The Orleans Star May 28, 2020 by OrléansStar

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May 28, 2020 • Volume 35, No. 2

Next edition June 11

L’édition de cette semaine à l’intérieur...

Orléans begins to reopen one step at a time

Petrie Island was a popular spot on the weekend as local residents took advantage of the unseasonable warm weather and the implementation of Phase 1 of the province’s reopening plan to take a break from the COVID-19 pandemic. STAFF PHOTO

By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star Orléans is slowly beginning to reopen after being locked down for nearly two months to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The first stores that were allowed to reopen under strict public health guidelines were garden centres and hardware stores on May 15 and 16. Stores like Home Depot, Canadian Tire, Lowes and Home Hardware, which had been offering curbside pick-up service before then, were allowed to start letting people into their businesses but only in a way that social distancing could be maintained. This means that lineups are now the norm at many of these businesses. Especially long lineups were seen at both Lowes and Home Depot last week and during the weekend. J.A. Laporte Flowers and Nursery was among the stores that were allowed to reopen, but for health reasons they decided to stick with their curbside pickup service. The

owners were fearful they wouldn’t be able to maintain proper social distancing in their greenhouses and that the situation would get out of hand. Even so, they’ve been swamped with curbside pick-up orders as customers are eager to get outside and tend to their gardens and landscaping. Because of their limited staffing during the pandemic, they can only assemble so many orders in a day and demand has been off the charts. Customers can begin placing their orders at midnight each night. Within a couple of hours, the spaces are usually filled up. Laporte also has a contactless drive-thru service for people wanting to purchase hanging baskets and/or planters. The items must be prepurchased online and then the customer simply drives through and picks which one they want. The service is being offered until supplies last. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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COMMUNITY BRIEFS Community steps up to the plate in support of local food banks ORLÉANS – A number of community organizations and businesses have been stepping up to the plate during the current pandemic to make sure the area’s food banks can continue to do their job. Three in particular are the Sobeys stores on Trim Road and Tenth Line Road and St. Peter High School. Between staff donations and donations from their customers, the two Sobeys stores managed to raise over $10,000 for the Orléans-Cumberland food bank. Part of the funds were donated by the stores’ managers who gave back part of their COVID-19 temporary salary increase which Sobeys calls “Hero Pay”. Another large portion of the funds were donated at the checkout counter by everyday customers. Despite the fact that Ontario’s schools have been closed since the beginning of the pandemic, the students and staff at St. Peter High School managed to raise $9,017.49 for the Orléans-Cumberland food bank during a virtual version of their annual Canley Cup Food Drive. The school normally collects over 40,000 non-perishable items during the annual event, but due to the lockdown it was not possible to hold the event this year. Another event that was held was the “Together Apart” virtual concert organized by Orléans Ward city councillor Matt Luloff which was held on May 21 featuring several local bands including Hearts&Mines, Ryan MacIntyre, Quiet Crimes, Moonfruits, Bytown Lights and Double Experience. Proceeds from the virtual concert will be split between the OrléansCumberland food bank and the Gloucester Emergency Food Cupboard.

Orléans School of Theatre launches online program

2 • May 28, 2020 • Volume 35, No. 2

ORLÉANS – The Ottawa School of Theatre is physically closed but still in operation! While theatre is meant to be physical and present, the OST, like many others, have adapted. OST-ETO classes, students and teachers have continued meeting to keep theatre alive. They’ve all been having a great time sharing talents and theatre skills even if not in person. So, they have decided to extend the experience by offering FREE drama classes twice per week in June and July. Adult workshops will be held on Tuesdays and Fridays from June 1 to June 24 at 1 p.m. Rhymes and Rhythm with Chelsey Prince will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from June 1 to June 24, from 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Family Drama program with Erin MacDonald is for Everyone in the House! Sessions will take place on Wednesdays and Fridays from June 3 to June 26 at 4 p.m. Finally, Podcast for Teens with Ben Hudson will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from June 16 to July 16 at 3 p.m. For more information or to register, email office@ost-eto.ca.

Former Lester B. Pearson student releases mental health video on YouTube ORLÉANS – Former Leaster B. Pearson High School student Brian Okeny has produced a short film on YouTube dealing with anxiety and depression. Entitled “The Zeta Project” the video portrays a young man who feels trapped in a place where he feels he doesn’t belong and can’t get out. He feels constantly conflicted and is constantly running. In Okeny’s own words the goal in producing the short film was to create “a safe space for dialogue that gives people suffering from mental illness the opportunity to seek support, find people who can relate to each other and move towards wellness”. The video is especially poignant in the times we now find ourselves in. The battle against mental illness, like the battle against COVID-19, is a battle that will be won. You can watch the short film by entering the words “Zeta Project” in the search bar on YouTube.

Orléans begins to reopen one step at a time Continued from page 1 On May 19, the province implemented the remainder of it’s Phase 1 plan which allowed retail businesses with their own street-front entrances to admit customers inside as long as they could limit the number of people in the store to maintain a two-metre distance between shoppers and workers. A number of outdoor, seasonal and recreational activities were also allowed to reopen including boat launches, off leash dog parks; tennis courts; outdoor multi-use fields and sports facilities; water sports, such as waterskiing, rowing and sailing; riding stables; and rod and gun clubs. The Oziles’ Marina and Tackle Shop at Petrie Island reopened on May 16 and business has been brisk between the boat launch and people renting paddle boats and kayaks. The island’s beaches and parks also reopened last week, although swimming is still prohibited. The island’s parking lots were full on both Saturday and Sunday as people took the advantage of the unseasonably warm weather to go for a walk, doing a little fishing or take a paddle on the water. Although it was busy, it was nowhere near the type of scenes that have taken place at some parks in Toronto. For the most part, the people visiting Petrie Island were able to maintain the physical distancing requirements. The same was true in parks across Orléans. Phase 2 of the province’s reopening plan will see the opening of more workplaces and public spaces and allowing some larger public gatherings with continued protections in place for vulnerable populations. Just when the second phase will be

implemented depends on how well Phase 1 goes and judging by the latest figures the prospect is not looking promising. The number of new cases has been on the rise since Phase 1 began. On Sunday there were 460 new cases reported, 64 per cent of which were in the Greater Toronto Area. That is the highest increase since May 8 when there were 470 new cases reported. The increase in cases has many observers warning that a second lockdown maybe needed. That won’t likely sit well with the businesses that were finally allowed to reopen or the people who can finally go outside. It will also set back implementation of the planned second phase. Restaurant owners like Fernando Diniz at Caravela Restaurante on Innes Road has been holding out hope that restaurants like his own will be able to reopen with limited seating capacity sometime in June. He has even installed dividing walls between his tables to make sure that his diners are extra safe. Restaurants in British Columbia were able to reopen on May 19 under a strict set of guidelines which include allowing groups of between two and six people, with each group seated at least six feet apart. Booths must have barriers installed between them, room occupancy will be determined by how many tables of six an operator can fit into its space while adhering to physical-distancing protocols, and each facility will have to create and post a COVID-19 safety plan approved by WorkSafe B.C. Restaurant owners in Orléans are more than willing to operate under the same guidelines, the question is when?

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Toddler bridges separation with art from the heart By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Henri Matisse... Kasey Hisko. Who is Kasey Hisko, you ask? Well, he’s only Orléans’ and Canada’s youngest and most prolific impressionist artist, that’s who. Two weeks shy of his second birthday, Hisko has been finger painting most of his young life, but it wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic reached Ottawa and forced his great-grandmother to stay self isolated in the Chartwell Belcourt Retirement Residence that his creative juices really started flowing. From just after the lockdown at senior care facilities was imposed in late March, Kasey produced 100 hundred paintings – one for every resident in the facility, including his 83-year-old greatgrandmother Micheline Maltais who was his original muse. The project started back in March when Chartwell Belcourt activity director Wendy Lapierre created a post on Facebook suggesting that friends and relatives make cards for the residents. Rather than make a card, Kasey’s mother Sophie decided to let her son make a painting for his great-grandmother. “The original idea was to get him and two of his little friends to make the paintings, but he ended up doing it all by himself,” says Sophie. Rather than make all the 4x6-inch paintings individually, Sophie had her son paint on a large sheet of paper taped to the wall above the bathtub.

“It made the clean-up easier,” Sophie explains. Mom then divided each sheet into eight individual works of art. “He basically painted two sheets a day. Some days he only did one. At first he had to be coached a little to get started and then one day he walked into the bedroom with his finger paints and that was him telling us that he wanted to get going,” says Sophie. Mother and son delivered the paintings to the residence on May 16 where they now have a place of honour on Kasey’s Wall of Fame. “It so adorable,” says Lapierre. “Everyone really loves the paintings. We can all use as many smiles as we can get these days.” While Kasey is too young to understand the pandemic and all that it entails, Sophie has a special place in her heart for what her grandmother is going through along with all the other seniors in long-term care and retirement homes. “I feel so bad for what she’s having to go through,” says Sophie, “and that’s why I wanted to make sure that we were regularly sending her pictures and some artwork so that she doesn’t miss out on Kasey growing up. But it made me sad to realize that it’s not just her going through this. Not everybody has people who are looking out for them and considering that and that’s why we wanted to do a little something for the other residents.” And Kasey’s reputation as an artist is starting to spread. He’s already received

Micheline Maltais (above) stands beside Kasey’s Wall of Fame at the Chartwell Belcourt Retirement Residence in Orléans. The paintings were all done by her great-grandson, finger paint artist Kasey Hisko (left). PHOTOS SUPPLIED a commission of sorts from the Résidence Saint-Louis where a friend of Sophie’s saw Kasey’s creations on Facebook. “They’ve asked if could create a few paintings for the residents there,” says Sophie who might have to stock up on some extra finger paints and sheets of paper.

SupperWorks provides safe meal options during difficult time Orders can be placed online a minimum of 3-4 days in advance and you can use curbside pick up at the Orléans location at 2003 St. Jospeh Blvd., or you can have your meals delivered. Some of the choices from the May menu are lasagna; Italian-style pork chops in herbed tomato sauce; parmesan-pesto shrimp alfredo; haddock with tarragon caper butter; and Caribbean pork tenderloin to name just a few. Each dish includes six portions at an average cost of $7.25 per portion, which is perfect for most families. You may end up with leftovers for lunch. SupperWorks also has Meals For One. These single portion meals are perfect for picky eaters or those nights when the family just can’t agree on what to have for dinner. Keep some of the meals for one in your freezer for a quick lunch when your are working from home. They’re also perfect for seniors. SupperWorks is also able to cater to a number of dietary restrictions including

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May 28, 2020 • Volume 35, No. 2 • 3

STAR STAFF – Since the beginning of the COVD-19 pandemic, putting food on the table has become increasingly challenging, especially for people who want to maintain their self-isolation. For most, the choice is between standing in long queues outside their local grocery store and again at the checkout counter, or ordering their groceries online and waiting weeks to have them delivered. Food delivery services like Fresh Fruits Inc. and Ottawa Valley Meats are doing brisk business, but their selections are limited. Many people are also ordering takeout from their favourite local restaurant, but that still remains the exception rather than the rule. There is another way to provide meals for you and your family that is local, nutritional and convenient. SupperWorks specializes in providing their customers with fully prepped main and side dishes that are ready to cook or pop in the freezer.

4 • May 28, 2020 • Volume 35, No. 2

Haves and have-nots There are some people who might find the following provocative. And they are right. It is meant to be thought-provoking for people to give pause and think about what some of our neighbours and fellow Canadians are going through.... We are quickly become a two-tier society – the haves and the have-nots. The “haves” are those people who have been receiving a guaranteed paycheque during the pandemic without any fear of being laid off, or making the next mortgage or rent payment, or paying for their groceries or their hydro bill. The “have-nots” are those people who don’t have the luxury of not having to worry. They are the ones who are trying to make ends meet on $2,000 a month – or $4,000 if they are lucky enough to have a partner who is also out of work. The ones trying to make ends meet on $2,000 a month are running out of savings – if they had any to begin with. A month ago, they went to bed praying that they will have a job to go back to. Now they go to bed praying that what little money they have won’t run out before the end of the month. The have-nots are the ones who own businesses into which they sank their entire life savings into and have toiled at for years in building only to have them perched on the brink of bankruptcy. They went from being business owners and leaders in their community to having to depend on $2,000 a month. #inthistogether is a fallacy. We may be in this together, but we are not in this together equally, not even close. It is the have-nots who are making all the sacrifices while we shelter in place and self isolate. They are told it is for the good of their health and the health of their loved ones. That’s easy to say if you are among the “haves”. But in the meantime, they are suffering psychologically. And it is a silent suffering. They put on a brave face because they must. If they complain, they are an enemy of society and of the greater good, but deep down they just want to go back to their jobs and provide for their families and they’ll wear three masks and four pairs of disposable gloves if they have to and bathe every morning in a vat of hand sanitizer. I am balanced precariously between both the haves and the havenots. I don’t have a guaranteed paycheque coming in, but I do own a business which is able to continue to operate thanks to the Canadian Emergency Loan Program, so I guess you could say I am more of a “have” than a “have not”. Even so, I pray each night for the latter. I worry about what will become of this country and its economy. I worry about the tens of thousands of young people in university and college who will graduate this year and next into an environment with double-digit unemployment. So next time you want to rail against those people who want to start opening up the economy think about the have-nots, the ones who are sacrificing their jobs and their income and their businesses so the rest of us can sleep soundly at night safe in the knowledge that our guaranteed paycheques will be directly deposited into our bank accounts every two weeks like clockwork.. – 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.

Residents show their true colours through countless acts of kindness WE are with you! As we continue through ways to do something special for the community this pandemic united as a community, I want to we represent. From this came the idea of hosting express my heartfelt condolences to any of our our own local concert, showcasing amazing loresidents who have lost family or friends due to cal artists, which premiered last night. I want to Covid-19. Our thoughts are acknowledge of our own with you and we share in your councillors and extraordinary grief during these challenging musician, Matthew Luloff, times. and his team for not only givOver the past number of ing of us an amazing perforweeks, the Snowbirds have mance but also for organizing been flying across Canada this amazing evening. All the to uplift our spirit. Most of proceeds went directly to our Marie-France Lalonde us had the great fortunate to two local resource centres. have seen them recently, carrying their message Thank you Orléans for your participation, and for of hope from sea to sea. But last week, a tragic your ongoing generosity. accident took the life of one of their own, Captain Jennifer Casey of Nova Scotia. My heart goes out Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) to each of her teammates, family and friends. The hiring period for CSJ 2020 is now open! COVID-19 has brought our country and the Job placements are available at jobbank.gc.ca/ people of Orléans closer than ever. We have seen youth. This year, job opportunities will be availcountless gestures of compassion, help, and kind- able starting today, May 15, 2020, with some ness from many individuals, businesses and local placements going until Feb. 28, 2021. organizations. I want to say thank you to everyFinally, as we begin Phase 1 of reopening the one for buying local, supporting local restaurants economy, I ask everyone to exercise caution as or for volunteering to assist those in need. You we continue to live with the impacts of Covid-19. have all shown tremendous generosity, and I am Please stay safe and healthy. so proud to see the true colours our community Do not hesitate to visit canada.ca/covid19 shining brighter than ever. regularly for the latest news from the federal As you may know, your local elected offi- government. If you have any concerns or quescials meet weekly to discuss and share in what tions, call our office 613-834-1800 or e-mail matters most to you. We are always looking for Marie-France.Lalonde@parl.gc.ca

Commons Corner

Pandemic wipes out everything from festivals to soccer games I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have been riding a roller coaster of emotion since this pandemic began. Some days when I’m not worrying about how to pay the bills and I can get out for a ride on my bike, I feel an overwhelming sense of optimism. But then there are the other days, when the realism of the pandemic and the damage that is being done to our economy, not just in the present but for months and possibly years to come, that I feel an overwhelming sense of depression and anxiety. And the fact that we have so very little to look foward to this summer doesn’t help. This was supposed to be the summer that the boys and I were going to travel to Europe together. Not happening. I’m also a big festival guy and June is normally festival month in Ottawa. There’s the Ribfest, the Franco-Ontarien Festival, Carivibe, the Dragon Boat Festival, the Jazz Festival, the Italian Festival, Glowfest, the Fringe Festival, the Orléans Craft Beer Festival and the Latin Sparks Festival. One year, I went to five festivals in one day – Carivibe, the Ribfest, Italian Week, Glowfest and a festival that was being held in Navan.

Up Front Fred Sherwin They’ve all been cancelled this year – every single one of them, thanks to COVID-19. As has the Lebanese Festival, Greekfest, Chamberfest, the Hope Beach Volleyball Summerfest, the International Buskerfest, Ottawa Beer Fest and Joyfest. The Summer of 2020 will forever be known as the summer of COVID-19. The summer that fun forgot. There will be no warm summer nights catching the Redblacks play at TD Place or relaxing on a patio enjoying a glass of white wine, unless they let patios to operate at 50 per cent capacity. Even if they do, you can expect line-ups that would put the queues at Walmart and the LCBO to shame. I’m not sure what I’m going to miss most – enjoying a bowl of gelato as I check out the Ferraris lined up along Preston Street or checking out the Montreal International Jazz Festival.

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COVID-19 has even forced the cancellation of the Navan Fair for the first time in it’s 74-year history. Finding things to do to fill the void left by all the cancellations will be no easy task. I have a feeling I’m going to be putting a lot of miles on the old Victory Gunner. The kayak should get a lot of extra work as well, but it won’t be the same. If things ease up enough, I might take a trip down east to see my brother and go cruising up the Cabot Trail and possibly hope over to Prince Edward Island. The lobster supper houses will likely all be closed, but cruising along the island’s back roads, or along the Nova Scotia shoreline from Gainsborough to Dartmouth would be a welcome respite from the pandemic. If you are lucky enough to own a cottage, consider yourself among the very fortunate. At least you can escape from the monotony of suburbia in the age of COVID-19. Having a pool in the back yard would rate a close second. I especially feel for the kids who will have to spend the summer without the distraction of being able to go to camp. All of sleep-over camps have been forced to remain closed during the summer and most of the day camps won’t be able to get enough kids to be viable.

By the time Labour Day rolls around they’ll be chomping at the bit to go back to school, assuming the schools will be able to open. For the rest of us, every week will seem like the last with nothing to look forward to except a potential vaccine. There is the hope of travel further afield with some airlines already putting protocols in place to accept passengers. The only problem is there aren’t a whole lot of countries to go to. And when some countries do open up, a one-week vacation will have to be accompanied by 14 days of self isolation. Try selling that to the boss. “Excuse me sir, but I’d like to take three weeks off for a vacation. One week for my trip and two weeks to stay at home.” Chances are there won’t be a whole lot of people jetting off to Europe this summer. Then again, it might help tourism here in Canada. A number of countries in Europe are already encouraging their residents to vacation at home to help revitalize their own tourism industries. We would be wise to do the same here in Canada as long as we’re able to practice safe distancing and pack a bottle of hand sanitizer beside the sunscreen. Anything to help get us through the next three months while keeping our sanity intact.

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May 28, 2020 • Volume 35, No. 2 • 5

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Staying informed is the best way to stay empowered against virus

Heroes of Innes Awards recognize residents working on the front line

I would first like to begin by thanking that you can catch on my Facebook page. all the frontline, essential workers, I summarize the day’s news from all three doctors, nurses (and anyone else I may levels of government, and then cap things have missed) for the time they’re spending off with some good news stories or, as I’ve away from their families coined them, “my silver while trying to keep all of linings” segment. us safe during this crisis. In an effort to lift I think I can speak for all spirits and lessen some of us when I say that now of the side effects of more than ever, we are being quarantined, I host so very fortunate and so Beacon Hill-Cyrville Ward 11 weekly Zoom coffeeproud of all these amazing chats with the Gloucester people doing everything then can to help 50+ Seniors Centre. At the beginning, us overcome these difficult times. we heard from our MP and MPP with Keeping my residents informed with the updates from their levels of government latest news has been extremely important regarding their supportive efforts in the during these uncertain times. When this fight against the effects of COVID-19. whole thing started, we were publishing Since then we’ve had Mayor Watson, a our e-newsletters practically daily. That’s colleague from Ottawa Public Health, the literally what had to be done because of Ottawa Public Library, and Ottawa Police the mass amounts of information being take time out of their busy schedules to thrown at us. Seeing as much of the key share information with the group. We also information has already been distributed took a walk down memory lane with the by our federal provincial and municipal Gloucester Historical Society. We get a counterparts, my office has pivoted to a good turnout every time, and it’s become twice-a-week format. The amount of time one of the highlights of my week! that goes into every letter is huge, and I Finally, I hope that you, your families, have my entire team to thank for helping your loved ones, and your friends are put it together each and every time. fairing well. We will get through this, I’ve also been doing daily video updates stronger and better than ever!

The past several weeks have not been generosity by sewing masks to distribute for easy. The pandemic has forced us to stay free to her friends, family and neighbours. home, stay away from loved ones, and for We have heard about a grocery store many, caused financial and mental stress. clerk who retained her winning sense of However, throughout humour despite being on this health crisis, the the front lines of the health selfless acts of many in situation and went out of our community have proher way to tell jokes to vided a source of joy and make her customers smile, support. It is in recogeven behind their masks. nition of those individThen there was Innes Ward 2 uals, businesses and the story of a medical groups who have gone above and beyond professional who has been living apart from to help others during this pandemic, that I his family to protect them from potential launched the Heroes of Innes Award. exposure to the virus, while he works every The Heroes of Innes Award acknow- day to care for others who have fallen ill. ledges and celebrates those in our comThese are just a small sample of the munity who are putting others first and stories of compassion that have come to working to ensure their friends, neighbours, light following the call for nominations for and even complete strangers are being the Heroes of Innes Award. Nominations supported during these difficult times. are still being accepted through my website After putting out a call for nominations at LauraDudas.ca. Winners and sponsored a few weeks ago, the response I have prizes will be announced weekly in June received has been overwhelming and truly through video posts on my website, on shone a light on some of the positive stories social media, as well as on CFRA’s “The happening in our community every day. Goods” every Sunday morning. There is the young woman who, at the I want to thank all those in our comoutset of the pandemic, recognized the munity who are putting the needs of others urgent need for non-medical masks and first and bringing us joy at this difficult turned her sewing hobby into an act of time.

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May 28, 2020 • Volume 35, No. 2 • 7

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We need your continued determination and cooperation to stop the spread. 8 • May 28, 2020 • Volume 35, No. 2

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OPH releases confirmed COVID-19 cases in Orléans By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star For people wondering how widespread the coronavirus is in Orléans, data released by Ottawa Public Health (OPH) last week indicates that the actual number of positive tests stood at approximately 132 as of 2 p.m. on May 19. The number is an approximation based on the figures released by OPH – which are cases per 100,000 residents – and the population of the east end’s three city wards according to the 2016 census, which OPH also used in its calculations. Collating those numbers result in the following number of cases in each of the three wards: Orléans Ward - 43 cases; Innes Ward - 41 cases; and Cumberland Ward - 48 cases. It’s important to note that the figures reflect where the positive cases reside and not where the virus was contracted. It’s also important to point out that the figures do not include the number of positive tests in long-term care homes and retirement communities in the three ridings. In Innes Ward, which includes the Madonna Nursing Home there has been 114 confirmed cases as of May 19. In Orléans Ward, which includes the Résidence Saint-Louis, there has been 69

cases as of May 19. And in Cumberland Ward, which includes the Alavida Promenade Retirement Community, there has been 50 cases. That’s a total of 223 cases in long-term care and retirement communities in Orléans, or 91 more cases than in the general population. As a percentage of the total population,

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the number of confirmed cases among the general population excluding long-term care and retirement communities is 0.096 per cent. (132 ÷ 136,813). OPH didn’t provide any figures on the number of COVID-19 related deaths in

Orléans, nor did they release information on how many of the cases have already recovered from the virus. The figures will be updated every two weeks. You can find an updated map at ottawapublichealth.ca.

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Blackburn Hamlet author releases first novel By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star Imagine a world in which a nuclear war between Russia and China produces millions of refugees seeking safe haven in North America and Canada in particular at a time when the environmental fallout from the war has decimated our own domestic food supply and brought us near economic collapse. What would be the limits of our compassion? Would we continue our legacy of opening up our borders to help those in need as we did for the Vietnamese boat people, the Somalian war refugees, and more recently the Syrian refugees, or would we succumb to a push towards nationalism and isolation and close our borders? Those are the questions raised in Shawn MacWha’s first fictional novel Eastern Horizons: A Tale of Failure and Redemption. By day, MacWha works as a security analyst for the federal government. He and his wife Ann have four children between the ages of five and 15 and they live on a quiet street in Blackburn Hamlet. For the past two years, MacWha has spent the better part of his evenings working on his book. The concept for the novel started out as climate fiction with the massive diaspora triggered by a global environmental crisis. A glut of climate fiction novels in recent years forced a change of course and a change in the concept. Instead of an environmental crisis he chose a limited nuclear war between two of the world’s super powers. One thing that didn’t change was the theme of failure and redemption. Not everyone who fails has a shot at

redemption, but we all like to think we would at least have the chance to redeem our failures. The question what would we do if given that chance. Eastern Horizons: A Tale of Failure and Redemption gives us the opportunity to a least ponder that possibility no matter what our political leanings are. Whether you fall on the right of the political spectrum or the left, the book will force you to question the consequences of your potential actions in ways you might have never considered previously. The questions cut even deeper if you happen to be apolitical and strive to stay out of debates of a political nature. The central characters in the book are two navel officers aboard a Canadian navy vessel that has to perform an interdiction on a ship carrying several thousand refugees and a Malaysia mother trying to find a new home for her family. It’s an emotional read and one that MacWha is immensely proud of. “It’s really a book about social justice and how do we reconcile the challenge of accepting people seeking our help with the desire to look after ourselves first,” says MacWha. “The question the book raises is what would you do if you were put in charge?” The book itself is a family affair. MacWha’s wife Ann took the photo of the sun breaking through an overcast sky on the front cover and their 15-year-old son Robert designed the cover and laid out the book which is being printed on demand by Kindle Direct Publishing at no cost to MacWha. You can order the book two ways. The Kindle e-book costs only $3.99, while the soft cover version can be ordered on Amazon for $13.99.

Blackburn Hamlet author Shawn MacWha recently completed his first fictional novel entitled ‘Eastern Horizons: A Tale of Failure and Redemption’ about Canada’s response to a global refugee crisis. FRED SHERWIN PHOTO

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