Local Office Supply Business Brant Basics Expands With New Furniture Showroom Space

The new showroom floor is open for Brant Basics as they had a ribbon-cutting ceremony of their new furniture showroom during an open house on Thursday.

(from left to right) Susan Sharp, Brant Basics Co-Owner, Marketing & New Business; Sarah Budd, Chamber of Commerce; Mayor Jeff Leal, Terry Guiel, CHamber of Commerce; MOrris Cox and David Cox, Brant Basics Co-owner during the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the new showroom space located on the upper floor of the building. Photo by Brad Wood.

It showcases a range of furniture, office appliances, employee work space and more. The open house was originally scheduled for Dec. 15 but was postponed due to weather concerns.

Brant Basics celebrated its 58th year in business last year. The showroom was a way to help employees be excited about working in the office building again after working from home for several months from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We could really show employers to invest in their spaces to make them attractive and make them more attractive for when the employees do return to their workspace,” said Jeff Cox, Brant Basics president and co-owner.

Cox mentioned that lots of new technology for workspaces, offices and at home wanted to be a focal point of the showroom and its look had to replicate the modern products they wanted to sell.

“It was due for a facelift,” he said. “We wanted to showcase more Canadian product, made in Ontario. We wanted to have more space to focus on that and show a lot of the newer products that have some out now to help out with collaboration in the workspace.”

Brant Basics has operated since 1964 and is a second-generation store. It employs roughly 20 people at their downtown Peterborough location on 296 George St.

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Hometown PTBO: Owen Beck Joining the Peterborough Petes and Winning a Gold Medal at the World Juniors

This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday talks with newly acquired Peterborough Petes player Owen Beck about how it feels to play for a hometown team, family ties in and around Peterborough and his World Juniors experience winning a gold medal.

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Peterborough's Shawn Evans Scores His 1,300 Career NLL Point

Peterborough and Vancouver Warriors’ Shawn Evans has reached his 1,300th career National Lacrosse League point after scoring five points against the San Diego Seals on Saturday.

File Photo.

He got his milestone point by assisting Keegan Bal’s goal 6:56 into the fourth period. He made the primary assist, leading Bal with a pass just in front of the crease. Bal was able to beat Christopher Origlieri over the top for Vancouver’s 10th goal of the game.

Evans’s had two goals and three assists for five points putting him exactly at 1,300 career NLL points. He is sixth in all-time NLL points scored with 459 goals (tied 9th all-time with Mark Steenhuis) and 841 assists (fifth all-time).

The Warriors were unable to seal a win, losing to San Diego 16-11.

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Peterborough Petes Host To Auction Special Jerseys For Pride Night This Saturday

Rainbows are filling the Peterborough Memorial Centre (PMC) this Saturday as the Peterborough Petes and Sport A Rainbow are hosting Pride Night with a specially-designed jersey auction announced on Thursday.

Peterborough Petes staff, Scotiabank representatives and Rose Powers (third from left) unveiling the pride jersey. Scotiabank is primary sponsor of Pride night for Saturday’s game. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The Petes are wearing the jerseys in support of the 2SLGBTQI+ community at Saturday’s game. All proceeds of the jersey auctions go towards Sport A Rainbow and take place in the PMC lobby after the game.

Rose Powers, operator and founder of Sport A Rainbow helped design the jersey that includes waved flags by a silhouetted crowd on the bottom. She said that the plan for the jersey was not to just have rainbow colours but to be able to tell a story.

“The first thing I thought of was flags because people who want to feel included in part of the 2SLGBTQI+ community, they also want to have their own representation,” said Powers. “The two-spirit Indigenous queer flag is the beginning of that. It actually was here before we had our traditional Pride flag. We want to make sure youth know that they're seen, you're recognized and we're standing with you.”

Sport A Rainbow strives to encourage everyone to be respectful and kind to each other in spite of anyone’s differences according to a press release.

“I think that visibility is so important and I love that the Petes are willing to stand up and make change,” said Powers. “I hope that everybody comes out to see what the Petes have done to make this an important and Prideful night.”

The Petes Pride Night game is Saturday against the Niagara IceDogs at 7:05 p.m.

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Fog Advisory Issued for Peterborough and Surrounding Areas

Environment Canada has issued a fog advisory for Peterborough and surrounding areas 11 a.m. Thursday.

stock photo.

Environment Canada is calling for rain showers into the afternoon Thursday, with a few flurries beginning around noon. Areas of dense fog are expected to continue into the afternoon, bringing near-zero visibility in some areas. Environment Canada warns those travelling to be prepared while driving, and to slow down, watch for tail lights ahead and be prepared to stop abruptly.

2 to 4 centimetres of snowfall are expected later in the afternoon Thursday, with a wind chill of minus 8 are into the evening and overnight.

On Friday, another 2 to 4 centimetres of snow is expected, with temperatures staying steady at - 3. A low of - 10 is expected in the evening on Friday with a 40 per cent chance of flurries.

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U14 Peterborough Petes Take Home Gold in Aurora Hockey Tournament

The U14 Mader Property Maintenance AA Peterborough Petes secured the gold at the 52nd annual Aurora minor hockey tournament over the weekend.

Photo courtesy of Craig Meredith.

In their first game, the Mader Property Maintenance boys played the Toronto Royals. Peterborough entered the third period down 2-1 but mounted the comeback, scoring three unanswered goals for a 4-2 win.

Their second game against the Aurora Tigers had the Petes down 2-1. The latter willed back into the game with a late third-period goal just 25 seconds after Aurora took the lead with the teams, ending in a 2-2 tie.

In the third of the tournament’s games, the Petes took on the Ottawa Sting. Peterborough held a lead late into the third period but an unfortunate bounce off a Petes player tied the game and eventual final score of 2-2.

The Petes faced off against the London Knights in their fourth game. The 2-1 score for the Knights eventually jumped to 5-1 as some penalty problems troubled the Petes in the third period resulting in the team’s first loss of the tournament but made the playoffs anyhow.

Their semifinal playoff match saw an immediate rematch against the Knights. The Petes got revenge for their prior loss, keeping their penalty troubles in check and securing the 2-1 win into the finals.

“Great effort all around from top to bottom as Peterborough put the (earlier Knights game) result behind them and played a full game,” said Craig Meredith, assistant coach. “Coaches (are) so proud.”

In the finals, the Petes had a good start, leading 1-0 against the Flamborough Sabres going into the second period. Peterborough rode their momentum in a big way, scoring five goals against the Sabres for a 6-0 lead. The Sabres’ fighting spirit was valiant, scoring two goals late in the third period but ultimately fell short of the wide margin and Peterborough came out as champions with a 6-2 win.

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4th line Theatre Holding Auditions For Two Upcoming Summer Productions On Feb. 4

4th Line Theatre is holding auditions for two of their summer productions, D’Arcy Jenish’s ‘The Tilco Strike’ and Robert Winslow’s ‘The Cavan Blazers’ announced on Wednesday.

Cast members from Alex Poch-Goldin's The Great Shadow in 2022. Photo courtesy of Wayne Eardley and 4th Line Theatre.

Auditions and interviews are held at The Theatre on King located on 171 King St. (entrance at the back of the building) on Feb. 4 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Meetings are conducted based on the order of arrival. Prior acting experience is not required. The Theatre encourages those with limited acting experience but has an interest to consider auditioning.

“Volunteers have been the cornerstone of 4th Line Theatre’s creative activities for 30 years since its inception in 1992,” said Kim Blackwell, managing artistic director. “This is where the community and art meet. This is a real opportunity to express yourself, learn and grow and join our team.”

Cast members from Ian McLachlan and Robert Winslow's Crow Hill: The Telephone Play of 2018. Photo courtesy of Wayne Eardley and 4th Line Theatre.

The Tilco Strike is written by D’Arcy Jenish and is directed by Cynthia Ashperger.

It recounts the year-long fight between 35 poorly paid women and their hard-nosed male bosses at Tilco Plastics in Peterborough who were determined to crush the women and their union according to 4th Line Theatre The strike began in December 1965 over a $25 bonus and escalated into an epic battle between organized labour and strike-breaking employers. The women lost their fight but changed labour relations in Ontario forever.

Cast members from Robert Winslow's The Cavan Blazers in 2011. Photo courtesy of Wayne Eardley and 4th Line Theatre.

The Cavan Blazers was written by Robert Winslow and directed by Kim Blackwell. 

It is a gritty, intense play that has the audience on the edge of its seat from start to finish. This drama chronicles the religious conflict between Catholic and Protestant Irish settlers in Cavan Township in the early to mid-nineteenth century. Violence erupts when a Protestant vigilante gang known as the Cavan Blazers tries to stop a Catholic settlement from being established as stated by a press release.

Any questions about auditions can be directed to 4th Line Theatre’s artistic administrator Emma Hale at 705-932-4505 or emma@4thlinetheatre.on.ca.

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Former Peterborough Pete Declan Chisholm Selected to AHL All-Star Classic

Former Peterborough Petes defenceman and Manitoba Moose’s Declan Chisholm is headed to Laval, Que. as he was selected to the American Hockey League’s (AHL) All-Star Classic announced on Wednesday.

The Manitoba Moose is the AHL farm team of the NHL’s Winnepeg Jets. Chisholm played two NHL games with the Jets during the 2021-22 season. Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

The two-day event takes place from Feb. 5 to 6 with the skills competition on the first day and a three-on-three round-robin tournament on the second.

Each division has 12 players with rosters determined by committees consisting of coaches and all 32 teams are represented by at least one All-Star. Chisholm is the only member of the Moose selected.

The Bowmanville-born defenceman has the second-most points with the Moose with three goals and 19 assists for 22 points in 30 games this season. He was a 2018 fifth-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets. Chisholm has 14 goals and 51 assists for 65 career AHL points in 111 games.

He spent three seasons with the Petes from 2017-20 playing 173 regular-season games. He scored 21 goals and 116 assists for 137 points while tacking on another two goals and two assists in five playoff games in 2019.

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PTBOCanada Featured Post: Explore PTBO With Patrick McAuley; Quaker Foods City Square

PTBOCanada Featured Post: Explore PTBO With Patrick McAuley; Quaker Foods City Square

Sponsored post by Patrick McAuley Group

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Local Service Clubs Launch ‘We Can’t Wait’ Campaign for Campbellford Memorial Hospital Redevelopment

Various local service clubs have launched the ‘We Can’t Wait’ campaign, supporting the redevelopment of the Campbellford Memorial Hospital (CMH) as part of a larger Campus of Care.

In Oct. 2021, Campbellford Memorial Hospital announced that local farmer Jim Curle had donated nearly 50 acres of land for the proposed redevelopment of the hospital. Photo courtesy of Campbellford memorial hospital.

In addition to a new hospital, the proposed development will also contain a new Long-Term Care home, a Community Mental Health Clinic, the Geriatric Assessment and Intervention Network and future plans for supportive senior housing.

With various plans to build a new hospital talked about for decades and formal negotiations with the Province nearing the ten-year mark, executive director of the Campbellford Memorial Hospital Foundation John Russell has seen his share of starts and stops when it comes to redevelopment in his ten years with CMH.

“It really feels different this time. We have the land secured, we have partnerships in place, a local Long-Term Care home ready to redevelop alongside us, and even leadership donors who are beginning to indicate their financial support,” said Russell. “Local governments across the region have expressed their support, we’ve really never been this prepared to move to the next step.”

That next step, CMH says, involves securing a planning grant and the Provincial Government’s approval to move the project forward. Although the approval will not only provide the funds required to plan and design the new facility, it will provide the needed regulatory authorization.

“Simply put, we’ve gone as far as we can without that planning grant,” Russell continued.

photo courtesy of CMH.

Lawn signs in support of CMH can be seen throughout Trent Hills and the Kawarthas, directing residents to visit the CMH website to learn how they can help support the redevelopment process and join the We Can’t Wait campaign.

“We’ve always been huge supporters of the hospital,” said president of the Rotary Club of Campbellford Dave Sharp. “We wanted to find a way to help and right now what we need most is to show the Provincial Government that our community is behind this project one hundred percent.”

Sharp and the Campbellford Rotary Club are one of the local service clubs behind the We Can’t Wait campaign.

This sentiment was echoed by president of the Campbellford Lions Club Don May. The Lions have also shown their support behind the campaign.

“We wanted to do what we could to support this project. The proposed redevelopment will be a huge benefit to our community and everyone who lives here,” said May. “Our population continues to grow, continues to age, and we need this project approved now.”

Neighbouring Rotary Clubs in Stirling-Rawdon and Brighton are also supporting the campaign, and CMH says We Can’t Wait signs will soon start popping up in those communities.

photo courtesy of CMH.

A recent analysis of CMH showed that over the next ten years the hospital will need between $25 and $30 million in renovations and repairs to keep the facility up to current standards, and even if approval of a planning grant comes, it will still take up to seven years until a new facility is ready to open.

Over the past year Public Health has closed admission at the hospital twice during COVID-19 outbreaks as the hospital lacks the infrastructure to maintain private rooms and meet modern outbreak control standards. CMH says certain parts of the facility are 70 years old and as a result lack the accessibility, technology and patient flow designs that would typically be found at newer hospitals.

“It really comes down to one of two things; do you continue to spend money maintaining a limited facility, or do you invest that money to build a modern, state of the art hospital that will be able to recruit top talent and continue to provide the exemplary care our community needs,” explained Russell.

Residents who wish to learn more or get involved with the We Can’t Wait campaign can visit the website.

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