Open House At City Of Peterborough Water Treatment Plant On World Water Day

The Peterborough Utilities Group and Otonabee Conservation are hosting an Open House at the City of Peterborough Water Treatment Plant to celebrate World Water Day, on Tuesday, March 22nd.

The Open House begins at 4 p.m. and will feature tours of the Water Treatment Plant and provide an opportunity for the public to learn more about water management in the region.

Photo by Kevan Light

The theme for 2016 World Water Day is “Water & Jobs”. As Wayne Stiver, Vice-President, Water Utility Services, Peterborough Utilities Group, explains, “With the pending retirement of many professionals in the water and wastewater industries over the next few years, it is imperative to bring young and talented people into this challenging and very rewarding profession. The struggle for safe drinking water in the city of Flint, Michigan reminds us all of the importance quality drinking water plays in the health of our children and our community.”

Meredith Carter, Manager of the Watershed Management Program at Otonabee Conservation, adds, “From source to tap, water management is critical to maintaining good quality drinking water, adequate supplies of water and to sustaining the environmental and economic vitality of the Peterborough region.”

The World Water Day Open House is free for the public to attend. The Water Treatment Plant will open at 4 p.m. and offer tours every 30 minutes until the event wraps up at 6 p.m. A variety of local water related agencies and organizations will feature exhibits about their work.

The Water Treatment Plant is located at 1230 Water Street North, Peterborough (on the grounds of the Riverview Park and Zoo).

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com 

Police Ask You To Be On High Alert Of CRA Scam

With March being Fraud Prevention Month and tax season in full swing, police say it is critical that members of our community are made aware of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) scam and know what to do if they receive a fake call.
 
Police continue to receive reports from residents who have received phone calls from someone pretending to be with the CRA.

It is important the community remain vigilant and report any suspicious phone calls to the Peterborough Police Service or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre. 

If you receive any sort of communication from someone pretending to be from the CRA, including either a live phone call or a voice message left on your answering machine, please verify the identity of the person calling before taking any action. Do not take immediate action. 

It is important to note that the CRA does contact people directly and will leave a message on your answering machine. That is why it is crucial to hang up if you have any doubt on the person’s identity and call the CRA back directly at one of the following phone numbers: For business-related calls, contact the CRA at 1-800-959-5525 and for individual concerns, contact the CRA at 1-800-959-8281. To report a fraud, please call the Peterborough Police Service at 705-876-1122 or the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre toll free at 1-888-495-8501 or phone busters.

Be aware that these fake calls can be extremely convincing and aggressive. The fraudsters may threaten a person with an impending lawsuit or state that a warrant will be issued for their arrest if they do not pay the fictitious debt. The fraudster may leave a call back number or pose as police officers. When you call back the fake number, you may get a person on the phone pretending they are from the CRA. Only use the phone numbers provided in this post or visit the CRA’s website here.

In an effort to prevent you from falling prey to these cons, the CRA is releasing voice recordings of the scams that are currently targeting taxpayers.

These are scams and taxpayers should never respond to these fraudulent communications, or click on any of the links provided. Do not give out any personal information, including credit card information, or your Social Insurance Number over the phone until you have done your due diligence to ensure it is not a fraud by hanging up and contacting the CRA directly.

Please keep in mind:
 
The CRA:
· never requests prepaid credit cards;
· never asks for information about your passport, health card, or driver's licence;
· never shares your taxpayer information with another person, unless you have provided the appropriate authorization; and
· never leaves personal information on your answering machine or asks you to leave a message containing your personal information on an answering machine.
 
When in doubt, ask yourself the following:
·  Is there a reason that the CRA may be calling? Do I have a tax balance outstanding?
·  Is the requester asking for information I would not include with my tax return?
·  Is the requester asking for information I know the CRA already has on file for me?
·  How did the requester get my email address or telephone number?
·  Am I confident I know who is asking for the information?
 
For more information, please visit here.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com 

Healthy Kids Community Challenge Kicks Off with Mayor-Warden Basketball Showdown

Mayor Daryl Bennett and Warden J. Murray Jones squared off on the basketball court of Highland Heights Public School on Thursday morning (February 10th) for a friendly “shoot-off” to officially launch the Healthy Kids Community Challenge for the Peterborough area.

Steph Curry, er, Warden J. Murray Jones with the shot

“We all have a role to play in this community challenge," says Mayor Bennett. "While the program is aimed at the children in our communities, we can all be more active to serve as examples to young people and to encourage them to be more active. That’s why I’m excited to be out here, having fun on the basketball court with these students today. Even a few minutes of play every day can make a big difference over the long term.” 

County Warden J. Murray Jones adds: “Children don’t need to be involved in organized, structured activities to be active. It can be as simple as getting outside and riding a bike or playing a game of road hockey with neighbouring kids. Making it fun will encourage kids to take part.”

Mayor Bennett (far left) and Warden Jones (far right) pictured with Highland Heights students

Peterborough is one of 45 communities in Ontario participating in the Healthy Kids Community Challenge.

From now until June 2016, Healthy Kids Community Challenge funding will help support a variety of activities in our community to get kids and families moving more. Children will benefit from more than 20 initiatives planned to date, including:  

· free public skating times in various arenas
· free parent and tot skating
· free swimming passes
· facilitating schools to bring students to local arenas to skate
· expansion of the drowning prevention program Swim to Survive
· expansion of the Car-Free School Days program
· development of a mobile cross country ski program
· expansion of a bike skills training program Pedal Power
· hosting a “Peterborough Gets Active Month” in April
 
To learn more about Healthy Kids Community Challenge activities, click here. 

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com.

Peterborough Community Trading Cards Introduced To Raise Money For The Warming Room

Kawartha Local—a company that sells locally produced products—has launched a fun community trading card project to raise money for The Warming Room.

Kawartha Local's Rob Howard explains that the collectable cards of "community heroes" are a tangible way to show a love of community, with after-cost proceeds going to The Warming Room—a safe place where Peterborough’s most vulnerable can spend a winter night when no other options are available.

Mike Judson

Each card depicts a different local community hero. According to Howard, “they are all people who make a difference every day—and, just as importantly, work to bring out the superhero in others.”

The cards feature caricature illustrations by local artist Jason Wilkins, with graphic design work by Jeff Macklin of Jackson Creek Press. Featured on the cards are MP Maryam Monsef, Mike Judson, Donald Fraser, Diane Therrien, Michelle Ferreri and our PTBOCanada co-founder Neil Morton.

Maryam Monsef

“There are dozens and dozens of people we could recognize this way in Peterborough,” says Howard. “But for this edition, we asked six to participate.” 

A reception and project launch is taking place Saturday, February 6th from 4 to 6 pm at Black Honey Coffeehouse, 221 Hunter. Cards will be available for sale with several “superheros” on hand at the event.

Donald Fraser

Cards are sold in packages of 3 for $17.70, and are available online at kawarthalocal.ca, and at Naked Chocolate and Black Honey Coffeehouse on Hunter Street. Collectors can complete their set by trading any “doubles” at Facebook.com/KawarthaLocal or by making contact with other collectors on Twitter with the #PTBOTradingCards hashtag.

Diane Therrien

Howard has plans to do a future edition with different personalities. "If we do another Peterborough Trading Cards edition, it will have a different theme and support a different local charity," he says.

Michelle Ferreri

For more information on the “Peterborough Trading Cards” project, contact Rob Howard at 705.791.0050 or email.

More deets on the official launch and reception here.

Neil Morton

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com.

Dispatch From Jordan: Peterborough's Michael VanDerHerBerg On What He Learned

Peterborough's Michael VanDerHerberg—who works at the New Canadians Centre as a Refugee Resettlement Coordinator—has spent the past week in Jordan, an Arab nation on the east bank of the Jordan River that borders Syria, Iraq, Saudia Arabia, Israel and Palestine.

MIchael was there to gain firsthand knowledge of the refugee crisis. Below are photos and a dispatch he wrote for PTBOCanada.com about his time there....

Champs-Élysées, a commercial street at Za'atari Refugee Camp which contains hundreds of small shops such as cellphone stores, dress shops and falafel stands.

WHAT I LEARNED IN JORDAN —By Michael VanDerHerberg

Jordan is a generous host country to Syrian refugees, and seemingly, the last bastion of peace and stability in the Middle East. It was described to me that the nation is walking a fine line, and more like a tightrope a kilometre off the ground. 

They have taken in so many refugees over the years including Palestinian, Iraqi, and now Syrian people, but their generosity must be limited by their resources, particularly water. I had an interesting conversation with Yosra Albakkar—a Trent Masters’ graduate—at the Swedish Embassy who indicated gently to me that water can’t be invented. It is a finite resource. And while wealthier nations could possibly afford desalination from the Red Sea or Mediterranean, Jordan is not in that position.

Photo of Za'atari Refugee Camp (Zaatari). Population of the camp is 79,250, about the population of Peterborough

From a Canadian perspective, with our thousands of lakes and rivers, this is hard to fathom. Keep in mind though that Curve Lake First Nation does not have clean drinking water from the tap. While here, Yosra also challenged me that the displacement of peoples in the Middle East was not that dissimilar from our Indian Reserves.

It is good to understand that Jordan has done exceptionally well in keeping their borders relatively secure, even providing transportation from the borders as people flee their homes because of violence and civil unrest.

Above left: Some of the caravans within which people live at the refugee camp. Above right: communal bathrooms

I won’t wade into the politics of the Syrian conflict, only to say that it is very complicated and that we receive only certain versions of it.  Further adding to the complication were the recent executions in Saudi Arabia and the subsequent riots at the Saudi embassy in Iran. There are layers upon layers of history behind those two actions. It seems like it never stops and there is a significant sense of unrest in people who are peacefully attempting to live out their daily lives. “I don’t feel at peace, no, I don’t at all,” was a shocking quote from someone who has made every attempt at living at peace here. 

There are simple people living good lives who are being wrapped up into conflict that they don’t wish for at all. When it becomes too dangerous for their families, they flee to Jordan, to Lebanon, to Turkey, to Greece, and even beyond farther into Europe. If they have money, which many of them do, they can go further. If not, they can only make it so far.

Many reside in refugee camps in Jordan but the majority do not. Of the roughly 650,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan, only 15 percent live in camps like Zaatari where I visited. 

Many would love the chance to be resettled to come to Canada, while many are willing to wait it out to return home. This is understandable, they are Syrian. Syria is their home. How would you respond if this happened to you? The conflict in Syria will likely not end quickly, some say not in the next five years, some say not in the next ten. 

For those in the Zaatari, there are varying degrees of hope and hopelessness when waiting for peace, or at least stability, to return.  While at Zaatari, home to roughly 79,250 people, I conversed at length with two men. One was quite hesitant about coming to Canada and the other was ready to move tomorrow. Among other reasons, the second was ready to move because his brother-in-law had just left that morning to be resettled in Canada with his family. 

The walk from the main road towards the Za'atari refugee camp in Al Mafraq, Jordan.

Through discussions at the Canadian Council for Refugees conference I attended in November, and reaffirmed through my travels I here, I would offer that family reunification for Syrian refugees is likely the best method to healthy integration for a few reasons:

· Family in Canada can explain to those away what life is like here in a cultural context that is familiar to them

· It is generally what both families long for; those left behind are waiting to be called and those in Canada can feel guilty and fearful for their families left behind

·  It promotes a community connection where the likelihood of Syrian families staying and building lives up in Peterborough, or other communities, is strengthened

Outside Zaatari refugee camp

My encouragement to the Peterborough community is to get involved in sponsorship, and if you are starting now, then to connect with a sponsoring group that already has family in Peterborough to see if they have extended family interested in coming as well. The other is to learn, to have conversations with Syrian refugees that have already arrived, and to resist the temptation to boil complex problems down into simple rhetoric. Like Jordan, Peterborough can be a generous and welcoming community.

If you are interested in giving financially, may I suggest you look up the following: New Canadians Centre Peterborough, Lifeline Syria, Medair,  UNHCR, and one of the many sponsoring groups that are forming and raising money to settle a Syrian family for their first year here in Canada. 

I am looking forward to my return to @Ptbo_Canada / #Ptbo / Peterborough, my home.

---------------

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com.