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COVID-19 Update

First, let me apologize to those of you who had tried to contact me in the past few weeks. I was successful in contacting COVID and was in a lethargic fog for approximately 10 days. Fortunately it was a bad head cold and nothing that would have led to me to going to the hospital. I certainly can appreciate however, the effect of this virus on those that may be more vulnerable.

I cannot state for fact that vaccinations will shield you or I from getting COVID with any amount of certainty. I have to place my faith in those that have the skills in the medical field that can make the claims that the benefits far outweigh the risks. While it is everyone right and personal decision to make, just the same it is everyone right to feel safe while enjoying some freedoms that we all long for.

As you all know the Ford Government has extended the provincial stay at home order until June 2nd and while many of us have differing thoughts on that, you must understand that it is not option of the local council to defy the orders and/or encourage businesses to re-open. Like many of you, I do not see the logic behind many things, but like it or not we live in Ontario, not in Florida. Making the comparisons does nothing to getting us open any quicker. Our numbers here in H-N are better than in Toronto, why are we suffering just he same? It does not matter; our numbers may look good, but our ICU capacity is severely affected by the current COVID wave.

Would I like to be golfing or boating; absolutely. I would like to also have dinner at the local restaurants. I want to get there just as quick as you all do and the only way to get the Province to open up is to push the numbers down.

I can only hope and ask that you factor those around you and the businesses that desperately need our full support when choosing whether to get vaccinated or not.

Again, I believe the argument in favour of them far outweighs the arguments against.

Vaccine doses administered so far: 46,205
Number of people completely vaccinated: 5,102

Status updates / information on second doses: 

• The Health Unit is currently vaccinating eligible individuals in Phase 2 of the province’s rollout framework. Current eligibility details can be found at hnhu.org/covax-eligible.

• All appointments from May 19 onward may be booked using the provincial tool.

• Individuals who received their first dose of vaccine prior to April 20 are currently being contacted by the Health Unit to schedule second dose appointments. Second doses are being booked by date of first dose, not by age or group, to ensure they are administered within the 16-week (112 day) timeframe established by the province.

• If you have not received a phone call from the Health Unit and it is more than 90 days after your first dose, please call the vaccine hotline at 519-427-5903 and leave a message for follow-up.
• As the province expands eligibility further, there will be an increased demand for vaccine appointments. The Health Unit has requested additional doses in order to meet these demands and expedite community rollout. Clinics continue to run at capacity, and appointments are being added as vaccine supply is received.

Information regarding AstraZeneca vaccine:

• Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health has advised that the Ontario government is reviewing data to consider whether to use AstraZeneca for second doses. The province will be announcing next steps and guidance for people who received AstraZeneca as a first dose.

• All mass clinic sites in Haldimand and Norfolk are administering the Pfizer vaccine, while participating physicians have been administering Moderna.

• Individuals who received a first dose of AstraZeneca at a participating local pharmacy will be contacted regarding next steps once further instruction is provided by the province.

Eligibility and waitlist information:

• Individuals 40 and above, essential workers in Group 1 and Group 2 and individuals from all other previous groups are currently eligible to book online.

• Individuals 18+ become eligible across Ontario beginning May 24.

• The province is finalizing plans to administer both doses of vaccine to youth aged 12 to 17. The province anticipates these vaccinations for youth will be offered from mid-June to the end of August, in collaboration with school boards and other partners.​

• Waitlists continue to be an integral part of the local vaccine rollout strategy by ensuring unused doses (due to cancellations, no shows, etc) never go to waste and priority populations are receiving their shots as quickly as possible.

Caledonia Protest Update

OPP continue to make arrests and courts continue to release on conditions. It is frustrating for all those involved. I continue to recommend to Chief Hill and others that the time for a local born solution that sees the end of these kinds of interruptions to our communities is the only path of success that I see an end to. Both the Province and the Feds are overwhelmed with the Pandemic and other issues that unfortunately for us caught up in this dispute are not on the radar and waiting for them to arrive and attempt to solve this dispute in the near future is simply not going to happen.

I don’t believe locally we can solve the overarching ongoing land disputes along the Haldimand tract and elsewhere. That is clearly the function of the Federal government, and the process must be top down driven; but the idea of coming together from the bottom up on shared projects that meet local needs for both communities can enable us to demand more from the Province and the Feds. I have put forth several ideas to all those involved like our fresh lake water solution for Six Nations and I truly believe that it is these kind of plans that will start a tradition of successes for both communities living in the area and breakdown the existing barriers to us finding amicable ways of cohabiting and growing together for the benefits of both our future generations.

Lastly, a quick shout out to Shannon MacPherson-Adams. I wish you all the best and success in getting the stem cell treatment you and everyone so deserves. They are completing their fund-raising awareness ride today in Caledonia and I will be there with many of you cheering them on. For those that would like to help and donate, you can go to their Facebook page called; Shannon’s Plasma Cell Mates.

Stay safe,

Ken

Due to the recent lockdown and stay at home orders, the decision to close the county owned ramps were made.   I know that this frustrates many people and with every other decision made throughout this pandemic, you can shoot holes through them and find very good rationale to argue for and against.

So why close the ramps? While it is true is that many local people here fish and enjoy the amenities of the ramps along the grand river and Lake Erie, so do many from other parts of the Province.  In fact if you ask many of the residents of Port Maitland they can support the argument that the pier, ramp and park is a very public tourist destination. There are no amenities for these people and so garbage, feces and just about anything else lands on either public property or surrounding private property that obviously is upsetting for those homeowners.

There are privately run ramps that serve the public and offer the amenities needed to accept guests and locals.  Access to both waterways is available at a marginal cost and it helps the local private marina or business.

In comparison to golf, while my opinions differ from the Province on many of the COVID rules, most golfers are actually local, and privately run golf clubs possess the staff to keep outdoor facilities cleaned for their patrons. Public ramps just simply do not.

Today we are experiencing the 3rd wave of this virus and while it may seem like it is not evident here in HN, we are not immune to the very real affects of the variants that are pushing the numbers to all time highs. I understand that we are all VIRUS fatigued and frankly had enough but for the health and welfare of the communities, the small sacrifice of closing public boat ramps is a small price to pay for a couple of weeks to flatten and/or to know that we have done everything possible to keep our hospitals free and clear to help our loved ones.

We are currently working with the county staff and those that run private boat ramps to ensure that our local fishing population has some options available to them and so they can enjoy their pastime and be able to fish.

Stay safe,

Mayor Ken Hewitt

COVID-19 Update

I know that many of you are frustrated. We all share these sentiments and a while ago I said that trying to make sense of decisions made in this pandemic will only drive you more insane. We have tackled this pandemic over the past year with resilience, determination, respect and with the moral conduct that defines the character of those living here in Haldimand-Norfolk. That said, I can appreciate that everyone is nearing their breaking points.

We cannot control many of the decisions or choices made but we can embrace and celebrate the small successes along the way. Currently we are at approx. 25% of the overall population of HN vaccinated (at least 1 dose) and we should soon see groups over 60 be welcomed to the clinics. We are, as a percentage, ahead of most areas in Ontario. We are hoping that the Province will soon be able to furnish us with more vaccines, which will allow us to expand the sites into medical offices and pharmacies beyond what is available today. All in an effort to get to the finish line of vaccinating everyone who so chooses.

It is our understanding that the Province will once again take a further step to flatten the growing curve of COVID cases and will be issuing more orders this week.   We continue to express the concerns of our business owners the impact that these decisions have on them and that we believe there are different approaches that could be taken to achieve the outcomes they are looking for but also balance the needs of our small businesses.

Caledonia Protest Update

As many of you would think, things may seem to be quiet on this, at least in terms of visibility. I can tell you that there are many still working and trying to move things forward. Recently on Six Nations there were a few deaths within the families of the Confederacy and so some meetings have been delayed. I recently had a phone conversation with the Premier and shared with him some thoughts on how he could, from the Provincial level, take a leadership role in this and not to wait for the Feds but to help us along with Six Nations in forcing the Feds to engage. While it is the Feds who ultimately will resolve the long standing claim, it is the Province and us locally, who can find shared successes. It is these successes for the broader communities that will push those who continue to aggravate rather than to build, those that serve the few rather than the greater good of all. I will be meeting with Chief Hill soon to discuss our next steps and how we can play a role in supporting him with his efforts to get Six Nations to buy into his leadership and his ability to make a difference.

Nuisance Bylaw 

Over the past couple of years, there have been occasions here in Haldimand where people felt the need to push an agenda publicly beyond it being a message. While we feel that all groups despite their religion or background, should have the right to exercise their freedoms, we also believe that those such as business owners have the same rights to enjoy the public space they share in a way that does not infringe on one another. We believe there is a line for all of us to adhere to and level of respect that is applied in our actions as to how they may affect those around us. When people, usually outsiders of our communities come with an agenda that crosses that line, we now have a bylaw that, with the aid of the OPP, we can enforce.

Many people and businesses asked for this and while it not black and white, it is better than what we had in the past. We are not targeting any particular group or culture, or sector but we are targeting the actions of any person or persons that cross that line and would only ask that you guide yourself like the many good people of this community and this bylaw will not been required.

2021 Budget

Just recently we passed the 2021 budget for Haldimand. I cannot say enough about the strength of the staff working for you here in Haldimand. As Council we continue to put many pressures and demands on them and they continue to meet them and stay within the the budget parameters as prescribed. Our goal is to maintain increases with cost of living. A zero percent increase is not sustainable and you do not have to look far to see how well that works. We believe that a 2% annual increase is status quo and good financial planning. This year our increase comes in at 1.96%.

Many of you will see larger increases in your taxes but you understand that it is not the increase in taxes but the increase in your property assessment that may drive that number higher than you may expect. We all know in these times property values have increased substantially and so it my cause your taxes to move more than others. Aside from that I believe a 1.96% increase in a year with so many uncontrollable expenses and is a responsible and sensitive budget and in comparison to our peers, I would argue that it is better than most.

Stay safe,

Mayor Ken Hewitt