Peterborough Museum and Archives to Fund Signage Project Through Tourism Relief Fund Grant

The Peterborough Museum and Archives (PMA) received $100,000 from Regional Tourism Organization 8 (RTO8) through FedDev Ontario to attract visitors and support future growth through its Signage Project.

File photo.

This is part of the Government of Canada’s Tourism Relief Fund, delivered by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario). RTO8 received a total of $3 million from FedDev Ontario to help local tourism organizations and businesses safely welcome back visitors, recover from the impacts of the pandemic and prepare for future growth.

The investment will help the PMA adapt and recover to attract new visitors and drive economic growth in Peterborough City and County.

“The generous support of FedDev Ontario allows the PMA to move forward on refreshing its public image and expanding its capacity to better serve visitors, from near and far,” says Susan Neale, Peterborough Museum and Archives director.

The Signage Project is intended to augment the identification of the PMA within the community, and improve the visitor experience. The scope of the project will include a re-brand of the PMA’s visual identifier, campus way-finding on the PMA’s grounds and sign revitalization.

To learn more about this project visit the City’s website.

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Selwyn Township Receives $100,000 Grant to Enhance Local Tourism

Selwyn Township receives a non-repayable contribution of $100,000 from the Regional Tourism Organization 8 (RTO8) towards the enhancement of there downtown, announced Monday.

File photo.

This funding will go towards the enhancement of the public realm within the downtown area of the Village of Lakefield, and include the replacement of neglected, aged and cracked interlocking brickwork with stamped concrete and the installation of metal art banners on streetlights along Queen Street.

“Investments in public spaces within our community help create a memorable experience for visitors and residents alike. With tourism being an integral part of our local economy, this project will ensure Lakefield remains a top destination in Kawarthas Northumberland.,” says Andy Mitchell, Mayor of Selwyn Township.

The $100,000 contribution for Selwyn Township is through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), as part of the RTO8.

RTO8 supports the regional tourism industry, supporting them in attracting visitors, generating economic activity and creating local jobs. They received $3 million from FedDev Ontario to help local tourism organizations and businesses safely welcome back visitors, recover from the impacts of the pandemic and prepare for future growth.

FedDev Ontario is contributing approximately $120 million across southern Ontario through the Tourism Relief Fund.

“With this funding, southern Ontario’s Regional Tourism Organizations and Indigenous Tourism Ontario are providing hundreds of local businesses and organizations with the support they need to create jobs, attract more visitors and grow local economies, now and into the future,” says The Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

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Blowes And Stewart Travel Group Celebrates Their Second Peterborough Departure

Blowes and Stewart Travel Group embarked on their second departure of 2022 from Peterborough to Nashville, last week.

When guests arrived to the Peterborough Airport on Thursday morning their bags were taken straight from their car, passports were checked and security precautions taken quickly. Travelers were able to park their vehicle on site and board the plane.

After a smooth takeoff passengers were served complimentary drink and food from local Peterborough businesses.

Beer came from The Publican house, spirits from Blacks Distillery and a light lunch from Sobeys.

Upon arrival to Nashville, travelers boarded a bus that took them directly to their hotel.

BST offered travelers the option to partake in exclusive group tours during their trip. Options included day trips to The Grand Ole Opry, The Jack Daniels Distillery and The Hermitage. Those that decided not to take advantage of these excursions explored the city at their own pace, with BST representatives at the hotel to answer any questions.

After four days in Music City, a bus picked travelers up at their hotel and took them directly to their gate at the Nashville Airport.

Blowes & Stewart Travel Group will return to Nashville from Peterborough Sept. 15 - 18.

Their next open Peterborough Departure is to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, followed by trips to Las Vegas and Georgia.

For more details, prices and dates visit bstvacations.ca/2022-departures/.

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New Program In Peterborough And The Kawarthas Aims To 'Spark' Innovative Tourism Ideas

A new program aimed at sparking and supporting innovative tourism ideas in Peterborough & the Kawarthas was officially announced on Tuesday. The “Spark” Mentorships & Grants Program will match selected applicants with a mentor and provide a $3,000 seed grant to help take their new tourism idea to the next level.

Photo by Luke Best.

The “Spark” Program was first launched in 2018 by the Tourism Innovation Lab and has now been delivered in over 20 regions across Ontario and British Columbia.

The goal of the Spark program is to find, foster and support new tourism ideas that will enhance current offerings, address gaps or challenges, motivate travel and longer stays, and increase year-round visits. Program organizers are especially interested in experiential and sustainable tourism ideas that connect with culinary, agritourism, and/or the shoulder season.

Individual entrepreneurs, small businesses, nonprofits and community groups are encouraged to apply with their new tourism ideas for Peterborough & the Kawarthas from May 3 - 31.

Following a juried review process, finalists will be invited to a virtual Pitch Session, where six winners (three from the City of Peterborough and three from the County of Peterborough) will be selected to receive mentorships and grants.

The Peterborough & the Kawarthas “Spark” Program is being led by the Tourism Innovation Lab in collaboration with Peterborough & the Kawarthas Tourism, a division of Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development, and the official Destination Marketing Organization for the City and County of Peterborough.

For more information visit www.tourisminnovation.ca/Peterborough

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BST Vacations Roll the Dice and Add Las Vegas to Their 2022 Peterborough Departures Lineup

Blowes and Stewart Travel Group Ltd (BST Vacations) has announced that travelers can hit the strip in Las Vegas as part of their 2022 Peterborough Departures lineup.

In October 2022 BST Vacations will be heading to Las Vegas, flying from the Peterborough Airport.

“Vegas has been a destination that our clients have been asking us to travel to for years. We are so happy that this is finally coming to fruition and we are able to fly there as part of our Peterborough Departures program,” said Scott Stewart, President of BST Vacations. “The pandemic forced us to cancel our 2020 and 2021 departures so we are very excited to be able to have such a robust lineup for 2022.”

BST Vacations recently entered into an agreement for their Departures with Canadian North, an airline based in Northwest Territories and Nunavut. This agreement is what has made further reaching destinations possible, as BST will be using Canadian North’s 737-700 Aircraft for the charter.

The trip to Las Vegas is for 3 nights/4 days and passengers will stay at the Planet Hollywood Resort. Overlooking the Las Vegas Strip, this sprawling high-rise casino resort is in the heart of the action and offers plenty of options for dining, entertainment, and gambling.

Las Vegas is one of eight departures BST Vacations is operating out of the Peterborough Airport in 2022. Other destinations include St. John’s, Newfoundland (sold out); Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; Nashville, Tennessee (2 departures – limited space); New Orleans, Louisiana (limited space); Savannah, Georgia; & Atlantic City, New Jersey.

For full details on this or any of the departures, visit the BST Vacations website here.

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Destinations for Peterborough Departures 2022 Announced by Blowes and Stewart Travel Group

After having no departures from 2020-2021, Blowes and Stewart Travel Group announced their lineup of destinations for Peterborough Departures 2022 on Sunday.

Image Courtesy of Blowes and Stewart Travel Group.

In 2022, they will be offering departures from Peterborough to St. John’s, Nfld.; Cape Breton, N. S.; Nashville, Tenn.; New Orleans, La.; Savannah, Ga.; and Atlantic City, N. J.

All trips will be three days and include a round-trip ticket and accommodations. To view all travel options, click here.

“The travel industry was one of the hardest-hit sectors during the pandemic so to still be here and still able to continue with our Charter Program is a huge win for us,” says Scott Stewart, BST Vacations president. “We are so grateful for the community support we have received over the pandemic, and we look forward to welcoming our clients back on our charters in 2022 and exploring with them again.”

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been new safety measures introduced such as contactless check-in from passengers vehicle, proper queue spacing, sanitization packages provided to travelers and COVID-19 screening prior to departure.

There is also a new registration process that will make booking more streamlined and efficient for passengers. Once passengers register, a BST Vacations representative will contact them to review the booking, collect a deposit and discuss insurance options.

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“O’de Piitaanemaan Pledge” Tourism Campaign Launched In Peterborough & the Kawarthas

As the province reopens Peterborough & the Kawarthas Tourism (PKT) is gearing up to welcome more visitors to the area.

Photo Courtesy Of Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development

Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development and the official Destination Marketing Organization for the City and County of Peterborough is launching the “O’de Piitaanemaan Pledge” an invitation for residents and visitors to promise to respect the land, waterways and communities of the region.

Pronounced “Oh-da Pee-tah-na-mawn”, this initiative was created in collaboration with Curve Lake First Nation and Hiawatha First Nation and draws on the traditional teachings of the Michi Saagiig Anishinaabeg.

“If we’ve learned anything from 2020, it’s the power of unity, of working together for a mutual cause,” says Tracie Bertrand, Director of Tourism, PKT. “Respect for the people, culture, and natural spaces we depend on, for future generations—for each other—has never been more important, and the O’de Piitaanemaan Pledge is meant to unify everyone for whom Peterborough & the Kawarthas lives within their hearts.”

“O’de Piitaanemaan” is the Ojibway word for “respect,” and comes from the teaching “mnaadendamowin” — to give respect to all creation. It is hoped that this pledge will encourage everyone to do their part in preserving and appreciating the earth.

The O’de Piitaanemaan Pledge is as follows:

• I pledge to be light on the land and wise on the water.

• I’ll explore my surroundings with an open heart, ask for help when I need it and be kind to strangers.

• Before starting my day, I’ll gear up, make a game plan and get wind of the weather.

• I’ll remember my miigwech’s, thank-you's and merci’s.

• With every new season, I’ll seek fresh experiences and flavours, trails and friends.

• I’ll place safety before sport when pedalling, paddling, parking or powerboating.

• Be it bison, baked goods or a crafty brew, I’ll buy local where I can.

• I’ll greet new cultures and traditional teachings with curiosity, kindness, and compassion.

• After feeding my soul with authentic adventures, I’ll take fond memories with me and leave nothing but footprints behind.

To take the O’de Piitaanemaan Pledge click here.

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Canadian Canoe Museum Terminates Lease With Parks Canada, Search For New Museum Site Begins

A search for a new museum has begun as the Canadian Canoe Museum has announced today it has terminated its lease agreement with Parks Canada for the land located alongside the Peterborough Lift Lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway at 353 Hunter Street East, the place where the new canoe museum was to be built.

As announced in May of this year, this location, owned by Parks Canada, was found to contain an industrial solvent, the chemical compound trichloroethylene (TCE) in addition to a variety of other chemicals. This, together with the costs associated with clearing the contamination, the resulting unavoidable project delays and inevitable rising costs have rendered the site no longer viable for the new museum build.

“The Canadian Canoe Museum and Parks Canada have worked together to reach an amicable dissolution to the Lift Lock lease agreement at no additional punitive cost to the museum,” says Carolyn Hyslop, executive director, The Canadian Canoe Museum, in a media release.

Rendering of where location was going to be.

The museum is now is engaged in a proactive site selection process and is reviewing multiple alternative sites, located in Peterborough, to determine where it will construct its new museum. Feasibility studies and environmental assessments will be conducted before selecting the new site for the building of a new canoe museum. The project is expected to be shovel-ready by the end of 2021.

“CCM is profoundly grateful to those who have supported our original build project,” says Hyslop. “We had a beautiful, award-winning design that was perfectly suited for the Lift Lock location that is regretfully utterly non-transferable to another location.

“The Canadian Canoe Museum looks forward to delivering on the commitments to its current donors and funding partners who have expressed continued strong support for the new project to come as it creates a vibrant cultural attraction that welcomes visitors to walk into the museum through the front door and paddle out the back door,” adds Hyslop.

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An Awesome 15 Passenger Party Bike Called PedalBoro Has Come To Town

Peterborough’s very first 15-passenger party bike, PedalBoro, will soon be launching in the city. This will be a great idea for office functions, family and friend parties, tourists, and more—and it’s environmentally friendly.

PedalBoro is a multi-passenger bike tour company that will provide an innovative, eco-friendly transportation alternative for exploring downtown Peterborough's vibrant food and beverage scene.

Photo courtesy PedalBoro

With the launch of PedalBoro, Peterborough will become the 5th city in Canada to host this new form of cycle tourism, a sector that is booming right now. 

Once launched, PedalBoro tours has the opportunity to be a powerful economic driver as part of the city’s high value cycle tourism industry; connecting residents and tourists alike to Peterborough’s culinary creators and beverage makers.

Photo courtesy PedalBoro

Sign up here to be the first to know about ride bookings, and add this to your summer bucket list.

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How It Works: Centennial Fountain

UPDATE: We were at Little Lake on Friday, May 17th, when Centennial Fountain kicked on for the season. Daryl Stevenson, Supervisor of Wastewater Treatment at City of Peterborough, explained to us how it works. Watch this video below produced by StudioPTBO…

ORIGINAL POST:

The iconic Centennial Fountain in Peterborough is a huge attraction for locals and tourists alike to view from many different vantage points around the city.

The fountain is the highest jet fountain in the country. Installed in 1967, the water shoots up 76m (250 feet).

Photo courtesy City of Peterborough

The Centennial Fountain will turn on for the 2019 season at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 17th.

Check out historical footage of construction of the fountain here.

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