You Can Now Order Your Free Lockage Permit For 2017 On Trent Severn Waterway

Parks Canada has announced that boaters can now order their free lockage permits as part of Canada 150 celebrations, giving you an amazing chance to explore the Trent Severn Waterway and other waterways this year.

Photo via Parks Canada

The free lockage permit for boaters is valid for the entire navigation season in 2017 and provides passage through Parks Canada’s historic canals like the Trent Severn.

Launch your adventure as part of Canada's 150 celebrations by clicking here for more info on getting the free lockage permit.

Free lockage in 2017 for all @ParksCanada canals! Get your free lockage pass online now at https://t.co/3hW4D2PARz. pic.twitter.com/8JuN1TLzFS

— TrentSevern Waterway (@TrentSevernNHS) March 13, 2017

[Related: 15 Neat Facts About Construction Of Peterborough Lift Locks; 10 Neat Facts About Little Lake]

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Citiots Improv Next Show Is March 24th At Gordon Best Theatre

The Citiots Improv, who regularly play sold-out shows at the Gordon Best Theatre, are back March 24th, 2017 with special guests Adam Martignetti and Mike Moring from Jobless (Web Series).

The Citiots—read their fascinating backstory here—feature Danny Bronson, Luke Foster, Ray Henderson, Mike Judson, Paul Nabuurs, Andrew Root, and Daniel Smith.

Luke Foster and Ray Henderson from Citiots

Doors open at 7:30 p.m., and Showtime is 8 p.m. at Gordon Best Theatre (216 Hunter St. W.) on March 24th. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors.

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UPDATED: Major Winter Storm Possible, We Could See Up To 15 Centimetres Of Snow

UPDATED Monday, March 13th: An update from Environment Canada 

-> Total snowfall amounts of 10 to 15 cm are expected by Wednesday.

-> Snow will develop this evening or overnight and continue into Wednesday morning.

-> Northeast winds gusting to 50 km/h are also expected Tuesday resulting in localized blowing snow. Travel conditions Tuesday into Wednesday morning may be hazardous as a result of snow and blowing snow.

-> Snow will taper to scattered flurries Wednesday as the low pressure system moves east.

----------------

ORIGINAL POST

Spring may be days away, but don't tell that to Mother Nature. A special weather statement has been issued, with 15 to 25 centimetres possible.

Snow is forecast to begin over Southwestern Ontario during the day Monday (March 13th), then spread over much of the remainder of Southern Ontario Monday night through Tuesday. Cold Arctic air already in place over the Great Lakes will result in a dry fluffier snow, resulting in localized blowing snow as winds strengthen during the storm.

Digging out from a snowfall back in the day in Peterborough

Environment Canada says this snowstorm has the potential to significantly affect travel due to accumulating snow and blowing snow, resulting in hazardous winter driving conditions.

Let's hope Jay Callaghan is right, and we won't get hit full-on...

With approaching #onstorm @Ptbo_Canada appears to be on northern edge so likely see closer to 10-15 cm (total will depend on exact track)

— Jay Callaghan (@caltek79) March 12, 2017

Of course, whatever the case, we have better plows now then we had back in the day to clear those roads. Here's an old school snow sweeper (see more old plow pictures here)...

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PVNC Sponsored An Extended Syrian Family 18 Months Ago: This Is Their Amazing Story

Nisrin Aidak nestles on a couch with her three children as a beam of morning sunshine warms and brightens the living room in the old farmhouse the family now calls home.

Her family is safe. They joke, laugh and tell stories. It’s an idyllic morning. And for Nisrin, 38, it brings up many emotions.

Qussai, Mahfouz, Nisrin and Selina

“After what I suffered before, I feel this is like heaven for me,” she said. “You cannot understand what safety feels like if you didn’t lose it.”

Qussai, 18, is tall, handsome and fluent in English. He helps recall his family’s story before slipping away to prepare for a math test at St. Peter CSS—his new high school.

Six-year-old Mahfouz, wearing thick-rimmed glasses, leaps off the couch to grab a book from his room before settling beside his grandmother Houda in a donated rocking chair. Later that morning, Mahfouz will visit his new school—St. Teresa CES—and meet his classmates.

Six-year-old Mahfouz gets a warm welcome from his new classroom at St. Teresa Catholic Elementary School in Peterborough.

Selina, a shy three-year-old, stays close to Nisrin at all times.

In September 2015, Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic District School Board partnered with Sister Ruth Hennessy and Casa Maria Refugee Homes to sponsor the extended Aidak family. Students and staff across the board brought in small donations. Each dollar added up, each dollar helped bring Nisrin and her children to the safety of this living room.

“When I came here, and I saw this house, and I met Sister Ruth, and all these people had helped prepare this for us… these people, this humanity,” Nisrin explains, wiping tears from her eyes. “If I spend all my life saying thank you, it won’t be enough.”

Nisrin’s brother Ammar and his two children—Mohamad and Hour—were the first to arrive in Peterborough in October 2016 (see video below). The two children attend Immaculate Conception CES.

"It's like this was all a bad dream and we're just waking up now." Those were the words of Syrian Ammar Aidak as he walked through his new home in Peterborough's East City while his 10-year-old daughter Hour and his eight-year-old son Mohamad played in the front yard. On Thursday, Oct.

Houda, the 67-year-old matriarch, joined Ammar in Peterborough’s East City several weeks later. “From the fire, to the safety,” Houda says, describing her journey to Canada.

Houda

Nisrin, who was an educational assistant in Syria, and her husband Safi, a tradesman, arrived with their children in Toronto on February 27th, 2017, five years after fleeing their hometown of Aleppo. They are now living in a home in Peterborough.

“The problems started at the beginning of the war. The first bomb in Aleppo, it went off beside Qussai’s school,” Nisrin says. “After that, I was so scared. After that, the bombs started to come more and more and more.”

A gifted student whose grades put him at the top of his class, Qussai was forced to leave school in Grade 7.

“As a kid, I only had two things, my studies and my extracurricular activities and both of them were in my school," he says. "School was technically all I had and that was taken away from me."

The family fled to Jordan in 2012. There, they at least had running water, electricity and security. But life in Jordan was tough. The government prohibited Syrian refugees from working and the family, like many other refugees, faced discrimination.

“In Jordan, it was another kind of miserable life,” Nisrin says.

Nisrin gave birth to Selina and homeschooled Mahfouz.

Without work, the family sold off its possessions and relied on help from family and friends to send money and food. Nisrin said the family pinched every penny to ensure Qussai could remain in school.

“For Qussai, no way was I going to interrupt his school," she says. "I do my best so that every dollar I had I put it for Qussai’s school."

As tough as it was in Jordan, Nisrin watched with horror as her mother Houda, brother Ammar and sister Lilas lived through the civil war in Aleppo. Bombings became a daily part of life and family members routinely hid under beds and staircases. A bomb once dropped right through the roof of Ammar’s bedroom mere minutes after he had left his room to fetch water with his mother.

Lilas and her children eventually made it to Jordan too and then moved to Toronto after Casa Maria sponsored her family in 2015. Ammar eventually brought his children to Beirut, Lebanon while awaiting their trip to Canada.

After three years of precarious living in Jordan, a family friend secured a visa allowing Nisrin and her family to move to Saudi Arabia, where the cost of living was cheaper and the government allowed Syrians to work.

In September 2015, PVNC agreed to sponsor the extended Aidak family. Lilas, her husband Amjad, and her children Karam and Zeina toured PVNC schools to share their story. More than $30,000 was fundraised board-wide.

Lilas Aidak, along with her her husband Amjad and children Karam and Zeina, visit St. Anne Catholic Elementary School in September 2015, telling her family's story and helping to launch a fundraising campaign to sponsor her siblings and bring them to Canada.

“I watched the pictures of Lilas and my niece and nephew meeting in the schools—I saw the videos and I was following you and I prayed,” says Nisrin, recalling how she followed the fundraising efforts closely from Saudi Arabia.

“These people in Canada, they don’t know us. They hadn’t met us. They haven’t seen our situation first hand, but still they were willing to help us,” Qussai adds. “That feeling is indescribable.”

Quassi

It took more than a year to secure a flight, but finally, on February 27th, 2017, Nisrin and her family arrived at Pearson Airport, greeted by Lilas, Ammar, Houda and her nieces and nephews—all of whom are now living safely in Canada.

“Seeing them right there in front of me and welcoming us into Canada, it was extremely overwhelming—I was in shock,” says Qussai, whose dream is to obtain an undergraduate and attend orthodontic school.

Nisrin and Selina share a laugh in the living room of their new home in Peterborough.

For the first time in five years the family has some stability. Nisrin is once again optimistic about her children’s future.

“I cannot explain it really. It is something like a dream,” she says. “Because everything I want is a future for my kids.”

—guest post by Galen Eagle

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Watch Kate Suhr's Beautiful New Video "Fourteen" Filmed In Peterborough

Peterborough musician/actress Kate Suhr has released a new video for her original song "Fourteen" that people are raving about. Directed by Rob Viscardis—who Suhr says is wonderful to work with—it was filmed at the new Luxury Lofts in downtown Peterborough.

"Most of my videos are covers, but I decided to start putting my originals to video," Suhr tells PTBOCanada. "I was scared to do it for some reason, but I'm trying to be more gutsy this year, make some moves and not doubt myself. I don't always know how to share my art but I'm realizing we all connect to stories, both tragic and magical."

As for the song "Fourteen", Suhr says "it's about two people who keep coming back to one another, but just can't seem to make it work. Love and forgiveness is really the heart of the matter."

Watch the video below...

Kate Suhr | "Fourteen" | Live off the floor copyright 2016 Published on March 9, 2017 Video by Rob Viscardis Live @ The Peterborough Luxury Lofts

Suhr is heading back into the studio with James McKenty (who she did an earlier EP with called Something More) in early April to begin recording her full album, on which "Fourteen" is one of the singles.

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Vintage Peterborough, Lindsay and the Kawartha Region Facebook Page Is Treasure Trove Of Historical Pictures

We're huge fans of the Facebook page "Vintage Peterbroough, Lindsay and the Kawartha Region". It's an amazing treasure trove for historical pictures of the area, and has nearly 10,000 Facebook fans since starting in 2013.

Here are some recent gems they have shared on the page, which has hundreds of photos to peruse....

George Street, Peterborough, summer ca. 1908

Entering Hastings circa 1905

Canada Cement Plant in Lakefield ca.1938

Peterborough Lift Lock ca.1965

George St. north from Charloltte, Peterborough 1931

Pratt's marina, Chemong Lake ca.1966

Otonabee Motel aerial, Lansdowne St.E., ca.1960

Rice Lake, 1950 ~ Archives Canada.

Hydro dam and power plant, Peterborough 1930c

Make sure to give their Facebook page a Like to not miss any of the awesome memorabilia they share of the region there. Your nostalgia will be on overload.

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Registration Begins For 17th Annual Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival

Registration for the 17th annual Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival has begun. Organizers announced the return of “The Dragon’s Lair”, as well as brand-new social media and fitness challenges and incentives for participants and teams.

The Dragon will return once again to Del Crary Park on Saturday, June 10th, 2017 for a day of competitive dragon boat racing between community teams, as well as breast cancer survivor teams. Proceeds of the popular fundraising event will continue to help keep breast cancer screening and diagnosis right here at home.

Photo by Peter Curley, Peterborough Clicks

THE DRAGON'S LAIR LUXURY TENT IS BACK

Festival Co-Chair Michelle Thornton says that the organizing committee’s focus this year continues to be on finding fresh and exciting ways to let teams engage with each other, battling it out not just on the water, but to see who can raise the most for breast cancer care in our community.

“It’s all about the ‘dragon bragging’ rights once again,” says Thornton. “Last year, we introduced ‘The Dragon’s Lair,’ a luxury tent where the top fundraising team was treated to a prime Festival location, comfy furniture to relax on between races, catered breakfast and lunch, their own team masseuses, fantastic swag and more. It was a huge success and competition for ‘the Lair’ was fierce in the week leading up to the deadline. Well, it’s back again for 2017 and it’s going to be better than ever. We’re keeping the details a surprise but here’s a hint— this year’s top fundraising team will even have their own dedicated butler!”

Photo by Peter Curley, Peterborough Clicks

Participant and team social media engagement during the weeks leading up to the Festival is getting even more emphasis this year, adds Thornton. “By joining our private Facebook group, teams and participants will be able to take part in weekly challenges, get fitness and fundraising tips, access exclusive training and conditioning videos, and have a chance to win exclusive Dragon Boat prizes,” she says.

Photo by Peter Curley, Peterborough Clicks

Team registration is now open and all proceeds will go to the PRHC Foundation and support the purchase of a new, state-of-the-art mammography machine for Peterborough Regional Health Centre’s (PRHC) Breast Assessment Centre.

Photo by Peter Curley, Peterborough Clicks

Info on the 2017 Festival can be found on the website here. An early bird reduced registration rate is available until March 21th, 2017 with regular registration continuing until Sunday, May 7th, 2017. Teams and participants can also engage with the Festival on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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Peterborough Economic Development Launches New Program For Entrepreneurs

Peterborough Economic Development (PED) has launched Starter Company Plus, a new program funded by the Government of Ontario that will support entrepreneurs as they start and expand their businesses in Peterborough & the Kawarthas.

The Starter Company Plus program will support all entrepreneurs over 18 who are out of school and looking to pursue full-time entrepreneurship. This program has been designed to support business start-ups and expansions for companies under 5 years old.

PED's Start and Grow Fair at Lansdowne Place Sunday, March 5th, where announcement was made about Starter Company Plus Program

The program builds on the success of the B.L.A.S.T. Pilot Program that was created and administered by Peterborough Economic Development’s Business Advisory Centre last year, as well as the previous iteration of Starter Company that was geared at youth ages 18-29.

“This program will provide entrepreneurs in Peterborough & the Kawarthas with the tools and tangible takeaways that they need to succeed in business,” says Peterborough Economic Development’s Director of Business Development, Suzanne McCrimmon. “The training will focus on business planning fundamentals—including financial literacy, operations and market research.”

Crowd gathered at Start & Grow Fair for announcement of Starter Company Plus program

Upon completion of the training program for each intake period, participants will have the opportunity to submit their business plan and compete for one of seven micro-grants ranging from $2,000 to $5,000. These grants will be awarded based on merit and announced at an event hosted by Peterborough Economic Development.

There will be three intakes to the Starter Company Plus program in 2017. March 31st is the application deadline for the first intake. Those interested in applying are encouraged to attend a “Starting Point” workshop taking place every Monday in March at Peterborough Economic Development’s office at 210 Wolfe Street from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

For full details on the Starter Company Plus program, go here.

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