Laurie Jones and Company Hair Designers Closing After 36 Years in Peterborough

Laurie Jones and her company Laurie Jones and Company Hair Designers are setting down the scissors and closing up shop, announcing her retirement after 36 years of business in downtown Peterborough.

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Jones.

The salon, located at 165 Sherbooke St., has always been Jones’s sanctuary.

“It’s comfortable here and it’s homey,” she said as she motioned to her space. “It’s always been my comfort zone.”

The salon doors opened in 1986 and offered brow waxing and various cut and colour hair services.

“It was a little scary, but my family was really supportive so I went for it and never looked back,” says Jones. “You kind of wonder if you can actually do it and I remember my dad saying ‘if you don’t ever try it, you’ll never know if you can,’ and with the support of everybody, I was able to.”

After being closed for nearly seven months during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jones says she got used to having some downtime.

“I sort of just went ‘you know what? I think I want to try out this retirement thing,’” she laughed. “I’m closing because I want to, not because I have to and that is a big thing to say.”

Photo by Felicia Massey.

Her nephew Jonathan Jones noted that his aunt took great pride in her business.

“Laurie prided herself on getting to know her clients and their families. Her shop was a family-friendly spot filled with laughter and good stories,” he said via e-mail.

As she wraps up her 47-year career, she reflects on the community connections she’s built along the way.

“I’ve had customers for years,” she explains. “In one family I’ve done five generations of hair which is pretty amazing.”

Laurie plans to work until the end of the week, saying she is looking forward to spending her new-found time off with her nephews and family.

“Everybody asks ‘what do you want for your retirement’ and I say people have been loyal to me for 45 years, what more could I want? You can’t get better than loyalty,” says Jones.

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Six New Constables Have Been Sworn-In to Peterborough Police Service

Six new constables have been welcomed into the Peterborough Police Service, were officially sworn in and received their badges in a ceremony at Peterborough City Hall on Monday.

(form left to right) Constable Jeremy Avey Constable John Bangay, Constable Christopher Cox, Constable Blake Harris, Constable Daniel Hicks and Constable Dominic Moukarzel are the newest recruits to the PEterborough Police Service. Photo courtesy of Peterborough Police Service.

The following are the newest officers to Peterborough, Lakefield, and Cavan-Monaghan. 

• Constable Jeremy Avey

• Constable John Bangay

• Constable Christopher Cox

• Constable Blake Harris

• Constable Daniel Hicks

• Constable Dominic Moukarzel

The group recently completed basic training at Ontario Police College and was able to have their family and friends attend their ceremony.

“Congratulation to our new recruits, the Peterborough Police Service welcomes you,” said Tim Farquharson, acting chief of police. “We are excited to have you and look forward to you learning and being a part of the Peterborough community.” 

Peterborough Police Services Board Members Drew Merrett and Mayor Jeff Leal were in attendance, welcoming the group to the community and thanking them for their commitment to community service.

These new officers come to the Service from various fields including corrections, security, customer service management, sales, and have volunteer experience with auxiliary units.  They have post-secondary degrees in commerce, sports management, forensics, and police foundations.

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City Services Offered With Modified Holiday Hours in Peterborough

Various City of Peterborough services will be offering modified hours, with some closures, over the holidays from Friday to Jan. 3.

Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.

There are no changes to curbside garbage and recycling collection over the holiday period. For missed recycling collection, please phone Emterra at 705-742-3139. For missed garbage collection, phone Public Works at 705-745-1386.

Essential services, such as emergency services, public works and wastewater treatment, continue uninterrupted. Public Works can be reached for urgent matters at 705-745-1386. This line is monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

City Hall, including the Tax Office, Clerk’s Office, Building Services and Planning and the Heritage Preservation Office will be closed starting at noon on Dec. 23, reopening with regular hours on Jan. 3.

While the Social Services administration office is closed over the holiday period, individuals can phone 705-926-0096 at any time for emergency shelter services. City-operated childcare programs will be closed starting at noon on Dec. 23 and reopen with regular hours on Jan. 3.

Most recreation and community services are open with revised hours of operation.

The Quaker Foods City Square outdoor rink is open most days from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. On Dec. 24 the rink is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will be closed on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. Unscheduled rink closures may be required due to inclement weather and ice conditions.

There will be holiday adjustments to Transit schedules from Dec. 23 to Jan. 7, including suspended late-night trips, as well as trips ending early on Dec. 24 and Dec. 31. There is no Transit service on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. For full details about Transit holiday service and Transit Customer Service hours, please visit www.peterborough.ca/transit or phone 705-745-0525.

Closed from noon on Dec. 23 until 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 3:

• City Hall, including the Tax Office, Clerk's Office, Building Services and Planning

• Social Services office

Regular hours for most City services resume on Jan. 3. Online services are available at www.peterborough.ca.

For the full list of service hours, visit the City of Peterborough website.

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City of Peterborough Lifts Significant Weather Event Designation After Thursday's Snowstorm

The City of Peterborough lifted its Significant Weather Event designation at 3 p.m. on Sunday after facing over 20 cm of snow from Thursday’s snowstorm.

Photo by David TUan Bui.

The City has reported that snow-clearing efforts are progressing well as snow-clearing crews have been working around the clock since Thursday. The snow clearing is substantially complete according to a press release.

“Thank you to Public Works staff who have worked around the clock in response to the storm to keep our roads, sidewalks and trails safe for motorists and pedestrians. We appreciate your commitment,” said Mayor Jeff Leal.

Additional clean-up will continue on roads, sidewalks, trails and bus stops over the coming days.

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City of Peterborough Issues Road Closures In Place For 2022 Santa Claus Parade

The City of Peterborough has road closures set in place during the 47th annual Kinsmen Santa Claus Parade downtown Peterborough for Saturday.

To allow for both staging and the parade procession, the following road closures will be in place starting at 4 p.m.:

• Antrim Street — Aylmer Street to Water Street

• Edinburgh Street — Aylmer Street to Water Street

• Dublin Street — Aylmer Street to Water Street

• London Street — Aylmer Street to Water Street

• McDonnel Street — Aylmer Street to Water Street

• Murray Street — Aylmer Street to Water Street

• George Street — Parkhill Road to Brock Street

• Prince Street — George Street to Park Street

• Aylmer Street — Lansdowne Street to Romaine Street

The parade will travel south on George Street beginning at McDonnel Street, passing in front of City Hall at 4:45 p.m. and ending and dispersing at Prince Street. Peterborough Police Services is supervising a rolling road closure and is in place along George Street during the parade.

Event volunteers will be available to remove barricades to allow for local access for residents and emergency vehicles along side streets. All road closures are expected to be over by 7:30 p.m.

On-street parking is not permitted on George Street between Brock Street and Prince Street starting at 3 p.m. Parking staff will be on-site to help relocate cars if necessary. Any remaining cars parked on George Street at 3 p.m. will be towed to a nearby lot.

Parking is available at the King Street Parkade at 202 King St., the Simcoe Street parking garage at 190 Simcoe St. or municipal surface lots at the following locations: 

• Chambers Lot at 184 Hunter St.

• Reid Lot at 350 Reid St.

• Surface lot at 365 Aylmer St.

• Rehill Lot at 210 Wolfe St.

• Del Crary Lot at 100 George St. N.

• Downie Lot at 336 Downie St.

Parking in municipal lots and parking garages is free on weekends. Any voluntary parking fees during December will be donated to Kawartha Food Share.

Residents are reminded to follow all on-street parking regulations that may be in place in the downtown area including calendar parking where applicable. The City urges everyone to not block fire hydrants and driveways.

Peterborough Transit will have detours in place for Route 2 Chemong, Route 4 Weller, Route 6 Sherbrooke, Community Bus 22 – Blue and Community Bus 23 – Red starting at 4 p.m.

• Route 2 - Chemong

  • Southbound from Terminal: Simcoe to Aylmer Street to Romaine Street to Park Street to Lansdowne Street to Lock Street

    Northbound from Lansdowne at Borden: Regular route to Lansdowne Street to Park Street to Romaine Street to Aylmer Street to Simcoe Street

• Route 4 - Weller

  • During the rolling road closure #4 westbound will follow regular route to terminal only.

    The eastbound bus will travel to the bus stop at Simcoe at Water streets. Customers will be directed to catch the bus at the Simcoe and Water bus stop.

• Route 6 - Sherbrooke

  • Southbound from Trent (4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: regular route to Parkhill Road, right on Parkhill to Reid Street, left on Reid Street, left on Simcoe Street.

    Northbound from Terminal (during rolling road closure): Simcoe to Aylmer Street, Aylmer to McDonnel Street, left on McDonnel to Reid Street, right onto Parkhill Road where regular route resumes.

• Community Bus 22 - Blue

  • Southbound on George Street to Parkhill Road, right on Parkhill to Reid Street, left from Reid to McDonnel Street, travels right on Aylmer Street and continues on Aylmer Street to Charlotte Street where regular route resumes.

• Community Bus 23 - Red

  • Until rolling road closure begins: Eastbound on McDonnel Street to Aylmer Street, right on Aylmer to Simcoe Street and continues on regular route.

    During the rolling road closure: Eastbound on McDonnel Street to Aylmer Street, right on Aylmer to Romaine Street to Park Street, where regular route resumes.

A Peterborough Petes game is occurring at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Saturday at 7:05 p.m. With the Santa Claus Parade being in that vicinity, anyone attending the game is encouraged to plan for extra travel time. Paid parking at the Memorial Centre opens at 4 p.m. and the arena doors open at 6 p.m.

The City is expecting increased vehicular and pedestrian traffic so extra time and exercising caution while travelling in-and-around downtown is encouraged.

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City of Peterborough Property Taxes Available For Electronic Billing

The City of Peterborough is now offering property owners electronic delivery of their property tax bill (eBilling) and can subscribe to receive their property tax bills directly to their email account in PDF format.

File photo.

City of Peterborough says eBilling is a secure, convenient billing method that gives property owners total access to their tax bill information anywhere they have access to their email. To ensure the privacy and confidentiality of residents, each property tax bill will be secured with an individualized access code that is required to access the PDF document.

Registering for eBilling is a two-step process:

1. Homeowners complete the online registration and maintain their information at peterborough.ca/eBilling

2. Homeowners will receive an access code by mail that is required to access the PDF attachment

Property owners who opt into eBilling will receive their property tax bill by email on the same schedule as normal billing – an interim bill at the end of February and final bill at the end of June, annually.

Customers who opt for eBilling will no longer receive a paper copy of their tax bill.

“We’re pleased to offer this convenient new service to property owners,” said Loren Drinkwalter, the City’s revenue administrator. “Going paperless is good for the environment and helps reduce administration costs associated with printing and postage.”

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Free Holiday Parking For Two Hours Begins On Friday In Downtown Peterborough

Downtown Peterborough has two-hour free parking in effect on Friday at all downtown municipal parking spaces including on-street parking, municipal parking lots, the King Street Parking Garage and the Simcoe Street Parking Garage announced by the City of Peterborough.

Kawartha Food Share assists more than 8,900 people each month through its 36 member agencies including meal programs and food banks. Photo courtesy of The City Of Peterborough.

The free parking program — courtesy of Wolfe Personal Injury Lawyers — is in effect until Dec. 31 to encourage people to do their holiday shopping locally and to help raise money to support Kawartha Food Share according to the City.

Any paid parking fees at pay-and-display machines, parking meters or via the HotSpot App during the free two-hour period are being donated to Kawartha Food Share.

“It’s more important than ever to support and shop local. Wolfe Lawyers will continue to invest in local opportunities which give back to the citizens of our great community,” said Bill Wolfe of Wolfe Lawyers. “We encourage people to support Kawartha Food Share with some form of donation to help those in need in our community.”

“A return to in-person experiences this holiday not only lifts our own spirits, but lifts community when we can share meaningfully with those who need it most,” said Joy Lachica, Town Ward Councillor. “Come downtown to support local businesses, park free and help Kawartha Food Share bring food to homes this season. Thanks to Wolfe Lawyers and agency partners to make this gift possible for so many this year.”

“There’s a great sense of vibrancy downtown right now – so many new and interesting places to explore,” said Alex Bierk, Town Ward Councillor. “Free parking makes it easy to grab a coffee, to make a quick stop during the seasonal rush, and especially to support local businesses.”

Anyone needing more than two hours of parking are asked to park in the City’s surface lots or parking garages.

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Online Parking Ticket Payments Temporarily Unavailable For Maintenance Work Starting Friday

Online parking ticket payments are not available starting Thursday at 5 p.m. until Monday at 6 a.m. for maintenance work.

Payments for parking in Peterborough can be made online by downloading the HopSpotMobile app. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Other online payments available including recreation program registration, tax certificates, building permits and traffic ticket payments are not affected.

The City of Peterborough has apologized for any inconvenience this may cause.

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List of City Services During Remembrance Day

Several City services will have modified hours or be closed during Remembrance Day on Nov. 11.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

City Hall

City Hall, including the Tax Office, Clerk’s Office and Building Services, will be closed. Online services are available at www.peterborough.ca.

Garbage, recycling and yard waste

No garbage, recycling or green waste collection will occur on Nov. 11.

The collection scheduled for Nov. 11 is moved to Nov. 14. Please ensure all garbage, recycling and green waste is at the curb by 7 a.m. on your collection day.

The City/County Landfill at 1260 Bensfort Rd. will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

The Hazardous and Electronic Waste Depot at 400 Pido Rd. will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Public Works

Public Works can be reached at 705-745-1386. This line is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Arenas Division

Arenas will be available to user groups for scheduled ice time.

Kinsmen Civic Centre will be open from 6 a.m. to midnight.

Peterborough Memorial Centre will be open from 6 a.m. to midnight.

Healthy Planet Arena will be open from 6 a.m. to midnight. Customer Service at Healthy Planet Arena will be open from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. for programming (50 + Skate and Pay as You Play).

Facility booking inquiries for the Arenas Division are not available on Nov. 11.

Memorial Centre event tickets are available for purchase online at www.memorialcentre.ca.

Art Gallery of Peterborough

The Art Gallery of Peterborough will be closed on Nov. 11.

For information about gallery exhibitions and programs please visit www.agp.on.ca. 

Downtown Youth Space

The Downtown Youth Space at 201 McDonnel St. will be closed. To learn more about free, drop-in programs for youth aged 13 to 18, please visit www.peterborough.ca/dys.

Peterborough Museum and Archives

The Peterborough Museum and Archives exhibitions and gift shop are open from noon to 5 p.m. on Nov. 11. Information about current exhibitions is available online at www.peterborough.ca/museum.

Peterborough Public Library

The Peterborough Public Library will be closed on Nov. 11. Information and digital resources are online at www.ptbolibrary.ca/.

Provincial Offences office

The Provincial Offences office at 99 Simcoe St. will be closed. Fine payments can be made online at www.peterborough.ca/POA.

Social Services office

The Social Services office at 178 Charlotte St. will be closed.

Emergency shelter services

Emergency shelter services remain open: if you need emergency shelter services outside of regular business hours or on holidays, please call After Hours service at 705-926-0096.

Municipal child care centres

City-operated child care centres Pearson Day Care and Peterborough Day Care will be closed on Nov. 11. All before and after school child care programs will be open.

Sport and Wellness Centre

The Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre will open regular hours. Visit www.peterborough.ca/recreation for information about schedules and programs at the Wellness Centre.

Transit

Peterborough Transit will operate on a regular service schedule on Nov. 11.

Please visit the website www.peterborough.ca/transit or call 705-745-0525 for detailed schedules.

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City of Peterborough Shares Environmentally-Friendly Ways of Pumpkin Disposal

The City of Peterborough has encouraged residents to dispose of their pumpkins in an environmentally friendly way and provided ways to do so.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

They can be placed at the curb with regular green waste until Nov. 25 and must weigh less than 22 kg. The City is asking that pumpkins not be placed in the garbage. The green waste is composted that diverts organic material from the landfill, creating enriched soil used for City plantings.

They can be put in backyard composters and chopped up to speed up decomposition.

Remove non-compostable material such as decorations, candles and leftover wax.

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