RoseAnne Archibald of Ontario has made history today when after five rounds of ballot votes, she was elected National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. She is the first woman to be elected by the Chiefs to this important influential position. Chief Archibald is a very determined, intelligent, courageous person who I met in 2007 and have been a little in awe of ever since.
Chief Archibald’s election comes days after PM Trudeau recommended to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to appoint the first Indigenous Governor General, Mary Simon.
What an incredible week for Indigenous Women Leaders. Hooray!
Westport recognizes the diversity of this land and acknowledges a complex history better understood through Truth and Reconciliation and the lived experiences of all communities.
The Village of Westport joins communities across Canada and the world in mourning the loss of the children who died because of the residential school system. The reported remains of at least 751 individuals who died at the site of the former Marieval Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan reminds us of the disturbing legacy that residential schools continue to have on Indigenous people across our country.
We are outraged at the loss of lives and ashamed that this behaviour was tolerated, even accepted and excused because of a government “policy”. These grave sites are a stark reminder that residential schools forcefully disrupted Indigenous families, deprived them of their culture, and exposed many children to extreme forms of abuse. Here. In Canada. In Ontario.
Many people have said “I didn’t know that this was going on when I was growing up”. Fair enough – but now everyone should know and acknowledge the injustices that were the reality for Indigenous people in Canada. Become informed and use these grim discoveries as the spark to learn the truth about residential schools and the impacts they continue to have on individuals, their families and communities.
This Canada Day, take time to reflect on what we can do as a community to help Canada become a better place for everyone. What role you have and what can we do collectively to move towards reconciliation with Indigenous peoples?
Westport will not be holding any Canada Day events this year, nor is the Village initiating or sponsoring the decorating or placing of flags as in other years. Municipal Canadian flags will remain at half mast for one week.
The Cowessess First Nation says ground-penetrating radar recently discovered 751 unmarked graves at the Marieval Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan.
Recently Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation discovered of 215 children buried at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in unmarked graves.
There is an outflowing of emotion: outrage, dismay, profound grief. And there are many unanswered questions that need to be asked in the coming days and weeks. This shared history of residential schools profoundly impacts residential school survivors, their families, and their communities and indeed all Canadians.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada made 94 Calls to Action. Number 80 was to establish a statutory holiday, a National Day For Truth and Reconciliation, to honour Survivors, their families and communities and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of resident schools remains a vital component of he reconciliation process.
The Canadian government has proclaimed September 30 as National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Small step, however moving in the right direction.
Authentic reconciliation will only occur when we each do our part, taking lots of small individual steps. Let’s join hands and step together.
CONTINUING IMPROVEMENTS IN KEY INDICATORS ALLOWING PROVINCE TO EASE ADDITIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH MEASURES
JUNE 24, 2021
PREMIER’S OFFICE NEWS RELEASE
TORONTO — With key public health and health care indicators continuing to improve, the provincewide vaccination rate now surpassing the targets outlined in the province’s Roadmap to Reopen, and on the recommendation of the the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the Ontario government is moving the province into Step Two of its Roadmap to Reopen at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, June 30, 2021.
“Because of the tireless work of our health care heroes, and the record setting success of our vaccine rollout, we are able to move into Step Two ahead of schedule on June 30 with the support of our public health experts” said Premier Doug Ford. “We are proceeding safely with the re-opening of our province and will continue to work around the clock until the job is done.”
In order to enter Step Two of the Roadmap, Ontario needed to have vaccinated 70 per cent of adults with one dose and 20 per cent with two doses for at least two weeks, ensuring a strong level of protection against COVID-19. Thanks to the dedicated efforts of Ontario’s health care partners, as of June 23, 2021, over 76 per cent of the population in Ontario ages 18 and over have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and over 29 per cent have received their second dose. More than 13.3 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered provincewide.
Before entering Step Two, the province also needed to see continued improvement in key public health and health care indicators, including hospitalizations, ICU occupancy and the weekly cases incidence rates. After entering Step One, during the period of June 11 to 17, 2021, the provincial case rate decreased by 24.6 per cent. As of June 22, the number of patients with COVID-19 in ICUs is 305, including 10 patients from Manitoba, as compared to 450 two weeks ago. The province expects these positive trends to continue over the coming days before entering Step Two.
“Due to a continued improvement in key indicators, Ontario is ready to enter Step Two of our Roadmap, allowing us to safely and gradually ease public health measures while continuing to stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “Thank you to the Ontarians who rolled up their sleeves to help us reach this exciting milestone. Every dose administered brings us one step closer to the things we’ve missed, so please sign up to receive the vaccine when it’s your turn.”
Step Two of the Roadmap focuses on the resumption of more outdoor activities and limited indoor services with small numbers of people where face coverings are worn, with other restrictions in place. This includes, but is not limited to:
Outdoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 25 people;
Indoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 5 people;
Essential and other select retail permitted at 50 per cent capacity;
Non-essential retail permitted at 25 per cent capacity;
Personal care services where face coverings can be worn at all times, and at 25 per cent capacity and other restrictions;
Outdoor dining with up to 6 people per table, with exceptions for larger households and other restrictions;
Indoor religious services, rites, or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services permitted at up to 25 per cent capacity of the particular room;
Outdoor fitness classes limited to the number of people who can maintain 3 metres of physical distance;
Outdoor sports without contact or modified to avoid contact, with no specified limit on number of people or teams participating, with restrictions;
Overnight camps for children operating in a manner consistent with the safety guidelines produced by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health;
Outdoor sport facilities with spectators permitted at 25 per cent capacity;
Outdoor concert venues, theatres and cinemas, with spectators permitted at 25 per cent capacity;
Outdoor horse racing and motor speedways, with spectators permitted at 25 per cent capacity;
Outdoor fairs, rural exhibitions, festivals, permitted at 25 per cent capacity and with other restrictions.
While the province has surpassed Step Three vaccination targets, Ontario may remain in Step Two for a period of approximately 21 days to allow the most recent vaccinations to reach their full effectiveness and to evaluate any impacts of moving to Step Two on key public health and health care indicators. When it is determined to be safe, the province will promptly move to Step Three of the Roadmap to Reopen.
“Due to the continued commitment of Ontarians adhering to public health measures and going out to get vaccinated, we have seen our key health indicators continue to improve across the province,” said Dr. David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health. “While we can now begin preparing to ease public health measures under the Roadmap, the fight against COVID-19 is not over and we must continue adhering to the public health advice and measures currently in place to maintain this great progress.”
Robin, The Mayor 
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