Douro-Dummer to Pay Respect to Veterans Online Remembrance Day
/While restrictions on outdoor gatherings have recently lifted, the 2021 Douro-Dummer Remembrance Day Ceremony will be held online.
Photo by David Tuan Bui.
Peterborough Blogs
Fleming College is Excited to Welcome Back Majority of Students to its Campuses for Winter Semester
/With the influx of students to these communities, there is also a greater demand for off-campus housing
A majority of students being back on Fleming’s campuses will provide a significant economic boost to the communities and local businesses of Peterborough, Lindsay and Haliburton. Fleming is working with municipal partners to introduce community-specific guides to help students find information and resources for housing, transportation, employment, entertainment and recreation.
The College is also offering toolkits and workshops to help homeowners create new rentals spaces and make renting a unit easier.
“Housing is an urgent need for many people in the City and County of Peterborough. We need to find creative solutions that can work for everyone in our community – students, year-round residents and especially our most vulnerable individuals. We’re pleased to work towards housing solutions with Fleming College,” said Rebecca Morgan, Housing Services Manager with the City of Peterborough.
Fleming on-campus residences in Peterborough and Lindsay will increase occupancy from 66 to 100 per cent to help fill the need. However, living off-campus is a preferred choice for many students. It offers them the opportunity to belong to a larger, more diverse community, and interact with businesses and neighbours from different age groups, cultures and professional backgrounds.
Those who rent units to students can expect similar advantages, along with the use of rental income to help with mortgage and household costs.
In addition to providing a very important service of affordable housing options, landlords and property managers can benefit from interacting with a generally younger demographic of driven students from various backgrounds.
To ensure the safety of the Fleming community, a College-wide vaccination policy will remain in effect on all Fleming campuses. Additional safety protocols, such as masking and enhanced cleaning, will also continue. For more information and updates on measures in place, see Fleming’s COVID-19 information page.
More information for students and families regarding housing options, and for current and potential landlords is available from Fleming College's Housing department here.
If you would like to open your home to a student, please email och@flemingcollege.ca or call 705-749-5530 ext 1125 and Fleming will support you through the process.
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Sam's Place Deli Crowned First Ever Peterborough Mac and Cheese Fest Winners
/After a month of friendly culinary competition the Peterborough Mac and Cheese Festival has crowned Sam’s Place as their first ever Mac and Cheese Champion.
Eddy Sweeny and Owen Walsh from Sam’s Place. Photo courtesy of Peterborough DBIA.
18 signature mac and cheese dishes were featured on local menus throughout the downtown restaurant scene for both dine-in and takeout as part of the month-long foodie competition.
Over 500 votes were casted to crown the top mac and cheese dish. In the end, only a narrow margin of votes determined the difference between first, second, and third place.
Sam’s Place took the Mac + Cheese top honours as this year’s most loved mac with their glorious Jalapeño Bacon Mac + Cheesewich.
As the winner, Sam’s Place received a hand-crafted trophy, a $500.00 donation to Kawartha Food Share in the restaurants name, and bragging rights for the year.
“We are thrilled to hear that our Jalapeño, Bacon Mac + Cheesewich was just as great to all who voted, as it was to us. We are honoured to have had the chance to “compete” with some of Peterborough's finest chefs, while supporting the greatness that is Kawartha Food Share,” said Sam Sayer, owner of Sam’s Place. “Once again, the DBIA has come up with another creative way to draw attention to the awesomeness that the downtown has to offer, while supporting a killer cause. Until next year, cheese on, friends.”
Capra Toro’s Bacon and Beer Mac captured the hearts of many voters and landed in second place alongside Amanda’s’ Bringing Sexy Mac which was ranked third favourite.
Sam’s Place winning Jalapeño Bacon Mac + Cheesewich. Photo courtesy of Peterborough DBIA.
The events’ online Mac Map was viewed over 44,000 times throughout the festival. A number of restaurant partners experienced out-of-town diners traveling to Peterborough specifically for the Mac + Cheese Festival, with 66% of participating restaurants reporting that they were able to reach new customers during the festival.
“It was incredible to see the community rally behind our festival and its mission to bring mac and cheese lovers together for an entire month. We can’t wait to do it again next year,” said Amanda McBain, Marketing and Social Media Coordinator for the Peterborough Mac + Cheese Festival.
The Peterborough Mac + Cheese Festival also ran a month-long food drive in tandem with its food competition at each restaurant location. Throughout the month festival goers were encouraged to bring their non-perishables downtown when visiting mac and cheese locations.
“We are so thrilled with the support we have received from local businesses during the Mac + Cheese festival this past month,” said Ashlee Aitken, General Manager of Kawartha Food Share. “Even through all the obstacles and tough times these restaurants have faced the past year and a half, their willingness to support our organization and their fellow neighbours is truly remarkable. Thank you so much to the DBIA for including us in this fantastic initiative. These donations are a huge help as we begin preparations for the upcoming busy holiday season.”
For more information on this years first annual Peterborough Mac + Cheese Festival visit www.ptbomacandcheesefest.com.
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PTBOCanada's First-Ever Kids Pumpkin Decorating Contest With Lansdowne Place Results
/The inaugural “PTBOCanada Kids Pumpkin Decoration Contest” with Lansdowne Place was a great success with loads of entries from Peterborough and surrounding communities.
The following are the top three pumpkins for this year’s contest:
First place - Ocean Hurd, age 8
Second place - Aiden Rogers, age 11
Third place - River Gerolomy, age 3
Us at PTBOCanada and everyone at Lansdowne Place would like to thank all participants in our contest, and hope that it got you in the Halloween spirit!
Take a scroll through some more great entries below.
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Peterborough and the Kawarthas Home Builders Association Announces New Board Members
/Peterborough and the Kawarthas Home Builders Association (PKHBA) has announced Garnet Northey will be the new President, on Thursday.
Garnet Northey(left) and Rick Coker. Photo courtesy of PKHBA.
After navigating PKHBA through the pandemic, as the 2020 and 2021, president Rick Coker is stepping down as president.
Coker provided PKHBA with steady leadership throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and worked tirelessly with Executive Officer Danica Logan to provide information, support and leadership to PKHBA members.
Northey brings experience to the office of PKHBA president, having served from 2014-2018. Garnet will be focusing on member and community engagement for his 2022 term with support from PKHBA’s new Executive Officer Rebecca Schillemat.
PKHBA is a non-profit association for Home Builders, Renovators and Associates interested in the Residential Construction and Renovating Industry. PKHBA’s mission is to provide the following for its members:
Facilitate the development of sustainable businesses
Advocate for effective government policy
Maintain positive consumer experiences
Exchange experiences, information and best practices
PKHBA 2022 Board of Directors
Garnet Northery, Spotlight Home and Lifestyle
Rick Coker, LG Home Comfort
Paul Dietrich, Parkview Home and Dietrich Homes
Don Armitage, Enbridge
Sandy Sillaots, Hickory Lane Kitchens
Mike Kingdon, Chemong Home Hardware
Susan Zambonin, Habitat for Humanity
Mitch Cleary, Century 21 United, Tamer Kamar/Mitch Cleary Team
Jennifer Hurd, Reliance Home Comfort
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Appplications for 2022 Community Grant Program Open Friday
/Peterborough City Council has announced that the application process for the 2022 Community Grant Program will open on Friday.
The Community Grants program provides financial assistance to non-profit, community-based organizations that provide direct programs, services or activities that enhance the quality of life for Peterborough residents.
Each year Peterborough City Council dedicates funds to be distributed to various community groups within the City. All grants are subject to evaluation and final approval by Council.
There are three streams of grants that groups can apply to:
The Community Project Grant offers $250 - $1,000 and is intended to be used to kickstart a project or special event.
The Community Investment Grant offers $1,000 - $15,000 to support larger projects or special events, specific programs of larger organizations, or operating budgets.
The Community Service Grant is not available through the application process. Eligible organizations will be identified by City staff and approved by Council. They will be required to enter into a Service Contract with the City in order to receive the funding. This grant will offer support for municipally mandated services for which the requested amount is more than $15,000.
For more information contact the Community Services department at 705-742-7777 ext. 1822 or email communitygrants@peterborough.ca
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Local Sisters Encourage Peterborough to Get Spooked and Follow their Interactive Halloween Map
/Two sisters, Hayley and ‘Crash’ Gilpin, have created an online map pinning noteworthy Halloween displays in and around Peterborough.
Sisters Crash (Left) and Hayley Gilpin. Photo courtesy of Hayley Gilpin.
‘The Haunting of Peterborough map’ features over 200 houses and streets with Halloween displays.
The colour coded map highlights ‘spectacle houses’ with a purple ghost. ‘Spirit streets’, streets with three or more houses decorated, are highlighted with an orange ghost and black ghosts are houses decorated outside of the city but are worth the drive to see.
Hayley says when her sister Crash lived in Newcastle they did something similar, so when she moved to Peterborough this summer she wanted to recreate it.
“We drove around all month, with coffees in tow, and found all the most amazing ‘Spectacle Houses’ and ‘Spirit Streets’ that Peterborough has to offer,” said Hayley. “When we released the Halloween Map the Peterborough community was just so open and responsive, it made us feel really good to do something like this for the community.”
The pair says they will continue to add to the map until Halloween.
“We are just a couple of crazy mid age women who still love to celebrate the holidays. Especially during these times when the community needs it.”
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United Way and St. Vincent de Paul Team Up to Keep Peterborough Warm With Coats For Kids Program
/United Way Peterborough and The Society of St Vincent de Paul have teamed up and are distributing free coats to those in need through the annual Coats for Kids and Adults Too Program.
Group of Vinnie’s volunteers load up donations. Photo courtesy of United Way.
United Way Peterborough has been coordinating Coats for Kids and Adults Too since 1987. Community members donate clean, new and used coats on donation days at Vinnie’s thrift store.
Coats that are donated are sorted by volunteers who check for things like rips or broken zippers before they are given to people in the community that need them.
Following the same protocols they did last year the coats are left to ‘quarantine’ for at least 72 hours prior to distribution.
In 2020, the Coats for Kids program distributed close to 1,000 coats, snowsuits and snow pants to children and adults in Peterborough.
“The need is there. With the pandemic we think the need is even greater, we know there can be issues and if they have to give up something it might be a nice warm winter coat,” said Stephanie Levesque, Coats for Kids Coordinator, United Way Peterboroguh. “ We’ve considered in the past ending this program, but then we see the response and how many people are in need.”
Coats were collected Oct. 16 and 17 at Vinnie’s Peterborough and Lakefield Location.
Levesque says each year they rent a 15 foot truck to transport the donations and for the first time since she started the position five years ago it was filled by the end of the day.
Coats will be distributed on Saturday from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. at Murray Street Baptist Church, 175 Murray St.
Mitts for Kids, a program that provides hand knit mittens and hats for kids, will also be there Saturday.
Those wishing to receive a coat need nothing but patience and a mask, says Levesque. Due to COVID protocols there is a limited number of people allowed in the building, so attendees should expect to wait in a line outside the building.
Masks will be available on site for those that need them.
Any coats left at the end of Saturdays distribution will be given to local shelters to distribute throughout the season. None of the coats will be sold for profit.
For more information contact Stephanie Levesque at 705-742-8839 X32 or by email at slevesque@uwpeterborough.ca.
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Light the Way to 160k Receives $25,000 Donation to Assist Renovation of Opioid Response Hub
/Fourcast has announced a $25,000 contribution by the Brian and Lynne Kelly Family Fund of The Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough to the Light The Way to $160K campaign, on Tuesday.
Site of the future Opioid Response Hub. Photo by Angela O’Grady.
This donation will go towards assisting with the renovation of the Opioid Response Hub at 220 Simcoe St. in downtown Peterborough.
“We hope this donation encourages others to learn about the opioid crisis and make their own contributions to the Light the Way Campaign,” said Brian Kelly.
“Brian and Lynne recognize that the opioid issue is destroying lives, shattering families and taking its toll on the entire community,” says Co-Executive Director of the Community Foundation, Jennifer DeBues. “Supporting the Opioid Response Hub is an active step towards creating solutions to the opioid crisis in Peterborough.”
Currently, 220 Simcoe Street is undergoing significant renovations that will provide members of organizations such as Fourcast, PARN, the 360 Degree Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic (NPLC), as well as Peterborough County Paramedics and the Mobile Support Overdose Resource Team (MSORT) to provide wraparound services and supports.
With the donation, the Light The Way to $160K campaign has reached over $70,000. The campaign runs until November 30th. To contribute to the Light the Way to $160K campaign, donations can be made at the Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough web site at www.cfgp.ca/LightTheWay.
For those who prefer to mail or drop off cheques, please make the cheques out to ‘Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough’ and include ‘CTS Fund’ in the memo. They can be addressed to the organization at 261 George St N Suite 202, Peterborough, ON K9J 3G9.
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All Saints Peterborough Aims to Bolster the Community with Spooky Walk and Food Program
/All Saints Peterborough continues to reach out to the community throughout the pandemic, with their growing food program and their Halloween Spooky Walk.
All Saints’ volunteer Lois Cook is bagging essential food items which help support over 200 community members each week as part of their food security outreach. Photo Courtesy of All Saints’ Peterborough.
When the COVID pandemic began, All Saints’ provided Prince of Whales Public School with Breakfast Bags, a meal program available to students. Now, that program has grown to become the All Saints' Peterborough weekly Outreach Food Program.
The program provides close to 40 families with increased food security.
Volunteers gather weekly at All Saints’ to bag groceries that help supplement the groceries of neighbouring families in the community. These ‘grocery bags’ include many essential items, including breakfast items (fresh eggs and bread products), peanut butter, canned beans and tuna, and frozen and canned vegetables.
Reverend Suzanna McMillan (left) and Reverend Samantha Caravan (right) in front of one of five vegetable garden boxes that will continually grow crops for local communities. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
