MAPLETON – Mayor Gregg Davidson says the consensus among Wellington County mayors is the existing local state of emergency should stay in place until the majority of county residents are vaccinated against COVID-19.
COVID-19
Council designates Safe Restart funds to cover past, pending pandemic expenses
MINTO – Council here has approved a plan to utilize just under $140,000 in federal/provincial Safe Restart Agreement funds to cover pandemic-related operational expenses from 2020, leaving about $125,000 in reserve for 2021.
Experts call on governments to address wait times for mental health services
WELLINGTON COUNTY – Mental health experts throughout Ontario are calling on the province to take immediate action to help reduce wait times for access to mental health care.
Pandemic has been tough – but also an opportunity to come back stronger
GUELPH - If anyone can say how residents of Guelph and Wellington County have been managing this past year, it’s Sarah Haanstra.
‘It’s ruining all of our lives’: COVID-19 long haulers still dealing with impacts of virus
WELLINGTON COUNTY – Jackie Loree wakes up every day wondering when her COVID-19 symptoms will subside. She’s been dealing with chest pain, shortness of breath and fatigue for a year now.
Local economy in recovery mode after year of turbulence
WELLINGTON COUNTY – As the entire country rolled into lockdown mode to protect against an unprecedented new health threat in March of 2020, municipal politicians and staff in Wellington County had to consider action to protect all elements of the community.
Calls to support lines surge as pandemic continues to take toll on mental health
WELLINGTON COUNTY – Experts say Canadians’ mental health has been put to the test, with stress, anxiety and depression at all-time highs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Total remuneration for township council lower in Mapleton in 2020
MAPLETON – The total cost of remuneration for township council members here was down by about $23,000 in 2020.
Health Canada: modified COVID-19 vaccines for variants coming
OTTAWA - Health Canada announced on March 4 that vaccine modifications that respond to new variants of COVID-19 will be made available to Canadians quickly without compromising safety, efficacy or quality.
A year in
Looking back, it has been a monumental year.
New vaccination centre opens at West End Community Centre in Guelph
GUELPH – Beginning March 16, the vaccine clinic at the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health…
Canadians believe government action could have reduced COVID-19 LTC death toll
TORONTO - The National Institute on Ageing (NIA) and the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) has released the findings of an online national survey gauging the perspectives of 2,005 Canadians on how the second wave of the pandemic has impacted the state of Canada’s long-term care (LTC) systems.
Warden says pandemic end in sight after tumultuous year
WELLINGTON COUNTY – Once the novel coronavirus arrived in Canada “COVID hit us very hard and fast,” said Warden Kelly Linton, one year after the pandemic’s effects were first felt in the county.
Asymptomatic testing hub comes to Fergus high school next week
FERGUS - An asymptomatic COVID-19 testing hub will be set up at Centre Wellington District High School on March 25, 27 and 28. Eligible students, families and staff in the area will be notified through their school.
Twelve schools in WDGPH region reporting COVID-19 cases – one in Wellington
WELLINGTON COUNTY – As of March 16, 12 schools in the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) region, including one in Wellington County, are reporting active COVID-19 cases.