April 22: A Message from the Mayor

"Good afternoon, today is April 22 and it is also the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Normally, we would help organize community clean up events but obviously this year nothing is normal.

However, I still want to encourage everyone to do a little extra for our environment this week, so if you’re out for a walk and you see litter on our trails or at the side of the road, please consider carefully picking it up, with a clear bag and gloves, and disposing of it properly. With the extra bag of garbage allowance take advantage and help keep Kawartha Lakes clean. Even better, don’t litter in the first place.

It’s also Administrative Professionals' Day here in Canada. I want to take a moment to thank all administrative staff who are handling many workloads behind the scenes to help keep essential services and operations going through this pandemic.

Listen, I recognize we’re already a month into Spring and I know many of you want to get outdoors and do things– I don’t blame you, that’s the beauty of where we live. We closed many services because physical distancing and unnecessary travel can’t be safely maintained. That being said, common sense needs to remain top of mind if you are going outdoors.

Remember, all of this is only temporary. Although numbers may show we’re getting over the peak, we are not out of the woods by any means. Right now we are still following the provincial state of emergency until at least May 12, including continuing to enforce restrictions they have in place. However, the focus should not be on what we can’t do, but rather on what we can do to continue stopping the spread. Thank you to everyone who is following health and safety guidelines and doing their part.

Hang in there."