Flamborough Review

A record per cent of tests are coming back positive for COVID in Hamilton as case numbers are climbing again. The situation may be worse than it appears as numbers have been under-reported in Hamilton for a week because of delays in lab results uploaded to the provincial system.

Hamilton’s public school board faces having to cut about $2 million in spending on supports for special education students this September as COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on enrolment.

Anyone 18 and older living in one of the city’s five hot spot postal codes is now eligible to book a vaccination appointment. While Flamborough postal codes haven't been identified, more residents can book their vaccines starting this week. Public health said anyone who is turning 50 years and older in 2021, has high-risk health conditions or cannot work from home will be able to book an appointment for a vaccine on the Ontario portal on May 6. This applies to all postal codes in Hamilton.

A month ago, André Smith was a little hesitant about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine. Then he caught the virus.

Every case is solvable. It’s a common refrain from police, whether a case is fresh or has long gone cold. For two retired investigators, it’s become a full-time job.

Steel bollards will line the perimeter of Hamilton City Hall to defend the civic square from potential vehicle-driven attacks during gatherings. Councillors approved the $682,000 plan after an initial nod by the public works committee last week.

Kyle Ashley was approaching nearly one year of working from home, alone, navigating a daily barrage of video conferences and emails. Sensing burnout, he took a vacation day, ideally to spend roaming the neighbourhood with his golden retriever, a two-year-old rescue named Cooper. Instead, he spent most of it sitting at his desk, doing more work, this time without the torrent of urgent correspondence that accompanies actual workdays.

Steven Edward Robinson, 55, recently completed a seven-year sentence for sexual interference. Police spokesperson Jackie Penman said that a media release was put out because Robinson’s file indicates he may be a risk to reoffend.

Pharmacies in Waterdown are among those that will give out AstraZeneca vaccine to residents aged 55 and over

Pandemic-inspired creativity led Waterdown’s Erin Montgomery and Alanna Sanford to co-author a children’s book celebrating single-parent families.

A definition of what is essential is just one of the many particulars missing from the province’s latest lockdown plan, which has left police in the precarious position of deciding why people should be out and about.

Hamilton city councillors are praising a new one-stop shop website local MPP Donna Skelly has launched to help small businesses through the pandemic. But they say a lack of paid sick days for many low-wage workers is a dangerous gap amid the ongoing struggle to curb the coronavirus.

Hamilton’s overwhelmed public health department has been ‘unable to make contact’ with more than 250 patients after their 14-day isolation period ended to see if they are still sick from the virus

The city’s paramedic service plans to unveil a new bike unit by the spring. It will allow paramedics to provide rapid response in areas of the city that are difficult to reach, such as wooded areas and trails. The greatest need for the unit, however, will likely be at larger community events where congestion and crowds can make it difficult for vehicles to manoeuvre.

A round of letters from the Canada Revenue Agency has self-employed Canadians who received the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) worried they may have to pay back the thousands of dollars they say kept them afloat during the pandemic’s early months. Are you a Flamborough resident who received a similar letter? The Flamborough Review wants to hear from you.

A letter from Waterdown District High School Principal Theresa Sgambato sent to families and posted on the school’s website, said Hamilton Public Health Services notified the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board of the positive COVID case in a student on Nov. 19.

The city has fined six businesses in total since it started posting a list of those it charges for being rule-breakers.

New restrictions are being placed on Hamilton businesses to curb the spread of COVID-19. For two of Hamilton’s largest sectors manufacturers and the restaurant industry the measures will have nearly opposite effects.

In a report to Hamilton public school board trustees, education director Manny Figueiredo said the board’s chronic bus shortages have improved considerably, which means school bus cancellations may be over by mid-December. But the board is unlikely to deliver midday bus routes despite the wishes of students living in rural areas.

Power is out for more than 300 residents in Waterdown early Friday morning.

Trustees at the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) have suggested rejecting a plan to have students work remotely during snow days, citing inequities and additional stress for staff and students. What do you think? Should trustees approve or reject the proposed changes to snow days?

A new COVID-19 outbreak was declared at Alexander Place in Waterdown, where there is one case in a staff member.

Mobile phones, radios and televisions across Ontario will ring out with the Alert Ready alarm at 12:55 p.m. on Nov. 25 as Canada's public alerting system undergoes a nation-wide routine test.

The biggest concern that never seems to be addressed is that there isn't a safe sidewalk to walk from town to the waterfalls. There's barely a footpath, which isn't wide enough for pedestrians, writes a local resident in her letter to the editor in response to the Review's recent coverage of the influx of visitors to Grinstone Falls that resulted in parking woes at Smokey Hollow and surrounding area.

'Parents have been informed that there won’t be final exams. That’s to make the best use of the instructional time': Hamilton’s Catholic board has cancelled its final exams and eased graduation requirements due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It follows in the footsteps of the public board, which announced Wednesday it was cancelling final exams and easing graduation requirements.

Hamilton reported 230 new COVID-19 cases over the weekend as infections and outbreaks continue to surge. The city added 88 COVID-19 cases Sunday, which followed 142 new cases Saturday, far exceeding the city’s previous single-day record of 108 cases reported Nov. 30 and Dec 4.

Two students at Spencer Valley Elementary School have tested positive for COVID-19, the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board said Nov. 23.

Ontario is about to examine the role that proof of COVID-19 vaccination or immunity passports will play in society as new daily cases remain near record levels.

Well into the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, one quarter of Canadians have reported they won't be celebrating the holidays this year, according to a recent study released by Credit Canada. Here are some tips for families to get through the holiday season, according to one finance expert:

Veteran Jay Keller, who died last month at the age of 97, and his family made significant contributions to the Waterdown District High School Museum of History. Many of the artifacts the Kellers donated to the high school were on display at the Parkside Drive high school as part of the museum's exhibit, which coincided with Remembrance Day.

COVID-19 case numbers are rising in Ontario and summer has ended, meaning opportunities for physically distanced outdoor gatherings will dwindle as the days grow darker and colder. This is a good time to think about the social circle or bubble you will ride out the winter months with, indoors and without masks.

Craving some of Ontario’s beautiful fall scenery? Our fall colour guide lists more than 50 stunning destinations. Look for the one nearest to you on our map.

Custodians at Hamilton public schools can’t keep up with day-to-day cleaning due to the new COVID-19 safety protocols. And the head of the caretakers’ union says more funding is needed to keep classrooms and hallways clean.

It all started when Ben Harris started to feel a little under the weather and thought he should get himself tested for COVID-19. "I wish someone had told me that the wait time in Etobicoke was so long before I went all the way out there, and I wished I could see a directory of all the assessment centres and what the wait times were." Not finding any such directory, Harris decided to create his own.

Hamilton’s four assessment centres are stretched to the limit and can’t continue to do up to 1,100 tests a day, warn local health leaders.

Looking for something to do this weekend? Navigate your way through a corn maze or pedal in support of a worthy cause. These events and more are taking place right here in Flamborough Oct. 2-4.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the coronavirus, the president tweeted early Friday. Trump’s positive test comes just hours after the White House announced that senior aide Hope Hicks came down with the virus after travelling with the president several times this week. In other news, scientists at the Johns Hopkins University and elsewhere, are working on the next generation of coronavirus tests that can be done at home.

'You see it on TV and in the movies, but you never think it will actually happen': Environment Canada has confirmed a tornado touched down in west Flamborough on Sept. 30. The Flamborough Review spoke with the Brock Road property owner as he surveyed the damage caused by the twister.

Surgery backlog due to COVID cancellations will take more than a year to clear while referrals for mental health care increase at a worrying rate.

The Northern Tornadoes Project a research team based out of Western University is surveying the site at Brock and Safari roads in Flamborough, where the major storm cell left extensive damage in its path.

Effective today, Hamilton will start using photo radar to ticket speeders in school zones and other high-risk pedestrian areas. Flamborough will be home to two test sites.

If you’re hoping to take in the fall colours at Dundas Peak this year, officials at the Hamilton Conservation Authority are recommending residents make reservations as soon as they can. And if they were planning the activity for this upcoming weekend, they’ll have to reconsider.

A surge of schoolchildren needing COVID-19 testing is keeping Hamilton’s assessment centres stretched to the limit despite recent changes to who can get swabbed.

'We need to tighten the beltsor we’re going to see a lot more cases': Ontario reported 625 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday amid warnings the province is on track for 1,000 daily in a couple of weeks surpassing the recent high of 700 new infections depending on the impact of recent restrictions including shorter hours for bars and restaurants.

Desperate parents of sick kids describe feeling abandoned by Ontario’s health-care system during the pandemic and worry it will get worse now that the province is in the second wave. We’re in crisis mode right now with COVID. We’ve been really, deeply impacted, one mom told a virtual town hall Sept. 17, hosted to sound the alarm by the Children’s Health Coalition, which includes McMaster Children’s Hospital.

'In terms of rapid testing, there is definitely a need for it now': The federal government said Tuesday it will purchase rapid COVID-19 testing kits from a U.S. firm that have not yet been approved by Health Canada leaving public health experts and critics demanding to know when Canadians will have greater access to rapid testing.

Have you had a book checked out from the library just a little longer than you can remember? You have no need to fret. Fines for all library materials loaned from the Hamilton Public Library during the pandemic are waived until Dec. 31, 2021. Plus, the library is permanently eliminating fines and fees on materials for children and teens.

With Canada’s flu season nearly here, the threat of COVID-19 makes getting the flu shot more important than ever. Flu outbreaks risk straining our health-care system when we most need hospital beds to treat those seriously infected by COVID-19.

Hamilton’s public school board has pushed back its first transition day when students can switch between remote and in-person learning by three weeks. The first transition day has been changed from Oct. 13 the Tuesday after Thanksgiving to Nov. 3.

Police in Mexico have launched a murder investigation into the death of an alleged hitman from Hamilton found dead on the side of a rural road this summer. Michael Cudmore’s body was found in an abandoned vehicle somewhere in Mexico at the end of June. He had allegedly been on the run in that country for more than three years, fleeing charges in Canada in connection with two 2017 Mob shootings, including that of Angelo Musitano in Waterdown.

Billed as being for the Waterdown community, the online community session hosted by the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board’s bullying review pane got off to a slow start and didn’t take long to show the pitfalls of virtual meetings. Waterdown District High School had originally been scheduled to host the session in late March, but the COVID-19 shutdown forced a postponement and change in format.