Peterborough Blogs
"I am so grateful the school puts such a great effort into understanding Saxon's autism and Tourette's, and working with him to help him cope," his father Terry tells PTBOCanada. "Our family and in particular Saxon has gone through a great deal as we struggled to find ways to treat him as medications always seemed to make things worse."
A Son On His Family's Anxiety About His Dad Losing His Job When GE Plant Closes
/The Fuller family, like many other GE families in Peterborough, are all feeling anxious right now. With the GE Plant here closing in Fall 2018 after 125 years in the community, Robert Fuller will be one of about 350 employees losing his job.
"I think our biggest fear is the unknown of what next year will bring when GE closes," his son Connor, 24, tells PTBOCanada. "What will my Dad do for work? How will our living situation change? How will GE compensate its employees? There's a lot of unanswered questions that I feel many families are thinking about right now."
Connor with his Dad, Robert
The Bridgenorth family—which also includes Connor's mother Kim (a bookkeeper at the Real Canadian Superstore in Peterborough), his sister Kaitlin and their family dog, Sadie—are in shock about the news of the plant closing, and Connor says his Dad doesn't know what he will do when he loses his well paid job and security.
"My father has worked there 27 years," Connor tells PTBOCanada. "He doesn't have a college education, so GE is all he knows. He'll be 53 when they close, so he's not old enough to retire, but too old to find a new job again."
Photo by Evan Holt
Both Connor and his sister Kaitlin still reside at home after their post secondary education and while both have careers—Connor as quality control technician for Publican House Brewery in Peterborough, his sister as a registered vet tech in Woodbridge, Ont., where she commutes—this has not alleviated the stress the family feels about making mortage payments.
"I don't know if we can afford to live in our house with my Dad's current salary getting taken away," says Connor. "Next fall will be very hard not just for us, but for every family affected by this."
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A Hand Carved Unity Pole By Local Ojibway Artist Kris Nahrgang Has Become A Hit
/To celebrate the enormous contribution that Canada's indigenous people have made to this great land, the CNE commissioned local Ojibway artist Kris Nahrgang to create a Unity Pole this year.
Photo via @JoeM_2015 on Twitter
The majestic and vibrant 25-foot pole by Nahrgang has become a popular attraction at the CNE, and has drawn lots of attention to the artist. It was carved from a majestic white cedar tree from the Peterborough area, and embraces both indigenous and universal symbols.
Nahrgang documented the construction of the Unity Pole on Facebook, and posted there on May 24th that it was completed...
On July 18th, Nahrgang posted to Instagram that the Unity Pole was ready for delivery to Toronto...
"The pole was created to offer a story of Unity, and healing for all Canadians, and has been created to include a story of hope for relationships for all of us," says Nahrgang.
"It is hand carved, and painted in bright Woodland style. It will represent a great vision of togetherness for all who come to view it."
Photo via @JoeM_2015 on Twitter
"The Unity Pole has become a huge attraction for the CNE, and has taken on a life of its own," Nahrgang tells PTBOCanada. "The pole for me was a way to show the beauty of indigenous art, and the stories of my Mississauga Ojibway Heritage. My goal was to create a piece of art that spoke to the country, and now the world, as to the need to educate ourselves about indigenous people, and our Culture."
Nahrgang adds: "I felt that this was a great opportunity to offer a good story, of inclusion, harmony and balance that needs to be pursued between all peoples in this beautiful Country. The impact of the pole has been viral, and its story has gone worldwide. It has changed my life and taken me to a new realm of the art world and offered a great respect for my art, and to myself as an artist."
The Unity Pole is on display at the Heritage Court in the Enercare Centre at the CNE until September 4th. The plan after that, Nahrgang tells us, is for it to be set up in a permanent location on the CNE grounds.
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91-Year-Old Kenn Grainger With His 12 Secrets To Living A Great Life
/Kenn Grainger was born March 7th, 1927. He moved to Peterborough with his family when he was 15 from Neepawa, Manitoba. He had four kids with his wife Irene, who passed away in 1992 after a battle with breast cancer. Kenn has outlived most of his friends and three of his children.
Kenn Grainger at Fairhaven (August 14th, 2017)
Kenn worked in the construction business, but where he really gets the most out of life in its adventure. Of having an impact on family and friends, and in giving back through volunteering and public speaking. Indeed, he has been a lifelong volunteer for over 60 years.
He first caught the volunteer bug in his late 20s when he started volunteering with the Kinsmen Club of Peterborough. He's also been involved with Kiwanis Club, YMCA and the United Way of Peterborough. He was Chairman of the CNIB and is currently, at age 90, Chair of the Pathway to Fame in Peterborough, something he himself was inducted into in 2005. For over a decade starting in the mid-Nineties, he was a motivational speaker in local schools.
Kenn Grainger in his room at Fairhaven
Also, Kenn is legally blind—he has macular degeneration, which first came on suddenly on November 5th, 1992 (yes, he remembers the exact day it started)—but has still remained active and involved in the community. He started skydiving regularly at age 70, after he went blind. He has waterskiied on Stoney Lake at age 88 and ziplined off of Fairhaven at age 89, both to raise money for Fairhaven where he resides.
KenN and his wife Irene: The photos hang on his wall at Fairhaven and were taken in 1990 after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. "We better get these taken," she said, "as we don't know how long I'll have." She died in 1992.
He works the phone with friends and for organizations every day, and makes you feel like you're his best friend and you've known him forever. He loves to talk and to listen, and has a photographic memory right down to remembering your phone number.
He moves about Fairhaven with ease and by memory, and knows exactly where every single picture hangs in his room. He loves going out for social occasions but doesn't drink—and rarely has. "I've probably had the equivalent of one case of beer in my lifetime," he laughs.
Ken gets a lot of phone calls
Based on his own approach to life and living, Kenn gives PTBOCanada his 12 Secrets To Living A Great Life below...
1. "There's no point in worrying about stuff you can't do anything about. Just live. If you can't do anything about something that has happened, don't sweat it. Move on."
2. "You're affected by your environment. You're a product of your environment. Community and friends have a tremendous impact on who you are."
"If we each do a little bit, we all do a lot." —Kenn Grainger
3. "If you want to have a friend, you have to be a friend."
4. "Keep perspective. Keep a positive attitude. Keep looking at the positive rather than negative side of your conversations and interactions with others. Because negativity around you usually takes you to more negavity. Positivity does the opposite."
5. "I hate boredom. I'm always looking for things to do. Keep active, keep moving. When I cut off driving because of my eye condition, I started skydiving at age 70. And I continued to do the things I was already doing, like volunteering."
A student made this for Ken covering his amazing journey in life: "Make the Best Of What You Have".
6. "Give people a chance. Always look at someone new with an open mind. Meet new people and give them the benefit of the doubt. Give them a chance. Listen. Because you just never know."
7. "It's never too late to change, and be a better person."
8. "I've always tried to make friends, day after day, month after month, year after year. It's an impossibility to have too many friends."
9. "If you're fortunate enough to have kids, teach them the best things in life. Teach kids good manners. Teach them how to be polite. Teach them how to be good people. Your kids learn from you very quickly, the day they are born actually. They catch on from a very young age. They're observing, listening. Kids have ears and they pick up things you think they might not hear. Say and teach them the right things."
10. "Volunteer. I believe in volunteering for the good of society. If we each do a little bit, we all do a lot. There is hundreds of ways we can make a difference."
11. "I don't have any bad friends because if they're bad, they're not my friend. If someone is my friend, it's because they're a good person."
12. "I like the good things in life, the positive things. I want to leave an example. You can't say one thing and do the opposite. I want to leave an example to people to inspire them."
He will.
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Peterborough Entrepreneur Launches Mobile App For Users To Discover Their Next Meal Based On Their Mood
/Peterborough entrepreneur Sultan Moni, a student at Trent University, has launched a new app that could change the way consumers choose their next meal. Zatiq is a platform for users to discover local foods around them that will match their cravings to a meal.
Through artificial intelligence, this unique app—now available in Google Play Store and launching on the App store in August—could redefine the food and hospitality industry. A mix of inputting the user’s mood and meal preferences will allow the app to be personalized at any user’s command.
“People are always hungry but often never know what they want to eat,” says Moni. “I wanted to solve that problem since there are so many different types of meals to discover.”
Moni is based out of the Innovation Cluster’s downtown Cube in Peterborough, and combined his love for trying new meals and developing technology to create a food discovery app that can benefit anyone who wants to discover new food and find that perfect dish.
Entrepreneur Sultan Moni
“It is exciting to see a disruptive new app born in Peterborough & the Kawarthas which has the potential to be used in different markets around the world," says Michael Skinner, President & CEO of the Innovation Cluster.
With Zatiq’s leading search capabilities, there are various inputs available to find their next meal. When searching by business, user’s can browse for specific restaurants, cafés and other food hot spots. The innovative “mood” search engine lets the user find meals that will satisfy based on what they are feeling, such as happy or heartbroken. No matter what kind of day the person is having, they can find a meal fit for them.
With the ability for users to follow each other’s profiles, the app provides an interactive experience when trying new foods, allowing people to comment or like another user’s ratings, check-ins, or pictures.
Another benefit of the app is each time a user checks in to a location, points are gained. These can be redeemed as coupons, discounts, samples, offers and other deals provided by businesses. Rewards could be anything from a free coffee to a free iPhone 7.
“This app will expand even more as people in different locations download it,” says Moni. “Zatiq will allow users to add meals and locations to the app’s search list, so anyone around the world will be able to find a good meal, gain points and have fun wherever they are.”
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17-Year-Old St. Peter's High School Student To Seek New Democratic Party Nomination In Peterborough-Kawartha
/Zach Hatton, a 17-year-old (he turns 18 in January, making him eligible to run on Election Day, which is June 7th, 2018) entering Grade 12 at St. Peter Secondary School, will be announcing his candidacy to run for New Democratic Party Nomination in this riding on Thursday (July 20th) afternoon at a press conference at Millennium Park behind the Silver Bean Café.
Photo by SC Photography
"My friends and family have been so supportive of my decision," the politically-engaged student tells PTBOCanada. "It has been truly humbling the support I have received from everyone. I am choosing to run at this time because this election is crucial and it is important to get ideas on the table from all sides. Youth are being pushed aside in government with the two other major parties and this time we must stand up and say the youth in this province matter."
Photo by SC Photography
"I believe that even though I am so young, my experiences can help this riding," Hatton tells PTBOCanada of running in the Ontario election. "I have been a volunteer for many years and have worked on three campaigns already and have been around politics forever. I have been very involved since 2014 but have always had a big interest and have known I wanted to do this as my career for the people of this riding."
Photo by SC Photography
Hatton says he will be using social media aggressively during his campaign for MPP to spread his campaign messages. He will have Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram and Youtube accounts activated in the coming days and will be using all of them to get his message out under the username ZachHatton4Change to spread the word to youth and beyond.
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This Clap Out Tribute To Peterborough Custodian Mr. Hilts Is Awesome
/The "clap out" is a cool tradition at many schools for Grade 8 students moving on to high school.
What was extra cool about the clap out at St. John Catholic Elementary School in Peterborough on Monday (June 26th) was that retiring custodian Rick Hilts (aka "Mr. Hilts") was able to partake.
Mr. Hilts gets the clap out
