Peterborough Blogs
Foodie Friday: The Dirty Burger Company On The Advantages of a Smashburger and Indian Influences In the Food
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We talk with owner Om Patel of The Dirty Burger Company about his restaurant's burger style, remaining rooted in Peterborough and bringing his Indian heritage into some of his food.
@ptbo_canada Nothin like The Dirty Burger Co. to kick off a weekend 🎉🍔 ##PTBOCanada ##fyp ##LocalFood ##Foodie ##BurgerJoint
♬ Myself - Bazzi
The David And Patricia Morton Family Foundation Gives $50,000 In Support of YWCA HERS
/A $50,000 donation from The Morton Family Foundation is helping to ensure that women and children experiencing gender-based violence continue to have a SafeSpace to call home in Haliburton County.
Photo courtesy of YWCA Peterborough.
“We are deeply moved by Patricia and David’s positive impact in the Haliburton County community,” said Kim Dolan, Executive Director of YWCA Peterborough Haliburton. “The Morton’s compassion for others is helping to ensure that women and children have ongoing access to our Emergency SafeSpace, nutritious food, basic necessities, and 24 hour support when home is the most dangerous place to be.”
YWCA HERS provides safe and supportive temporary accommodations for women, with and without children, who are fleeing abuse in Haliburton County. This innovative service, designed to be available on an as-needed basis in order to help reduce costs, offers space for up-to two families at a time so that women can move away from the abusive situation in their home, without leaving their support systems, jobs and schools, families and friends behind.
For safety reasons, the YWCA ensures 24 hour staffing during evenings, nights and weekends when the units are occupied.
The COVID-19 crisis has created a toxic combination of increased stress, isolation and job losses that is leading to a dramatic rise in violence. This is especially true for rural women, whose physical distance from police services and lack of resources to assist in accessing safety and support greatly increases their vulnerability to gender-based violence.
HERS has been fully occupied since January 2021 and rural women in Haliburton County have reported abuse that is far more serious and complex throughout the pandemic. Like women’s organizations across the province, the YWCA is facing heightened demand and increasing costs.
“We are so happy to give this donation to such a worthy cause!” said Patricia Morton on behalf of The Morton Family Foundation. “We have been greatly inspired by the expertise and tremendous dedication which the YW’s Haliburton staff bring to their work, both in providing women with safety and security to plan how to build better lives for themselves and their children, and in providing expert professional support services to assist their healing from trauma.”
“As a man I am just appalled and disgusted by violence against women and children. I am grateful at least to have this opportunity to extend a helping hand to the brave women who, with the wonderful support of our YWCA, are striving hard to empower themselves,” said David Morton.
Members of the community who wish to donate or find ways of supporting YWCA services in Haliburton County are encouraged to visit www.ywcahaliburton.org or contact Ria Nicholson directly at 705-743-3526 x113 or rnicholson@ywcapeterborough.org.
Donations made before Dec. 31 will be doubled during the YWCA’s holiday season matching gift campaign.
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Peterborough Petes Sign Quinton Pagé to Standard Player Agreement
/Hoping to bring speed and toughness to their lineup, the Peterborough Petes have signed forward Quinton Pagé to a standard player agreement on Thursday.
Photo Courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.
Pagé, a 5’8”, 183 lbs left shot forward was selected by the team in the sixth round, 114th overall in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection. In 15 games with the Petes U18 AAA team this season, the Kincardine, Ont. native registered eight goals and six assists for 14 points.
During the 2021-22 Big Nickel Tournament, Pagé tallied five goals and two assists for seven points in seven games.
“It’s a huge honour to be signing with a historical franchise in the OHL,” said Pagé. “I’m looking forward to picking up things from some of the older guys and learning from all the coaching staff. They’ll teach me lots of things to support me in elevating my game.”
“He’s a hard-working, strong forward who has continued to work hard and develop throughout the fall in practices with us and while playing with the U18 PMHC AAA Petes. We are excited to have him join the lineup in tonight’s game,” explained Mike Oke, Petes general manager.
Pagé will wear #5 and is expected to make his OHL debut Thursday against the Mississauga Steelheads. He becomes the third player from the 2021 OHL Priority draft class to commit to the team, joining Nick Lardis and Zack Lewis.
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Local East City Restaurant To Flip Its Last Burger Dec. 18
/It was one of the toughest decisions to make for owners Carolyn and Steve Effer of Reggie’s Hot Grill but they are closing up shop on Dec. 18 announced Thursday.
The decision to close the East City restaurant was for the sake and well-being of the family.
“We realized over the pandemic that we need to make a lifestyle change for ourselves, for our health, for our family,” said Carolyn. “We love being here and we love the community who have supported us during the pandemic and even before that. We just had to make a hard decision and believe me, it was a hard decision.”
The family also operated the Red Wagon Family Food year-round food truck at 2621 Lakefield Road. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
After living a closer family life due to the pandemic, it was a lifestyle that they become accustomed to.
“The thought of going back full-time, that lifestyle is not appealing to us anymore,” said Steve. “We wanted a more family lifestyle at home.”
Effer’s daughters were homeschooled during the COVID-19 pandemic but will resume their studies at Immaculate Conception School in February. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
Cameron Green and Rej Maranda originally opened Reggie’s Hot Grill. East City Bakery purchased the business in 2013 then Peter Kayser of Kayser Financial Services took over in 2015. He rebranded it to Reggie’s Gourmet Burgers.
The couple purchased the business in 2016 running its first day on Dec. 16. They will continue to do catering, operate pop-up kitchens and “still feed the community.”
“It’s so hard knowing that you are somebody’s go-to regular Friday night meal and I really hope who does come in here can carry forward with that,” reflected Carolyn.
Local Art-Folk Band Ptarmigan Has Released Their Third Album “Cocoon"
/Local art-folk band Ptarmigan released their third album, titled ‘Cocoon’ on Nov. 19.
The album title “Cocoon” speaks to the insular and fragile comfort of home and place and the transformations people go through throughout their lives.
“With this album entitled ‘Cocoon,’ we’re exploring the concept of home and how people build their homes literally and figuratively,” said Peter McMurtry, a bandmember, who grew up in Peterborough and now lives in Toronto.
Filtering stories of home through the lens of his own experiences, McMurtry draws inspiration from science fiction, fantasy, and stories of his own family history on Cocoon.
Bandmembers Peter McMurtry (vocals, banjo, guitar), Aaron Hoffman (vocals, mandolin, synthesizer, keyboards), and Sam Gleason (guitar) grew up in Peterborough and met while attending the former Peterborough Collegiate Vocational School, where they started playing music together.
“We explored folk music in high school, performing at coffee houses, and experimenting with different types of music in an environment that fostered creativity,” said McMurty. “With the school being so close to downtown, we were fortunate to perform in venues such as The Spill. That’s where we developed our strong grass roots, folk foundation.”
The song “Once I Knew” is accompanied by a video shot in the countryside south of Rice Lake, directed by Adrienne McLaren. Dancer Oriah Wiersma brought the lyrics to life in her choreographed movements. Viewers can see that and other music videos on www.ptarmiganband.com.
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Local Partnerships Turns 24 Free Meals Into 72 To Those In Need For the Holidays
/UPDATED: Dec. 14, 2021 at 12:27 p.m.
After seeing Capra Toro’s announcement of 24 free meals to anyone in need for Dec. 19., car dealership Auto Connect Sales and J&L Services has footed the bill for an extra 24 meals each totalling 72.
The decision was made after Cheryl Watson saw the news from Capra Toro and told her husband Martin Templeman and owner of Auto Connect.
Templeman reached out to the Italian restaurant and will pay for an additional 24 meals to be handed out.
“This is a tough time of year for a lot of people so when you see someone do something nice, you want to participate,” said Templeman. “Someone that’s spreading joy or magic, it’s nice to be a part of it.”
The community outreach continued with J&L services as they added another 24 meals announced on Monday.
The meals are going towards individuals or families who are in need or going through rough patches.
The restaurant is encouraging anyone to contact them through Facebook or Instagram to write a brief message of anyone deserving of a meal.
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Holiday Shopping Passport Second Early Bird Winner Donates to YWCA
/Gabi Hintelmann was announced the winner of the second Holiday Shopping Passport early bird draw of 2021, and donated her winnings to YWCA Peterborough.
Holiday Shopping Passport Early Bird winner Gabi Hintelmann shows off her winning passport at John Robers Clothiers with shop owner John Martin. Photo courtesy of The Boro.
Hintelmann’s completed Holiday Shopping Passport was drawn on Dec. 8 at the Maple Moose Pub located at 331 George St. by The Boro, who is hosting the campaign.
Hintelmann will be using her $500 Boro card to purchase toys from The Toy Shop to donate to the YWCA.
“It’s the season of giving and I wanted to pass this gift on. Helping children is something I’m very passionate about and I hope this donation will help brighten the holidays for quite a few children in our community,” said Hintelmann.
Hintelmann’s winning passport came from John Roberts Clothiers, where she purchased some Christmas presents for her family.
“Gabi is a wonderful customer who frequently supports the downtown core and our small business community. I’m so pleased that she won. It couldn’t have happened to a more deserving person,” said John Martin, shop owner of John Roberts Clothiers.
Holiday Shopping Passports are still available at any one of the 150+ participating shops, boutiques, salons, restaurants, and cafes in downtown Peterborough. Each completed Holiday Shopping Passport increases your chance to win up to $1,500 in Boro gift cards.
The next early bird draw is Dec. 15 and the grand prize draw is Jan. 12, 2021.
How it works:
During Holiday Passport season shoppers receive a stamp every time they spend $10 at a participating downtown business. When a passport is filled (20 stamps), Passport holders simply complete the contact form located at the bottom of their passport and drop it off at a ballot box at any participating business to be entered into the draw.
Stamp collectors eager to finish their passport cards before the next draw can collect one free stamp at the following locations: Peterborough Public Library, Peterborough & the Kawarthas Visitors Centre, and the Boro Holiday Hub, 373 George St.
Shoppers can take advantage of the free 2-hour parking now available in the downtown until the end of December courtesy of Wolfe Lawyers.
Check out www.theBoro.ca/holiday-shopping-passport/ for the full list of participating passport locations.
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Local Businesses and Chamber of Commerce Join Forces To Encourage A Hometown Holiday
/The Hometown Holiday campaign, organized by four local chambers of commerce is underway, and encouraging Peterborough and the Kawarthas to support local this holiday season.
“Shopping local is one of these things that we look at as an investment in our communities,” said Joel Wiebe, Peterborough Chamber. “It goes back into all of the things we enjoy about our community.”
He also notes it is a different experience shopping at a local business.
“What we pride ourselves on within our local business community is the customer service. There’s places you can go in and get good quality recommendations, you don’t have to be there for hours, you get what you’re looking for.”
Bob’s Watch Repair has been located on Park Street N. for over 50 years and has seen the rise and fall of many small businesses in Peterborough.
“It’s the same as it always has been, small businesses keep money in town,” said Lauren Falls, Bob Watch Repair. “They keep people employed and they keep the town lively”
In addition to Bob’s Watch Repair, McKnights Fashion, Floral & Gifts has been a mainstay in Peterborough for many years.
What began as a grocery store over 100 years ago has morphed into a one stop shop for gifts, flowers and even clothing.
Christmas is a busy time of year for McKnight’s, according to owner Sam McKnight, but this year is turning out to present different struggles than other years.
“I’ve got Christmas stuff coming in in January that I’ve already paid for, but won’t be able to sell,” he said. “I’m sure I’m not alone in that.”
Because of supply chain issues stores like McKnight’s have been experiencing delays in delivery.
“After the lockdown we need the revenue, I don’t think there’s many small businesses that will be able to go on without it. This is a year that’s not about thriving, it’s about surviving.”
Also noticing supply chain issues is local business Basket Express.
Basket Express provides gourmet baskets with most goods curated from within a 100 km radius of Peterborough.
"Getting things from overseas is a struggle right now, so everything has to be local” said Reni Rausch, owner. “Customers really appreciate local goods, especially in the last couple of years. People are willing to pay a little extra because for local you have to, there’s so many more costs associated with a small business.”
Save Our Soles (S.O.S), an independently run women's boutique located at 384 George St N knows just how much local businesses contribute to the community.
“Shopping local is important for numerous reasons: local fills the store fronts; local supports youth sports and activity programs; and local employees, well, locals,” said Shelby Leonard-Watt, owner S.O.S. “We know that we can’t be all things to everyone. All we ask is that as a local downtown business we are your first thought, and stop, and then when you can’t find it locally, then go online. It shouldn’t be the other way around.”
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Fleming College Is Working To enhance Indigenous Labour Market Information
/Fleming College hosted the inaugural forum Reconciling Labour Market Information on Nov. 24 to share, discuss and acknowledge the need for Indigenous Labour Market Information (LMI) in Canada.
File Photo.
Over 100 participants attended the event, including researchers, academics and Indigenous community members.
The project team was excited to gather and present feedback on a first-of-its-kind Indigenous labour market information system that tracks and documents Indigenous job postings across Canada.
Initial reaction to the LMI system included commentary on its usefulness, relevance and key opportunities for growth.
“I’m proud of the Fleming team that includes Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers for successfully hosting the first-ever Indigenous Labour Market Information Forum,” said Maureen Adamson, President, Fleming College. “The important outcomes from this event and the ongoing project will enhance access to job-related information for Indigenous workers, leading to increased participation in the labour market.”
President Adamson welcomed the participants and highlighted Fleming’s accomplishments to date, including:
Signing the Colleges and Institutes Canada’s (CICan) Indigenous Education Protocol
Developing a policy on Honouring the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Creating an Indigenous Education Council
Offering Indigenous Perspectives Designation for many programs
