Ontario health unit urges residents to ‘avoid handling bats’ given exposure spike

Peterborough Public Health unit is urging residents to “avoid handling” bats after a “noticeable” spike in bat-related exposures this summer.
The health unit, which has officially merged with Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit, issued the notice on Friday.
“Attempting to capture a bat indoors can increase your chances of being bitten or scratched, which raises the risk of being exposed to the rabies virus,” PPH said.
It noted if there was no direct contact with a bat, such as not touching it or having the bat land on a person, then the risk of rabies is extremely low.

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Rabies is a viral disease that spreads through saliva of infected animals, most commonly in bats.
The public health unit warns that if a person discovers a bat indoors to not touch or attempt to capture it. They suggest confining the bat to a room, turning off the lights and opening a window to allow it to fly out on its down.
If that doesn’t work, they suggest calling pest control.
If a person is bitten, scratched or touched by a bat it’s suggest they wash the affected area thorough with soap and water, or use hand sanitizer if soap isn’t available. Then, contact a health care professional or call the local health unit.
They said if anyone finds a dead bat to call the local health unit.
“Rabies is preventable with timely treatment, but once symptoms appear, it is fatal,” the health unit warned.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.


Spirits maker Diageo will cease operations at its bottling facility in Amherstburg, Ont., early next year, as it shifts some bottling volume to the U.S., the company announced on Thursday.
The facility, which bottles Crown Royal products, will close in February in a move aimed at improving its North American supply chain.

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About 200 jobs will be affected.
“This was a difficult decision, but one that is crucial to improving the efficiency and resiliency of our supply chain network,” Marsha McIntosh, Diageo’s president of North America supply, said in a statement.
Diageo said it will engage with the community and find ways to support its employees through the transition, and work alongside Unifor to assist unionized workers.
The company said it will still maintain a “significant” footprint in Canada — including its headquarters and warehouse operations in the Greater Toronto Area, and bottling and distillation facilities in Manitoba and Quebec.
McIntosh added the company’s Crown Royal products will continue to be mashed, distilled and aged at its Canadian facilities.
© 2025 The Canadian Press

Toronto police say a 33-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly striking two men with his car Wednesday evening.
Officers say they responded to reports of a collision in the area of Don Mills Road and Gateway Boulevard in the city’s North York neighbourhood just before 10:30 p.m.

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Police say two men got into an argument, leading to one man getting into his car and hitting the other man with it.
They say the man then put his car into reverse, striking a second man.
A man in his 50s was transported to hospital with serious injuries and the second man, in his 20s, had minor injuries.
Police say the suspect from Markham, Ont., faces several other charges as well, including two counts of assault with a weapon, uttering threats and dangerous driving.
© 2025 The Canadian Press

A court document shows a Lindsay, Ont., man facing charges for allegedly breaking into an apartment was carrying a crossbow when he was confronted by a tenant.
The resident, Jeremy David McDonald, is also facing assault charges in the incident on Aug. 18 — a fact that has generated widespread interest in the case.
Police information filed in court alleges that Michael Kyle Breen damaged a window and screen at McDonald’s home and carried a crossbow.
The court document says the 41-year-old Breen is charged with break and enter, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, mischief under $5,000 and failing to comply with a probation order.

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Police have said that Breen, who is scheduled to appear in court for a bail hearing next week, was already wanted for unrelated offences.
McDonald, the 44-year-old resident, was charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon after he allegedly “did endanger the life” of Breen.
Premier Doug Ford blasted the decision to charge the apartment resident, saying last week that it shows “something is broken.”
Kawartha Lakes Police Chief Kirk Robertson wrote in a statement Wednesday that he recognizes the incident has generated significant public interest and “emotional” responses, but called some of the reaction “unjust and inaccurate.”
Robertson wrote that individuals have the right to defend themselves and their property, but the law requires that any defensive action be proportionate to the threat faced.
“This means that while homeowners do have the right to protect themselves and their property, the use of force must be reasonable given the circumstances,” he wrote.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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