Fleming College Students And United Way Transform Empty Lot Into Community Garden To Help Feed Kawartha Lakes

Fleming College’s Sustainable Agriculture program, based at Fleming’s Frost Campus, and United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes have been developing a garden since 2019 on a plot that was once an empty, unused lot owned by Crayola Canada.

Farm Stand at Edwin Binney’s Community Garden. Photo courtesy of Fleming College.

Fleming’s Sustainable Agriculture diploma and post-graduate and Ecosystem Management students have helped turn the once vacant lot into a thriving community garden with a robust irrigation system and more than 100 fruit trees.

“This garden is a living lab providing our students with an invaluable, hands-on education and an experience that travels far outside the classroom,” said Fleming College President Maureen Adamson. “The work they are doing in Edwin Binney’s Community Garden benefits not only the students but the entire region. As many homes struggle with rising grocery bills, Fleming students are helping to supply fresh, nutritious food to the community.”

The United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes has opened a farm stand at Edwin Binney’s Community Garden in Lindsay that, sells produce grown in the new community garden.

The stand, located at 50 Mary Street W., runs each Tuesday from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. throughout the growing season while supplies last. Freshly harvested veggies, fruits and herbs will be available for purchase.  

In its first year, Fleming students and faculty with the Sustainable Agriculture Technician program helped produced 5,500 lbs. of fresh produce. Last year that yield increased to 16,264 lbs. of healthy fruits and vegetables.  

Much of that produce makes its way to 20 agencies and 10 foodbanks throughout the City of Kawartha Lakes. The United Way, supported by Fleming College, has also implemented three pilot projects which provide produce to nearly 300 people living in rent-geared-to-income housing who are identified as being at risk for food insecurity. 

The garden also provides co-op placements for students and has created employment opportunities for summer students.  

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Couture Candy PTBO Announces Grand Opening Date of Lansdowne Place Location

Couture Candy PTBO’s second location on Lansdowne Place is having its grand opening on Sept. 3 announced on social media on Monday.

Couture Candy PTBO owner Lisa Couture (pictured) has had one Tiktok video go viral with over 1.6 million views. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The second location was donated storefront space from Lansdowne Place offered to Lisa Couture, Couture Candy PTBO owner. The space was given to aid in her $10,000 fundraiser goal in support of Peterborough Regional Health Center Foundation for cancer care.

Couture says her business has had non-stop action in preparation for the Lansdowne storefront.

"We have to double our ordering,” she explained. “Our vendors are fantastic, most of them know what's happening so they're super-supportive and it's all hands on deck making sure that the time we're at the mall for the fundraiser is a huge success."

All select products sold at the store see $1 of each product towards the foundations. Several charity candy bags feature freeze-dried brand candy and assorted mixes.

During the store’s first six weeks of its 15-week campaign, $5,000 was raised with some assistance from local businesses. Reclaimed Garden Co. donated $255 while Jolly Painters within 10 minutes of the fundraiser update donated funds to make it exactly $5,000.

Donations can also be made at the store or online.

The Lansdowne location will have the same operating hours as the mall and will run until the end of the year.

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The Strumbellas Will Rock Out At Del Crary Park On Wednesday Night

The Strumbellas will take to the stage at Del Crary Park on Wednesday as part of Peterborough Musicfest.

Photo by Luke Best.

Formed in Toronto in 2008, The Strumbellas could easily claim the City of Kawartha Lakes as the place of their birth, with four of its six members – Simon Ward, Jon Hembrey, Darryl James and Jeremy Drury - originally from Lindsay. David Ritter and Isabel Ritchie came into the fold after a Craiglist hunt, and just recently, Jimmy Chauveau was added to the mix after Ward scaled back.

Three years after its debut self-titled EP debuted in 2009, The Strumbellas independently released its debut full-length album My Father And The Hunter, earning a 2013 Juno Award nomination for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year – Group. A year later, The Strumbellas took home a Juno Award in the same category on the strength of its second album We Still Move On Dance Floors.

The Strumbellas’ third studio album, Hope, saw its first single Spirits top the Billboard Alternative Songs chart for two weeks and ultimately win the band its second Juno Award in 2017 for Single of the Year. Spirits has since been certified 3x platinum in Canada and Italy, and gold in the United States, France and Belgium. In 2019, a fourth studio album, Rattlesnake, brought forth the singles Salvation and I’ll Wait, followed last year by the release of the single Greatest Enemy.

The concert will begin at 8 p.m. at Del Crary Park.

This event is completely free, with first come first served seating. it is suggested that concert goers bring a lawn chair, chairs will be available to rent at the venue.

If a storm occurs during a concert, a cancellation announcement will be made from the stage. Peterborough Musicfest will not issue a cancellation call until 7:45 p.m. fifteen minutes before the scheduled start of 8 p.m. Rescheduling of cancelled concerts is not guaranteed.

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Photos: Ontario 55+ Summer Games Kicks Off With Opening Processions

The Ontario 55+ Summer Games held an opening ceremony to honour all competitors around the province the night before the two-day games at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Tuesday night.

The ceremony opened with a cauldron lighting, an Indigenous blessing, speeches from Summer Games staff and musical performances.

Several local dignitaries were in attendance including MP Michelle Ferreri, Coun. Stephen Wright, Coun. Leslie Parnell, Coun. Gary Baldwin, Warden J. Murray Jones, MPP Dave Smith and Mayor Diane Therrien. The last three spoke at the podium.

Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lt.-Gov. of Ont. was also in attendance and spoke out on the stage.

The games run from Aug. 10-11.

There are 17 different events for the games including bid euchre, contract bridge and cribbage, cycling, lawn bowling, golf, pickleball, slo-pitch and tennis.

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Peterborough Musicfest Announces Shawn Austin And Elyse Saunders Will Close The 2022 Season

Peterborough Musicfest have announced Shawn Austin and Elyse Saunders as the closing act for the 2022 concert series. They will appear on stage at Del Crary Park on August 20.

Photo courtesy of Peterborough Musicfest.

Saunders, a Peterborough local, will open the night with many of her award winning hits.

Her 2021 single, “Sunshine State of Mind”, was one of the year’s Top 50 most played country songs on Amazon Music with over 600K plays. This accompanied Elyse’s Top 5 finish in the CBC Music Toyota Searchlight competition and finalist spot in the Boots & Hearts Emerging Artist Showcase.

Included in Saunders accolades is a CMAOntario Award nomination for 2021’s Female Artist of the Year and Rising Star and a 2022 nomination for CMAOntario’s Album of the Year and Music Video of the Year.

Austin will grace the stage at Del Crary Park to close the 35th season of peterborough Musicfest.

The Vancouver county artist was a season two finalist on NBC’s Songland. He was nominated for CCMA “Rising Star” Award in 2021 and 2019.

His top hits include “Tailgate To Heaven” feat. Chris Lane, “Planes Don’t Wait,” and newest single to Canadian country radio, “Get You.”

This event is completely free, with first come first served seating. it is suggested that concert goers bring a lawn chair, chairs will be available to rent at the venue.

If a storm occurs during a concert, a cancellation announcement will be made from the stage. Peterborough Musicfest will not issue a cancellation call until 7:45 p.m. fifteen minutes before the scheduled start of 8 p.m. Rescheduling of cancelled concerts is not guaranteed.

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Nomination Period For City Council And School Board Trustees Ends August 19

The nomination period to file to run as a candidate for City Council or school board trustee in the October 24 municipal election closes at 2 p.m. on August 19.

Photo by Luke Best.

Candidate packages and resources are available online at peterborough.ca/vote. To file nomination papers candidates are required to make an appointment with the City Clerk’s Office, City Hall, 500 George St. N., by emailing election2022@peterborough.ca.

The nomination period opened May 2, 2022.

In the City of Peterborough, positions for election are Mayor and two ward Councillors for each of the five wards (Otonabee, Monaghan, Town, Ashburnham and Northcrest), as well as trustee positions for the local school boards:

1. Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board

2. Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board

3. Conseil Scolaire Catholique MonAvenir

4. Conseil Scolaire Viamonde

Voters in the City of Peterborough are reminded to verify that they are registered to vote in the October 24 municipal election by using the online tool at peterborough.ca/voters.

Eligible voters on the Voters List will receive a Voter Notification Card (VNC) in the mail in early October telling them where they may vote. If voting in-person, voters must vote at a voting location within their ward on Election Day or at an advanced poll (Ward 1 - Otonabee, Ward 2 - Monaghan, Ward 3 - Town, Ward 4 - Ashburnham or Ward 5 - Northcrest). The VNC will direct voters to the poll location closest to them.

Online voting will be available from October 1 until 8 p.m. on October 24 and in-person voting will be available on both Election Day and through advanced polls.

Election Day is October 24, voting locations will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Advanced polls will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 8, 15 and 22 at the following locations:

• Ward 1: Healthy Planet Arena, 911 Monaghan Rd.

• Ward 2: Westdale United Church, 1509 Sherbrooke St.

• Ward 3: Peterborough Public Library, 345 Aylmer St. N

• Ward 4: Lions Club, 347 Burnham St.

• Ward 5: Northview Community Church, 1000 Fairbairn St.

An advance voting location with enhanced accessibility features will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., October 17 to 21, at City Hall, 500 George St. N.

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Voice of Business: Broadband Internet Expanding But Pressure Is Still Needed

Access to high-speed internet is a must for life and business for most people.

With more and more processes moving to cloud-based and remote access, businesses depend on reliable internet for bookkeeping, client management, scheduling, and meetings as well as applications like marketing and research. There are very few aspects of business that don’t have an online component. It also spans all business sectors, with rural sectors like agriculture and mining pushing for better connections so they can make better use of technology to make them more efficient and competitive.

Our personal lives are very similar. It’s where we interact socially, find entertainment, shop, make reservations and attend school.

Yet our community, along with many others across the province, has been lacking in consistent, reliable high-speed internet access.

While the problem is more prevalent in rural areas, there are places within Peterborough’s city limits that are considered underserviced and have been put on a provincial priority list.

Recently, the Government of Ontario announced it had concluded its procurement process and signed agreements with eight different internet providers for its plan to expand broadband internet access.

Locally, this includes the City and all eight townships of Peterborough County as part of a deal with Rogers Communications Canada, Bell Canada, and Xplornet Communications worth $894.8 million. The agreements should provide an estimated 266,600 un- and under-serviced businesses and homes with high-speed broadband internet.

This deal will build on the ongoing efforts to increase connectivity. It follows years of advocacy from chambers of commerce, boards of trade, business improvement areas, municipalities, the Eastern Ontario Wardens' Caucus, industry associations, cottage associations, and many of the people who have struggled with internet access in their home or business. It’s largely a non-partisan issue with different governments passing on the broadband torch to the next government.

The issue isn’t about intention. There isn’t really any opposition. The issue is follow-through. This is part of a program that has been running for more than a decade. Progress has certainly been made over that time with many communities receiving or getting upgraded internet service thanks in part to government investments. But there are still 266,000 homes and businesses in Ontario struggling to interact with the modern world.

Adding further complexity is that the remaining areas left to service are likely the more difficult ones. Infrastructure projects like this tend to focus on the easy wins that provide the best bang for the buck off the start before making their way to the more complicated and sometimes hyperlocal issues.

The last couple of years have certainly added urgency to the situation as the need for online access moved ahead in leaps and bounds.

The Government of Ontario has set a target of connecting every corner of the province by 2025. For those without proper internet, that’s still three long years away.

Our advocacy efforts need to focus on keeping pressure on our government and internet providers to keep the momentum up. We need the continued voice of municipalities, businesses, organizations, and residents. Everyone should have a level playing field when it comes to accessing businesses, government services, schooling, social interaction.

Content provided by the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce.

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Canadian Canoe Museum Granted Viceregal Patronage By Governor General Of Canada

The Canadian Canoe Museum (CCM) announce that Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada, has granted Viceregal Patronage to the Museum.

File Photo.

The granting of viceregal patronage is a longstanding tradition, with governors general granting support through patronage to recognize exceptional contributions to Canadian society. Her Excellency was sworn in on July 26, 2021, as Canada's first Indigenous Governor General and has focused her efforts on reconciliation.

The Canadian Canoe Museum, located on the Traditional Territory of the Williams Treaties First Nations in Peterborough, Ontario, stewards the world's largest collection of canoes, kayaks, and paddled watercraft. The CCM is currently building the collection, declared a cultural asset of national significance by the Senate, a new home on the waterfront of Little Lake in Peterborough.

As part of the exhibit design and development process, the Museum has invited Indigenous peoples to share their stories in their own voices. The CCM is reconnecting the watercraft to their Indigenous communities of origin, and has developed a collaborative relations process to work together to care for the canoes and share the cultural histories and stories held within the collection.

"We believe that as sites of cultural and historical preservation, museums play a key role in shaping our understanding of our past and collective future," said executive director Carolyn Hyslop. "Indigenous peoples around the world designed, built, and used the first canoes and kayaks. These vessels retain their enduring connection to Indigenous cultures across Canada and are powerful living embodiments of knowledges, languages, and beliefs. Through the collaborative relations process, we are working with communities to share these stories, perspectives, languages, and voices throughout the new exhibits and museum."

An example of this commitment, exterior and interior signage in the new museum will be trilingual, featuring English, Michi Saagiig Anishnaabemowin (the local Anishnaabemowin dialect), and French. Additional Indigenous languages will also be featured in exhibits relating to specific watercraft.

The CCM has also commissioned new canoe and kayak builds from Inuit and First Nations communities and builders. These commissions will fill gaps in the Museum’s collection, allowing for a greater diversity of stories to be shared, and traditional knowledge to be preserved and passed down to younger generations.

The new museum, expected to open summer of 2023, will feature an accessible Collection Hall displaying 100 percent of the Museum's collection; a 20,000 square-foot Exhibition Hall with brand-new exhibits; a Lakefront Events and Education Centre; an Artisan and Canoe-building Studio to facilitate hands-on learning and DIY workshops; a Library and Research Room that will allow for the recording of oral stories; a Lakefront Canoe House and dock for on-water and outdoor education programming and more.

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Challenger Baseball Continues In Full Swing After Modified Seasons In Years Prior

After going through the past few years on cancelled or modified seasons, Peterborough Challenger Baseball is operating in full swing this year.

Social worker Craig Meredith (left) gets to first base as Peterborough Challenger Makaya Dafoe fields the throw. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Last year, the league operated on a modified schedule from mid-June through September. This year, they resume their regular season beginning after the May 24 weekend with the final game on Aug. 29.

The organization supports anyone with cognitive or developmental challenges or chronic health issues that prevents them from playing an organized sport.

“A lot of this activity is the social hub of their week and it's great that they're able to play a full season,” said Bev Quinlan, director of baseball.

The non-profit organization allows anyone with cognitive and/or physical disabilities to be involved in baseball. They are divided into junior, intermediate and senior groups depending on their cognitive and skill level. Those benefitting from the program learn skills such as communication, teamwork and confidence-building while getting exercise and having fun.

The Challengers were made up of members who benefit from the program, playing other teams within the group and baseball organizations in the Peterborough area in friendly games.

“The players for the most part are willing to listen and be coached and that's significant,” explained Quinlan. “If you want to get better, you have to be able to be coached and you have to be willing to listen and we were able to put those two things together so the players have improved.”

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