BARRIE, ONT. After being declared a COVID-19 hot-zone , the town of Bradford West Gwillimbury is looking for an increased supply of vaccines. Councillors in Bradford are calling on Simcoe-Muskoka s medical officer of health to push the province to provide more doses. The fact that our distribution of vaccines is apparently less than our per capita allotment would be troubling enough, but the reality that we are the only hot zone in your district should be reflected in surging vaccines to address this issue, councillors wrote in a letter to Dr. Charles Gardner Bradford has the highest incidence rate in Simcoe County, with 221 cases per 100,000 residents, nearly triple Barrie s rate.
BARRIE, ONT. The organizer of a recurring protest against COVID-19 restrictions in downtown Barrie has been hit with an $800 fine. Barrie Police issued a provincial offence notice to the man who spearheaded demonstrations at Meridian Place every Saturday since early March. Police estimate the latest rally drew 300 people. On Friday, police said while they respect the right of demonstrators to gather, they wanted people to abide by the provincial stay-at-home order and public health guidelines. In a social media post on Saturday, the organizer of the Barrie Freedom Rally told his followers: stay at home? no!
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BARRIE, ONT. Officials say there is no danger to the public or the environment after a chemical exposure in Springwater Saturday afternoon. Fire officials were called to Terrapure Environmental Solutions on Snow Valley Road shortly after 3 p.m., following calls of smoke coming out of one of the buildings towards the back of the property. With the help of Barrie Fire s hazmat team, officials determined the smoke was caused by aluminum trichloride, a powder substance used for a variety of industrial purposes, mixing with water. All Terrapure staff were evacuated, and the surrounding area, including a walking trail, was cleared.
BARRIE, ONT. With climbing ICU admissions and an embattled COVID-19 vaccine campaign, the Ontario Medical Association s past president believes the next month could be a bleak one. Dr. Sohail Gandhi understands the initial focus on inoculating the most elderly. But with more younger people getting sick, the Stayner, Ont.-based doctor, thinks it may be time to rethink that strategy. Until we start getting the COVID vaccines to the family doctors who can identify the patients who are at highest risk, who are working in factories, who are in really congested, crowded housing situation I m really starting to worry about how well we re going to manage the rest of April.
BARRIE, ONT. The province s third shutdown has some business owners taking a firm stand, outright refusing to close their doors, with every customer counting towards survival. We are going to be open for full dine-in service, as well as takeout service. And we will be having our patio set up as well, says P zza owner Stefano Agostino. The Ontario government implemented a 28-day shutdown for the entire province that came into effect Saturday amid souring COVID cases. Despite the restrictions, which force restaurants and eateries to close to in-person dining and offer takeout or delivery only, Agostino says he s firm on remaining open. It s a decision of livelihood. We need to survive, and we need to operate at our fullest capacity to be able to survive at this point.