residents not caring,” he said. “We knew by May where COVID spreads and how COVID spreads. We could have, as a province, taken steps with increased mobile testing and community engagement, and the province didn’t.”

Furness suggested it might be time for Peel to ask the federal government for more supports, beyond the voluntary it committed to earlier this month, rather than wait for provincial help.

Loh said he wrote a letter two weeks ago to Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. David Williams, to highlight that paid sick leave “would be a significant assistance to reducing transmission” in Peel region.

The Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area mayors and chairs on Tuesday said more supports are needed to ensure workers without sick-pay benefits can be tested for COVID-19 without fear of losing income.

Crombie on Wednesday told reporters that Peel has had 116 workplace outbreaks since September and currently has 80 active workplace investigations. Crombie said she is calling on all levels of government and all private sector leaders to come together to “find a way to give workers confidence so that they won’t be penalized for getting tested, getting sick or self-isolating to stop the spread of COVID-19.”

With files from Ed Tubb

Megan Ogilvie is a Toronto-based health reporter for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: