Peterborough Blogs
AgTech Startups Booming: Innovation Cluster Partners With Peterborough Agriculture Society
/Seeing the vast potential in the booming AgTech sector locally, The Greater Peterborough Innovation Cluster (GPIC) has announced an innovative new partnership with the Peterborough Agricultural Society (PAS).
It was a perfect fit with the Innovation Cluster as The Peterborough Agriculture Society has outlined a new strategic plan which clearly identifies the desire to promote agriculture awareness with an emphasis on advanced agriculture processes and technology, something the Innovation Cluster has championed in the community.
Indeed, the Innovation Cluster has been working with companies to aid in the commercialization of agriculture research and in promoting innovation in the agriculture sector with companies such as Noble Tech Inc., Entomo Farms and Chimp Treats.
“There are a growing number of AgTech start-ups in the region and this partnership will be crucial to the development of our local agriculture sector and economy,” says Michael Skinner, Interim CEO of the Innovation Cluster.
The Innovation Cluster will kick off this unique affiliation with PAS by hosting a demonstration area—coined "Innovation Agriculture Zone"—at the Peterborough Exhibition in August for Innovative Agriculture related companies, and Chimp Treats will be there launching a new product.
A Veteran Peterborough Soccer Referee Writes This Open Letter To Parents, Players & Coaches
/Peterborough's Beth McClelland has been refereeing since her tween years, and as an adult now watched a lot of young, new officials start out as well. She has observed their treatment on and off the field, and while most people treat them with respect, many don't. She wrote this open letter below for us to share as a reminder to how your words can impact these young officials...
Dear athletes, coaches, parents & spectators,
Summertime in Peterborough has always meant one thing to me: soccer season. I’ve been playing in various leagues since the age of four and refereeing since age 12. As a player, I’ve felt the joy that comes from forming lifelong bonds with teammates, of celebrating a win or strong effort and of improving as a player. As a referee, I’ve felt my confidence grow and taken on leadership roles and more competitive games.
I love soccer, but it’s not all butterflies and roses.
I started refereeing at the age of 12, and since that age I’ve been called worthless, stupid, terrible and a barrage of other nasty things. I’ve held back tears on the field and let them out behind closed doors after the game where the name calling replays over and over in my head. I’ve had coaches swear at me and heard parents tell their 10-year-old children "I’m a stupid bitch."
As a player, I understand the anger that comes when a referee misses a call or sees things in a different perspective. I, too, have struggled to let it go after the whistle blows. How is it possible that someone who referees could get annoyed with a fellow referee? Because I’m human. It’s because I’m human I WILL make mistakes as both a player and a referee. Because I’m human, I DO feel things on a personal, emotional level, and because I’m human, I care deeply about doing my very best. Because I’m human, the awful treatment I receive as a referee can be inexplicably painful. Sometimes it makes me want to stop refereeing and even makes me question my worth in our society.
Every season, I see a new group of young, inexperienced officials begin their journey into refereeing. Most of them aren’t thinking about the kind of games they’ll be doing in 10 years or the friends they’ll make along the way; they’re thinking it’s a pretty fun summer job. The tough reality is that after that first season, most of them won’t be back.
When a young person starts a new position at a fast food restaurant, summer camp, grocery store, etc. they often wear a name tag that specifies they’re “in training” or hold a title such as “junior counsellor”. A referee takes a course over a weekend, purchases their kit and then gets thrown on the field where they try to remember all 139 pages of the law book they just received.
Sure, there will be referees who don’t care and who don’t act professionally, but much like any other industry, they’re few and far between. Most of us just want to do a great job.
I was incredibly lucky to have some older, experienced referees encourage, support and mentor me from an early age. I can only try to do the same for those starting out and plead to this community and beyond to show respect.
As referees, we try to understand that most comments aren't meant to be personal and that people can change in the heat of the moment, but it can take many years of doing the job and many hurtful comments to figure that out.
To those who already stop to shake the referee’s hand after a game regardless of the results, thank you. To those who understand that we have bad days too, thank you. And to those who teach their children to step in the referee’s shoes because one day they might do that job too, thank you.
sincerely,
Beth McCelland
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Two Dishes Cookshop To Be Featured On Hit Canadian Food Network Show "You Gotta Eat Here!"
/Peterborough's Two Dishes Cookshop & Catering (261 Charlotte St.) is going to be featured on an upcoming episode of the hit Food Network Canada show You Gotta Eat Here!
Promoting restaurants across our great country, the show features the owners, talks to customers, and shows how signature dishes are created at incredible restaurants across our great land.
This will be great promotion for Two Dishes Cookshop, the downtown and Peterborough, and Two Dishes is soon going to be able to dawn the awesome You Gotta Eat Here! sticker in its window.
What dish they will have featured on the show is yet to be known but we're looking forward to watching some behind the scenes footage of one of this city's best locally owned restaurants.
Filming takes place Thursday, June 16th and Friday, June 17th at Two Dishes so it will be closed on those days for deelicious reasons.
—post by Aaron Elliott
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Ann Douglas Witnesses Man Approach Woman In Threatening Manner, Calls Police
/Peterborough-based author/parenting columnist Ann Douglas is angry, shaken and worried about something she witnessed Tuesday morning (June 14th) involving a man intimidating a woman.
She posted about it to her Facebook account...
Her Facebook post, which is generating a lot of reaction in support of her stepping up—"We all have to stand up for one another," "Oh My God. Thank you", "We can't NOT take action in such a situation" and "Wow. The world is a scary place. We have to help each other, not turn the other way" are just some of the reactions coming in—said this:
"If you approach a woman in a threatening manner, ignoring her demands that you stay away from her -- and then somehow coerce her to get in your car -- yes, I will take a photo of your license plate before you drive away. And then I will report you to the police. Because I just did."
We reached out to Ann about the incident and she told PTBOCanada this:
"I didn't have a lot of time to think, so I just acted instinctively," Douglas tells PTBOCanada. "My gut instincts told me I had to do something—that there was something really wrong about this situation. He seemed really threatening. I picked up that vibe as he stormed past me on the sidewalk and marched across the lawn toward the woman, ignoring her demands that she leave him alone. I didn't feel safe enough to confront him directly, so I pulled out my phone, snapped a photo of the car and the license plate, and called the police. It wouldn't have felt right to look the other way and simply go on with my day. Everyone has the right to go about their day safely, without the threat of intimidation. I don't know the backstory here—what was going on with these two people—but I know what I saw. And what I saw was really threatening and disturbing. And that's why I felt the need to get involved."
We commend Ann and others like her for being pro-active and not turning the other way.
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Legendary Lacrosse Star John Grant Jr. Returns To Play One Final Season For Peterborough Lakers
/The Michael Jordan of lacrosse
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