Chief Rodd Reaffirms Commitment To Police Downtown

At a media conference in the heart of the downtown at the corner of George and Hunter Streets Thursday (December 18th), Peterborough Police Chief Rodd reaffirmed the Service’s commitment to policing the downtown.

“The holiday season is an incredibly busy time of year in the downtown core. We wanted to pause to remind the community that we serve that our dedication to our downtown is unwavering,” says Rodd.

Statistically, the downtown core—known as Area 1—has less crime and calls for service during the day than other areas of the City. “But the perception is different than the reality,” says Chief Rodd.

In the New Year, the Peterborough Police Service is launching a 30 day pilot project that will see an increased police presence in the downtown. Officers will be on foot patrol conducting regular duties and speaking with the community, merchants and property owners to take a pulse of the downtown. “We are proud of the Service that we provide and want to build on that,” says Chief Rodd. “It’s not just about being visible. It’s about building relationships.”

The information gathered during the pilot project will be analyzed to determine next steps regarding policing of the downtown.

“Downtown business owners, workers and customers will be happy to hear Peterborough Police Service reaffirmed its commitment to foot patrols in the downtown," says Downtown Business Improvement Area Executive Director Terry Guiel. “Downtown is the busiest area of the city. We’re looking forward to seeing increased police visibility in the downtown and more conversations between police and the people who spend time in the heart of our city.”

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It's 1979 & The Canadian Rally Of The Tall Pines Starts In Downtown Peterborough

In 1979, the starting point for Molson's Rally of the Tall Pines took place in Peterborough as part of the last stop in Molson's Rally Championship of Canada series that year.

Here are the cars rolling into Peterborough to begin preparations...

The racers come from all over North America and get their cars ready (some rocking trucker hats and plaid, like this guy from Rochester, NY)...

The official start area for the race is at Peterborough City Hall in the downtown...

And the race begins with the "transit stage" in downtown Peterborough...

Then the next stage of the race begins outside the city in a more wide open area for spectators...

Watch the full video of the race highlights here...

Canadian Rally Championship from Peterborough ON

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Here Is A Peterborough Commute In Snowvember

What creative ways do you get to work in Snowvember? Tell us here.

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

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Peterborough Downtown Now On Google Business View

Sam's Place Google Business View

You can now take virtual tours of participating downtown shops, cafes and restaurants thanks to a new initiative announced by Birchbark Media and the Downtown Business Improvement Area. Now people who aren’t familiar with the unique, welcoming spaces in downtown businesses can get a feel for what’s behind those doors by using Google Business View first—a 360-degree virtual tour powered by Google Maps Street View technology. It’s a great way to engage new visitors to the city and to the downtown.

Dreams of Beans Google Business View

Anyone who has used Google Maps Street View will be instantly comfortable with Google Business View. Similar to how someone on a smartphone, tablet or computer can take a virtual tour of a city—“walking” along streets with a complete 360-degree view of the surroundings–Business View offers the ability to go beyond the storefronts, to look inside shops, restaurants and cafes, to “walk” down aisles and in and out of various rooms.

Christensen Fine Art Google Business View

Birchbark Media, the first local company certified by Google to produce the Google Business View virtual tours, reached out to several of its neighbours downtown to launch the program before extending the initiative to businesses throughout the community. Get on Google Maps to wander through the gallery and framing shop at Christensen Fine Art on George St.; head down the street to peek inside Gentry Apparel to see the sharp, spacious layout of men’s and ladies’ clothing; or check out the interior of Dreams of Beans café on Hunter St.

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11 Reasons Downtown Peterborough Rocks

1. It's beautiful, and a river runs through it

2. It's a vibrant and supportive community in the downtown core

3. It has tremendous energy and vitality

4. Everyone knows each other, stops to talk, and cares

photo Katherine Carleton

5. Business owners are friendly and involved, give great customer service, and give a damn about community matters

6. The DBIA is always working hard to make improvements, and advocating on behalf of businesses

7. It is a hive for what's happening in the city. The buzz down there is incredible

8. There are numerous options for shopping and restaurants and pubs and cafes and live entertainment. All the amenities of a big city are there

9. There is ample parking. Repeat

10. There are terrific alleys to explore on top of the scenic main streets

11. You build a city from its core, the downtown

Add to the list here.

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Peterborough Woman Tell Us About The "I Saw This Tonight" Video She Recorded

Tina Capell posted a video to Facebook Saturday night simply entitled "I saw this tonight."

Capell, House Manager at The Market Hall downtown, recorded the video downtown at George and Charlotte around 2:30 a.m. just outside Whistle Stop, and it's generating a lot of comments on her Facebook post.

As she tells PTBOCanada, "Sean and I were just going for poutine (I don’t know why he had to bring Matt Greco into it ;). I was expecting a little scuffle when I saw a couple of people running from The Whistle Stop, but I didn’t imagine it would escalate so quickly. Once I realized how serious it was, I had to put the phone away and step in just before a police officer arrived."

Tina adds, "This was the third fight I’d witnessed Saturday night on the same block within a couple of hours. It’s a shame that these things happen and it happens everywhere, not just Peterborough. I love this city and there is so much more awesomeness to it than just a bunch of pack animals like this. It would be hopeful to think that these 'ladies' feel some shame in themselves but it’s also very doubtful—the 'I LOVE IT!' [you hear in the video] kind of gives that away. And that’s the really sad part here. The guys aren’t behaving much different and I think it shows the real emptiness some people are living with these days. It’s sad."

No word on the severity of the woman's injuries, and police tell Newswatch they are looking at this amateur footage of the melee.

Watch the video below or click here...

Post by Tina Capell.

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The UPS Store And Burnham Dental Moving To Medical Arts Building

The UPS Store (previously at 266 Charlotte Street) has now moved to a new location just up the street at the Medical Arts Building. The new spot at 270 Charlotte Street is right beside the new location for Burnham Dental (formerly East City).

So now you can courier packages and get your teeth cleaned at all once. ;

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

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