Remembering Newell Hastings
Province expected to extend online learning
January 7, 2021
Announcement planned for 3 pm Thursday
It appears school will continue online for a while.
Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. David Williams, is expected to announce the return to school will be delayed for both elementary and secondary students this afternoon at 3 pm.
Premier Doug Ford hinted at the change earlier today saying there have been more cases in school children because people visited with family and friends over the Christmas break.
Lambton’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Sudit Ranade, told reporters Thursday until now, there was not a problem with transmitting COVID-19 in schools.
“Schools don’t seem to be independent drivers of transmission,” he says. “They seem to more reflective community transmission rather than being sources in and of themselves.
“The problem is, when you have high community transmission, you’re more likely to bring cases into schools. And what that does operationally, is make it challenging for schools to run when you’re isolating a lot of patients. And it makes it challenging for public health to follow up on all those cases in cohorts as well.”
NEXT
Nova testing its construction employees for COVID-19 before returning to work
PREVIOUS
Lambton MOH says low COVID-19 case numbers ‘a blip’
Front Page
Remembering Newell Hastings
June 14, 2025
Heather Wright/The Independent Sunday, Newell Hasting’s service to King and Country over a century ago was remembered in a peaceful church cemetery near Watford. Hasting was born in Petrolia and his family moved to Watford around the turn of the century. He signed up to serve in the miltia with Watford’s 149th Battalion before being called up for service. He
Read More
Front Page
Sidewalk projects around First Ave this summer
June 13, 2025
Heather Wright/The Independent Sidewalks along First Street in Petrolia will be getting an upgrade once school is out for the summer. It’s part of the latest large project to improve the town’s sidewalk system. In 2023, BM Ross and Associates completed a study on Petrolia’s sidewalk system and found it lacking. It suggested $1.5 million in sidewalk construction was needed
Read More
Front Page
Aamjiwnaang evacuates parts of community as INEOS decommissioning increases benzene levels
June 13, 2025
Leaders of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation are evacuating residents between Churchill Road and Tashmoo Ave after high levels of benzene have been detected in the area. Just before noon Friday, INEOS Styrolutions issued a notice saying hourly benzene emissions have been detected about 0.021 parts per million. The company is decommissioning the plant which is within eyesight of Aamjiwnaang’s band
Read More
Front Page
St Philip’s student wins big at national fair
June 13, 2025
The Independent Ben Harper made a splash at the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Fredericton taking home a bronze medal. The Grade 8 student from St. Philip’s in Petrolia presented his climate-focused project called A Wavy Problem – Navigating the Surges of Climate Change last week and won a bronze medal in his division. The Petrolia student tested six different offshore
Read More