Residents can honour Uxbridge veterans in drive-by style
by Roger Varley
With the traditional Remembrance Day services cancelled this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Uxbridge has the opportunity to take part in a drive-by recognition of veterans in Elgin Park on Sunday, Nov. 8.
Conceived by Tish Macdonald, the event will see veterans placed in chairs at intervals around the park’s inside path, with signs identifying them by name and service. The vets will all be socially distanced. The public is invited to enter the park by way of the Elgin Park Drive entrance and slowly drive their vehicles past the veterans in a show of support.
Macdonald said the path will be lined with large poppies and three military vehicles from the Ontario Regiment will also be on hand. There also will be honour guards from the Uxbridge Legion and the Uxbridge fire department, as well as members of the Uxbridge Legion Pipes and Drums.
“[The pandemic] gives us an opportunity to be creative in how we honour our veterans this year,” Macdonald said. “We don’t want to forget we still have Second World War vets in Uxbridge.”
She said she hopes to have about 15 or 20 veterans staged around the pathway. The veterans will be in place by 12:30 p.m., but, although her request to council for use of the park specified it will last until 2:30 p.m., Macdonald said she doesn’t know how long it will last.
“It depends on how many people show up,” she said.
If the weather is inclement, the veterans will be seated inside vehicles instead of on chairs.
Macdonald also said that, because there are fewer opportunities for poppy boxes and donations this year, she is discussing with the Legion whether donations from the passing parade will be accepted. She noted that anyone wishing to make a donation to the Legion in these hard times can either send Branch 170 a cheque or email legion170@powergate.ca with an etransfer. Donations should be marked “Branch 170 Poppy Fund.”
Macdonald, who, as a teacher at Uxbridge Secondary School, elevated Remembrance Day activities to a community-wide recognition of the veterans and was the prime mover behind the township’s veterans banners program, said the high school’s Vimy ’19 students have taken over from her since she retired earlier this year.
“They’ve taken up the torch,” she said. “They’re planning a digital Remembrance Day service.”
Having a safe – and spooky – Halloween
by Justyne Edgell, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Many parents and Halloween enthusiasts are divided about how to celebrate Halloween this year. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown the annual candy-and-ghoul-fest into the cauldron, as it were, and varying public health guidelines have made it difficult for people to decipher what the best course of action may be.
In mid-September, Premier Doug Ford encouraged parents to call off trick or treating, as the province continues to struggle with controlling COVID-19 case counts. More recently, Durham Region has released guidelines to a safe Halloween, where they say “an alternative to door-to-door trick or treating is highly recommended.”
In a recent poll that that the Cosmos conducted on the Facebook group, Connecting in Uxbridge Township, many Uxbridge residents appear to be running their Halloween festivities as usual. About 55 per cent of poll responses favoured door-to-door trick or treating as normal. Other options in the poll were to participate in alternate Halloween festivities or to cancel Halloween 2020 altogether.
Many of these “alternative Halloweens” are making an appearance. Some parents are organizing spooking craft days and scary movie nights in replace of the usual trick or treating. Others, like Katelyn Babcock, will only be trick or treating at homes with whom they are already in contact.
“We are trick or treating on my daughter’s paper route, as we already have interactions with those people, with collection envelopes…we will wear masks and gloves – it’s usually cold anyway!” says Babcock.
Some Uxbridge residents say they will be making pre-bagged treats and leaving them on the porch or hanging them in the trees and bushes on their front lawn to eliminate the need for person-to-person contact.
Tara Hood designed her very own candy shoot after being inspired by a photo she saw on Facebook. A decorated cardboard tube down the railing of her porch steps enables her to send treats down the shoot and right into a trick or treater’s bag while maintaining more than a safe two-meter distance.
“I thought it was a great idea to still be able to hand out candy and have everyone socially distanced!” says Hood.
Some COVID-combatting Halloween suggestions: Trick or treaters may want to incorporate a face-covering into costumes, sanitize/wash their hands often, especially before eating any candy, and always be very aware of distancing, ensuring that no one congregates on any doorsteps. Sanitizing all candy once its home is also being encouraged.
For those handing out treats this year, recommendations include: using tongs to hand out candy, sanitizing frequently-touched surfaces like porch railings and doorknobs often, not distributing home-made treats or leaving candy out in a bowl in a “help yourself” style.
“The goal should be to have fun celebrating Halloween while preventing the spread of COVID-19,” says Uxbridge’s Mayor Dave Barton. His family is celebrating the spooky season by driving around the town to look at all the houses that have entered in the Uxbridge BIA’s Halloween Fun decorating contest.
“Please do your part to avoid spreading the virus this Halloween,” says Barton.
A full list of safety tips can be found on the Uxbridge Township website or on the COVID-19 update page of the Durham Region website.
COVID testing eligibility – here’s what you should know
by Justyne Edgell, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Ontario is now in the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the province has recently updated who can get tested and where. To be eligible for testing at a COVID assessment centre you must fit into one of the following categories: be experiencing COVID-19 symptoms; have been exposed to a confirmed case of the virus, as informed by the Health Department or the COVID Alert app; be a resident or staff member of a setting that has a COVID-19 outbreak, as identified by the Health Department; be eligible for testing as part of a targeted testing initiative directed by the Ministry of Health or the Ministry of Long-Term Care.
If you qualify for testing at an assessment centre, below are some local options you have for testing:
Lakeridge Health: complete the online registration form at covidswab.lh.ca to get an appointment at the North Durham COVID-19 Assessment Clinic (or any other site through Lakeridge Health)
Markham-Stouffville CAC: same-day appointments are available, you must first register at 289-378-2419
Ross Memorial Hospital: drive-through option (first come first serve)
Southlake Hospital: same-day appointments, you must register first by calling 905-895-4521 ext. 2162 option #1.
All those who do not qualify for testing at a COVID Assessment Centre, including those who are asymptomatic but personally wish to be tested, can be swabbed at a participating pharmacy.
Social gathering counts remain at 25 people outdoors and 10 indoors, with maintained physical distancing. It is encouraged that in situations where two meters of distance between people is difficult or not possible, face coverings should be worn.
More information regarding the current situation of the COVID pandemic, testing procedures and self-assessments can be found at https://covid-19.ontario.ca/ or https://www.durham.ca/en/health-and-wellness/novel-coronavirus-update.aspx
Snow-clearing costs skyrocket
by Roger Varley
Uxbridge council approved the awarding of a two-year snow-clearing contract on Monday that will see the cost of removing snow from municipal facilities increase by an average of 126 per cent.
A report by Luke Gillham of the public works department recommended the contract for clearing snow at the community centres in the hamlets and the municipal offices, fire station and arena be awarded to GZA Inc., the lowest bidder in a renewed tender. A previous call for tenders, reported earlier this month, resulted in submissions that were so high – (accepting the lowest bid would have seen an increase in snow removal costs averaging 265 per cent) – that council called for the tender to be renewed.
The latest submissions saw GZA offer to clear the rural parking lots for $65,664 and the urban lots for $75,371, for a total of $141,036. Those bids represent an increase of 140 per cent and 118 per cent respectively over last year’s costs. The highest bids came from Dig-Con International Ltd, which offered to clear the lots for $353,700 in the hamlets and $226,000 in the urban area.
Public Works Director Ben Kester said the cost of snow removal in the second year of the contract might increase by about two per cent over the first year.
Deputy mayor Willie Popp, who chaired Monday’s council meeting, observed that the contract would see “a pretty significant increase” in costs and requested that staff look at the option of the works department doing the snow clearing. Nevertheless, council gave unanimous approval to hire GZA. Popp said the township didn’t want to wait because snow likely will be coming soon.
Kester said he spoke with the lowest bidder, who told him the prices submitted reflect increases in insurance rates. He said staff was “blindsided” on the tender but offered that some money would be saved by offering a two-year contract. He noted, however, that the municipality of Innisfil has started doing its own snow clearing.
Council in a haze over pot
by Roger Varley
Receiving correspondence from three Ontario municipalities about problems with the cultivation of cannabis, council appeared to be at a loss as to how to address the problems in Uxbridge.
The townships of Blandford-Blenhein, Asphodel Norwood and Madawaska Valley all wrote of problems they are experiencing with cannabis grow-ops.
Councillor Gary Ruona said he was disappointed with the meeting council had recently with representatives of Health Canada on the subject, saying Health Canada could not give the township the locations of any licenced grow-ops in the townships.
Councillor Pam Beach said she was having “considerable problems” in her ward and suggested council support the above-named municipalities in their calls for more support from the federal government in regulating grow-ops. She also asked that staff “investigate.” Councillor Bruce Garrod wondered just what council would be asking staff to do. Beach said the township needs to enact a stringent by-law covering cannabis production.
Lesions on little boy’s brain lead to GoFundMe campaign
by Justyne Edgell, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A little Uxbridge boy has recently been diagnosed with a rare brain disorder, and a fundraising campaign has started to help pave the way for his recovery.
Two-year-old Evan Paterson will undergo surgery on November 9 to disconnect the left side of his brain from the right side. The procedure will hopefully prevent Evan from developmentally regressing, and his recovery will likely be a long and arduous process.
Evan was born on March 2, 2018. For the first few months of his life, he was a regular little boy, hitting all the important milestones. At about four-months old Evan started to develop something called Infantile Spasms.
“They’re like mini seizures that would come in clusters of between 20 and 30 and could last for about 10 minutes,” said Evan’s mom, Samantha Bishop.
After trying different medications, steroids ultimately stopped the seizures. After two years of being seizure-free and growing well, in February of this year Evan was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
“But to our surprise, Evan was flourishing with his therapies and amazing us every day with new things he was learning and how fast he was learning them,” remarked Bishop.
Then, on July 1, Evan had his first seizure in almost two years.
“He started out with only a few but slowly made his way up to anywhere from 10-40 seizures in a cluster with anywhere from one to five clusters a day,” said Bishop.
Upon investigation, doctors at SickKids hospital found that Evan had a lesion on his brain that was causing the seizures.
“They explained it like this: when Evan is thinking, his brain cells don’t communicate with each other. It’s like his brain is constantly screaming,” explained Scott Paterson, Evan’s father.
Doctors discovered that the “bad cells” in the brain lesion were seemingly teaching the good cells how to be bad, and without brain surgery to disconnect the right side from the left side of his brain, Evan’s developmental progress would do a 180-degree turn.
“As parents, this has put a huge strain on our family, especially with the added COVID-19 restrictions,” says Paterson. Only one parent is allowed to enter appointments and hospital visits with Evan, and while both parents have needed to be off work, the government will only subsidize one income.
“Stopping the seizures comes with a price,” says Bishop. “After the surgery, Evan will be extremely weak on one side, will have no peripheral vision and will have to learn how to do everything again.”
Evan’s parents have started a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for hotel bills while the family stays near the hospital, as well as aid with the cost of therapies and equipment Evan will need as he heals. Any unused donations will be given to the Grandview Kids Children’s Centre.”
“We are so grateful for all the donations that will allow us to have time with him to properly support him as he heals,” says Bishop.
To donate to the ‘Hope For Evan’ fund and to get updates on Evan and his progress, visit gofundme.com/f/agzcs-hope-for-evan
Uxbridge singer-songwriter signs with Nashville label
by Justyne Edgell, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Nashville music doesn’t know what’s coming – it’s just signed an Uxbridge girl.
On October 8, Warner Music Nashville welcomed Robyn Ottolini to its singer-songwriter artist roster.
“My song ‘F-150’ blew up on Tiktok and Spotify, and then I had a few labels reach out to me,” says Ottolini. “After doing some interviews to find the best fit, I signed with Warner Nashville.”
Photo from Facebook
‘F-150’ reached number four on Spotify’s all-genre US Viral 50 chart and is currently Top 3 on Rolling Stone’s all-genre Trending 25 chart.
“It’s been pretty amazing, I’m still kind of confused how this small-town Canadian girl got here!” says Ottolini.
And now to working on new content. Robyn says Warner Music is there to help “knock down the walls” that stand between her and her goals as an artist. Together they will start working on music videos, news songs and then onto an album.
But this small-town girl isn’t heading off to the big city just yet.
“I think as long as COVID is around, I’ll stay north of the border, but at some point, I’ll have to go down to Nashville, even if it’s just commuting back and forth,” says Ottolini.
Ottolini’s journey can be followed on Instagram @robynottolini or on her website at www.robynottolini.com
The return of the Royal
The 2020 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair recently announced that it is going online!
The “Royal Agricultural Virtual Experience’ will run from November 10 to 14, offering what it says will be “inspiring educational experiences in food and agriculture for Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast,”with programs extending into 2021.
The 2020 Royal Ambassador will “take the reins” from Lil’ Ben and the fan-favourite butter sculpture competition will also be virtual.
Through a new, free, digital platform, Canadians of all ages will have access to “premium, live online experiences that showcase the best in Canadian food, agriculture and equestrian talent.”
All of the content will be available on demand for a full year, at www.royalfair.org/virtual
Mission Xena by Claire Miller
The following is the second installment of the winning submission to the Uxbridge Youth Centre’s Pick-a-Prompt writing contest.
I use my commlink to contact my team: “Leah, Landon, Kirsten, Cyrus, Mika meet me in hangar bay three in 15 minutes.”
As I make my way to the hangar bay, I make a quick stop to change out of my training gear and into a more appropriate outfit. I then walk into the hanger bay and find all my friends standing around an intel table, dressed in their battle gear, a determined look on their faces, arrows, shields and swords at the ready. I tilt my head down, a small smile creeping across my face. I laugh a little, and my friends start laughing at me for laughing at the sight of them.
I walk towards them, putting on a serious face and getting them onto a more serious note. I tell them what the mission is, and that’s when we get down to business. We plan out the entire mission. We are going to split into teams of two and place 12 charges strategically on Xena’s surface. We have exclusive watches to help locate each other and to indicate where we need to plant the charges.
We then decide on the groups – Leah will go with Kirsten, Cyrus with Mika, and Landon’s with me.
We walk into the airlock and board the ship. I walk over to the computer and type in the coordinates of planet Xena; at that moment, the aircraft starts to float away from the airlock. I look out the window, seeing for the very first time the whole moon – our home and I start feeling weird. It’s odd, seeing our home get smaller and smaller.
In a couple of minutes, planet Xena comes into view, showing vibrant colours of green and blue. On the horizon, there is a mix of orange, red and yellow, colours that I have only read about in books.
As we get closer and closer to the planet, an ominous feeling creeps into my heart. Something is wrong about this planet, very wrong. Landon walks up behind me unnoticed and lowers his head right next to mine and whispers, “Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.”
I turn my head and look at him in disbelief, but his eyes are full of confidence. Before I can speak, the ship starts to shake, and then red lights start flashing – the words “SYSTEM FAILING” flow across the screen in big, bold letters. Leah runs to the cockpit, taking the controls, trying anything to keep us from crashing.
When we reach the planet’s atmosphere and see there is nothing to be done to save the ship, I decide to abandon ship. We all grab emergency parachutes and head to the loading bay. We look to each other, each of us wearing a different expression on our faces. Leah opens the loading bay door. Strong winds take us by surprise and force us further back into the ship. I yell, barely able to hear myself, “WE JUMP ON THREE! ONE, TWO, THREE!”
We all jump out of the airship and into a bright blue sky. Blinded by the light, we all instinctively grab for our parachute rip cords. We’re jolted from our free fall, and we all look around at the land below. We are able to look at our watches and position ourselves to land at our designated drop points. I remind them, “We only have six hours before this planet crashes with the moon, so work fast but safely.” They all nod in agreement.
Landon and I head northeast, leaving the rest of my team to do their jobs. We soon land and ditch our parachutes and space gear, leaving us with just our swords and our fighting gear.
Scanning the area, I notice plants but no animals. I look at my watch – we are 20km off our mark. Now with only four hours left before the destruction of our home, we start running.