Fleming Orientation Welcomes New Students with Winter Skate

Fleming College Sutherland Campus welcomed students for the new January semester, offering on-campus events and information for new and returning students on Thursday.

photo by Samantha Bianco.

On campus, students had the opportunity to attend program orientation sessions, meet faculty and connect with Fleming’s Student Experience team, along with some fun on-campus events.

The day started with a pancake breakfast at the Steele Centre, and a skating rink from Fleming Student Administrative Services was open to all students at the Sutherland Residence Village. Magician and comedian Wes Barker performed for students at the Steele Centre Pub, and free beaver tails were handed out later in the afternoon to the first 150 students.

It may be cold but we are staying warm during Fleming Skates, part of Orientation for @FlemingCollege students. Bundle up and join us at the outdoor skating rink at the Sutherland Residence Village until 5 p.m. today. Skating is available for all Fleming students! ❄️ pic.twitter.com/SFXy16tSIi

— @Fleming_Pres (@Fleming_Pres) January 19, 2023

As of January 2023, Fleming has just over 5,300 students across their three campuses. 

• 1,434 students at the Frost Campus (Lindsay)

• 3,1812 students at the Sutherland Campus (Peterborough)

• 58 students at the Haliburton School of Art + Design (Haliburton)

These numbers also include 1,100 new International students from around the world who came to Fleming this January.

photo by Samantha bianco.

Some of which, Steele Centre manager Whitney Piper mentions, have never seen snow or a skating rink in-person. 

“It’s great to see (students) on the ice, and putting on skates for the first time,” Piper said. “It’s the real Canadian experience for these students who’ve never experienced it.”

For more information on Fleming College campus orientations, visit the website.

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Local Woman Participating in Wounded Warrior Run in British Columbia

Peterborough resident Rebecca Schillemat is participating in the Wounded Warrior One Day Run in Victoria, B.C. on Feb. 5.

photo courtesy of Rebecca Schillemat.

The one day, 58 kilometre run from Sooke to Sidney crosses the northern boarder of Victoria on Vancouver Island. This run is two weeks before the main running event, which is eight days and 600 kilometres from Port Hardy in the north to Victoria at the southern end of Vancouver Island.

The relay-style run is done with a team of military and first responders from Vancouver Island. In 2020, Schillemat participated in the 8-day charity running event to raise awareness of the mental health struggles of military spouses.

The Wounded Warriors Canada run began when Afghanistan veterans felt the need to talk about mental health and make a difference, and this year is the 10th anniversary of the British Columbia run.

Last year the run raised over $165,000 for programs and training to support the mental health of first responders, military and their families. The 2023 Run goal is $250,000.

To donate or learn more about the event, visit the Wounded Warriors website.

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Public Information Centre for Proposed Organics Facility in Peterborough to be Held January 26

A public information centre on the proposed Peterborough organics facility will be held on Jan. 26 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Gold Room of the Otonabee-South Monaghan Memorial Centre (24 Fourth St., Keene)

photo courtesy of the city of peterborough.

The City of Peterborough expects to launch a City-wide organic waste collection and composting program GROW (Green Resource Organics Works) in the fall of 2023 to help Peterborough achieve the goals of the Waste Free Ontario Act. This Act aims to divert 100% of organic material from landfill.

The federal government is contributing $6.1 million toward the $15.3-million project over a four-year period, ending Mar. 31, 2024

As part of the GROW Peterborough program, the City proposes to develop a facility to accept and process leaf and yard waste and source separated organic materials.

The proposed facility will be next to the Peterborough County/City Waste Management Facility in Otonabee-South Monaghan Township, on land jointly owned by the City and County of Peterborough.

The Jan. 26 meeting will be the third of four planned public information centres about this project.

The first public information centre was held on Nov. 4, 2020, and introduced the proposed Peterborough organics facility project. The second was held on Feb. 24, 2021, and provided an update on the project’s progress as well as an opportunity to provide input.

On Jun. 16, 2022, a virtual meeting was held to further inform members of the public and stakeholders. This meeting provided rationale for the need of a leaf and yard waste and source separated organic waste processing facility in Peterborough County, providing details about the approvals required prior to constructing the facility, an overview of the development, engineering design, construction, operation and monitoring of the proposed facility.

Information presented at the meeting will be available on the City’s website. Those who are unable to attend the meeting can review the updated and past information, as well as provide feedback to the project team. Members of the public, agencies, Indigenous communities and other interested persons are encouraged by the City of Peterborough to participate in the project by attending meetings and/or contacting them directly with comments or questions at GROW Peterborough (500 George St. N) or by email.

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Ukrainian Christmas Celebration Held at Peterborough Square This Saturday

The Ukrainian Community of Peterborough and the Kawarthas (UCPK) is holding a free Ukrainian Christmas celebration at Peterborough Square this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

City Hall was lit in yellow and blue as a symbol of unity and support for Ukraine on March 1. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The celebration also known as Rizdvo falls every Jan. 7 every year according to the Julian Calendar and Orthodox Church.

The free family-friendly event features authentic Ukrainian food, music, carolling, colouring books for children and traditional craft workshops.

Performing at the event is a joy string quartet playing music with children and adult volunteers singing carols throughout. ‘Carol of the Bells’ is one of the featured songs and is based on the famous Ukrainian Christmas Carol ‘Shedryk’ by Nikolai Leontovich.

A fundraiser is being held to support UCPK during the event. Vendors are selling items such as fresh baked goods by Ukrainian community members, candles and Ukrainian-themed goods. Donations can also be made online by emailing ucpk.ca@gmail.com.

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Nominations Open For Kraft Hockeyville To Win $250,000 In Arena Upgrades

The annual Kraft Hockeyville contest nominations are open to anyone to select their city and arena to win $250,000 and host an NHL pre-season game announced on Sunday.

File Photo.

Last year, Douro-Dummer reached the final four to get upgrades for the Douro Community Centre. While they did not succeed in winning, they did win $25,000 for arena upgrades. Last year, Sydney, N.S. won the top prize, beating our Douro-Dummer; Princeton, B.C. and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.

The cooling plant at the community centre located in Warsaw failed last year so the Douro Dukes Hockey Association — comprising 19 teams — operated out of one arena and four dressing rooms during that time.

The alternative dressing rooms often used for girls playing on mostly boys’ teams, we inadequate, practically considered closets according to Kerri Riel, Douro Minor Hockey Association (DMHA) secretary in a prior PTBOCanada interview.

The Kraft Hockeyville competition begins with the ‘Nominate and Rally’ phase, where community members take actions like sharing on social media and submitting photos’ on the Hockeyville site to earn points.

Nominated communities can earn ‘Rally Points’ in order to help qualify for the top four and ultimate winner. They account for 20 per cent of the community’s score.

• Submit a nomination story - 10 points

• Share on Twitter using the share button - Five points

• Add photos of your arena - Three points

• Add a note - One point

• React with emojis to nominated stories and photos - One point

Nominations can be done at Kraft Hockeyville’s official website with the deadline at Feb. 19 at midnight. The grand prize winner is being announced on Apr. 1.

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PTBOCanada's Top 10 Stories of 2022

2022 marked the first full year since owner Kirtus Evoy bought the business from Neil Morton early last year. It was a fantastic year that PTBOCanada hopes to keep rolling into 2023.

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

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1. Coach Cal Brings Tears of Joy to Ellen DeGeneres With Motivational Speech

"‘Coach Cal’ HAS MADE APPEARANCES ON OTHER AMERICAN SHOWS SUCH AS ABC’S GOOD MORNING AMERICA AND FOX LOS ANGELES. PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL ROZMAN/WARNER BROS.

Callan Perks aka ‘Coach Cal’became a viral sensation in late 2021 with the Peterborough Petes and took his stardom to the City of Angels as he was a guest on the Ellen DeGeneres Show that aired on Jan. 5.

He gave a pep talk to DeGeneres for having her show run for 19 seasons as it was her final year.

As a gift, Degeneres gave Perks a tracksuit, clipboard and megaphone to continue his motivational speaking.

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

THIBAULT WAS BORN IN MONCTON, N.B. HE LEAVES BEHIND HIS FIVE-YEAR-OLD SON RYDER (RIGHT). PHOTO COURTESY OF ANNIE THIBAULT.

It was an unfortunate incident for 32-year-old Donnie Thibault whose body was found at Jackson Park on Jan. 5 last year.

A GoFundMe was created, raising $3,555 to help with funeral costs and family support for his tragic passing. He leaves behind his six-year-old son Ryder who was born on July 14, 2016.

Thibault would have celebrated his 33rd birthday this past Sunday.

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3. "Coach Cal" Opens Hockey Night in Canada With Pre-Game Speech

PERKS IS A STUDENT AT LAKEFIELD DISTRICT PUBLIC SCHOOL. HIS FAVOURITE NHL TEAM IS THE EDMONTON OILERS WITH CONNOR MCDAVID AS HIS FAVOURITE PLAYER. PHOTO COURTESY OF LARA PERKS.

Coach Cal strikes again as he got to open up the Jan. 22 edition of Hockey Night In Canada with his signature motivational pre-game speech encouraging kids to remain strong during the temporary closure of hockey.

He previewed the night’s matchups of all the Canadian teams playing and gave a motivating speech for the hosts of Hockey Night in Canada in Ron MacLean, Kelly Hrudey, Jennifer Botterill, David Amber and Elliotte Friedman.

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4. Local Highschool Sweethearts Searching For A Surrogate To Help Them Start A Family

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIANNA GILL.

High school sweethearts Brianna and Josh Gill were seeking out a surrogate to help them start the family that they’ve always wanted.

Brianna was around 16 she was diagnosed with Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome which left her born without a uterus but still had her ovaries intact.

Eventually, they found a surrogate in mid-June that reached out on Facebook. Their last update was posted in late November saying they’ve had four failed frozen embryo transfers with one remaining for now.

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5. City Of Peterborough Declares State Of Emergency After Devastating Storm

File Photo.

Peterborough was part of the May 2022 Canadian derecho that saw a huge storm knock over powerlines, uplift trees and caused tremendous amounts of damage.

The City declared a State of Emergency on May 25 as a result of the storm as most of Peterborough was without power.

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6. Havelock Country Jamboree 2022 Cancelled After 30 Years Future Of Festival Unsure

The Havelock Jamboree was cancelled after 30 years of operation and hadn’t run since 2019 from COVID-19.

The organizers announced on social media that the 2022 festival has been cancelled and plans for 2023 are uncertain.

Regarded as one of the big country music festivals in Peterborough and the Kawarthas, its cancellation left a stinging feeling to those who frequent what has been a Peterborough County mainstay for three decades.

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7. Peterborough Petes Prospect Passes Away During Preseason Game

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PETERBOROUGH PETES.

It was an unfortunate incident for Peterborough Petes prospect Eli Palfreyman who passed away during a Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League preseason tournament game on Aug. 30.

He passed out in a locker room during an intermission and medical staff were unable to resuscitate him.

Palfreyman was selected by the Petes 223rd overall in the 12th round from the Cambridge Hawks in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection.

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8. GoFundMe Created To Aid Family In Fatal Hwy. 7 Accident From Tuesday Night

GOFUNDME PHOTO.

A fatal car crash on Hwy. 7 killed four people including three MacHart family members, leaving one with critical injuries on Nov 22.

A GoFundMe was created with a $10,000 goal to help care for Rowghan MacHart, the lone survivor and cover any incidentals. The community rallied and raised over $90,000 for the cause.

The driver of the other vehicle involved in the collision was also killed as a result of the incident.

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9. The Pizza Factory To Close After 42 Years Of Service

Peter BOUZINELO’S BRAND OF OLIVE OIL AVAILABLE AT THE PIZZA FACTORY CAME FROM HIS HOME VILLAGE OF KOUTSI, GREECE. THE TREES WERE PLANTED OVER 50 YEARS AGO THAT MADE THE OIL. PHOTO BY DAVID TUAN BUI.

What a ride for Peter Bouzinelos and The Pizza Factory as they are closing their doors since opening in 1980.

Bouzinelos is retiring and is closing the restaurant on Jan. 29.

In addition to his food, he is known for his brand of signature Caesar dressing and olive oil under the name ‘Peter’s Famous Foods.’

We all with Bouzinelos the best in retirement and we’ll miss the in-house pizza and pasta.

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10. Ryan Reynolds Sends Encouragement Video To 14-Year-Old Whose Family Died in Highway 7 Crash

(FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) JOHNATHAN MACDONNELL, ROWGHAN MACHART, RIDDICK HART AND STEFPHANIE HART. THE FAMILY ACCIDENT OCCURRED NEAR THE BLUE JAY MOTEL IN OTONABEE-SOUTH MONAGHAN TOWNSHIP. PHOTO COURTESY OF KATHRYN WILSON.

Actor Ryan Reynolds sent Rowghan MacHart a video of encouragement following the aforementioned Hwy. 7 crash.

During that time, we learned that Rowghan endured five major surgeries over three weeks during her recovery process. Doctors fear she may never be able to walk again but Rowghan remains hopeful.

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As we enter 2023, PTBOCanada is proud to have 88,000+ followers and counting across all our platforms.

A big thank you to everyone who continued to support us and we will strive to continue giving great local coverage of Peterborough and the Kawarthas. 2023, here we come!