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Peterborough Lakers Fall Behind In MSL Final Series With 11-6 Loss to Six Nations Chiefs At Home
/The Drive for Five gets a little harder to reach as the Peterborough Lakers find themselves in a 2-0 series deficit after losing to the Six Nations Chiefs 11-6 at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Thursday night.
Photo courtesy of the Peterborough lakers.
Six Nations came into town and made a statement early. They scored the first three goals of the period in 3:01 thanks to Ben McIntosh, Liam Leclair, and Larson Sundown.
It took the powerplay to get Peterborough on the board as Eli McLaughlin scored his team-leading 13th goal of the playoffs to make it a 3-1 game.
The teams kept trading goals until the end of the period including Taite Cattoni’s fifth of the playoffs for the Lakers as Peterborough found themselves trailing 5-2 after the first.
The second period saw even scoring from both sides with Six Nations striking first with a pair of goals from Brendan Bomberry on the power play and Eric Fannell.
Peterborough scored a pair of goals as Kiel Matisz tried to turn the momentum with a shorthanded goal. Cattoni got his second goal of the game and the lead margin remained the same with three at the end of the period, 7-4.
The Lakers were first to strike in the third period as Thomas Hoggarth opened things up less than five minutes into the frame. Six Nations kept matching goals with Peterborough and easily kept up.
The period’s first four goals were alternated between teams. However, after Six Nations scored their second goal of the period, they ran away with the game, scoring another pair of goals including a power play goal from league MVP Lyle Thompson.
The Chiefs walked out of Peterborough with an 11-6 win and extend their series lead 2-0 in a best-of-seven. This is a familiar position the Lakers have found themselves in at the 2019 MSL finals and last year’s Mann Cup championship.
“Nobody wants to see us win a fifth Mann Cup,” said Cattoni. “This is a veteran group. We’ve won four Mann Cups. We were down 2-0 in the Mann Cup last year. We have complete belief that we can get back again.”
The Lakers are going to try and avoid a three-game series deficit as they head to the Iroquois Lacrosse Arena for Game Three on Monday.
Voice of Business: What do Low Housing Starts Mean?
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This week’s Voice is Business is a guest column from the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Home Builders Association (PKHBA)
Housing starts are an indicator of growth and prosperity in a community. A housing start is a foundation poured at the beginning of the construction period. Starts are measured per dwelling unit, so a 3-floor apartment building with 12 units would be recorded as 12 starts and a single-family home is one start. A house or apartment building could take six to 18 months to build. Once it is move-in ready, it is recorded as a New Home Completion.
Starts were low in 2022, with only 198 starts in the City of Peterborough and 155 starts in the County of Peterborough. However, from January to June 2023, the City and County of Peterborough had 70 starts. This number is alarmingly low for our population of over 130,000. Furthermore, the Ontario Provincial government has set a target of 9,300 new homes to be built from 2021-2031 in the City & County of Peterborough. So far, there have been 423 of those homes built.
While these numbers are cyclical and the causal factors behind what makes starts in any one year, or series of years, higher or lower are complex and multi-faceted, PKHBA sees two key factors responsible for the unusually low starts.
The first is economic circumstances. These include the current high-interest rates and subsequently low affordability, as well as a poor economic outlook, which are influencing buyers’ behaviours and developers' decisions about future projects.
The second is extremely prolonged delays within the development approval process portion of a housing project’s life span.
In regards to the macro-economic environment, Canada has just undergone an unprecedented interest rate hiking cycle which saw the cost of borrowing money go from nearly 1%, all the way up to around 6 per cent. This has had a massive effect on not only new home buyers’ purchasing power but also the sentiment for the economic forecast.
Such an environment bakes a mentality of uncertainty into the market, where buyers are scared to purchase a home not only because they are uncertain what their monthly cost of ownership will be on a go-forward basis, but also for fear that prices may see a further decline.
Subsequently, developers lose confidence in starting new projects. Whether such projects are as small as a single speculative residential home, or a 30+ unit condo development, not only are their costs of completing and holding this project uncertain, but also the timeline they may have to hold it for, and the price they may ultimately receive for the product is uncertain as the pricing trend over the last 12 months has been negative.
In concert, there is a situation where buyers are hesitant to buy, and builders can become hesitant to build.
And yet, most other mid-sized cities in the province are subjected to the same economic circumstances and are outperforming Peterborough in terms of new housing starts by a great margin.
Comparing the City & County of Peterborough (CMA) to neighbouring communities of similar size, the housing starts are low. The City of Kawartha Lakes outperformed Peterborough in 2022 with 563 starts compared to Peterborough CMA’s 353 starts. In 2023 Kawartha Lakes continues this strong trend with 312 starts in the first half of the year compared to Peterborough CMA’s 70.
More examples would be from Belleville which has a population of just over 110,000 and had 192 starts so far in 2023, Kingston has a population of 172,500 and had 318 starts, and Guelph has a population of 165,500 and had 774 starts so far in 2023.
Why are these other cities building while the Peterborough area is not?
We believe the answer lies in the compounding effect of many years of development application review and approval delays. Builders have little incentive to lower their prices in our current environment to sell off products on their remaining available lots; not only because there is little competition forcing them to do so, but also because they will have nowhere to go next, no next development to put their construction machine to work on.
Additionally, the unnecessarily lengthy and complicated process of getting approvals for large development projects has reduced competitiveness in our area, as developers and builders opt to focus their efforts elsewhere. The City of Kawartha Lakes has seen many new developers begin large projects over the past few years, resulting in increased housing starts in 2022 & 2023. Kawartha Lakes Council made economic development a priority in 2016 as part of its new Strategic Plan.
These low housing start numbers in Peterborough all lead to lower numbers of housing units available, feeding the housing crisis and housing affordability crisis.
However, PKHBA feels a strong resolve in working towards solving these issues because as the statistics make clear, the need for change is urgent.
Content provided by the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce.
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Stabbing Incident Results In Man Taken Into Custody; Victim Suffered Non-Life-Threatening Injuries
/One man is in custody after an alleged stabbing incident at a residence on Thursday morning.
At roughly 8:07 a.m., officers were called to the Sherbrooke Street and Park Place area. They learned upon arrival that one man suffered a non-life-threatening stab wound. He was taken to Peterborough Regional Health Centre, was treated and released.
A member of the K9 unit was called in and successfully tracked a man in the area of Park Street and Parnell Street and took him into custody.
The investigation is ongoing and the police have no further details at this time according to a press release.
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Lang Pioneer Village to Hold Corn Roast On Aug. 27.
/Join the harvest season as the Corn Roast at Lang Pioneer Village Museum is happening on Aug. 27 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Lang Pioneer Village.
The family-friendly day has historic demonstrations, live music, and plenty of fire-cooked corn. Tour with a free horse-drawn wagon ride and tour the historic village.
The village will teach visitors how corn was used back then with examples such as corn bread, popcorn, dried corn, corn soups, and corn relish in the Fitzpatrick House, and sample some Johnny cake with maple syrup in the Milburn House.
The village will have demonstrations including threshing, bagging, fanning mill and corn grinding.
Traditional music is being performed by Lotus and Luke from the Weaver Shop porch.
A corn-on-the-cob eating contest taking place on the Village Green. Corn crafts and corn hole by the Ayotte Cabin are some activities that will be run.
Admission is $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors (60+), $7 for youths (ages 5-14) and free for children under five. Family admission is also available for $40 and includes two adults and up to four youths (ages 5-14). Visitors may purchase admission in advance via the Museum’s online shop but advance purchase is not required.
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Heritage Park Officially Opens to the Public In Peterborough's North End
/The City of Peterborough and its families rejoiced as they celebrated the official opening of Heritage Park on Thursday at 560 Settlers Ridge on Thursday afternoon.
One-year-old Cooper Adams (left) is enjoying the swings with his father James (right) the opening day of Heritage Park at 560 Settlers Ridge. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
The park is located at 560 Settlers Ridge and includes a playground with swings, a basketball half-court, seating areas, a walking trail and asphalt walkways.
“Neighbourhood parks contribute to healthy, thriving neighbourhoods. The opening of this park will help meet the recreational and wellbeing needs of the people in the community,” said Councillor Dave Haacke.
The project was supported through the City’s Parkland Development Assistance Program, Tollington Fund and Accessibility Fund according to the City of Peterborough.
“The new playground equipment, basketball half court and accessible features throughout the park will ensure that families will continue to enjoy the park for years to come,” said Councillor Andrew Beamer."
“Park by park, we are working to improve outdoor spaces for Peterborough residents of all ages,” said Councillor Lesley Parnell. “Having good park amenities enhances the quality of life for everyone from babies in strollers, to school-aged kids, right through to seniors.”
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Junior Achievement Receives $172,500 As Skills Development Fund From the Provincial Government
/The Ontario government has invested $172,500.00 in Junior Achievement of Northern and Eastern Ontario (JA NEO) to help students engage with information and pilot programs to cultivate interest and education in skilled trades at the Peterborough Truss & Floor on Thursday morning.
Youth under the JA Neo program developed their own business ‘Fresh Picked Feats’ that sells locally-grown vegetables and had their products showcased during the press conference. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
The money helps JA NEO educate and help students understand the importance of skilled trades. Kids will work with community and business leaders to help youth understand and activate their potential for the jobs of tomorrow by extending their programs and focus on skilled trades for full-time students.
“There was always going to be a demand for somebody in skilled trades. It doesn't matter what the economy is doing, we need plumbers, we need electricians, we need carpenters because these are all things we use on a daily basis” explained Dave Smith, Peterborough-Kawartha MPP. “It not only provides a job but a career path for your entire life.”
“Explore other opportunities that are out there. Not all trades jobs are dirty,” said John McNutt, JA Neo president and CEO. “It's a different world out there and just ask them to take a look.”
The youth also will be involved in JA NEO’s World of Choices Program to be exposed to potential career paths, understanding day-to-day tasks in a variety of careers while learning about and challenging the myths surrounding them.
They can also learn how to organize and operate a business related to a very important sector of our economy.
“Having programs like this available to our youth will set them on a path to be able to prosper in the future,” said Smith. “Ontario’s skilled trades are vital to the growth of the economy and our government’s ‘Plan to Build’, offering careers that lead to secure jobs and a good quality life.”
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Hometown PTBO: Peterborough Petes Forward Owen Beck About Winning the OHL Championship and Future With the Montréal Canadiens
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This week on Hometown PTBO, Pete Dalliday talks with Peterborough Petes forward Owen Beck about his golf game, reflecting on the OHL Championship run with the Petes and his future with the Montréal Canadiens.
Photos: Big Wreck Returns to Peterborough Musicfest To Rock Del Crary Park
/After five years since their last performance at Peterborough Musicfest, Big Wreck returned to town to rock a full Del Crary Park on Wednesday night.
Big Wreck frontman and guitarist Ian Thornley joked with the audience after their opening song about rocking and seating preference.
“These people want to rock and the rest want to just… Chill. And if I had the choice, I would pick… The chair. But I respect your choice,” joked Thornley.
The band played fan favourites such as That Song, Ghosts and Bombs Away. They even played Come Again from other band ‘Thornley’ after the Big Wreck split up in 2003. The band returned after receiving chants of an encore from the elated crowd and finished off their set with The Oaf (My Luck Is Wasted).
An autographed acoustic guitar by Ian Thornley was put up for raffle during the concert and was given to a lucky winner at the end of the night.
Things To Do In-and-Around Peterborough This Weekend; Aug. 18-21
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Here are some things to do in Peterborough City and County this weekend from Aug. 18 - 21!
4th Line Theatre Presents: The Cavan Blazers
Millbrook’s 4th Line Theatre presents ‘The Cavan Blazers,’ 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.
When: Aug. 18 to 19, 6 p.m.
Where: 4th Line Theatre, Millbrook
Tickets: Youth (5-16), $45 and Adults, $50
Live Harness Racing at Kawartha Downs
See horses and drivers in the sulkies race around a five-eighths mile track at Kawartha Downs. Bet on your favourite horses and enjoy the dining experience while you see the horses circle the track.
When: Aug. 19, 7 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Where: Kawartha Downs
Tickets: Free
HunTer Fondo
We are excited to invite you to join us for an unforgettable ride in memory of John Hunter, a beloved local cycling enthusiast who passed away in 2021. John was a local legend, known and loved far beyond our community for his dedication to cycling and the Peterborough Cycling Club (PCC). To honour his memory, we’re organizing The HunTer Fondo, an event that aims to bring together 250 local and regional riders for a great cause.
Funds raised from this event will support Peterborough Regional Hospital Centre, Campbellford Memorial Hospital, and Peterborough Cycling Club. We’ve designed three routes for cyclists of all levels: the 40K Trial Heaven Ride, 65K Frappe le Rue and the thrilling 125K “It’s going to be a fun ride.” All rides will start and finish at Ashburnham Memorial Park, followed by a BBQ and social at the Heritage Pavilion at the museum.
The Hunter Fondo’s 2023 support of the Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation & Campbellford Memorial Hospital (CMH) will help shape the future of cardiac care in our region – expanding cardiac services at PRHC to empower world-class treatment, close to home.
Let’s come together to celebrate John’s legacy and support these important causes. We can’t wait to see you there!
When: Aug. 19, 6 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Ashburnham Memorial Park
Registration: $75-$85
Peterborough Folk Festival
