Santa Claus To Appear At Dr. J's To Fundraise For SickKids Hospital On Dec. 18

Santa Claus is coming to Dr. J’s BBQ & Brews for to have his picture taken for a meet and greet in a charity fundraiser for SickKids Toronto on Dec. 18 announced on Thursday.

Last year, Dr. J’s operated their Santa Calus event by appointment only. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Last year, Dr. J’s ran the same event in support of the Canadian Mental Health Association. They chose SickKids as the recipient of all fundraising proceeds as it holds sentimental value to owner Addison Brown and his family.

“This year, we have chosen a charity very close to our hearts, and one our family will soon get to know all too well,” he explained. “You may have heard that the Brown family will be expanding with two new little members, one of whom will be needing a little extra attention from the wonderful team at SickKids Toronto.”

Photo courtesy of Addison Brown.

“We feel so fortunate to have such wonderful care available to us and we are looking forward to giving back this Christmas,” said Addison.

Santa is appearing from noon until 6 p.m. for photo opportunities with a five-dollar donation. Gift wrapping is also available from Dec. 16-18 with any monetary donation.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

YMCA of Central East Ontario to Honour Local Peacemaker at Peace Medal Ceremony

On Nov. 24, The YMCA of Central East Ontario is hosting a Peace Medal Ceremony, celebrating a Nogojiwanong community member who has made significant contributions toward peace-building through grassroots efforts.

Photo courtesy of The YMCA of Central East Ontario.

Mkwa Ghiizis (Crystal Hebert) will be honoured at the YMCA Balsillie Family Branch at noon. Mkwa is a 2-spirit water protector, artist and advocate living in the Nogojiwanong community since 2006.

They are the founder of Tweak Easy, a grassroots overdose prevention site. They organize advocacy rallies, vigils and marches, holding events that bring community members and organizations together in finding grassroots solutions to the opioid and homelessness crisis. They focus on low-barrier access to ceremony, medicines and support for those experiencing systemic failures, as well as those engaging in sex work or drug use from an Indigenous Harm Reduction approach.

From Nov. 12 to 19, the YMCA recognizes Peace Week. The YMCA of Central East Ontario, together with other YMCAs across Canada, are celebrating the presence of peace and reflecting on peace-building work that happens through the organization. During YMCA Peace Week they honour those at the forefront of these peace-building efforts.

The YMCA recognizes Mkwa’s work as a voice for those experiencing systemic failures within the community.

“The recipient of the YMCA Peace Medal demonstrates that peace has many dimensions. They show us the importance of building community, where people feel that they belong and are included. Most often their actions started small and grew into something bigger than themselves. That is the power of peace,” says David Allen, president and CEO of the YMCA of Central East Ontario.

To learn more about YMCA Peace Week, click here.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

City Council To Be Sworn During Inaugural Meeting On Nov. 28

The inaugural Council meeting for the 2022-26 City Council swearing-in is held at the Austin Doran Hall in the Mount Community Centre on Nov. 28 at 6:30 p.m.

File Photo

Limited seating is available by advance registration due to the venue's capacity to attend the meeting in person. Registration begins at noon on Wednesday on a first-come, first-serve basis. Registrants can call the City Clerk’s Office 705-742-7777 ext. 1820 or they can register in person at City Hall.

The room accommodates reserved seating for family and friends of the newly-elected Council members and local dignitaries.

The swearing-in is the only item on the agenda. Council is holding its first meetings sitting as Finance Committee and General Committee on Dec. 5. Council meeting schedules and agendas are posted at on the City’s website.

The meeting will be live-streamed for anyone to view online.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Nominations Open For The 2023 Peterborough Poet Laureate

Nominations are now open for the 2023 Peterborough Poet Laureate Program, announces the Electric City Cultural Council (EC3).

Photo courtesy of EC3.

The Peterborough Poet Laureate is a position that has been established to recognize the achievements of professional poets, both in print/page and spoken word, in Peterborough and Peterborough County.

The poet laureate acts as a community advocate for poetry, spoken word and the arts in general, composing works to be presented at City Council meetings and other Peterborough events. The poet laureate receives an honourarium of $2,000.

The program was launched as a pilot in 2021. Curve Lake spoken word artist Sarah Lewis was named as Peterborough’s first-ever poet laureate. Following the success of the pilot, Peterborough’s City Council approved the Peterborough Poet Laureate as a permanent program.

"The arts are one of the key components to what makes a city vibrant and lively. Humans create art, music and poetry to protest, to disrupt and to express their love, passions and the things we care about in this life. Not to mention that the arts have played a vital role in all thriving cultures and societies across the globe,” said Lewis.

Nominations are being accepted until Dec. 16 and will be assessed by a panel of individuals in the poetry and spoken word community, a City representative and local citizens.

The Poet Laureate Program guidelines and nomination form can be found here.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

CUPE Announces Potential Strike On Monday If Deal Not Struck With Ontario Government

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) is set to strike again on Monday after rejecting the Ford government’s negotiation offers and citing that the proposed contract would “further harm” Ontario schools.

CUPE workers originally had a strike on Nov. 4 and continued on Nov. 6. Photo By David Tuan Bui.

Laura Walton, president of the CUPE school board’s bargaining unit, said the union has given its notice of a province-wide strike for Monday.

“From the beginning, we’ve been focused on improved jobs for education workers and improved services for students. For us, there is no one without the other,” said Walton. “It’s incredibly disappointing that the Ford government categorically refused to put money on the table to give students the type of learning environment they need.”

The Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board (PVNCCDSB) has Tweeted that they intend to strike Monday if a deal is not reached.

CUPE, the union representing support workers in our Board, has provided notice that it intends to commence a strike (full withdrawal of services) on Monday, Nov. 21, 2022 if it does not reach a central agreement with the provincial government before then.

— PVNCCDSB (@PVNCCDSB) November 16, 2022

The School Boards Collective Bargaining Act requires that school board workers give five days’ notice before striking.

On Nov. 7, the Premiere Doug Ford said they would repeal Bill 28 which stripped the ability to strike and deem it illegal if the CUPE would cease all striking action. CUPE agreed to withdraw and go back to the bargaining table to renegotiate.

Schools had re-opened for students after two days from the CUPE strikes that consists of roughly 55,000 workers.

CUPE’s Ontario School Boards Council of Unions (OSBCU) central bargaining committee has been negotiating for 167 days. During this time, they have made progress on the wage front, having reached a reported “middle ground” with the Ford government and the Council of Trustees’ Associations (CTA) on wage negotiations.

CUPE workers had been advocating for a six per cent wage increase, down from their original ask of 11.7 per cent over four years. They are also seeking more full-time staff in schools.

Education Minister Stephen Lecce expressed “disappointment” that negotiations with CUPE have failed, noting that this strike notice was issued only a few days after talks restarted.

“We are disappointed that only a few short days after talks restarted, CUPE has filed notice to once again shut down classrooms. Since resuming talks, we’ve put forward multiple improved offers that would have added hundreds of millions of dollars across the sector, especially for lower-income workers,” he said in a Tweet. “CUPE has rejected all of these offers. We are at the table ready to land a fair deal that invests more in lower-income workers and keeps kids in class.”

We offered $335 million more over four years for CUPE workers alone.

So, why are we here? pic.twitter.com/QZFxQ8Iu9r

— Stephen Lecce (@Sflecce) November 16, 2022

Lecce says the government will remain at the bargaining table in hopes of reaching an agreement in time to avert what Walton said will be a “full strike.”

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

PRHC Reminds Public of Being Open 24/7 Amid Surging Patient Volumes

Despite patient volumes surging in hospitals across Ontario, the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) is reminding the public that it continues to operate 24/7 to provide life-saving care and support announced on Wednesday.

File Photo.

PRHC says they have been experiencing extremely high patient volumes – both adult and pediatric – and higher patient acuity. This is combined with ongoing staffing shortages and seasonal surges as colder weather moves in according to the PRHC. They are seeing a high number of pediatric patients with influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) specifically.

Anyone visiting the emergency department (ED) should expect longer-than-usual wait times aside from the most serious illnesses and conditions. Anyone considering coming to the ED is asked to assess online if their situation is an emergency or not:

• Individuals who are registered with a family physician/practitioner should seek non-urgent care through their office before coming to the hospital.

• Health Connect Ontario is a free, confidential service that is available by calling 811 or visiting the website. This service will replace Telehealth Ontario and provides 24/7 access to non-urgent health advice and information.

PRHC also says that pediatric hospitals across the province are cancelling surgeries as their ICUs continue to operate above capacity. They are ready to respond to direction from Ontario’s Critical Care COVID-19 Command Centre in order to support the healthcare system response to this surge of patients under the age of 18.

PRHC encourage parents to access these helpful resources to support them in taking care of their children as the shortage of pediatric acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil) products continues:

• https://www.ontariofamilyphysicians.ca/files/ocfp_actionsparentscantake.pdf

• https://www.pharmacists.ca/advocacy/issues/drug-shortages/childrens-medication-shortage/

Masks remain mandatory to access PRHC and anyone will be provided medical-grade masks at the main entrance and the Emergency Department entrance if needed.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Capra Toro Giving Away 72 Free Meals On Sunday To Those Needing a Helping Hand On Third Anniversary

UPDATED: 4:35 p.m. on 18/11/2022

Capra Toro is continuing their annual tradition of giving away 72 meals to those needing a helping hand in celebration of its third anniversary this Sunday.

Last year, the restaurant gave 24 meals for its second anniversary. Auto Connect Sales and J&L Services footed the bill for an extra 24 meals each respectively totalling 72. The latter has matched Capra Toro’s 24 meals as well as Mike's Tattoo & Piercing totalling 72 meals.

The restaurant is encouraging anyone to contact them through Facebook or Instagram to write a brief message to anyone deserving of a meal.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

40-Year-Old Man Taken Into Custody From Jackson's Park On Assault and Mischief Warrants

A 40-year-old man was taken into custody from Jackson’s Park after Peterborough Police Service received reports of a man in distress on Tuesday.

File Photo.

Police arrived at the park around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday and discovered the man had a knife and a small blow torch. He was wanted on warrants for assault and mischief in connection with domestic-related incidents.

Two hours later, the Mobile Crisis Intervention Team was able to safely take the man into custody under the Mental Health Act and he was taken to Peterborough Regional Health Centre.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Clarington Trustee Kevin MacKenzie Elected As PVNC School Board Chairperson

Clarington trustee Kevin MacKenzie has been elected as Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic District School Board chairperson for the 2022-23 term during the inaugural meeting at the Catholic Education Centre on Tuesday.

Photo courtesy of PVNC.

MacKenzie has served as a trustee for four years, having first been elected in the 2018 municipal election. He served as the board’s vice-chairperson from 2021 to 2022. 

“Since first being elected to the board of trustees in 2018, I have been consistently awed and inspired by what our students and staff can achieve when provided the opportunity to thrive,” said MacKenzie. “I am honoured to take on this new leadership role. I have long wished to serve and give back to my community and I look forward to working with my fellow trustees as we pursue the board’s mission to accompany our students and strive for excellence in Catholic education.”

During Tuesday’s inaugural board meeting, Peterborough County trustee Jenny Leahy was elected as the board’s vice-chairperson. Leahy, who retired from her 18-year career as an executive administrative assistant at PVNC in July 2021, joined the board of trustees in May 2022 as an appointee. She was re-elected to the position during this year’s municipal election on Oct. 24.

Newly elected trustees Mike Ayotte (Peterborough), Joshua Glover (Clarington), Mary Ann Martin (Kawartha Lakes) and Kathleen Tanguay (Northumberland) also joined the board table on Tuesday.  

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.