From the pop-up vaccination clinic being held in downtown Guelph, to Canada’s medal wins at the Olympics, here is what we saw in the news this week.
Downtown Guelph dining district to host pop-up clinic as U of G clinic scheduled to close
Ontario has seen many ups and downs since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we navigate Step 3 of Ontario’s Roadmap to Reopen plan, here are some updates to the current pandemic situation in the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (WDG) area.
As of Friday morning two new cases were reported in Guelph, raising the number of current active cases to 14, according to GuelphToday. Further, 81.6 per cent of eligible vaccine recipients have received at least one dose while 70.9 per cent have received two doses.
Over at the University of Guelph, the University Centre’s (UC) COVID-19 vaccination clinic will be closing its doors on Aug. 6 after nearly five months of operation. Other clinics in the region will also be shutting down throughout August, including Linamar/Skyjack on Aug. 11, and both the West End Recreation Centre and the Centre-Wellington Community Sportsplex on Aug. 20.
The UC usually hosts a variety of businesses that were temporarily closed due to the pandemic, such as the food court and the Brass Taps Pub. The latter is slated to reopen on Aug. 30.
Although the UC clinic will be stopping operations, WDG Public Health is hosting a pop-up vaccination clinic today, July 30, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Downtown Guelph.
The clinic will be located at the intersection of Wyndham and Macdonell. No appointment is needed to attend, and the clinic is open to anyone looking to receive a first or second dose.
Looking ahead, 80 per cent of the eligible population needs to be vaccinated with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 75 per cent need to be fully vaccinated in order for the WDG region to exit Step 3 and reopen further.
Going into Day 8, Canada ranks at 11 in Tokyo Olympics
The Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics is in full swing this week with Team Canada currently in a spot near the top 10 medal count standings.
As of today, July 30, Canada ranks at number 11 in the Olympic Medal Count with 11 total medals so far — three gold, three silver, and five bronze.
Olympic swimmer Penny Oleksiak of Toronto has already won two medals — one silver during the women’s 4×100-metre freestyle relay when the Games began, and one bronze during the 200-metre freestyle on Wednesday. The Canadian women’s 4×100-metre freestyle relay team also includes Kayla Sanchez, Maggie Mac Neil, and Rebecca Smith.
The Olympic’s website reported that Oleksiak’s victories this year, as well as her four medals from the Rio 2016 Olympics, have made her Canada’s most decorated summer Olympian of all time.
In diving, Jennifer Abel of Laval, Que. and Mélissa Citrini-Beaulieu of St. Constant, Que. won silver in the women’s synchronized three-metre springboard competition on Sunday.
Maggie Mac Neil of London, Ont. won Canada’s first gold medal of the games when she finished first in the women’s 100-metre butterfly on Monday. She finished with a time of 55.59 seconds, a new Canadian record.
Coming in at 57.72 seconds, Kylie Masse of LaSalle, Ont. took home a silver medal for the women’s 100-metre backstroke on Tuesday during the finals.
In rowing, Caileigh Filmer of Victoria, B.C. and Hillary Janssens of Surrey, B.C. finished third for the women’s team during the semi on Thursday. The next day, the women’s eight rowing team won gold, becoming the first Canadian women in 25 years to do so in any rowing event.
Over on land, Maude Charron of Rimouski, Que. won Canada’s second gold medal of the games during the women’s 64-kilogram weightlifting competition on Tuesday, when she lifted 105 kilograms in the snatch phase, and 131 kilograms in the clean and jerk phase of the competition.
Canada won two medals for judo after Jessica Klimkait of Whitby, Ont. secured the bronze in the under-57-kilogram competition on Monday, and Catherine Beauchemin-Pinard of Montreal, Que. secured the bronze in the women’s 63-kilogram competition on Tuesday.
Finally, the women’s softball team won bronze when they defeated Mexico 3-2 on Tuesday. The medal is Canada’s first in the sport.
The Olympic games continue to run until Aug. 8.
Emancipation Day Jamboree to commemorate those of African descent
On Aug. 1, the Guelph Black Heritage Society (GBHS) will host their Emancipation Day Jamboree in downtown Guelph to commemorate the emancipation of enslaved people of African descent.
In a news release, GBHS encouraged observers to “take this time to reflect on the devastations that preceded us and celebrate the courage that allowed following generations to embrace a freedom that many others could only dream of.”
Aug. 1 was officially declared Emancipation Day in Ontario in 2008, but it is just this year that the Canadian government voted unanimously to designate it a federal observation.
The event is being held at Heritage Hall at 83 Essex St. in Guelph, with support from the Downtown Guelph Business Association.
Beginning at 3 p.m. and ending at approximately 6 p.m., the event will include dancing, live music, spoken word, and cultural foods.
According to the lineup, the event will start with the raising of the Pan-African flag. Participants will then get to learn “fast-moving, fun-cardio, spiritual” Caribbean dance during Soca with Kween.
Finally, Don Mahleka will offer a spoken word performance, and DJ Ess will play some music before participants can wind down with ice pops and beverages from Laza Food and Beverage.
Attendees are encouraged to contribute a $10 donation. Further, all must wear a mask and maintain a physical distance of two meters from others.
Proceeds from the event will go towards the GBHS’s Give a Cup Capital Campaign, which aims to “free us from our mortgage so that we will be able to allocate additional resources towards our on-going #ChangeStartsNow Education Initiative.” The initiative provides education and resources on Black culture and history.
U of G launching sustainability and collaboration initiative
On July 27, the University of Guelph, in collaboration with the Gordon S. Lang School of Business and Economics, announced that it will be launching the Institute of Sustainable Commerce at Guelph (ISCG).
According to a U of G news release, the institute was created with the goal of supporting and advancing “cutting-edge business sustainability-related research and curriculum innovations.”
Through innovation and a coalition of field experts, Inaugural Director of the ISCG Dr. Rumina Dhalla says the institute will enhance global outreach for business sustainability research.
The ISCG also hopes to strengthen collaborative culture within Lang and other “like-minded” institutions. Subsequently, the institute was founded with collaboration, impact, and inclusivity in mind.
Members within the institute will search for opportunities to influence and advocate for sustainability in business, research, communities, and policies.
So far, the ISCG has funded:
- The Positive Period Program, led by Dr. Vinay Kanetkar and PhD student Stephanie Villiers in the department of marketing and consumer studies,
- The Impact of Interface Touch and Advertisement on Consumer Support for Social Causes, led by Dr. Saerom Lee in the department of marketing and consumer studies,
- The Impact of taking a Sustainable Foodservice Professional on-line micro certification course on employee behaviour and sustainable restaurant initiatives, led by Prof. Bruce McAdams and MSc candidate Rebecca Gordon in the school of hospitality, food and tourism management, and;
- Community well-being in the gold mining industry – the case of Ghana, led by Dr. Daniela Senkl and Dr. Ruben Burga in the department of management.
The ISCG also hopes to provide students with research opportunities and offer teaching resources and practices for business sustainability curriculum development.
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