SUMMER HIGH TEA - Jay Stewart left of the Uxbridge Legion Pipes and Drums provided some entertainment during York-Durham Heritage Railwayrsquos ldquoHeritageSummer High Teardquo held at the Uxbridge train station last Saturday Attending the tea were Monique Roumy Dahlia Naguib and Eleonore Edwards Photo by John Cavers

by Lynn Campbell special to the Cosmos

Hundreds of volunteers have been searching fora lost Golden Retriever named Shep who dis-appeared in the woods on the Thistledown PetMemorial property in Uxbridge over two weeksago

The Team Chelsea Facebook page has had1700 comments and 9100 shares since thefirst post at 1117 pm on June 30 says JanetGrixti a volunteer with the organizationSearchers have set out on foot on ATVs and

even on horseback day and night looking forclues as to the dogrsquos whereabouts ColetteBrown Sheprsquos owner has ripped up her bed-sheets to tie onto trees in hopes that Shep willfollow the scent His bed chewed tennis balls

and dog cookies are all there in hopes of luringhim in

Shep disappeared during a walk with familymembers and other dogs at 1230 pm on June30 The search began immediately Despite hisglaucoma 11-year-old Shep is able to seeshapes and distinguish between dark and lightHis senses of smell and hearing are reportedlyfine

Shep was trained as a service dog for Brownrsquoshusband Jim a first responder who broke hisback in the line of duty and spent the last yearsof his life as a paraplegic until his passing in2014 Their cat Ginger refused to eat andpassed away five days later recalls Brown whochose Thistledown for the catrsquos cremationThatrsquos how Brown met the owners Nancy and

Colin GrahamldquoWe became great friendsrdquo says Nancy Ac-

cording to Nancy Brown and Sheprsquos visits toThistledown have been ldquoalmost a daily occur-rence for six yearsrdquo The Grahams have welcomed searchers 247

offering washroom facilities cold water coffeeand sandwichesGrixti explains that volunteers are looking for

paw prints near water sources freshly dug holesor bits of fur There have been two uncon-firmed sightings one at the Uxbridge dog parkand one near Wagg RoadldquoItrsquos nice to see the community come together

to helprdquo says GrixtildquoWe remain hopefulrdquoShep wears a collar and tags with his phone

continued on page 6

Holding out hope for lost blind golden retriever

Uxbridge North-Country HomeShopLandPool-63 acres - tiled drained -Renovated 3400sqft farmhouse pool hot tub

-Geo thermal heating -Shop-Great for contractors-60x40ft New Price$1345000 STAY

SAFE

Marie PersaudSales RepresentativeColdwell Banker RMRReal Estate Brokerage

Direct 416-970-8979Office 905-852-4338wwwmariepersaudca

BEAVERTON BUNGALOWJust over 12 acre close to town yet like country living with Lake

Simcoe minutes away where you can fish swim kite surf and more 3+1 bedrooms 3 washrooms Finished basement attached 2 car garage (12 garage used as an office) Large garden shedbarn

Fenced back yard Ideal family home Offered for sale at $539000Call me today to arrange to view this property 416-970-8979

MissingDog in

UxbridgeCall

Team Chelsea905-666-4676

Volume 16 No 27 YOUR UNIVERSE Thursday July 16 2020

This week thecosmoscaReasons to stay home this summerSeniors lsquocallrsquo it a success

304 Toronto Street South905-852-9700

axischiropracticca

bullChiropractic bullAcupuncture bullCustom Orthotics bullMassage Therapy

bullLaser Therapy

Listing Local Marketing Global

wwwStacyKearleycom

Your Local Link to Real Estate

ReMax All-Stars RealtyInc Brokerage

47 Brock St W Uxbridge 905-852-6143416-570-0393

wwwstacykearleycom

Sales Representative

29 Toronto St S Uxbridge

View this weekrsquos flyer online atpharmasaveuxbridgecom

Thursday July 16 20202The Uxbridge Cosmos

Uxbridge at a GlanceThe Corporation of The Township of Uxbridge51 Toronto Street South PO Box 190Uxbridge L9P 1T1905-852-9181 infouxbridgeca

FOLLOW US

MORE INFO wwwuxbridgeca

Township of Uxbridge documents are available in alternate formats upon request Please fill out the Request for Alternate Formats Form at uxbridgecaaccessibility

email accessibilityuxbridgeca phone 905-852-9181 ext209

Ae Splash Pad is now open Users must self-regulate in a manner thatreduces the risk of COVID-19 transmission Users must sanitize priorto entering the splash pad and maintain a 6 foot (2 m) distance betweenusers Children must be supervised Please limit your time to allow otherusers the chance to enjoy the water Washrooms are not available Pleasebring your own sanitizer and stay at home if you are not feeling well

Brock Street West closed betweenToronto Street and Bascom Street

for Culvert Construction

Service Disruption

Brock Street Sidewalk ClosureAe sidewalk directly in the path of culvert construction will beclosed on both the north and south side of the road All stores remainopen and can be accessed from the sidewalk directly in front of theirbusiness Pedestrians will be able to travel along Brock St andthrough the construction by using a new walkway that connects theToronto St sidewalk to the walkway beside Circle K Convenience

Township of UxbridgeCooling Centre

Residents requiring respite from the heat canmake an appointment to visit Town Hall

during regular working hours Limited spacesavailable Please call 905-852-9181 to make

an appointment Monday to Friday900am - 430pm

PUBLIC NOTICE ndash PESTICIDE USE WITHIN THE TOWNSHIP OF UXBRIDGE

Ae Township of Uxbridge intends to control noxious weeds alongthe following rural concession roadsides north of Davis Drive

Ae Township of Uxbridge intends to control noxious weeds alongrural roadsides under its jurisdiction using Clearview Herbicidewhich contains the active ingredients Metsulfuron-Methyl andAminopyralid PCP Registration Number 29752 under the PestControl Products Act (Canada) in combination with Hasten NTSpray Adjuvant which contains active ingredients Methyl and ethyloleate (esteried vegetable oil) PCP Registration Number 28277under the Pest Control Products Act (Canada)

Commencing on July 23 2020 weather permitting and endingAugust 14 2020

We are controlling Noxious Weeds under the Public WorksExemption of the Cosmetic Pesticides Ban to promote public healthand safety

For more information callTownship of Uxbridge Green StreamBill Rynard C Tech CRS Steve FordRoad Operations Manager 905-510-1229905-852-9087

Thursday July 16 20203The Uxbridge Cosmos

11570 Conc 3 Zephyr 905-852-6047uxbridgemanorandspacom

MANOR SPA We lookforward toseeing you

READY FOR SUMMERRETRACTABLE AWNINGS AND CANOPIES

905-852-9440

by Justyne Edgell Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

On Canada Day the town ofUxbridge presented a ldquoCitizens ofDistinctionrdquo award to three longterm care facilities that were af-fected by COVID-19 outbreaksReachView Village Douglas Cross-ing and the Uxbridge Cottage Hos-pital were all commended for their

efforts in facing the COVID battlehead-on All three facilities were af-fected by the outbreaks at differenttimes and both management andstaff of all three facilities continuedto work despite increased risk sup-porting and caring for the residentsand patients e township pre-sented framed certificates to eachfacility to mark the hard work of allstaff and team members duringthese outbreaks

When asked why ButternutManor a long term care facilitythat has managed to stay com-pletely COVID free since the pan-demic was declared was notawarded this distinction MayorDave Barton said that ldquothis shouldnot shadow their great effortsrdquo

ldquoWith respect to long term carehomes fortunately 54 per cent inOntario have made it through thispandemic outbreak free and have

done an incredible job of keepingtheir residents safe and healthy eremaining 46 per cent of homeshad workers that went to workwhile their co-workers and theirfamilies were getting sick from avirus whose long term effects re-main unknown We decided to rec-ognize the staff at the threeorganizations in our communitythat went to work knowing that avirus was presentrdquo explained Bar-

tonAll but four of Uxbridgersquos 105

COVID-19 cases were linked tooutbreaks in these facilities

All long term care facilities andthe hospital are currently outbreakfree

Municipal and provincial guide-lines still encourage everyone tofollow precautions in order to keepthe community safe and healthy

Award went to facilities that lsquoknew a virus was presentrsquo

Thursday July 16 20204The Uxbridge Cosmos

I missed the July 2 edition of the Cos-mos so I eagerly sat with my tea andthe July 9 edition By the time I gotto the Letters to the Editor I was sadand confused Quotes like micro-managed humiliate a subordi-nate back room dealings andcowardly manoeuvering were fromjust a small sampling of irate readers

What is going on in council meet-ings Moreover what is going onwith Mayor Barton He made anangry phone call to a reader and an-other reader suggests it is MayorBarton who needs to be removedfrom his position We elected amayor not a king or dictator saysanotherResidents of Uxbridge appear to be

unhinged over how all council mem-bers behaved including the Mayorregarding Gary Ruonas removal[from three committees] I hope thisdoesnt just go away or is shovedunder the proverbial rug I would liketo see accountability from our coun-cillors and mayor An explanation isneeded and said in front of a cam-eravideo then posted on themayors Facebook page We need thisin order to have faith in our electedmembers going forward

I also agree with Susan Elsworthsstatement regarding the Uxpool Itoo need exercise in the winter andas a person in my 60s swimming isthe only way for me to get itUxbridge offers very little in afford-able senior exercise programs I dohope the pool is open soon at leastfor lane swimming time slotsFinally I love the idea of a ldquocairn for

the communityrdquo Roger Varley Ihope it happens

Theresa Pilniuk Uxbridge

Editorrsquos note the Cosmos did not pub-lish a July 2 edition

I would just like to say a heartfeltthank you to Nancy Emo who wrotethe message last week about Butter-nut staff deserving first prize

I am very grateful to her for ac-knowledging our efforts againstCOVID-19 We have all fought longand hard to maintain a clean andhealthy home for our residents Quite disheartening that the mayor

canrsquot acknowledge Butternut for ourefforts in this fight but can acknowl-edge the others

Kelly MasonButternut Manor

Wersquove stopped caring And wersquovetaught our children to stop caringtooThere was an accident on Webb Rd

(Uxbridge township) last week ayoung person died The parents mustbe devastated and I think to myselfldquoWhy why and whyrdquoWe have lost touch it seems to me

with the importance of ensuringeveryone has the tools to survive inthis crazy world Some might say thatthe schools will teach our childrenthatrsquos what we pay taxes forPeople also donrsquot listen to their eld-

ers anymore Our most valued re-sources are our children and ourelders And our most needy are theones that canrsquot help themselves Yetwe just donrsquot care anymore Wewould rather complain ldquoWhydoesnrsquot Justin do something aboutthis or that hellip rdquo Irsquom no different -didnrsquot he promise WiFi to us ruralpeople when he was running for elec-tion

This is how we lsquocarersquo - we say wecare because we have an opinion butreally we donrsquot care anymoreItmakes me sad

My Native friends say ldquoLet it goFrank Creator will sort them out inthe endrdquo

Frank MrozUxbridge

I read with interest the Roger Varleyrsquosarticle from the June 25 edition ofthe paper entitled ldquoCouncillor cutfrom key committeesrdquo I didnrsquot knowthat Mayor Barton was responsiblefor determining the workload of eachcouncillor in hisher ward It wouldseem to me that the voters in eachward are responsible for how welltheir councillor is performing and ifthey are not satisfied will make achange at the next election

If I read the article correctly themayor feels that Councillor Ruonahas such a heavy workload just takingcare of his ward that he is unable tofulfill his role on certain committeesOne might assume from this ration-ale that Mayor Barton and Council-lors Garrod and Popp have a lot ofextra time on their hands and needthese extra responsibilities to keepthemselves busy

On the other hand if CouncillorRuonarsquos interpretation of the situa-tion is correct ndash ldquoHe [Barton] doesnrsquotlike merdquo then perhaps itrsquos time forthe mayor to get his act together Wedid not elect the mayor and council-lors to be best friends but we do ex-pect them to work together share theload and provide the town with solidbipartisan oversight administrationand decision making And yes some-times someone may even have a dif-ferent view or opinion Personalvendettas if they exist are certainlynot included in this mandate

I hope we will hear a much betterexplanation from Mayor Barton inthe near future and hopefully coun-cillors who were too timid to say any-thing when a colleague was being puton display in public will learn tospeak up Everyone deserves better

Bob PughWard 4 Uxbridge

Letters to the Editor

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 shutdown Uxbridge council has beenholding what we have come to know as virtual meetingsEvery member of council various staff members the local media deputants

and occasional members of the public tune into the meetings on their owncomputers at home or in the case of Mayor Dave Barton at his office Usu-ally all members of council are seen in split-screen format and join in thediscussions when their in-computer microphones are turned on

This has been going on since March and one would think the bugs hadbeen worked out by now However this Mondays video conference was sofull of blank screen and muted sound that it is debateable whether the meet-ing could be termed legitimate Somehow the councillors appeared to forge ahead with the agenda but for

some onlookers the gaps were not filled in and we were left wondering attimes whether the feed would come back do we continue staring at a blankscreen or switch it off and perhaps miss something should the troubles be re-solved

We acknowledge that most of the virtual meetings held so far have beensuccessful but there have been glitches along the way Mondays problemswere by far the most serious Nevertheless council meetings - except thoseheld in camera - must be fully accessible to the public and when the videostream - or the sound - is interrupted that accessibility is diminished And ifthe media is unable to fully follow the discussions that also leads to incom-plete reporting of the meeting

We understand that these are troubling times and everyone has to put upwith some inconveniences here and there But whatever difficulties we facethere are some areas that must remain as unaffected by the pandemic as pos-sible and the running of a government is at the top of that list The publichas a right to know what their governments are doing Any Uxbridge residenttuning in to Mondays video feed would have had great difficulty knowingwhat their municipal government was doing on that day

We are not blaming anyone for Mondays technical difficulties Howeversomeone in authority could have determined that the feed was not going welland delayed or rescheduled the meeting until the blips were worked outThe next regular meeting of council is scheduled for next month It is quite

possible that by that time the GTA will be included in Stage 3 of the loos-ening of restrictions and council may choose to move back to the councilchambers But if not lets hope the township uses that time to iron out thekinks in its virtual meetings because theyrsquore virtually impossible to follow

Our two centsCan you hear me now

Thursday July 16 20205The Uxbridge Cosmos

I know Irsquove mentioned this before but I thinkitrsquos pretty amazing how well wersquove actually beenable to adapt to all the changes in this COVIDworld we are living in While some of us mayhave been hit very hard (and we have all facedsome forms of challenges) I find it quite in-spiring to see how business owners schoolscommunity programs etc have all been ableto alter the way they function to try to con-tinue and serve the community during thispandemic I know it hasnrsquot been easy but it hasforced people to be creative and criticalthinkers and I think wersquore all coming out ofthis more prepared and equipped for differentchallenges in our futureFor people like myself who havenrsquot personally

been sick I think itrsquos the social changes thathave had the biggest impacts on our lives Therequired social distancing is not normal orcomfortable When I was suddenly given thisrestriction all I wanted to do was spend timewith my friends I actually think that in someway Irsquom coming out of this period of isolationas a more social person Partly I think itrsquos be-cause Irsquove realized how much I really took forgranted my social interactions But Irsquove also dis-covered ways to modify connecting with oth-ers Early on in the pandemic I remember hearing

about the importance of not giving into socialdistancing (wait for it) but rather that we mustphysically distance as social distanceisolationcould be detrimental to our mental health andgeneral well-being As a young person whoprior to the pandemic was at school withfriends at work doing an internship andspending time with my boyfriend I was soused to being around people every day Thesudden isolation was almost eerie However asour world started to adapt it became clear thatwe needed each other more than ever and wefound many ways to keep social and connectedremotely

At first I think the world was fixated on thefact that we couldnrsquot be together physically andwe were just desperately trying to hang ontonormal life But when we saw how our schoolsand jobs could adapt to functioning remotelywe began to adopt those tools for our sociallives as well It was kind of surprising that evenour regular ldquoGen Zrdquo social media habits didnrsquotseem enough for us anymore My friends and Istarted thinking of ways that we could get to-gether safely so we set up Zoom parties for vir-tual gatherings These remote parties got prettycreative - it wasnrsquot just a group of people all

chatting on a video call We found tons ofgames that could be played online in conjunc-tion with our Zoom call Wersquove played thingslike Cards Against Humanity trivia games andPsych Our calls are full of laughter and Irsquove ac-tually caught up with some people that Ihavenrsquot spoken to for months

This definitely isnrsquot the perfect replacementfor in-person social interaction but it sure is aheck of a lot better than going without any so-cial connections at all I canrsquot imagine what ithas been like for people living in long term careor those who needed to stay completely iso-lated I have been so lucky that I live with myfamily that Irsquom young and health and that atrip out of the house just to go to the grocerystore or the pharmacy doesnrsquot leave me at ahigher risk

As we learned more about this virus andfound out that the risk of contracting it out-doors is significantly lower we were able toshake up our gatherings Like many other peo-ple my friends and I started doing bike ridesBeing that on a bike you are pretty much re-quired to be at least two meters from the nextperson Our first ride was on one of the earlywarm days of summer and our overly ambi-tious selves decided that for the first ride sincewe were all roughly 13-years-old we shouldride the TransCanada Trail all the way to Sun-derland Safe to say as well as giving us lots oftime to catch up we also got in a lot of goodexercise and much-welcomed sunshine Wehave kept up these rides almost weekly andhave found a new hobby that we all really enjoydoing togetherOver the past few months as being social and

keeping connections became something we feltwas important to work for I think wersquove actu-ally become better about scheduling ldquoconnect-ing timerdquo I know before the pandemic I wasso busy driving here and there working doingschool work and then just crashing in mydowntime that I didnrsquot worry so much aboutseeing my friends and being social This pan-demic has actually given us some extra timeand opportunity to connect with people andthings that we love It may be a bit differentthan the traditional ways we are used to con-necting and socializing with others but our de-sire to be connected is just as strong as ourabilities to adapt and in our crazy changingworld Irsquom finding it fun to test my creativeskills and find different ways of connecting andnew things that I enjoy

It stands about three feet tall It looks like astone pedestal but it has no statue on it Itrsquos notlocated in an obvious public square or along abusy thoroughfare Itrsquos a war memorial but itdoesnrsquot glorify a victory nor mourn a defeateven though for Canadians it signifies tremen-dous loss When Irsquove taken fellow Canadiansthere Irsquove always been struck by its simplicitymodesty and basic message Its only identifica-tion is a brass plaque across one side of thepedestal with an inscriptionldquoHere 8 May 1915 the lsquoOriginalsrsquo of Princess

Patriciarsquos Canadian Light Infantry commandedby their founder Maj A Hamilton GaultDSO held firm and counted not the costrdquo isall it saysThe first time I went looking for this war me-

morial eight years ago I almost missed it Thebattlefield bus tour I was leading through Bel-gium had PPCLI veterans along and theyrsquodmentioned theyrsquod like to see this memorialThey said the ldquoOriginalsrdquo cairn was kind of atouchstone location for them the place wherePPCLI units suffered their first-ever casualtiesin the Great War Suddenly I spotted a sign di-recting us up a country road At the end of itI expected maybe an arrangement of flags or amarble sculpture possibly a statue of a Cana-dian soldier or something But no It was justthis modest circular stone with a written tributeto the Great Warrsquos very first PPCLI war dead Irsquove thought a lot about that ldquoOriginalsrdquo mon-

ument lately as demonstrators around theworld have reacted to the murder of GeorgeFloyd and knocked down or defaced statuesthey believe signify oppression and racism Pro-testors quite rightly are angry with edifices tomen who (at the time) seemed great leadersbut who also kept others in bondage Statuesonce raised to honour the life of ChristopherColumbus have been toppled in RichmondVirginia and St Paul Minnesota ndash the one inBoston was beheaded ndash over Columbusrsquos treat-ment of Indigenous people In Britain protes-tors have brought down statuescommemorating Edward Colston and RobertMilligan both former slavers And in the USthe statues of former leaders of the Confederacyin the US Civil War have fallen like ten pinsndash Jefferson Davis Robert E Lee and StonewallJackson in Richmond Albert Pike in Washing-ton Dick Dowling in Houston and CharlesLinn in Birmingham They stood and foughtfor the preservation of the Southern institutionof slavery Historical individuals once reveredhave suddenly been revealed

Hurray for that Nowhere should those whowould trample on the rights of others or worsemurder them through a warped sense of supe-riority be honoured But has it occurred to any-body that in eliminating all trace of thesefigures wersquore erasing that history Have thoseeager to topple statues and dump them in theriver considered how to explain what thosefallen heroes and icons did wrong Sure wipethe slate clean of their celebrity and evil waysbut in their place we need to show next gener-ations how they did what they did and whythey rose to fame in spite of it and then howtheir infamy survived in a sculpted edificeErase the evil but show the evidence

Not so long ago I tripped across an episodeof the iconic BBC TV series World at War Ittold the wartime tale of Oradour-sur-Glane asmall village in central France that paid thesupreme price for its resistance to Nazi occupa-tion from 1940 to 1944 The excerpt was nar-rated by none other than Sir Laurence OlivierThe segment walks the viewer along a desertedstreetldquoDown this road on a summer day in 1944rdquo

Olivier explains ldquothe soldiers came Theystayed only a few hours When they had gonethe community which had lived for a thousandyears was deadrdquo

He relates how the civilian men in Oradourwere led to garages and barns and shot by theGerman troops who then led the women andchildren to the Catholic church where they toowere killed With the dignity and empathy thatonly Olivier could bestow on such a narrationhe finishes by saying ldquoThey never rebuiltOradour Its ruins remain as a memorialrdquo Eventoday the abandoned village stands as a tributeto the 642 killed on June 10 1944 as a reprisalfor the Allied landings in Normandy four daysbefore Irsquod venture to say that nobody who vis-its that town or views that segment of World atWar ever forgets what happened there Or why Itrsquos the same as that simple marker in Belgium

Irsquove visited with battlefield travellers TheldquoOriginalsrdquo monument to the fallen of PPCLItroops in 1915 offers a remembrance of whathappened there It acknowledges the senselessloss It does what any historic monumentshould do ndash it describes the travesty displaysthe context and inspires all who visit to drawthe lesson for themselves

For more Barris Beat columns go to wwwtedbarriscom

The Barris Beatcolumn by Ted Barris

State of statues

Canadian Tire Uxbridge wwwcanadiantireca Store 905 852 3315

BEAT THE SUMMER HEAT VEHICLE AC INSPECTION

$3995ONLY Licensed Technician will test your vehicles system

pressures and check for leaksCall us now if you have these symptomsmiddot Longer air to cool-down timemiddot Squealing or other noises when AC is turned on

We service most makesmodels No appointment necessaryOffer expires July 25 2020

Irsquom just sayinrsquocolumn by Justyne Edgell

A different kind of connection

Thursday July 16 20205The Uxbridge Cosmos

I know Irsquove mentioned this before but I thinkitrsquos pretty amazing how well wersquove actually beenable to adapt to all the changes in this COVIDworld we are living in While some of us mayhave been hit very hard (and we have all facedsome forms of challenges) I find it quite in-spiring to see how business owners schoolscommunity programs etc have all been ableto alter the way they function to try to con-tinue and serve the community during thispandemic I know it hasnrsquot been easy but it hasforced people to be creative and criticalthinkers and I think wersquore all coming out ofthis more prepared and equipped for differentchallenges in our futureFor people like myself who havenrsquot personally

been sick I think itrsquos the social changes thathave had the biggest impacts on our lives Therequired social distancing is not normal orcomfortable When I was suddenly given thisrestriction all I wanted to do was spend timewith my friends I actually think that in someway Irsquom coming out of this period of isolationas a more social person Partly I think itrsquos be-cause Irsquove realized how much I really took forgranted my social interactions But Irsquove also dis-covered ways to modify connecting with oth-ers Early on in the pandemic I remember hearing

about the importance of not giving into socialdistancing (wait for it) but rather that we mustphysically distance as social distanceisolationcould be detrimental to our mental health andgeneral well-being As a young person whoprior to the pandemic was at school withfriends at work doing an internship andspending time with my boyfriend I was soused to being around people every day Thesudden isolation was almost eerie However asour world started to adapt it became clear thatwe needed each other more than ever and wefound many ways to keep social and connectedremotely

At first I think the world was fixated on thefact that we couldnrsquot be together physically andwe were just desperately trying to hang ontonormal life But when we saw how our schoolsand jobs could adapt to functioning remotelywe began to adopt those tools for our sociallives as well It was kind of surprising that evenour regular ldquoGen Zrdquo social media habits didnrsquotseem enough for us anymore My friends and Istarted thinking of ways that we could get to-gether safely so we set up Zoom parties for vir-tual gatherings These remote parties got prettycreative - it wasnrsquot just a group of people all

chatting on a video call We found tons ofgames that could be played online in conjunc-tion with our Zoom call Wersquove played thingslike Cards Against Humanity trivia games andPsych Our calls are full of laughter and Irsquove ac-tually caught up with some people that Ihavenrsquot spoken to for months

This definitely isnrsquot the perfect replacementfor in-person social interaction but it sure is aheck of a lot better than going without any so-cial connections at all I canrsquot imagine what ithas been like for people living in long term careor those who needed to stay completely iso-lated I have been so lucky that I live with myfamily that Irsquom young and health and that atrip out of the house just to go to the grocerystore or the pharmacy doesnrsquot leave me at ahigher risk

As we learned more about this virus andfound out that the risk of contracting it out-doors is significantly lower we were able toshake up our gatherings Like many other peo-ple my friends and I started doing bike ridesBeing that on a bike you are pretty much re-quired to be at least two meters from the nextperson Our first ride was on one of the earlywarm days of summer and our overly ambi-tious selves decided that for the first ride sincewe were all roughly 13-years-old we shouldride the TransCanada Trail all the way to Sun-derland Safe to say as well as giving us lots oftime to catch up we also got in a lot of goodexercise and much-welcomed sunshine Wehave kept up these rides almost weekly andhave found a new hobby that we all really enjoydoing togetherOver the past few months as being social and

keeping connections became something we feltwas important to work for I think wersquove actu-ally become better about scheduling ldquoconnect-ing timerdquo I know before the pandemic I wasso busy driving here and there working doingschool work and then just crashing in mydowntime that I didnrsquot worry so much aboutseeing my friends and being social This pan-demic has actually given us some extra timeand opportunity to connect with people andthings that we love It may be a bit differentthan the traditional ways we are used to con-necting and socializing with others but our de-sire to be connected is just as strong as ourabilities to adapt and in our crazy changingworld Irsquom finding it fun to test my creativeskills and find different ways of connecting andnew things that I enjoy

It stands about three feet tall It looks like astone pedestal but it has no statue on it Itrsquos notlocated in an obvious public square or along abusy thoroughfare Itrsquos a war memorial but itdoesnrsquot glorify a victory nor mourn a defeateven though for Canadians it signifies tremen-dous loss When Irsquove taken fellow Canadiansthere Irsquove always been struck by its simplicitymodesty and basic message Its only identifica-tion is a brass plaque across one side of thepedestal with an inscriptionldquoHere 8 May 1915 the lsquoOriginalsrsquo of Princess

Patriciarsquos Canadian Light Infantry commandedby their founder Maj A Hamilton GaultDSO held firm and counted not the costrdquo isall it saysThe first time I went looking for this war me-

morial eight years ago I almost missed it Thebattlefield bus tour I was leading through Bel-gium had PPCLI veterans along and theyrsquodmentioned theyrsquod like to see this memorialThey said the ldquoOriginalsrdquo cairn was kind of atouchstone location for them the place wherePPCLI units suffered their first-ever casualtiesin the Great War Suddenly I spotted a sign di-recting us up a country road At the end of itI expected maybe an arrangement of flags or amarble sculpture possibly a statue of a Cana-dian soldier or something But no It was justthis modest circular stone with a written tributeto the Great Warrsquos very first PPCLI war dead Irsquove thought a lot about that ldquoOriginalsrdquo mon-

ument lately as demonstrators around theworld have reacted to the murder of GeorgeFloyd and knocked down or defaced statuesthey believe signify oppression and racism Pro-testors quite rightly are angry with edifices tomen who (at the time) seemed great leadersbut who also kept others in bondage Statuesonce raised to honour the life of ChristopherColumbus have been toppled in RichmondVirginia and St Paul Minnesota ndash the one inBoston was beheaded ndash over Columbusrsquos treat-ment of Indigenous people In Britain protes-tors have brought down statuescommemorating Edward Colston and RobertMilligan both former slavers And in the USthe statues of former leaders of the Confederacyin the US Civil War have fallen like ten pinsndash Jefferson Davis Robert E Lee and StonewallJackson in Richmond Albert Pike in Washing-ton Dick Dowling in Houston and CharlesLinn in Birmingham They stood and foughtfor the preservation of the Southern institutionof slavery Historical individuals once reveredhave suddenly been revealed

Hurray for that Nowhere should those whowould trample on the rights of others or worsemurder them through a warped sense of supe-riority be honoured But has it occurred to any-body that in eliminating all trace of thesefigures wersquore erasing that history Have thoseeager to topple statues and dump them in theriver considered how to explain what thosefallen heroes and icons did wrong Sure wipethe slate clean of their celebrity and evil waysbut in their place we need to show next gener-ations how they did what they did and whythey rose to fame in spite of it and then howtheir infamy survived in a sculpted edificeErase the evil but show the evidence

Not so long ago I tripped across an episodeof the iconic BBC TV series World at War Ittold the wartime tale of Oradour-sur-Glane asmall village in central France that paid thesupreme price for its resistance to Nazi occupa-tion from 1940 to 1944 The excerpt was nar-rated by none other than Sir Laurence OlivierThe segment walks the viewer along a desertedstreetldquoDown this road on a summer day in 1944rdquo

Olivier explains ldquothe soldiers came Theystayed only a few hours When they had gonethe community which had lived for a thousandyears was deadrdquo

He relates how the civilian men in Oradourwere led to garages and barns and shot by theGerman troops who then led the women andchildren to the Catholic church where they toowere killed With the dignity and empathy thatonly Olivier could bestow on such a narrationhe finishes by saying ldquoThey never rebuiltOradour Its ruins remain as a memorialrdquo Eventoday the abandoned village stands as a tributeto the 642 killed on June 10 1944 as a reprisalfor the Allied landings in Normandy four daysbefore Irsquod venture to say that nobody who vis-its that town or views that segment of World atWar ever forgets what happened there Or why Itrsquos the same as that simple marker in Belgium

Irsquove visited with battlefield travellers TheldquoOriginalsrdquo monument to the fallen of PPCLItroops in 1915 offers a remembrance of whathappened there It acknowledges the senselessloss It does what any historic monumentshould do ndash it describes the travesty displaysthe context and inspires all who visit to drawthe lesson for themselves

For more Barris Beat columns go to wwwtedbarriscom

The Barris Beatcolumn by Ted Barris

State of statues

Canadian Tire Uxbridge wwwcanadiantireca Store 905 852 3315

BEAT THE SUMMER HEAT VEHICLE AC INSPECTION

$3995ONLY Licensed Technician will test your vehicles system

pressures and check for leaksCall us now if you have these symptomsmiddot Longer air to cool-down timemiddot Squealing or other noises when AC is turned on

We service most makesmodels No appointment necessaryOffer expires July 25 2020

Irsquom just sayinrsquocolumn by Justyne Edgell

A different kind of connection

Thursday July 16 20206The Uxbridge Cosmos

RELAX and let us work for you

Quick and Easy Call Today

JOHN HADDOCKAGENT Licence M17001545

1-888-556-7910jhaddockmortgagecentrecommortgagecentrecomjohnhaddock

PILROCK MORTGAGES Brokerage Licence 12707

Traditional mortgage Cash flow or simply refinancingfor a Better youThis is what we dohellipCall us

905-487-8363Toll-free

888-982-8343

budgetblindscom

Changes may be coming to seniorsrsquo centreby Roger Varley

Ward 3 Councillor Bruce Garrod soughtand received council support Monday toapply for grants from the federal andprovincial governments to make somephysical changes at the Uxbridge SeniorsCentreGarrod said the number of programs of-

fered at the centre continues to grow andmembership in the Seniors Club hasreached 150 At the same time theUxbridge Youth Centre has moved itsquarters into the building But he addedthat it is acknowledged the UxbridgeSeniors Centre is not fully accessibleHe said the centre was built to the stan-

dards of the day (it opened in 1993) butthe washrooms do not meet todays stan-dards

is creates a roadblock that preventsthe inclusion of some individuals fromattending events he said in a report

Garrod said other changes are needed atthe centre to address mobility concernsHe said he wants to apply for a grant of

around $100000 from the federal En-abling Accessibility Fund and his appli-cation will include various letters ofsupport including letters from MP Jen-nifer OConnell and MPP Peter Bethlen-falvy In addition he wants to requestabout $50000 from the provincial Sen-iors Community Grant (SCG) Programe goal of that application is to repeatthe benefits of the 2020 CommuniTeaprogram for a second year but in a waythat allows seniors to engage socializeand learn remotely he said Garrod notedthat a federal grant would require a 25-per-cent contribution from the munici-pality but the provincial grant would bein total with no financial or in-kind top-up from the township

More council news can be found at thecosmosca

Lost dog from page 1

number so people can easily contact hisowner

People from miles around have joined thesearch They have concentrated on the vastforested area between Concessions 6 and 7and all the way south to WhitbyCindy and Bob Ouellette of Sunderland have

donned their bug jackets and grabbed theirwalking sticks to scour the forestsldquoAs a service dog Shep has done so much for

othersrdquo says Cindy ldquoPeople love Sheprsquos storyand want to help We canrsquot just forget him Hedeserves betterrdquo

ldquoThe search continuesrdquo says Brown ldquoWewill never give up But I will always believe inmy heart if Shep is in the spirit world he willbe happy with my hubby our turtles and birdand Ginger the catrdquo

Check out the Facebook page ldquoShep Is Lostrdquofor updates and report leads to Team Chelseaat 905-666-4676Photos of Shep available at thecosmosca

7The Uxbridge Cosmos Thursday July 16 2020

SERVICESPRIMEWORKS PROPERTYSERVICES Painting contractor with 30yearsrsquo experience recently moved to thearea specializing in bull Residential ampCommercial Interior amp Exterior Paintingbull Pressure Washing bull Airless Sprayingbull Staircase Refinishing bull QualityWorkmanship amp Service MPI CertifiedArchitectural Coatings Technologist FreeWritten Estimates Brett Michelsen 647-278-3423 primeworksrogerscom827DJ PAVING GTA Paving cut andpatch repairs cracks sealing graveland stone work 905-904-3769 731 DO YOUR OLD PHOTOS NEEDRESTORATION Boxes of slidestaking up room Preston GalleryBiAPhotography at 77 Brock StW(Uxbridge) specializing in restorationsand scanning Stop in or call Sabrina905-550-8825 OPEN FOR BUSINESS - HOME-WATCH HOUSEPET SITTINGSERVICES Voted 1 for ProtectingYour Home and Caring for Your PetsHome Owners have trusted HeatherStewart for 16 years for her reliabilityand detailed professionalism PropertyServicesDog WalkingCatSittingDoggie Sleep-Overs Visithome-watchca for more info onHeatherrsquos services Call or text 905-852-8525 follow us on Instagram -HomeWatchUxbridge 730

OLErsquo HANDYMAN amp FAMILYWaterproofing and landscapingElectrical amp plumbing Licensedinsured amp guaranteed Big or smallKitchen bath stonework cementbasements flooring pot lightsBobcat 48 years experienceFinancing Masks worn Seniordiscount 905-473-5197 or 647-225-3311 (cell) 730THE GIRLS BRA SHOP - Find thebras youll love living in with ourexpert fitters at The Girls Bra Shop inStouffville Contactthegirlsbrashopgmailcom fordetails 905-642-3339 An upliftingexperience 730FOR RENTHOUSE 3-bedroom house for rentSunderland area 905-852-5568716

WANTEDAPPLIANCES Refrigerator washerand dryer 416-882-5501 716FULL-TIME OFFICE HELP MrRadonreg in Greenbank is looking forfull time office staff Goodcommunication skills flexibleindependent worker with Word Excelsome Quickbooks phone filing andgreat organizational skills Willing tolearn about radon and take industryrelated course to better communicatewith our customers wwwmr-radoncaSend resumeacutes to maureenmr-radonca 723

SEEKING RENTAL HOME AMAZINGTENANTS seeking detached wholehouse ruralsemi-rural 2+bdrmsMotherampdaughter w glowing refsnever miss rent excellent job Ph905-852-2698 723PART-TIME FARM LABOURERSandford area 416-571-1081 716WANTED TENTS SLEEPINGBAGS BOOKS AND OTHERMEDIA Need to declutter Collectinggently used books and other media(DVDCDVideo Games etc - scratchesOK) Items will be used for a businessand charitable organizations Alsocollecting tents and sleeping bags tobe donated to the homeless inToronto 647-884-1720 723FOR LEASE2019 TOYOTA PRIUS C 4417kms Excellent condition Snow tiresincluded Turquoise colour Blackinterior $1500 down and take overthe lease 416-444-2136 716YARD SALESGARAGE SALE Sat July 18 startingat 730 am 35 Deer Ridge RdGoodwood Electronics clothesappliances movies furniturekitchenware jewellery knapsackstoys and moreFREEBOAT 17-foot fibreglass runaboutneeds transom repair amp new seatsMercury outboard motor alsoavailable for sale 905-640-8835

CLASSIFIED

COSMOS BUSINESS BULLETIN BOARD

Classifieds are $15week up to 25 words $020 per additional word (plus HST) Payable in advance by cash cheque debit or credit card Contact Lvannthecosmosca or 905-852-1900 Deadline Tuesday 12 noon Ask about online link possibilities too

Windcrestelectrical contracting ltd

Paul FraserCell 4165270878windcrestelectricalgmailcom

esa 7007893

ldquoJesus said lsquoDonrsquot be trou-bled Trust in God Trustalso in mersquo rdquo John 141

More Bible help atwwwbiblesocietycathe_word_and_you

LIGHT FOR YOUR PATH

UxBRIDGE BRANCH

For all yourhome

projects

RON BROWN AUTO

We will not be undersoldWe service all

makes and modelsWe fix it right the first time

170 Main Street North

905-852-5981905-852-1981

uprightdoorservicecom

DOOR SERVICE INC

Garage Doorsamp Openers

PUT YOUR ADIN THIS SPACE and get seen by everyone in

Uxbridge Township

Call905

852-1900for details

Early Style CanadianHandcrafted Pine Furniture

905-852-2275wwwgilldercroftcom

Like us

Home renovations including additions kitchens bathrooms basements garages

hardwood flooring trim etc

3 Brock Street WestOPEN SUNDAYS 11 am - 4 pm905-852-9892

WErsquoRE GETTING BETTER ALL THE TIME - NOW WE HAVE GRAB NrsquoGO LUNCHES AND FRESH FRUIT CUPS

CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR THIS WEEKrsquoS SPECIALS

wwwthemeatmerchantca

905-852-5313 UTSTreeCareca

bull ISA Certi$ed Arboristsbull Bucket amp Crane Trucksbull Consultingbull Fertilizing

bull Hydro Line Clearingbull Stump Grindingbull Tree Pruning and Removalsbull Planting and Plant Health Care

bull Garden Renovationbull Planting amp Redesign

bull Regular or as-needed Garden Careby former Master Gardeneramp Quali(ed Plantsman

416-709-0385gardenartskfgmailcom

JONES PUMPINGSeptic amp Holding Tanks

905-852-2486416-476-7170

Serving Port PerryUxbridge amp

surrounding areas

MOE licensed

Registered Massage Therapist

GAYLE CHERRYBPHERMT

Over 20 Years Experience Insurance receipts for alltreatments

Flexible hours 5199434315

gaylecherrygmailcom

416-525-6161tailsonwagg390gmailcom

8The Uxbridge Cosmos Thursday July 16 2020

Gerald LawrenceManagerSales Representative

Shane CoxworthSales Representative

Gwen LaytonSales Representative

Judy EsmondeBroker

Dale OrsquoNeillSales Representative

Marie PersaudSales Representative

Chris LarmerSales Representative

Judy Esmonde BrokerwwwJudyEsmondecom

Cell 416-677-8709

Marie Persaud Sales RepresentativewwwMariePersaudcaCell 416-970-8979

Dale OrsquoNeill Sales RepresentativewwwDaleOneillcomCell 647-924-0975

Gerald Lawrence Sales RepresentativewwwMultipleListingsca

Cell 416-556-0238

Chris Larmer Sales Representativewwwpowerofbluex2caCell 416-500-6377

Shane Coxworth Sales Representativewwwpowerofbluex2caCell 905-903-7965

Gwen Layton Sales RepresentativewwwGwenLaytoncaCell 647-991-3276

RMR REAL ESTATE BROKERAGE

Each Office Independently Owned and Operated

wwwColdwellBankerUxbridgeca75 Brock St W Uxbridge

905-852-4338Toll Free 1-866-666-2696

wwwColdwellBankerca

wwwColdwellBankerLuxurycomThe Global Luxury Difference

Perfect opportunity to own an affordablehome right in the heart of Uxbridge Walk tovirtually everything 100 Toronto St S$410000 www100TorontoStca

TOO MANY UPDATES TO LIST3 bedroom sideplit on 27 acres

24 x 26 heated shop 2 road frontages15740 Highway 12 Scugogwww15740Hwy12ca

1 ACRE LOT LOCATED JUST MINUTESOUTSIDE BOLTON VIEWS THAT GO ON FORMILES 4 BEDROOM 3 BATHROOMS amp VERYNICELY APPOINTED LISTED AT $1179999

COMING SOON TO MLSreg3 Bedrooms 1 Bathroom Bungalow

1 Car Garage 1 Carport 1 Garden Shed1 Heated Barn

Just Under 3 Acres Fenced Backyard

THINKING ABOUT BUYING OR SELLINGI CAN HELP

Whether you need a free Home Evaluation or just afew questions answered it would be my pleasure

Feel free to call or text me anytime

FORSALE

FREE

CMA

SOLD

COMING

SOON

SOLDWANTED

I have buyers looking for the followingbull Farm with home garage acreage

bull Fixer upper housebull Vacant building lot(s)

bull Waterfront home or cottagebull Condo

If you have a property that fits the abovedescription andor are thinking of sellingplease reach out to me and call me directly

at 416-970-8979

Call Judy today to answer all yourquestions regarding the process

during COVID-19

Thinking of Buying orSelling but unsure ofthe safety of it at this

time

tioned at a previous council meetingand the resolution was published inthe agenda four days prior to thecouncil meeting so it wasnrsquot a surpriseto my fellow councillors the majorityof whom supported the proposedchanges

Councillor Ruona maintains hisrole on the Library Board and con-tinues to serve his constituents acrossa very large geographic area I appre-ciate that having to discuss thischange publicly in a council meetingwas disappointing for CouncillorRuona but passing a resolution incouncil is required by the MunicipalAct so it had to be discussed in pub-lic

Councillor Ruona is keen to servethe residents of the township He andI will work together to find projectsthat are the best fit with his skill sets Finally I was very proud of our local

merchants for moving quickly toadopt the regionrsquos mask policy andwork to make it accepted and seam-less I am very excited to see thetownship and the region move toStage 3 as it will mean that our liveswill be closer to normal and we willbe able to eat in restaurants see amovie or gather in appropriategroups to hear live music

Please be safe and enjoy your sum-mer Editorrsquos note e Cosmos would liketo note that Durham Region is remain-ing in Stage 2 until further notice fromthe provincial government

A note from Daversquos deskcolumn by Mayor Dave Barton

Uxbridge is outbreak-free

Irsquom very happy to start my columnwith the announcement that theCOVID-19 outbreak at ReachViewVillage has officially been declaredover as of July 9 As I write this weare down to one case of COVID-19in our community Letrsquos continue tobe vigilant and take preventativemeasures to keep our case count lowso we can collectively move to Stage3

Irsquom also pleased to report thatprogress on the Brock St Culvertproject is moving along nicely partlybecause we have not encounteredany unexpected underground waterCrews have installed a shoring wallacross Brock St and will soon beginto excavate there e downtown merchants are really

appreciative of and need your sup-port ere is ample parking and ac-cess to these businesses so wecontinue to encourage everyone togive our local friends a visit

Two new temporary speed bumpshave been installed on Mill St whichare intended to slow down traffic

Mill St is marked as ldquolocal trafficonlyrdquo during the Brock St construc-tion Motorists are directed to useElgin Park Drive as the preferredroute around the constructione mandatory water ban has been

lifted by the region A high-pressurepump malfunctioned on one of ourmunicipal wells which threatened todestabilize our water pressure untilrepairs could be made

ank you to those who avoidedunnecessary watering while the banwas on Our splash pad has reopenedso go and enjoy - in an appropriatelyphysically distanced way

Readers of this paper will be awareof a recent change to council repre-sentation on three advisory commit-tees I feel the process we followedwas misrepresented

I proposed changes to the councilrepresentative [Councillor GaryRuona] on three committees in orderto help those committees achievetheir current project goals ischange was discussed with Council-lor Ruona ahead of time was men-