Peterborough Residents Urged to Reduce Water Consumption Amid Dry Conditions
/The City of Peterborough is urging residents to reduce water consumption due to low water conditions throughout the area.
Photo by David Tuan Bui.
Peterborough Blogs
First Responders Continue to Extinguish Fires In Burnt River/Kawartha Lakes Area
/First Responders continue to battle roughly 27 hectares of forest actively burning in the Burnt River area since it broke out on Saturday.
Photo courtesy of The City of Kawartha Lakers
Seven fire crews are working to contain the fire as confirmed by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). The City of Kawartha Lakes says an air attack was conducted Sunday and is available Monday if required.
Kawartha Lakers reports that crews are making headway; however, hot and dry conditions persist and wind potential could worsen the situation. The public is requested to please avoid the area to allow emergency vehicles and personnel to access the area.
Public Safety and Road Closures
No evacuation is necessary at this time
Residents and visitors are urged to avoid the Burnt River area to allow crews to continue working safely. A road closure remains in effect on County Road 49 between County Road 121 and Bury’s Green until further notice.
A total fire ban is in effect across the City of Kawartha Lakes
With three significant fires in the past week and extremely dry conditions straining firefighting resources, residents are reminded:
If you see smoke, report it immediately to Kawartha Lakes Fire Rescue at 705-324-2191.
Do not operate drones near active fire areas. This is illegal and poses serious risks to both aerial and ground crews.
With ever-increasing weather-related emergencies, all households need to have an emergency plan and a 72-hour emergency kit available.
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Selwyn Township Issues Full Lawn Watering Ban
/Effective immediately, Selywn Township has issued a full lawn watering ban until further notice.
Photo courtesy of The Township of Selwyn.
The ban comes after a water main break occurred in Lakefield, which affects the water system’s capacity.
During the ban, Selwyn asks Lakefield residents to limit all non-essential water use during this time.
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City Encourages Residents to Help Water City Trees During Heat Wave
/The City of Peterborough is encouraging residents to help water newly planted City trees on road allowances and boulevards next to homes as the hot weather continues.
File Photo.
Young or newly planted trees are especially vulnerable to heat stress and drought.
The City installs watering bags on newly planted trees and will fill those bags as needed.
However, community support is sometimes requested during heat events to help keep new trees hydrated. Residents are encouraged to fill watering bags once or twice a week during hot, dry weather.
This community involvement helps ensure that new and young trees establish strong roots and thrive in the long term, contributing to the City's green infrastructure and urban canopy.
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Clean Up Peterborough Collects Over 26,000 Writing Instruments to Be Recycled
/Clean Up Peterborough (CUP) has wrapped up its month-long Writing Instrument Challenge and collected 26,772 used writing instruments from June 1 to 30.
Including smaller efforts from the past year, CUP has now collected 28,805 writing instruments since joining TerraCycle’s program in October last year. Photo courtesy of Clean Up Peterborough.
This included pens, markers, highlighters and mechanical pencils through 92 collection points the City and County of Peterborough.
“Our original target was 50,000, but the true goal was always to spark a wider conversation about waste diversion and community action,” said Steve Paul, Clean Up Peterborough founder. “In just one month, we reached thousands of people, saw 92 collection points established, and inspired many partners to continue collecting year-round. That impact far exceeded our expectations.”
The final tally was 158.11 kilograms of writing instruments — the equivalent of 18 full bags and one box — to be recycled through TerraCycle’s specialized program.
The following were the top three contributors:
Lakefield District Public School – 3,542 items
Douro-Dummer Municipal Office – 1,314 items
Avant Garden Shop – 1,138 items
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Hydro One's Grant Gives Up to $10,000 to 50 Communities For Ice Storm Recovery Efforts
/To support local communities from the late March weather, Hydro One has named its 50 recipients of up to $10,000 for its Ice Storm 2025: Recovery Grant, announced at the Paul J. English Chemung Lions Park in Bridgenorth on Monday afternoon.
Sherry Senis, Selwyn Mayor (left); Bonnie Clark, Peterborough County Warden (middle) and Bronwen Evans, Hydro One VP (right) planting the first tree at the Paul J. English Chemung Lions Park in Bridgenorth. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
The grants support local recovery efforts from the widespread ice storm that left severe damage. The 50 recipients are local municipalities and Indigenous communities. Several Indigenous communities and municipalities declared states of emergency due to the storm with some places having ongoing clean-up.
“The ice storm caused severe and widespread impacts across the province, leaving many Indigenous communities and municipalities with devastating damage,” said Bronwen Evans, Hydro One Vice President. “We are incredibly grateful to the Indigenous community leaders, local staff and emergency responders who came together to support restoration efforts and keep everyone safe.”
Selwyn Township was one of the recipients and utilized the grant for its ReLeaf Program, donating more than 350 trees to residents who experienced vegetation loss as a result of the storm.
“Selwyn Township is incredibly grateful to Hydro One for their generous support,” said Sherry Senis, Selwyn Township Mayor. “This grant allows us to work with residents to contribute to the community's recovery and beautification. Together, we’re planting the seeds for a more resilient and sustainable future.”
“All of Peterborough County was deeply impacted by the ice storm this spring. Some places may never look the same,” said Bonnie Clark, Warden, Peterborough County. “It’s wonderful to see Hydro One in the community long after the power was restored to help with rebuilding.”
Each community had its respective uses for the grant money which included supplying emergency shelters, restoring biodiversity and more according to Evans.
“Some of the things that people applied for were simply cleaning up debris. You can see in different areas of the province where trees have fallen and they're hanging over the side of the highway and needed to be cleaned up,” she explained. “In other cases, it was water drainage infrastructure so we did leave it up to the municipalities and communities to identify what their unique needs were.”
The ice storm spanned three days of ice accumulation that uprooted trees, downed lines and more than 2,700 broken poles across the province according to Hydro One.
@ptbo_canada To support local communities from the late March weather, Hydro One has named its 50 recipients of up to $10,000 for its Ice Storm 2025: Recovery Grant. #ptbocanada #ptbo #peterborough #journalism #journalist #news #fyp #environment #treeplanting #treeplantingtok #icestorm ♬ NOTHING - Westover
The following are the recipients of Hydro One's Ice Storm 2025: Recovery Grant:
Alderville First Nation
Alnwick Haldimand Township
City of Barrie
Beausoleil Island First Nation
Town of Bracebridge
Municipality of Brighton
Brock Township
Cavan-Monaghan Township
Central Elgin Township
Municipality of Centre Hastings
Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation
Chippewas of Nawash First Nation
Chippewas of Rama First Nation
Curve Lake First Nation
Douro-Dummer Township
Essa Township
Georgian Bay Township
Georgian Bluffs Township
Town of Georgina
Haliburton County
Hamilton Township
Hiawatha First Nation
Town of Innisfil
North Kawartha Township
Marmora and Lake Township
Melancthon Township
Town of Midland
Minden Hills Township
Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation
Mono Township
Moose Deer Point First Nation
District Municipality of Muskoka
Muskoka Lakes Township
City of Orillia
Oro-Medonte Township
Town of Penetanguishene
Peterborough County
Municipality of Port Hope
Ramara Township
Selwyn Township
Severn Township
Sheguiandah First Nation
Simcoe County
Southgate Township
Tay Township
Municipality of Trent Lakes
Municipality of Tweed
Uxbridge Township
Wahta Mohawk Nation
Wasauksing First Nation
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GreenUP Replants Native Trees at Ecology Park to Restore Urban Canopy
/GreenUP and several volunteers are sprucing up their Ecology Park as they restored their tree canopy along the Trans Canada Trail on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon.
Mayve Macfarlane (left), Kary MacMillan (middle) and Simon Dadds (right) toss compost on one of 12 full-size specimen trees. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
Twelve large specimen trees and two large shrubs were planted. The previous trees had to be replaced due to severe weather in recent years and the presence of invasive pests.
The trees planted include Black Walnut, American Mountain Ash, Cucumber Magnolia, Eastern Redbud, and Pawpaw trees. Educational signage accompanies the trees to highlight their significance and 140 trees are being planted this fall, according to Tegan Moss, GreenUP executive director.
“Restoring the canopy is about more than trees, it’s about strengthening our connection to the land and investing in our community’s future,” she said.
@ptbo_canada GreenUP and several volunteers are sprucing up their Ecology Park as they restored their tree canopy along the Trans Canada Trail. #ptbocanada #ptbo #peterborough #journalism #journalist #news #fyp #environment #treeplanting #treeplantingtok ♬ Plant a tree - Andre Marteen
The work was funded by an $8,000 Planting for Tomorrow grant which an anonymous donor also matched.
“We are grateful to the Trans Canada Trail and to all of our donors, for their support in protecting native biodiversity,” said Moss.
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Metal Theft Leads to Oily Sheen At Little Lake Says Hydro One
/An oily sheen has appeared at Little Lake due to a spill at Hydro One’s Alymer Distribution Station, following a leak caused by metal theft.
crews attempt to contain the fuel spill and prevent spreading at the end of Jackson Creek back in late August of 2022. Photo By Luke Best.
Hydro One is covering the costs associated with the spill of the mineral oil from their station.
Hydro One has released the following statement:
“On May 29, a mineral oil spill was discovered at our Aylmer Distribution Station in Peterborough. The spill was the result of damage from metal theft which caused mineral oil to leak from equipment. Some of the released mineral oil entered Little Lake through the sewer system. Our environmental emergency response team was dispatched immediately to contain and clean up the mineral oil.
We have engaged the City of Peterborough and Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks on our response to this incident. Hydro One thanks the City of Peterborough for their support in managing this incident. Our goal, when responding to spills, is to prevent or mitigate potential impacts on the environment and to minimize customer service interruptions.
Metal theft is a serious issue for all utilities and electricity customers. Persons who engage in theft and/or vandalism put themselves, along with our employees, first responders and potentially the public at risk of severe injuries and death when removing metal from our equipment. Our electricity infrastructure should only be accessed by Hydro One’s highly skilled employees or approved contractors. If a member of the public witnesses a crime in progress or suspicious activity involving critical infrastructure, please call 911, your local police service or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.”
Hydro One reminds the public that non-toxic mineral oil is used to insulate transformers.
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Students Make a Splash At Peterborough Children's Water Festival
/The Peterborough Children’s Water Festival (PCWF) saw students in Grades 2-5 participating in more than 35 interactive learning centres designed for children to explore concepts of water conservation at the Riverview Park and Zoo.
Photo by David Tuan Bui.
The two-day event saw over 700 students on both days. There were 67 classes from over 29 schools that participated in the event.
“Pipe Patrol is a new activity centre offering a unique and engaging learning experience. Kids will dive into the fascinating world of urban infrastructure and discover how sewers are maintained,” said Patricia Skopelianos, Chair of the PCWF Organizing Committee. “They'll learn all about how the city is using cutting-edge CCTV cameras for inspection and powerful vacuum trucks for cleaning. It's a great way to foster an early understanding of essential community services and environmental responsibility.”
The PCWF is one of 25 water festivals taking place across the province this year. Since 2001, it has reached more than 31,000 elementary students and 6,500 teachers and parent helpers from across Peterborough City and County according to Skopelianos.
”We are very fortunate to once again have tremendous community support for this year’s Peterborough Children's Water Festival. Although local businesses and individuals have always made generous financial contributions, over 10 new supporters have come on board this year to help us make an impact,” she explained. “Our community helps make this Festival happen for so many classes across the region and offers this experiential opportunity to 140 high school volunteers.”
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Rotary Club of Peterborough Funds Environmental Innovator Projects
/The Rotary Club of Peterborough awarded five environmental innovators with funding through its Rotary Environmental Innovators Fund (REIF) for proposed local projects at the McDonnel Activity Centre on Monday afternoon.
In its third year, REIF has already awarded more than $20 thousand dollars. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
The funding is for projects designed by environmental entrepreneurs that advance local environmental innovators working in biodiversity, water and wastewater technologies, climate change, sustainable living, pollution, waste disposal and more.
The following were the funding recipients:
$3,000 Top Awards:
Wildrock Outfitters / Kawartha Land Trust – Native Plant Horticulture for Invasive Species Control
Woodleigh Farms – Catching Carbon
Clean Energy Generation – Sanostrategy Wind Turbine Installation
$1,000 Runner-Up Awards:
Taproots for Tomorrow – Carbon-Positive Air-Prune Beds
Second Nature Studio – Plastic Waste to Purpose
