Kawartha Lakes paramedic numbers
KAWARTHA LAKES: Kawartha Lakes paramedics saw some startling trends in their service numbers. At a Kawartha Lakes Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday, May 3rd, Paramedic Chief Randy Mellow provided councillors with an update on their key performance indicators. Chief Mellow told councillors their call volumes increased by 15.2 percent in 2021, and their urgent or life-threatening calls increased by 18 percent. The service has been seeing increasing time spent offloading patients to hospitals.
Uxbridge political forum
UXBRIDGE: Residents of Uxbridge heard from three of their riding's provincial election candidates, during an event held on Wednesday, May 11th. The candidates' forum was held at the Uxbridge Arena and Community Centre and was hosted by the Uxbridge Cosmos. The candidates in attendance included incumbent Conservative MPP Peter Bethlenfalvy, Khalid Ahmed from the NDP and Ibrahim Daniyal from the Liberal Party.
Scugog chamber funding decision
SCUGOG: After much discussion and deliberation, Scugog Council made a decision regarding the Scugog Chamber of Commerce’s funding request. At a meeting on Monday, May 9th, councillors voted to “authorize a grant of $6,500 to the Scugog Chamber of Commerce to promote events in Port Perry and the Shop Where you Live initiative” and to have the Township’s treasurer and CAO “negotiate a loan arrangement with the Chamber, if required, only to facilitate the repayment of the Federal COVID loan, so the organization is able to maintain the grant portion allowed if the repayment is made by the end of 2023.” The grant will be funded from the Township’s 2021 surplus.
OPP make arrest regarding Omemee murder
KAWARTHA LAKES: The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have laid charges against one person in the investigation of the murder of Omemee's Alexander Tobin. On Friday, May 13th, the OPP announced they had arrested and charged 26-year-old Jeremy Brown of Ajax with Second Degree Murder and Failing to Comply with a Condition of a Release Order. "Police are seeking at least two additional suspects in connection with this investigation. A $50,000 reward remains in place for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Alex Tobin's murder," read an OPP press release.
David Ayres Lumberjacks’ coach
SCUGOG: The Port Perry Lumberjacks have hired their first head coach since the name and sponsor change. On Thursday, May 12th, the local PJHL team announced Dave Ayres had joined the team to serve as their head coach. Dave Ayres may be familiar to Toronto Maple Leaf's fans, as he was the emergency goaltender in Toronto. He had to suit up for the Carolina Hurricanes when both of their goalies were injured, in a game in February of 2020.
Human remains found in Uxbridge
UXBRIDGE: Durham Region Police Service’s (DRPS) Homicide investigators converged upon Uxbridge, on Tuesday, May 10th. “At approximately 2:40 p.m., members of North Division were called to the area of Uxbridge, Concession Road 6 and Allbright Road, after a citizen located human remains in a small body of water in a rural area. Forensic Investigators were called to assist, and a post-mortem will be conducted to determine more details about the deceased,” read a DRPS press release.
Derecho storm hits part of Ontario
NORTH DURHAM/KAWARTHA: A large wind storm knocked down power lines, tore trees out of the ground and knocked out power for many residents across Ontario over the Victoria Day long weekend. According to Environment Canada, the storm, which hit on Saturday, May 21st, was classified as a Derecho, which is described as "a widespread long-lived windstorm associated with a line of thunderstorms.”
Port Perry forum event
SCUGOG: Durham riding residents heard from three provincial election candidates during a forum event, held at Canterbury Hall in Port Perry's Canterbury Commons, on Monday, May 16th. The event was put on by the Scugog Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by the Durham Region Association of Realtors and the Durham Region Home Builders Association. The participating candidates were Granville Anderson of the Liberal Party, Todd McCarthy of the Conservative Party and Chris Borgia of the NDP.
Councillor Seymour-Fagan sanctioned
KAWARTHA LAKES: The City of Kawartha Lakes is sanctioning Ward 2 Councillor Kathleen Seymour-Fagan for not disclosing a conflict of interest during discussions on a zoning application for a bruncheonette. At a meeting on Tuesday, May 17th, after a closed session discussion on an Integrity Commissioner's report on the incident, councillors voted to have the Ward 2 Councillor's pay suspended, for a two-week period, "commencing June 12th.”
Durham police identify dead body
UXBRIDGE: Durham Regional Police (DRPS) have released the name of the deceased victim found in Uxbridge a couple of weeks ago. On Tuesday, May 17th, the local police force announced the victim had been identified as 32-year-old Ariel Kaplan of Toronto.
Scugog funding for upgrades
SCUGOG: The Township of Scugog is looking to improve the cellular reception at two of their facilities and the internet quality at the Scugog Community Recreation Centre (SCRC). Councillors approved transferring $30,000 from their Systems and Security Contingency Reserve to fund these improvements.
Tornado included in Derecho
UXBRIDGE: Late on Tuesday, May 24th, Environment Canada posted an update regarding the investigation into the possible tornado in Uxbridge."After a preliminary analysis of the extensive damage in Uxbridge, Ontario, Western University's Northern Tornadoes Project Team has officially confirmed an EF2 tornado was embedded within the leading edge of the derecho. The tornado occurred near 1:15 P.M. on Saturday afternoon in Uxbridge and was found to have a maximum wind speed of 195 kilometres per hour.”