The Orleans Star March 18, 2021

March 18, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 22

Next edition April 1

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Maple syrup runneth over in Navan

By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star

Navan resident Luc Picknell checks to see if the sap is running on his father-in-law’s property. Picknell is part of a group of friends that produce 18 litres of maple syrup every year. STAFF PHOTO

One man’s front yard can be another man’s sugar bush providing you have a few maple trees on your property.

In the tiny village of Navan, located just 10 minutes southeast of Orléans, there are about a dozen maple syrup lovers who have decided to make their own golden elixir using sap from their own trees.

Pierre Gravelle has been making his own maple syrup for the past four years. He taps eight trees on his own property plus four trees on his neighbour’s property. Last year, the trees produced seven litres of syrup. His wife uses it as a sugar substitute in her baking, while he enjoys it over pancakes, French toast or waffles. The couple’s two daughters also get a couple of litres, as does the neighbour.

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After collecting maple sap from his trees, Gravelle boils it down to syrup using a large stainless steel pot over a propane burner on his front porch. It can take anywhere from four to five hours to evaporate all the water and boil the syrup down to the right viscosity.

Friends Luc Picknell and Attila Kisch first started tapping their own trees five years ago.

Over time they were joined by friends and fellow Navanites Mathieu Boulianne, Brian Moore, Tim Bernardi and Kyle Edwards.

Together, the group produces 18 litres of syrup from 75 trees, using a wood-fired evaporator in Picknell’s back yard.

When it comes to Navan’s backyard maple syrup producers, Gerald Grimes is the veteran of the bunch with more than 25 years experience. He taps more than 500 trees near CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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Producing your own syrup is easier than you think Continued from page 1

Sarsfield which yield between 450 and 500 litres of the liquid gold a year.

Grimes has his own backyard sugar shack where he boils down the sap using a large evaporator and a seemingly endless

T:11"

A harmless coffee break can do more harm than you think.

supply of wood which he says gives the finished product a much nicer flavour.

The maple syrup season only lasts about four weeks from the end of February until the end of March. It takes 40 litres of sap to make one litre of syrup. The amount of syrup you can produce is entirely dependent on the weather.

“You could fill a bucket on good day and other times it could take you a week,” says Peter Frisk who taps eight trees on his Clark Woods property.

The sap runs best when you have cold nights and warm days and very little wind.

“When the wind’s blowing, it’s like turning off the tap on your sink,” says Grimes.

Producing maple syrup is a pretty simple process. All it takes is a spigot to tap into the tree and a bucket. Total cost is about $10.

Once you have the sap, you need a heat source – either wood or propane – and a lot of patience. A syrup hydrometer is also handy to measure the sugar content. And while sugar maples produce the best syrup, any maple tree will do.

For the backyard maple syrup producers in Navan, making their own syrup is very much a labour of love.

“We don’t do it to save money,” jokes Frisk, who loves the fact that maple syrup season is a sure harbinger of spring. “When the sap starts running, you know spring is just around the corner.”

Picknell loves being able to get together with his friends every weekend in March to boil down their maple sap over w few beers in his backyard.

The other advantage of making your own maple syrup is the personal satisfaction one gets when you consume a product you made yourself.

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2 • March 18, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 22 Cossette

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East end COVID-19 cases remain relatively high

By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star The number of COVID-19 cases in Ottawa’s three east end wards remained relatively unchanged during the two-week period between February 23 and March 8.

According to the last update of Ottawa Public Health’s COVID Ward Map, there were 97 cases reported in Orléans, Innes and Cumberland Wards between February 23 and March 8 – that’s only one fewer than the number of cases reported in the three wards between February 9 and February 23.

The number of reported cases in Orléans Ward increased from 24 cases to 32, while the number of reported cases in Innes Ward decreased from 33 cases to 24. Meanwhile, the number of reported cases in Cumberland Ward remained unchanged at 41.

City-wide, there were 664 new cases reported in Ottawa between February 22 and March 8, a 10 per cent change from the previous two-week period when there were 603 new cases.

Over the weekend, there was some concern that Ottawa is nearing the indicators that would have the city move from the current orange zone to the red zone.

As this week’s newspaper went to print on

Sunday, the city was in the upper margins of the epidemiology guidelines to remain in the orange zone which are a weekly incidence rate of 25 to 39.9 per 100,000 and a positivity rate of between 1.3 and 2.4 per cent. The seven-day average incidence rate was 40.1 as of Sunday, while the positivity rate was 2.1 per cent.

If it remains that high for the rest of the week, the city would very likely end up in the red zone, which means private social gatherings are limited to a maximum of five people indoors and 25 people outdoors.

Restaurants will be limited to four people per table and a maximum of 10 patrons at any one time. Alcohol cannot be sold after 9 p.m. and restaurants must close by 10 p.m. Under the orange zone regulations, as many as 25 people can gather indoors for a private function and restaurants can have a maximum of 50 patrons.

Gyms and fitness centres are limited to 10 people per class under the orange zone regulations and 25 people in areas with weights and exercise machines as long as a three-metre physical distancing buffer can be maintained. In the red zone, only 10 people can use the weight and exercise machine area.

Number of new cases reported in east end wards between Feb. 23 and Mar. 8

Orléans Ward 32 cases

Innes Ward 24 cases

Another leading indicator of the impact of the COVID-19 virus is the number of hospitalizations. As of Sunday, there were 34 people being treated for the coronavirus in Ottawa area hospitals, including three who were being treated in intensive care.

That’s less than half the number that were in intensive care two weeks ago.

Fifty-four people have died since Jan. 1.

Six people have died due to COVID-related complications in the past two weeks, bring-

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Cumberland Ward 41 cases

ing the total number of related deaths in Ottawa to 446.

According to Ottawa Public Health, there have been 447 cases in Orléans Ward since the pandemic began, excluding long-term homes and retirement residences, 587 cases in Innes Ward and 768 cases in Cumberland Ward. All told, there have been 352 cases in long-term care homes and retirement residences in the three east end wards since the pandemic began.

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March 18, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 22 • 3

Madness Congratulations, Ottawa. You’ve done everything you’ve been asked to do in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, including your willingness to adhere to not one, but two stay-at-home orders, the last of which lasted nearly two months. And for your efforts you’re about to be hit by yet another lockdown. That’s if Dr. Peter Jüni gets his way.

Never heard of him? You’re not alone. He’s another unelected expert who has a say in how we live our lives during the current pandemic.

Dr. Jüni is the scientific director of Ontario’s COVID-19 Science Table.

The Science Table is a thinktank of sorts that operates independently from the provincial government in analyzing and evaluating emerging evidence relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic and reports their findings back to the Ministry of Health and the Premier’s office.

Apparently, Dr. Jüni is advocating for a province-wide lockdown to prevent the spread of the B.1.1.7 UK variant. He also believes the lockdown needs to be “firmer than before”. Although, what he means by “firmer” is not clear. He also doesn’t give any insight into how long another lockdown should last.

Of course this is all madness. While his team contends that the reproduction rate of the UK variant is 1.24, there is little evidence that’s the case in Ottawa where the overall reproduction rate has remained below 1.10 since Jan. 10 and the weekly seven-day average currently sits at 0.98.

The province needs to stick to its current colour-coded system which seems to be working just fine. It rewards those regions that are doing a good job in containing the spread of the virus and penalizes those regions that aren’t.

I’m sure the folks in Brockville, Kingston and Belleville will be thrilled to hear about the threat of another province-wide lockdown. All three cities are currently in the green zone, which means their weekly incidence rate is less than 10 per 100,000 and their positivity rate is less than 0.5 per cent.

People need to stay calm, continue to wear a mask, social distance and avoid large gatherings outside their bubble. In the meantime, we need to step up vaccinations. On Wednesday, the provincial government announced that it would start administering the AstraZeneca vaccine to people age 60 to 64 at pharmacies in Toronto, Windsor-Essex and Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington. The vaccines are currently being offered as part of a pilot project, but it will be expanded to other regions when more of the AstraZeneca vaccine becomes available.

By now, almost every long-term care and retirement home resident in Ottawa has been fully vaccinated along with a sizable number of senior care staff members and designated primary caregivers. The importance of having every long-term care and retirement home resident vaccinated cannot be overstated. It will greatly reduce both the number of hospitalizations and the number of deaths, which were the two main reasons we went into the earlier lockdowns.

So keep calm. Vaccine on. And stop the madness.

Fred Sherwin, editor

Fredrick C. Sherwin, Editor & Publisher fsherwin@orleansstar.ca The Orléans Star is a bi-weekly publication distributed to 44,000 residences in Blackburn Hamlet, Orléans and Navan. The newspaper is locally owned and operated by Sherwin Publishing Inc., 745 Farmbrook Cres., Orléans, ON. Inquiries and delivery issues should be sent to info@orleansstar.ca.

4 • March 18, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 22

Private Members Bill aims to stop harassment and abuse by local leaders Last week, I had the pleasure of introducing seat for violations of workplace violence and harassmy first Private Members Bill entitled Stopping ment policies.

Harassment and Abuse by Local Leaders Act. It was Following an investigation, it would permit carried through first reading and will now be debated municipalities to direct the Integrity Commissioner by the Legislature in the coming to apply to the court to vacate a weeks. seat.

Queen’s member’s In the past few months, we’ve Currently, the most severe Park heard horror stories coming from penalty that can be handed down to Ottawa, Brampton and Barrie. members of council who commit Corner Stories of sexual harassment and serious violations of workplace abuse committed at the hands violence and sexual harassment is Stephen Blais of trusted elected officials. Even a 90-day suspension of pay. worse, these abusers remain in positions of power Such terrible actions more than warrant a higher even after thorough investigations. punishment than a simple suspension of pay, they Here in Ottawa, many confident and brave require termination of employment. women have come forward with their own stories of In any other work environment individuals would harassment and abuse. These women deserve to be lose their job for these types of behaviours; municipal heard and for just action to be taken to remedy the councillors must be held to that same standard. situation and punish those responsible.

Keeping these members on council creates an This isn’t simply about punishment either, it’s acceptance for such behaviour and allows for it to about breaking a culture of impunity for harassment continue. Not to mention the increased stress and in the workplace and holding our elected officials pain that it inflicts upon victims. accountable – the same accountability everyone else We need to be ready to step up to the plate and would have and expect in their own workplaces. protect workers, disavow this kind of behaviour and My bill would attempt to remedy the situation by allow for the removal of members who violate the creating a process to vacate a municipal councillor’s trust constituents put in them.

www.orleansstar.ca

One-year anniversary of the COVID pandemic a bitter pill to swallow It’s hard to believe it’s been a whole year since the provincial government declared a state of emergency over COVID-19, a week after the World Health Organization officially classified the coronavirus as a pandemic.

In hindsight, the province probably waited a week too late. If Doug Ford had acted in lockstep with the WHO, he likely wouldn’t have told Ontario families to “travel” and “have fun” during the March Break – at the same time, he was ordering schools to remain closed for two weeks after March Break. They would remain closed for the rest of the school year.

His exact words were “Go away. Have a good time. Enjoy yourselves. And we’re going to be monitoring the situation as it changes every single day.”

Well, it did change every single day as the number of cases went from just 59 when he said those words to 7,470 in just four weeks.

Under the state of emergency, restaurants and gyms were ordered to close indefiniely.

A week later, the closure ordered was extended to all non-essential businesses in the province for 14 days. They were eventually allowed to reopen under strict protocols in May and June.

Those were the early days when no one

Up Front Fred Sherwin knew how bad things would get or long the pandemic would last.

There was hope that warmer weather would curb the spread of the virus which it did, but it surged again with a vengeance when the Labour Day weekend coincided with school reopenings.

Further surges occurred following the Thanksgiving Day weekend and the Christmas break when Ford made the illadvised decision to delay a shutdown 48 hours from midnight Christmas Eve to midnight Boxing Day. A decline followed from mid-January to mid-February which has now plateaued as businesses were allowed to reopen under the province’s colour-coded system.

Looking back, there are several things that could have been differently and some still

haven’t been done.

When Doug Ford first declared a state of emergency and began shutting schools and non-essential businesses down while warning residents to stay indoors except when having to buy groceries, etc., he did so in order to prevent a surge on health care resources and to buy time.

Unfortunately, during the months since then, the province hasn’t invested a single dollar to increase hospital and ICU capacity – even though they were warned that a second wave in the fall was inevitable.

They’ve also done nothing to improve the ventilation systems in our public schools despite the irrefutable evidence that the COVID-19 virus is spread through the air and that people living and working in poorly ventilated environments are much more likely to catch it.

They are companies that make commerical air purifiers that can be installed on existing commercial HVAC systems that use HEPA air filters and UV filtration to kill the virus, yet the province refuse to invest any money on the one thing that can keep kids and teachers safe from the virus while in the schools.

But as bad as all that is, the biggest failure

has been in not adequately protecting our most vulnerable residents living in longterm care and retirement homes.

The province should have imposed an across the board visitors ban from day one.

Instead, they waited several days before imposing a ban on visitors to long-term care homes and then several days more before extending it to privately run retirement communities.

In the meantime, the virus was being spread by senior home staff, many of whom worked at multiple facilities in order to make ends meet. As a result, over a thousand outbreaks have occurred in long-term care and retirement homes across the province, causing more than 3,700 deaths, many of which could have been prevented with better screening, a greater availability of personal protective equipment for staff and more timely testing.

There’s a lot that can be learned from the mistakes of the past. Here’s hoping we can learn the lessons of the mistakes made during the current pandemic and never forget.

Here’s also hoping that we get vaccinated sooner rather than later and that the second anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic will be a lot happier than the first.

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Health, Happiness and Home March 18, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 22 • 5

COVID-19: The Year in Review City’s resolve and compassion a and the (hopeful) road ahead source of inspiration and pride Here we are, one year into this pandemic.

It has been a long, isolated and depressing winter for all of us. Some of us have lost friends and family, some of us have lost our busi-ness and frankly, at times, some of us have come close to losing our minds.

The isolation has taken its toll on all of us. We casually joke that we’ve forgotten how to talk to one another, and I cannot wait for the day when I don’t have to remind someone that they are on mute. Tensions are high and we’re all suffering from cabin fever. We cannot continue the rollercoaster of opening and closing, opening again only to close. It is wreaking havoc on our local businesses and our mental health. Something’s got to give.

Last week, I stepped outside to 16 degrees.

16 warm, hopeful and refreshing degrees.

Spring is here. The air doesn’t hurt my face.

I can go for a walk with my family without wrapping my daughter up like a burrito. My

dogs won’t hide from me when I ask them if they want to join us. That’s something.

Adding to my hopefulness, Ottawa has begun vaccinating the general population, starting with those born before 1931 and before 1941 in 18 high-risk, priority neighbourhoods.

We didn’t wait for the provincial booking system to take action. We have a solid plan, and as a part of that plan, we have a community vaccination clinic planned for the Ruddy Family YMCA on Centrum Blvd. – right here in Orléans.

As soon as we have more supply, we will get to vaccinating the remainder of our priority groups and continue the roll-out to everyone. Spring is here, and things are feeling more hopeful.

I’m looking forward to renewal, to green grass, summer breezes and time spent with family and friends – and I know you are, too. We are almost there. We just need to hang on a little longer,

6 • March 18, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 22

It has been a year since COVID-19 found endless gratitude. We must also remember its way to Ottawa and changed our lives. those who have lost their lives to this Marking this anniversary is not easy. The devastating virus and those who are grieving pandemic has affected the their losses. I encourage lives and livelihoods of anyone who is struggling many Ottawa residents.

Catherine to seek support.

It has also impacted our The City of Ottawa’s Kitts mental health. Being sepVaccine Sequence Straarated from our loved tegy Task Force has ones has been inexplicaa robust plan in place Cumberland Ward 19 bly difficult. to deliver vaccines to While we have been affected in different our community in the most efficient and ways, no one has been spared the toll that has effective manner possible. been taken by living with the virus.

We have begun vaccinating our most Despite this, I know we will overcome. vulnerable residents, and as our vaccine Ottawa residents have exhibited exceptional supply increases, all residents will get the discipline and patience. By wearing a mask, chance to roll up their sleeves. For the most continuing to social distance, supporting up-to-date information about getting your local businesses, running errands for elderly vaccine, visit ottawapublichealth.ca or vulnerable community members or donatReflecting on the challenges we have ing to one of our local food banks, so many collectively experienced in the past year, have made enormous contributions to keep- I’m inspired by the resiliency, compassion ing our community safe. and resolve of all those in our great city. The Our essential and frontline workers, first strong sense of community that continues to responders and everyone who have made flourish amid the challenging circumstances sacrifices to stop the spread deserve our is something we can all be proud of.

Orléans MP recognizes Leading Women, Leading Girls

By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star Orléans MP Marie-France Lalonde wasn’t about to let a little thing like the COVID-19 pandemic prevent her from recognizing some of the women who help make this community such a wonderful place to live.

On March 5, Lalonde held a virtual breakfast and award ceremony to honour 35 recipients of this year’s Leading Women, Leading Girls awards which are held in recognition of International Women’s Day. Eighty-five women from across the east attended the virtual breakfast to show their appreciation and support for this year’s award winners.

Among this year’s recipients are Christine Hétu, a photographer who took pictures of over 100 families in Orléans on their front porch during the pandemic in exchange for non-perishable food donations to the Orléans-Cumberland Resource Centre food bank; Jeanine Mader, who is an active member of the Ladies Auxiliary at the Orléans Legion and a decades long volunteer with the 2nd Orléans Girl Guides and the Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre; and Mashooda-Lubna Syed, who was a leader in the creation of the first Muslim

Women’s shelter in Ottawa and a recipient of the COVID-Heroes of 2020 awards.

Among the leading girls who received an award were Ainsley Lewis, who is a founding member of the Race Relations Group at Cairine Wilson Secondary School, and Breanna Sirois, who was a student leader at École secondaire Béatruce-Desloges for the past four years before graduating last spring and has risen to the rank of Warrant Officer First Class with the 632 Phoenix Air Cadets Squadron.

Other recipients include Jenna Lemay, Cassandra Auguste-René, Betty Shields, Anne-Marie Robinson-Sisk, Amy Simcoe, Adèle Copti-Fahmy, Deqa Mohamed Farah, Adriana Suuronen, Daunett Tucker, Elise MacCaull, Élisabeth Larocque, Fatima Aden Osman, Huddiya Younis, Jafrin Asif Bux, Eunice Oladejo, Katie Morrisette, Judy Daniel, Lyse-Pascale Inamuco, Lisa Aucoin, Marna Durante, Marie Charrette, Mashkura Tabassum Tathoye, Rhoda Joseph, Murielle Cayouette, Sylvie Blanchette, Naaz Nathoo, Rose Dagenais, Sydney O’Donnell, Teresa Whitmore and Vanessa Padilla.

A number of the recipients are new Canadians who were honoured for their work in supporting their respective cultural

Deqa Mohamed Farah

Jeanine Mader

communities and for giving back to their adopted country Canada.

Lalonde used the award ceremony to talk about the importance of International Women’s Day in recognizing the achievements of women around the world and in our own backyard.

“International Women’s Day is a time to celebrate the contributions of women

everywhere, including those right here in Orléans,” said Lalonde.

“Whether you are a mother, a young entrepreneur, a businesswoman, a caregiver, or a health care worker, you have lead your peers and been a role model for all generations andnd today we are celebrating each and everyone of you, From the bottom of my heart, thank you, and congratulations”

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March 18, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 22 • 7

8 • March 18, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 22

Symphony Senior Living’s COVID-free record worth celebrating

By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star The past year has been extremely difficult, stressful and in many instances heartbreaking as the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on senior care homes across the country.

There have been 215 outbreaks in Ottawaarea long-term care and private retirement homes alone, resulting in 369 COVIDrelated deaths.

But there have been a few success stories. Of the 10 long-term care and private retirement homes operating in Orléans, three have been able to keep COVID at bay and two of them are owned and operated

by Symphony Senior Living. While many outsiders might consider the ability to maintain an outbreak-free record for the past year as a matter of sheer luck, the truth of the matter is that it took a great deal of planning and the implementation of set of policies and measures aimed at keeping their residents and staff as safe as possible.

When Symphony Senior Living CEO Lisa Brush first heard about the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, China, she imagined that it might have a far-reaching impact beyond China’s borders. When the first case was diagnosed in Canada on Jan. 25, her fears were heightened. Then outbreaks occurred

less than a week apart in late February at nursing homes in Seattle, Washington and Bobcaygeon, Ontario. That was all the warning Brush needed.

“I remember thinking, if it can happen there it can happen anywhere,” Brush recalls.

“And by the beginning of March, I realized this virus was coming for us. I didn’t know how bad, but it was coming straight for us.”

Brush immediately consulted with her executive directors and they decided to ban all non-essential visits to Symphony’s four retirement communities, which include Forest Valley Terrace and Symphony Senior Living Orléans. The ban was implemented a week before the provincial government imposed its own province-wide prohibition on March 20.

Symphony also required all of its staff who weren’t already working exclusively for the company to do so.

Health care officials believe one of the reasons why there have been so many outbreaks, especially early on in the pandemic, was the practice of personal care staff to work at multiple facilities.

Brush saw this as a potential problem and nipped it in the bud. Only two or three staff members decided to work elsewhere, while one staff member whose mother was severely immune compromised at home, decided to move into the Symphony Senior

Symphony Senior Living’s two Orléans properties have not had a single case of COVID-19 since the pandemic began over a year ago. FILE PHOTOS Living Orléans community so she wouldn’t put her mother at risk and other family members could take care of her.

In asking their staff to work exclusively with Symphony, the company increased their pay by $3 an hour weeks before the province did the same for long-term care employees.

Brush also anticipated a run on personal protective equipment (PPE) and used her

industry connections south of the border to order enough to last her staff for months.

But probably the most important measure Symphony has taken to keep COVID at bay was to do their own testing. Anyone who exhibits any symptoms was tested immediately, including corporate staff and any designated caregivers.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

March 18, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 22 • 9

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

Ruisseau Park Ravine Rehabilitation Municipal Class Environmental Assessment This notice is to advise that the City of Ottawa will hold a virtual public meeting on March 31, 2021 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. to present the results from the project’s existing conditions assessment.

Residents are invited to ask questions and provide feedback on this study. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer period. The presentation will be posted on the City’s website following the meeting with an opportunity to submit written comments.

A second and final public meeting will be held in fall 2021 to present the results from the assessment of alternatives and the preferred solution. To attend the meeting on March 31, members of the public must register by email or by phone using the contact information below.

For more information, please visit the project web page at Ottawa.ca/bluewillowpark, or contact.

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10 • March 18, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 22

Mumbai Masala Grill overwhelms your senses

By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star When it comes to Indian cuisine, the one thing that separates an extraordinary dining experience from the merely ordinary is flavour.

Indian cuisine is known for its use of spices which provide the amazing flavours in their various curries. A good chef knows how to incorporate those spices into their creations which should leave your taste buds screaming for more.

I’ve been a big fan of the Mumbai Masala Grill ever since they opened their doors two years ago. For the past six months, they’ve been limited to takeout only due to the pandemic, but thankfully, under the province’s orange zone designation, they’ve been able to open their doors once again which is a godsend for anyone who appreciates amazing Indian food.

When you walk into the Masala Grill, you are immediately enveloped by the fantastic aromas coming from the kitchen which is a sure sign that no matter what you order off the menu, you’re bound to be delighted – and the Mumbai Masala Grill menu does not dis-

appoint. No matter what you order, you are guaranteed to have a magical culinary experience.

My go-to dishes are the Onion Bhaji, the Chicken Korma and the Gobi Garlic. The latter is lightly battered cauliflower coated in a delicious garlic glaze. It’s like Masala Grill’s equivalent to popcorn chicken.

Owner Satpal Singh and his staff are thrilled at the chance to once again offer indoor dining. The only caveat is that you should call ahead. Under the orange zone designation, seating is limited.

The Mumbai Masala Grill is located at 2181 St. Joseph Blvd. You can find them on Facebook or visit their website at www.mumbaimasalagrill.com.

Symphony Senior Living celebrates COVID-free year Continued from page 9

Another key component of Symphony’s COVID-19 measures was an intense education and communication program with both their staff and resident families.

“We were constantly sending information out to our families explaining what we were doing and why we were doing it,” says Brush. “We didn’t want to have to confine our residents to their rooms, especially at Forest Valley where it’s all memory care residents.”

As a result of their openness, Symphony had a total buy-in from family members. And

as amazing as it sounds, they’ve never had to impose a lockdown since the pandemic began and their dining room has remained open throughout the year while respecting physical distancing protocols.

Many residents are allowed to have a family member designated as an essential caregiver where warranted, but they must be tested on a regular basis and they must wear the full PPE during their visit.

During the rare cases when a resident in palliative care was in their last days, family members were allowed to be with them.

“I made it clear to my staff that no one was going to die alone in a Symphony home,” says Brush.

In other rare cases involving a new resident, the resident had to be tested before they moved in and the family had to have a full understanding of the company’s protocols.

Symphony’s knowledge-based, proactive approach to keeping COVID-19 out of its properties under Brush’s leadership has been a godsend to its residents and especially their family members who have been bombarded by media reports about outbreaks and

COVID-19 related deaths at other facilities.

“They’re very appreciative,” says Brush.

“I have never had so many thank yous and compliments than I’ve had in my entire career, especially during the first few weeks.”

Although no senior care home is out of the woods yet, the advent of vaccines is making the possibility of an outbreak less and less likely.

At the time this paper is published all of Symphony’s residents will have received both doses of the Pfizer vaccine, giving them the ultimate protection against the virus.

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

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ldpainting.ca March 18, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 22 • 11

Keeping Our Distance Is Bringing Us Together

It’s a challenging time for all of us.

When the time arrives, we’ll be re-opening our doors and welcoming new homeowners to discover our wonderful community.

Until then, stay safe, follow government guidelines and respect your neighbours.

At Cardinal Creek Village, community comes first.

613 830-8467

S H O P, T O U R A N D B U Y O N L I N E 12 • March 18, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 22