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Halton Calls On Province To Open Outdoor Activities
May 11, 2021
As the Province of Ontario considers extending the Stay-at-Home emergency order beyond May 20, today, Halton’s Mayors and Regional Chair are reiterating our call to safely reopen outdoor activities.
Outdoor activities done safely with physical distancing and masking are a necessary support to physical and mental health, especially during this prolonged period of lockdown.
Guidance provided by the COVID-19 Science Advisory Table for Ontario, that has also been endorsed by the Ontario Medical Association, encourages safe outdoor activities.
- Keeping people safely connected: Maintaining social connections and outdoor activity are important to our overall physical and mental health. This means allowing small groups of people from different households to meet outside with masking and two-metre distancing. It means keeping playgrounds open and clearly encouraging safe outdoor activities.
As noted by the Science Table:
“Policies that discourage safe outdoor activity will not control COVID-19 and will disproportionately harm children and those who do not have access to their own greenspace, especially those living in crowded conditions.”
While the Halton Mayors and Regional Chair continue to discourage large gatherings in any setting, small groups can be at the same amenity at the same time as long as they are following the health guidelines.
We also stand with our Halton students who are calling for a safe return to sports when health guidance and evidence suggests it is safe to do so. The Halton District School Board’s (HDSB) Student Senate recently passed a motion declaring sports essential in students’ lives and created a Safe Sports sub-committee, co-chaired by two Halton students. The committee seeks to work with the Province to develop a plan for the safe return of sports, beginning with low-contact sports such as track and field, tennis, badminton, and swimming.
You can hear more about the Safe Sports movement here on an edition of Local Matters with Mike Cluett courtesy of YourTV Halton.
https://youtu.be/ZyVJ9R5HrRI
Given that many sporting activities occur in city facilities, the four Halton municipalities stand ready to partner with the Province, school boards and our local fitness providers in planning for a safe restart of sports.
In light of the evidence and advice from the Science Table, we renew our call to the Province to review and reconsider the list of currently prohibited outdoor activities. We further call on the provincial government to consult with school boards and our youth to design a safe return to sports plan, so that low-contact sports can resume as soon as it is safe to do so.
Sincerely,
Halton Regional Chair, Gary Carr
Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, City of Burlington
Mayor Rick Bonnette, Town of Halton Hills
Mayor Gordon Krantz, Town of Milton
Mayor Rob Burton, Town of Oakville
Local Matters This Week – Miltons Ward 4 Councillors
On this weeks edition of Local Matters with Mike Cluett (seen weekly on YourTV Halton) I discuss some very important issues that effect not only ward 4 residents but the Town of Milton & and Halton Region as well. In part one, Town Councillor Sameera Ali and Regional Councillor Zeeshan Hamid and I provide residents with an FAQ of what residents are asking, what is being done and the future of the proposed CN Intermodal.
In the second part of Local Matters, we discuss other important issues facing residents from storm water pond safety, parking in new developments as well as a Britannia Road construction update.
As always feel free to email me questions or comments to mike@mikecluett.ca and follow me on Twitter and on Facebook with the hashtag #LOCALMATTERS
Here are the clips (Courtesy of YourTV Halton YouTube)
One Year Ago
It’s hard to sum up ones feelings of what’s happened over the last year.
When this was all beginning there was a palatable feeling of fear in the air. We saw reports of deaths and sickness on the news each and every night but the general feeling was “it’s over there in another country…not here.”
Then suddenly things changed. There was one case diagnosed … then another … and then more.
Our country and our town lost its sense of being safe almost overnight. It wasn’t safe to go out in groups, out shopping and being with our friends. Things that we had taken for granted were now abruptly called into question.
I won’t go into the details of the food and toilet paper hoarding that followed (some things we now chuckle about) and at the time that fear was real. The schools were closing down for a couple of weeks after the March break and that should do it. Then 2 weeks turned into 2 months and then graduations were cancelled. It all seems like a blur but it also feels like a life time ago.
Fast forward to today and we’re still hearing of rising and lowering numbers of infections and sadly more deaths. But there’s also a sense of hope now that more and more vaccines are being approved and in addition to the gloomy numbers we hear on news broadcasts, we’re now seeing people being vaccinated.
We’ve been through a lot over the last year. We have been forced to change the way we live, the way we act, the way we do business and the way we interact with families and friends.
We’ve learned about variants … mask technology … the words social distancing, pivoting, Zoom meetings (along with statements like “You’re on mute” and “Next slide please”) have been engrained into our vocabulary.
Sadly many of have lost friends and family members due to COVID and that is the ultimate cost of this pandemic. This is why today we take the opportunity to remember those who lost their lives and the impacts on their families because of COVID.
Things are getting better now. More and more people are getting vaccinated and that will have an impact on the spread of this horrible virus. We as a community still have to be vigilant going forward but here is light at the end of the tunnel. While all this is happening we must remember where we have been and learn lessons from it. Most importantly we can’t forget the people we have lost…our friends, colleagues,and family members.
Our flags are lowered to do just that.
We also need to take a moment and thank our frontline workers, health care professionals, doctors, nurses, AND everyone who has had to deal with this each and every day in order to keep us safe. Thank you so much for the time and sacrifice … it will be a debt we won’t be able to repay. Thank You!
I am continuously amazed at how our community has come together so quickly. We think of the physical distance we keep from each other, this event has brought us closer in so many other ways.
Whether you feel we’re at the middle of all this or we’re in the beginning stages of the end goal, I ask you all to remain strong … MILTON strong … and we will get through this and get back to handshakes, hugs and high fives all around. Our community has such a strong resolve we can’t fail and we won’t.
Take care yourselves and each other. Be safe!
Mike
Local Matters with Mike Cluett – This Weeks Guest Donna Danielli
This week on Local Matters with Mike Cluett, I sit down with Donna Danielli who in addition to her countless hours of volunteering in Milton is the executive director of Milton Transitional Housing as well as a long time Halton District School Board Trustee.
Recently Milton Transitional Housing wrapped up its annual fundraising campaign called the Coldest Night of the Year Walk where over the last number of years, hundreds of Miltonians lined up outside the Milton Sports Centre to begin a 2km, 5km or 10km walk to raise funds for MTH. This year having to deal with COVID 19 put a few more challenges in front of the organizers but by judging from the amount of money raised this year, exceeded its $70,000 goal by raising well over $80,000.
In part one, Donna talks to us about what Milton Transitional Housing does and its challenges over the 10 years in operation with a stunning 100% success rate and how important these funds raised during the Coldest Night of the Year are to helping local Miltonians in need of help.
Here is part one (courtesty of YouTube – YourTV Halton
In Part two of our discussion, Donna puts her Halton District School Board hat on to provide Milton/Halton residents with updates on school construction, getting the necessary funding for capital projects and dealing with COVID 19 in educating our chidren.
Thanks for tuning in to Local Matters with Mike Cluett and YourTV Halton. If you have any questions, comments or show ideas, please feel free to contact me via this website.
Halton Region Announces OVER 80 Vaccination Plans
MORE DETAILS TO COME:
The Regional Municipality of Halton
For Immediate Release
March 1, 2021
Halton’s online booking system for residents 80 years of age and older set to launch Wednesday
Starting Wednesday March 3, Halton residents who are 80 years of age and older can book their appointment to receive their COVID-19 vaccine at a Halton Region COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic.
“Getting our most vulnerable residents vaccinated as quickly as possible is our top priority”, said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “Our clinics are ready and our online booking system is set to open for appointment bookings on March 3. Our ability to vaccinate our community is dependent on supply from the Federal Government and direction from the Province on who to prioritize for vaccination. Thank you to our incredible Halton Region staff for all of the hard work behind the scenes to get us ready for this important milestone in our program. We will continue to expand our vaccination program as more supply becomes available.”
To support residents 80 years of age and older who require transportation, Halton Region has been working with Specialized Local Municipal Transit service providers and Private Transportation (taxi) services to ensure residents can conveniently request and arrange free transportation to and from Regional clinics if required.
“Vaccinating those most at risk of complications from COVID-19 is critical,” said Dr. Hamidah Meghani, Halton Region’s Medical Officer of Health. “If you know someone who is 80 years of age or older and may need assistance accessing information or booking their online appointment, please reach out to them to assist. While we continue to vaccinate priority groups, I am urging everyone to keep staying home except for essential purposes, avoiding social gatherings and preparing to be vaccinated when it is your turn.”
Quick Facts:
- On Wednesday March 3, eligible Halton residents, who are 80 years of age or older, or someone on their behalf, will be able to go online to book an appointment via halton.ca/COVIDvaccines or Halton’s COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic webpage.
- Halton residents can call 311 if they require booking support. Please only call 311 if you are unable to book online to ensure those residents requiring support can be assisted.
- There will be appointments available to book for every resident who is 80 years of age and older during March and April. All appointments are contingent on the availability of vaccine supply.
- Residents who are not currently 80 years of age and older, please do not call 311 or visit the online booking system to ensure eligible residents have access.
- Appointments will be available for clinic sites in the City of Burlington, Town of Oakville, Town of Milton and Town of Halton Hills. Free transportation options will be available for all eligible residents if required. Halton’s Vaccination Clinics are not open to the public and are available by appointment. There will be no walk-in appointments.
Halton continues to vaccinate priority populations as identified by the Province and with vaccine supplies currently available. As of Friday, February 26, 28,622 doses have been administered in Halton to priority populations. Mobile teams of Public Health and Paramedic Services staff continue to administer vaccinations to long-term care and retirement home residents. Halton Healthcare continues to operate the COVID-19 Vaccination Centre at Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital for prioritized health care workers, essential caregivers and staff of long-term care and retirement homes and adults receiving chronic home care.
To get the latest information on Halton Region’s COVID-19 Vaccine Program including who is currently eligible, transportation options and how to book an appointment, please visit halton.ca/COVIDvaccines. Halton Region’s website is being updated as the program progresses, and residents are asked to check this page regularly for the latest information.
The Regional Municipality of Halton serves 580,000 residents in the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, the Town of Milton, and the Town of Oakville. Halton Region is committed to meeting the needs of its residents through the delivery of cost-effective, quality programs and services, including water and wastewater; Regional roads and planning; paramedic services; waste management; public health; social assistance; children’s and seniors’ services; housing services; heritage programs; emergency management and economic development. For more information, call 311 or visit Halton Region’s website at halton.ca.
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Media Contact:
John Winkels
Communications Advisor
Halton Region
905-825-6000, ext. 7490
Cell: 289-259-3778
john.winkels@halton.ca
Starting Wednesday March 3, adults 80+ (or someone on their behalf) can book an appointment online for one of our #COVID19 vaccination clinics.
There will be appointments available for every resident who is 80 years of age or older during March and April.
All appointments are dependent on the availability of vaccine supply.
We know some residents will require transportation to and from their appointment. Information on available transportation services is also on our website and will be offered free of charge.
For information about our vaccination clinics, please visit halton.ca/COVIDvaccines.