Fleming College Runs Free Public Virtual Tax Clinic

Fleming College Students in the accounting diploma program are holding a virtual tax clinic as part of the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program for Apr. 7 and 14.

The clinic is open to students and community members free of charge. It will run from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Fleming College

To be eligible for the clinic, the maximum family income must fall within:

• 1 person $35,000

• 2 persons $45,000

• 3 persons $47,500

• 4 persons $50,000

• 5 persons $52,500

For households larger than 5 persons, $52,500 plus $2,500 for each additional person.

Photo courtesy of Fleming College

To book an appointment, send an email to taxclinic@flemingcollege.ca or phone 705-749-5530 ext. 1133. Once an appointment is scheduled, a Webex link will be provided that will be open during clinic hours.

Information to bring to the tax clinic in order to have your 2020 tax return completed:

• Social Insurance Number (SIN)

• T4A slips for CERB, CRB, CRCB or CRSB

• T5007

• If you are filing a tax return for the first time, you will need to provide the date you arrived in Canada

• T2202A Tuition Receipt, which can be downloaded from the student portal

• Rent receipts if rent paid in Ontario during 2020

• Medical expense receipts

• T4 Statement of Income

• Any other tax-related slips you may receive in the mail such as T5 and T3 slips (for investment income)

For more information, please email: taxclinic@flemingcollege.ca.

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New AstraZeneca Vaccine Headed to Peterborough Pharmacies

The AztraZeneca vaccine is coming to three Peterborough pharmacies for anyone 60 or older according to Dr. Rosana Salvaterra, Medical Officer of Health at a virtual meeting on Wednesday evening.

Stock Photo.

It is not confirmed what pharmacies will carry the vaccine and when.

Peterborough has already received 4,500 AstraZeneca vaccines for people aged 60 to 64 in a pilot program at doctors’ offices according to Salvaterra.

The vaccine was previously approved for anyone 18 and older according to Health Canada. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization has advised that anyone 55 or older should be the only recipients to be administered the vaccine.

This was due to cases in Europe where younger people had blood clots with low platelets after getting the AstraZeneca vaccine.

“To date, none of these events have been reported in Canada,” said Supriya Sharma, Health Canada chief medical adviser in an online stream. “Health Canada will assess this information when it’s received and will determine when additional regulatory actions are necessary.

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Peterborough Petes Cap Off Community Challenge with Blood Drive

The next chapter of the Peterborough Petes and Be a Hero Challenge continues with a blood drive in partnership with Canadian Blood Services and Hockey Gives Blood on Tuesday.

The blood drive is held at Canadian Blood Services at 55 George St. N from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and is fully booked. An expected outcome considering the Petes fanbase to Jill Gemmiti, Canadian Blood Services event coordinator.

“The Peterborough Petes have such a great fanbase,” she said. “It did not surprise me at all.”

Gemmiti encourages the community to continue giving blood as there is always a need for donors.

“We need people to continue to donate,” she said. “I was looking at our April numbers and we need 207 people.”

Morgan Blaind, Petes Major Events and Game Operations Intern, (pictured) was a main contributor for the team in organizing the #BeaHeroCHallenge. Blaind is working towards her at degree in Sport Management at Durham College. Photo by David Tuan Bui

The blood drive caps of the end of the Be a Hero Challenge as the Petes — and the Oshawa Generals as part of their rivalry — encouraged their fanbase to get on the stem cell registry donor list.

Their goal is at least 1000 registrants and to have more than the Generals as part of the challenge. The losing team will have their mascot wear the winner’s jersey and results will be announced on Apr 2.

Each blood donor will receive a swag bag consisting of a toque, mini-stick and hockey puck. Photo by David Tuan Bui

Petes mascot Roger and player ambassador John Parker-Jones will be in attendance at the event.

All participants of the Petes Blood Drive will receive a Hockey Gives Blood swag bag and participate in a digital Petes trivia during their appointment for a chance to win additional prizes.

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StoosNews Spotlight: Check Out The Business Beat This Week Featuring Ascent Summit 2021, Wine Wagon, BioPed Footcare, Coach Cora and Community Futures Peterborough

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

Ascent Summit 2021 – The Roadmap to Financial Freedom, a special day of financial business training presented by Robert Gauvreau Chartered Professional Accountants.

Your ticket for the April 9 full-day event gets you a number of world-class speakers on how to drive results during a time of restrictions. Details and tickets at their official website.

Matt and Kimberley Medeiros recently rolled out their new business – The Wine Wagon Mobile Bar. With more and more people planning outdoor events, the Wine Wagon provides a custom experience for everything from weddings to birthday parties and special events.

Stationed out of two hubs, Peterborough and Caledon, Wine Wagon Mobile Bar is a 14-foot vintage-style custom-built bar and bartending service.

Bioped Footcare Peterborough is opening a second location in Peterborough at 665 The Queensway adding to their current location at 445 George St N.

In addition to their advanced foot care, orthotics, footwear, inserts, lower limb braces and compression stockings, Bioped is pleased to welcome Certified Canadian Chiropodist, Alexandra Sanidas to their team! Alexandra provides medical foot care, including routine diabetic footcare.

Cora Whittington is a well-known transformational coach. She offers life coaching, transformational leadership, facilitation, strategic planning and team building.

Cora recently introduced a new website along with a free strategy session for leaders who are considering online training or facilitation, as well as a free session for individuals wanting to feel less stressed and seeking ways to move forward. You can book these sessions on her new website.

Community Futures Peterborough is presenting, “A Local Recipe for Reinvention – why Peterborough problems require Peterborough solutions on Thursday, Apr. 1, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The guest speaker is Michael Konopaski and you can register on Eventbrite.

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Hometown PTBO: Dr. Eduardo Segura Shares His Love For Music and His Awesome Guitar Collection and Memorabilia

This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday talks to Dr. Eduardo “Ed” Segura of Kawartha Dental Clinic. Segura shares his love for music after coming to Canada, concert stories, a behind-the-scenes look on his guitar collection and shreds a few tasty licks on one of his axes.

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COVID-19 Long Hauler on the Road to Recovery After Vaccination

After being tested for COVID-19 in April 2020, “long hauler” Darryl Porter is recovering from the side effects after getting vaccinated last week Wednesday.

“Long Hauler” refers to a person who is free from the COVID-19 virus to still have lingering side effects.

Porter suffered from fatigue since being free of COVID-19 in August. After a week of his vaccination, he got tired the following day and slept for roughly 15 hours. He noticed that he gradually is having more energy after his long nap.

“Every day is getting a little bit better,” said Porter. “You take a few steps forward, maybe a step back but you’re gaining more steps than you’re losing.”

Darryl Porter being administered his first of two shots of the COVID-19 vaccine. Photo Courtesy of Darryl Porter.

“Darryl couldn’t even walk down the street,” remarked Susan Dunkley, Porter’s wife. “He’s walking three to four kilometres a day but he’s not quite ready to run a marathon.”

Porter believes he contracted the virus on Mar. 19, 2020 as one of the earliest cases for Peterborough but tested negative from Peterborough Public Health. He was officially diagnosed positive in mid-April of 2020 and is unsure where he contracted COVID-19.

“I had the sweats, a fever, a horrible cough, the shakes, aches and pains,” said Porter. “All my joints were aching and really bad stomach cramps. Not so much a sore throat. I had sinus stuff which I’m still dealing with as mine was more sinus.”

Porter was quarantined to his attic while he tested positive. Photo Courtesy of Darryl Porter.

Porter was tested a number of times and received his first negative in August. He tested positive again on the following test but got back-to-back negatives afterwards. Porter remained cautious and wanted to ensure he was free from the virus.

“I got tested a number of times and I believe it was August when I finally got my first negative,” said Porter.” “I was pretty excited. I went back in to get tested and I wanted to make sure that there were no faults.”

Porter warns the community that life does not immediately return to normal after the vaccination.

“It can’t be that way until it’s fully under control,” he said. “There’s a lot of people who are not believers in getting the shot and I don’t understand that. I will always have my mask on and I will kind of keep my distance.”

Porter and Dunkley are planning to get their second vaccination when it is ready to be administered to the public.

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Fleming College Hosts Digital Multicultural Showcase

In an effort to promote diversity, inclusion and integration, Fleming College will host its Multicultural Showcase - Virtual Edition as a celebration of world cultures on Mar 26. and 27.

Countries such as Brazil, India and Jamaica will be featured in this semester’s showcase. Photo Courtesy of Fleming College.

The free event is open to all ages and participants do not have to be affiliated with Fleming to attend. It will feature games, music, dance, demonstrations and educational activities about other cultures in a virtual setting.

“The showcase’s focus has always been to give students a multicultural experience and understanding that they’re not alone in terms of culture,” said Cristina Sad, Fleming International Student Advisor. “But also to integrate them with the community.”

Guest stars will feature actor Linda Kash, — best known for her role as the Philly Cream Cheese Angel who will be doing an improv workshop — local musicians Sarah-Jayne Riley and Lorinda Frudd, friends Erin Blackstock & Joanna Van Ginkel and singer-songwriter Jemar Phoenix and Mike D. from The Hooch.

Linda Kash has made appearances in popular TV shows such as Seinfeld and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. She has hosted the morning program CJWV-FM for Magic 96.7 FM in Peterborough. Photo courtesy of Fleming College.

Friday will have pre-recorded sessions about Indigenous heritage, cultural displays and LGBT+ talks with their Student Administration Councils.

Saturday will feature interactive videos with trivia games, Taekwondo classes, world music and a household scavenger hunt.

The activities hosted are an outlet for students to help deal with school stress and isolation during these difficult times, and also connect with others, according to Sad.

“This virtual showcase is different as we want the showcase to support students with their mental health issues and promote well-being,” she said.

Participants are encouraged to discuss world music as well as joining in playing With the musicians. Photo Courtesy of Fleming College.

The event was previously run as an in-person event every fall and winter semester. There are prizes for the trivia events and will require certain apps to be downloaded in order to participate.

Sad encourages everyone to participate to learn more about others since Peterborough is a multicultural society. She wants inclusivity to be a key part of the event.

“There is room for being in the company of others without being controlled or criticized,” said Sad. “It’s a safe space and they will really enjoy it.”

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Local Rideshare Company Rallies Community to Replace Child's Stolen Bike

It was all smiles for Caleb Armstrong as he received a new bike from Y Drive PTBO on Wednesday following a theft back in December 2020.

Erica Young (left), Y Drive PTBO co-owner, delivered the bike to Caleb Armstrong (right)

Erica Young, co-owner of Y Drive PTBO dropped off the new bike for Armstrong that was supplied through a community fund within the rideshare company.

She was met with a grateful, “Thank you, I like this bike a lot!” from Armstrong after he got on his new bike.

“He (Caleb) bikes all day long, all over town,” said Melinda Armstrong, Caleb’s aunt. “He’s gone until curfew and bikes around town with his buddy. I can’t put into words Y Drive replacing his bike. Caleb was upset for a while and this made his day, his summer!”

Robert Davidson — Young’s husband and business partner —witnessed the incident in front of PJ’s Diner on Sherbrooke Street during a rideshare drive.

Erica Young (left) and Robert Davidson (right) officially launched Y Drive PTBO on November 2020. Photo Courtesy of Robert Davidson.

Davidson saw Caleb getting tackled off his bike by another male but the rideshare co-owner was unable to assist.

He did the next best thing and went to the community to raise money for the bike and identify Caleb. All proceeds Y Drive PTBO made on Dec. 8 went towards the new bike according to their official Facebook post.

“Unfortunately while driving clients and with how fast it happened, there wasn’t much I could do at the time,” said Davidson. “We then decided to make a post online asking for anyone that could reach out with the kid’s name or contact as we wanted to help.”

Y Drive PTBO’s post received several comments and volunteers to donate money or a replacement bike while trying to identify Armstrong. Screenshot

Caleb was identified on the second week of March and Y Drive PTBO wanted to meet the 13-year old to select his bike. They decided to let him pick his bike online because of the red zone Peterborough was under.

“Community is really important to Peterborough,” said Davidson. “Inevitably, we as a city continue to grow and lost some of that charm. We want to be an example of how local can compete against larger businesses.”

Y Drive PTBO with their community fund has donated to several local GoFundMe fundraisers and One Roof Community Centre.

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Peterborough Otters Football Tackle Past COVID-19

COVID-19 has made the football offseason much longer for students but one local club kept the tackling spirit alive all year.

The Peterborough Otters of Kawartha Football announced a spring football program for Grade 8-12 students which beings on Apr. 19.

The varsity program was created for competitive players to start or continue offseason training with scrimmage, positional training and practices twice a week.

Guest speakers such as college coaches and players have spoke for the Peterborough Otters football program. Photo Courtesy of Otters Football.

High schools could not have football seasons from the pandemic and Otters football was an outlet for players to continue their development.

“A lot of people, they do confuse football as just a seasonal sport but we want them to understand that there’s an annual commitment to it,” said Sidney Parkes, Otters Football President. “That’s what differentiates between good players and great players.”

Malaki van GIls, 17, has played organized football in Campbellford and for the Peterborough Wolverines of the Ontario Football Conference. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Scrimmage games of 7-on-7 flag football will be played at Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School every Friday night with practices every Monday and Wednesday.

“Traditionally we would be a tackle football program but this year we are offering a non-contact alternative due to the COVID-19 protocols,” said Parkes.

Otters Football began in fall of 2020 which offers offseason training, grassroots startups for young children and spring training as part of their year-round program. Photo courtesy of Otters Football.

The spring program is divided into Junior Varsity (2005-2007) and Senior Varsity groups (2002-2004) and runs for 11 weeks into July. Both groups are restricted to 50 players maximum each because of the pandemic.

Players, coaches and volunteers are required to be screened, have their temperature scanned, have their hands and equipment sanitized while wearing masks at all times.

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