You will be able to get a professional haircut again in Ontario as of midnight June 30. The province is moving to Step Two of its Roadmap to Reopen at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, two days earlier than originally anticipated. Step Two focuses on the resumption of more outdoor activities and limited indoor services with small numbers of people where face coverings are worn, with other restrictions in place. This includes, but is not limited to: Outdoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 25 people; Indoor social gatherings and organized public events with up to 5 people; Essential and other select retail permitted at 50 per cent capacity; Non-essential retail permitted at 25 per cent capacity; Personal care services where face coverings can be worn at all times, and at 25 per cent capacity and other restrictions; Outdoor dining with up to 6 people per table, with exceptions for larger households and other restrictions; Indoor religious services, rites, or ceremonies, including wedding services and funeral services permitted at up to 25 per cent capacity of the particular room; Outdoor fitness classes limited to the number of people who can maintain 3 metres of physical distance; Outdoor sports without contact or modified to avoid contact, with no specified limit on number of people or teams participating, with restrictions; Overnight camps for children operating in a manner consistent with the safety guidelines produced by the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health; Outdoor sport facilities with spectators permitted at 25 per cent capacity; Outdoor concert venues, theatres and cinemas, with spectators permitted at 25 per cent capacity; Outdoor horse racing and motor speedways, with spectators permitted at 25 per cent capacity; Outdoor fairs, rural exhibitions, festivals, permitted at 25 per cent capacity and with other restrictions. Step 1, which began June 11, was to remain in effect for 21 days.

Also in The News, new highs and lows on real estate market, more jobs, 75-year family tradition.

Cornwall Mayor Bernadette Clement has resigned after being named to the Senate by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“This is an incredible honour, which feels both thrilling and wistful,” states Clement. “It’s a tremendous opportunity, which I cannot wait to start. However, I am very sad to resign from my role as the Mayor of Cornwall. It’s quite remarkable that you can feel such opposing emotions intensely and at the same time.”

She has served as mayor since 2018. She was the first woman to be elected as Mayor of Cornwall in its 237-year history and the first Black woman to serve as a mayor in Ontario. Prior to this, she served three terms as city councillor. Her mother, who passed away in 2021, grew up in Manitoba as a francophone and her father, who is a few months shy of 100 years young, grew up in Trinidad. Born in Montreal, she later attended the University of Ottawa. In 1991, after being called to the Bar of Ontario, Clement moved to Cornwall to start her legal career as a legal aid lawyer at the Clinique juridique Roy McMurtry Legal Clinic. She continues to practice law there, focused on representing injured workers and has been an ardent advocate for those less privileged in society.

Bernadette Clement will be the seventh Black person appointed to the Senate of Canada since the first, Senator Anne Cools was appointed in 1984, and the fourth Black woman.

The News of June 16 also has a COVID-19 update, a call for a Papal apology and warnings about predators and a masonry scam.

SDG Warden and South Glengarry Mayor Frank Prevost has been charged with child luring following an online undercover police operation.

The 53-year-old has also been charged with sexual assault.

The charges were laid following an investigation by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Child Sexual Exploitation Unit (CSEU), Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry OPP, Grenville OPP along with OPP Digital Forensics investigators.

Mr. Prevost faces three charges of luring a child.

As a result of a separate investigation involving an adult victim, the accused has also been charged with one count of sexual assault.

The accused was held for a video bail hearing at the Ontario Court of Justice in Cornwall.

The United Counties and South Glengarry issued the following statement: "No comment will be made at this time as this is a legal matter before the courts. SDG and Township councils will be reviewing the matter shortly to determine appropriate next steps.”

Parents are being advised to warn their children about online predators after a Terrebonne man was arrested Tuesday for preying on a minor. The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Child Sexual Exploitation Unit (CSEU), Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry OPP, along with OPP Digital Forensics investigators arrested 55-year old Thomas Tammler after an online undercover operation. He was charged with luring a child and obtaining sexual services from a person under 18 years. The OPP has seen an increase in online offences by people intent on the sexual exploitation of children. As a result, members of OPP CSEU are actively conducting proactive online luring investigations to aggressively target these offenders.         Parents are reminded to take a proactive approach to help protect their children from online sexual exploitation by speaking with their children regarding Internet safety. Parents and anyone interested in protecting children can find resources to assist them at www.cybertip.ca  

The News of June 9 also has lottery winners, Scottish Heritage Day, your views on residential schools and bad drivers.

A tribute to residential school victims, seed money for unique crops, no time to waste.

The News of June 2 also has your views on bad drivers, a look at why jobs go unfilled and the jobless rate is rising, and how Ontario is very slowly loosening COVID-19 restrictions.

Ontario has reached a key milestone in its fight against COVID-19, having achieved its target to administer first doses to 65 per cent of Ontarians aged 18 and over ahead of schedule. The province is also preparing to roll out the eligibility for accelerated second dose appointments starting with individuals aged 80 and over, beginning May 31. If there is sufficient vaccine supply, it is anticipated that the majority of Ontario residents who choose to receive the vaccine will be able to be fully vaccinated by the end of summer. Ontario has already begun offering second doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at an accelerated pace with a 10-week interval for individuals who received their first dose between March 10 to March 19, 2021. This significant progress has enabled the government to allow the provincial declaration of emergency and Stay-at-Home Order to expire on June 2. The province’s emergency brake will remain in effect, with public health measures and restrictions still in place, until the province is ready to enter Step One of Ontario’s Roadmap to Reopen. Step One may begin as early as two weeks after 60 per cent of Ontario’s adults receive at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and if key indicators, such as risk of COVID-19 variants, hospitalizations, ICU occupancy and new hospital admissions and case rates continue to decline. Based on current trends in key health indicators, the province expects to enter Step One of the Roadmap the week of June 14. The province will confirm timelines closer to the expected start of Step One.

Suicide rate rises, aflutter with new life, tree policy "loopholes"

Plus, Games tradition carries on, your views on learning and LTCs.

The News of May 19 also has a human library, miffed golfers and volunteerism.

Two people have been declared dead at the scene of a single-vehicle collision that occurred shortly before 4:30 p.m. on the westbound Highway 401 Westbound, between Boundary Road and McConnell Avenue in South Stormont Township.

A third person in the vehicle has been transported to hospital with life-threatening injuries, reports the Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry Ontario Provincial Police detachment.

The crash occurred when the vehicle left the roadway and struck a ditch.

SD&G OPP is seeking the assistance of motorists who were travelling in the area and observed the crash, or who may have dash cam footage from their vehicle. Contact SD&G OPP at  1-888-310-1122.

The Eastern Ontario Health Unit has received a report of a phone scam in the area about the COVID-19 vaccine. Please note that the COVID-19 vaccine is free. If you receive a call requesting financial information to receive the vaccine, please hang up immediately and do not provide any personal information such as your health card or credit card number. Never allow anyone inside your home offering the vaccine in return for a fee. Alert the police.

The Eastern Ontario Health Unit (EOHU) is working hard to ensure that its COVID-19 vaccination efforts, including booking, continue to operate efficiently and ethically.

The EOHU appreciates that individuals who received their first dose, but who don't have an appointment scheduled for their second dose, want to ensure their second dose is received on time and in accordance with their respective recommended dose interval.

"We recognize that for some, this time frame is nearing and, understandably, they are worried," the health unit says.

 The provincial booking system currently only allows individuals to book first and second dose appointments at the same time. Individuals who have received a first dose of the vaccine without using the provincial booking system are not currently able to book an appointment for their second dose only. The Province is in the process of upgrading its booking system to allow individuals to book a single dose appointment only. As soon as this feature becomes available, instructions will be shared on the EOHU website, on social media and by e-mail to those who pre-registered with the EOHU for their second dose prior to April 28. In the meantime, the EOHU is planning clinics for those requiring a second dose based on future vaccine allocation. Individuals who have received their first dose, but don't yet have an appointment for their second dose, will not be missed or forgotten. In recent weeks, the EOHU has unfortunately had to turn individuals away at our clinics who had booked a single second dose that did not respect their recommended dose interval. We ask that individuals needing a second dose appointment only please continue to follow the latest updates and rest assured that appointments will be made available to them. For the latest information about COVID-19 vaccines, including which population groups are eligible to receive it and how to access it, regularly visit the Eastern Ontario Health Unit's website at www.EOHU.ca/vaccines

The News of May 12 also has a dispatch from Shanghai, 20 Questions with an author and artist, a look at history-making Rebels, and praise for pishing.