2 Friday, April 24, 2020brooklintowncrier.com What I'm learning… The leaky soffit dripping onto the deck is much more annoying when I see it every blessed day. I'm becoming friendlier with perfect strangers on walks, even if through a furtive wave. It's a bit unsettling. I don't miss the NHL. Egad! Did I really write that? I do miss the Raptors though, especially Lowry, VanVleet and Siakam. Fun athletes. The Whitby library gives access to magazines and research stuff - for free! Example: Just read a great article in a magazine about security issues and two-factor authentication. Some Netflix docs are fascinating. The one about Aaron Hernandez is both frightening and sad. Tiger King? From under what rock…? Impressive online delivery systems. One company, from which I ordered a battery replacement for my aged Dyson, keeps sending reminders of when it will be in stock along with a promise to send it as soon as it can. Trump is as dangerous as predicted three years ago. Moreso. Premier Ford has been impressive. He's shown - what do we call it? -leadership Queen Elizabeth's message was inspiring. Eighty years ago, she delivered a radio address to Britain as it lay on the precipice of a Nazi invasion. History repeats. How can we not be in awe of companies and stores adapting? The Kroger chain in the US is investigating one-way aisles. Bauer has turned its hockey face shield manufacturing into shields for health care workers. Whiskey companies are making hand sanitizer instead. So is Slabtown Cider in Uxbridge. Wondering...what if all major pro leagues told their athletes to skim, say, 1% of their salaries to give to the manufacturing of PPE etc for health care workers? Consider the numbers from just the NHL. A team with a $75 million payroll would then send $750,000 to its city's health care workers. Whoever it was in Whitby came up with the idea of turning the Iroquois Sports Centre into a truck stop deserves a medal. Brilliant idea. Teaching grade 1 content to our 6 yr old granddaughter has confirmed why I didn't teach young kids. It's challenging in ways I never imagined. It also confirms what I've always believed, that our elementary teachers are the most important in our system. The foundation is irreplaceable. Online instruction is merely a tool. Because nothing will ever - ever, ever! - replace a good teacher in a room with students. Hands up those who have a new respect for teachers iPads are terrific for magazines and short articles. But paper books reign supreme. These lyrics from the film Paint Your Wagon suddenly have meaning: "I talk to the trees - But they don't listen to me - I talk to the stars - But they never hear me…" Two weeks ago, I feared losing my sanity, or what's left of it. Now it's late April and I'm no more nuts. Message? We'll be fine. Less than half the picture: By Richard Bercuson The Town of Whitby has opened a temporary truck driver rest stop at Iroquois Park Sports Centre in an effort to support drivers who have been impacted by the closure of facilities due to COVID-19. The facility, located just off of Highway 401, provides a quick place for short- and long-haul drivers to stop as they travel across Ontario. The rest stop will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., providing drivers with a place to shower, change and use washroom facilities. Drivers can enter the building through the main doors. Please note that the facility is not open to the public. The south portion of the main parking lot will be available for temporary parking (of up to 12 hours) to allow drivers to rest. "Truck drivers across Canada are doing an extraordinary job of keeping our shelves stocked during this public health crisis," said Mayor Don Mitchell. "The opening of this rest stop at Iroquois Park Sports Centre is our small way of thanking them for keep- ing the supply chain moving; making sure people have the goods they need, when they need them." The rest stop will remain open until further notice. Whitby Opens Rest Stop for Truckers Durham Region's business community is rallying together and working as one cohesive task force to support local business- es, from across the region, during these challenging times. The Durham Economic Task Force--comprised of local chambers of commerce, boards of trade and business improvement areas (BIAs), the Business Advisory Centre of Durham and other key stakeholders--has shared feedback collected from Durham businesses owners with local elected provincial (MPPs) and federal representatives (MPs); helping to ensure the urgent needs of local businesses, within the region, are addressed and actioned. One of the key outputs this task force continues to push forward is the #SupportLocal campaign. This initiative is aimed at promoting local online shops and services, community farms, innovative solutions, as well as providing a platform for sharing good news stories. Through the work of the task force, Invest Durham and municipal economic development teams, the website InvestDurham.ca/LocalFood was established to champion agribusinesses that have diversified their business models to include virtual sales, no-contact deliveries and pick-up options. In addition, the Durham Economic Task Force, in collaboration with all Durham Region BIAs, will be launching a new online plat- form--Downtowns of Durham, to support the region's vibrant downtown-area businesses. This new website will make it easy for customers to identify which businesses are operation- al; searching by location, industry and services or products offered. It is the first collective project all local BIAs have undertaken. Their goal is to immediately drive business virtually, while also set- ting up a framework to support the long-term recovery of Dur- ham's downtown businesses. For more information, including the latest resources for businesses in Durham Region, visit InvestDurham.ca/CovidResponse. "I'm proud of the work the Dur- ham Economic Task Force is doing to support and advocate for our local business community. These are challenging times for many small business owners. We are listening to your concerns and are working to make sure you have the resources needed to face these new challenges. Durham Region is an innovative community; known for its ability to adapt and solve big problems. We will continue to showcase these strengths, long after this situation is over." - John Henry, Regional Chair Durham's business community unites during COVID-19