Photos: Havelock Minor Hockey Players Skate With the Peterborough Petes Prior to Final Home Game

The Peterborough Petes put smiles on the faces of Havelock kids and parents as they had a practice and free skate at the HBM Community Centre on Wednesday afternoon.

Daxton Whitmore, 8, Havelock Hawks left winger gets a signature from Petes forward Quinn Binnie during the team’s last practice before their last home game. All photos by David Tuan Bui.

The Petes had practiced ahead of their final home game against the Ottawa 67’s for Thursday night. The team skated with the Havelock Hawks (Havelock Minor Hockey) after the practice.

Following ice activities, the Petes held an autograph session for the children. A pizza/chili party, a cake and draws were happening during the session. Donations and the draws were used to raise money for Havelock Minor Hockey.

The defending-OHL Champions finished the day with an autographed jersey presented to Havelock Minor Hockey president, Danielle Follette.

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Havelock Seniors Club Approved For Funding Up to $65,000 Towards Seniors Activity Living Centre Program

To help promote healthy active living, the Havelock Seniors Club has been approved for funding of up to $65,000 through the Seniors Activity Living Centre (SALC) program.

Seniors Active Living Centre programs offer social, cultural, learning, and recreational programs for seniors. By promoting wellness, social connections, and education these programs can help reduce social isolation and encourage seniors to stay active, independent and engaged. There are approximately 316 programs across the province. Photo courtesy of Township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen.

Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility; Dave Smith, Peterborough-Kawartha MPP; Bonnie Clark, Peterborough County Warden; and Havelock-Belmont-Methuen Township Mayor Jim Martin made the announcement.

The program promotes active and healthy living, social engagement and learning for older adults and seniors by providing them with activities and services according to a press release. SALC programs help build healthier and safer communities and address an aging population's long-term growth and needs.

“Community connection is critical for the health and well-being of seniors in our communities,” said Cho. “Our government proudly supports the new Havelock Seniors Active Living Centre program which will provide valuable programming to keep seniors in the community connected, healthy and engaged.”

“This funding that the Havelock Seniors Centre will be receiving through the SALC program will enable seniors to enjoy activities with their friends that will help reduce social isolation and provide them with the means to stay active and engaged,” said Smith.

“We could not have come as far as we have without the hard work and dedication of the Club's many volunteers, both past and present,” said Mary Pequegnat, Havelock Seniors Club president. “This funding will allow us to grow our programs and reach into our more rural communities with accessible services.”

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AON Inc's Holds Groundbreaking Ceremony For A Havelock 128-Bed Long-Term Care Home For September 2025

The shovels dug deep for AON Inc. as they started the groundbreaking ceremony for a 128-bed long-term care home in Havelock on Wednesday morning.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The home will help Ontario address the growing demands for long-term care. The Township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen, Mayor and Council have been very involved in working hard to secure a long-term care home in Havelock according to a press release.

The site is located at 628 Old Norwood Rd. AON won the bid to build the long-term care home on Feb 17. The building is roughly 86,355 sq ft. with the project’s completion slated for September 2025.

“With the support of the citizens of Havelock, they lobbied the government to get bed allocation to here and that's the key component that you need and then through the process, we were able to successfully win the tendering to build the home here,” explained Brad Smith, AON Inc. president. “It's the support of Havelock that's made this happen.”

The long-term care home is part of the provincial government’s $6.4 billion commitment to build more than 30,000 new beds by 2028 along with 28,000 upgraded long-term care beds across the province according to MPP Dave Smith.

“The residents of Havelock have been waiting a long time for the build of this long-term care home,” he said. “Everyone deserves to be close to their family and friends. Today, with this initial ground-breaking, we are one step closer to making this a reality. Our government has made commitments to get long-term care homes built in this province and today proves we are doing just that.”

“We have had a lot of ups and downs over the years, but have always kept this as a top priority for not only Havelock-Belmont-Methuen but also Peterborough County and the surrounding area, where we received tremendous support,” said Jim Martin, Havelock-Belmont-Methuen Township mayor.

The home will have dining, activity areas, lounges and access to outdoor spaces according to AON. The building will employ over 140 staff.

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Havelock Country Jamboree Officially Closes Its Stages After 30 Years of Community Concerts

The Havelock Country Jamboree has announced the decision to close its stages after 30 years of the community festival.

photo courtesy of the havelock country jamboree.

“We are so happy that we have been able to provide you with 30 years of entertainment and fun, meeting new friends and reminiscing with old ones. We have watched 4 generations of families attend the Jamboree – it truly has become a Tradition in our lifetime, and we are a family,” a statement from Havelock Country Jamboree’s management reads.

“We regret to tell you that the Havelock Country Jamboree (as you know it – with Ed & Paula at the helm) will be closing the gates and the stages, permanently. COVID hit us hard. Relationships broke down; and age is appearing to have taken its toll. We have reached the end of our ‘working’ years. We are sorry. We did struggle trying to remain open when we could; work from home when we were ordered to; but for all of our efforts – it came to naught. The struggle was just too great at this age and stage of our lives.”

The statement goes on to say that they have been ordered by the courts to sell all Jamboree properties, and will be issuing ticket refunds shortly.

“We really can’t say any more at this point, but know how anxious ticket holders are. Please be advised that it is our intention to issue refunds for tickets held, but as the sale works its way through the real estate process, at this time our hands are tied.”

The Havelock Country Jamboree has seen names like Billy Ray Cyrus, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Wynona Judd and Jason Aldean on their main stage.

The four day festival, which typically attracts over 20,000 people annually, has been called Canada’s largest live, outdoor country music and camping festival for over 30 years. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the festival has not run since 2019.

“30 years. It is a very long time to host a venue and we have enjoyed every minute with you. Whether you were with us for 30 years or 1 year, we thank you for supporting the Havelock Country Jamboree.”

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Havelock Awards AON Inc. Development Agreement to Build 128-Bed Long-Term Care Facility

The township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen has awarded AON Inc. the right to build a 128-bed long-term care facility in Havelock after their March 7 council meeting, subject to provincial government approvals.

Photo courtesy of AON Inc.

AON was the successful bidder in a public RFP process that closed on Feb 17.

The future site is located at 628 Old Norwood Rd. where construction must begin by Aug. 31 or it will be cancelled, this is under the requirement of Ontario’s recently announced supplemental construction funding initiative aimed at getting construction started soon on 10,000 new LTC beds in the province. The building is roughly 86,355 sq ft. Projections for the project’s completion are slated for September 2025 according to Ray Barlow, AON Inc. Vice President.

“We’re excited to work with the town of Havelock to launch the 128-bed long-term care home,” he said. “The town has backed us on the project and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care will be providing direction on the next steps in the process.”

The original development agreement was made back on Nov. 12, 2020, with AON tendering the project a month later. In late January 2021, building costs had risen, particularly in lumber, electrical and mechanical products. The rising costs and severe supply chain constraints made the project untenable given the unreliable building supplies situation.

“The ongoing-pandemic supply chain and inflationary cost pressures realized tremendous encumbrances to the tendering process, as set against the MLTC’s 2020 Capital Development Policy,” explained Barlow. “Like many other long-term care operators in Ontario looking to build long-term care facilities during that time, progress was halted due to the ongoing pandemic and supply chain issues, and the realization of the beds award was stalled.”

The project application has been resubmitted to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care for final approval, with the full endorsement of the Havelock-Belmont Methuen Township council.

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Havelock Fire and Ice Festival Hosting Hockey Player Brigette Lacquette

The HBMProud Havelock Community Outdoor Rink is set to host the Fire and Ice festival; a free event featuring hockey player Brigette Lacquette on Feb. 11.

Photo courtesy of the Havelock Fire and Ice Festival.

From noon to 7 p.m., the Havelock Fire and Ice festival will have many family-friendly activities to enjoy, including ice carving, fire performers, a petting zoo, fireworks and more.

The festival will feature an appearance by hockey player Brigette Lacquette. Lacquette is the first First Nations hockey player to be named to Canada's National Women's Team.

Lacquette first joined the National Women's U18 Team in Aug. 2008, and went on to win silver and gold at the 2009 and 2010 IHF U18 Women's World Championships.

For more information on Havelock’s Fire and Ice festival, visit the rink’s Facebook page.

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Havelock Lions Club President Passes Away at 48

Havelock Lions Club president Brian ‘Gratz’ Grattan passed away at the age of 48 at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre on Monday.

Facebook photo.

Grattan has been a member of the Lions club for over 25 years and was actively involved with children’s sports. He was heavily invested in the Havelock Lions, Havelock Minor Hockey and Havelock Express Softball as a volunteer coach.

The Lions Club made a Facebook post on Tuesday announcing the news and made the following statement:

“It’s with heavy hearts and great sadness that our club announces the passing of our president Lion Brian Grattan.

Lion Brian was a valued and respected member of the Havelock Lions Club for over 25 years. His positive impact and contribution to the club and his community will be greatly missed by anyone who has had the privilege of his acquaintance and friendship. Over the course of holding numerous leadership positions within the club, Lion Brian was the very definition of our motto “We Serve.”

A Melvin Jones fellow & a recognized authority on Lions traditions and camaraderie, he was the reliable source to bring out the laughter or light up the room. His reputation for honesty & dedication is well-earned and appreciated by all who knew him. His passing leaves a tragic void within our club and within our community that he was so deeply proud of.”

“Brian lived his life with the Lions’ clubs motto at the forefront,” said MPP Dave Smith. “He served. He served his community with the same love that a father shows to his children. My heart goes out to his family in their time of loss. I hope that they can draw comfort in the knowledge that so many people in the Havelock area have benefitted by the work he did and the passion he showed in serving his community.”

His funeral is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Brett's Funeral Chapel in Havelock on Thursday. The club is inviting anyone to attend the Havelock Lions Hall on 39 George St. following the service.

Visitation hours are from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and again from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday. Friday’s hours are from 11 a.m.- 1 p.m.

There is a Lions service at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Donations can be made to Havelock Minor Hockey, Havelock Express Baseball or the Havelock Lions Club in honour of Gratton in lieu of flowers. The family requested visitors to wear Toronto Maple Leafs jerseys or blue and white in honour of his favourite NHL team.

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Havelock Boys Return Home With Heads Held High After Representing Ontario At Eastern Canadian Fastpitch Tournament

The Havelock Express U15 Rep Softball represented Ontario at the Eastern Canadian Championships, held in Brookfield, Nova Scotia last weekend.

“For eight years I have watched most of these boys grow and develop their skills, battle through wins and losses and just grow together in the sport they love to play,” said Cheryl Levesque, who started the Havelock Minor Softball Program eight years ago with her husband, in a social media post. “No matter what happens We thank you our home town community for getting them all here.”

The team was selected by the Ontario Amateur Softball Association (OASA) to represent Ontario at the tournament. When they found out they had been selected, businesses and residents in Havelock rallied together to fundraise $14,000 to help get the team to Nova Scotia.

In their first game on Thursday Havelock Express defeated the Carbonear Islanders 9-6, with Raine Ayrhart named player of the game.

The boys faced the home team, the Brookfield Elks, on Thursday and were defeated 9 - 2. Raine Ayrhart received the player of the game award for a second time.

On Friday, Havelock played a tough game against Wilmot Thunder, but finished with a loss of 6 - 4. Raine Aryhart was Havelock’s player of the game.

At 1 p.m. they fell 4-2 to the Clarenville Caribous.

On Saturday Havelock defeated the East Hants Mastodons 5-4 in their first playoff game. Player of the game was Wes Minard.

In a close final game on Saturday night, the Goulds beat Havelock Express 13-12. Wes Menard received player of the game.

Ultimately the home team the Brookfield Elks won gold.

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Small Town Boys Putting Havelock On The Map As Softball Team Selected To Represent Ontario At Eastern Canadian Championships In Nova Scotia

The Havelock Express U15 Rep Softball team has been selected by the Ontario Amateur Softball Association (OASA) to represent Ontario at the Eastern Canadian Championships being held in Brookfield, Nova Scotia.

Front Row: Braydon Cooper, Dennis Roberts, Austin Levesque, Gage Locke Back Row: Coach Dave Cooper, Coach Bryce Levesque, Jori Ayrhart, Raine Ayrhart, Josh Davis, Kaleb MacDonald, Wes Menard, Nolan Mahoney, Jack Burns, Holden Rutherford, Coach Mike Menard. Photo courtesy of Havelock Express Minor Softball Association.

Cheryl and Bryce Levesque started the Havelock Minor Softball Program eight years ago in hopes to help youth develop their skills while allowing them to play locally.

The U15 Rep team plays in the Kawartha Softball League, though they play exhibition games with stronger teams in the OASA from neighboring communities.

Last weekend the team competed in the OASA Eliminations in Grafton, a tournament that seeds teams into their brackets for provincials.

Havelock Express was ranked number one in the B bracket.

On Sunday, Bryce, who helps coach the team, received an unexpected phone call inviting the team to represent Ontario at the Eastern Canadian Championships in Nova Scotia.

“OASA called my husband and told him the news,” said Cheryl. “We didn’t have a game until Tuesday so that’s when we told the parents and kids. They were shocked.”

Cheryl says the majority of the team has been playing ball together since the program started.

“They’ve grown up playing ball together.”

The team was given until Wednesday at noon to accept the invitation and now have about one month to raise the funds to get the boys to Nova Scotia.

They hope to raise $10,000 - $12,000, which will be split evenly amongst players families to cover some of the cost of travel and accommodations.

Cheryl says as of Friday she already has $600 in donations in her hand, with plenty of local business owners having pledged to sponsor the team as well.

“Our community is absolutely unbelievable,” she said. “Even before this happened local businesses have always been so eager to help. We got new jerseys this year and were hoping to have a couple teams sponsored, they stepped right up and sponsored all six teams. We were able to get some new equipment, some bats, it’s really amazing.”

As a team made up of local boys in a town of just under 5000 people, Cheryl says this opportunity is a huge deal.

“We are a small little town known for our jamboree and a train station. This is so overwhelming we’re still trying to process it,” she said. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for this team and a chance to not only represent Ontario but also our town.”

The four day tournament will run from Aug. 18 - 21. In the past OASA has sent 2-3 teams to represent Ontario against teams from Nova Scotia, PEI, Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Quebec.

“We hope to go down there and be competitive. If we do well that’s a bonus.”

Those wishing to make a donation can E-Transfer Erin King, Havelock Minor Softball Program Fundraiser Coordinator at erin_king@kprdsb.ca. Tax receipts can be issued if mentioned in a note.

Businesses that would like to donate or sponsor the team should reach out to Cheryl Levesque at 705-750-5205 or at m_r_jewel@hotmail.com.

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Community Rallies Around Havelock Families After Losing Their Home And Business To Fire

Local woman Holly Bohnsack lost her home, her business and her pets after a fire destroyed her Havelock home on Sunday.

Photo courtesy of Nicole Ephgrave.

Two tenants that lived upstairs, Steve and Lois Wright were able to get out safely, but also lost everything.

Bohnsack and her two daughters, Sterling and Lakelyn, were not home when the fire started though they lost their beloved dog Otis in the accident.

According to her lifelong friend Nicole Ephgrave, Bohnsack runs her cookie business, April and August, from her home. This means that until she is able to find a new home or a space to bake and replaces the lost equipment she will not be able to run her business.

“Even if she did find a kitchen, she lost all of the tools she needs to make her creations,” said Ephgrave. “They literally lost everything.”

When Ephgrave heard about the fire, she knew she wanted to do something to help.

“Everyone was trying to reach out to see what she needed, but she’s just in shock right now and unsure where to start,” said Ephgrave. “I though we could all contribute and help her start to recover and figure things out over the next little while.”

Currently, Bohnsack and her daughters are staying with a friend and, while they lost everything, Ephgrave thought helping financially would be better for the time being rather than donating household items and clothing.

Less than 24 hours after the GoFundMe was started friends, family, past customers and community members have donated $3,640 to the family.

To donate to the Bohnsack family click here.

A family member of the Wrights also started a GoFunMe, and are accepting physical donations of clothing and necessities as well as monetary donations for both families at The Cottage in Havelock.

To donate to the Wrights click here.

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