DEFEND AGAINST “PORCH PIRATES” THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
(ORILLIA, ON) – The Central Region of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) has some helpful tips to keep porch pirates at bay this festive season.
With the busy shopping season here, parcels will be arriving fast and furious to front porches everywhere. Criminals know this as well. Often referred to as “porch pirates,” these thieves steal packages when no one is at home to accept the parcel. Follow these tips to stay safe from porch pirates:
Request a signature on delivery
Ship the package to a trusted neighbour or relative who will be home
Have the packages delivered to your work, if allowed by the employer
Track your deliveries online so you know when they’re slated to arrive and plan to be home upon delivery
Opt for in-store or curb-side pickup wherever possible
Install video cameras and post signage to indicate surveillance is in effect
Request the package be left out of sight at a rear or side door
If packages are stolen from your home, report the incident to your local police and the shipping company. If you see suspicious activity in your neighbourhood, contact OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
Prioritizes long-term permanent accommodation for unhoused seniors
Midhurst/November 14, 2024 – The County of Simcoe has partnered with a local retirement residence in Barrie to provide safe, affordable accommodations in a domiciliary care environment for seniors (aged 55+) who have been living chronically unhoused. The County is expanding its current domiciliary care partnership with the residence, covering the costs of shelter and personal needs for low-income individuals who cannot live on their own, but do not qualify for long-term care. This new program is another additional service being added to broad system of services and is a major step towards ending chronic homelessness for seniors living in shelters in the County of Simcoe.
“By funding twenty more domiciliary care spaces in this seniors’ residence, we are taking twenty people out of shelters or encampments, and giving them a permanent place to call home,” said Warden Basil Clarke. “These twenty new spaces will create a domino effect in our shelter system, freeing up shelter beds and encouraging more people to come inside during the coldest months of the year.”
These spaces are prioritized for homeless individuals in the Barrie area, aged 55 or older, and who require assistance with activities of daily living and who are not able to live independently.
Supports provided for these individuals will include: three nutritious meals and two snacks per day, provision of personal laundry services, an adequate supply of towels and bed linens, medication management and supervision, access to telephone services, on-site 24/7 staffing, and the provision of social and recreational activities.
This is just one more investment in unhoused individuals across the region through the County’s 10-point homelessness prevention strategy, which provides significant investments and resources to help unhoused individuals across the region.
The strategy makes affordable housing even more attainable by increasing supply, creating “deep rent subsidies”, increasing eviction prevention services, and improving available shelter. It commits the County to find new opportunities, enhance community shelter services, and improve safety throughout the community.
Those in need of shelter or warmth can always call 2-1-1 to connect with a nearby shelter.
About the County’s 10-point homelessness prevention strategy The County of Simcoe’s 10-point Homelessness Prevention Strategy provides a strong, data-driven plan to help vulnerable residents and our communities. The strategy includes a considerable added investment toward the goal of preventing and ending chronic homelessness. For further details and ongoing updates to the homelessness prevention plan, visit simcoe.ca/HomelessnessSystem.
About the County of Simcoe The 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.
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 – including the 2024 Centennial Cup champion Collingwood Blues. 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 100 commitments last season.
For more information on the Ontario Junior Hockey League, please visit www.ojhl.ca and follow us on X (@OJHLOfficial), Instagram and Facebook (OJHLOfficial).
Improve your Pickleball game with this Doubles Strategy Masterclass! Packed with top-notch pickleball tips and strategies, this guide is a must-watch for both beginners and advanced players.
Master your serve with techniques that maximize power, depth, and spin. Dive into the crucial 3rd and 4th shot strategies, learn how to effectively return, and understand the key to winning points. With practical demonstrations and easy-to-follow instructions, this video is your ticket to becoming a better pickleball player. Don’t forget to like, share, subscribe, and apply these techniques on the court! Let’s elevate your pickleball strategy together. Source: Enhance Pickleball
The Town of The Blue Mountains joins communities across Canada in commemorating Remembrance Day on Monday, November 11, 2024.
The following Remembrance Day ceremonies are available to the community:
Candlelight Service Date: Wednesday, November 6, 2024 Time: 6:45 p.m. Location: Thornbury Cenotaph at Jack Acres Park
Grace United Church Service Date: Sunday, November 10, 2024 Time: 10:30 a.m. Location: 140 Bruce Street S, Thornbury
Thornbury Remembrance Day Service Date: Monday, November 11, 2024 Time: 10:45 a.m. Location: Thornbury Cenotaph at Jack Acres Park
Ravenna Remembrance Day Service Date: Monday, November 11, 2024 Time: 12:45 p.m. Location: Ravenna Cenotaph at Ravenna Memorial Park
To learn more about the area’s local military history, The Blue Mountains Public Library has online exhibits available on its website. To learn more about the Royal Canadian Legion Beaver Valley Branch 281, visit their website.
Town Hall Closure
Town Hall will be closed on Monday, November 11, and will reopen with regular hours on Tuesday, November 12. Curbside waste collection, including yard waste collection, will occur as usual on Monday, November 11, 2024, and for the remainder of the week. All essential services will continue to operate. Online services are available 24/7 on the Town website. The Blue Mountains Public Library will also be closed for Remembrance Day, reopening on Tuesday, November 12.
In 2011, the David Suzuki Foundation and the Pembina Institute released a report analyzing whether “natural” gas could be considered a “bridging fuel” during the necessary transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. It concluded that Canada should focus on developing more renewable energy, not fossil fuels, including gas. Yet, after many years, as prices for renewable energy drop and technologies continue to improve, some are still touting fossil gas as a “bridge fuel” — or even a climate solution.
A couple of new reports, including one prepared for the David Suzuki Foundation, show that fossil gas is actually a costly bridge to more pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
Since 2011, we’ve learned more about fossil gas problems, especially considering that most is now obtained from “unconventional” reserves. That means hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, for shale gas, in which difficult-to-extract gas is released and brought to the surface by pumping massive amounts of pressurized liquids and chemicals into the ground to break up rock and rock formations. It’s a relatively expensive process and uses enormous amounts of water.
One new report finds not only that fossil gas isn’t an adequate “bridge fuel” but that exported gas also has a greater climate impact than coal over a 20-year period. Production and liquefying shale gas to make liquefied natural gas, or LNG, uses a lot of energy. The gas is mostly methane, which is a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide over the short term. Leaks, deliberate venting and incomplete combustion during extraction, production and transport can cause significant climate impacts. Studies, including some by the David Suzuki Foundation, have found that methane leaks are far higher than industry and governments estimate.
The Cornell University report, published in Energy Science & Engineering, found that burning the gas accounts for 34 per cent of its greenhouse gas footprint, while “upstream and midstream” methane emissions make up 38 per cent. Including the energy required to produce LNG brings it to 47 per cent. The liquefaction process and tanker transport add to the total. The global warming potential of LNG as a fuel is 33 per cent greater than that of coal over a 20-year period (and is still equal to or greater than coal over a 100-year period), the report concludes.
“To think we should be shipping around this gas as a climate solution is just plain wrong,” report author Robert Howarth, an environmental scientist, told the Guardian. “It’s greenwashing from oil and gas companies that has severely underestimated the emissions from this type of energy.”
Focusing on timelines through the lens of election cycles, unimaginative politicians often see gas production as a quick and easy economic boost, and so they buy into industry propaganda and greenwashing. That’s led to support and subsidies to propel a possible LNG-for-export boom in British Columbia.
A new report from Carbon Tracker with the David Suzuki Foundation and the Pembina Institute shows that’s not a viable solution. “Turning Tides: The economic risks of B.C.’s LNG expansion in a changing energy market” finds that continuing and expanding B.C.’s LNG-for-export industry is a risky investment. The International Energy Agency reports that LNG export capacity will exceed demand, which will “depress international gas prices and set the stage for fierce competition between suppliers.”
Whether the transition is fast or slow, returns will be minimal. As for global markets, large volumes can be supplied at lower prices from producers including Qatar, Australia and Mozambique. Asian markets are uncertain and appear to be contracting. That means the four LNG terminals in B.C. waiting for investment decisions will likely not be able to compete with lower-cost suppliers on global markets.
No matter how hard the fossil fuel industry and its supporters try to keep their destructive, outdated industry alive, it’s time to face reality. Fracking for more climate-altering gas is not a solution, for the climate or economy. We have cheaper, cleaner and healthier ways to produce energy. We also need to redouble efforts to improve energy efficiency, doing more with less and saving money in the process. There’s no room for more fossil fuel development — whether it’s coal, oil or gas — on a rapidly overheating planet.
It’s time to leave all fossil fuels in the ground — including gas!
David Suzuki is a scientist, broadcaster, author and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation. Written with David Suzuki Foundation Senior Writer and Editor Ian Hanington.
It was a night just two past Halloween. Those who pretend to be spirits had returned to their everyday pursuits. That was the cue for the real freaks to emerge, congregate and importantly dance! In a location, both mysterious and open, on the outskirts of town, on a starry night, a rather healthy lot of true characters; werewolves, princesses, witches, demons, and most importantly music-loving locals turned out for a treat.
The Milkbarn Sessions hosted the return of veteran prog rock band (frog surely) from Niagara Falls Ontario, Road Waves. Led by the dark and handsome lead vocalist and guitarist Ji Sharp, the Wavers had just swung through Ohio, into Montreal and were in town before concluding touring season in Windsor. Local band, Molecular opened. Wow. More below.
Road Waves performed a special show. Each year the band will play the entire album of a musical hero to mark the end of the touring season. This year, it was the whole of Axis Bold as Love, by Hendrix. In a chat before the show Ji, admitted that very few would want to jump into the role of Hendrix which is why that album is not often performed live.
They opened with a 45-minute set of their original music from their several albums (available on most streaming services). The music is progressive funk with a jammy flavour. This is a solid professional emerging band. The boys, including Jacob on the skins and Yo on bass, had the place jumping pretty good even before an intermission.
In the break, we were charmed by a stunning performance by thoroughly entertaining fire dancers Angel Vollick and Vita Bowen in the courtyard and when Road Waves returned, it brought its own fire which just grew as the evening progressed. If you get a chance to see Road Waves anywhere you will not be disappointed. Judging by this summer’s activities, this band could turn up literally anywhere that you will be! Follow on FB.
Molecular consists of two young hotshots, Ryan Prince on keys and Paz Ciuk on drums. The band is led by local multi-instrumentalist Kyle Haight who pilots this experimental Rocketship with a driving Warwick bass that can only be described as relentless. The youngsters get put through their paces with smiles all around. Moody, at times dark, but ultimately always smart and optimistic, the music is much like its creator. Despite the complexity, it remains funky and danceable. You do not see music like this in small towns very often. Shout to Jason Savery for mad trumpet solo work!
The Milkbarn is a place, but it is also the expression of a man’s vision. The animal barn had been abandoned, disregarded and underestimated. With the determination of a human sized ant, Haight has cleaned and restored the buildings and area to form a performance stage, gallery for his art, and a paint and recording studio pending completion. It is a place for artists to share their energy and to create in a welcoming environment among like minded people. With hosted local vendors and even a videographer from a local high school earning credits it is a budding cooperative.
It was a rousing cultural success as always, yet a non-profit in the truest sense. (The writer is a guy who thinks he knows something is happening. Dr. Gonzo.)
The Town of The Blue Mountains would like to remind residents that Winter Parking Restrictions came into effect on Friday, November 1, 2024. In accordance with the Highway Traffic Act and Town By-law No. 2003-11, overnight parking is prohibited on all Town streets from 2:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. Winter Parking Restrictions will remain in effect until April 1, 2025.
In addition, residents are reminded that Town By-law No. 2014-65 prohibits the deposit of snow or ice onto a Town roadway, including the shoulder, sidewalk, walkway, boulevard, or ditch, without written permission from the Director of Operations.
Residents are also asked to remove items from the roadside, including basketball nets, hockey nets, boats and all trailers, landscaping items or any other items that may interfere with snow removal operations.
Winter parking and snow removal restrictions are necessary to help ensure that snow removal operations can be completed safely and effectively. The Town would like to thank all residents for their cooperation throughout the winter season.
Collingwood, ON [4 November 2024] – The Collingwood Museum and the Collingwood Legion Military Museum are pleased to announce the latest installation in the popular Community Collectors series.
Join Museum staff and Legion members on Thursday, November 21 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. for a special come-and-go Collectors Night at the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 63, located at 490 Ontario Street. Explore the historic displays in the Legion’s Military Museum and learn about the contributions of local men and women to Canada’s war effort. Admission to the event is free.
Do you have medals issued to past and present family members in your personal collection? Bring them for a show-and-tell. Legion members and resource materials will be available to help with identification if needed.
Since the beginning of October, historic items from the Collingwood Legion have been on display in the Collingwood Museum’s Community Collectors exhibit case. Items on display include uniforms, medals, and equipment from the First and Second World Wars. This special exhibit will be on display until the end of 2024.
The Community Collectors exhibit, in addition to From Vimy To Juno, a travelling exhibit from the Juno Beach Centre, will be available for viewing following the Remembrance Day ceremony taking place on the Museum grounds on November 11. The Collingwood Museum will remain open until 1:00 p.m. An in-house exhibit entitled Funding Victory: The Power of Posters during the Second World War will also be available.
To learn more, please visit the Collingwood Museum’s website, www.collingwood.ca/museum or contact Museum staff.
