GoFundMe Created For Funeral Costs of Man Found In Jackson's Park

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A GoFundMe has been set up for the funeral costs of 32-year-old Peterborough man Donnie Thibault whose body was found in Jackson Park on Wednesday morning.

Thibault was born in Moncton, N.B. He leaves behind his five-year-old son Ryder (right). Photo courtesy of Annie Thibault.

The fundraiser was started by his five-year-old son’s mother, Jamie Fee, seeking $5,000 on Wednesday.

His sister, Annie Thibault said he was always around to protect and care for the ones he loved.

“My brother was my best friend,” she said. “He was always there for me when I needed him; loyal and protective. He will forever be my guardian angel.”

@anniethibault3 I lost my brother yesterday suddenly and my heart is literally shattered into a million pieces 😭♥️ #imissyousomuch #dancinginthesky #loveyou ♬ Dancing in the Sky - Dani and Lizzy

Thibault’s friends saw from him a positive and funny personality who was always smiling.

“Donnie was the type of friend who could always make you laugh,” said Maria Caravaggio. “Once he had you in his life, you knew he would do anything for you if you needed him. He loved people with an intense passion and he always tried to be a light in people's lives.”

“Donnie was my neighbour and became a close friend during high school. We just clicked. He was always a stand-up guy, always joking around and pranking his sisters,” said Alyshia Harvey. “He went out of his way to make you laugh and cheer you up. He always had your back.”

Ryder was born on July 14, 2016. Photo courtesy of Annie Thibault.

Peterborough Police found Thibault’s body after receiving a call at roughly 10:45 a.m. Wednesday morning. Officers were called to the area about a man with vital signs absent in a pond in the area of Fairbairn Avenue and Parkhill Road according to a press release.

Donnie went to high school at Peterborough Collegiate and Vocational School and recently celebrated his 32nd birthday on Dec. 29 last year.

His funeral is scheduled to be at Nisbett Funeral Home according to Annie however a date has not yet been set.

Donations to the family can be made through the GoFundMe page or through e-transfer at Annie’s email of anniethibault317@msn.com.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

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David Tuan Bui


One Roof Drop-In Centre To Temporarily Extend Hours As Temperature Drops

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One Roof Community Centre will be open for extended hours of service on Friday and Saturday due to dropping temperatures in Peterborough.

On Friday the centre will be open from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 3 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. with the to-go meal provided between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.

On Saturday the centre will be open from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

The centre is closed to drop-in service from noon to 3 p.m. for the meal preparation and pickup period to protect the health and safety of the public, volunteers, and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

One Roof Community Centre, which provides services on behalf of the City and County of Peterborough, is located at 99 Brock St. For a full description of meals and other services that One Roof provides visit its website at www.oneroofptbo.ca.

Emergency shelters are open and available to people experiencing homelessness who require emergency overnight shelter:

  • YES Shelter for Youth and Families, 705-748-3851, 196 Brock St.

  • Brock Mission men’s shelter, 705-748-4766, 120 Murray St.

  • Cameron House women’s shelter, 705-748-4766, 739 Chemong Rd.

  • Overflow Shelter at 210 Wolfe St., overnight phone 705-761-1875

Emergency After Hours Services related to emergency shelter are available through Social Services by calling 705-926-0096. Visit the Social Services website for information regarding the After Hours program.

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PTBOCanada Featured Post: Explore PTBO With Patrick McAuley; Canadian Canoe Museum

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PTBOCanada Featured Post: Explore PTBO With Patrick McAuley; Canadian Canoe Museum

Sponsored post by Patrick McAuley Group

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Peterborough And The Kawarthas Association Of Realtors Announce A New President

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Peterborough and the Kawarthas Association of Realtors (PKAR) announced their new 2022 President, Kate Kidd, on Tuesday.

Photo courtesy of PKAR.

Kidd has been an active volunteer with PKAR since becoming a realtor and has been on the Board of Directors since 2019.

“I am looking forward to working with President Kidd and her experienced Board of Directors in 2022,” said Christine Ball, CEO PKAR. “Kate is passionate about Real Estate; she provides thoughtful leadership while prioritizing professionalism and innovation within our Association and our membership.”

“Our realtor members are some of the most experienced and qualified in the province,” said Kidd. “My goal for 2022 is to continue to reinforce the reputation of our member realtors as trusted, accountable and engaged members of their communities.”

Kidd’s term runs the calendar year and will conclude Dec. 31, 2022.

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One Roof Community Centre Extends Hours For Monday

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One Roof Community Centre will have extended hours into Monday as temperatures are expected to drop below -15 Celcius announced Sunday.

Sunday was originally the only day One Roof was extending their hours this weekend. Photo Courtesy of One Roof Community Centre.

The Centre is open from 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 3:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., with the to-go meal provided between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m., on Sunday and 8:30 a.m. to noon on Monday.

The Centre is closed to drop-in service from noon to 3:00 p.m. for the meal preparation and pickup period to protect the health and safety of the public, volunteers and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Emergency shelters are open and available to people experiencing homelessness who require emergency overnight shelter:

  • YES Shelter for Youth and Families, 705-748-3851, 196 Brock St.

  • Brock Mission men’s shelter, 705-748-4766, 120 Murray St.

  • Cameron House women’s shelter, 705-748-4766, 739 Chemong Rd.

  • Overflow Shelter at 210 Wolfe St., overnight phone 705-761-1875

Emergency After Hours Services related to the emergency shelter are available through Social Services by calling 705-926-0096. Please visit the Social Services website for information regarding the After Hours program.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Extended Hours at One Roof Community Centre On Sunday

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This Sunday, One Roof Community Centre will be open for extended hours from 8:30 a.m. to noon and from 3:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., with the to-go meal provided between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. announced Friday.

Photo Courtesy of One Roof Community Centre.

The decision was due to temperatures expected to drop below -15C for the Peterborough area.

The Centre is closed to drop-in service from noon to 3:00 p.m. for the meal preparation and pickup period to protect the health and safety of the public, volunteers, and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

A Year In Review By David Tuan Bui

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I started in the new era of PTBOCanada on Mar. 1 when owner Kirtus Evoy purchased it from Neil Morton. Since joining the team, I have got to experience what Peterborough has to offer. The stories, the community and the surprises that can come from a small town are things I will never forget for the rest of my life.

Bui (pictured) previously worked as a freelance sports journalist for Indigenous newspaper The Eastern Door prior to joining the PTBOCanada team. Photo by Angela O’Grady.

These are my top five stories — in chronological order — that I truly enjoyed being a part of in 2021.

Jorge Arroyo has expressed some interest in streaming video games like Fortnite or Spanish lessons on Youtube in the near future. Photo courtesy of Sarai Arroyo.

Yes, Jorge Arroyo cracked my list just as he made my colleague Angela O’Grady’s. If you ever talked to this young man — as I got to in June —, you will understand what an inspiring soul he is with a great attitude.

Arroyo was only six years old before immigrating to Canada from Mexico. He recorded a 12-minute podcast with The New Canadians Centre with his story of coming to this country. After hearing the podcast, I was moved and had to feature him.

He encourages others to open up their struggles rather than bottling them up to help overcome them. After adjusting to Canadian life for over five years of living here, Arroyo reminded me that no one is alone with their problems and creating awareness is one step towards solving them.

David Tuan Bui with Wadsworth Kulatungam in photos separated by 13 years (2008 and 2021). Bui first met Kulatungam as a Grade 6 student at Immaculate Conception School while the latter was a substitute teacher. Photos by David Tuan Bui.

I was invested deeply in this story emotionally. If you were in the Peterborough Catholic school system for the past 25 years, chances are that you know renowned substitute teacher Wadsworth Kulatungam, better known as Mr. Wadsworth.

Kulatungam retired in December last year rather quietly but I had a different agenda. When I heard that St. Peter’s Secondary School teacher Colleen Crawley was gathering testimonials for Kulatungam’s retirement, I immediately jumped at the chance and wanted to turn it into a story.

From my personal experience, no one ever had a negative thing to say about him and I believed was the consummate professional. I am honoured to have had him as my supply teacher on multiple occasions through the years.

Talking to Kulatungam 13 years later in July since I last saw him gave me a flashback of wonderful memories and seeing the community collaborate on highlighting his teaching impact was a heart-touching moment. Congratulations again Wadsworth on your retirement!

“Everyone has capabilities and goodness in them. That was my philosophy. Criticism doesn’t carry you anywhere.”
— Wadsworth Kulatungam

Jenn (left) and Braden Glasbergen (right) have had four different elaborate front-yard decorative displays such as Easter, dinosaurs, a ghost pirate ship and a gingerbread house. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

It is hard to miss the setups Jenn and Braden Glasbergen of Ravenwood Drive in Peterborough have on their front lawn.

During the fall season, the couple has this awesome pirate ship on their front lawn open to the public to watch, explore and take pictures.

They have had other setups that they change quarterly such as an Easter setup, dinosaurs and a Christmas one to fit all four seasons.

If doing this was not enough to give back to the community, the Glasbergens collected non-perishable goods for St. Vincent de Paul for every display they put up.

The Stanley Cup had never gone down the Lift Lock prior to Mitchell Stephens’s boat parade. Photo by Pete Dalliday.

Yes, this story made both my list and PTBOCanada’s top 10 list but we are talking about the Stanley Cup being in Peterborough.

As a sports fan, I am excited to hear when a hometown person wins a major sports championship so I can only imagine what two-time Stanley Cup champion Mitchell Stephens felt when he brought it back to Peterborough on Aug. 25.

PTBOCanada was able to get a water parade arranged for Stephens as he took the Stanley Cup down the Lift Lock with friends in family. I was privileged to be on the same boat as him recording the parade and editing the video the same night.

This will be one of the most opportunistic experiences that I have ever had and am fortunate to be a part of it.

Callan Perks signed a one-day contract as the Peterborough Petes Next Gen head coach on Nov 28. Photo by Jenish Odigski.

There was no way Coach Cal was put off this list.

Callum Perks became an overnight sensation with a pre-game locker room speech for the Peterborough Petes for their Next Gen game on Nov. 28. The game allowed kids to play in executive roles for the hockey club for the day and Perks took absolute advantage of it.

When you talked to the young man, I was astonished by how developed his speaking and linguistic skills were for the seven-year-old. I have interviewed numerous amounts of children but none with better diction than Perks. I normally get one or two-word answers from kids but it was not the case with Coach Cal.

To see how well-developed since speaking with him now, I can only imagine what kind of potential he has when he grows up. The future for Coach Cal looks bright.

The Petes beat the Ottawa 67’s 3-2 if you are wondering how that game went before that speech. I would say the pre-game motivation worked.

This year has given me experiences I never thought I would ever get to do. I spoke with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, rode in a boat with the Stanley Cup, be backstage for several live events and more.

Thank you Peterborough and the Kawarthas for granting me the opportunity and honour to be a part of your daily lives. Thank you to the PTBOCanada team to take me as one of them.

Cheers 2021 and Peterborough for giving me such a fantastic year! I hope 2022 will extend me the same courtesy.

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A Year In Review By Angela O'Grady

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In my six months with PTBOCanada, I have had the opportunity to speak with so many amazing members of the community. Each day I am given the chance to learn about someone’s passion, listen to their story or celebrate their success.

Here are my top five stories — in chronological order — that I had the pleasure of writing in 2021.

Jorge Escalera (far right), poses with his family at Monday’s book launch. Escalera is one of six children whose story inspired Building a Home. Photo by Angela O’Grady.

In September, The New Canadians Centre hosted a book launch to celebrate the release of a new book ‘Building a Home’ written and illustrated by local artist Cassandra Lee.

The book was inspired by the experiences of six immigrant children experiencing Canadian culture for the first time in Peterborough.

At the launch, the book was read to the crowd where the six young ‘authors’ beamed with pride.

For the last 12 years, Hirdes has been helping out at a local Cystic Fibrosis Benefit night. Photo Courtesy of Samantha Hirdes.

When COVID-19 put a pause on the annual Cystic Fibrosis that Samantha Hirdes volunteers at she took matters into her own hands.

She set up a website to sell her painted pumpkins, with 100 per cent of the proceeds being donated to Cystic Fibrosis Canada. When interviewing her, I asked how long it took to paint each pumpkin and she said anywhere from one to four hours - all out of the goodness of her heart!

This year Hirdes was able to donate $1,005 to Cystic Fibrosis Canada.

Dave Graham (left) had his last round of treatment on Dec. 1. Photo courtesy of Dave Graham.

When Dave Graham was diagnosed with cancer in March, he decided that something good had to come from it.

He decided to start ‘Dave’s Walk Against Cancer’ and raise funds to donate to the PRHC Foundation.

Initially his goal was to raise $5,000 and walk 7,000 steps each day until his cancer treatment was done in mid December.

On Dec. 17 PRHC Foundation announced that Dave completed his treatment and raised $11,111.

Arnold Graham (left, circa 1943) Royal Canadian Airforce (Photo courtesy of Lakefield War Vets) and current-day Graham (right) at the Buckhorn Community Centre at 95 years of age. Photo by Angela O’Grady.

I chatted with Arnold Graham over a bowl of soup at the Buckhorn Community Centre after attending a remembrance service.

He shared with me the story of his service during World War II. Graham joined the Royal Canadian Air Force when he was just 17 because he wanted to serve with his six older brothers. He eventually returned home to his mother along with all of his brothers.

Graham’s story is miraculous and I am so lucky to have heard it.

Chatting with veteran and nurse practitioner Lee-Anne Quinn was such an honour.

A woman with a lengthy list of accomplishments, Quinn did not make mention of any of them during our interview. Instead, she focused on how important it is to make a difference in other people’s lives.

2021 has been a year of meeting the best that Peterborough and the Kawarthas have to offer and I cannot wait for what 2022 has in store.

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PTBOCanada's Top 10 Stories of 2021

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It has been an amazing year for PTBOCanada in 2021.

Editor David Tuan Bui (left), owner Kirtus Evoy (middle) and journalist Angela O’Grady (right) moved into the PTBOCanada office in September located in East City. Photo by Pete Dalliday.

Here are the top stories that were the most read, engaged and liked by the PTBOCanada community in chronological order.

Rob with the exhausted deer after its rescue. Photo Courtesy of Shelley Fine.

This story was still under Neil Morton’s watch but on Jan. 15, a Buckhorn man — who just wanted to be named “Rob” — saved a young deer from the freezing water.

His neighbour Shelley Fine got a shot of Rob saving the deer as he paddled out with his kayak to save the helpless animal from death.

Hudson Wells (pictured) typically gets to visit his grandfather two to three times a week. Photo Courtesy of Stephanie Wells.

My first published article for PTBOCanada already hit a soft spot for Peterborough and the Kawarthas.

Published on Feb. 26, Hudson Wells suffered from encephalitis since he was 13 months old resulting in his physical disabilities. He wanted to ride through the snowmobile trails and the community showed their generosity with $5,000 for a custom sled.

The GoFundMe was started on Feb. 11 where the goal was met in less than 24 hours.

We do not think the name “Little Lake” should be changed to “Big Lake.” Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Okay, we may have fooled a few people on this one. Morton came back to do a guest post for us and this is what he came up with.

Little Lake has always been an iconic part of Peterborough and tampering with its name would have been a fun April Fools’ Day joke.

Nonetheless, we love the name of Little Lake and saw how passionate Peterborough was about the name and its ongoing legacy.

The tooth (2.6 cm) is barely shorter than a loonie’s diameter (2.65 cm). Photo courtesy of Craig Boulton

Luke Boulton is currently the Guinness World Record holder for the longest milk tooth extracted at 2.6 cm. that was officially set on Sept. 17, 2019.

The application process for a Guinness record took intervals of 12 weeks and required multiple applications so the news was made official in April. Congrats Luke for giving Peterborough a world record holder.

You have to wonder how much the Tooth Fairy would give for that world-record milk tooth.

Deb Aben (left) receives the cheque of $6,360 from Evoy (middle) and Pete Dalliday (right). Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Peterborough and the Kawartha showed their lighter side for a week with the sign wars phenomenon that happened in April.

Businesses used their signs to tease and poke fun at other places and so many places got in on the action. PTBOCanada turned it into a fundraising effort for the Kawartha-Haliburton Children’s Foundation selling “Meet me in Aisle 15” t-shirts towards the cause.

We “signed” off the campaign raising $6,360 and we had hundreds of picture submissions.

Helen McCarthy (left), KitCoffee owner with her employees and actress Anna Kendrick (Middle right) after the Hollywood star finished filming her scene in downtown Peterborough. Photo Courtesy of KitCoffee.

It is not often you see a Hollywood celebrity in Peterborough but Anna Kendrick was at the downtown café KitCoffee, filming a scene for her upcoming thriller movie, “Alice, Darling.”

Helen McCarthy, KitCoffee owner and her staff managed to snap a selfie of the star after the filming.

McCarthy gave permission for her café to be used as a film set ahead of time but had no idea it was going to be as big a star as Kendrick.

ECFC was officially announced on Aug. 9 at the Silver Bean Café. Photo by Angela O’Grady.

It is no secret that Peterborough is a sports town. We have witnessed the Peterborough Petes and Lakers win their respective championships. Hopefully, we can add a pro soccer title to our resumé with the announcement of the Electric City Football Club (ECFC) that was introduced on Aug. 9.

ECFC president Rob Jenkins brought the club to town and is now a part of the League1 Ontario men’s and women’s division.

The team will make its debut for the 2022 season.

Mitchell Stephens won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Tampa Bay Lightning in his first two NHL seasons. Photo Courtesy of Mitchell Stephens.

Speaking of things that do not appear in Peterborough often, Mitchell Stephens brought the Stanley Cup back to his hometown following his 2020-21 win with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Stephens spoke about how thrilled he was to bring the trophy back to Peterborough since he was unable to the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lord Stanley took a trip down the historic Lift Lock for the first time in a boat parade that ended in Del Crary Park.

All butter tarts are made from scratch at the Butter Tart Factory. Photo by Angela O’Grady.

Butter tarts have always been a Canadian staple in treats and The Kawartha Butter Tart Factory is opening a second location on Lansdowne Street next month.

The bakery has been serving up the delicious treat in Douro-Dummer since 2015 and is going to expand its services in Peterborough.

Skor, Rolo and pumpkin pie butter tarts are some of the PTBOCanada staff favourites.

Callan Perks signed a one-day contract as the Peterborough Petes Next Gen head coach on Nov 28. Photo by Jenish Odigski.

Coach Cal is amazing.

Also known as Callan Perks, the seven-year-old took the world by storm and went viral with a pre-game locker room speech for the Peterborough Petes.

Since the video’s release, Perks gained recognition from several media outlets such as ABC’s Good Morning America, TSN, CTVNews and Fox Los Angeles.

Perks was selected as one of 10 kids aged 5-12 for the Petes’ Next Gen game. The day allowed the children a chance to join the Petes hockey operations and entertainment staff and participate in their respective roles.

Watch out hockey world, Perks wants to be an NHL player when he grows up then a coach or NHL general manager following his playing career.

Prior to moving into the new office building, O’Grady, Evoy and Bui were working from home. Photo by Pete Dalliday.

Former owners Neil Morton and Evan Holt did a fantastic job building a following and keeping Peterborough in the loop for over a decade. They handed the keys to current owner Kirtus Evoy who took over officially on Mar. 1.

He hired me a few weeks before that as the editor to kick off a new age of PTBOCanada. Four months later, we were gaining momentum and hired journalist Angela O’Grady to help pump out additional content.

We started with over 71,000 followers on social media since the change in ownership in March. That number went up to over 80,000 at the publication of this article.

We want to thank everyone who continued to support us and we will strive to continue giving great local coverage of Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Here is to 2022!

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

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David Tuan Bui


PTBOCanada Featured Post: Explore PTBO With Patrick McAuley; Lift Locks

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PTBOCanada Featured Post: Explore PTBO With Patrick McAuley; Lift Locks

Sponsored post by Patrick McAuley Group

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