Author: shlf

DID YOU KNOW First World War hero, Saskatchewan Roughriders legend Piffles Taylor was born in Collingwood area?

Neil (Piffles) Taylor led an extraordinary life.

He was a prisoner during the First World War, played quarterback with a glass eye and had the former home of the Saskatchewan Roughriders named in his honour.

And while he spent most of his life in Western Canada, his roots can be traced back to south Georgian Bay.

Taylor was born on a Singhampton farm in 1895 to Samuel and Mary Taylor. He lived on the farm for several years before his family moved to Yellow Grass, Sask., and eventually Regina.

According to his grandson Jack Milliken, after studying in the Canadian officer training course at the University of Toronto in 1915, Taylor joined the forces in early 1916 and arrived in London later that year. 

He joined the Royal Flying Corps and was sent to France in August 1917.

On Sept. 19, 1917, Taylor was shot down and captured, as he described in a letter to his brother Sam dated three days later. 

“I can write only a short note as I have been wounded in the right shoulder and the right cheek,” he wrote. “Mumford, my observer, got bullets in the leg and in the arm and could not fight. I did my best till the last and had to land when my eyes filled with blood, which I did without crashing. Write my C.O. (commanding officer) and tell him I was sorry to let him down.”

He sustained many injuries, including the loss of his eye.

In his letters, he spoke of how he was treated well by the enemy, but a letter to his mother in December 1918 told a different story.

“I suppose you would like to know how the Germans have treated the prisoners of war,” he wrote. “I have always tried to make my letters cheerful in order to prevent you from worrying, and for my own part, I have no wish to complain now, but when you receive these letters, speaking of the kindness of the enemy etc., it makes one fairly boil. Now that the war is over, the question naturally arises: has it been worthwhile? The sorrows, the sacrifices and the suffering? I know that no one seriously doubts it, but if anyone does, they should ask any prisoner of war.”

After returning to Saskatchewan, Taylor got involved in rugby and what became the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played quarterback with a glass eye and, after his playing days, he coached the Regina Boat Club Seniors in 1922.

In 1926, he started on the executive of the Regina Roughriders, and eventually became president.

The Roughriders’ former home was named Taylor Field in his honour and, up until 2004, the winner of the CFL’s West Division received the Piffles Taylor Trophy. In 2006, the street in front of Taylor Field was named Piffle Taylor Way. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1963.

He died in 1947.

How did he get the nickname Piffles?

“My cousin Sam was the authority on where the name came from, and I believe he said it meant somebody who was full of it, back in the day, and he picked it up at university and it stuck to him,” said Milliken, who lives in Wasaga Beach.

Why QR codes are having a moment: How the pandemic created a surge of interest in a 25-year-old technology

It may not be the first thing that leaps to mind, but among many other things, the year 2020 has been the year of the QR code.

QR codes aren’t new. In fact, they’ve been around for more than 25 years. But this year, they seem to be everywhere: on restaurant patio tables to access online menus, on doors to help with contact tracing, and in businesses for contactless payment. You’ll find them in your Toronto Star as well: codes you can scan to access exclusive online data.

Here’s how QR codes work, and why the COVID-19 pandemic set the stage for widespread use of this technology.

A QR code, or “quick response code,” is the next generation of the barcode. It encodes information horizontally and vertically, instead of just horizontally, making it capable of containing a lot more information.

It can also be read quickly, hence the name, and set off certain actions, such as redirecting the user to a website. This makes a QR code much more versatile than a regular barcode.

Richard Hyatt, co-founder and CEO of Toronto-based startup Candr, said its QR codes come in varying complexities. Many include redundancies, meaning the same information is encoded into the image more than once, so that if the QR code is partially damaged, it can still be scanned.

“Because you can put more data into that QR code, you can do some fancy things,” Hyatt said.

The QR code was invented in 1994 by Japanese engineer Hara Masahiro to track vehicles during the manufacturing process. (The term “QR Code” is trademarked by the company Denso Wave.) Instead of a simple barcode, the QR code was designed to hold a lot more information to streamline the process of scanning and tracking items.

Masahiro has said that the black-and-white pattern was inspired by the board game Go, which uses black-and-white playing pieces on a grid-marked board.

Since its invention, uses for the QR code have expanded into marketing and shopping. While smartphone users initially needed a third-party app to scan the codes, many Android and iPhone smartphones can now scan the codes via built-in camera apps.

QR codes have had a few resurgences over the years — remember Snapcodes, the personalized codes made by Snapchat to make adding friends easier? Snapchat’s CEO was inspired by seeing WeChat users in China scanning QR codes, according to a 2017 article in Wired.

If your smartphone has the capability, simply open the camera app and hold your phone up to the QR code. The app should prompt you to open whatever link the QR code is directing you to, whether it’s a restaurant menu or a contact tracing form.

If your smartphone’s camera app doesn’t have this capability, there are many third-party QR scanning apps that can be downloaded to perform the function.

Because of their versatility, QR codes are useful for a number of functions related to slowing the spread of COVID-19, said Konesh Thurairasah, co-founder and COO of Safe Check-IN, a tool to help businesses comply with contact tracing, among other things.

Not only can they direct a client to a menu or a contact tracing form, they can help business owners track how many people are in their store to avoid breaking pandemic restrictions.

When Thurairasah and his co-founder decided to make a contactless option for contact tracing and more, QR codes immediately popped into their heads, because of their versatility and also their cost-effectiveness, he said.

Since launching their Milton, Ont.-based startup around three months ago, interest has grown. Sign-ups doubled last month over the previous month and users are showing interest in an increasing array of features, Thurairasah said.

Kevin Derbyshire, co-founder and president of Toronto-based startup Candr, said its digital service was being developed to help companies connect with customers before COVID-19 using QR codes. Then, in the early days of the pandemic, a friend in the restaurant industry mentioned that they were collecting contact tracing details using pen and paper.

Derbyshire and Hyatt thought there must be a better way and immediately thought of using Candr’s QR codes to improve the contact tracing process.

First, it’s more hygienic — there’s no shared pen or paper. Second, it’s more secure — nobody can access other people’s contact information such as by taking a photo of the sign-up sheet. And third, they could add new functionalities — for example, clients can take a COVID-19 symptom questionnaire, view a restaurant’s menu, and browse promotions, all through one QR code.

The process also eliminates errors caused by misheard names or messy handwriting.

Since the service launched in May, Derbyshire said they have had a “dramatic rise” in sign-ups, in Canada and outside the country. Many clients are restaurants, he said.

“It’s taken off,” said Derbyshire. “What used to be something that I would consider an inventory management tool on floors in large warehouses in the ’90s (is now) on tables of fine dining.”

You’ll find QR codes taped to the tables at your favourite restaurants — a contactless way to read the menu. QR codes are also being used at banks and other institutions to create a digital lineup.

Recently, Toronto company Scarboro Music put QR codes up on its display window so customers could virtually shop while the store is closed due to the current COVID-19 lockdown.

Pre-COVID-19, QR codes were used as an electronic ticket for concerts and shows (remember those?). The QR code in that confirmation email was proof of payment.

Companies are using them more often now for contactless payment, even digital payment giant PayPal. In November, Calgary-based payment company Helcim launched QR codes for restaurants and other small businesses.

Helcim founder and CEO Nick Beique said the QR codes help restaurants facilitate menus and online orders. Other businesses such as fitness studios are using them for easy registration, and the Toronto Star, noticing a resurgence in interest from marketers, recently added the procurement of QR codes for advertisers as a new service.

Beique thinks the increased use of QR codes to access menus in 2020 helped familiarize people in North America with the technology that other countries adopted years ago, and it’s leading to more creative uses.

“I think that the people removing the physical menus and (using) QR codes is really what has taught an entire population how to use them,” he said.

Thurairasah said some Safe Check-IN clients use QR codes to schedule and check-in visitors at care homes or hotels.

He predicts QR code usage will continue to rise in 2021 as businesses look for easier ways to comply with pandemic restrictions.

Hyatt agreed.

“The QR code’s here to stay.”

Rosa Saba is a Calgary-based business reporter for the Star. Follow her on Twitter:

‘Our numbers have tripled’: How many flu shot doses have been distributed throughout Simcoe-Muskoka this fall?

Dr. Steven Poirier is getting tired of turning away his patients.

The Barrie family physician says his office has only been able to secure about 300 regular and 60 high-dosage shots of the influenza vaccine this year, not nearly enough to help his patient list — which includes about 800 seniors.

A high-dosage version of the vaccine is generally recommended for people over the age of 65, who are at greater risk of developing severe complications from the flu, he said.

“We’re getting a minimum amount and have to offer them on a first come, first serve basis to those who qualify,” said Poirier, who also spoke on behalf of the Ontario Medical Association.

“That’s not nearly enough, especially when the message across the province is to push the flu vaccine as much as you can. That message has resonated with our population because they’ve been calling and coming into the office, asking for the shot. Even those who have not gotten it in the past are coming out of the woodwork.”

He said his office has been told it can’t order more doses of either version for the foreseeable future.

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit says about 240,000 doses of the vaccine — including 30,000 high-dose shots — have been distributed throughout its jurisdiction this fall. That’s more than triple the normal amount.

These doses are typically doled out to pharmacies, family practices and vaccination clinics.

“Our numbers have tripled,” health unit immunization program manager Deanna Thompson said. “Locally, we’ve received over our allocation that we normally get and we’ve almost exhausted it. We’ve asked for more every week. The (Ontario government) is aware of the local shortage; we’re getting trickles of doses. But we’ve worked really hard with local family health teams that are running larger community clinics to ensure they have enough of the vaccine to be running mass immunization.”

The increased demand may be due to a campaign by the province and local health units, which urges residents to get the flu shot to lower their risk of illness during the COVID-19 pandemic. While Ontario did order more doses than normal during spring procurement, it may not have anticipated such high interest, she said.

“More people want the vaccine this year than any other,” Thompson said. “Is it related to the COVID pandemic? Probably.”

Poirier has run a practice in Barrie for the last five years; this is its most difficult period.

“(We’re) trying to navigate a pandemic and care for patients who should be getting care but are afraid to because of the pandemic,” he said. “Now, with influenza and cold season upon us, it’s very difficult to decide if it’s COVID, the flu, a cold or bacterial pneumonia. It’s really starting to take its toll.”

If you still need a shot in the arm, call a pharmacy — most have easier access than family doctors to the vaccine and can squeeze you in within a week or two. Once the appointment is booked, “be patient,” Thompson said.

“This is the normal time you would get vaccinated.”

For more information on local flu shot clinics, visit .


OPP discover massive marijuana grow-op in Midland

The Southern Georgian Bay OPP busted a massive cannabis grow operation in Midland on Sept. 28.

Officers received a call from a concerned citizen who observed suspicious activity at an industrial building on Highway 12. Local officers, along with members of the OPP’s organized crime enforcement unit, executed a search warrant at 16567 Highway 12 at around 6 p.m. Monday.

“They discovered a substantial grow operation of cannabis plants. Over 10,000 cannabis plants were located,” said OPP Const. Aaron Coulter of the Southern Georgian Bay OPP.

Officers discovered what appeared to be a professional, high-quality grow-op in the process of growing more than 10,000 plants in various stages of development. Police believe that a harvest of the plants had not been completed or that any distribution had taken place.

“The investigation is continuing in terms of who owns the building and whether the owners were aware of what was occurring inside,” said Coulter.

The commercial building at 16567 Highway 12 sits across from Weber Manufacturing. Forte EPS Solutions Inc, an expanded polystyrene manufacturer, was the last to operate out of the facility. At the time of the search warrant being executed the building was vacant.

“It was a Styrofoam factory but it has been out of use for roughly a year,” said Coulter. “It appears as though a grow operation was installed sometime recently and production had begun.”

The 84,000-square-foot building, which sits on 6.36-acres adjacent Highway 12, was also once home to Bruin Engineered Parts until the company closed up shop in 2007.

Century 21 has the building and property currently listed for $4.9 million.

Although cannabis is legal in Canada, there are still strict limits on the quantity one can possess and grow. Individual adults are allowed to possess up to 30 grams of legal cannabis and can grow up to four plants per residence for personal use. Anything more requires a federal license.

“Marijuana is available legally now. When you purchase it through legal means you can have confidence in what the ingredients are. Otherwise you can’t have that confidence in the quality or THC levels,” said Coulter. “If you are choosing to purchase marijuana we encourage you to do so through the proper channels.”

All of the cannabis plants were removed from the building and destroyed after samples were taken.

Anyone with information about this grow operation is asked to contact the Southern Georgian Bay OPP at or .

CORRECTION – Sept. 30, 2020. This story has been edited from a previous version. Fort EPS Solutions Inc. no longer operates out of the facility. At the time of the search warrant being executed, the building was vacant.

BEHIND THE CRIMES: Why was family murder the only option for these two children?

Few Markham residents thought they’d ever see an act as twisted and terrifying as Jennifer Pan’s again.

Instead, they witnessed one far more evil.

It was in 2010 when Pan’s Hollywood-style murder-for-hire plot — to kill her immigrant parents all the while acting like a victim during a home invasion/robbery — came to fruition.

Her mother, Bich-Ha, was murdered by a group of thugs.

Her father, Hann, miraculously survived.

Jennifer, her ex-boyfriend and their cohorts were jailed for life in 2017.

Almost a decade later, tragedy struck again, this time even more gruesome — a quadruple homicide with arresting similarities.

In 2019, a Markham video-gaming recluse named Menhaz Zaman, 23, just a year younger than Jennifer at the time of the Pan incident, murdered his mother, grandmother, sister and father with a crowbar, followed by a knife across their throats.

It left many wondering how lightning could strike twice in the same community of fewer than 400,000 people.

“It’s amazing that it happened twice in one city … it’s really quite remarkable,” said Dr. Jaswant Guzder, a psychiatry professor at McGill University. “It’s a horrific crime, that’s highly unusual.”

In the Pan case, Jennifer was the eldest child and under plenty of pressure to achieve immense success at her scholarly pursuits, as well as her pastimes, such as figure skating and piano.

Her parents all but insisted she attended Ryerson for pharmacology.

Problem was it was all a masquerade — showing parents fake report cards, buying textbooks and sitting around the library all day, but not actually attending school.

When they finally figured out she’d been lying, Jennifer was locked in the house and spent almost a year in her room plotting their murder.

Menhaz’s parents both thought he was attending York University and taking mechanical engineering.

In reality, he was catching the bus each day, wandering the campus or heading to Markville Mall to keep up the ruse.

In the lead up to the day he was supposed to graduate, July 28, 2019, he followed through on his murder plan, which was three years in the making.

While Pan continues to maintain her innocence, Menhaz pleaded guilty on Sept. 24.

Dr. Hiram Mok, a psychiatrist focusing on mood disorders and cross-cultural psychiatry, believes the problems in both cases are relatively common inside immigrant homes from these regions – Vietnam and Bangladesh – but admitted this outcome is very rare.

Often problems like these can manifest inside the homes of immigrant families when parents move to more prosperous countries and work menial jobs, he said, putting their own careers on hold.

We know that Jennifer’s father, a tool and die maker, worked extremely hard at Magna and refused to take vacations in order to save cash until his children graduated.

Menhaz’s father was a taxi driver, an occupation where the drivers are often overworked and overqualified immigrants.

“Parents project their own immigrant expectations onto their kids,” Dr. Mok said. “They can put pressure on the kids to achieve their unfulfilled dreams … the immigrant dream.”

This sort of pressure can result in children leading double lives so as not to disappoint the parents, while maintaining their own freedoms, he said.

“This can lead to deception and fantasy, because (the children) don’t have a life, no friends, no dating, no sex; it’s very strict, almost like a religion,” he said.

He told a story of a female he knows of, who would receiving 97 per cent on exams only to be directed by her mother to demand of the teacher why she was missing the final 3 per cent.

Dr. Soma Ganesan, a psychiatrist and founder of Vancouver General Hospital’s cross culture clinic, said cultures around the globe rank professions in terms of prestige, with doctors, engineers and lawyers at the very top.

Dr. Ganesan noted that in certain parts of the world, there is a sort of social contract between parents and children.

“(The deal is) I will work hard, 12 hours a day, I will take no vacation and I will do this to provide a warm and comfortable house for you,” he said. “(But then the) children are under tremendous pressure to enter university and a prestigious program.”

Born in Vietnam to an Indian father, Dr. Ganesan further explained how feelings of resentment and desperation can fester inside children, who often have little opportunity to voice their own opinions.

“Parents express their love by providing safety to grow and opportunity to educate, but they have expectations of the children to do well in school,” he said.

He told the story of a young man he knows of who lied about attending university only to end up disappearing from his family’s life altogether, rather than lose face and admit the deceptive behaviour.

Dr. Mok added that while this sort of pressure can result in educational and career successes, it can also leave the individuals in misery during adulthood.

“Some become high achieving in life, but they are never happy; they have an empty feeling inside,” he said. “The feeling may sound like, ‘I don’t know who I am.’ They can lead normal lives, but only with psychological attention.”

For many, the most shocking part of the murders may be both Jennifer’s and Menhaz’s desperate plotting and planning, without either finding another way out of the predicament.

Prior to his arrest, Menhaz wrote the following on a chat app: “I wanted them to die so that they didn’t suffer knowing how much of a pathetic subhuman I was.”

Dr. Ganesan believes issues can involve saving face for the individual or the family.

“They were born in Canada, in a mixed culture, where they see freedom of speech at school and hierarchical rigidity when they get home,” he said, speaking in general terms and not about individual cases. “There’s post-traumatic stress, pressure in the family, social isolation, verbal abuse; they feel continuously sad and depressed for a long time. There are serious symptoms of depression … they can lack the ability to control the mind. Without intervention, the final stages of depression is homicidal or suicidal.”

Dr. Guzder, head of child psychiatry at Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital, believes what can help immigrants so much when they come to Canada, their collectivist ideals, can also result in tragic situations like these ones.

She said Western cultures stress autonomy, preparing children to leave the nest and move on to live alone and possibly start their own families.
That mentality stands in contrast to Asian cultures that are based on familial support, where small communities help one another to an extraordinary degree.

“There’s a strain between these two polarities,” she said. “Adolescents in the dominant culture have to navigate what’s positive and negative of both those cultures.”

No trick-or-treating is ‘what’s best for our family:’ Bradford family shifts traditions of Halloween

It used to mostly be on Oct. 31 that people would wear masks. But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, masks have become a part of daily life. 

The age-old tradition of trick-or-treating has taken a hit, just like most other things because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bradford resident Gary Wise isn’t allowing his two young children to go trick-or-treating this year.

“We have decided not to participate in Halloween this year in a traditional sense,” he said.

Normally, Wise’s family are “exuberant” celebrators of the holiday but because of the contact with other people involved, they’ve decided not to go trick-or-treating this year. 

That doesn’t mean Wise’s family is staying home without acknowledging Halloween. They are heading to a cottage, decorating the cottage and going on a scavenger hunt while dressed in costumes.

Wise explained that the family made the decision to isolate because experts said that is the best thing to do. 

“Ultimately, there are people who know better than we do about these things,” he said. “It’s a civil (civic) duty as well as what’s best for our family.”

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is recommending that people, who do choose to trick-or-treat, avoid gatherings with people outside their household. They should stay home if feeling ill, only trick-or-treat outside, wear a face covering, not congregate or linger at doorsteps, avoid high-touch surfaces and objects, wash hands often and thoroughly or use hand sanitizer, not leave treats in a bucket or bowl for children to grab or consider using tongs or similar tools to hand out treats.

A costume mask is not a substitute for a face covering and should not be worn over a face covering as it may make if difficult to breathe, the health unit said.

Dr. Charles Gardner, medical officer of health, said at a media briefing that the “safest option” is not to participate in Halloween either by trick-or-treating or by providing candy.

“If you have concerns, in particular about your health and have risks factors that would put you at high risk, that would be all the more reason not to participate,” he said.

Halloween isn’t the only tradition that’s being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Bradford branch of the Royal Canadian Legion has had to shift its service for Remembrance Day to invite-only. The Remembrance Day service usually garners a crowd of hundreds but the executive at the Legion was forced to make a decision to limit participants. 

Most of the wreaths will be laid out beforehand but a few from different levels of government and the Silver Cross Mother’s will be laid on Nov. 11 during the service. 


STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Reporter Laura Broadley heard different options about what people were doing for Halloween and wanted to find out how that was affecting Bradford West Gwillimbury.

Doug Ford disputes report that Ontario is sitting on $12B in cash reserves

Premier Doug Ford is pushing back at an independent watchdog’s report that found Ontario was sitting on $12 billion in cash — money that opposition parties say should have been used to fight the pandemic.

The province’s Financial Accountability Office said the government had $12 billion that was not allocated at the end of the second quarter Sept. 30, but Ford countered that all but $2.6 billion has now been earmarked.

It is available in the event of unexpected expenses, particularly with the COVID-19 vaccine which is about to be distributed and injected into millions of Ontarians in the coming weeks and months, the premier said.

“We actually have some money in contingency … because as we went through this pandemic we’ve seen things pop up,” he told the legislature’s last daily question period of the year.

The House adjourned two days early for its winter break until Feb. 16.

Active cases of COVID-19 remain at record levels, although the province reported 1,676 new infections Tuesday, down from the all-time high of 1,925 the previous day as Toronto and Peel Region began their third week in lockdown.

That tally marked the lowest number of new daily infections in two weeks, but hospital admissions for the virus soared by 69 people to levels not seen since late May. There were 10 more deaths.

Closures of non-essential businesses and lost jobs make it imperative for the government to spend more on direct supports, rent relief and paid sick days so workers with potential symptoms can afford to stay home, said NDP deputy leader Sara Singh.

She accused Ford of “hoarding money and waiting for a vaccine,” adding that “working families in hot spots like Brampton can’t sit back and just wait for a vaccine.”

Green Leader Mike Schreiner said the Progressive Conservative government should have used more of the $12 billion in the summer on improved testing, contact tracing and smaller class sizes to mitigate the effects of the second wave COVID-19 that began in September.

“Those are the actions we needed to take to contain the virus and now we’re paying the consequences,” he told reporters. “Ontario is playing catch-up with a virus that is spreading at record levels.”

Cases grew so quickly this fall contact tracers in Toronto could not keep up.

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce backed the NDP’s call for 10 personal emergency leave days in a private member’s bill called the Stay Home If You Are Sick Act from London West MPP Peggy Sattler.

She proposes seven of them be paid and calls for another 14 days of paid leave during any infectious disease emergency.

“For months, public health experts have been calling for paid sick leave to help slow the spread of COVID-19,” Sattler said, noting an estimated 60 per cent of workers do not have paid sick days.

But the Chamber of Commerce said government funding is needed to cover the costs of the proposal, calling it “the right thing to do.”

“Businesses, particularly small businesses, simply cannot afford the additional financial responsibility to fund sick leave at this time,” the organization said in a statement.

Ford cancelled the previous Liberal government’s paid sick day legislation after taking office in 2018.

After months of rising cases, Ontario now has 794 patients in hospital with COVID-19, double the level of a month ago with at least 219 in intensive care and 132 of them on ventilators.

The increasing ICU admissions have “potentially devastating consequences” for people awaiting non-emergency surgeries, procedures and tests because they crowd out non-COVID patients, said the Ontario Hospital Association and groups representing registered nurses, doctors and respiratory therapists.

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

‘The stars seem to be more aligned’: Collingwood group champions creation of ‘world class’ cultural centre

John Kirby was the chair of a committee in 1991 whose mandate was to determine the feasibility of an arts and culture centre for Collingwood.

About five years removed from the closing of the Collingwood Shipyards and about nine years away from the construction of the Blue Mountain Village, the area was still finding itself.

“We didn’t have the financial resources to do anything back then,” Kirby said. 

However, Kirby, who is now a member of the Collingwood Arts Culture Education (CACE) group, said the time is right.

Rob Hart is chair of the group that has a mission to see a “world class” arts, culture and entertainment centre built in Collingwood that will serve all of South Georgian Bay.

Hart said arts and culture is woven into the fabric of the area.

“It’s an unbelievable arts community,” Hardy said. “The energy, the vibrancy and the variety in the South Georgian Bay area it just blew me away.

The Town of Collingwood is currently sending out a request for proposal for a new feasibility study for a potential centre. Hart expects the feasibility study results to come back sometime next spring.

According to a recent press release from CACE, they’ve received support from MPP Jim Wilson, Clearview Mayor Doug Measures, Mayor Brian Sanderson and MP Terry Dowdall.

They’ve also received support from hundreds of individuals and groups involved in the local arts and culture scene.

Thom Vincent, a CACE member and local developer, said the facility could also help drive economic growth, as a strong arts and culture community can help attract businesses looking to relocate and young families.

“By having this type of facility, if we end up with it, will encourage younger people coming up here and give them a platform to express themselves in the arts and culture community,” he said. “The stars seem to be more aligned this time than ever before.”

Kirby said CACE already has a plan to help raise money to build it.

“I have no doubt in my mind that a facility can be built, and the capital money can be raised for that,” he said. 

For more information, visit .

Editor’s note: A correction was made to this story on Nov.16. The name of the group is Collingwood Arts Culture Education group and its char is Rob Hart. Simcoe.com regrets the error.

School board confirms COVID-19 case at Worsley Elementary in Wasaga Beach

For the second time in as many days, a COVID-19 case has been confirmed at a school in South Georgian Bay.

The Simcoe County District School board confirmed a case at Worsley Elementary School in Wasaga Beach.

The board sent home letters to parents but would not confirm if it was a teacher or student who tested positive.

A classroom is closed at the school.

This follows a confirmed case at Admiral Collingwood Elementary School on Monday, which also resulted in a classroom being closed.

Corrine Lalonde has two children at the school and said the necessary steps are being taken.

“I think the school and public health are doing what needs to be done and as long as kids and teachers are following the guidelines at the school, the risk is very low,” she said. “Each parent can make a decision as to what is right for their family and child.”

Ten Canada Post staff working in Barrie have tested positive for COVID-19 this month

Through rain, sleet or snow. And even COVID-19, apparently.

Canada Post has confirmed to Simcoe.com that 10 employees working out of its Morrow Road distribution centre in Barrie have tested positive for the virus since Dec. 1.

“Throughout the COVID-19 response, Canada Post has worked with and followed the guidance of public health officials across the country,” spokesperson Valérie Chartrand said. “Our goal since March has been to protect the safety of our people and the people we serve as we maintain an essential service. Our employees follow physical distancing protocols, wear mandatory face coverings and follow other safety measures. We understand, however, that this is a concerning time for employees, especially when we communicate that a work colleague has tested positive.”

In each case, the postal service says, it has followed the direction and advice of the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit. It has also supported the health unit’s contact-tracing efforts and ensured appropriate sanitization is being conducted within the facility.

“Given our safety and sanitization protocols in place, they have deemed it to be low risk of transmission in the workplace,” Chartrand said. “Health officials have been in communication with us to understand what we are doing in our facility, (and) reviewed our safety and sanitization protocols. We are following any further direction they may have.”

Mail and parcel processing continues to operate “safely” during one of the busiest times of the year, she said.

“Contingency plans are in place to keep pace as best as possible,” Chartrand said.

Health unit medical officer of health Dr. Charles Gardner declined to comment on the matter during a teleconference with reporters Dec. 8.