Peterborough Blogs
Epic: Peterborough Lift Lock Will Be Attempting To Fit 300 Canoes & Kayaks Into Their Chambers At Once
/Last June, 138 canoes and kayaks filled one of the Lift Lock Chambers as part of part of Lock 'n Paddle Day at the Lift Lock (aka Lock 21) in Peterborough for National Canoe Day celebrations. That broke the previous record of 101 set in 2007.
Well if you thought that was epic, then Trent-Severn Waterway's Manager of Operations Chad Buchner says wait until you see what they have planned for this year's Lock N' Paddle. Buchner tells PTBOCanada they are not only going to fill the west chamber again this year but also the east chamber—both tubs!
2016 Lock 'N Paddle
So yes, on Saturday, June 24th this summer—as part of 150 Canada celebrations—the goal is for 300 paddlecraft to fit into the chambers at one time. It will be like a jigsaw puzzle to fit them all in but Buchner and the Trent-Severn team think they can do it.
2016 Lock N' Paddle
"We are going to try and squeeze 150 paddlecraft in each of the two chambers," Buchner tells PTBOCanada, which is fitting since Canada is turning 150.
Buchner says he hopes this will turn into a huge community event with hundreds of spectators lining Lock 21 to watch the Chambers fill up, and documenting the day on social media to share across Canada and beyond.
Manager of Operations Chad Buchner
More details are coming soon on the big day and how to be involved, so make sure to save that date—June 24th—and follow Trent-Severn Waterway on Twitter and Facebook as buzz builds for this amazing community event.
Learn more about the Lift Lock's amazing history here.
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Awesome New City-Wide Bike Share Program Launched
/Fleming Student Administrative Council (SAC) announced an innovative new Bike Share program on Wednesday (April 19th) available to students, visitors and residents.
There are 15 bicycles located at three different racks in Peterborough: Fleming College Sutherland Campus, Peterborough Green-Up and the VentureNorth Building.
Bikes at VentureNorth Building in downtown Peterborough
Funded in part by the City of Peterborough and Fleming SAC, the bikes are maintained and organized through Zagster. The award-winning bikes are designed with rider safety in mind and include automatic lights, a bell and full reflectors.
Riders join the program by signing up for $25 annual memberships. Rides for members—who must be 18 or older—are free for the first two hours, then $2 per hour after that. The service is free for Fleming students to use.
“This initiative further complements our efforts to make student transportation accessible and affordable," says Christopher Smith, General Manager of Fleming Student Administrative Council. "Through the Fleming student leadership, we are pleased to introduce this program.”
“Zagster’s unique model of all-inclusive bike sharing has proven successful in more than 150 communities across North America, including dozens of college campuses,” says Zagster Communications Manager Jon Terbush. “We’re confident this program will likewise achieve its goal of making bike sharing easy, accessible and affordable.”
Picture courtesy Fleming College
“Several years ago Fleming committed to being a leader in sustainability," says Fleming College President Dr. Tony Tilly. "The Bike Share program will build on a culture of sustainability that we teach our students that they take with them in life and in work well beyond their time at Fleming.”
City of Peterborough Transportation Chair Don Vassiliadis adds: "Fleming SAC has been dedicated to increasing transportation options available to students. The City of Peterborough shares the vision of the Bike Share program and is pleased to be partnering on this initiative. Bike Share not only supports Fleming students but also Peterborough residents and its visitors all while making Peterborough greener and cleaner."
HOW IT WORKS
-> Bikes can be found via the free Zagster Mobile App.
-> Each bike has a unique number which riders enter into the app to obtain a number to open the lockbox on the back of the bike.
-> After a rider returns the bike to a designated Zagster bike station, the rental ends and the bike is available for the next person to enjoy.
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Canadian Canoe Museum Gets An Awesome New Van For Christmas Gift
/Supporters have helped bring a wonderful early Christmas gift to the Canadian Canoe Museum—a new van for outreach, public programs and safe transfer of artifacts.
The Canadian Canoe Museum thanked community supporters for their contribution in helping raise funds for a new van—a much-needed piece of equipment for the museum’s public programs, outreach events and the safe, efficient transportation of its valued artifacts.
The museum first endeavoured to raise funds for the van by submitting the project to the Aviva Community Funding Competition. The museum experienced a huge amount of support from the community and museum stakeholders during the campaign, and was very competitive in the online voting round. Still, despite best efforts on all fronts, not enough online votes were earned to advance in the competition or receive the requested funding.
The momentum and support the museum generated from the Aviva campaign did not fizzle out. Advocates of the museum continued to persevere and raise funds through other means in order to secure this very important piece of equipment for the organization. Thanks to the champions of this fundraising campaign, by early December the museum had raised enough money for the purchase of the van.
The Canadian Canoe Museum sends thanks to all of the supporters and donors of this fundraising initiative including The Beaver Club Gala Committee, Les and Beverly Cassidy, Mercedes Benz Peterborough, Commercial Press & Design, and all of those who made donations at the Beaver Club Gala through the Paddles Up fundraising initiative.
“This is a game-changer for our on-water programs," says Stacey Arppe, the museum’s Volunteers and Public Programs Manager. "We can now transport our paddling camp participants and all of our canoes and gear with ease, and having this self-sufficient transportation means we can continue expanding our water-based programming”
This new equipment will make it possible for the museum’s award winning, on and off-water programming to become more accessible to schools, community groups and the general public.
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There Is Free New Year’s Eve Transit Again This Year In Peterborough
/For the second year in a row, City of Peterborough & Wolfe Personal Injury Lawyers have announced FREE New Year’s Eve Bus and Handi-Van Service. About 3,000 riders used the free service last New Year's and the City anticipates usage will be even higher this year.
Service will be provided on all 12 regular routes and buses will run free of charge between 7:20 p.m. on December 31st and 3:20 a.m. on January 1st. The last bus will leave Peterborough’s downtown Simcoe Street terminal at 2:40 a.m.
Don Vassiliadis, Chair of Transportation for City of Peterborough, riding a bus on New Year's Eve last year
Handi-Van service will also run during the same hours, with two vans in service. Handi-Van customer service staff will accept trip request bookings from eligible clients until 12:20 a.m. and service will continue until 3:20 a.m. Handi-van bookings are accepted on a first come, first served basis. Handi-van riders wishing to travel during peak times are encouraged to reserve their trips in advance.
Photo of transit users using the service last New Year's
The City of Peterborough and Wolfe Personal Injury Lawyers encourage residents to drink responsibly and to make their New Year’s Eve transportation plans ahead of time.
The continuation of the free New Year’s Eve Transit Service provides an additional transportation option, encouraging everyone to enjoy a safe and prosperous transition into 2017.
Route maps are available here.
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Bring Your Canoe To The Peterborough Lift Lock June 26th For Epic Event
/There is an epic event called Lock 'n Paddle happening June 26th at 1 p.m. at the Lift Lock on National Canoe Day that paddlers do not want to miss.
Lock 'n Paddle is a partnership between Parks Canada, the Canadian Canoe Museum and the Land Canadian Adventures, with the goal being to see how many canoers they can squeeze into the Lift Lock.
Photo via Canadian Canoe Museum/Trent-Severn Waterway
As part of this special event, lockage will be free for participating paddlers from Lock 20 - Ashburnham to Lock 24 - Douro. In exchange for free lockage, the Trent-Severn is encouraging paddlers to bring canned food items to support the local community.
Photo via Trent-Severn Waterway
For specific details on this event, go here. It is an exciting event that organizers want to share with the world on social media. Spread the word on your social channels.
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Pavement Marking Refresh Happening On City Streets
/The City of Peterborough Public Works Division has begun pavement marking operations to refresh all existing lines and pavement markings on City streets.
All existing markings—including center, skip, bike, stop bars, school crossings and crosswalks, as well as pavement edgings—will be repainted with work expected to be completed by October.
Photo by Evan Holt
To reduce the impact on traffic and enhance the safety of workers, crews will work Monday to Thursday nights from 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
Temporary lane closures will apply when crews repaint symbols, stop bars and crosswalks with regular traffic control measures in place. Long lines will be completed with a rolling operation by slow moving vehicles delineated with hazard cones.
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Fying Colours To Get $4.87 Million Expansion At Peterborough Airport
/On Friday (April 15th), the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister of Democratic Institutions and Member of Parliament for Peterborough–Kawartha, announced an investment of up to $4.87 million for an expansion at Flying Colours Corp.
A global aviation services company, Flying Colours Corp. retrofits a range of aircrafts and provides fully customized aircraft interiors, outfitted with the latest technologies and state-of-the-art electronic equipment. This repayable contribution, through FedDev Ontario’s Investing in Business Growth and Productivity initiative, is for the construction of a 100,000-square foot hangar at the Peterborough Airport.
MP Maryam Monsef makes the announcement
