上海龙凤419,上海419论坛,夜上海论坛 – Powered By WeiFeng TV

Tag: 上海2018千花论坛

wbqxg itihe

Second lockdown ‘not what we want to see’: Anxiety runs high for Alliston business owners as second wave begins

Apr 26, 2022 , , , , by shlf

COVID-19 cases are rapidly re-surging across the province, causing anxiety among many business owners who struggled to make it through the first wave of the pandemic.

So far, the hot spots have been limited to Toronto, Peel Region and Ottawa, but it’s possible Simcoe County could join that list if the virus continues to spread.

In an effort to reduce the cases, these areas were rolled back to a modified version of the Stage 2 restrictions, resulting in the closure of indoor dining at restaurants, gyms and movie theatres.

Gina Facca, chief operating officer of Imagine Cinemas, which operates 10 locations across the province, including one in Alliston, said moviegoers returned this summer to see films like Tenet and Unhinged.

With many new movies having been delayed to next year, the theatre started showing older films, but they didn’t bring in enough people in to cover costs.

The theatre also started offering bubble screenings for small groups or families, but business has still been slow.

“We have a wonderful little cinema in Alliston and we really hope that folks will come out to support us now, when we really need it,” she said.

With Hollywood moving many of the blockbusters to 2021, and the prospect of another lockdown becoming a possibility, she expects it will be very difficult for all cinemas to make it to next year.

Christine Molenaar, owner of the Circle Theatre, called the province’s decision to close theatres in the hot spots “frustrating and disappointing,” noting there have been no known transmissions of the virus in theatres.

She said the theatre will continue to operate until ordered otherwise. Currently, the large auditorium has a capacity limit of 50 people, leaving lots of room to physically distance.

“The Circle Theatre is a beloved landmark to our community and we believe with creative business ideas and community support, we will get through whatever the next months to years have in store for us, but there are definitely challenging times ahead,” she said.

Lori Matthews, manager of Home Decor and More, said the owners decided to close the furniture showroom to the public at the start of the pandemic and focus on online sales.

She said the company was fortunate to have a big online presence before the pandemic started.

“We are just riding it out, and it’s working,” she said.

Dan Barker, operations manager for Anytime Fitness in Alliston, said the gym has been busy since reopening this summer and the business is making a slow, but steady recovery.

“While a second lockdown of all gyms across the province is not what we want to see, we will respect the direction and be ready to welcome back our members again when given the clearance,” he said.

Sandra Lambie, owner of Williams and The Coop Public House and Foodiary, said diners were slow to return to the restaurants since indoor dining was permitted, and sales have dipped again now that the case counts are rising again.

She will have a heated and covered patio at Williams this fall and winter, but there won’t be any outdoor dining at The Coop.

She has been encouraged by the more targeted approach the province is taking, and how Premier Doug Ford has acknowledged the impact these decisions have on business owners and people’s mental health.

“The uncertainty for me is what causes the most anxiety, and having somebody else dictate how you should be running your business,” she said.

Story behind the story: With the province having moved some areas back into Stage 2, Simcoe.com wanted to check in with local businesses to see how they would handle another lockdown in the event Simcoe County becomes a COVID-19 hot spot.

dnfyu cproc

Federal health minister calls Toronto’s surging COVID-19 test positivity rates ‘very alarming.’ Ontario officials say they hadn’t seen the data

Sep 29, 2021 , , , , by shlf

As federal health officials called surging in Toronto “very alarming” and cause for new public health measures, Ontario officials admitted they only saw the numbers Tuesday, after the Star obtained the provincial data and published it.

The province announced no new interventions Tuesday, however, pointing to existing efforts like mobile testing and advertising to increase awareness.

In four pockets of the city, the percentage of tests coming back positive is above 10 per cent, according to data obtained by the Star but not publicly released. In several other areas the rate is above seven per cent, and in two-thirds of the city it is above three per cent, a critical threshold set by public health authorities.

“It is an indication that more public health measures are needed and that there is uncontained community spread. It’s very alarming,” Patty Hajdu, federal health minister, said at a Tuesday news briefing when asked about the 10 per cent figure.

“Because of course, the report is around specific neighbourhoods in Toronto, but we know that people don’t just stay in their neighbourhood. People move about and of course bring the virus with them.”

Dr. Howard Njoo, deputy chief public health officer of Canada, said that rates above five per cent are concerning, and the 10 per cent figure is “very worrisome, because that indicates there’s probably a high degree of community transmission and lots of unlinked cases. And so that means that public health authorities need to take whatever steps are necessary if they can identify high-risk events at certain settings that maybe need more intensive contact tracing, those things are certainly things to be looked at.

“So I think that 10 per cent is sort of, I would say, quite a serious level.”

At a Tuesday news briefing at Queen’s Park, officials agreed the data was concerning but highlighted steps already being taken, and announced no new public health measures.

Premier Doug Ford acknowledged seeing the data earlier in the day, and that he represents some of the harder-hit areas.

Three of the four areas with test positivity rates above 10 per cent are in Toronto’s northwest corner, which overlaps with the premier’s Etobicoke North riding. This part of the city was also by the first wave of the pandemic. Neighbourhoods in Toronto’s northwest corner have some of the highest proportions of low-income and racialized residents.

“Well, I did see the data,” Ford said Tuesday afternoon. “Probably about a couple hours ago, they showed me the data. And you’re 100 per cent correct. It’s in certain areas, one being in my area. And that’s where we have to focus on.

“We go out there, we put the mobile testing units up. We get more advertising within those communities. And if it’s … no matter if it’s the mainstream media or if it’s the ethnic media, we’re still pumping millions and millions of dollars to educate the people.”

Ontario’s associate medical officer of health, Dr. Barbara Yaffe, said she had not seen the data, but had read about it in the Star, which published it Monday night.

“I haven’t actually seen the data myself. I’ve read the article in the paper. That is very concerning. Those rates are high and those are neighbourhoods and areas that we already knew were at increased risk based on other data.”

In addition to mobile testing and advertising, Yaffe suggested that public health should prioritize contact tracing in these areas.

Experts said that more should have been done to support and gird these areas for the second wave, given that, as Yaffe acknowledges, the province knew they were at risk.

Dr. Andrew Boozary, a family physician in Toronto and executive director of Population Health and Social Medicine at University Health Network, said in a tweet: “I’m really concerned about us being able to take a data-driven (and) health equity approach when the first time policymakers see the data” is in the Star.

Kate Allen is a Toronto-based reporter covering science and technology for the Star. Follow her on Twitter:

lyljhfc dkqf

BEHIND THE CRIMES: Who mailed the bomb that killed Wayne Greavette?

Jul 28, 2021 , , , , by shlf

Mere seconds. That’s all the time it took for a bomb to detonate in the hands of Wayne Greavette as he sat in the living room of his home, killing him in the presence of his family.

It came in the form of a flashlight-turned homemade explosive device, mailed under the guise of a present, with a letter tucked inside that ominously signed off with, “Have a Merry Christmas and may you never have to buy another flashlight.”

The horrific moment when the father of two innocently pressed the on switch was over in the blink of an eye. But it changed the Greavette family forever.

Almost a quarter century has passed since that day, Dec. 12, 1996.

But police aren’t giving up hope that the case will ultimately be solved.

A $50,000 reward is still being offered by the provincial government, through the OPP, for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) who took Greavette’s life.

“It is our goal to solve all unsolved crimes,” said Detective Insp. Randy Gaynor of the OPP criminal investigation branch. “We follow up on all information that becomes available.”

It was a chilly Thursday in December when the package arrived at the farm the Greavettes had recently purchased on Concession 11, between 15 and 17 sideroads, in the rural Milton area.

The land held much promise for Wayne and Diane, who had hoped to harness the artesian well on the property to launch a spring water bottling business.

His son Justin, who was 21 at the time, went out to get the mail that day, bringing in a package for his father delivered by Canada Post that appeared to be a present in white wrapping paper. Inside the box — an emptied cardboard wine container with the UPC cut off — was a Duracell flashlight and a letter written on a typewriter with a unique key flaw that inserted a back slash after each period.

As Wayne read the letter that detailed a business proposal from what turned out to be a phoney company, Justin tried to turn the flashlight on, but nothing happened.

When his 42-year-old father pushed the button, the bomb went off — a device filled with an emulsion-type explosive and nails that acted as shrapnel, according to the OPP.

Wayne was killed instantly in front of his son, brother and wife, Diane. Daughter Danielle wasn’t home at the time.

While decades have passed since that fateful day, the family has maintained the same mantra throughout the years — “somebody knows something.”

But who?

Gaynor couldn’t comment on possible motives or persons of interest in the case as it’s considered potential evidence, but the family did some investigative work of their own alongside CBC documentarian David Ridgen for his 2009 piece, “The Bomb That Killed Wayne Greavette.”

In the documentary, they considered many possible options: that perhaps someone was jealous of his impending spring water business, or it was a person he knew through the beverage and packaging industry, or a woman Wayne may have had a relationship with.

The packaging that came with the flashlight contained some local connections. Flyers were used to cushion the device, with at least one being sourced locally as it was for a Milton store — Copeland Lumber, which later became Rona on Main Street near Wilson Drive.

Wayne had worked in Milton for many years, leading his family to believe at the time that someone from that area may have information that could help solve the case.

Then there’s the potential ties to Halton Hills. A month before the murder, two men are said to have visited the Acton post office asking for Wayne’s current address.

The package was labelled with an Acton return address that doesn’t exist.

Gaynor couldn’t say if the documentary, Ridgen’s later podcasts or the $50,000 reward have resulted in fresh tips for the police, citing confidentiality of the investigation.

But one thing is for certain — the case will remain on the OPP’s radar for as long as it takes.

“We never close a case,” said Gaynor. “Information that someone has about the murder may be the piece we need to put it all together.”