World War 1 Medals Were Returned To Peterborough Woman After Amazing Discovery At Habitat For Humanity ReStore In Peterborough

Peterborough’s Catherine Allen, a resident at Princess Gardens Retirement Residence, had a surprise and surreal moment when she found out a significant collection of World War I medals that belonged to her father and grandfather that she had no idea were missing were returned to her by Habitat for Humanity ReStore staff.

Indeed, while every donation at ReStore can lead to a new adventure, this one at their north-end location in Peterborough definitely topped them all.

Somehow Catherine’s family medals and a swagger stick—carried by a uniformed person as a symbol of authority—landed in the bottom of a donation box there, and staff worked diligently to return them to their rightful owner.

Catherine Allen pictured with Jill Bennett from Habitat Peterborough (photo by Neil Morton)

“We knew this collection was sentimental and had to be returned to the family,” says Christina Skuce, Director of Philanthropy & Communications with Habitat Peterborough.

Habitat Peterborough board member Jill Bennett took it upon herself to find the family, spending weeks in places like Ancestry.ca and elsewhere in the course of her sleuthing, investigating the origins of the medals.

Through Bennett’s research, and the help of Major W.G. Campbell, Medals Advisor with The Royal Canadian Legion, she was able to trace the medals to Major George Raymore Scott and Honourary Captain Reverend Andrew Joseph Vining.

Catherine Allen with the found medals (photo by Neil Morton)

From there, the medals were traced to Catherine Allen, a ninetysomething relative living in Peterborough at Princess Gardens. Catherine is the daughter of Major Scott and granddaughter of Reverend Vining (father-in-law of Major Scott).

The medals in the collection include a Silver Jubilee Medal (1935), Victory Medal (1914-1918) and a British War Medal (1914-1918), all awarded to Reverend Vining. The collection also includes a British Coronation Medal (1937), Canadian Efficiency Decoration (1940), Victory Medal (1914-1918), and a British War Medal (1914-1918), all awarded to Major Scott. The collection also includes a swagger stick stamped with Major Scott’s initials. (Major Scott was a doctor in Peterborough and in 1946 founded the Scott Medical Clinic on George Street.)

“This is an important piece of a family’s history and I was honoured to do my part to reunite this precious collection with its rightful owners,” says Bennett.

One thing’s for sure: This Remembrance Day has become extra special for Catherine and her family.

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Otonabee Conservation Planted 43,494 Trees & Shrubs Throughout Otonabee Region Watershed In 2019

Otonabee Conservation wrapped up the fall tree planting season on November 5th by planting a Sugar Maple at Memorial Park in partnership with City of Kawartha Lakes.

In 2019, Otonabee Conservation conducted plantings on 24 sites throughout the watershed, putting 43,494 native trees and shrubs in the ground. Their plantings engaged over 450 students and volunteers from across the region.

Photo courtesy Otonabee Conservation

“Planting trees is as an effective way to mitigate climate change by removing atmospheric CO2 from the air,” say Dan Marinigh, CAO of Otonabee Conservation. “Working with landowners and partners to plant trees is a great way for us to work together to build natural resilience in our watershed.” 

When trees are first planted, a large proportion of the annual exchange of CO2 goes into growing the tree’s woody biomass. As a tree grows, it continues to sequester carbon through its annual growth rings, along with a proportion that is drawn from leaf litter, which becomes incorporated into the soil below the tree each fall. Trees are beneficial for many reasons: They clean the air, help us to stabilize soils, increase the value of property, create habitat, and improve our health.

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Shelby Leonard-Watt Selected As Local Coordinator For Peterborough Chapter Of The Shoebox Project

Peterborough’s Shelby Leonard-Watt, co-owner of Save Our Soles, has been selected as the Local Coordinator for the Peterborough Chapter of The Shoebox Project for Women.

The Showbox Project, founded in 2011 in Toronto, collects and distributes gifts in the form of Shoeboxes to women at-risk of homelessness in Canada and the United States. It formed after noticing there were many opportunities to provide gifts to children experiencing homelessness during the holiday season but no such gift drives for their mothers. Wanting to make the holiday season a little brighter for some local women, they decided to ask friends and acquaintances to fill a Shoebox with gifts for the holidays, and it took off from there.

Shelby Leonard-Watt (supplied photo)

Locally, the Shoebox Project will collect and distribute gift-filled Shoeboxes to women in the Peterborough area impacted by homelessness. Each thoughtfully curated and decorated Shoebox is created to share empathy, kindness, and compassion.

“My vision is that we can have an impact on the women in Peterborough and surrounding areas,” says Leonard-Watt. “Starting a Local Chapter is going to be incredibly rewarding but it will only work with your help solemates. Let’s make the Peterborough Chapter of the Shoebox Project the best chapter out there!”

Photo of Shelby via Save our Soles Facebook page

To learn more about the project or get involved, email here and follow on Instagram here.

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Local Artisans Raise Funds for Jamaican Projects Through Annual Event

Jamaican Self-Help (JSH) is hosting the 13th Annual Artisan Show and Sale on November 23rd and 24th with proceeds supporting youth and educational projects in Jamaica. The event brings together over 20 of the community’s finest artisans who will be at Mark Street United Church showcasing a diverse selection of quality art and craft. Artisans will donate 20 percent of their sales to JSH.

At the show, you will find an impressive variety of hand-crafted items including pottery, textile and fabric arts, knitted and woven items, beeswax products, metal and wood work, photography, silver and gemstone jewelry, fresh wreaths and much more. A variety of baked goods and preserves will also be for sale. Admission is free but donations at the door are greatly appreciated. Debit, Visa and MasterCard accepted.

Photo courtesy Jamaican Self-Help

Over its 12-year history, The Artisan Show and Sale has raised more than $38,500, directly funding projects located in Kingston, Jamaica that are developed and managed by partner schools. Fundraising for the show is dependent on local artisans who donate a generous portion of their sales. A number of artisans who will be exhibiting this year have been supporting the show since its inception in 2007.

All are welcome to enjoy the Artisan Show & Sale on Saturday, November 23 (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and Sunday, November 24 (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) at Mark Street United Church (90 Hunter St. East.)

For more info, click here.

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Peterborough Humane Society Partners With Pet Tech Startup DocuPet To Make Pet Licensing & Recovery Easier

The Peterborough Humane Society has announced that pet licensing has become easier due to a partnership with DocuPet, the country’s leading provider of pet tag, lost pet recovery, and pet licensing services.

“Pet licences are really important for the provision of animal welfare and public safety here in Peterborough,” says Shawn Morey, Executive Director at Peterborough Humane Society. “Properly identified animals are five times more likely to be returned home safely, reducing the number of stray animals that enter our shelter and keeping families together.” 

HOW IT WORKS

-> DocuPet allows pet owners to register and renew pet licences online.

-> When licensing, pet owners can choose a standard city tag or, for an additional fee, they can select from any of more than 25 designer tag options. They can also choose to add their pet’s name and their phone number to each tag.

-> Each DocuPet tag has a unique code that is linked to their HomeSafe™ Lost Pet Service. Similar to the Amber Alert service, HomeSafe™ allows pet owners to send Lost Pet Reports that are received by local pet owners and animal welfare organizations who can help find and return the pet.

-> Anyone who finds a lost pet can also use the code on the tag to reunite the pet with the pet owner. DocuPet provides a 24/7 free hotline to aid in the return of animals.

Sample courtesy Peterborough Humane Society

“We call them pet tags that help all pets,” says Grant Goodwin, DocuPet’s CEO. “Our tags help pets get home quickly at no cost, but the purchase of them also helps fund animal welfare initiatives so pets in crisis can also find safe and happy homes.”

Peterborough pet owners can license their dog or cat online at peterborough.docupet.com, or by calling 1-855-249-1370 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday to Friday. They may also visit to purchase a license in person.

For more info on fees for pet licenses, click here.

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StoosNews Spotlight: Check Out The Business Beat This Week Featuring Dan Joyce's, Jeff Purveys & More!

PTBOCanada is delighted to to be running StooNews columns each week here, spotlighting new businesses and startups in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Here is this week’s edition…

Dan Joyce’s Classic Clothing, the iconic women’s wear store in Peterborough, has a new owner. Nancy Wiskel recently took over ownership from Dan and Sally Joyce, who have built a legacy business over the last 40 years. Nancy’s history with the store goes back to helping her Dad pick out gifts for her Mom at the store! She also has a background in the online fashion world with her company styleyesfashioncrate.com. Nancy plans to maintain all of the wonderful staff and clothing lines, while adding a few new lines here and there. Congratulations to Nancy on her new adventure—and to Dan and Sally on their retirement.

Nancy Wiskel

Speaking of anniversaries, how about 100 years! It was 1919 when the first Purveys opened in Toronto. In 1956, Jeff Purvey’s opened in Peterborough on Rubidge Street, and later added a second location on Chemong Road. Manager Brian Tillie, himself marking 33 years with the company, is planning a big celebration all day this Saturday (November 9) with everything tax-free, and free appetizers for eat-in customers, cake and more. Congratulations!

Gates College recently opened a campus on Lansdowne street. In Cobourg since 1993, and Sault Saint Marie for 5 years, the Peterborough location is at 1135 Lansdowne Street West. Gates College offers Advanced Business Management, Police Foundations, Personal Support Worker, and Medical Office Assistant programs. Visit gatescollege.ca for details.

Many of us are increasingly tied to our smartphones. How about an app designed to encourage you to disconnect, get outside and explore? BiosphereGPS is Jordan Ahee’s new business—a mobile app with a mapping feature that shows 10 different environment types across Southern Ontario, from Agriculture, to Coniferous, Grassland, Wetland, Water and more. BiosphereGPS is in beta testing mode right now, includes interactive features and is available on the App Store.

”Like” StoosNews page on Facebook here!

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Emterra Environmental Is New Contractor For Recycling Collection & Processing For City Of Peterborough

Starting today (Friday, November 1st), Emterra Environmental is the new contractor for recycling collection and processing for the City of Peterborough.

“While the recycling program remains the same, you’re going to see an emphasis on proper sorting of recyclable materials in our public education campaign and enforcement,” says Dave Douglas, Waste Diversion Section Manager. “The market for recyclable materials has become much stricter on the quality of materials. To be able to divert these items from landfill, we need to make sure that materials are sorted properly for processing and marketing.”

“If your blue boxes are not sorted properly, your recycling will not be collected,” adds Douglas. “Bring it back in, re-sort, and put it out again on your collection day the following week. Alternatively, you can drop off sorted recyclables at the Recycling Facility, 390 Pido Rd.”

The City’s handy online tool “What Goes Where?” at peterborough.ca/recycling is a helpful guide to sorting. For more details, contact the Waste Management Division at 705.742.7777, ext. 1657.

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City of Peterborough Launches New Online Community Engagement Space Called Connect Peterborough

The City of Peterborough has launched a new online community engagement space called Connect Peterborough where people can share their ideas and opinions on municipal projects.

“We want to make it as easy as possible for you to engage with your City,” Mayor Diane Therrien says. “Not everyone has the time or wants to attend formal meetings. With Connect Peterborough, you can share your ideas and opinions, when and where it’s convenient for you.”

Connect Peterborough is mobile responsive, and people can engage with the community from their home computer, tablet or smartphone. The site offers a variety of ways to connect with the City and other members of the community through discussion forums, spaces to post ideas, surveys and interactive maps.

The platform kicks off featuring project pages for the Peterborough Transit study, the City’s 2020 Budget process, and the Official Plan update as well as an interactive map where people can share photos of their favourite fall places in Peterborough. New information and engagement tools can be added to each project as they progress, and new consultation projects will be added over time.

Click here to check it out.

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Winter Farmers’ Market Returns To Peterborough Square

The Peterborough Regional Farmers’ Market is returning to Peterborough Square for the 2019/2020 indoor market season starting this Saturday (November 2nd) and running through April.

The winter market is located at Peterborough Square’s lower level near Princess Gardens. Signage will direct you from all mall entrances to the market location, which is in a newly renovated space this year.

“The location is perfect for a market,” says Julie Fleming from Circle Organic Community Farm. “It’s central, accessible and familiar to everyone. It’s also a warm and welcoming space for families and is fully accessible.”

Parking is free in the mall’s underground parking. Take the blue Galaxy Cinema doors upstairs from the parking garage, exit at the first level doors and you’re right there at the Farmers’ Market.

There is also a Kids’ Zone at the market which has been a huge hit for families. It has toys and other activities happening there while parents enjoy a hot beverage. You can’t go wrong with that.

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It's Going To Be A Really Wet Halloween & High Winds Possible Friday

Ensure your outside Halloween decorations are secure and rain jackets ready, as a special weather statement has been issued for the area with significant rainfall possible Wednesday through Friday afternoon.

Rain is forecast to begin Wednesday afternoon and end by Friday afternoon, with 30 to 50 mm possible. Unfortunately, the heaviest rain is forecast to occur on Thursday evening as the kids head out for Halloween.

File photo by Evan Holt

As well, strong northwesterly to westerly wind gusts of 70 km/h are possible Friday morning into Friday afternoon so you might want to bring in some of those Halloween decorations Thursday night.

Make sure to take extra care if you’re out driving or walking the streets on Halloween, as visibility could be reduced further in the heavy rain.

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