PTBOCanada Featured Post: Taste Of Downtown Kicks Off Awesome Summer Event Season
/
Peterborough Blogs
There's A Little Bit Of Fort McMurray In All Of Us
/When you see the images in Fort McMurray, Alberta, you see pure devastation. It's been called a catastrophe, an apocalypse, an inferno, a horror movie, a multi-headed monster, a worst kind of nightmare—whatever you want to call it, this massive wildfire looks like pure hell.
And you watch the images on TV and social media, and hear what people are saying who have lost everything, and hear their distraught fire chief and exhausted firefighters, and you can feel their pain. Everyone is safe so far thank god, but man the destruction you see is almost unfathomable. And you look at that community of Fort McMurray and then you look inward a little about the stuff you have—your own house, belongings, car, family, pets, community.
[photo above via @cbc]
Fort McMurray's population is pretty darn similar in size to Peterborough, and you see the impact this fire is going to have there on homes and businesses and schools and infrastructure and such. Ten thousand hectares have been burned, over 1,600 structures destroyed—and there is no sign the damn fire is abating.
The whole community has been evacuated, like around 80,000 people—and a state of emergency has been called. And you're just thinking, This is nuts. Absolute nuts. Unimaginable. It can't be happening. What can be done? How can we help? How do we fix things?
[photo above via @cbc]
Peterborough went through a devastating flood in 2004, and we remember first-hand what it's like to see a community go through so much destruction. The national spotlight was on us back then, and Canada got behind this city to help however it could.
But when you look at Fort McMurray, you're like, Holy Shit. You wonder about what the tens of thousands of people forced from their homes into work camps and temporary shelters will have to go back to. And you wonder, what the heck can you do? That's what a lot of people are talking about right now.
[photo above via @StormhunterTWN]
The Canadian Red Cross needs all the donations you can give, but you also just want to load up your truck or vehicle and drive to Alberta and help these people. Just hug them even. It's hard not to feel their pain. Their nightmare doesn't end tomorrow or the day after. They're living it in this moment.
The rebuilding will happen, sure, but right now all you can see and feel is the destruction. And your heart hurts for them.
—By Neil Morton
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.
May The 4th Be With Peterborough Downtown Farmers' Market
/
Opening Day is fast approaching
Read More
Peterborough Police Unveil Gender Neutral Bathrooms
/The Peterborough Police Service and its community partners are calling on the community to help create safe, inclusive and positive spaces.
Police themselves have taken leadership and a significant step in that direction by changing their single-stall bathrooms throughout the police station into gender-neutral washrooms.
“We know that people look to police services to set an example of what safety, inclusion and well-being looks like," says Peterborough Police Chief Murray Rodd. "This is one step in the right direction of what we can do to demonstrate our commitment to safe, welcoming and inclusive spaces."
Chief Murray Rodd pictured with Police community partners
“For some people this might just look like a 3x5 sign on the door," adds Chief Rodd. "For other people, when they see it they know they are being welcomed for who they are."
Rodd believes the Peterborough Police Service has a responsibility to every person in their jurisdiction to recognize that some are more vulnerable and at risk than others. "We look to our community partners to help ensure that our responses are appropriate and effective,” he says.
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com
Paul Rellinger On Relly On The Roof & This Amazing Community
/Relly On The Roof returns for a sixth year April 28th to 30th, again raising funds for Habitat For Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha under the Peterborough Cares fundraising umbrella.
At noon on Thursday, April 28th, Paul Rellinger (aka "Relly")—with the generous help of the Peterborough Fire Department—will be lifted onto the roof of The Brick (1200 Lansdowne St. W.). While Habitat For Humanity volunteers collect donations in the parking lot below, Relly will live atop The Brick until 5 p.m. on April 30th.
"Since I first took to the Brick roof in 2011, this event has reinforced something I was already well aware of—Peterborough residents always find a way to give something," Paul Rellinger tells PTBOCanada.
"We've raised thousands of dollars for Habitat For Humanity. Most of that has been in the form of loose change but it adds up in an awful hurry. Habitat For Humanity, through its partnerships, is able to make that money stretch to help fulfill its important mandate," Rellinger adds.
A highlight of the weekend will be a live music showcase outside The Brick on Saturday, April 30th starting at 1 p.m. Featured performers include Rick and Gailie Young, Jessie Morrissey and Adam Grills, Hilary Dumoulin, Missy Knott, Terry Guiel and Jan Schoute.
Dave Stanley, manager of The Brick, is volunteering his time and staff for Relly on the Roof. Also providing invaluable support is Sobeys, Canadian Tire, Boston Pizza, The Pizza Factory and Tim Hortons.
"I can't say enough about The Brick and its manager Dave Stanley," Rellinger tells PTBOCanada. "Also everyone at Habitat For Humanity and good friend Camille Parent, whose Peterborough Cares initiative gave birth to Relly On The Roof and remains its partner. It's going to be a great three days. I'm excited to get going."
We're excited to see the community get behind this again.
--------------------
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com
PTBOCanada Profile: Peterborough Police 9-1-1 Communicator Christina Lake
/If there is one thing Christina Lake wants people to know when they call 9-1-1, it’s that a real person is on the other end of the line. A person that cares. A person who tries to empathize and understand. A person that really wants to help.
“We’re not faceless people,” says Lake. “I try to put myself in their shoes."
Christina Lake
Born and raised in Peterborough, Lake is the newest member of the Peterborough Police Service’s Communications team and has been a part-time 9-1-1 Communicator with the Service since June 2014.
Following her graduation from Durham College in the two-year 9-1-1 Emergency Call Taker Communications Program, Lake knew that she wanted to put her knowledge into use by working for a Police Service.
The training to become a 9-1-1 Communicator is nothing short of intensive and includes a placement period along with a five-month shadowing period once hired.
Lake recalls sitting in the 9-1-1 Centre during her training period and watching in awe as the veteran Communicators handled an emergency call. She describes one Communicator staying on the line talking to the person in crisis while another Communicator was already dispatching two officers to the location while a third Communicator was running background checks and gathering other information on the parties involved.
“It’s amazing what they do,” she says of her more experienced colleagues. “Watching everything, I thought: I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to do this. You have to be able to work with your team and take constructive criticism.”
Fast forward two years and while she is still learning every day, Lake is now a part of that finely-tuned machine run out of the Peterborough Police Station that handled 47,706 9-1-1 calls in 2015. Equal parts master-listener and talker—skills essential to her job—she has taken the meaning of multitasking to a whole new level.
Inside the 9-1-1 Centre at Peterborough Police
Lake describes one of the hardest parts of the job as trying to “read” each person that calls and make a correct assessment in a matter of seconds. While telling a person to take a deep breath and calm down may work on one call, that well-intentioned comment could only serve to aggravate and escalate a situation during another call.
Another very difficult part of her role is prioritizing calls as they come into the 9-1-1 centre and explaining to people how calls are placed on a queue, or triaged, depending on the emergency.
One of the best parts of Lake's job is helping find a resolution over the phone before an officer needs to be dispatched to intervene. Sometimes that means calling on her intensive training, and just being a good listener. Lake has had people tell her, “I just needed someone to tell me, It’s okay.”
When asked to describe her best day at work, her answer is not extravagant or extraordinary.
“The best day is when someone says a simple thank-you,” she says.
—article courtesy Lauren Gilchrist, Peterborough Police Service
[Related: The Vital Role Peterborough 9-1-1 Dispatchers Play]
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com
A Tim Hortons In Peterborough Wrote This Awesome Message To Peterborough Police
/LOVE this community. Small gestures make a world of difference. Looking after each other. We have each other's back.
Look at what the Tim Hortons on Crawford Drive in Peterborough wrote on this coffee cup lid to a police officer...
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com
GE In Peterborough Restored The Merry-Go-Round At Riverview Park & Zoo
/General Electric in Peterborough originally donated the Merry-Go-Round to the Riverview Park and Zoo in 1986, and have refurbished it several times over the years.
The ride has grown a little rusty over the years from use—and weather—so it has been restored again, for free, by the great people at GE, Zoo Manager and Curator Jim Moloney tells PTBOCanada.
"Didn't they do a fantastic job?," Moloney says. "We can't wait to see it in use!"
We can't wait to use it!
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com
Then & Now: A Photo Tour Of The Majestic Mount In Peterborough
/The former Mount St. Joseph’s complex is a huge part of Peterborough history. The iconic property dates back to the 1860s, when it was a private residence.
Our Scott Arnold was recently given a private tour of the majestic buildings and property, which sits on 10 acres and has 131,400 square feet of buildings including housing, a chapel, commercial kitchen and much more. Have a look at Scott's pictures below weaved together with historical pictures and information about this special building as its converts to an innovative, self-sustaining community project.
Photo courtesy The Mount
The property was acquired by the Catholic Diocese in 1895 and converted to a residence for the 12 Sisters of St. Joseph who were brought to Peterborough to support a Catholic hospital. As additional Sisters arrived, new wings were added to the complex. The last addition came in 1969.
1869. Photo courtesy The Mount
1895. Photo courtesy The Mount
1911. Photo courtesy The Mount
1934. Photo courtesy The Mount
1952. Photo courtesy The Mount
1969. Photo courtesy The Mount
With the declining population of nuns, the property was sold to private developers in 2009 but the downturn in the economy hindered redevelopment and the property was again put on the market in 2013.
Photo by Scott Arnold
The Peterborough Poverty Reduction Network (PPRN), originally formed by Past Mayor Paul Ayotte, was looking for a suitable property to create affordable housing and a food centre.
With thanks to generous donations and a few miracles, the PPRN acquired the property and turned it over to a newly formed non-profit organization called “The Mount Community Centre”.
Photo by Scott Arnold
Today, the 10 member Board of Directors have ambitious plans to repurpose the facility for complementary “hubs”: Housing, Food, Health and Social Services and Arts and Culture. Work is well underway on 43 new apartment units.
Photo by Scott Arnold
The building is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act for both exterior and interior heritage features. This has posed a challenge to the renovations that need to respect the historic character of the building.
The Chapel. Photo by Scott Arnold
Photo by Scott Arnold
Photo by Scott Arnold
Photo by Scott Arnold
Photo by Scott Arnold
Photo by Scott Arnold
Photo by Scott Arnold
Chapel doors: Photo by Scott Arnold
The Board has engaged with numerous partners from students at Lakefield College to the Victorian Order of Nurses, to Trent University and Sir Sanford Fleming College.
Chapel closet. by Scott Arnold
Photo by Scott Arnold
Confessional. Photo by Scott Arnold
There are between 30-35 contractors working full time on The Mount project, along with 16 amazing volunteers. The volunteers are actually doing a lot of the woodworking and refurbishing.
Dining Room. Photo by Scott Arnold
Original fireplace. Photo by Scott Arnold
The founders of this non-profit organization know The Mount will make a wonderful setting for a diverse self-sustaining village within the city.
Inside side entrance. Photo by Scott Arnold
Iron from old bed. Photo by Scott Arnold
With amazing momentum, community partners, volunteers and perserverance, The Mount Community Centre is well on its way to creating a new and exciting social hub within the City of Peterborough.
Multi-purpose space being refurbished. Photo by Scott Arnold
Old iron board. Photo by Scott Arnold
One of many long hallways. Photo by Scott Arnold
Original farmhouse on property circa 1860s. Photo by Scott Arnold
Stairway near entrance to The Mount. Photo by Scott Arnold
Old swimming pool. Photo by Scott Arnold
Old Tea Room. Photo by Scott Arnold
Activity Room. Photo by Scott Arnold
The attic: Photo by Scott Arnold
The attic: Photo by Scott Arnold
Trunk room where they kept their trunks. Photo by Scott Arnold
Photo by Scott Arnold
This incredible community project is another testament to the creative ingenuity happening in this city, and how far collaboration, ideas and imagination can take us.
Photo by Scott Arnold
Exterior shot courtesy The Mount.
