Peterborough Blogs
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40 New Canadians To Be Welcomed At Official Ceremony Before Peterborough Petes Game
/To celebrate the growing diversity of the Peterborough community and to help reinforce the inclusivity of the game of hockey, the Petes will join members of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in welcoming 40 new Canadian citizens at an official Canadian citizenship ceremony before the game against the London Knights on Thursday, March 1st.
The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive a free Canadian flag. Members of the audience who are already citizens are invited to reaffirm their commitment to Canada by raising their right hand and taking the oath of citizenship and singing our national anthem, O Canada with our new Canadians.
THE SCHEDULE FOR THE CEREMONY
6:57 pm: New Canadians and dignitaries welcomed to centre ice
6:59 pm: Officiant’s remarks
7:04 pm: Oath of citizenship (words will be displayed on the videoboard for all fans who wish to join)
7:06 pm: Receipt of citizenship certificates
7:12 pm: Closing remarks
7:17 pm: Ceremonial puck drop with team captains
7:18 pm: National anthem
7:24 pm: Game start
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Apsley Gets A New Doctor
/When Dr. Wagdy Rayes retired in June 2017 after an amazing 40 year run as a family physician in Apsley, the township in Peterborough County was left without a doctor.
The long search for a new doctor has ended: Starting February 28th, Dr. Paul Hasson will join the Peterborough Family Health Team model of care, opening his practice in the North Kawartha Health Centre. The family doctor will be working part-time, on Wednesdays and Fridays, until he is able to transition to full-time.
"Since graduating from medicine at Dalhousie in 1991, my medical career has taken me down many paths. It is with equal pride that I am being accepted into the community of Apsley to open another exciting chapter in my medical career,” says Dr. Paul Hasson.
“I have been coming to the area for the past several years, enjoying the natural beauty and friendly people of the area. I have enjoyed the Paudash Snowmobile trails in the winter, and ATV trails and lakes in the summer. I look forward to serving the medical needs of the Apsley community for years to come, and hope that I can live up to Dr. Rayes distinguished service to the area."
Peterborough Family Health Team was prepared to launch a virtual care clinic as an interim solution that would provide care to unattached patients, but with Dr. Hasson joining the team, this initiative will no longer be moving forward.
To make an appointment or to have questions answered about getting Dr. Hasson as a doctor, residents can call the health centre at (705) 656-3330 or visit the North Kawartha Health Centre.
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PTBOCanada Interview: MP Maryam Monsef On The Empowerment Of Women & Girls Locally (& Globally)
/Read our interview with MP Maryam Monsef covering a range of issues associated with women and girls not only in her Peterborough-Kawartha riding but across Canada and globally...
PTBOCanada: On March 2nd, a Rural Women's Summit you created is taking place at Buckhorn Community Centre near Peterborough. Tell our readers about this initiative, and what this means to you...
MP Maryam Monsef: I am proud to represent a mixed urban and rural riding. It means we have unique assets and unique challenges. In this era of social and economic transition, it is more important than ever to protect our rural identity and recognize that these transitions can often harm the most vulnerable.
We also need to ensure equal opportunities for our women and girls who live in rural communities. This has been recognized by the United Nations, which is why this year’s theme for the 62nd gathering of the UNCSW is “Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls.”
Since I’ll be leading the Canadian delegation to the UN again this year, it is critical that as the head of the delegation, I seek and hear the experiences of my own rural community in order to take those voices with me. That’s really what the Rural Women’s Summit is all about—to hear from women who are leaders and local role models.
MP Monsef at Electric City Hacks at Trent University, which highlighted the role of young women in STEM.
PTBOCanada: Tell us about the #MeToo movement and how it applies locally—what are you seeing and hearing? Are you hearing from a lot of your female constituents about this movement? Do you view this movement as a game-changer/tipping point for women's rights?
MP Monsef: In October, I hosted a feminist roundtable in Peterborough-Kawartha, and while the focus was on economic security, the reality that kept coming up was that gender-based violence is a persistent and systemic barrier for women. We heard it from the Peterborough YWCA, we heard it from Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre, we heard it from our indigenous leaders. All this while online, a firestorm of conversation was taking place under the hashtag #MeToo, and it continues to inspire survivors to come forward today. No one is surprised now to see that there is no industry, profession or community that is untouched by sexual harassment and assault.
#MeToo has forced us, here at home in Peterborough-Kawartha, and around the world, to come face to face with the power imbalance that has, for generations, fed such behaviour, and made us normalize this gender-based violence. But it’s not normal, and it is time for a change.
We can only call it a tipping point, though, if we are going to change our behavior—if we are going to do things differently. It’s important to listen, it’s important to talk, but then there must be action. Our Government has already taken concrete steps to achieve a Canada where women and girls can live free from all forms of gender-based violence.
We have invested $100.9M in our Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-based Violence. We launched a newly reformed and easier to access “call for concepts” with funding of $20M to support the organizations across Canada that are already doing the valuable work of providing support to GBV survivors and their families. And we introduced Bill C-65 to address harassment and sexual violence at work to ensure that all federal institutions are workplaces free from sexism and harassment.
Innovation Cluster Peterborough and the Kawarthas "Power Breakfast - Future Innovators!", with the entrepreneurs of Chimp Treats
PTBOCanada: We're in this great, defining age of female empowerment/"Girl Power". What does this mean to you, this moment in history?
MP Monsef: We are catching up to what feminist leaders have been shining a light on for decades. We need to express thanks to all those who have shared their stories and wisdom ahead of us. It’s time, we are finally here. There is an understanding that we all share a responsibility—individuals, businesses, institutions, governments—to help create safer spaces for women and girls to thrive.
I heard this in Davos, from economic and world leaders; we’ve heard this from advocates in our own community; we’ve heard it from our Prime Minister. Empowering women and girls isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do.
PTBOCanada: Who are some of your female role models locally?
MP Monsef: There is no shortage of inspiring women for me in Peterborough-Kawartha.
-> Linda Slavin for her work on sustainability and political activism.
-> Rosemary Ganley for her grassroots and international community development.·
-> Faith Dickinson, whose work to support veterans and cancer survivors has been celebrated internationally.
-> Lynn Zimmer for her feminist mentorship and lifelong commitment to providing women with safe shelter.·
-> Khadija Warsame for her strength and bravery in sharing her own refugee story to support other new Canadians.
-> Carmela Valles for her pioneering efforts in immigration settlement in Peterborough.·
-> Chief Phyllis Williams, whose fierce and effective advocacy for her community is a great example of what women in politics can do.·
-> Kyla Gutsche, a Cancer survivor who used her bravery to create a successful business that helps others.·
-> And, Erica Cherney whose lasting legacy continues to shape our community. I could go on and on.
I should note that at the Rural Summit on March 2nd, we will also be announcing a new initiative that will honour women like these!
"Make a Difference Day" at Lansdowne Place Mall with Faith Dickinson from Cuddles for Cancer.
PTBOCanada: International Women's Day is March 8th—what is your plan to celebrate that day locally?
MP Monsef: I am so excited to be celebrating this important day here in Peterborough-Kawartha this year. There is a lot planned for that day at places like the Women’s Business Network, Trent University, Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre, and Kawartha World Issues Centre. I will be participating in as much of what is going on here in Peterborough-Kawartha as I can, and I encourage everyone to get out there and experience IWD with me. I am so looking forward to being out in the community, among the organizations and individuals that inspire me in my work as MP and as Minister for Status of Women.
I will also be using the hashtag #MyFeminism throughout the day to share what the women’s movement, and those who embody it, means to me, and to our communities.
PTBOCanada: You will be attending the 62nd Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in March. What does it mean to you to be there again this year? What are the key topics you hope to see addressed, and how do they apply locally?
MP Monsef: As Canada is leading the G7 presidency this year, I am excited to connect with my G7 counterparts, in particular to talk about GBV, women in leadership, and economic opportunities for women and girls. I am also looking forward to sharing Canada’s work on reconciliation with our Indigenous peoples, as well as our leadership on gender-based budgeting.
UNCSW is an annual event, held at the United Nations, where thousands of leaders from around the world come together, across their diversity and differences, to unite around a common cause: improving the status of women and girls in our communities. Canada is a founding member of the UN and this year, as ever, the world looks to our leadership.
In 2013, I attended the 57th gathering through a bursary from the Peterborough YWCA. That experience was a politicizing moment in my life, and now, to lead the Canadian delegation again this year, as the Minister for Status of Women is an honour, and to take Peterborough’s perspective to this gathering is a privilege.
PTBOCanada: So you have your passport to get to New York? The necessary updates have taken place?
MP Monsef: Since becoming a Canadian citizen nearly 20 years ago, I have carried a Canadian passport. When I learned, 18 months ago, that my place of birth needed to be updated, I followed established IRCC processes to correct my documentation, just like any other Canadian in a similar situation would do. This process takes time. My application to correct my place of birth on my documents was reviewed and approved by IRCC, and my Canadian passport has been updated.
My story and experiences as a refugee connect me to many other new Canadians who have come to this country to escape war and oppression. In my case, my parents were Afghan refugees when they were within Iran’s borders, and we were Afghan refugees when we arrived in Canada.
Regardless of birthplace, my status as an Afghan refugee upon arrival in Canada is unchanged. Based on the laws of both Afghanistan and Iran, thousands of Afghan refugees born on Iranian soil, just like me, cannot become Iranian citizens. As a result, I am a Canadian citizen and I also hold citizenship for Afghanistan. I am proud of my Afghan roots, I am proud to be a Canadian, and I am so grateful to call Peterborough-Kawartha my home.
My family and I were welcomed by the people of Peterborough with open arms, and this sense of inclusion and support is something that is at the core of who I am. It is a privilege to be able to dedicate myself to improving my home community of Peterborough-Kawartha, and indeed, my country.
At the Grand Opening of the Student Centre at Trent University in 2017 with past and present Student Presidents.
PTBOCanada: Word is the upcoming Federal Budget will be the strongest yet in terms of being allocated strategically to empowering women. How hopeful are you are that this will be huge step in the right direction for women in Canada. How will this impact be felt locally?
MP Monsef: As you know, Budget 2018 will be released on Tuesday, February 27th. I’m very proud that our government understands that advancing women’s equality in Canada will drive economic growth, while boosting the income of Canadian families. More women in leadership positions won’t just grow the economy, create jobs, and strengthen communities, it will also lead to innovation and change in the workplace that benefits everyone.
We are already seeing the impact of this work—from appointing the first gender-balanced Cabinet, to creating and strengthening the Canada Child Benefit, to making major investments in combatting gender-based violence, to ensuring that gender and other intersecting identities are considered in the formation of government policy and the way we spend Canadians’ tax dollars.
These measure are being felt locally, and I know that Budget 2018 will continue to create an economy that works for the middle class, and gives the people of Peterborough-Kawartha—and all Canadians—the opportunity to succeed.
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Area Alert Issued On Flooding & Dangerous Conditions Around Moving Bodies Of Water
/The ongoing rainfall and snowmelt is causing a significantly increased volume of water entering the Wastewater Treatment Plant, according to a City of Peterborough media release.
As a result of the current conditions, the Wastewater Treatment Plant is now in secondary by-pass mode. This means that while all of the sewage will be screened and will receive primary treatment and UV disinfection, it will not receive the secondary polishing treatment. Residents downstream of Peterborough who draw water from the river are advised to take necessary precautions and boil water.
PTBOCanada file photo
The City of Peterborough is asking residents to reduce water consumption to help alleviate the volume of water flowing through the City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant. Residents can reduce their water consumption by taking short showers instead of baths, limiting or delaying loads of laundry, and turning off taps while brushing teeth and doing dishes.
In addition, area residents are reminded of the dangerous conditions posed by the wet ground and fast flowing water, and are advised to stay well back of the shorelines of area lakes, rivers and streams. Similarly, residents are asked to remain away from dam structures and piers.
To help prevent basement flooding, people are encouraged to check that ice and snow is cleared from eavestroughs and downspouts, and ensure that groundwater is diverted away from building foundations.
More rain is forecast to fall Tuesday night (about 10 to 15 mm), before tapering off Wednesday morning.
Follow us on Twitter @Ptbo_Canada for the latest up-to-date info on weather conditions.
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Peterborough Public Library Foundation Donating $25,000 To Library For New Children's Furniture
/The Peterborough Public Libary, which recently re-opened after a beautiful renovation and facelift, is receiving a $25,000 donation from its Library Foundation for the cost of the new furniture in the Children's Department.
"We conducted a fundraiser last year, from Spring through to Fall, specifically to raise money to purchase new furniture for our Library's new Children's Department," says Foundation Chair Bruce Gravel.
View from children's area
The Foundation exists to support the Library, and encourages bequests and donations on behalf of the Library, which go to the delivery of better facilities and services.
The Foundation typically funds special projects and services that are not covered in the Library's annual operating budget—a recent example being the January 30th donation of $250,000 towards the library's expansion expenses. In past years, the Foundation has helped with the purchase of internet stations, security gates, shelving, auditorium furniture, and kitchen equipment.
Those wishing to donate to the Library Foundation can visit the Library's website and click on the "Donate" button. For further information on the Foundation, call 705-745-5382, ext. 2301.
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Rainfall Warning In Effect For Area
/A rainfall warning has been issued for the area. Several rounds of rain will continue all day and all of the night on Tuesday, producing rainfall amounts of 25 mm to 40 mm through Wednesday morning.
Since very mild conditions are accompanying the rain, considerable snowmelt is anticipated. As a result, localized flooding is likely in low-lying areas.
Follow us on Twitter @Ptbo_Canada for more info on weather conditions.
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Lansdowne Place Train Running Again Until March 31st
/First introduced when it ran last summer and was a popular attraction with kids, the trackless train is running again at Lansdowne Place until March 31st.
The mall is always looking for new activities families can enjoy together, and bringing this back in the winter months was a great idea.
The train is available to all ages—it's $3 per ride, and only $2 on Thursdays—and runs on the following days:
Wednesday: 11AM - 7PM
Thursday: 11AM - 7PM
Friday: 11AM - 7PM
Saturday: 10AM - 6PM
Sunday: 11AM - 5PM
Rosie & Me: Meet An Adorable Peterborough Newfoundland Pup Who Is Also A Terror
/After the death of his 12-year-old Newfoundland “Cookie” in April 2017, Chris "J-Boy" Williams thought he'd wait a few years until he retired before he stepped back into Newf ownership. Chris was fooling himself. Six weeks later, he was on the road from Peterborough, Ontario to Ft. Wayne, Indiana to pick up Rosie.
"Newfoundlands are the best family breed of dog in the world—I’ve always had one and I can’t imagine my life without one," Chris tells PTBOCanada. "They’re not a dog for everyone with the constant shedding, drooling and daily brushing but in return they’re true gentle giants and amazing with anyone who walks through the front door."
Rosie and J-Boy Williams
They may be gentle giants, but they can also be headstrong and mischievous.
"Newfs require training from a young age, which Rosie has had," Chris tells PTBOCanada. "She’s currently 11 months old, weighing in at about 110 lbs., and she’ll probably fill out to about 135–140 lbs. The problem is Rosie tends to forget what she has learned in puppy school and Rosie does what Rosie wants."
Rosie is on her hind legs a lot
Standing at about 5’ 6” on her hind legs, Rosie has access to anything she can get—"think 'baby proofing' a house but add counter tops, tables and now even higher locations," Chris tells PTBOCanada. "Due to her size, I often forget she’s still a puppy and anything she gets at is entirely my fault for not putting it out of reach."
Rosie surfing the internet
Chris started a list over the past few months of things that Rosie has claimed...
-> 2 brand new crib mattresses (still in the box)
-> 2 pairs of prescription eye glasses
-> 1 pair of sunglasses
-> 5 remotes
-> 1 Blundstone boot
-> 4 toques
-> 2 pairs of gloves
-> 1 family portrait
-> 3 USB sticks
-> 7 boxes of spaghetti
-> 2 Apple mice
-> 1 Amazon Firestick
-> 1 Shop Vac
-> 1 pair of his favourite hockey gloves
-> 1 hockey stick
-> 1 XL dog crate (bent the metal door at 3 months old, hence no crate training)
-> countless cups of coffee, rolls of paper towels, magazines, newspapers, mail and so much more!
Rose getting into trouble with innocent Ellie, their 11-month-old poodle, looking on—Ellie gets into no trouble.
