Peterborough Police Service Issue Warning of Lottery Phone Scam
/Peterborough Police Service has issued a warning after learning of another scam that took place on Monday.
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Peterborough Blogs
Registration Open For 2022 Hike For Hospice
/Registration is now open for the 20th annual Hike for Hospice event, taking place from September 10 - 16.
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After another difficult year with COVID-19 that put strain on every aspect of hospice care in the community including a skyrocketing demand for services, more complicated forms of grief, overstretched human resources and decreased fundraising - Hospice Peterborough asks for the community’s support to make its annual fundraiser Hike for Hospice a great success again this year.
“Hike is our only fundraising event that has continued throughout the pandemic, although it too has had interruptions, and we rely on it to continue helping any Peterborough city and county resident – for absolutely no fees – through their palliative, end-of-life and grief journeys,” said Hajni Hős, Hospice Peterborough executive director. “We thank all of our hard working committee members and our wonderful supporters who continue to invest in our accredited programs and services as well as the community’s wellbeing. We couldn’t do it without you.”
The weeklong event will include opening ceremonies, to premiere on YouTube, with special themes each day, and wrapping up with the virtual closing ceremonies. This will be the third consecutive year that Hike has been held virtually in order to err on the side of caution for the community
Last year’s Hike for Hospice brought in $66,000 and included 16 local teams made up of 133 registered participants
100 per cent of proceeds raised stay in Peterborough. Funds support 25 programs and services including a bereaved parents support group, day hospice, palliative navigation, groups for children and teens and a 10-bed end-of-life residence. Hospice also offers community education events, including workshops and seminars, about issues such as end-of-life care, bereavement or supporting children in grief.
Registration for this year’s Hike for Hospice can be found here.
Council for Persons with Disabilities Seeking Participants for Disability Recreation Research
/The Council for Persons with Disabilities (CPD) is looking for people to participate in research on disability recreation announced on Tuesday.
Photo courtesy of CPD.
The study helps CPD understand improvements for recreational programming for anyone with disabilities and create inclusive and integrated programs aimed at persons of all abilities in Peterborough according to a press release.
This study and the programming to follow are funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
During the study, CPD wants anyone with backgrounds including being disabled, able-bodied and marginalized to participate in an in-person focus group. For those who would like to participate but cannot attend the focus group, there is a survey available online.
The study will take place on Aug. 10 between noon and 1:00 p.m. at Venture North, 270 George St. N.
For more information or to join the study please e-mail Felicity Phillips, CPD recreation coordinator at felicity.phillips@pcpd.ca.
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New Transit Garage Approved For Former Canoe Museum Site
/Peterborough City Council approved selecting 910 Monaghan Rd./575 Romaine St. as the planned future location for a new Transit Garage at Monday nights council meeting.
Before this decision was made, the city was considering two locations for the future transit garage; 910 Monaghan Rd./575 Romaine St. (the current location of the Canadian Canoe Museum, which will be relocating to a new building it is constructing on Ashburnham Drive next to Little Lake), and 420 Ashburnham Dr., which is a property already owned by the City on Ashburnham Drive south of Neal Drive.
Peterborough Transit has outgrown its outdated bus garage facility on Townsend Street. The current storage garage is only able to accommodate indoor parking for 42 conventional buses out of the current fleet of 55 buses, meaning some are left outside at night.
The current transit garage lacks modern service areas for washing, fueling, interior cleaning, cash handling, and minor repairs which results in inefficient processes and higher costs to maintain the fleet.
The bus maintenance facilities and equipment are outdated and approaching the end of their service life, as are the existing building systems for heating, plumbing, security, and lighting.
Indoor parking of transit buses is critical to preserving the life of the vehicles. With outdoor parking, especially in winter, vehicles cannot be properly washed and cleaned at the end of a shift, as the interior surfaces and advanced accessibility features (kneeling buses and accessible ramps) are subject to freezing during the winter. As well, it is difficult and potentially unsafe to undertake minor repairs to buses in poor weather conditions when parked outside. The inability to properly service and maintain buses reduces the life expectancy of the asset and increases longer term maintenance costs.
Outdoor storage also results in the need for excessive idling of buses on cold winter nights and upon start up in the morning to allow them sufficient time to properly warm up prior to being introduced into service for morning runs, increasing emissions.
Construction and site preparation costs for the new Transit Garage are eligible for reimbursement under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) - Transit Stream with the Federal Government funding a 40% share and the Provincial Government Funding a 33.3% share. As of May 2022, the City still has approximately $50.9 million out of its total allocation of $57.2 million in Federal and Provincial ICIP funding that has not yet been committed.
The City portion of project costs to support construction will be included in future capital budget requests, along with detailed recommendations on the sources of funding.
The construction of the new Transit Garage is estimated to cost between $47 million and $53,165,100 depending on the final site approved by Council.
Peterborough And The Kawarthas Home Builders Association Provide Update On New Builds In June
/Peterborough and The Kawarthas Home Builders Association released the June 2022 housing statistics last week and highlighted the growth in the city and county of Peterborough.
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The City and County of Peterborough saw foundations poured to begin construction on 39 single residential homes in June of this year.
More specifically, six single unit houses were began in Otonabee-South-Monaghan (OSM), six in Selwyn and 27 in The City of Peterborough.
22 single residential units were completed in June, according to PKHBA. There were no residential starts or completions for semis, row, or apartments last month.
Five single unit houses were completed in Douro-Dummer, one in OSM, two in Selwyn and 14 in The City of Peterborough.
To date 338 homes have been completed in the city and county of Peterborough this year.
Curve Lake First Nation Community Fundraising For New Wheelchair For Elder Dorothy Taylor
/Elder Dorothy Taylor is a prominent member of the Curve Lake First Nation community, who works as an Ojibwe traditional Elder, hand drummer and water environmental activist. After being diagnosed with Limb and Girdle Muscular Dystrophy in December 2000, members of the community are rallying together in hopes to purchase her a new wheelchair to allow her to continue doing the work she loves to do.
Photo by Georgie Horton- Babtiste.
“Dorothy is so lovely, so vibrant,” said Alix Taylor, a member of Curve Lake First Nation. “ She always says she has her rose coloured glasses on. Despite having physical ailments she always makes an effort to get out and share her knowledge.”
Alix met Dorothy 12 years ago, when Dorothy was in the early stages of starting ‘Sacred Water Circle’.
Sacred Water Circle is a group founded by Dorothy. It is a volunteer run, not for profit initiative that has brought together Indigenous and non- Indigenous people to work together for the benefit of water. The group strives to spread the message ‘Water is Life’ by hosting Water Walks and spreading knowledge throughout the area.
In addition to being a water activist Dorothy is an Ojibwe traditional Elder.
She spends her days sharing her knowledge of Indigenous culture with Indigenous children in Curve Lake and involved with Family Services.
Dorothy can also be found at local Pow Wow's, walking her dog on the beach and visiting community members.
Since being diagnosed, Dorothy’s mobility has been greatly affected, says Alix.
“The disease she has is progressive,” she said. “Her mobility continues to slowly deteriorate but she still wants to continue doing what she has been doing, she wants to continue educating and sharing her knowledge.”
Alix says the wheelchair she is currently using isn’t fit for rural areas.
“She can’t do the things she does in her normal life without this. Sure, she could continue to share her knowledge, but she deserves this. Her quality of life depends on it.”
Alix says they have been applying to funding though none of it will cover the full cost of the chair.
Alix, with volunteers from the Sacred Water Circle, want to raise $32,000.00 to purchase Dorothy a wheelchair called a Magic Mobility Extreme X8.
To date they have raised over $8,000 through the GoFundMe. They hope to plan in person fundraisers in the fall, which will be announced via Sacred Water Circle social media page, or the GoFundMe page.
Peterborough Police Warn Of Surge In Reports Of Grandparent Scam
/Peterborough Police are issuing a warning to residents about another grandparent scam.
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Officers received close to 20 calls from concerned residents on Monday.
Each case was very similar, the potential victim is told that their grandchild is in Peterborough Police custody and requires money for bond.
The potential victim is further told not to tell anyone else as the grandchild is embarrassed as there were drugs found in their vehicle. The scammers then request money be sent or indicate that the potential victim call them back when they have the money to set up a time to hand it over.
Peterborough Police, or any other law enforcement official, will never request money over the phone or have a courier pick up money.
What to do if you receive a call:
Do not provide any personal information
Do not hand any money over
Remember police will never go to your door to ask for money nor would they ask money to be given to a courier
Stay calm even if the suspect is pressuring and indicating this is an urgent matter
Take the time to check the facts with family
If you are concerned it’s a scam call police or a person you trust immediately
Report the scam to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre https://www.antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/index-eng.htm
Ontario Launches Its "Plan to Catch Up" After Two Pandemic-Disrupted Years of Education
/After COVID-19 disrupted the last two years of education, the Government of Ontario launched its ‘Plan to Catch Up’ for the 2022-23 school year to return students to a full curriculum and experience announced on Monday.
Ajax MPP Patrice Barnes (left) with Perth - Wellington MPP Matthew Rae (right) as Hon. Stephen Leece, Minister of Education at Viola Desmond Public School’s library. Screenshot.
In attendance to make the announcement were Ajax MPP Patrice Barnes, Perth - Wellington MPP Matthew Rae and Minister of Education, Hon. Stephen Leece at Viola Desmond Public School in Ajax.
Students can engage in extracurriculars like clubs, band and field trips with the plan according to Leece.
“Our government is looking ahead as we remain squarely focused on ensuring students receive the best stable learning experience possible and that starts with them being in class, on time, with all of the experiences students deserve,” said Lecce. “We have a plan for students to catch up including the largest tutoring program in Ontario’s history, a modernized skills-focused curriculum to prepare students for the jobs of tomorrow, and enhanced mental health supports.”
Ontario’s ‘Plan to Catch Up’ is comprised of five key components:
Getting kids back in classrooms in September, on time, with a full school experience that includes extra-curriculars like clubs, band and field trips
New tutoring supports to fill gaps in learning;
Preparing students for the jobs of tomorrow;
Providing more money to build schools and improve education; and
Helping students with historic funding for mental health supports.
According to a press release, the government has made key investments that students and educators are already benefiting from, including:
More than $26.6 billion in funding for the 2022-23 school year, the highest investment in public education in Ontario’s history.
Investing more than $175 million for enhanced tutoring support programs delivered by school boards and community partners, with a focus on reading, writing and math.
$304 million in time-limited funding to support the hiring of up to 3,000 frontline staff, including teachers, early childhood educators, educational assistants, and other education workers.
Investing $14 billion to build state-of-the-art schools and classrooms and renew and repair existing schools, including $2.1 billion for the 2022-23 school year.
Allocating $90 million for mental health initiatives and supports for students, a 420 per cent increase from 2017-18.
Additional funding to support students with exceptionalities through a $93 million increase in funding for the Special Education Grant and over $9 million in funding to support the new de-streamed grade nine program, with an emphasis on supporting students most at risk including students from racialized, Black, immigrant and Indigenous communities.
“With almost 50,000 children benefiting from Ontario’s tutoring investments every week, and summer learning programs underway province-wide, Ontario’s plan is getting students back on track,” said Lecce. “With an emphasis on getting back to basics, our government is focused on strengthening life and job skills in the classroom, so that students graduate as financially literate, technologically savvy, emotionally intelligent leaders, ready for the jobs of tomorrow.”
The full ‘Plan to Catch Up’ can be found online.
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Maria Street Bridge Closed For Repairs This Thursday
/The Maria Street swing bridge will be closed to vehicles and pedestrians for repairs under Parks Canada’s advisement for this Thursday.
Photo by David Tuan Bui.
Boat traffic will not be affected by the closure according to Parks Canada.
Detour signage will be posted at Parkhill Road East (via the Warsaw Road swing bridge) or Lansdowne Street.
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Pathway of Fame to Hold Celebratory Concert For 25th Anniversary
/In honour of their 25th anniversary, the Peterborough and District Pathway to Fame is holding a celebratory concert to honour all inductees announced on Monday.
Last year’s induction ceremony was limited to 50 people due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Photo courtesy of the Pathway to Fame, Peterborough & District.
