Tag Archives: Westport

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Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit

MEDIA RELEASE February 12, 2021

LGL Goes Green-Prevent on Feb 16

On February 16 at 12:01 AM, the Ontario  Stay At Home Order will be lifted in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark, and  we will move into the Ministry COVID-19 Response Framework in the Green-Prevent Zone. Ontario’s COVID-19 Response Framework as of 12:01am on Tuesday, February 16.

The lifting of the Stay-at-Home order in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark recognizes that our residents, municipalities, workplaces, businesses, and services have followed public health precautions well to reduce COVID-19 transmission within our region. 

“We are pleased to be returning to the Framework in the Green–Prevent zone,” said Dr. Paula Stewart, Medical Officer of Health for the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit. “Now is the time for everyone to be COVID-SMART, stay within our health unit region, and support our local businesses and services.  For organization and businesses, a COVID Safety Plan that outlines adherence to all required COVID-19 precautions in the Green- Prevent Zone, will keep employees safe, as well as the public.”

To keep ourselves, our family, friends and neighbours protected, it is important to continue to only have close contact with members of our own household. While social gatherings are now allowed for up to 10 people inside and 25 outside, consider carefully if an in-person get-together is essential and, if it is, then ensure everyone keeps 2 metres apart and wears a well fitted cloth mask.

The specific requirements for the Green-Prevent Zone of the Framework are outlined in O. Reg. 364/20: RULES FOR AREAS IN STAGE 3. You can check out the standard Ontario measuresin this zone and also check the Ontario’s COVID-19 Response Framework webpage to see how the Province’s measures affect the Leeds, Grenville, Lanark area.

As we released earlier this week, the new requirements added to the Framework include:

1.       Posting clear and visible signage at all business entrances, with detailed COVID-19 screening questions to facilitate passive screening of patrons.

2.       Active symptom screening of employees; the tool can be accessed online or downloaded (PDF) from the Ontario government website.

3.       Preparation of a safety plan for organizations and businesses that is available upon request.

The Province has included an “emergency brake” in their plan to allow a public health region that is experiencing high levels of COVID-19 transmission to quickly contain the community spread by quickly moving the region into Grey-Lockdown to interrupt the transmission of COVID-19.

The government considers a range of criteria when determining a Health Unit’s zone in the Framework. The Chief Medical Officer of Health considers case rate over a number of weeks, confirmed presence of COVID-19 variants of concern (VOCs); as well as health system and public health capacity. 

For local information about COVID-19 visit our website at www.healthunit.org.

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Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit

MEDIA RELEASE: February 9, 2021

Stay at Home order to be lifted on Feb 16th in LGL

The lifting of the Stay-at-Home order in Leeds, Grenville and Lanark recognizes that our residents, municipalities, workplaces, businesses, and services have followed public health precautions well to reduce COVID-19 transmission within our region that causes illness, hospitalizations and outbreaks in schools, long-term care and retirement homes.

The Province’s plan to lift the Stay-at-Home order for the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit region on February 16th, 2021 means that we will also be functioning within the Ministry COVID-19 Response Framework from that point on. Ontario’s COVID-19 Response Framework

What zone of the Framework will our health unit area be moving to on February 16th?

The government considers a range of criteria when determining its zone in the Framework:

  • Advice from the Chief Medical Officer of Health who considers trends in key indicators, including:
  • Epidemiology of the virus (e.g., case rate over a number of weeks, % positivity), including confirmed presence of COVID-19 variants of concern (VOCs);
  • Health system capacity;
  •  Public health system capacity; and
  • Local context and conditions

The Province will announce our zone by Feb. 16.  Based on current trends it could be Green-Prevent or Yellow-Protect which was where we were when the Shutdown occurred on Dec. 26, 2020.

The specific requirements for the Green, Yellow and Orange Zone of the Framework are outlined in O. Reg. 364/20: RULES FOR AREAS IN STAGE 3. In the Yellow Zones there are some more restrictions compared to the Green Zone in regards to opening hours or restaurants, liquor service and sales times, music volume, spacing of 3m for fitness activities, and collecting contact information.

New requirements added to the Framework include:

1.       Posting clear and visible signage at all business entrances, with detailed questions to facilitate passive screening of patron  in accordance with instructions on screening issued by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health;  

2.       Active symptom screening of employees; and

3.       Preparation of a safety plan for organizations and businesses, and make it available upon request.

All of us have a responsibility now to ensure we continue to follow all COVID-19 precautions and keep ourselves, our family, friends and neighbours protected form COVID-19 infection. This will ensure our health care providers and hospitals are able to provide regular care, mental health and community services are available, our schools stay open, and business and services thrive.

For local information about COVID-19 visit our website at www.healthunit.org.

Check for updates to the Ontario’s COVID-19 Response Framework webpage in the coming days for more information on how the Province’s measures affect the Leeds, Grenville, Lanark area.

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0% tax levy increase for westport in 2021

Westport Council approved a 0% increase in the tax levy at its February 2, 2021 Special Budget Committee of the Whole meeting and expect it to be passed as a bylaw at the next meeting of Council on March 2, 2021.

Careful considerations were given to the economic impacts of COVID-19 by Council during this year’s General Operations and Capital budget deliberations and several capital projects are being deferred until 2022.  The Village’s tax levy for 2021 will be the same as 2020.  The assessment growth determined by MPAC for 2021 is negligible.  The result to the property owner and tax payer is that the Village’s portion of the tax bill will be about the same as 2020.

Staff are commended for working with Mayor and Council over many hours to deliver a budget with a 0% increase in the tax levy in this challenging time

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REMINDER – TONIGHT @ 7:00 SCIENCE BEHIND IMPLICIT BIAS

Ms Anna LASZLO will be delivering this workshop on the Village You Tube channel tonight. She will provide the science to help us understand how people develop implicit bias, how it impacts our relationships – both personal and business and how it seeps into public policy. Anna also delivers several suggestions, based on scientific research, of what can be done to minimize implicit bias in ourselves, colleagues and our organizations.

Ms LASZLO delivered this workshop at the ROMA conference on Tuesday this week and really hit it out of the park. I believe you will find her inspiring and her workshop riveting.

How to watch the workshop. Search You Tube on the web – you can use your computer, tablet or smart phone. Once you open the You Tube page, type Village of Westport into its search bar. The Village of Westport’s page should be the first one on the list, but it is clearly marked with out crest. Click on it and the village page will open. There will be several council meeting videos on our page (I encourage you to watch them when you have time) however you will have no difficulty finding the Science Behind Implicit Bias.

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In-person learning return dates for WESTPORT (UCDSB) Students

MEDIA RELEASE

January 20, 2021 (Brockville, ON) – This school year has been about balancing our students’ academic needs and the obligation to keep them, and our staff, safe while at school. 

Schools in the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit (LGL) will reopen to all students for in-person learning on January 25.   . 

  • Elementary schools served by the Leeds, Grenville, and Lanark Health Unit will welcome students back to in-person learning on January 25. Your school principal will be sending out a welcome back letter and informing you of any changes in health practices that will be taking place at your school for the return. If a student lives in EOHU but attends school in LGL, then they can attend.    
      
  • Grade 9-12 students in the LGL health unit area will continue with remote learning until the end of Quadmester 2 (Friday, Jan. 29). This delayed re-start will allow Grades 9-12 students the opportunity to start with a new cohort of students at the beginning of Quadmester 3 on Tuesday, Feb. 2 and limit their number of contacts.    

Further items of note:  

  • As announced earlier this month, it is required that all students in Grades 1-12 will need to wear non-medical or cloth masks indoors at school, including in hallways and during class times, on school transportation and outdoors during recess where students cannot maintain physical distancing. Masking in Kindergarten is optional but encouraged. 
      
  • For Grade 9-12 students currently using non-digital resources, new packages need to be picked up on Thursday, Jan. 21 and completed packages returned. The final package for the quadmester will need to be returned to your teacher no later than Thursday, Jan. 28 for evaluation. Please contact your teacher if you have any questions.    

While we want to see all students back in our schools, we understand the government’s decision to remain vigilant to slow the spread of COVID-19 and to keep our students and staff safe. We need to ensure that we continue with daily screening for symptoms and follow public health protocols that are in place.   

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