Office of the Mayor and Council update
July 20, 2021
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Halton maintains sufficient vaccine supply
Oakville clinic continues to offer Pfizer;
Burlington clinic offering walk-in appointments
Thanks to an increased supply of the Pfizer vaccine, the St. Volodymyr clinic here in Oakville will be able to continue offering Pfizer, rather than switching to Moderna as was planned last week.
And, with sufficient supplies of Moderna vaccine and appointments available in July the Gary Allan Learning Centre Clinic in Burlington will begin offering walk-in appointments on a first come, first served basis. Starting today, appointments are available to those aged 18 and older as this is a Moderna clinic. Follow on social media for dates and times.
Halton’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Meghani, reminds residents of the importance of getting vaccinated and completing both doses as early as possible to gain full protection from COVID-19 and its variants, including Delta.
If you know someone who may have trouble booking an appointment, please offer to help them do so.
And if you’ve received a vaccine out of the province, or know someone who has, you can now register it with Halton Public Health through Halton’s online form. Your proof of vaccination will be reviewed by a Public Health professional to determine if it is valid in Ontario. Valid vaccine records will be added to the Provincial COVID-19 immunization database within 10 business days.
Please keep well, stay safe, and let me know of any chance to help by emailing mayor@oakville.ca.
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DAR Foundation EID in the park
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Today I joined members of the Dar Foundation at Sixteen Mile Sports Complex for an Eid celebration. I reminded guests that I’m here to help our residents increase the livability, harmony and prosperity of our town. Together, we will keep making Oakville better.
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National Drowning Prevention Week
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To kick off National Drowning Prevention Week, Oakville Fire Chief Paul Boissonneault and Halton’s emergency services have an important message to share with residents on the importance of staying safe around our waterways. Be responsible and don’t take any risks.
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To see today’s updated COVID-19 statistics for Oakville from Halton’s Public Health Unit CLICK HERE
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Oakville Town Council, pictured here following the election in 2018, represents seven wards with a Town and Regional and Town Councillor in each riding.
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Today Halton is reporting 13 new cases of COVID-19 since last Friday’s report, adjusting the seven-day average to 7 cases per day.
Oakville is reporting 5 new case from yesterdays reported 5,489 to now 5,494.
Oakville is reporting 5 new recoveries from yesterdays reported 5,601 to now 5,606.
Oakville made up 38 per cent of the cases today;
- Oakville reporting 5
- Milton reporting 0
- Burlington reporting 4
- Halton Hills reporting 4
There are currently 8 Active Cases in Oakville and 1 COVID-19 patients being cared for at OTMH (this number includes transfers from facilities outside of Halton Region).
Today Ontario is reporting a total of 548,474 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario reported to date. Compared to the previous day, this represents:
- An increase of 127 confirmed cases (percent change of -2.3%)
- An increase of 2 deaths (percent change not applicable)
- An increase of 126 resolved cases (percent change of -17.6%)
Today there are 149 patients in Ontario ICUs with 43 testing negative for COVID-19 and 106 testing positive and remain infectious. 98 of those remain on ventilators. |
Note: Hospitalization includes all cases for which a hospital admission date was reported or hospitalization/ICU was reported as ‘Yes’ at the time of data extraction. It includes cases that have been discharged from hospital as well as cases that are currently hospitalized. Emergency room visits are not included in the number of reported hospitalizations.
ICU admission includes all cases for which an ICU admission date was reported at the time of data extraction. It is a subset of the count of hospitalized cases. It includes cases that have been treated or that are currently being treated in an ICU.
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Source: Public Health Ontario
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Halton COVID-19 Monitoring Dashboard
The indicators are based on the Ontario Public Health Unit Core Indicators for COVID-19 Monitoring, with targets adapted to the local Halton context and population. Together the indicators are intended to provide an overall snapshot of current local data on the COVID-19 pandemic, to keep the community informed and assist with local decision-making.
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As of this morning Canada had reported 1,423,889 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 4,608 considered active. The death toll stood at 26,504.
As of early Tuesday morning, more than 190.9 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, according to Johns Hopkins University, with a reported global death toll of more than four million.
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Halton's COVID-19 vaccination program
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If you received a COVID-19 dose outside of Ontario, you can report it to Halton Region Public Health through Halton’s online form. Your proof of vaccination will be reviewed by a Public Health professional to determine if it is valid in Ontario. Valid vaccine records will be added to the Provincial COVID-19 immunization database within 10 business days.
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COVID-19 vaccines for Ontario
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As of Tuesday at 9:38 am CST, more than 45,909,057 doses of approved COVID-19 vaccines have been administered across Canada.
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Town of Oakville Announcements
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Now that Oakville is in Step 3 of the Province’s reopening plan, indoor recreation and culture activities will gradually be reintroduced over the next few weeks.
Browse Active Oakville to see what’s available!
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Environment Canada has issued a Special Air Quality Statement for Halton region that began Monday evening (July 19) and is extending into Tuesday, July 20.
Smoke is causing poor air quality and reducing visibility. Smoke is expected or occurring, the national weather agency said in its statement under the "warning" section.
Read the full story
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Partnership will offer free online courses to those impacted by the pandemic
The Ontario government is investing $5.8 million in free online training to help 100,000 workers gain the skills they need to find good jobs and restart their careers. Courses will focus on building skills most in-demand by employers in fields such as information technology, finance and business administration.
This funding is part of the government’s $115 million Skills Development Fund to address challenges to hiring, training and retraining workers because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As our province safely and steadily reopens we’re seeing strong demand for qualified workers across many industries,” said Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development. “There are more than 250,000 jobs in Ontario going unfilled today. Many hardworking people are eager to start these new, well-paying and purpose-driven careers. Through this partnership with LinkedIn, we’ve identified the top skills employers are looking for and we’re offering free online training to help workers and their families get back on their feet.”
Workers will have access to over 17,000 courses, including videos taught by global industry experts. Employment Ontario career experts will coach each worker on which courses match their needs and personal career goals.
“We are excited to facilitate economic growth in Ontario through our learning, labor market insights, and recruiting products,” said Mark Lobosco, Vice President of LinkedIn Talent Solutions, “Together, we can create more equal access to opportunity through learning and skills and help prepare Ontarians for the jobs of today and tomorrow.”
This partnership aligns with Ontario’s efforts to quickly re-skill laid off workers, reach traditionally under-represented groups and support the talent needs of small businesses.
It will also provide employment services organizations with access to local labour market data to ensure workers are building skills reflected in local job postings. Employment service providers will also be able to use the platform’s employer outreach tools to build relationships with local employers to connect workers with job placements more quickly.
"As we move forward with reopening, our government is committed to helping workers find good, meaningful and well-paying jobs," said Robin Martin, MPP for Eglinton-Lawrence. "This important investment will ensure everyone looking for work can quickly access the training they need to start in-demand jobs and get back on their feet." said Robin Martin, MPP for Eglinton-Lawrence."
The funding comes as part of the government’s $115 million Skills Development Fund to address challenges to hiring, training and retraining workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and is part of the province’s 2021 Budget, Ontario’s Action Plan: Protecting People’s Health and Our Economy.
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New annual funding to combat anti-Black racism within the child welfare system
The Ontario government is investing $800,000 annually in One Vision, One Voice, a community-led initiative with a focus on anti-Black racism. The project supports the delivery of culturally appropriate services to address the disproportionate representation of African Canadian and Black children and youth in the child welfare system, as well as significant disparities they face compared to other groups.
“One Vision, One Voice gives African Canadian and Black children and youth in care a much stronger voice,” said Jane McKenna, Associate Minister of Children and Women’s Issues. “Ensuring Black families have access to culturally appropriate supports when they are needed is essential as we redesign child welfare in Ontario and work to build a better, more inclusive system.”
The purpose of the One Vision One Voice project is to support the delivery of safe and suitable services for African Canadian and Black children, youth and families to improve outcomes in Ontario’s child welfare system. Some significant achievements include:
- An anti-Black racism training program for child welfare leaders
- Aunties and Uncles, a unique initiative offering Black and African Canadian youth in care a Black mentor, or an “auntie or uncle,” who can provide a sense of cultural self-identity
- An African Canadian service delivery model to help children’s aid societies support Black and African Canadian children, youth and families
- A mentoring program for African Canadian child welfare staff to advance to senior level positions, and
- Multiple youth symposiums for African Canadian and Black Youth in Care and symposiums for all-Black staff.
“This important work being done by the child welfare sector will provide Black children and youth with the supports they need to achieve their full potential,” said Dr. Merilee Fullerton, Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. “These new supports will build on the incredible work of community organizations through the enhanced Ontario Black Youth Action Plan.”
Providing high quality, culturally appropriate and responsive community-based services with a focus on prevention and early intervention is a key component of Ontario’s child welfare redesign strategy. This includes investing in initiatives to better serve Indigenous, Black, racialized and LGBTQ2S children and youth.
“We commend the government for recognizing the damaging impact of the overrepresentation of African Canadians in the child welfare system,” said Nicole Bonnie, Chief Executive Officer of the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies. “This funding will help support the dismantling of anti-Black racism as it requires consistent, urgent and focused attention. The One Vision One Voice practice frameworks will provide societies with the tools to embed culturally relevant supports to help examine systemic issues related to anti-Black racism, policies and practices that create disparate outcomes for Black families.”
“We recognize that Black and racialized children and families are overrepresented in the child welfare system, including at our agency,” said Bryan Shone, Executive Director from the Children’s Aid Society of Hamilton. “One Vision One Voice continues to provide us with an opportunity to adjust our practices, engage communities, and reinvent a system that ensures Black children, youth and families in the community, and in care, have access to services that will support, promote and enhance their overall health and well-being."
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Dr. Andrew Boozary has witnessed many people walk away from vaccination clinics upon hearing that their second dose would be a different brand than their first.
Boozary, who is with the University Health Network, told the Star misinformation about mixing brands is one of the factors contributing to Ontario’s vaccination numbers trending downward and on Sunday hitting the lowest single-day vaccine total since May 24.
Read the full story
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Students must return to class in September barring "only the most catastrophic of circumstances," according to a report penned by the Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table, as well as physicians from prominent children's hospitals across the province.
Read the full story
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Long commutes, recruitment and turnover are draining workers and businesses, says report by WoodGreen and the Toronto board of trade.
Read the full story
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There is no path to net-zero emissions that does not involve Canada’s forests. Planting trees is a natural climate solution that removes and stores carbon from the atmosphere while providing other benefits such as better air and water quality, particularly in urban settings and decreases risk of wildland fire to rural communities; and supports biodiversity. It also provides spaces for recreational opportunities that improve our wellbeing and our connection to nature.
Today, Adam van Koeverden, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth and to the Minister of Canadian Heritage (Sport) and Member of Parliament for Milton, announced $190,403 to Conservation Halton in support of the Government of Canada’s plan to plant two billion trees over 10 years. Conservation Halton will plant 50,000 trees at 36 sites across the region. This project will support planned restoration projects in ecosystems such as wetlands, creeks, former farmland, and forested areas and will provide increased regional biodiversity, resilient communities, and the creation of green jobs.
The Two Billion Trees program continues the Government of Canada’s existing efforts to advance tree planting as an important part of the solution to climate change. Canada’s plan to plant two billion trees is projected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 12 megatonnes annually by 2050. It will create up to 4,300 green jobs.
With the help of dedicated organizations across the country, we look forward to growing our healthy, diverse and sustainably managed forests, leaving behind a legacy for future generations.
Natural Resources Canada is implementing this plan with support from Environment and Climate Change Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The Two Billion Trees program represents a 40-percent increase in the number of trees we typically plant over a decade and will see trees planted in both urban and rural areas across the country. In 10 years, the new trees will cover the equivalent of over 1.1 million hectares, an area twice the size of Prince Edward Island.
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A fourth wave of COVID-19 within Canada could be among the unvaccinated, but it likely won’t be enough to bring back sweeping restrictions previously seen, according to experts.
Read the full story
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India has been devastated by the Delta variant. On Monday, the country reported 38,164 new COVID-19 cases and 499 deaths, the lowest in over three months.
Read the full story
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As many Canadians embrace a return to summer gatherings and activities amid relatively high vaccination rates and dropping COVID-19 case counts, millions of people around the world are still suffering the ravages of the pandemic as they desperately wait for vaccines, doctors and scientists say.
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Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc is sounding a note of hope that Canadians who mixed and matched vaccines will not have a problem crossing borders in the months ahead.
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A maskless Premier Jason Kenney shakes hands, embraces Calgary Stampede visitors and stands shoulder-to-shoulder for photo-ops in a video posted to his social media pages on Sunday.
"Such a joy to connect with Albertans during Canada's first major event after the pandemic," the caption reads.
His choice of phrasing — "after the pandemic" — worries health experts who say it falsely implies the coronavirus is no longer a cause for concern.
Read the full story
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The C.D. Howe Institute says 70 to 75 per cent of Canadian passenger auto sales will have to be zero-emission vehicles by 2030 in order to achieve the federal government's emissions targets.
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A new report states that India's actual death toll could be in the millions, not thousands. But the government has dismissed those concerns as exaggerated and misleading.
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The state of South Australia said it would join Sydney and Victoria in lockdown from Tuesday evening for seven days after detecting new cases of the Delta strain.
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England's so-called "Freedom Day" could have disastrous consequences for the country and the world, says Dr. Deepti Gurdasani.
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The more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 now makes up 83 per cent of sequenced samples in the United States, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Tuesday.
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The more contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 now makes up 83 per cent of sequenced samples in the United States, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Tuesday.
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A culture of resistance to government is threatening to fuel a wave of illness and death, Edward Keenan writes.
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Early Catholic mission records obtained by CBC News, along with the testimony of elders from the community who attended Marieval residential school, help shed some light on who could be buried there.
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In Canada, only Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine has been authorized for use in children aged 12 years and up, while trials are under way for younger age groups.
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Many businesses don't have the time, information or legal advice to make these assessments: Molly Reynold.
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Food Banks experiencing record demand
Oakville's food banks are in record-breaking demand. If you can donate anything, please do. Your help is needed.
Fareshare Food Bank Oakville:
905-847-3988
oakvillefoodbank@gmail.com
Kerr Street Mission
905-845-7485
kerrstreet.com
The Salvation Army Oakville
salvationarmy.ca
Oakville Meals on Wheels continues to operate
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Oakville Meals on Wheels continues to operate under increased safety measures.
Learn more
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Oakville Fare Share Food Bank new hours
The demand for service at the Oakville Fare Share Food Bank have almost doubled over the last nine months and as a result, hours will increase to serve everyone.
The new hours are:
Monday 9.30 am to 2.30 p.m.
Thursday 2 to 7 p.m.
This is an increase of two hours per week and will continue until at least the end of February
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