Peterborough Teen With Celebral Palsy Has Dream To Meet Justin Bieber

Falum Gibson is an 18-year-old Peterborough teenager with Cerebral palsy. She is also a huge Justin Bieber fan.

So much so, that this Belieber made a beautiful video (see below) trying to reach out to the pop star.

As she explains in the YouTube video, she will be going to Justin's show in Toronto on May 19th and hopes to be able to meet him.

She says Justin has been a huge inspiration to her over the years during her battle with Cerebral palsy, which has included many operations and trips to Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto.

Justin's music puts a smile on Falum's face more than anything else in the world, and she would love to meet him—for him to notice her.

Falum asks that you help get the message to Justin by using the hashtag #JustinMeetFalum on your social media platforms.

Watch and share her video below reaching out to Justin...

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250 Year Old Trees Discovered In Beautiful Jackson Creek Old-Growth Forest

A new study from Ancient Forest Exploration & Research describes an old-growth forest in Jackson Park along the shores of Jackson Creek that includes 250-year-old trees.

New research has revealed that the trees here are commonly 150 to 200 years old. The oldest trees are estimated to be about 250 years old, though some may be older. The largest trees are nearly a meter in diameter and 35 meters (over 10 stories) tall.

Photo by Michael Henry

“By any definition used in Ontario, this is an old-growth forest,” says Michael Henry, an ecologist with Ancient Forest Exploration & Research who led the study. “Urban old-growth forests like this are rare, and have a lot of value for biodiversity conservation, education, and nature appreciation.”

Photo by Michael Henry

Peterborough is one of only eight urban areas in Ontario with an identified old-growth forest, according to Henry, although others may be found in future.

Photo by Michael Henry

The 4.5 hectare (11 acre) forest has been named the Jackson Creek Old-Growth Forest.

A summary of the report by Henry can be read here. 

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Isaiah Was Hit By A Truck, Here Is His Remarkable Road Back To Life

Early last October, a Peterborough teenager named Isaiah was hit by a pickup truck after getting off a city bus.

Isaiah suffered a traumatic brain injury along with numerous facial fractures and broken bones all over his body.

Isaiah after being in hospital for nearly 4 weeks

Isaiah was airlifted to Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. For several weeks, he was in a coma and no one was sure if he would survive.

His mom told him he needed to fight as hard as he possibly could to live.

Fight Isaiah did, taking small steps along the way on his road to recovery—showing his family and friends and caregivers many miracles along the way.

And being able to visit home for Christmas...

And saying his first word since the accident, "Addy", his sister's name...

Despite setbacks along the way, Isaiah is fighting his way back to some semblance of normalcy.

Including shooting hoops...

And holding hands with his sister, while walking again...

And... well... watch this amazing video called "Isaiah's Journey" below posted to YouTube—narrated by Isaiah's mom—that documents his journey back home...

Isaiah had gotten off the city bus and was crossing the road when he got hit by a truck. He was airlifted to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center. As soon as he got there he had his spleen removed. He spent the next 3 weeks in a coma.

Hallelujah.

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A Peterborough Squirrel Enjoys McDonald's On Lovely Sunday Funday

Our Scott Arnold caught this Peterborough squirrel basking in the sun and enjoying some McDonald's food on Sunday (April 17th) behind the old post office downtown.

We're hoping the squirrel put his McDonald's bag in garbage. No littering.

No word on what beverage he selected, but it looks like he's gnawing on a french fry...

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King George Mascot Surprises Kids At Peterborough Huskies Special Needs Banquet

The Peterborough Huskies organization have developed a wide range of sports teams for special needs kids, where everyone plays regardless of their ability.

At the 3rd Annual Peterborough Huskies banquet that took place Saturday night (Aprll 16th) at Knights of Columbus, one of the highlights was when King George—the popular mascot for downtown Peterborough—surprised the kids by crashing the banquet.

The smiles on the kids faces was amazing to see. "The were all over George," Eileen Kimmett tells PTBOCanada. "They didn't want him to go!"

Check out more amazing pictures below Eileen took of George entertaining the kids...

The Huskies are going to put Peterborough on the map further in 2017 when they host an international special needs tournament here with teams coming from around the world.

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12 Great Reasons To Sign Up For Ride Don't Hide

Below are 12 great reasons to sign up for the Ride Don’t Hide event for the Canadian Mental Health Association, Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge that takes place Sunday, June 26th...

1. Be part of a community initiative to help break the stigma of mental illness.

2. Be part of something REALLY BIG! Ride Don’t Hide is a National event.

3. Funds raised will stay with your local Canadian Mental Health Association, Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge to enhance programs and services.

4. Breaking a sweat can help manage stress. Exercise increases natural endorphins to boost the body’s ability to cope with your busy life.

5. Enjoy fresh air, friends and fun on the Peterborough Rotary Trail.

6. Inspire others: find a workout buddy. Connect with local fitness trainer David Kittner and join the Prowess Team to get in shape for the ride.

7. You can dust off your bicycle that’s sitting feeling very lonely in the garage and find out if it’s true that ”It is as easy as riding a bike…..”

8. With a choice of a 4 km, 12 km or 26 km ride, you can find one to suit your ability or register as a virtual rider.

9. Show your kids that you still have it! Create a multi-generational family team.

10. Awesome prizes from diamond sponsor Wild Rock Outfitters, including a $1,400 travel voucher for top fundraiser!

11. One in 5 Canadians experience mental illness in their lifetime but only half will ever seek help. Being part of Ride Don’t Hide means they are not alone.

12. Join the movement—register by April 30th and get early bird rate for Ride With Us on June 26th.

PTBOCanada.com is one of the proud community sponsors of this event.

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Fying Colours To Get $4.87 Million Expansion At Peterborough Airport

On Friday (April 15th), the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister of Democratic Institutions and Member of Parliament for Peterborough–Kawartha, announced an investment of up to $4.87 million for an expansion at Flying Colours Corp.

A global aviation services company, Flying Colours Corp. retrofits a range of aircrafts and provides fully customized aircraft interiors, outfitted with the latest technologies and state-of-the-art electronic equipment. This repayable contribution, through FedDev Ontario’s Investing in Business Growth and Productivity initiative, is for the construction of a 100,000-square foot hangar at the Peterborough Airport.

MP Maryam Monsef makes the announcement

The new facility will enable Flying Colours Corp. to take on work for larger airplanes and will help the company address the increasing global demand for customized aircraft retrofitting.

“The Government of Canada’s investment in Flying Colours Corp. shows that we are committed to strengthening the manufacturing and aerospace sectors by helping companies, like Flying Colours, become more innovative, competitive and successful," says MP Monsef. "Today’s announcement is supporting a stronger, more competitive economy in this region.”

This investment in the Peterborough area is expected to have spillover benefits for more than 200 Ontario-based suppliers within the Flying Colour Corp. supply chain.

Quick Facts

-> With a total project cost of $20.15 million, this project will leverage a $1.2-million investment from the Government of Ontario and more than $14 million from private sector investment. The project is also expected to create up to 50 skilled manufacturing, engineering, management and technical field full-time equivalent jobs.  

-> Established in 1994, Flying Colours Corp. previously received a repayable contribution of up to $900,000 from FedDev Ontario to expand its facilities and acquire new equipment. The successful completion of this project resulted in 37 new jobs and has positively benefited the surrounding community

[Related: 5 Things You Should Know About Peterborough's Booming Aerospace Sector]

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