The Peterborough Petes Organization Is Hosting First Ever Town Hall Event

On Thursday, September 15th at 7:05 p.m.—more on the 7:05 start time below—the Peterborough Petes Board of Directors will host season ticket holders in the first ever Petes Town Hall event at Market Hall.

The purpose of the event is to hold an open forum for questions about the Petes organization—particularly as it pertains to team governance, operations, and community relations.

PTBOCanada file photo

Season Ticket Holders will receive an exclusive invite to the Town Hall event inside their 2016/17 season ticket booklets. The booklets can be picked up from the PMC Collins Barrow Box Office starting at noon on Thursday, August 25th.
 
The free Town Hall event will be catered by downtown Peterborough-based blackhoney.

PTBOCanada historical file photo

“The Town Hall event is a way for the Petes and the Board of Directors to refresh our relationships with key local stakeholders,” says Petes President Dave Pogue. “We will be opening up the floor for higher-level questions about the operations of the team that we get asked consistently by many fans.”
 
Space is limited at this exclusive event, but if there is capacity remaining after the season ticket RSVP window closes, members of the general public will definitely be invited to attend as well, the Petes tell PTBOCanada.

PTBOCanada file photo

Now, as to the 7:05 p.m. start time: The format of the Town Hall will be similar to a Thursday night hockey game (which start at 7:05). First, second, and third period segments will be used to focus on team history, governance, community relations, hockey operations and business operations, with specific presentations and question periods scheduled for each topic.

This is a great idea by the Petes organization—a storied franchise—to host the Town Hall and we hope to see the Market Hall packed.

 
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There's A Little Bit Of Fort McMurray In All Of Us

When you see the images in Fort McMurray, Alberta, you see pure devastation. It's been called a catastrophe, an apocalypse, an inferno, a horror movie, a multi-headed monster, a worst kind of nightmare—whatever you want to call it, this massive wildfire looks like pure hell.

And you watch the images on TV and social media, and hear what people are saying who have lost everything, and hear their distraught fire chief and exhausted firefighters, and you can feel their pain. Everyone is safe so far thank god, but man the destruction you see is almost unfathomable. And you look at that community of Fort McMurray and then you look inward a little about the stuff you have—your own house, belongings, car, family, pets, community.

[photo above via @cbc]

Fort McMurray's population is pretty darn similar in size to Peterborough, and you see the impact this fire is going to have there on homes and businesses and schools and infrastructure and such. Ten thousand hectares have been burned, over 1,600 structures destroyed—and there is no sign the damn fire is abating. 

The whole community has been evacuated, like around 80,000 people—and a state of emergency has been called. And you're just thinking, This is nuts. Absolute nuts. Unimaginable. It can't be happening. What can be done? How can we help? How do we fix things?

[photo above via @cbc]

Peterborough went through a devastating flood in 2004, and we remember first-hand what it's like to see a community go through so much destruction. The national spotlight was on us back then, and Canada got behind this city to help however it could.

But when you look at Fort McMurray, you're like, Holy Shit. You wonder about what the tens of thousands of people forced from their homes into work camps and temporary shelters will have to go back to. And you wonder, what the heck can you do? That's what a lot of people are talking about right now. 

[photo above via @StormhunterTWN]

The Canadian Red Cross needs all the donations you can give, but you also just want to load up your truck or vehicle and drive to Alberta and help these people. Just hug them even. It's hard not to feel their pain. Their nightmare doesn't end tomorrow or the day after. They're living it in this moment.

The rebuilding will happen, sure, but right now all you can see and feel is the destruction. And your heart hurts for them.

—By Neil Morton

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Peterborough Police Unveil Gender Neutral Bathrooms

The Peterborough Police Service and its community partners are calling on the community to help create safe, inclusive and positive spaces.

Police themselves have taken leadership and a significant step in that direction by changing their single-stall bathrooms throughout the police station into gender-neutral washrooms.

“We know that people look to police services to set an example of what safety, inclusion and well-being looks like," says Peterborough Police Chief Murray Rodd. "This is one step in the right direction of what we can do to demonstrate our commitment to safe, welcoming and inclusive spaces."

Chief Murray Rodd pictured with Police community partners

“For some people this might just look like a 3x5 sign on the door," adds Chief Rodd. "For other people, when they see it they know they are being welcomed for who they are."

Rodd believes the Peterborough Police Service has a responsibility to every person in their jurisdiction to recognize that some are more vulnerable and at risk than others. "We look to our community partners to help ensure that our responses are appropriate and effective,” he says.
 

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