Syrian Refugee Family To Open New Restaurant In Downtown Peterborough

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Syrian Refugee Family To Open New Restaurant In Downtown Peterborough

Oasis Mediterranean Grill opening December 5th

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Help Safe Haven For Refugees Reunite 13 New Syrian Refugees With Family Living In Peterborough

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Safe Haven for Refugees Peterborough has announced plans to sponsor 13 new Syrian refugees in order to reunite them with family members already living in Peterborough.
 
This year has been an even more dangerous time in Syria and the Middle East than ever. Described by the United Nations as a “refugee crisis like we have never seen before,” hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been killed and millions of families have fled into adjoining countries, waiting in limbo and fear until they are welcomed into a new homeland.

“On December 24, 2015, the Safe Haven for Refugees Peterborough was honoured to learn we would have that opportunity to welcome one of these families, the Alftihs, to our community,” says Chantilly McKinnon, committee member.

“The Alftih family—Mohamed, Randa, Karim, Omar, Ghaith, and Sham—have experienced much love and kindness since arriving in Peterborough. We are also thrilled to see Casa Maria welcome Mohamed’s sister, her son and grandchildren to our community. Yet, Randa’s family—including her mother, sisters and their children, whose home in Aleppo was completely destroyed by bombing this year—had to separate and flee to Lebanon.”


Safe Haven for Refugees Peterborough has partnered with Grace United Church in raising funds for this additional sponsorship to put the safety of these families as a collective goal.

“We cannot think of a better way to truly honour our own families than by helping this family in reunification," adds McKinnon. "As a partnership, our organizations have committed to bringing to the Peterborough area 13 members of Randa’s family. We have already raised over $100,000 towards the sponsorship, but need to raise an additional $30,000 in air flight and settlement costs for all family members. If we can raise this funding, we may be able to celebrate this success in 2017!”


Donate to the Safe Haven for Refugees fund at Grace United Church or to Grace United Church (Safe Haven fund) through CanadaHelps.ca. Visit safehaven4refugees.com for more information.

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Christmas Trees Available At Oake Family Farm

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Great Christmas trees are going for sale starting this weekend (November 26th) at the Oake Family Farm in Peterborough.

There are U-cut Blue Spruce trees for sale for $35, and pre-cut trees (Balsam and Fraser Fir) for $50.

The hours the farm is open are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sunday, and it's open on weekends right through until Christmas.

Oake Family farm is located at 2474 Sherbrooke Street West, just west of Buffalo farm on north side of Sherbrooke.

So bring the family and have a Merry Ol' time. This will be way easier than the Griswold way...

Christmas Vacation movie clips: http://j.mp/1CRsQnC BUY THE MOVIE: http://bit.ly/2cminM4 Don't miss the HOTTEST NEW TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/1u2y6pr CLIP DESCRIPTION: The Griswolds trudge into the snow to find the perfect Christmas tree. FILM DESCRIPTION: Chevy Chase, star of National Lampoon's Vacation and its sequel, is back as the paterfamilias of the Griswold family (including Beverly D'Angelo as his missus) to skewer the Yuletide season.

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A Peterborough Girl With Type 1 Diabetes Just Rocked Parliament Hill To Give Voice To Kids For A Cure

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Peterborough's Matt Stimpson and his daughter Tilly, 8—both of whom have Type 1 diabetes—just returned along with her mother Jo from an amazing two days on Parliament Hill where Tilly was one of 25 children from across Canada selected to attend Kids for a Cure Lobby day at Parliament Hill.

Bottom row: Tilly pictured second from left at Parliament Hill

During her visit there, Tilly met with Members of Parliament and Senators to show them the face of diabetes, share her personal journey with them about living with diabetes, and ask them to invest in clinical trials to help find a cure.

Tilly (pictured far right with her father, Matt) meeting with MPs

The Stimpson family have been advocating for JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) since Tilly was diagnosed at the age of two and a half. They raised more than $20,000 for JDRF over the past five years with the tremendous support of the giving community in Peterborough.

Tilly bottom row (second from left) pictured with the rest of the kids and their parents from across Canada

Tilly wants to make a difference for those living with Type 1 diabetes, and she's having a great impact. Her goal was to raise $500 for JDRF this year but with the help of this amazing community, she far exceeded it, raising a whopping $2,739.

"I'm very proud of the work that Tilly Stimpson and her family are doing to raise awareness about Type 1 diabetes," says Maryam Monsef, who met with Tilly during her visit. "Many of my colleagues told me that they were impressed with Tilly's advocacy work, and that she is a great ambassador for all Canadians who live with Type 1 diabetes every day."

Tilly meeting with Maryam Monsef on Parliament Hill

The Stimpson family and the other families even got a wave from Prime Minister Trudeau during Question Period when they were sitting in the Gallery:

"I wanted to be sure to share Tilly's story with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau so on Monday just before Question Period, I pointed out the family as they were sitting in the gallery," Monsef tells PTBOCanada. "As I shared their story with him, he gave the Stimpsons and the other families participating in 'Kids for a Cure Day' a wave from the floor of the House of Commons. I can't wait to see the good work that Tilly will do in our community."

It was a trip to Ottawa Matt and Jo Stimpson will never forget, as these proud parents witnessed their daughter Tilly give voice to Kids For A Cure on Parliament Hill.

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450 People In Peterborough Witnessed One Of The Most Powerful Mental Health Events Ever In Canada

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About 450 people packed into Trentwinds International Centre in Peterborough on Monday night (November 21st) for an Intimate, special night called "An Evening With Landsberg and Friends" in support of Sick Not Weak and Team 55 Tackles Suicide Awareness.

Celebrities such as Michael Landsberg, Theo Fleury, Jennifer Hedger, Andrew Jensen and Clint Malarchuk spoke with raw honesty to the hushed crowd about their mental health struggles, and the need for compassion and acceptance. "People are fighting battles that you know nothing about, so be kind," Malarchuk said.

The event was trending on Twitter in Peterborough, and here are just a few of the tweets that went out last night and today...

One of the guests in attendance, Laura Crann, summed up this powerful night this way:

"It was truly inspiring when the whole room of 450 people quietly listened to each guest share their stories. Every single person in that room truly reflected on their own lives or thought of someone who lives with mental illness."

Theo Fleury

Perhaps the most impactful line of many on the night came from the resilient final speaker Theo Fleury, who said this: “You can’t help if you don’t have compassion. Please tell someone about what you experienced tonight.”

It was a cathartic night for all in attendance, giving another huge step forward for the mental health movement in Canada. One can imagine this "An Evening With Landsberg & Friends" in Peterborough becoming a sort of travelling roadshow across Canada, having an impact across the country and keeping the conversation going.

Watch these vlogs Landsberg did shortly after the event talking about what this night meant to him...

Uploaded by SickNotWeak on 2016-11-22.

Uploaded by SickNotWeak on 2016-11-23.

Learn more about the mental health resources available in the Peterborough area by visiting the Canadian Mental Health Association's local chapter here.

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Peterborough Artists Create Belly Painting Photos For Pregnant Women

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Owners Rosie & Vange

Peterborough-based makeup and body painting business Faces by 2 has a unique service, offering belly painting photos for pregnant women.

Belly painting is an artistic and fun way to create a joyful memory of a pregnancy, and is completely safe to do the owners tell PTBOCanada as long as the right paints are used.

"We only use water based paints that are specifically for skin (face and body) and that are FDA approved," Faces by 2 owners/entrepreneurs Rosie and Vange tell PTBOCanada. "They are safe for mom and baby, and can be washed off with soap and water. Every mom that has had their belly painted with us has loved it!"

Rosie and Vange, both moms themselves, tell PTBOCanada that the 8th month of pregnancy is the ideal time to paint a belly, as by then the women has a nice round belly.

"The process starts by choosing a theme and drafting a design that mom agrees to," they say. "It takes about two hours to complete a design. It is done comfortably on a reclining chair giving mom a few brakes in between, all of this followed by a photo session. The paint stays on until mom decides to wash it off."

"We love doing belly painting—especially for first time moms," Rosie and Vange tell PTBOCanada. "Pregnancy is sometimes not a fun process to endure, but we feel that belly painting is a joyful thing to do. Moms get to show off their bellies in an artistic way. Plus, the brushes feel nice on the skin and it makes the baby move! At the end of the painting and photoshoot experience, moms feel happy and beautiful."

Visit Faces by 2 on Facebook and on their website to learn more about their belly painting and other services.

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Beautiful Peterborough Trillium Project In The Works At Cenotaph For Vimy Ridge 100th Anniversary Commemoration

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A commemoration ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge will be held at the War Memorial, known as the cenotaph, in Confederation Square starting at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 9th, 2017.

In what will be a powerful and visually stunning display, ceramic trilliums will cover the front of the mound at the Memorial, with each trillium representing a person from the County and the City of Peterborough who was killed in the First World War—16 red trilliums for those killed at Vimy Ridge and the Battle of Hill 70, and 600 white trilliums for those killed in the rest of the war.


“The reason behind the trilliums is both to commemorate the casualties from the First World War, but especially the 100th anniversary of Vimy Ridge and the Battle of Hill 70,” says Councillor Henry Clarke, Deputy Mayor, who is a retired Lieutenant Colonel.

Councillor Clarke got the inspiration for the initiative from the major art installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red at the Tower of London, in London, England, in 2014 that marked 100 years since the first full day of Britain’s involvement in the First World War. The 888,246 poppies, each representing a British military fatality during the war, encircled the Tower to create a spectacular display.

Kawartha Potters Guild has partnered with Councillor Clarke to support this community initiative. Councillor Clarke is asking the community to support this act of remembrance by purchasing a trillium for $30 (with the trilliums delivered to their owners after the commemoration ceremony), or by giving a donation for the project through the City of Peterborough, which is eligible for a charitable tax receipt. It will cost about $18,000 to create the trilliums for the display at the memorial.

Money raised through the initiative will go toward the repair of the masonry base of the War Memorial.

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Peterborough Police Are Getting Numerous Calls About Motorists Disobeying School Bus Flashing Lights

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Peterborough Police Service's Traffic Management Unit has been receiving numerous calls, emails and voice messages with respect to motorists disobeying school bus flashing lights. 

Motorists are reminded that unless there is a physical barrier between the travel lanes, they are required to stop for a school bus when the bus is fully stopped and the lights are flashing.

Highway Traffic Act

Duty of drivers when school bus stopped

175 (11) Every driver or street car operator, when meeting on a highway, other than a highway with a median strip, a stopped school bus that has its overhead red signal-lights flashing, shall stop before reaching the bus and shall not proceed until the bus moves or the overhead red signal-lights have stopped flashing.  R.S.O. 1990, c. H.8, s. 175 (11).

     “median strip” means the portion of a highway so constructed as to separate traffic travelling in one direction from traffic travelling in the opposite direction by a physical barrier or a raised or depressed paved or unpaved separation area that is not intended to allow crossing vehicular movement.

The Traffic Management Unit will be devoting resources into educating and enforcing this very serious Highway Traffic Act offence, which comes with a set fine of $490 and 6 points.

Please share this post to remind motorists.

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Kim Mitchell To Celebrate Canada's 150th Birthday In Peterborough

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Canadian rock icon Kim Mitchell will be celebrating Canada’s 150th right here in Peterborough with thousands of fans.

The Canada’s 150th Anniversary Celebrations Committee and Peterborough Musicfest announced that Mitchell will open the 2017 Musicfest season on Saturday, July 1st, 2017. As part of the Canada 150: Celebrate At Home initiative, Peterborough Musicfest will launch its 31st season by opening on July 1st.

“Peterborough Musicfest is incredibly proud to be a part of the weekend-long celebration of Canada’s 150th celebrations in the city,” says David Feeley, Peterborough Musicfest Board Chair. “The City of Peterborough and the people of our community have supported Musicfest for over 30 years and we look forward to being an anchor event for the festivities.”

The City of Peterborough is offering residents a great reason to Celebrate at Home and ring-in Canada’s 150th birthday in style during the Canada Day long weekend in July 2017. The Canada’s 150th Anniversary Celebrations Committee has been planning four days of celebrations running Thursday, June 29th to Sunday, July 2nd, 2017.

“There is something so quintessentially Canadian about celebrating this milestone with Kim Mitchell—his songs have been an anthem for so many Canadian summers,” says Mike Melnik, 150th Committee Chairman. “We believe Mitchell’s concert will be one of the many good reasons we’re giving local residents to circle the long weekend on the calendar and Celebrate at Home here in Peterborough.”

The committee will be working closely with established Canada Day events such as the Canada Day Parade and the New Canadians Centre Multicultural Festival, which already bring out the crowds by the thousands.

Special to the 150th milestone will be an extra three days of fanfare involving a partnership with the DBIA to host two days of local music and celebrations downtown, and a partnership with Parks Canada to host a day of free family-oriented events with a strong historical and cultural flair.

Over the winter months, the committee will be releasing details of these exciting events as they are confirmed.

Watch this message from Kim about playing Peterborough...

Canadian rock icon sends a special message to Peterborough as he gets set to play Peterborough Musicfest for Canada's 150th - Saturday, July 1, 2017 - free admission concert!

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