From the mandating of vaccines for students living in U of G residences, to wildfires raging across B.C. and beyond, here is what we saw in the news this week.
U of G requiring full COVID-19 vaccination to live on campus
On July 22, the University of Guelph announced it would be requiring students living on campus to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The decision was recommended by WDG Public Health and made with input from university leaders, public health officials, and scientists. The University of Toronto and Western University are also requiring vaccinations for students in residence.
According to a U of G news release, students hoping to live in residence during upcoming semesters must be fully vaccinated within 30 days of checking into residence, though they are encouraged to receive both doses in advance.
Students with medical exemptions and for grounds protected under the Ontario Human Rights Code will be accommodated so long as an exemption form is submitted.
No mandatory vaccination measures will apply to U of G’s family housing communities on College Avenue and Wellington Woods, although, the university says it may extend mandatory vaccination measures to more members of its community in the future.
The University will facilitate on-campus vaccine access through the Student Health Centre.
“Our goal is to provide students with a welcoming and enjoyable campus living and learning experience while ensuring safe interactions,” said U of G president Dr. Charlotte Yates in the release.
“The University has been unequivocal in its support of vaccination as crucial to helping ensure public health and safety and to ending the global COVID-19 pandemic,” said Yates.
The release states that reducing transmission of COVID-19 is “especially important because students live in close quarters and interact with others through shared residential facilities and in-person programming.”
Additionally, the university notes that public health experts have established that vaccines are safe and effective in the prevention of serious illness caused by COVID-19.
For more details and information, you may visit the University’s COVID-19 FAQ webpage or call the University’s COVID-19 hotline at 519-824-4120 extension 53906.
U of G reopening library and athletic services, offering new COVID-19 call centre service
As it prepares for the upcoming fall semester, the University of Guelph is reopening on-campus facilities and offering new resources, including access to athletic and library services and a new COVID-19 call centre.
With Ontario in Step 3 of its Roadmap to Reopen plan, the McLaughlin Library is now open for in-person access for the first time since the December 2020 provincial lockdown.
Access to the library is restricted to U of G students, staff, and faculty, and only the first and second floors are available for use. Face masks are required and social distancing guidelines are in effect. More information on in-person and online services at the McLaughlin Library is available on the library’s website.
Meanwhile, athletic and recreational services will be available at U of G’s on-campus facilities for limited access as of July 23 and will reopen only for current registered U of G students. On Aug. 3, facilities will reopen for everyone with memberships and day passes.
According to U of G’s fitness and recreation website, outdoor fitness classes and outdoor drop-in fitness will continue as they have over the summer. Further, limited indoor recreation such as recreational swims will be available for pre-booking up to seven days in advance. Changing rooms will only be available to pool users.
U of G is now also offering a COVID-19 call centre, a new service that will support students, faculty, and staff who have been exposed to COVID-19. The service was announced on July 19 in a U of G news release.
If you have tested positive for COVID-19 or been exposed to a positive case, the call centre can be contacted at 519-824-4120 with the extension 53906 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. from Mondays to Fridays.
Voicemail is available after hours, and the call centre may also be used for questions about vaccination or COVID-19.
Unprecedented wildfire season sparks evacuations, air quality advisories
British Columbia was placed under a province-wide state of emergency this week as smoke from wildfires within the province and others across Canada has caused air quality advisories for most of the country.
According to CBC News, almost 300 fires have been reported in B.C. this week including several that have forced communities into evacuation. Residents are struggling to find safe accommodations at hotels, and authorities are urging those who can to stay with friends or family.
CBC News reported that, as a result of the fires, more than 4,300 properties have been affected by active evacuation orders since Thursday, and over 3,000 square kilometres of land has been burned this season.
On Thursday morning, 160 wildfires were reportedly burning in Ontario. Several First Nations in northwestern Ontario have been evacuated, including members of Poplar Hill First Nation and Deer Lake First Nation.
Due to a wildfire-induced haze throughout the country, Environment Canada has issued air quality advisories as far as eastern Canada and the territories.
Though most advisories have subsided, Environment Canada senior climatologist Dave Phillips told CTV News on July 21 that more heat, droughts, and smoke are to be expected in most parts of Canada due to winds and hot weather.
Experts say that such conditions exacerbate existing fires. According to Global News, this year’s “unusually dry and hot season” led to an increase in lightning strikes which have caused the majority of this season’s wildfires.
Evacuated residents are encouraged to register with Emergency Support Services regardless of if they require access to services at an evacuation centre or not.
City of Guelph to review street names through anti-racism lens
The City of Guelph is in the early process of reviewing its existing street, park, and trail names in order to promote anti-racism, diversity, and inclusion.
The initiative is not unique to Guelph — last week Toronto announced it is planning to rename one of its major streets due to Henry Dundas’ relation to the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Locals in the Guelph region have been eager for certain area name changes since before Toronto’s announcement. According to GuelphToday, Puslinch residents have petitioned against the name of the Swastika Trail for years due to its association with the German Nazi Party.
Danna Evans, the general manager of culture and recreation for the City of Guelph, says that changing the names of streets, parks, and trails will have a “financial impact” on businesses and residences located in the affected areas.
“But we never want to lose sight of not causing pain or avoiding any truth and reconciliation,” Evans told GuelphToday.
Further, she expects people from all sides of the conversation will contribute their thoughts during the street, park, and trail name review process.
The City of Guelph expects “many city departments” to be involved in the review, such as the planning department and Guelph Museums.
While the specific details of the review have yet to be figured out, Evans hopes it will be an opportunity for city staff and the public to engage with each other.
“It’s not me to say what causes harm or not, I can only speak for myself,” she said. “There are definitely conversations to be had across all cultures and all community members.”
Riverfest Elora hosting “mini-fest” Wish You Were Here
Riverfest Elora will be hosting Wish You Were Here, a mini music festival from Aug. 20 to Aug. 22 at the Elora Centre For the Arts in downtown Elora.
Wish You Were Here is not Riverfest Elora, according to their website. The “mini-fest” is organized by the same team but is being held because they “could not wait another year to do something magical for the Riverfest community.” It will be a separate event with its own tickets, so those who still have Riverfest 2020 tickets can hold onto them for Riverfest 2022.
There will be three concerts with multiple acts throughout each day.
According to GuelphToday, the festival team says it will continue with its Keychange Pledge, an initiative that hopes to achieve 50/50 gender balance by 2022. Subsequently, performers this year will include The Trews, Kardinal Offishall, Haviah Mighty, Grae, and more.
To attend, participants need to buy Concert Boxes, which contain tickets for a maximum of four people to sit together in a box during the show. All tickets will be sold this way due to recommendations for safe gatherings from health officials.
430 tickets are available through riverfestelora.com, with pre-sale running until tomorrow July 24 at 9:59 a.m. EST.
No free children’s tickets will be available due to limited capacity. Every child aged 15 and under counts as one individual in a box, and must be accompanied by an adult.
Masks will be required for attendance but can be removed while patrons are in their seating area. Further, patrons must complete a COVID-19 screening prior to entering event grounds. Those with mask exemptions are asked to notify COVIDFAQ@riverfestelora.com at least 72 hours before attending the event.
Please visit www.theontarion.com/submit to find out how you can share your work with The Ontarion.