Peterborough Blogs
Peterborough Public Health Urges Public To Protect From Mosquito Bites After Confirmation of Virus Found From a Horse
/Peterborough Public Health (PPH) is reminding residents to protect themselves from mosquito bites following a positive horse case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus (EEEV) in the Peterborough region last week.
Stock photo.
This is the first equine case in our area and the sixth confirmed in Ontario this year according to PPH.
EEEV is transmitted to horses through mosquito bites, similar to West Nile Virus. Humans can also contract it from mosquitoes carrying the virus. It cannot acquire the virus from horses or other humans, only the bite of an infected mosquito. While human infection of EEEV is extremely rare, the symptoms can be severe and life-threatening.
Preventing Mosquito Bites:
Wear long-sleeved, light-coloured clothing, or special clothing (e.g., clothing treated with permethrin) designed to protect you from bugs
Use mesh screens and close routes of entry (e.g. windows, doors) to prevent mosquitoes from entering your home
Stay indoors during dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active
Use insect repellent containing DEET or icardin
Remove sources of stagnant/standing water from your property to prevent mosquito breeding
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Peterborough Theatre Guild's Next Production 'God of Carnage' to Run 10 Shows In Three-Week Span
/The Peterborough Theatre Guild has announced its next production, ‘God of Carnage’ which will run 10 shows in a three-week span.
Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Theatre Guild.
Shows are occurring on Sept. 29 and 30; Oct, 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13 and 14. Shows begin at 7:30 p.m. while matinees (Oct. 1 and 8) are at 2 p.m. at the Peterborough Theatre Guild.
God of Carnage is a winner of the 2009 Tony Award for Best Play. It is described as a comedy of manners without manners. Set in present-day New York City, it is the story of two couples who meet for the first time shortly after their respective sons have a nasty schoolyard tangle. At first, diplomatic niceties are observed but as the meeting progresses and the rum flows, tensions emerge and the gloves come off, leaving the couples with more than their liberal principles in tatters. the production was written by Yasmina Reza.
Tickets are $30 for adults, $27 for seniors and $22 for Students. They can be purchased online or by phone at (705) 745-4211.
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City of Peterborough Seeking Public Input For Rejuvenation of Dominion and Denne Park
/The City of Peterborough is asking residents to share their ideas on features for Dominion and Denne Parks with construction intended to start in spring or summer next year.
Photo courtesy of The City of Peterborough.
The plan to rejuvenate Denne Park, located at 210 Denne Cres. in Ashburnham Ward 4, and Dominion Park, located at 342 Dominion Cres. in Northcrest Ward 5, will identify new amenities based on the needs and desires of each of the neighbourhoods and the people who use the parks.
Residents can take part in the online survey and public drop-in session to help identify priorities for the rejuvenation of the park.
“Parks support the health and wellbeing of neighbourhoods by encouraging recreation, physical activity and socialization. Updated park amenities improve accessibility and connection with our green outdoor spaces,” said Councillor Lesley Parnell. “We need your help to ensure the upcoming enhancements meet the needs of each of these communities. Whether you are a family with young children or a senior who would enjoy spending time there, we want to hear from you.”
Dominion Park Consultation
Information on the Dominion Park rejuvenation and consultation opportunities are available on the City’s public engagement website Connect Peterborough at connectptbo.ca/Dominion-Park or by phone at 705-742-7777 ext.1829.
Public Information Meeting
A Public Drop-in Session will take place on Thursday, September 21, 2023 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the McDonnel Street Community Centre at 577 McDonnel St.
City staff will be available to answer questions and receive input about which amenities residents would like to see in the park.
Dominion Park Rejuvenation Survey
All individuals and families that use the park or live nearby are invited to complete an online survey through the City’s community consultation website at connectptbo.ca/Dominion-Park. The survey will allow participants to identify features they would like to see in the park and make suggestions to create an inclusive play environment. Paper copies of the survey will be available in the lobby at City Hall, 500 George St. N.
The survey will be open until 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 5. Once the survey has closed, an update summarizing the survey findings will be posted. Future information about the project and a concept plan will be updated on the Connect Peterborough project page as they come available.
Denne Park Consultation
Information on the Denne Park rejuvenation and consultation opportunities are available on the City’s public engagement website Connect Peterborough at connectptbo.ca/Denne-Park or by phone at 705-742-7777 ext.1829.
Public Information Meeting
A Public Drop-in Session will take place on Sept. 27 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Peterborough Naval Club at 24 Whitla St.
City staff will be available to answer questions and receive input about which amenities residents would like to see in the park.
Denne Park Rejuvenation Survey
All individuals and families that use the park or live nearby are invited to complete an online survey through the City’s community consultation website at connectptbo.ca/Denne-Park. The survey will allow participants to identify features they would like to see in the park and make suggestions to create an inclusive play environment. Paper copies of the survey will be available in the lobby at City Hall, 500 George St. N.
The survey will be open until 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 11. Once the survey has closed, an update summarizing the survey findings will be posted. Future information about the project and a concept plan will be updated on the Connect Peterborough project page as they come available.
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Peterborough City U14 Girls Defend Title As Back-to-Back Soccer Champions
/The Peterborough City U14 Girls of the Durham Region Soccer League have defended their championship, going back-to-back with a 3-1 win over Northumberland United on Tuesday.
Bottom Row (Left to Right): Lily Elizabeth Papageorge, Grace Plunkett, Kathryn Murphy, Ellie Lewington, Nia Spence, Charlotte Donaldson, Allie Hamilton
Top Row (Left to Right): Assistant Coach Nick Powers, Gabrielle Savoy, Brynne Bartleman, Payton Rogers, Elaina Wilson, Head Coach David Bartleman, Sydney Smith, Lily-May Borges, Bridgette Powers, Danica Bennett, Nora Staples, Assistant Coach Nicole Plunket Photo courtesy of David Bartleman.
The Peterborough U14 team captured their second-straight Tier 1 division title. Grace Plunkett struck twice for two scores and Charlotte Donaldson found the back of the net for Peterborough. Ellie Lewington kept the scoresheet low for her opponents as the goalkeeper, getting a league-leading eight shutouts on the season.
The team capped off an undefeated season of 12 wins and one draw.
The championship season saw the U14 girls have three top 10 goal-scorers in Plunkett (18), Danica Bennett (9) and Donaldson (9).
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City Council Amends By-Law To Allow Tenting On Wolfe Street Municipal Parking Lot
/After a City Council meeting on Aug. 5, the City of Peterborough’s Parks and Facilities by-law and Trespass by-law has been temporarily amended to temporarily allow tenting on the Wolfe Street municipal parking lot.
There are beds available within the City’s shelter system which includes 106 beds at four emergency shelters. Last week, there was an average of 40 beds available each night including 27 each night at the overflow shelter bed program. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
The lot is at the southeast corner of Aylmer and Wolfe Street where construction of a new Modular Bridge Housing community on the nearby Rehill Parking Lot is occurring.
Allowing tenting on the secondary parking lot at Aylmer and Wolfe Streets helps create a clear, safe work site for the construction of the Modular Bridge Housing community that will include 50 individual units for people experiencing homelessness according to the City.
Tenting remains prohibited on all other City properties, except Beavermead Campground when permitted.
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Careless Driving Charge Laid To Woman Allegedly In Connection to Three-Year-Old's Death From March 23 On Woodglade Boulevard
/The Peterborough Police Services Traffic Unit has charged a 43-year-old woman with careless driving in connection with a fatal collision on March 23 with the death of a three-year-old girl, announced on Wednesday morning.
FIle photo.
After a five-month investigation, the woman has been charged with:
Careless driving causing bodily harm or death (Highway Traffic Act - Careless driving causing bodily harm or death (130)(3) Every person is guilty of the offence of driving carelessly who drives a vehicle or street car on a highway without due care and attention or without reasonable consideration for other persons using the highway and who thereby causes bodily harm or death to any person. 2017, c. 26, Sched. 4, s. 17.)
They are scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 25.
Peterborough Police Service encourages all motorists to exercise due care and attention when on our roadways.
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Innovation Cluster Peterborough Announce Camila Duarte as New Executive Director
/Innovation Cluster Peterborough has appointed Camila Duarte as the organization’s new executive director after a decision from the board of directors announced on Wednesday morning.
Photo courtesy of Innovation Cluster.
Duarte has spent nine years in tech innovation, non-profit and customer-facing industries, coaching, relationship-building, and developing strategic initiatives across international centres in Melbourne, Australia, Montréal and Toronto according to a press release.
During her Innovation Cluster tenure, she pioneered initiatives that generated over $1 million in revenue growth, mentored more than 100 companies and fostered pivotal partnerships internationally and across Canada, including hubs in Manitoba, Vancouver, Guelph and Cape Breton as stated by Innovation Cluster.
“I am grateful to have had the opportunity to understand the Innovation Cluster from its grassroots,” said Duarte. “This provides me with a unique understanding of the entrepreneurial landscape in the regions we serve and what the organization needs to continue its history of driving growth and innovation.”
“Camila’s impressive track record, together with her entrepreneurial spirit and proven leadership skills, makes her the right candidate to lead the organization as a prominent and vibrant centre for the incubation of innovation,” said Nicole Stephenson, board chair. “Her dedication, resilience, and transformative vision are the skills that we require in a leader to achieve our ambitious goal to be a catalyst for building, attracting, nurturing, and retaining companies in the region.”
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Voice of Business: Driving Innovation in Canada
/
Guest column from the Chamber of Commerce of Brantford-Brant
Investing in innovation is key to a thriving economy.
The Chamber of Commerce of Brantford-Brant has a proposed policy resolution that will urge the federal government to expand and improve its investments in innovation. The resolution is a partnership with the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce and will be debated at the annual Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CCC) conference in October. If approved by the CCC membership, it becomes part of its advocacy efforts for the next three years.
The resolution:
Description
The federal government created an “Intellectual Property Strategy” to support and protect innovation across Canada. Improvements to the strategy must include an additional focus on federal investment and tax incentives, that will encourage business investment in intellectual property (IP) and innovation to improve productivity, economic growth, and incomes for Canadians.
Background
The “Intellectual Property Strategy” was an investment of $85.3 million over five years to help Canadian businesses, creators, entrepreneurs and innovators understand, protect and access intellectual property (IP) through a comprehensive IP Strategy. This strategy was announced in the 2017 budget with details released in the 2018 budget, and underwent a program review in the spring of 2023, with the results pending to be published.
In the Roadmap to Recovery document, the Canadian Chamber makes the following recommendation as an important step in nurturing recovery: “Adopting an “innovation box” regime that would reduce the corporate tax rate for income derived from patented inventions and other intellectual property connected to new or improved products, services and related innovative processes developed in Canada.”
The Intellectual Property Strategy has goals and recommendations in three areas: IP Awareness, Education and Advice; Strategic IP Tools for Growth; and IP Legislation. Recommendations within these areas lack information about the cost of potential investments.
In 2019-2020, $30M was slated to establish a pilot program called the “Patent Collective”. The collective will work with Canadian entrepreneurs to pool patents so that small and medium-sized firms will have better access to critical IP they need to grow in the early stages without fear of infringing on a patent. The budget refers to this program as providing these businesses with the “freedom to operate.” Program entry was limited to the first year, and applications closed after one year.
This strategy is still in its infancy and Canada remains 16th in innovation overall in the Global IP Rankings in 2023. The Index consists of five key sets of indicators to map the national intellectual property environment for the 28 surveyed countries by the US Chamber of Commerce.
Canada's support to businesses in this space lags behind the offerings of other countries that are ranked above Canada on this list. One of those differences is a “patent box” tax approach. A number of countries (the U.K., Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Hungary, Ireland, Switzerland and China) have adopted this approach which sharply reduces the normal corporate tax rate on income derived from the exploitation of patents. The Netherlands widened the policy to an “innovation box” to encompass a broader class of intellectual property.
The various “patent box” programs have been implemented provincially in Canada, but not yet adapted at the federal level. British Columbia has had a tax policy in place since 2006, Quebec included the patent box policy in its 2016 budget, and has recently updated it to maintain a 2 per cent reduction in the corporate income rate for R&D activities carried out in whole or in part in the province, and Saskatchewan announced patent box tax policy in its 2017 budget, and recently updated it to include a 10-15-year eligibility window.
The reference to “box” comes from having to tick a box on the tax form that indicates this type of revenue is being claimed. The types of profits that qualify for the lower tax rate, and how acquired intellectual property is treated, differ significantly among countries and provinces.
Additionally, the “patent box” rate varies considerably among nations and provinces. Finally, some countries put caps on the total tax relief companies can receive from patent boxes. In the case of Saskatchewan, the provincial government has installed time limits on the number of years of tax relief that can be attached to a patent.
In the 2021 Federal Budget, the government committed to study a national patent box program; however, this study has not yet started. The Parliamentary Budget Officer found that a Patent Box program to reduce the corporate tax rate by half to 7.5 per cent for large corporations and 4.5 per cent for small business, applied to profits generated from R&D developed and patented in Canada, would cost $242 million over five years. This investment in a national incentive will improve international competitiveness, support business investment in research and help bridge the commercialization gap between concept, patent, and delivery to market, by supporting new economic activity and tax revenue to offset the immediate expenditures of the proposal. The government could also apply the savings that will be realized from streamlining the SR&ED tax incentive program to offset all the immediate revenue cost of this proposal, and complement the existing SR&ED Investment Tax Credit program— firms would have an incentive to base their R&D activities in Canada and to commercialize them in Canada.
The federal “Innovation Strategy” also has a goal to double the number of high-growth firms in Canada from 14,000 to 28,000 by 2025. High-growth firms are the most likely to innovate, sell globally and invest in people creating more and better paying jobs. A secondary goal is to achieve growth in intellectual property applications and have these companies base their R&D and commercialize their innovation in Canada.
A federal “My First Patent Program” could help achieve this. Quebec funds such a program with the following parameters: Quebec SMEs with 250 or fewer employees that are able to demonstrate research and development efforts completed or in part can apply for a non-repayable contribution of up to 50% of eligible expenses, to a maximum of $25,000 for patent application projects, industrial design registration or integrated circuit topography.
This policy resolution was renewed at the 2017 and 2020 national conventions, and it continues to propose key solutions to help Canadian businesses develop and protect IP.
Recommendations
That the Government of Canada:
Complete the study on a national “patent box” strategy to encourage business investment in innovation in Canada by 2025, to be implemented for 2026.
Consult with senior business leaders and technologists to define what intellectual property would qualify, e.g., patents, copyright, industrial design, and for what duration.
Ensure that any such regime adopted in Canada delivers the clarity and simplicity that encourages participation in innovation from both SMEs and large companies.
Develop a federal program modelled after the “My First Patent Program” using the Quebec model as a template to encourage more investment by SMEs across the country.
Review the Patent Collective Program and update funding to meet the needs of new potential innovators.
Content provided by the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce.
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Downtown Youth Space Launching Next Tuesday
/Downtown Youth Space (DYS) will kick off programming for the 2023/2024 school year on Tuesday as announced by The City of Peterborough
Photo courtesy of The City of Peterborough.
DYS is a free drop-in program for anyone 12 to 18 years of age, offering supervised recreational programming by the City of Peterborough’s Recreation Division. It is located at 201 McDonnel St., inside PACE at the former PCVS school in downtown Peterborough.
Hours of operation are every Tuesday to Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. from Tuesday to June 21 next year.
“I am proud the City continues to offer this important, safe, fun, free welcoming space and opportunities for our youth,” said Councillor Lesley Parnell. “Easily accessible to not only downtown youth but all youth via active transportation or transit.”
DYS offers the following programming:
Free wi-fi and snacks
Pool table, foosball, air hockey, ping-pong
Crafts, sports, board games
Special events
Access to laptops and printers
PlayStation, Wii, Xbox 360
Homework help after school
Help with creating a resume and applying for jobs
Sports program Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
