Peterborough Public Health Has Issued A Drug Poisoning Alert
/Peterborough Public Health issued a warning following an increase in suspected drug poisonings, on Wednesday.
Photo by Luke Best.
Peterborough Blogs
Trent University Unveils Pillars Honouring Over 100 Donors and Philanthropists
/Trent University unveiled six pillars honouring 185 donors that have contributed to the school since its inception in a ceremony held on Wednesday afternoon.
Gavin Marshall (left) and Doug Kirk (right) shortly after the monuments were unveiled. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
Located outside the Student Centre, the monument commemorates receiving over $100 million in philanthropic support.
"This is a testimony to donors, contributors and to Trent who have been committed to us for 50-60 years," said Dr. Leo Groarke, Trent president and vice-chancellor. "It's amazing and we thought we just had to celebrate that."
Photo by David Tuan Bui.
The idea to create the monument was created roughly two years ago according to Groarke and took roughly three weeks to install.
The first and last pillars as been marked with this quote:
“Trent University is an institution profoundly anchored in philanthropy. Our donors are vital partners, and with support from alumni, our community and friends, Trent University remains a vibrant institution for collaboration, discovery and leadership. This installation recognizes cumulative, lifetime giving to Trent University. We express our deep gratitude and appreciation to these donors for their generosity.”
The middle pillars list the donors depending on the amount of their donation in four recognition categories:
The Trent Visionaries - $1,000,000 - $10,000,000+
The Chancellors’ Guild - $500,000 - $999,999
The Governors’ Council - $250,000 - $499,999
The Presidents’ Circle - $100,000 - $249,999
During the unveiling event, Trent also announced a new $1-million gift, from long-time Trent supporters David and Joan Moore, that will establish the prestigious Moore Family International Scholarship. This new scholarship will offer a recurring four-year scholarship for three students from outside of North America.
“This momentous gift will truly impact the lives of international students,” says Sherry Booth, Trent associate vice president of philanthropy and alumni engagement. “All of our supporters are vital partners, and with support from alumni, our community and friends, Trent University remains a vibrant institution for collaboration, discovery and leadership. Today’s event celebrates the momentum of positive change since the University’s inception and honours the generosity of our supporters.”
Trent thanked generous supporters who have contributed to the following initiatives over the past academic year:
Support for Indigenous graduate students through a $1 million estate gift from Bill Reid.
A new residence and academic building at Trent Durham following a successful inaugural campaign that raised $6.6 million.
A new nursing scholarship supporting local students from a rural background thanks to a $100,000 gift from Doreen Stewart RN.
Improved financial aid and student spaces following the second annual Trent Day, which raised more than $1.1 million, while also collecting non-perishables for local food banks in Peterborough and Durham.
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Local Man Jumped Into Action To Feed Residents In Apartment Building Left Days Without Power
/When last weeks storm left many without power, local man Matty Hiltz took it upon himself to grill up a meal for those without power at the Brooklawn apartments.
Photo courtesy of Lori Forsyth.
Hiltz, an in home care giver who previously worked for VON before starting his own business, had many clients that lived in the Brooklawn apartments.
“That was the main building I worked at for about three years, I got to know my clients and the others in the building very closely,” he said.
Hiltz says he still visits his clients in the building to visit and to offer haircuts to those that aren’t able to leave the building for appointments easily.
He says he visited the building on Thursday, five days after the storm, and it was still without power. Many residents have mobility issues or diabetes and they weren’t able to leave the building or eat properly.
“It really broke my heart so I leaped into action. I knew something had to be done.”
He spoke with his clients for the day and arranged to finished work early. They also offered to help Hiltz with his mission.
Hiltz bought burgers and hotdogs, brought his own barbeque to Brooklawn and invited residents to enjoy a warm meal.
Tina Clarke, who works for VON, was there to help too. She delivered meals to those on upper floors with mobility issues that were unable to make it downstairs to the barbeque.
“The smiles on their faces, were so touching,” he said. “They were so appreciative. One gentleman told me he hadn’t had a hot meal since Saturday which broke my heart.”
He noted that, as horrible as the storm was, it brought people together.
“There’s always good that comes out of something bad. I don’t think my smile could have gotten any bigger that day.”
Peterborough Symphony Orchestra Announces First Full Season In Three Years
/For the first time in three years, the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra is offering a full five-concert season in 2022-2023.
Photo courtesy of Peterborough Symphony Orchestra.
The season opens on November 5 with “Welcome Back” which pairs Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony with guest soloist Snow Bai performing a Canadian composition on the traditional Chines erhu.
A tradition returns on December 10 with “A Holiday Welcome” of classical and popular seasonal music featuring baritone James Westman.
Celebrate Valentine’s Day a little early with “An Intimate Welcome” on February 4 – a concert of smaller ensemble delights.
On April 1 the PSO is ready to “Welcome Spring” with Sibelius and Tchaikovsky, featuring virtuoso pianist Alexander Panizza.
To cap off the season the PSO will share the stage with Poet Laureate Sarah Lewis for “Welcome to the Dance” – an evening of words and music including “Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.”
All performances are at 7:30 p.m. and take place at Showplace Performance Centre.
Season subscriptions are now available with prices ranging from $105-$235 depending on seating and only $10 per concert for student subscriptions. Regular single tickets will go on sale in mid-July with prices from $33 - $55 and single student tickets at only $12.
A new initiative for this season is the “Rush Ticket” program. On concert day only, as availability allows, seats will be available online for only $20.
Contact the PSO at 705-742-1992 for tickets.
Local Artist Brings Superheroes to Life For Saturday's Inaugural Capable Con
/New superheroes came to life as the biggest art project for local artist Mariah Yee as she designed all the characters for the inaugural Capable Con this Saturday.
Each character took approximately 40 hours to produce including their backstory and concept. Her mother, Leslie Yee is a CPD vice-chair and has vision loss. Leslie travels around with her guide dog, Akira. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
The free event is held by the Council for Persons with Disabilities (CPD) from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. outside the VentureNorth building. A play-on word of the popular event Comic-Con, Capable Con is designed to create open, healthy dialogues about disabilities and accessibility.
Yee created seven characters, each with their own disability and superpower. Each character set took roughly 40 hours of work with all works completed over the span of seven months.
“It was a great opportunity for me to potentially do something with my artwork and do something impactful here in Peterborough,” said Yee, CPD communications coordinator.
CPD volunteers helped create the concept and ideas of the superheroes before Yee made the illustrations for them.
“Some of them were accepted pretty quickly and some of them had to go through some adjustments and that’s just a part of the design process,” said Yee, CPD communications coordinator.
Each superhero is being featured at the event. The following are the characters showcased for Capable Con:
Scout and traveller, a hero with vision loss and his guide dog
Amanda Auriel, a hero with hearing loss but can read body signals and lips to capture words spoken. She uses a skateboard with her name spelled out in sign language.
Power Pals Jordan and Jamie who are on the autism spectrum. They possess the power of hyper-focus, unconventional outlooks, pattern recognition, great memory and recall.
Bionica Bot, an amputee gymnast with interchangeable parts for her arm to suit the task at hand.
An unnamed hero in a wheelchair.
Yee began drawing at a young age and says art has always been her passion growing up. She keeps bits and pieces of her work as a reminder of doing what she loves.
Yee says she has a sense of pride knowing Peterborough will see her work on a local yet large platform and feels truly connected with the community.
“It still feels very surreal to even look at them and all of Peterborough is going to see those,” she explained. “I know the meaning behind them is worth so much more than words that I can put to them.”
Mariah moved to Peterborough in 2014. She grew up in Big Cedar and has lived in Haliburton and Newmarket. She graduated from Fleming College with a Visual and Creative Arts Diploma and a Certificate in Drawing and Painting.
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Peterborough Public Health is Moving The COVID-19 Mass immunization Clinic
/Peterborough Public Health will be moving the COVID-19 mass immunization clinic from the Healthy Planet Arena. Starting Monday, the COVID-19 vaccine clinics will be held temporarily at the Peterborough Public Health office at 185 King St.
Stock Photo.
For the week of May 30, clinics run by Peterborough Public Health will be unavailable as Peterborough Public Health moves out of the Healthy Planet Arena.
The GO-VAXX mobile clinic will be coming to Lansdowne Place Mall in Peterborough on Thursday, June 2 from 10:00am to 6:00pm and will have the Pfizer vaccine available for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and booster doses for adults and youth aged 12 and up, as well as the pediatric Pfizer vaccine available for children aged 5-11.
Residents are also encouraged to reach out to local participating pharmacies to book an appointment for their COVID-19 vaccine during this week.
Residents can still receive a COVID-19 vaccine from participating pharmacies. Pharmacy locations can be found on the provincial webpage at https://covid-19.ontario.ca/vaccine-locations.
Severe Thunderstorm Watch In Effect For Peterborough And Surrounding Areas
/A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for Peterborough, Southern and Northern Peterborough County, Lakefield and other areas. Issued by Environment Canada at 9:33 a.m. on Wednesday.
Lightning in Bobcaygeon. Photo by Jay Callaghan.
Environment Canada reports nickel sized hail, wind gusts up to 90 km/h. and heavy downpours are all possible beginning in the afternoon.
They suggest remaining indoors if threatening weather approaches. Heavy downpours are also likely to produce poor driving conditions.
'Mourning to Morning: One Woman's healing Journey' Art Display And Sale At The Mount Community Centre
/Marylou Green, a local artist, is presenting ‘Mourning to Morning: One Woman’s Healing Journey,’ an art show and sale at The Mount Community Centre from June 10-12.
Photo courtesy of Marylou Green.
In this show, Green shares her personal journey of healing through the powerful use of expressive arts.
Her story touches on abuse, medications, self injury, shock treatments, suicide attempts, and demonstrates tangible action to recovery.
Green says her vision is a world where people no longer face barriers to good mental health.
“Everyone has a story,” she said. “It is not easy to share our deepest pains, shames, and overwhelming experiences. I highly recommend finding someone with whom you feel safe, comfortable, and a good listener. I have been blessed to have had one such therapist. By telling my personal story and my journey of healing, I may give hope to people suffering from illness and may encourage them to begin their own healing journey. I also want to encourage the mental health professionals to look beyond the "labels" and see their patients as human beings in need of compassion, and non-judgment.”
Proceeds will support the on-going development of The Mount Community Centre. Purchases may be made by cash or cheque only.
The sale will run June 10 from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. June 11 from 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. and June 12 from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
NDP Federal Leader Jagmeet Singh Hits Peterborough Since Infamous Incident on Prior Visit
/It only took 21 days for New Democratic Party (NDP) federal leader Jagmeet Singh to return to Peterborough on Tuesday since he was met with a protest following a campaign visit on May 10.
He accepted Peterborough’s invitation after City Council agreed to bring him back in their meeting Monday night. Protestors shouted obscenities and called him a ‘traitor’ following his visit to Peterborough-Kawartha NDP candidate Jen Deck at her campaign office.
“I've had lots of great experiences in Peterborough so I wasn't going to let one isolated incident in any way discourage me from coming back,” said Singh. “What happened when I was first here in terms of the folks that were in front of the office, that's not representative of Peterborough. There are people that are genuinely frustrated and angry and I think we have to listen to that frustration.”
In a small gathering at the Lift Lock, supporters and Deck welcomed Singh. The federal leader endorsed the Peterborough-Kawartha candidate as the next MPP during his time in Peterborough.
Singh reminded voters that his party wants to address healthcare, education and the housing crisis as ‘things that really matter to people.’
The provincial election is on Thursday. Deck is challenging current MPP and Conservative candidate Dave Smith.
The following are the candidates for the Peterborough-Kawartha Riding in the provincial election:
MPP Dave Smith (Conservative)
Greg Dempsey (Liberal)
Jen Deck (New Democratic Party)
Robert Gibson (Green Party)
Tom Morazzo (Ontario Party)
Rebecca Quinnell (New Blue Party)
Dylan Smith (None of the Above Party)
