New Buddy Bench Installed At Roger Neilson Public School

The Rotary Club of Peterborough Kawartha went back to school on Thursday (October 18th) for a special reason: They presented a Rotary “Buddy Bench” to Roger Neilson Public School Principal Denise Humphries and the staff and students there.
 
It was Kawartha Rotarian Donna Geary and her son Nate Loch that initiated the program and St. Catherine’s Catholic Elementary School was the first recipient last year.  

Ribbon Cutting of Rotary Buddy Bench at Roger Neilson School: (Left to Right) Nate Loch, Rotarian Donna Geary, Kawartha Club President Brian Prentice & Principal Denise Humphries

Nate shared candidly with the group his past experiences of both inclusiveness and exclusiveness in both elementary and high school—of being both the victim and the perpetrator of bullying.

“The Buddy Bench is something that I really wish I had growing up, as it’s meant to celebrate friendship with those we may not know and is a good social tool for the kids of Roger Neilson to combat the problem of bullying,” Nate says.

“By understanding one another, we find similarities we might not have found, and unlikely friendships can form from even the smallest of encounters,” he adds. “I hope that the Buddy Bench helps create some of these unlikely friendships and helps keep as a reminder that we all could be on that bench at one point in our lives.”  

“We hope that the Buddy Bench provides an opportunity for students to foster new friendships, build empathy and reinforce inclusiveness,” adds Principal Denise Humphries.

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Peterborough Petes Are Now The No. 5 Ranked Team In Canadian Hockey League

The Canadian Hockey League just released its Kia CHL Top 10 Rankings for this week and your Peterborough Petes are ranked No. 5.

The Petes have a record of 8-2-0-0 so far this season, including three wins in three days last weekend in games against the Erie Otters, Oshawa Generals and Windsor Spitfires. The team is first overall in the East Division, Eastern Conference, and Ontario Hockey League with 16 points.

The weekly rankings—composed of teams from the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League—are selected by a panel of National Hockey League scouts.

Photo via @CHLHockey

The Petes are back in action Thursday, October 18th at 7:05 p.m. when they host the Oshawa Generals. Tickets are available through the PMC Collins Barrow Box Office in person, over the phone Monday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and 24 hours a day online.

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Fall In Love With A Peterborough Piglet Named Bullet Having An Impact On So Many

Most people choose dogs or cats as pets, or perhaps a hamster, ferret, fish or bird. Sarah Heydon grew up that traditional route as well with cats and dogs, but when she got a pet pig named Bullet about a year and a half ago, it changed her life.

She completely fell in love with Bullet—they actually even share a birthday, May 24th—as have all those that meet this outgoing, adorable piglet at events and on walking trails. Indeed, he’s becoming a bit of a celebrity—and even has his own Instagram page.

But before we continue with the now about the impact this mini-pig has had on her and others, let’s back up to the beginning, to the Once Upon A Time.

Sarah’s journey with Bullet began when she saw a post that someone had put into the Peterborough Buy and Sell Facebook group. The woman was trying to sell a litter of pigs, and specified "For pets only, not food."

This was when Sarah realized that perhaps having a pig in her home was in the realm of possibility. The only connection to pigs Sarah had up until this point in her life was limited to the fact that she had made a deliberate choice not to eat pig meat as a child, something she’s carried into adulthood now as a vegetarian.

Sarah with Bullet

“I began to research if owning a pig was a feasible option for me,” Sarah tells PTBOCanada. “I started reading online resources and made connections to knowledgeable breeders for several weeks before I decided to commit. When I checked Kijiji, I found there were plenty of pigs in the area being re-homed. I drove to Oshawa to meet Jackson (soon to be renamed Bullet), whose family had put him up for adoption. This tiny 12-week-old piglet immediately stole my heart, and the rest as they say, is history.”

Sarah brought the piglet home to her place in Peterborough that she shares with her partner Shane Curry, potty training him in her backyard in a matter of a day or so, and training him on the leash quickly as well.

She changed his name to Bullet, as she is an Armed Guard and shoots at a firearms club in Cobourg. Bullet spends some time in the backyard, but is a bit of a diva compared to the younger pigs Sarah has now, preferring to be warm and cuddled up inside. Just like many humans, he is not a big fan of the rain or the cold.

He’s also had a bit of a rough stretch lately, as he lost his best buddy Pearl the Pig (also adopted), who Sarah had to put down unexpectedly this summer due to a twisted intestine that she couldn’t recover from—even after surgery.

Best buddies: Pearl and Bullet

Bullet and Pearl loved to go with Sarah and Shane to the Harold Town Conservation Area trails and explore. Bullet got depressed when Pearl passed away, and at this point turns up his nose a bit to the seven month old pigs—Piper (the “P” a nod to the deceased Pearl) and Ivy—that Sarah has now.

”Pigs tend to do better with a friend, as they are social animals,” Sarah explains. “Pearl and Bullet were the ultimate pig duo, and Bullet was largely responsible for training her, as she followed him everywhere! Their bond has yet to be duplicated. Losing her was so devastating to Bullet and me. In the days after having to put her down, I realized how deeply these animals have affected my life. Pigs are wonderful.”

Shane with Bullet

Bullet gets recognized a lot by other pet owners and hikers on the Harold Town trails, many of which know him by name. “I did not want to miss out on my favourite past time of hiking just because I have a pig rather than a dog,” Sarah tells PTBOCanada. “Harold Town is his 'happy place’.” Indeed, pigs—like dogs—love going for walks.

People regard Bullet in amazement when they spot him on the trails. He is a wonder to watch as he sprints through the forest—pigs can run a 7 minute mile—stopping to eat grass, rolling in mud, all the while never leaving Sarah’s sight. ”Bullet will explore off the trails in the trees while we walk, but he’ll come when he is called if he falls behind,” she says.

On the trails, dogs are typically more interested in Bullet than he is them. “Pigs don’t typically ‘play’ in the sense that dogs do,” Sarah explains. “They do a bit as piglets, but so far I have seen them all grow out of it for the most part. They do have random bursts of energy though, as they will sprint, run around like crazy, spin in circles, etc. Pigs will also bark like a dog when they are happy.”

Sarah and Shane with Bullet

Sarah gets asked a lot of questions about Bullet—”You have a pig? Why?”—and loves educating people on how these pot belly pigs actually make great pets.

“I believe pigs are one of the most misunderstood of domesticated animals,” Sarah says. “Since pigs are mainly associated with food, there is little or no education on what these beautiful animals are truly like. I will tell you first hand, they are so much more than breakfast! With hundreds of vocalizations to translate, an intellect compared to that of a three-year-old, and a tendency to explore with their mouths, they are more comparable to a toddler rather than a dog.”

Some people Sarah meets on the trails and events and beyond have told her that meeting Bullet has made them second guess what they eat, or stop eating pig products completely. “I can't help but declare Bullet as Peterborough's official ambassador for pig education, and I am merely the Liaison,” Sarah says.

The adorable Bullet

Sarah gets asked a laundry list of questions by curious observers—including us—about having a pig as a pet. Some of the oft-repeated facts she gives:

-> Pigs can live up to 20 years
-> Mini pigs will grow to between 50 to 300 pounds, at an interval speed until approximately five years of age.
-> Sarah feeds him human food (of course, not bacon) rather than pellets, such as grain, veggies, fruit, seeds, nuts and Cheerios.
-> There is no such as “micro pigs” that stay small. “Micro pigs do not exist—it is a marketing scheme developed by breeders to sell their litters at higher price,” Sarah says.
-> They do “bark” when happy

Speaking of happy, now on to that celebrity factor that Bullet is developing. His friendly, outgoing nature—not to mention his cuteness quotient—means that his cool factor goes beyond Instagram.

He has met so many fantastic people, and become so socialized, that Sarah has started carting him around to many local events. This includes several with the Peterborough Humane Society, Peterborough Vegfest and the Keene Pumpkin Festival, to name a few. People love getting their pictures taken with Bullet, who brings joy to adults and children alike.

Chill time at home involves Bullet, Piper and Ivy sleeping on the couch while Sarah and Shane are at work. “They get gated into the living room since Bullet is known to help himself to snacks in the fridge,” Sarah says, adding that the pigs (like other animals) like to be right up in bed with the couple—Shane hates this, Sarah not so much.

Sarah’s affection for and perspective on pigs has changed her life. So much so that the couple have begun looking for a home in which they can have the space to rescue and foster other pigs—a passion project inspired by Bullet and a tribute to Pearl.

“Shane and I will look for a home with upwards of three acres,” she says. She knows full well that fostering and rescuing pigs is a bit of a battle financially, but Sarah is dreaming big and one can’t doubt that she will find a way to make it work. Pigs are her passion.

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Developer Paul Bennett On His Vision For Taking Back The Waterfront (Including A 100 Unit Condo Building He's Proposing)

As part of his vision to “take the waterfront back and make it part of the public realm”, Peterborough developer Paul Bennett has a dream to build a 100-unit high-end condo development for Crescent Street on Little Lake near the Art Gallery of Peterborough. He’ll soon be submitting his plans (the building is designed by Lett Architects) to the city for approval.

In this guest post below for PTBOCanada, Bennett—President of Ashburnham Realty, one of the Co-Founders of VentureNorth and interim chairman of the DBIA—writes about his vision for the waterfront and this proposed waterfront property (for years, he’s been buying up enough properties along there to make this happen)…

Lett Architect rendering of condo unit proposed for Little Lake

This project has been many years in the making, and I think it will be a real catalyst to help our City develop in a positive way. We have a very large list of people who are interested in living close to the core in high quality suites/residences. 

This is very exciting for us as we strongly believe in a more urbanized Peterborough that promotes a healthy, active and fun lifestyle. Peterborough is a very special community that we love, and we are looking forward to celebrating this idea of community more with this project and another one we have coming up next year in East City.     

Our waterfront is truly one of Peterborough’s greatest features and up until now it has lacked the attention it deserves. The vision for this project started 12 years ago and aims to take the waterfront back and make it a community asset by eliminating all traffic and creating trails, landscaped areas, art installations and gathering nodes along the Trans Canada trail.  

Larger Cities like Chicago showed proactive and smart planning by keeping the waterfront public and their City has greatly benefited from this vision. We have that same opportunity here—especially once the City is able to complete the full trail loop over into East City.

This coupled with the potential of a Del Crary park rejuvenation and a new world class Art Gallery makes the Little Lake area an amazing location for increased residential density. Our goal is to make Peterborough the best place in Canada to live and we feel this project will help us take a step in this direction.   

The Crescent St building itself will be approximately 100 suites (depending on the final mix of suites and whether clients decide to combine suites). They will be both private residences and luxury rental suites, and there will be a mix of many styles of suites (townhomes, lofts, penthouses, etc.).  

The building will have amenities that will make it Peterborough’s first true luxury community that will cater to those in our community that are looking for high end suites, beautiful views, walkable central location and building services that have yet to be offered in Peterborough. Our City is in drastic need of housing across all spectrums. This building looks to satisfy one of the markets that we see a large demand for.

We do, however, need to find solutions to the apartment affordability issue. We are working with a local housing provider to create a cool affordable project close to the core. We hope to announce this project and timing before Christmas. 

We are all members of this community and we need to find ways to help this City grow in a positive way that includes finding options across the whole housing spectrum. We hope that our upcoming projects will help address many of the areas of the demand.  

Below is a quote from Michael Gallant, who designed the property for us. I think it does a great job of capturing the initial vision I went to Lett Architects with years ago…

"Peterborough is changing. The Ashburnham Crescent street development is responding to the growing desire for housing options that cater to a more urban lifestyle in a central location. The design is inspired by its proximity to Little Lake, with plans to reclaim a section of Crescent street to provide new public park space, trail connections, and the potential to naturalize the shoreline. Many of the units are designed to encourage a relationship with its surroundings, embracing what’s best about Peterborough: its community, its waterfront, and its central area.”

—guest post by Paul Bennett for PTBOCanada

Learn more about Bennett’s vision for Peterborough, the downtown and smart, sustainable growth in this interview he conducted on our show PTBOCanada earlier this year…

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Flying Colours Corp. To Open Brand New 100,000 Square Foot Hangar In Peterborough By Mid-2019

As part of its global expansion, global aviation company Flying Colours has announced that plans are currently being finalized for the groundbreaking of a brand-new hangar by the end of fall 2018 at the Peterborough, Ontario facility.

The additional hangar—the fourth at Flying Colours Peterborough headquarters—is needed to provide additional capacity for completions, refurbishment and heavy maintenance work scopes on large jet airframes. 

Here are renderings of what the hangar will look like when it opens mid-2019…

Renderings courtesy Flying Colours

THE HANGAR WILL BE DIVIDED INTO 3 DISTINCT ZONES…

-> A new 40,000-square-feet, climate controlled, state-of-the-art paint shop will be added, supplementing the two existing dedicated paint shops. (It will be large enough to accommodate business jets up to Global 7500, Boeing Business Jet or Airbus A220 size airframes.)

-> A second area of 40,000 square feet has been designed to enable heavy maintenance and/or interior work on up to four Global 6000-size aircraft to take place simultaneously.

-> Two higher levels will be used for new customer offices, a second dedicated design-center at the facility, storage and general office space.

Photo of existing Flying Colours hangar courtesy Flying Colours

The total office space will cover more than 20,000 square feet, bringing the hangar footprint at Peterborough Airport to more than 100,000 square feet in total when it opens in mid-2019.

“The business aviation sector is more buoyant than it has been for some time and with our Bombardier ASF status, our breadth of experience working on numerous different aircraft types, and the fact that we can offer a multitude of skills under one roof—so reducing aircraft downtime—is making us very attractive to a wider range of customers,” says Sean Gillespie, Executive VP, Flying Colours Corp.

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Publican House Brewery Launches Limited Release 10th Anniversary Maibock In Celebration Of 10th Anniversary This Month

Publican House Brewery has reached a great milestone this October, celebrating 10 years in business in Peterborough.

The idea for Publican House sprung in 2004 when co-founder Marty Laskaris saw an opportunity in the craft beer industry and over some beers and help from the former head brewer at Kawartha Lakes Brewing Company, hatched a plan.

After several years of renovations, the first beer was poured and growlers were available for sale in October 2008. Initially, beer was available for sale only at its on-site store.

Nowadays, most Publican House brands are available for sale in cans, growlers, bottles and kegs at the Brewery store, select LCBO’s, Beer Stores and grocery stores. Expansion of the brands continues in other areas and regions as well.

To celebrate the 10th Anniversary, Publican House has crafted a limited release beer, the 10th Anniversary Maibock (pictured below), with only 1,000 bottles available. This beer can be purchased in 750ml bottles in the Publican House Retail Store and on tap in the Brew Pub, while supplies last. 

The 10th Anniversary Maibock, at 6% ABV, is golden amber in colour with rich aroma notes of butterscotch, dried apricot, sweetened bread and candied sugar. This uniquely crafted ale is sensibly hopped and malt forward in character, and is slightly sweet with hints of toffee, honey, bread and nut. It is unfiltered, and medium in body with an enjoyable mild finish.

Tenth anniversary celebrations this month culminate with a Pig Roast on Saturday, October 20th from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. on the Publican House patio.

This event will feature live music, beer specials, free brewery tours and more. The cost is $10 per person and includes a roasted pork sandwich. Tickets are available at the door.

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Peterborough-Based Flying Colours Corp. Just Delivered Its 100th Bombardier Challenger Retrofit

Flying Colours Corp.’s Peterborough facility has re-delivered its 100th major retrofit of a Bombardier Challenger model. The Bombardier Challenger 604, delivered in the first week of October, underwent a major overhaul of the cabin, avionics, connectivity and fuselage.

The Peterborough design team worked with the new owner and current operator to create a stylish interior featuring a black and gold palette. In response to the request for a contemporary cabin including seats with improved comfort, the design team adapted Challenger 650-style seat frames, purchased from Rockwell Collins - Interior Systems, to feature molded armrests that arch perfectly to fit the curves of the arm.

Flying Colours has completed 100 Challenger retrofits, with the latest inspired by a gold and black palette and incorporating modified Challenger 650-style seats.

The six reclining individual seats and complementary three place divan were finished using a soft but durable black leather with a perforated insert, medium-beige colored leather accent panels, and a single contrasting seam stitch trim in order to bring a modern, yet sumptuously comfortable feel to the cabin.

The light trims, buckles and control panels feature a matt gold to contrast with the leather. The customized monuments—including side ledges, panels and doors—are finished with a gloss anigre veneer with each fold out table incorporating a matt-gold inlay accent. 

The private owner also took the opportunity to update cabin-connectivity with the Gogo AVANCE L3™ air-to-ground connectivity system installed to provide WiFi access for voice, email, web browsing, moving maps, and a selection of movies and TV programs across the North American region.

Bombardier Challenger 604

Passengers will also enjoy inflight entertainment courtesy of the Rockwell Collins Venue™ system. The high-clarity touchscreen displays and intuitive controls optimize management of the cabin environment. Both crew and passengers can control lighting, temperature and entertainment choices, as well as view Airshow® moving maps, from their own personal digital devices.

The dedicated Peterborough paint shop revitalized the fuselage with a paint job reflecting the interior colors. A partial gold stripe sweeps from the tail to midway along the fuselage and sits above a full black stripe that sweeps in an arc to the front of the aircraft. 

“The owner was upgrading aircraft size and recognized the value in buying a pre-owned jet and customizing it to his style and needs,” says Sean Gillespie, Executive VP Flying Colours Corp. “We’re pleased that our hundredth Challenger project was such an interesting one, it’s a significant achievement for our team.”

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Submissions Wanted: Let Us Know Who Rocks In Peterborough

Looking to do your very own random act of kindness and share it with someone special? Nominate them for a PTBOCanada “You Rock” award.

Tell us why you’re nominating someone in 100 words or less. Each month, we will randomly select a recipient to receive our handmade award and feature them here on PTBOCanada.

Know of someone that “rocks” for making a difference in Peterborough & the Kawarthas? Let us know. Fill out the form below….

Any questions about “PTBOCanada’s You Rock”. Click here.

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8th Annual Bras Around The Building Campaign Launches

The 8th Annual Bras Around The Building Campaign is officially underway supporting the Canadian Cancer Society, breast cancer research and awareness, and the services cancer patients use every day.

Energy 99.7 and Country 105, in partnership with Merrett Home Hardware Building Centre, are once again raising bras and funds during breast cancer awareness month. The campaign will continue through October, concluding on Friday, October 26th.

Throughout the campaign, residents of Peterborough and the Kawarthas are encouraged to donate their gently used bras. For every bra collected, Merrett Home Hardware Building Centre will make a $1 donation, with proceeds going to the Canadian Cancer Society to support breast cancer research and cancer services.

Bra donations can be dropped off until Thursday, October 25th at the following locations: Energy 99.7/Country 105 (59 George St. N., Peterborough), Merrett Home Hardware Building Centre (1460 Lansdowne St, Peterborough) , My Left Breast (203 Simcoe Street), The Co-operators on Milroy Drive, and the Canadian Cancer Society of Peterborough & District (750 The Kingsway, Unit 2, Peterborough).

On Friday, October 26th, with help from Peterborough Fire Services, collected bras will be strung together around the exterior of the Energy 99.7/Country 105 building in Peterborough as a symbol of support for women battling breast cancer, to honour survivors and to remember those who have lost their battle.

Upon completion of the campaign, a cheque will be presented to the Peterborough and District Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society for breast cancer research based on the final number of bras collected.

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Peterborough Petes Wearing Specialty Jerseys As Part Of Alumni Homecoming

More than 65 alumni are returning to Peterborough October 12th to 14th to commemorate their time with the Petes.

As part of this special Alumni Homecoming weekend, the Petes will wear specialty jerseys designed by PTBO Northern Originals against the Windsor Spitfires on October 13th.

These are the jerseys the Petes will be sportin’…

Almost the entire 1978-79 Petes team—the only Memorial Cup winning Petes team in franchise history—will be on hand for the special pre-game ceremony on Saturday, October 13 at 7:05 p.m.

The alumni will take part in exclusive events including a mixer, golf and meals. Fans will have the chance to interact with alumni at an all-you-can-eat Petesa Party. (“Petesa” party, clever!)

The Petes specialty theme jerseys pay tribute to the history of the club, and will be auctioned off online in support of Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy and Muscular Dystrophy Canada.

“We wanted to include as many eras of Petes history in the design as we could, with the focus being on the 1979 Memorial Cup team but also commemorating all of the team’s alumni,” says Mike Watt, owner of Providence and co-designer of the commemorative jerseys the Petes will wear.

For more info on the special weekend, go here.

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