Peterborough Blogs
Community Minded Joe Muldoon To Retire From Trent University After 33 Years There
/After a 33 year career at Trent University—including six years as the head of Trent University Durham Greater Toronto Area (GTA)—Joe Muldoon has announced his retirement on September 1st.
“Joe Muldoon has played a formative role in the development of Trent—first at our Peterborough campus and then in Durham,” says Dr. Leo Groarke, president and vice-chancellor of Trent University. “His leadership in so many areas has been a key factor making Trent what it is today. In the last five years, his work on programming at Durham and his community involvement in the Region of Durham has positioned the campus for continued growth in both the short and long term.”
Under his leadership, the Trent University Durham GTA campus has grown from 900 to 1,400 students. His work was instrumental in developing several new Durham specific programs including Communications & Critical Thinking, Child & Youth Studies, Masters in Management, and Policing & Community Well-being. Over the last two years, Muldoon has worked on planning a new $35 million expansion with a 200-bed residence as well as increased academic and student space.
“I am deeply appreciative of all the opportunities Trent has provided me with over the years and feel remarkably fortunate to have spent the last six years in a leadership role at Trent Durham,” Muldoon says.
The community-minded Muldoon will still be involved with Trent as he continues to coach the Men’s Varsity Curling team. He has coached several sports in the Peterborough community over the years, including hockey, youth soccer, competitive soccer and curling.
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here. Watch our PTBOCanada Love video here.
3rd Annual First Responders Cup Raises Nearly $15,000 For Mental Health
/The 3rd Annual First Responders Cup has raised more than $14,800 for the Canadian Mental Health Association, Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge Branch (CMHA HKPR).
The CrossFit Kawartha team won the coveted Cup for the third year in a row on February 23rd at the Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre. Hosted by Fleming faculty member Jodi Stevens and students in Fleming College’s Pre-Service Firefighter, Paramedic, Customs Border Services and Police Foundations programs, the event features six-person, co-ed teams that are given eight different first responder fitness challenges to complete over eight hours. The team with the fastest cumulative time over all eight circuits wins the cup.
Photo courtesy Fleming College
“I am blown away by the incredible athletes that battled their hearts out for eight hours in support of mental health,” says Jodi Stevens. “This year’s event was the largest to date and participants surpassed our fundraising exceptions. I am so proud of our students, our volunteers and all the athletes that competed.”
Students initiated the First Responders Cup in 2017 after taking a mental health class that discussed Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the policing profession. The students wanted to eliminate stigma around the topic and help bring awareness to the community.
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here. Watch our PTBOCanada Love video here.
The Dam At Scotts Mills Lock 19 Is Being Replaced, Construction Starting In Spring
/Following an in-depth planning and design process, Parks Canada and partners at Public Service and Procurement Canada will move forward with construction to replace the dam at Scotts Mills Lock 19 this spring.
This project is part of a $125 million investment in Parks Canada assets in the City of Peterborough, through a five year program of infrastructure work across Parks Canada sites. Engineering inspections have demonstrated that the current dam at Lock 19 is nearing the end of its useful life.
Photo of Lock 19 courtesy Parks Canada
The Scotts Mills Dam at Lock 19 will be fully replaced with a new dam that respects the historic look of the site and has a life expectancy of more than 80 years. The new dam will optimize hydraulic capacity, increase the safety of water management operations, and be constructed in a way that allows improved access for maintenance activities.
The replacement of the dam at Lock 19 holds logistical challenges due to its location in an urban area. To manage this challenge, Parks Canada purchased four properties adjacent to the dam on the east side to use for construction staging. During the project, this space may be used to store materials, manoeuvre machinery and access the construction site.
Unique to many construction projects on the Trent-Severn Waterway, Parks Canada must maintain an ability to manage water through the dam during construction to mitigate the risk of flooding upstream and downstream of the dam, and within the City of Peterborough. For this reason, the dam will be constructed in phases, and construction will be scheduled to maximize flow capacity during the spring melt.
Residents can expect construction noise and increased construction traffic during the project.
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here. Watch our PTBOCanada Love video here.
Watch: TSN's Cabbie On The StudioPTBO Podcast In Peterborough
/For the first time ever, TSN’s Cabbie came to Peterborough—and that included a stop at the StudioPTBO headquarters to tape a show with hosts Cody May and Neil Morton.
Cody May & Neil Morton interviewing Cabbie on StudioPTBO show Saturday, February 23rd
On the podcast, Cabbie talks about interviewing NBA/NHL players, pop culture, social media, positivity, networking, kindness and more! Watch it below…
More Than $100,000 Granted To Peterborough Startups Out Of The Innovation Cluster By N1M Funding
/Five innovative Peterborough startups out of the Innovation Cluster program have received an accumulative $105,000 through N1M funding.
Northumberland CFDC launched the program with the support of FedDev last year to support high potential, innovation-driven enterprises in both Northumberland and across Southern Ontario. The Peterborough companies who’ve received the funding all are in the innovative technology sector, ranging from video game companies, to online educational training, to beverage products.
Innovation Cluster is located in VentureNorth building
The following are those out of the Innovation Cluster that have received funding…
• Netmechanics -> Graeme Barrie, $25,000
• Treewell -> Tyler Steeves, $20,000
• Canuck Play -> David Winter, $20,000
• Unlock Math -> Matthew and Alesia Blackwood, $20,000
• Biosphere GPS -> Jordan Ahee, $20,000
“Through this funding and with our continued support through the Innovation Cluster, these companies now have a greater ability to advance their products to market,” says Michael Skinner, President & CEO of the Innovation Cluster. “We are excited to see these companies take their innovations to its full potential.”
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here. Watch our PTBOCanada Love video here.
City of Peterborough Is Launching New Fun Guide
/A new Fun Guide will launch March 1st, providing Peterborough residents a comprehensive listing for City-run recreational and leisure programs, as well as children’s day camps.
The larger, more extensive Fun Guide replaces both the previous Recreation Division Leisure & Culture Guide, and the Peterborough Sport & Wellness Centre Live Life Well program guide. The new guide includes recreational and leisure programs and children’s day camps, as well as a listing of parks, natural spaces, trails, and bikeways. Lifelong learning opportunities, free community events and festivals, public art installations, and film, photo and art exhibitions are also listed.
Peterborough Fun Guide
“We recognized the need for a handy reference for all city-related leisure programs and services and decided to expand its purpose to include the beautiful natural areas of Peterborough, as well as the free or low-cost cultural and creative events throughout the City,” says Jennifer Lambert, marketing and graphic design coordinator with the City of Peterborough.
The new Fun Guide will be available at most City recreation and leisure facilities, as well as City Hall and the Recreation Division office on Wolfe Street. The guide is also available online here.
Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here. Watch our PTBOCanada Love video here.
The Amazing Story Of How Eli Reunited With His Long Lost Stuffed Animal
/Do you remember the first toy or stuffed animal you loved? We mean really loved. Chances are pretty good that at some point you had one and chances are even better that it was some kind of stuffed animal. You’d take it everywhere and your mom or dad would have to sneak it away to clean it every once in awhile. (Heck, you might even still have yours and if you do, that’s amazing, and we won’t tell anybody.)
For seven-year-old Eli Donaldson, that stuffie was Mimi, his soft, red monkey that followed him everywhere and anywhere. Eli’s dad Morgan gifted it to his mom Amy on Valentine’s Day back in 2012 and even though he was only nine months old at the time, he claimed it as his own—and who were his doting parents to argue?
Eli as a toddler with Mimi
In the years that followed, Eli and Mimi would do pretty much everything together—as in, Andy and Woody from Toy Story type stuff. On Valentine’s Day 2017, they even went as far as having a 5th birthday party for the little red monkey. He was part of the family. Like a family pet.
Eli and his Dad Morgan—Mimi
A year later, Eli wrote his public speaking speech at school about Mimi. He was selected to represent his class and present his speech in front of the student body. He brought his best friend on stage with him (see picture below) and his family couldn’t have been any more proud.
Eli speaking about Mimi
In August of last year, things took an unfortunate turn. Morgan took the kids out to run some errands and somewhere between going to Costco and the bank, Mimi was lost. Whether he fell out of the car or was put down in the store is unknown, all they knew was that he was missing and Eli was devastated. They retraced their steps several times over the next few weeks, asking several times at each location if anyone had handed in a red monkey.
They figured something like that would stick out in people’s minds. The closest they came to a reunion was with a lost Elmo. As the weeks went on, Eli struggled with his sleep and often cried out for his best friend. Watching this unfold was devastating for the family—including his sister Charlotte—and they tried their best to support him through the loss.
Fast forward to October 2018, and the wound was still fresh. Amy posted about Mimi having been lost on social media and was flooded with well wishes from family and friends who knew of the bond. A couple weeks later, Eli recieved a package in the mail.
Amy’s cousins from Ottawa had sent him a new soft, red monkey—very similar to Mimi, but just different enough. He was completely overwhelmed and sobbed in a bittersweet type of way his mom and dad picked up on. While he was instantly thankful for their thoughtful gift, he still couldn’t get over the loss of his beloved friend. Nevertheless, Eli took to the new monkey, affectionately named “Meems", and they became new pals.
As things carried on, Eli still never gave up hope that somehow Mimi would show up some day. Once in awhile he would say, "So, we have to go look for Mimi again, okay guys?" He wanted no leaf unturned across the entire city of Peterborough. Morgan and Amy would lovingly agree, but would look at each other with that helpless look that parents give each other when their child's heart is broken. If you’re a mom or dad, you know the feeling.
Eli and his mother Amy: The Reunion with Mimi at Cora
