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County and partners work together to prepare for emergencies across the region

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Minister Dunlop and Warden Clarke thank local emergency responders for their quick action during spring ice storm

Midhurst/October 20, 2025 – Last week, Minister Dunlop and Warden Clarke joined to kick off and welcome emergency responders from across Ontario to the County’s annual Simcoe Emergency Response Conference. Thanking emergency responders from across the province and Simcoe County, the two took a moment to acknowledge the incredible response locally and from supporting communities during the ice storm earlier this year.

Preparing for emergencies takes regional collaboration, planning, coordination and partnerships. In 2005, the County of Simcoe established a committee to proactively plan and bring together emergency managers and response personnel from local municipalities and partner organizations to coordinate emergency planning in the area. 

The Simcoe Emergency Response Committee (SERC) has grown to include representatives from over 45 organizations including local municipalities, emergency services, volunteer organizations, hospitals, public health, education sector, conservation authorities and utilities.

Friday’s semi-annual meeting included presentations on flood risks, a showcase on the volunteers involved with Georgian Bay Volunteer Search and Rescue, mass fatality planning, and key lessons learned during Ottawa’s May 2022 derecho response.

With Simcoe County’s commitment to emergency management and public safety in mind, throughout 2025 the County has focused on training and preparing communities across the region to respond to a variety of possible emergencies that could occur. From large, complex county-wide simulations to targeted municipal tabletops, the County is ensuring that Emergency Management’s mission To Prepare, Protect and Provide for the Greater Good is upheld across the region.

This conference is the latest in a series of emergency management training held across the region this year, including simulations in Oro-Medonte, Orillia, and Alliston to test and improve response protocols, while training emergency responders in simulated real-world scenarios. In these scenarios held throughout 2025, emergency responders were asked to test their response protocols for a variety of simulations, including a mass casualty incident (“Festival Frenzy”) in June, a hazardous materials (HAZMAT) incident (“Plume Watch”) in September, and an emergency social services shelter operation (“Rink Side Refuge”) in October. These exercises were large-scale, involving multiple agencies from across the region.

In addition to large-scale exercises, the County has been proactively running crucial Local Area Municipality Training and Tabletop Exercises to ensure preparedness at the municipal level to reinforce local emergency plans across the region. These localized training sessions are being completed in several local communities throughout 2025, including:

  • Adjala-Torsorontio
  • Bradford West Gwillimbury
  • Clearview
  • Collingwood
  • Essa
  • New Tecumseth
  • Penetanguishene
  • Springwater
  • Wasaga Beach

The County’s emergency management program helps create disaster-resilient communities that are ready to meet the challenges of emergencies that might arise across our region. With these exercises, the County continues to collaborate with municipalities, emergency responders, and partners from across the region to prepare, protect and provide for the greater good. For more information on emergency preparedness, visit simcoe.ca/BePrepared.

About the County of Simcoe
County of Simcoe is composed of sixteen member municipalities and provides crucial public services to County residents in addition to providing paramedic and social services to the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia. Visit our website at simcoe.ca.

We Are As Vulnerable As 9/11″ Says Ex-FBI Counterintel Head on Trump’s Destruction of the Bureau

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“Something bad will happen” – Former FBI Counterintelligence Chief Frank Figliuzzi sounds the alarm on Trump’s gutting of the Bureau.

Terror task forces and spy-catching squads are being dismantled while agents chase immigrants, leaving America dangerously exposed. He also breaks down the Bolton case and why Merrick Garland’s caution allowed Trump to weaponize the Justice Department.

About Jim Acosta: Jim Acosta is a journalist who spent decades holding power accountable as Chief White House Correspondent, covering five presidential administrations and asking the tough questions others wouldn’t. From the White House briefing room to the world’s most dangerous places, Jim has never backed down from the truth. Now, Jim brings that same relentless pursuit of facts directly to you through independent media. In these critical times for our democracy, we can’t rely on corporate media to tell the whole story. We need journalists who will speak truth to power without fear or favor. This is where real journalism happens. Jim delivers the unvarnished truth about what’s happening in Washington and beyond – no corporate censorship, no billionaire owners calling the shots. Just straight talk from someone who’s been in the room where it happens. Democracy depends on an informed citizenry. Join our community of truth-seekers fighting for facts over fiction.

👆 SUBSCRIBE NOW and hit that notification bell to join the hundreds of thousands of people on Youtube and Substack who refuse to be misled. Share this content. Support independent journalism. Together, we’re stronger. Together, we defend democracy.

Tinyhouses Are Now LEGAL DWELLINGS! How One Man in Portland, OR is Changing Housing as We Know It

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Thank you for the tour Kol and friends! Reach out to Kol at Tinyhookups.com

For details on Portlands adopted code: https://www.portland.gov/ppd/zoning-l…

Affordable ADU Plans start here: Custom ADU Plans https://share.google/KzQyLZeSaNp1LG2Bohttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FA…

We aim to add industry leading value in 3 ways

  • No risk, you don’t make final payment until your plans are approved.
  • Initial drafts provided within 10 business days.
  • Best pricing in the market with a focus on affordable design.

We look forward to helping you achieve your affordable ADU design goals.

-Derek

Spiritual Awake People Quit These 7 Things Slowly | Alan Watts

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Imagine realizing you can no longer play the games, wear the masks, or chase the things you once thought mattered.

This isn’t depression, it’s awakening. In this talk, Alan Watts explores the 7 slow, inevitable process of spiritual transformation. You don’t wake up one morning and decide to quit. Instead, your soul begins to reject what is false until only what is real remains. Approval, specialness, performance, certainty, blame, escape, isolation, all fall away, one by one. What takes their place is freedom, authenticity, and love. Stay with this until the end, the final revelation may change how you see your life forever.

If this resonated with you, subscribe to journey deeper into the mystery of life, thought, and being.

🤍 Inspired by Alan Watts

🤍 This channel is a tribute to the spirit of Alan Watts, not as a teacher in the conventional sense, but as a mirror gently pointing you back to what you already are. Drawing from his explorations into consciousness, illusion, and the present moment, we offer reflections designed not to instruct, but to awaken. Rather than guiding you toward rigid conclusions, we invite you to notice: you were never apart from the flow of life.

The search itself is the illusion, for what you’re looking for has always been looking through your eyes. As Alan often said, “The ego is nothing more than the focus of conscious attention.” There’s no self to improve, only a mystery to remember. So if, while watching, you find yourself smiling at life’s absurdity, sensing the great cosmic joke, or remembering that you are the universe in disguise, then we’ve done our part.

About Alan Watts Alan Watts (1915–1973) was a British philosopher and writer known for making Eastern philosophy accessible to the Western world. With clarity, humor, and a sense of mischief, he brought ideas from Zen, Taoism, and Vedanta into everyday life. To Alan, life was not a problem to be solved, but a symphony to be heard with playfulness and wonder.

🔗 Explore his original work: 📚 alanwatts.org 🎙️ YouTube: @alanwattsorg

How can Canada and Europe work closer together toward international security?

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Chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton speaks with National Defence Minister David McGuinty about his recent trip to Brussels for a meeting of NATO defence ministers.

Plus, EU Ambassador to Canada Geneviève Tuts discusses the security and defence partnership between Canada and the European Union, and how they can support Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. Also, Brandon Mitchell, a Canadian combat medic in Ukraine, speaks about his time fighting in the country and what supports it needs.

Subscribe to CBC News to watch more videos: http://bit.ly/1RreYWS

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ZACH HYMAN’S NAME ON OJHL’S NEW PROSPECTS SERIES

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Event logo unveiled, Championship Game to be played in OHL Brantford TD Civic Centre

The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) is proud to announce that its new showcase event will be named the Zach Hyman OJHL Prospects Series. Hyman, a forward with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, played his entire junior career in the OJHL.


The Zach Hyman OJHL Prospects Series will put the spotlight on the top 2008- and 2009-born players from across the region. The event further reinforces the strategic direction of the OJHL to align with the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and facilitate the development of players in taking the next step to play in the OHL.  Additionally, the league unveiled the event’s logo and announced that the Zach Hyman OJHL Prospects Series Championship Game will be hosted in the home facility of the OHL Brantford Bulldogs, the beautiful TD Civic Centre.  


“Zach’s success from OJHL standout to NCAA and now NHL star player is an inspiration to young hockey players across Ontario,” said Marty Savoy, OJHL Commissioner. “His commitment to the development of young players, combined with his on-ice achievement, provides an incredible example for young prospects.  The Zach Hyman OJHL Prospects Series will provide a premier stage for the best young talent born in 2008 and 2009 to showcase their skills in front of scouts, coaches and local communities.”
Zach Hyman was an OJHL standout and CJHL Player of the Year who earned an NCAA Division I scholarship to the University of Michigan. Hyman enjoyed a distinguished collegiate career — finishing as a Hobey Baker Award finalist in his senior year — and has played in the NHL since 2016.


The OHL approved the transfer of ownership of the Brantford Bulldogs to Zach Hyman and his family last season, including brother Spencer Hyman and father Stuart Hyman. The Hyman family has a long-standing history with the OJHL: Stuart Hyman is the long-time governor of the Markham Royals and currently serves as Chair of the OJHL Board of Governors, while Spencer is a former player and coach.


“I’m thrilled to partner with the OJHL to create opportunities for young players,” said Zach Hyman. “The OJHL gave me the foundation to grow as a player and a person, and I want this Prospects Series to showcase talent, help players take the next step in their careers, and bring communities together. This initiative aligns with my family’s long-standing commitment to junior hockey — to the OJHL through our work with the league and now to the OHL in Brantford — and we’re focused on supporting development, education and exposure for these athletes. We can’t wait to see what this next generation accomplishes.”

The Zach Hyman OJHL Prospects Series will feature six teams competing in a round-robin format followed by the championship game. Selected players will be named to three teams representing OJHL East and three teams representing OJHL West. Following the round robin, the top two teams will advance to the championship game at the TD Civic Centre, hosted by the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs.
A preliminary list of participating prospects includes more than 90 players who have been drafted by Ontario Hockey League teams and players with NCAA Division I commitments, underscoring the depth of talent taking part in the Prospects Series.

The Zach Hyman OJHL Prospects Series schedule:
Nov. 4    Prospects Series East    Duncan McDonald Memorial Community Gardens, Trenton, ON  7:30
Nov. 11    Prospect Series East – Cobourg Community Centre. Cobourg, ON 12:30
Nov. 17    Prospects Series West – Milton Memorial Arena, Milton, ON 12:30
Dec. 2    Prospects Series East – Cobourg Community Centre, Cobourg, ON  7:30
Dec. 15    Prospects Series West – Milton Memorial Arena, Milton, ON 12:30
Dec. 29    Prospects Series West – Port Credit Memorial Arena, Mississauga, ON  7:30
Jan. 6    Prospect Series Championship – TD Civic Centre, Brantford, ON 7:30

About Zach Hyman
Zach Hyman was selected by the Florida Panthers in the fifth round (No. 123) in the 2010 NHL Draft after he had 75 points (35 goals, 40 assists) with Hamilton (now the Markham Royals) of the Ontario Junior Hockey League. In 2010-11, he was named the Canadian Junior A Player of the Year and RBC CJHL Player of the Year after he had 102 points (42 goals, 60 assists) in 43 games.
At the University of Michigan in 2014-15, Hyman led the Big Ten with 54 points (22 goals, 32 assists) in 37 games and was named a First Team All-America and a Hobey Baker Award finalist.


Following his career at Michigan, Hyman opted not to sign with the Panthers. Florida traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs on June 19, 2015, and four days later, Hyman signed a two-year, entry-level contract with Toronto.


Hyman set NHL career highs in goals (15), assists (25) and points (40) in 2017-18 while again playing in all 82 games. He finished second on the Maple Leafs with a plus-22 rating and had four points (one goal, three assists) in seven games in the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
After scoring 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) in 43 games for Toronto in 2020-21, he signed a seven-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers on July 28. Hyman became the seventh player in Oilers history to score 50 goals in a season on March 24, 2024. He also joined Brayden Point and Jonathan Cheechoo as players taken in the second round of later in the NHL Draft to score at least that many.
Now 33, Zach has scored 230 goals and added 213 assists in 653 NHL games.


Away from the ice, Hyman writes children’s books. His third, “The Magician’s Secret,” the story of a young boy who was enchanted by his grandfather’s stories, was released in May 2018.

About the OJHL – “League of Choice”
The Ontario Junior Hockey League is the largest Junior ‘A’ league operating under the auspices of the
Canadian Junior Hockey League with 24 member clubs. A proud member of the CJHL and Ontario Hockey Association, the OJHL was originally named the Ontario Provincial Junior ‘A’ Hockey League and it was formed out of the Central Junior ‘B’ Hockey League in 1993-94. With a long and storied history of developing players for the next level, including U SPORTS, the NCAA, CHL, minor pro ranks and the NHL, the OJHL had more than 135 commitments in 2024-25, including 54 to NCAA Division 1 and 29 to the Ontario Hockey League. In addition, the OJHL had 39 OHL Affiliate Players who played 152 OHL games.  Thirty-five OJHL alumni played in the NHL in 2025.

For more information on the Ontario Junior Hockey League, please visit www.ojhl.ca

OPP Investigating Incident at Demonstration in Tiny Township

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(TINY TOWNSHIP, ON) On October 17, 2025, a construction groundbreaking event was taking place on Concession 9 East in the Township of Tiny. Concurrently, a demonstration was being held at the entrance to the property. Members of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) were on the scene to keep the peace.

At midday, while a vehicle was departing the property, a heated exchanged ensued involving demonstrators and the vehicle driver. OPP officers promptly intervened to maintain public order and ensure the safety of all individuals present.

Following the exchange, one individual reported sustaining an injury. Paramedics attended the scene and transported the person to a local hospital for medical assessment.

Members of the Southern Georgian Bay OPP Detachment have launched an investigation to determine whether any criminal offences occurred during the incident. At this time, no charges have been laid.

The OPP was supported during the incident by the OPP Provincial Liaison Team (PLT). The PLT’s primary role is to foster communication and build relationships with involved parties before and during major events, helping to ensure safe and lawful conditions for the exercise of rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

The OPP remains committed to respecting the rights of all individuals to express themselves and assemble peacefully, while also upholding the safety and security of the broader community.

OPP RESPONDS TO FATALITIES, LAYS THOUSANDS OF TRAFFIC CHARGES DURING OPERATION IMPACT

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(ORILLIA, ON) – Four people died in separate collisions on Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)-patrolled roads during the Thanksgiving long weekend, as the OPP joined Canadian policing partners for Operation Impact.

The OPP’s commitment to keeping roads safe was reflected in the more than 8,800 traffic charges they laid across the province throughout the weekend. Officers worked around the clock, targeting road behaviours that continue to result in serious consequences for drivers and passengers of all ages every year. 

Speeding accounted for just over half (4,518)of the driving offences. The OPP also laid 158 racing/stunt driving charges – one of the most aggressive and dangerous behaviours on Ontario roads. One hundred and seventy (170) impaired driving charges and 130 distracted driving charges were among the other dangerous offences motorists chose to commit. Some of the 377 seatbelt charges were laid against unbuckled passengers, serving as a reminder that they too need to do their part to reduce the number of injuries and deaths on our roads.

From January 1 to October 12, 2025, the OPP responded to 244 fatal collisions that resulted in families collectively losing 279 loved ones this year in what were almost all preventable road incidents. 

The OPP reminds drivers and passengers that traffic laws are designed to keep everyone safe, but are only effective if everyone complies with them at all times.

The OPP thanks all road users who did their part to keep highways and roads safe and helped ensure everyone made it to and from their destinations on one of the busiest traffic weekends of the year.

Frankie Malloy is on a SPECIAL MISSION to find “NIGHT, and Luke a Forever Family”.

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Pawsome furiends!  Share far and wide to find our furry friends a new home – Love, Frankie Malloy

Meet Night

Night is a 6 months old female Domestic Shorthair/Mix cat who weighs 2 kilograms.

Hi there… I’m Night.

I’m a 5-month-old little lady who’s still learning what this whole “living with humans” thing is all about. Right now, it can all feel a bit big and scary to me – I’m under-socialized and still very unsure about being touched or handled. The kind folks at GTHS are going very slowly with me, giving me gentle positive experiences like yummy meals, fun toys, and calm time with other cats. It’s helping me start to see that people aren’t so scary after all.

I know I’ll need time, patience, and understanding from my future family. At first, I might spend a lot of time hiding and watching from a safe spot. It will be really important to keep me in a quiet “sanctuary” room where I can learn to feel safe and not get lost in my new home. Being around a confident, friendly cat could really help show me that humans are kind and worth trusting.

Because I’m still learning that people are safe, a home with kids 13+ would be best for me. Quiet company, soft voices, and letting me come to you when I’m ready will go a long way. If you give me the gift of time, I promise I’ll do my best to bloom into the loving companion I’m meant to be.

Could you be the patient heart who helps me learn what love is?

My adoption fee is $185 and includes my spay/neuter, internal and external parasite treatments, up to date vaccinations and an ID microchip! If you want to learn more about me, please come visit the GTHS and speak with one of the amazing Adoption Counsellors! The GTHS is open for adoptions from 12pm-4:00pm, every single day of the week and they would be thrilled to introduce you to me! I can’t wait to meet you and am looking forward to starting my new life with my new family!

Night

Note that many cats do not reach full size until they are about a year and a half old. The weight listed here is Night’s current weight.

Georgian Triangle Humane Society  (705) 445-5204

Our resident chaos coordinator, “Frankie Malloy” is staging another animal-pocalypse, and this time it’s going down on a Wednesday (because why should weekends have all the fun?). Enjoy the video!!!

Luke is a 1 year, 1 month old male Large Mixed Breed who weighs 26 kilograms.

Howdy, folks! Name’s Luke, and I reckon you might recognize me and my brother Bo from a little ol’ TV show called The Dukes of Hazzard. Just like those famous Duke boys, I’m full of energy, charm, and good looks-and I’m ready to race my way right into a forever home!

I’m only about a year old, which means I’ve still got a bit of that “wild country pup” in me. I’m handsome, sweet, and affectionate, but I’ll be honest-sometimes I get a little too excited and jump up or use my mouth to play. I might bark at people or other dogs on walks, and every now and then I get a little carried away and try to chew on my leash (but hey, a few treats and redirection go a long way with me!).

Off-leash with other dogs? That’s where I shine-I’m social, playful, and love having doggie friends. Sometimes I can get a little silly and try to “mount,” but with some guidance, I’ll learn my manners. Cats? Well, who knows… I haven’t had the chance to test that yet.

What I’m really looking for is a family who’ll give me a calm, predictable routine, lots of positive reinforcement training, and plenty of love. If you’ve got experience with big goofy boys like me, you’ll see that I’m going to grow into an amazing, loyal companion.

Since I can be a bit much with my excitement, kids 12+ would be best for me. But give me the right family, and I’ll be your very own Duke boy-loyal, adventurous, and ready to ride shotgun for all of life’s journeys.

So what do you say-wanna take me home and let me be your partner in crime (the good kind, of course)

Because October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, my adoption fee is has been reduced to $300 to help me find my forever home that much faster. My adoption fee includes my spay/neuter, up to date vaccinations, dewormer and a microchip. If you want to learn more about me, please come visit the GTHS and speak with one of the amazing Adoption Counsellors! The GTHS is open for adoptions from 12pm-4:00pm, every single day of the week and they would be thrilled to introduce you to me! I can’t wait to meet you and am looking forward to starting my new life with my new family!

Luke

Note that many dogs do not reach full size until they are about a year and a half old. The weight listed here is Luke’s current weight.

Georgian Triangle Humane Society  (705) 445-5204

This is the real me, “Frankie Malloy,” with some of my friends. Photos by Mom!

Relearning Gratitude for Life’s Foundations

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By David Suzuki

In my youth, I worked as a carpenter for eight years, helping build houses in London, Ontario, as a framer for my uncles’ company, Suzuki Brothers Construction. A framer constructs the foundation and skeleton of a house. I would build the forms for the footings and foundation, mix and pour the concrete and, after the concrete was set, tear the forms off. We would put up the floor joists and rough flooring, then build the walls with openings for doors and windows. The ceiling joists would come next, then the rafters and sheeting over that.

Electrical wiring and plumbing would be installed after I was done, and then the plasterers and roofers would cover it all up. Once the windows and doors were hung, trimmers would add the fine details.

Painters then put on the finishing touches, and there would be no observable evidence of the work I and so many others after me had put in. Of course, at any time, modifications could be made (builders hate tearing apart their own work to make changes) and later shingles, siding and even new walls or doors could be added and repainting done inside or out. But the house was still held up and formed by all of the invisible work. That can’t be changed without major upheaval.

I was always proud of the houses that resulted from my time and effort even though there was absolutely no evidence of my work. I felt like the janitor cleaning the floors at Interface, the largest carpet tile company in the world. It was founded by former David Suzuki Foundation board member Ray Anderson, who died in 2011.

Ray was committed to making his company truly sustainable. When a television crew, doing a story on Ray and Interface, asked the janitor what his job was, he replied, “I’m helping the company climb Mount Sustainability.” He wasn’t kidding. He knew the goal of the company and was proud to be part of it, just as I’ve always felt pride in the houses I helped construct.

I like to tell this story because that’s basically our situation on planet Earth. NASA has pointed out that if we reduced the planet to the size of a basketball, the biosphere — the zone of air, water and land within which all life exists — would be as thin as a layer of plastic wrap. Within that fine planetary skin, air, water, soil and sunlight captured by plants are the very foundations of life itself. Life not only flourishes on these basic elements, all life also helps to cleanse, recycle and generate them.

Like the framing of a house or the janitorial cleanup of a company, the role of these life-support systems, which we call “nature,” has become invisible to most of humanity.

Ceremony practiced by Indigenous and traditional people is how we have constantly informed ourselves of the real underpinnings of our lives and wellbeing. In ceremony, we constantly recommit ourselves to “act in a good way” to ensure nature’s continuing abundance and generosity. We must reinculcate those practices.

We’re the only species that is fully aware of the foundation of our existence, but very recently in our evolutionary history, we have elaborated systems to shape, guide and constrain human activity while ignoring the framework that keeps us alive and healthy: air, water, soil, photosynthesis and biodiversity.

We simply take the foundation of our lives for granted. I think this is the problem we face. Human numbers and industrial growth have become so great that we are undermining the basis of our existence. We must rediscover those important things that are constantly acknowledged in Indigenous ceremonies. When they give thanks to their Creator, they promise to act in a good way to ensure that nature will continue to be generous.

On sitting down for a meal, everyone in my family raises hands and says “Itadakimasu,” a Japanese expression that means “I will gratefully receive.” The simple phrase expresses gratitude and respect for the effort involved in getting the food to the table, from the farmers and cooks to the ingredients from nature — something we should feel every time we turn on a light, flush the toilet or put out the garbage.

David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation.

Learn more at davidsuzuki.org.