Local Entrepreneurs Expand Brand With New Restaurant

Tara Lee and Adam Genge, owners of retailing business Electric City Works have expanded into the food scene by launching South - Eatery by Electric City Works on Tuesday.

Lee and Genge’s first retail location opened in 2017 on Erskine Ave after becoming finalists in the Win This Space Competition. Photo Courtesy of Adam Genge.

Located at 597 Monaghan Rd., the restaurant offers pub fare and a patio however a grand opening date has yet to be announced.

South - Eatery by Electric City Works will be the first fully licensed restaurant opened by the couple.

“We are so excited to finally have the doors open at South,” said Genge. “It was the logical next step in the growth of our business and with such great local talent, we are so proud of the menu we have put together.”

Sandwiches, burgers, nachos and wings are some of the food offered at the restaurant. Photo Courtesy of Adam Genge.

In February, the pair launched the Electric City Works Market which served wine, beer, coffee, groceries, fresh baked goods and heat at-home meals.

They rebranded their business from Chalk Therapy to their current name as a retail store, workshop and event space.

South - Eatery is currently open for takeout orders Wednesday to Saturday from 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m (or until sold out).

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Trent University Requires First Vaccine For Students In Residence Living

Trent University has announced students living on campus in residence this fall will be required to have at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine according to a press release issued Tuesday.

Trent University in Peterborough is divided into five separate colleges: Lady Eaton, Gzowski, Champlain, Otonabee and Traill. File Photo.

“The University is committed to keeping our residences and communities safe as we plan to return to in-person terms this September,” says Dr. Leo Groarke, Trent president and vice-chancellor. “Requiring vaccines for students living in residence will be an important way to ensure that we avoid residence outbreaks and are able to offer our residence students the transformative on-campus experiences students have learned to expect from Trent.”

With the support from Peterborough Public Health, the University will ask students to book and arrange their first-dose vaccine prior to moving into residences at both the Peterborough and Durham GTA campuses.

The University’s Housing Services will help students who are unable to receive a vaccine prior to arrival attain their first dose when they move into the residence. Residence students will also be asked to commit to a second dose of the vaccine on a schedule that will be subject to availability. Exemptions will be allowed in cases in which students require accommodation for medical or other reasons. 

Mandating vaccines for all residence students will safely allow for near-full occupancy of residences on both Trent campuses according to the release. As an added precaution, the University also plans to reserve a small number of residence spaces for isolation, if needed.

 “We know living in residence can be a valuable part of the first-year student experience at Trent,” says Dr. Nona Robinson, Trent associate vice president of Students. “We also know the health and safety of our campus and local communities is our shared responsibility. Congregate living areas, such as residences, are at higher risk for transmission due to people living closely together. We are delighted that vaccines are now available for the age group of most of our first-year students. This vaccine requirement will help minimize risk, as we offer a positive residence experience for new students this fall.”  

The vaccine requirement for residence students will be part of a wide range of the University’s COVID-19 health and safety measures to ensure a safe return to in-person learning on campus.

Other measures may include masking, physical distancing requirements and mandatory self-screening, as well as enhanced cleaning. On-campus testing, as well as vaccine clinics for students and employees in Peterborough, may also be implemented based on the recent success of pop-up clinics.

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Month-Long Food Drive Announced for Peterborough County

Kawartha Food Share will host a county-wide food drive during June to support local food banks was announced in a Zoom meeting media release on Tuesday morning.

Kawartha Food Share’s “Porch Pirates for Good” food drive held on April 9 and 10 received more than 50,000 pounds of food for both days. This broke the previous record of 26,000 pounds. File Photo.

The campaign is meant to restock the food banks across the county by partnering with local grocery stores.

Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith will take part in the food drive and helped the “Winter is Coming Food Drive” in November last year. The campaign raised almost $40,000 worth of cash and food donations.

 “Every opportunity to support our townships is an opportunity that can’t be passed up,” said Smith. “COVID-19 has placed tremendous stress on the support system in our rural communities; these food banks support many families and it is critical these supports remain strong.”

He noted that grocery stores in Peterborough, Havelock, Bridgenorth Buckhorn and Lakefield are participating in the drive.

Kawartha Food Share typically distributes 150,000-200,000 pounds of food in a month which feeds over 9,000 individuals. File Photo.

The first and special drive will be held at Morello’s Your Independent Grocers on Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The cause is to support the Apsley foodbank, who has lost its community’s only grocery store in a fire in December 2020.

“On behalf of Apsley and North Kawartha, I want to thank Morello’s Your Independent Grocer for hosting a special food drive to support our local food bank,” said Carolyn Amyotte, North Kawartha Mayor. “Not having Sayer’s Foods to host our own food drive right now is very hard.”

The following is a list of participating grocery stores, dates, times and locations:

Photo Courtesy of Dave Smith.

Ashlee Aitken, Kawartha Food Share general manager says food banks typically have more clients during the pandemic.

“Donations tend to decrease during the summer months so we are excited at the opportunity to lend a hand and help ensure our agencies’ shelves are well stocked,” she said.

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Peterborough Splash Pads Now Open For the Season

Splash pads in city parks have opened for the season that began on Saturday announced by the City of Peterborough in a press release on Friday.

Lifeguard supervision is not provided at Peterborough splash pads. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Residents are encouraged to follow public health guidelines when using the water play structures.

Splash pads are open from noon to 7:00 p.m. every day. They are located at:

• King Edward Park, 455 George St. S.

• Nicholls Oval, 725 Armour Rd.

• Rogers Cove, 131 Maria St.

• Kinsmen Park, 1 Kinsmen Way (Sherbrooke Street and Clonsilla Avenue)

• Barnardo Park, Barnardo Avenue north of Sunset Boulevard

The splash pad season will end in September (weather permitting). Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The splash pads were commissioned for the season on Friday to open the following day after discussions with Peterborough Public Health on safe operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Peterborough Public Health reminds everyone that public health measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 must be followed when attending and using splash pads. Signage is posted at splash pads to provide guidance on the measures as Public Health recommends the following:

• Do not leave home if you are not feeling well

• Maintain physical distancing of at least two metres from people who are not from the same household

• Bring hand sanitizer and use it frequently. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth

Splash pads should be considered a “Hands-Free Zone”. Water play features in the splash pads that require gripping, such as water cannons, have been turned off or removed. Where there are buttons to activate water features, people should use their elbows or feet to push the buttons, depending on the height, instead of their hands.

Wear a mask if physical distancing is not always possible. If the splash pad is crowded or busy, come back another time.

“Children and their parents I believe, will be very happy to have our five splash pads open for the season as of May 29th,” said Councillor Lesley Parnell, the Chair of Council's Arenas, Parks and Recreation Portfolio. “This is a few weeks earlier than usual but they will be available as the warm weather returns. Additional fun activities are more essential than ever. Please continue to follow public health guidelines."

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StoosNews Spotlight: Check Out The Business Beat This Week Featuring McLeod’s EcoWater, Century 21 United, Chamber of Commerce and RoadSide Greetings

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

McLeod’s EcoWater recently announced the opening of their third location. Owners Rowan and Lillie Fleming say the new Port Perry location will be a popular spot to refill water jugs, just like their Bowmanville and Peterborough stores.

McLeod’s is a full-service water treatment business, serving the area for over 40 years with under-sink drinking water systems, whole-home filtration, water softening and well water treatment. All backed by local service and expertise.

Century 21 United recently decided to capitalize on their existing office in Lakefield and expand and renovate the space. Located on Queen Street next to Foodland, Broker/Owner Vanessa Oake Hogan says the expanded space offers a private boardroom with a smart TV for client presentations, touchdown workstations with printing facilities, a lounge area, plus a beautiful porch and a great big window to enjoy views of Lakefield. Once the lockdown ends Century 21 realtors will be on duty 7 days a week.

The annual Chamber of Commerce Seniors Showcase is happening the entire month of June. There are nine workshops on everything from decluttering to gardening, nutrition to transit plus lots of information from participating exhibitors. Everything is on the Chamber website and available anytime. If you would like your businesses profiled in a five-minute video, there is still lots of time for the Chamber to help you get it recorded. Visit peterboroughchamber.ca for details.

RoadSide Greetings is hard at work, adding lots more lawn greetings for birthdays, anniversaries and especially graduations. Last year, owner, 15-year-old Hannah MacDonald sold 225 Graduation signs and raised $1800 for #ptbostrong. This year Hannah is hoping to top that and donate the proceeds to Hospice Peterborough, who helped her through the passing of her grandparents this year. 

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Tuition-Free PSW Program Introduced to Peterborough Educational Institutions

Trent University and Fleming College will receive over $2 million towards 11 innovative virtual learning projects to help provide students with more choice and access to high-quality postsecondary education and retraining opportunities.

The Ontario government is transforming virtual learning across the province by supporting nearly 400 innovative projects at colleges, universities and Indigenous Institutes.

“These exciting projects will help people develop in-demand skills by providing access to innovative educational technologies and better position them in the workforce,” said Laurie Scott, MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock.

File Photo.

“People’s lives are busy; working full time and raising families. They don’t always have the time to enroll in part-time courses in-person to sharpen their skills or knowledge,” MPP Dave Smith said. “In our rapidly changing economy, access to these online resources will support workers in their professional development and growth,” MPP Smith added.

The 11 projects are part of the province’s Virtual Learning Strategy announced last December and support key priority areas that include creating or adapting digital content, equipping faculty and students with skills and resources to teach and learn online and identifying educational technologies to support online courses and programs. Some of the programs include:

• Fleming College, in collaboration with other educational institutions, is creating a series of eight micro-credential courses in the field of Virtual Reality. Working with subject matter experts, industry partners and employers, this micro-credential series will prepare learners with the high-demand skills and competencies employers are looking for in the industry.

• Trent University is creating and developing a micro-credential course in nursing leadership to help nursing students prepare for a leadership role in the healthcare environment.

Trent University will receive $916,992 for their program development and Fleming College will receive $1,100,908 for a collective total of $2,017,830. This is part of the Ontario government’s investment of more than $70 million to implement Ontario’s Virtual Learning Strategy, including $21.4 million announced in the 2021 Ontario Budget, Ontario’s Action Plan: Protecting People’s Health and Our Economy.

“These projects will build on and advance the skills and capacity of students and faculty at Trent through multi-media channels, such as virtual lab sessions, career development, and knowledge communication skills,” says Dr. Cathy Bruce, vice president of Research and Innovation at Trent. “The projects that are being led at Trent University contribute to the training of knowledgeable and highly qualified personnel that will in turn support post-pandemic economy recovery.”

File Photo.

“Ensuring that Ontario’s postsecondary institutions offer responsive and flexible digital courses and programs will help students build the skills and competencies they need to be competitive in today’s economy,” said Ross Romano, Minister of Colleges and Universities. “Our Virtual Learning Strategy is aimed at creating a platform that will allow all post-secondary institutions to compete in the new and necessary environment of learning from home.”

Last month, Fleming College started accepting applications for Ontario’s new accelerated training program for Personal Support Workers, this includes both Peterborough and Lindsay Fleming College campuses.

“Our historic plan to build a modern long-term care system, in which residents receive 4 hours of direct quality care per day, requires strategic investments; investments that guarantee results for the seniors that deserve it,” MPP Dave Smith said. “Years of neglect cannot be fixed overnight, but today’s announcement is another concrete series of steps in creating a system that puts care at its centre.”

“This tuition-free accelerated program is another example of how our government is working to build a 21st-century long-term care system and train more people to deliver the care our seniors deserve,” said Laurie Scott, MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock.

“As many aspects of our lives and learning have transitioned to online over the past year, we have had to adapt quickly. The investment from the Ontario government will help Fleming dedicate more resources towards virtual learning to prepare for a future of hybrid delivery and provide more options for students,” said Fleming President Maureen Adamson. “Also, at a time when there’s a demand for personal support workers in our communities, Fleming is happy to contribute its expertise in health care training to offer the accelerated PSW program.”

The program is part of the Ontario government’s $115 million investment to train up to 8,200 new personal support workers; as part of the governments’ overall strategy to hire 27,000 new nurses, personal support workers and allied health professionals within the next few years.

The Accelerated PSW Training Program is a tuition-free opportunity for 6,000 new students and is expected to only take 6 months to complete, rather than the typical 8 months. After three months of coursework and experiential learning in a clinical setting, students will complete the final three months in paid onsite training in a long-term, home or community care setting.

The province is also offering tuition assistance to in-process PSW students who started the program at one of Ontario’s publicly-assisted colleges in January 2021. These students will be eligible to receive a $2,000 grant to help complete their studies, as well as a stipend to complete their clinical placement as part of their training.

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Hometown PTBO: Sam and Ryan Weber Explain Peterborough's Musical Influence and Their Newly Released Album

This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday music duo Sam and Ryan Weber of The Weber Brothers about growing up as musical talents in town, the influential music scene of Peterborough and about their newly released album: Choose Your Own Adventure.

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Peterborough Summer Concert Series Roundup of Updated Event Dates and Acts

The Peterborough Memorial Centre will begin the first act of their PTBOLive Summer Concert Series on June 25 after a number of additions and changes to this year’s lineup.

Big Wreck has performed in Peterborough on numerous occasions at places such as The Venue and Del Crary Park for Musicfest. Photo Courtesy of the Peterborough Memorial Centre.

The series is a collaboration presented by Peterborough Memorial Centre, Showplace Performance Centre and Market Hall Performing Arts Centre.

Actor and comedian Shaun Majumder — known for his work on YTV and “This Hour Has 22 Minutes” — with special guest and fellow comedian Ali Hassan has moved from the opening act to August 7.

Opening the series is the Classic Albums Live night with Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” album starting on Jun 25.

The Trews have performed concerts in Peterborough at venues such as Trent University and Musicfest. Photo Courtesy of the Peterborough Memorial Centre.

Rock bands such as The Trews and Big Wreck will headline two separate days of the concert series along with four other acts according to a press release.

“This will be our opening night of the PTBOLive Summer Concert Series and we couldn’t think of a better way to welcome everybody to the venue than setting them up for an evening full of fun and laughter,” said Jeremy Giles, PMC Facility Manager. “It has been a very hard year for everyone and this lineup of comedians will give fans something to finally smile about, we can’t wait.”

The Trews will have special guests and former frontman Three Days Grace, Adam Gontier and cousin Cale Gontier, bassist for Art of Dying. The previous date of June 5 has been rescheduled to July 10.

Country music duo Jenna and Stuart Walker of The Reklaws were a late addition to the lineup with special guest Jesse Slack will appear on July 9.

Siblings Jenna and Stuart Walker of The Reklaws were formed in 2012 based out of North Dumfries, Ontario. File Photo.

Country star Chad Brownlee will perform with special guest Sj Riley on July 23 as another late addition to the musical series lineup.

Other acts include Splash’N Boots, the Jim Cuddy Band, Sinatra with Matt Dusk, Mini Pop Kids Live, Jackson Delta with Emily Burgess & The Emburys and Classic Albums Live performing Led Zepplin’s Zeppelin II and The Beatles’ Abbey Road.

Brownlee was a former NHL draft pick in 2003 by the Vancouver Canucks. Photo Courtesy of Peterborough Memorial Centre.

The following is the current lineup of the series:

• June 25 Classic Albums Live performs Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon

• June 26 The Jim Cuddy Band with special guest Express & Company

• June 27 Splash N Boots

• July 2 Big Wreck with special guest Heaps

• July 9 The Reklaws with special guest Jesse Slack

• July 10 The Trews with special guests Adam & Cale Gontier from Saint Asonia

• July 16 Classic Albums Live performs Led Zeppelin's Zeppelin II

• July 23 Chad Brownlee with special guest SJ Riley

• Aug 7 Shaun Majumder with Ali Hassan

• Aug 14 Sinatra with Matt Dusk

• Aug 15 Mini Pop Kids Live

• Aug 20 Classic Albums Live performs The Beatles' Abbey Road

• Aug 27 Jackson Delta with Emily Burgess & The Emburys

Tickets are on sale now at the PMC’s website or by phone at (705) 743-3561.

Tickets range from $100 per vehicle to $200 per vehicle plus fees (vehicle occupancy must be in accordance with the highway traffic act.) Fans are encouraged to get their tickets early as space is limited as stated in the press release.

Food is available on site but guests are permitted to bring their own food and non-alcoholic drinks for the event.

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PTBOCanada Celebrates Its 11th Anniversary With New Studio Plans

To celebrate the 11th anniversary of PTBOCanada on Thursday, owner Kirtus Evoy has announced that the company will have a new studio and office on Hunter Street on August 1.

PTBOCanada has over 74,000 social fans spread across several social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. (rendering of New Space)

The property is owned by Ashburnham Realty and will be in the heart of East City. The PTBOCanada staff are excited and eager to move into the new office.

“The space will allow us the digital growth of our team and our product offerings. We wanted to do it in a vibrant area such as East City. We have some more big plans over the summer and we’re looking forward to growing with Peterborough.”

“The new office is going to open up a world of opportunities and creative outlets for PTBOCanada moving forward,” said David Tuan Bui, PTBOCanada editor. “We can have guests in the studio for interviews, we’ll have a wonderful atmosphere and we’re basically right in the heart of Peterborough doing it all.”

Former owner and co-founder Neil Morton expressed his congratulations for the company’s milestone after owning the business for over a decade back in 2010 in a Facebook post.

Since the new ownership, Evoy retained brand strategy director, Aaron Elliott and finance assistant, Kim Wilson. His new additions included Bui, 100.5 Fresh Radio’s Pete Dalliday and cameraman David Koski.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the PTBOCanada brand and team celebrating our 11th anniversary,” said Evoy. “Neil (Morton) and his team did an amazing job to get things rolling and we are super excited to keep growing with Peterborough and open up our new studio and offices.”

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Omemee Woman Gives Open Invite for Heart Health Awareness Fundraiser With Physical Activities

What started as a personal goal has developed into a worldwide movement and fundraiser for Annie Smith with the 3rd annual Annie's Pace Global Adventure (APGA) in a four-day event starting Friday.

Photo Courtesy of Annie Smith.

The event’s purpose is to raise heart health awareness, test people’s physical limits and promote activity with the motto, “Your heart is worth an hour a day.” Anyone is encouraged to do anything that gets them moving such as sports, walks or even as simple as gardening.

“Moving the body is number one,” said Smith.

Smith was diagnosed with cardiac sarcoidosis in 2016; an invisible, rare, incurable and life-threatening disease. Since the diagnosis, her physical capabilities have become limited.

Merchandise such as t-shirts and wristbands were made in past events. T-shirts have sold out but wristbands still remain available by contacting Smith. Photo Courtesy of Annie Smith.

Her campaign encourages others to post their heart stories and/or weekend activities on Smith’s Facebook or Instagram page while tagging themselves during the event.

Smith trekked 161 kilometres in 2019 through four days and 180 kilometres in 2020. This year, she will go an abridged distance on a treadmill due to her physical capabilities for Friday, Sunday and Monday. She will do a 26-kilometre walk with two friends starting from Jackson’s Park to Reaboro on Saturday.

“I don’t want it to be about me, I want it to be able to be about the people and bringing that awareness,” said Smith. “I want the world to unite for four days for heart disease awareness.”

Her inspiration came from her cardiologist Dr. Heather Ross who raised almost $1 million with Test Your Limits. She began APGA to aid in that goal for heart disease and heart failure research. Smith wants to raise $16,000 through three years where she already raised $10,875 in the first two ($5,500 in 2019 and $5,375 in 2020).

Not only has Canada partaken in the event, but it has also gained worldwide recognition including reaching countries as far as Hong Kong, Scotland, Greece, USA, Switzerland and Australia.

“I was crying the first day I started,” said Smith. I woke up and saw Hong Kong that already sent their video. It blew my mind. It was so much fun for me seeing them all doing it.”

Donations are accepted online or at Sunset Grill in Peterborough from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

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