National Access Awareness Week Begins On Monday With Opening Ceremonies At Peterborough Square

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[Contributed by PtboCanada's Julie Morris]

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PtboPics: Stuff That Happened Around The Patch This Long Weekend

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Waiting for their first train ride of the year at the zoo!

Making fishing lures at the Farmers Market

LAWS semi-annual yard sale

Plant Sale at the Hutchison House Museum  Getting the blades sharpened for the gardening season

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Julie Morris]

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PRHC Radiologist Wins "Dancing With The Docs: Disco Fever"

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PRHC Radiologist Dr. Sarah (Sally) Harvie and her dance partner Jesse DiLiello (with choreography by Deona Scott) danced away with top honours on Saturday night at Dancing with the Docs: Disco Fever.

Six local physicians shed their scrubs and hit the dance floor at a gala fundraising dance competition at The Venue in support of the PRHC Foundation’s Closer Campaign. The Venue was transformed into a Studio 54 inspired discotheque, right down to the coloured lights and glimmering disco balls.

More than 300 guests at the event were also treated to a delicious seventies-inspired cocktail reception and buffet dinner. A live and silent auction loaded with amazing items kept guests busy in between activities.

[Closer Campaign]

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The Impact Of Peterborough's "Creative Class" On Local Economic Innovation & Growth

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On the Gerti's patio. Photo by Evan HoltWith the arrival of spring, people shed their jackets and hats to once again take to the outdoors. In downtown Peterborough, the restaurant patios are busy, the streets are bustling, and "people watching" has returned as a seasonal pastime.

First impressions are that this is simply people enjoying the warmer weather and, perhaps, spending some of their hard earned income in anticipation of an active summer. The reality is that much more is going than meets the eye. The activities that we see are at the heart of the future of the local economy. It is from the interaction of people with diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives that economic innovation is begun.

Richard Florida of the Rotman School of Management, at the University of Toronto, and advisor on economic growth to the British Prime Minister, has attributed economic innovation and growth of cities to the role of the "creative class". Florida’s study of seven regions of 100,000 to 250,000 people in Ontario indicates that Peterborough is well positioned when compared to similar communities in terms of the creative class.

From rigorous measures used by Florida, Peterborough placed first in terms of its technological capacity—far ahead of Kingston and Guelph. In terms of the talent necessary to support growth, and cultural diversity and tolerance, Peterborough finished just behind Kingston and Guelph.

It is through venues where people gather together for social purposes rather than just employment that the creative class interacts. It is in places like downtown Peterborough, and the diversity of activities there that new ideas will come from interactions—planned and fortuitous.

Casual observations of the recent buzz downtown shows many young people working and gathering, and interacting with people of many ages and backgrounds. Art and music is thriving here in a way that is the envy of many other communities.

The attachment of young people to venues like those found in downtown Peterborough has positive economic consequences that are often overlooked by those who only see the activities as social, rather than economic.

The Municipal and Provincial governments are doing their part to develop the infrastructure—physical and social—necessary in supporting the activities of the creative class. Every local organization—private, public, and not-for-profit—needs to take into account the significance of supporting the creative class when making decisions that have community impacts beyond that of the organization itself.

Innovation, technologically and organizationally, is a reality even for small communities like Peterborough. It is time that we recognized the nature of economic growth in our time, practice innovation rather than just preaching it, and focus our efforts on promoting sustainable growth by nurturing the creative class.

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Tom Phillips Ph. D.]

[Editor's Note: This is Tom's first column for PtboCanada.com. He is Economist & Sustainability Director - Greater Ptbo Innovation Cluster]

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Video: Mother's Day Jane's Walk In The Patch In Honour Of Jane Jacobs

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PtboPics: Saturday Farmer's Market Moves Outdoors For the Season

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[Peterborough and District Farmers Market]

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Julie Morris]

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PtboPics & Video: Women's Business Network Of Peterborough Celebrates 50th Anniversary

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Congrats to the Women's Business Network of Peterborough, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary last night at The Venue.

Hosts for the evening were WBN's Co-chairs Amy Simpson & Jocasta Boone

Jocasta gives us a walk through the decades and the rise of women's rights and influences 

A look back at the beginning of the WBN

 Jocasta Boone wins the Member of the Year awardKeynote speaker and fiddler Natalie MacMaster

 

 

 

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

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Video: Awesome "Stayin' Alive" Flash Mob In PRHC Cafeteria Today For Closer Campaign

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PtboCanada Was There: Canadian Canoe Museum Welcomes Peterborough Paddling Club

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Last night, the Canadian Canoe Museum hosted the inaugural membership event for the Peterborough Paddling Club. Local author and canoe expert Kevin Callan and the Kawartha Highlands Signature Site Park Superintendent, Paul Smith, both were speakers.
 
Peterborough Paddling Club (PPC) is looking to bring together the local paddling community and promote the healthy pastime with local excursions. Starting May 11th, the PPC will be holding Wednesday night local paddling trips to destinations such as Omemee-Emily Park, Lakefield Beach and Marsh, Stoney Lake, Young's Point, Warsaw/Indian River, Coon Lake, Otonabee River and Lovesick Lake. There will also be multi-day excursions in the Kawartha Highlands Signature Site Park this year. Sign up on their webpage to attend these events.
 

Kevin Callan signing his latest book "Top 50 Canoe Routes of Ontario"

For more on the Peterborough Paddling Club, go to their Facebook page or to their website.
 
[Contributed by PtboCanada's Evan Holt]

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What It Was Like To Take Part In Kirk Wipper Memorial Portage

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Alana and Kyla, pictured at far left

It started out as a quick message asking about a Kirk Wipper Memorial Portage and would I be interested in participating. We were a group of Ontario Educators (aka "edutweeps") along with our families, who were immediately enchanted with being a part of this memorable portage that would end up at the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough in time to mark the beginning of the Kirk Wipper public memorial.

Andy, Ross, Ryan, Jeff, Nick, Colin, Lynn, Anna, Kyla (my daughter) and I were a small but mighty team who were responsible for the first leg of the Peterborough leg of the portage. We all walked the portage and while the boys carried the canoe, Kyla and I had the chance to walk and talk with one of the organizers, Tim
McDonagh, and heard about his connection to Kirk, what the canoe meant to him, and how much he enjoyed walking with the canoe and meeting the people who had come out to participate in the portage.

Our leg of the portage was about 6 km (Hwy 28 starting at Springville United Church, up to Sir Sandford Fleming Drive, across and right onto Dobbin Road finishing at Lansdowne). After the canoe left us, I’m not
sure who carried the canoe or what their adventure entailed but I can tell you it was fun to participate in the memorial portage and be with friends who love to paddle, love to get involved, and are fun to be with. I'd like to think Kirk Wipper would have totally approved of our crew!

On a personal note, my daughter Kyla was the youngest person to carry the canoe and she was very proud to add her signature to the paddle that was given to his wife Ann Wipper after the memorial service. Although Kyla took some convincing to actually help carry the canoe, she was mighty proud to share her story with her dad at the end of the day.

For more pics from the day, click here and here.

[KirkWipper.ca; Canadian Canoe Museum]

[Contributed by PtboCanada's Alana Callan; photo via Flickr]

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