Free Senior Skating Available At Ennismore Community Centre After Township Acquires Two Sponsors

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Free senior skating is back at the Ennismore Community Centre after Selwyn Township acquired Swish Maintenance and Blue Diamond Window Cleaning as sponsors.

File photo.

Senior Skating occurs every Monday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Ennismore Community Centre for everyone aged 55+. The first sponsored skate takes place on Monday and runs through March 25.

Full skating schedules including public, parent and tot, and drop-in youth shinny hockey can be found online.

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Petes Rally From Five-Goal Deficit to Defeat Rival Oshawa Generals 6-5 in Overtime; Owen Beck Scores Hat Trick In Comeback

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Owen Back helped the Peterborough Petes rally a huge comeback with a hat trick to defeat the Oshawa Generals 6-5 in overtime after overcoming a five-goal deficit at the Tribute Communities Centre on Sunday night.

The Petes Lead the East Division with 28 points, five ahead of the next-leading Ottawa 67’s. Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

The Petes had arguably their worst period of the season in the first, allowing five consecutive goals from the Generals. Beckett Sennecke scored the first two in 1:26 of the game, Calum Ritchie sniped one past Liam Sztuska and Rasmus Kumpulainen had back-to-back goals for Oshawa — including a power play goal — to cap off a five-goal period for the Generals heading into the second.

The Petes subbed in Zach Bowen in relief of Sztuska to start the second period. Peterborough broke the shutout as Beck rifled one from the point to make it 5-1. Peterborough got on the power play minutes later and Beck one-timed it from outside the faceoff circle near the point to make it 5-2. Peterborough kept up the pressure as seconds after a Petes power play expired, Samuel Mayer cross-ice pass to Jax Dubois, who buried a one-timer in front of the net, beating Generals goaltender Jacob Oster for a 5-3 game.

The Petes leaned on Beck again to close the gap. Donovan McCoy saw his point shot get saved but Beck got the rebound and sniped it home for a hat trick on the power play, giving the Petes a one-goal deficit. Peterborough forced a turnover in the defensive zone and started a rush into the Generals’s zone. Samuel Mayer got a pass in the neutral zone, took it past the blue line and slapped it past Oster to tie the game up.

In overtime, the Generals were in the offensive zone but Dylan Roobroeck broke his stick on a shot attempt and turned the puck over. While he was getting a new twig, the Petes had an odd-man rush with Beck and McCoy. The latter opted for a wraparound attempt but was stopped by an Oshawa defender. McCoy’s second attempt went in and Peterborough escaped Oshawa with a win.

The win capped off three straight wins in consecutive days to mark the perfect road trip, beating North Bay and Sudbury prior to Oshawa. Peterborough scored 19 goals during that three-game span.

The Petes return home at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Thursday in a showdown against the Windsor Spitfires. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

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Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1320 Members Ratify New Agreement

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Peterborough Transit employees — represented by Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1320 — voted 86.5 per cent in favour of ratifying a three-year agreement reached with the City of Peterborough on Friday.

File Photo.

“Given this fantastic news, Peterborough Transit, one of the most value-creating services for residents, will continue to operate normally as expected on Monday,” said Jasbir Raina, City CAO. “My sincere appreciation and congratulations to the ATU Local 1320 Executive Committee and members, as well as the City’s bargaining team, for their hard work, commitment and true sense of belonging for our community to make it possible. Our front-line service delivery workers are the true value-creating leaders and brand ambassadors for the City.”

City Council will hold a ratification vote as soon as possible according to a press release.

The parties had been negotiating a new agreement since May last year

ATU Local 1320 represents 103 full-time and roughly 20 part-time employees with the City of Peterborough.

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Popular Bubble Tea Franchise 'Chatime' Hosts Grand Opening In Peterborough's North End

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Peterborough’s newest entrepreneur Kanza Ghzanfar started her week-long grand opening of the popular bubble tea franchise Chatime in the north end of town on Friday.

Kanza Ghzanfar (left) with her brother Zaeem Ghzanfar (right) during Chatime’s first day of business. Their father owns the neighbouring Osmow’s Shawarma and is operated by Zaeem. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The grand opening runs until Nov. 23. The storefront is located on 1447 Water St. Unit 6 next to the Osmow’s Shawarma. Ghzanfar’s family owns the latter and had worked there for an extended period of time since opening in 2018. The young entrepreneur wanted to take a risk and bring her love of bubble tea to Peterborough.

“Personally, I'm just the biggest fan of Chatime myself and five years ago I was craving bubble tea,” she said. “I put 'bubble tea' in Google Maps and the closest it was taking me to was Oshawa.”

Bubble Tea is a popular Taiwanese drink commonly consists of green or black flavoured tea typically with chewy tapioca balls (that act as the ‘bubbles’) and can include milk. Other popular toppings include popping boba (encased spheres of syrup or juice), jelly or fruit.

Customers can adjust sugar and ice levels to their bubble tea as the beverage boasts to be a healthier alternative to other sweet drinks.

Chatime is an chain with over 3,000 locations worldwide according to their website. It is widely popular in the Durham and Greater Toronto Area region.

Ghzanfar is from Toronto and attended University of Toronto (St. George Campus), earning a double major bachelor’s degree in criminology and politics. She earned her Masters at Wilfrid Laurier University, studying national security. She turned down a Ph.D offer and wanted to stick to her roots. She was immersed in a business with her family for several years and wanted to continue that.

“Back then, I didn't know I was going to get involved in the business world but I knew that if I was going to do something at any point, it would have to be bubble tea related,” explained Ghzanfar.

The week-long grand opening has a photo booth with bubble tea props. There are also two daily promotions during that week including a buy on get on free promotion on select drinks (Pearl Milk Tea, QQ Mango, Peach Green Tea) from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Customers can spin a wheel to possibly win free drinks, toppings and other prizes from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The store is fully-employed by Trent University students and accepts Trent flex cards as payment. Ghzanfar had many food and drink options in close proximity to her post-secondary institutions but believes Trent students do not have the same luxury.

“I feel like with Trent, there are wasn't that many options for students that were available so close to campus so that was primarily why I wanted to target that kind of community,” she explained. “At the end of the day, I still wanted to get involved with the locals are aware of our presence, what the product is and what we bring to the table.”

Chatime is open seven days a week and are open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Delivery orders can be made through DoorDash, Uber Eats and Skip the Dishes.

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CMHA HKPR Becomes Provider For National Suicide Crisis Helpline Launching On Nov. 30

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The Canadian Mental Health Association Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (CMHA HKPR) will be a local provider for the new 9-8-8 National Suicide Crisis Helpline launching on Nov. 30.

Tracy Graham, CMHA Director of Programs and Services (left); Ellen Watkins, CMHA Director of Corporate Services (middle) and Mark Graham, CMHA CEO. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The progrma launch officially starts at 3 a.m. on Nov. 30. Anyone can can call or text 9-8-8 to access the helpline.

“We are thrilled to announce that we have been selected as one of nearly 45 national providers for the new 9-8-8: Suicide Crisis Helpline, which will launch on November 30th, 2023,” said Mark Graham, CMHA CEO.

The helpline has been federally funded nationwide for $156 million. It is for anyone in Canada thinking of suicide or those concerned of someone contemplating it. CMHA will have six 9-8-8 responders on standby to listen and provide confidential support without judgement and are available 24/7.

9-8-8 is a national helpline but anyone calling from a local area code in Peterborough, Haliburton, Northumberland, Kawartha Lakes and surrounding Six Nations reserves (Curve Lake, Hiwartha, Scugog and Alderville) will be routed to local call takers at the CMHA HKPR call center in downtown Peterborough.

As a result of the helping, CMHA HKPR’s Four County Crisis — widely known as ‘4CC’ — has been rebranded and is growing into the Integrated Crisis Intervention Services Model. Individuals who are experiencing thoughts of suicide or emotional distress, or who are worried about someone they know, can now call 9-8-8 instead of Four County Crisis.

It becomes the direct line for their Safe Beds program and after-hours housing support. If individuals call the line (705-745-6484) in crisis, they will receive a message to hang up and call 9-8-8.

“Through our strategic planning process, we learned that our community, clients, and staff were all looking for an easier to navigate crisis system with the opportunity for more meaningful connections,” said Graham. “With the launch of the new helpline, we will also be restructuring our current crisis services to provide easier to navigate, streamlined crisis support to individuals in Peterborough and County, Northumberland, Kawartha Lakes, and Haliburton.”

The Model includes adding an additional eight Brief Services Mental Health Workers who will be distributed across the four counties. It also includes moving the Safe Beds facility from a residential neighborhood to downtown Peterborough and increasing bed capacity at Safe Beds with an opportunity for transitional housing according to a press release.

Individuals who are looking to access Safe Beds can call 705-745-6484. Community partners can send referrals for Safe Beds to safebeds@cmhahkpr.ca.

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Petes Captain Donovan McCoy Scores Walk-Off Overtime Goal In 6-5 Win Over North Bay

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Petes captain Donovan McCoy gave Peterborough a a great start to their three-game road trip with a walk-off overtime goal to beat the North Bay Battalion 6-5 at the North Bay Memorial Gardens on Thursday night.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

North Bay struck first as Anthony Romani hit a one-timer from the slot, beating Liam Sztuska for a 1-0 lead 3:04 into the game. Peterborough received a power play seconds later and capitalized as Johnathan Melee snapped a one-timer from outside the faceoff circle to tie it at one apiece. Less than three minutes later, Peterborough off the rush, saw Braydon McCallum making a drop pass to Owen Beck and the Montréal Canadiens prospect sniped it for a 2-1 lead. North Bay, not to be outdone, Romani tied the game up, writing a shot outside the faceoff circle for a 2-2 tie going into the second.

Peterborough had their turn to strike quickly in a period with a power play chance. Beck found Chase Lefebvre alone in front of the net. The latter was stopped the first time but Sam McCue charged in to pick up the loose change and bury it for a 3-2 Petes lead. Peterborough kept scoring in bunches as Cam Gauvreau launched a point shot and was tipped but Brody Partridge for a 4-2 lead.

However, in 36 seconds, North Bay rang off two goals in back-to-back power plays (including a two-man advantage) from Ty Nelson and a Romani hat trick to tie it up going into the third.

Scoring slowed down in the third period as each team scored once. Ethan Procyszyn and McCue scored respectively for their teams and the game went to overtime.

Captain McCoy took the extra frame into his own hands as he stickhandled through two defenders and beat Dom DiVincentiis on the backhand to send Peterborough home with two points for the 6-5 overtime win.

The Petes continue their road trip against the Sudbury Wolves on Friday with puck drop 7:05 p.m. at Sudbury Community Arena. Shoeless Joe’s is hosting the Official Road Game Watch Party at Shoeless Joe’s Peterborough.

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Two Robbery Suspects Being Sought By Peterborough Police In Separate Incidents

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The Peterborough Police Service is investigating two separate robberies that occurred on Thursday morning and another in the evening.

At roughly 5:15 a.m., police were called to the business at McDonnel Street and Aylmer Street area. Officers learned that a man had attempted to pay for several items but when the card was declined, he brandished a knife at the clerk and demanded money. The clerk handed over some cash and the suspect fled on a bicycle westbound on McDonnel Street.

The suspect is described as:

  • Approximately 5'10"

  • Male, Caucasian

  • Red “Among Us” long sleeve shirt

  • Black balaclava

  • Headlamp

  • Red and Black scarf

  • Black pants

  • Tattoos by eyes

At roughly 6:45 p.m., officers were called to the Parkhill Road and Water Street business. Police learned that a male had taken the automatic coin register and brandished a knife at employees when they tried to stop him. He fled the scene in a grey van with a female driver. Officers could locate the van a short distance away but the suspect was not there.

The suspect is described as:

  • Male, white

  • 30-40 years old

  • Facial hair

  • Wearing a long white t-shirt, camouflage pants, grey t-shirt wrapped around his head

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Police Service.

Anyone with information is asked to call Peterborough Police at 705-876-1122 x555 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online.

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City of Peterborough Maintains AA+ Credit Rating

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Standard & Poor’s has maintained the City of Peterborough’s credit rating at “AA+” in its recently released credit report on the municipality, reported on Thursday.

Standard & Poor’s is a financial services company that offers services including credit ratings, data analysis and equity research to both the private and public sectors worldwide. File Photo.

The report cited the City’s ‘political and managerial commitment to disciplined fiscal policies’ as the reasoning for its rating.

‘AA+’ is the second highest rating on Standard & Poor’s credit rating scale.

Standard & Poor’s pointed to the strong support by the federal government and the Province for municipalities and the City’s financial management.

“The stable outlook reflects S&P Global Ratings' expectation that, in the next two years, Peterborough will sustain healthy operating surpluses. Although we expect temporarily higher after-capital deficits during this time as the city proceeds with its large capital plan, we expect they will stay below 5% of total revenues, on average, from 2021-2025. In addition, we expect increased additional borrowing to support the capital plan but that the city's tax-supported debt will remain below 65 per cent of operating revenue over the forecast horizon,” states Standard & Poor’s.

Among the observations for the City of Peterborough’s credit rating, Standard & Poor’s has cited:

  • The City's exceptional liquidity position and supportive institutional framework continue to bolster its credit profile

  • The City’s political and managerial commitment to disciplined fiscal policies

  • An extremely predictable and supportive local and regional government framework that has demonstrated high institutional stability and evidence of systemic extraordinary support in times of financial distress

  • Municipalities have demonstrated a track record of strong budget results with debt burdens, on average, low compared with those of global peers and growth over time has been modest

  • Projection that the City’s capital spending will increase in the next several years, with after-capital deficits widening to an average of 4.7 per cent of total revenues in 2021-2025

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City's 50-Unit Modular Bridge Housing Community For the Homeless Expected to Operate In a Few Weeks

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The City of Peterborough’s 50-unit modular bridge housing community at the Rehill parking lot is in its final steps and is expected to move in people in a few weeks at a private media tour held Thursday morning.

Each unit is equipped with electricity, air conditioning and a heating system. A bed, night table, cutlery, dresser, towels, mini-fridge and waste receptacles are also in each unit. Most of the items are donated by the Elizabeth Fry Society. There are also five washrooms next to the module housing. They are fitted with a toilet, sink and shower.

Amenities and activities are also available just outside the module housing. The Wolfe Street building will act as a community space. Laundry and wheelchair washrooms are located nearby but off the site and available to those in the modular system.

The City has already chosen 50 people to move into the units from the tent encampment off Wolfe Street. It is based on a list of those who have been marginalized for several years, according to Councillor Keith Riel.

“We are going to give people a new lease on life,” he said. “Someone who has lived in a precarious position for a couple of years in a tent is second to none.”

Riel added that overflow accommodations are at the former Trinity United Church.

Those staying in modules are capped at around 18-24 months of being in the modules though occupancy varies from person to person. Transitional housing programs are available for those ready to move out.

Final construction pieces and staffing need to be finalized and secured before the modules are occupied, according to Jocelyn Blazey, the City’s homelessness programming manager.

“There are some key markers that we have identified both as the City and with Elizabeth Fry as they are providing support and security to make sure that the site is ready from a programming perspective,” she explained. “We wanted it to be a smooth transition for folks and we want staff and clients to feel supported so there are a few key things that we still need to make sure to put in place.”

Two support staff and two security guards provided by Elizebeth Fry will be at the housing facilities when they become operable. The Society also aims to have welcome baskets ready for the individuals moving in. They are asking the public to help with donations to help fill them which can be dropped off on-site.

Items include:

  • Hats/toques

  • Mittens

  • Tim Hortons Gift Cards ($10 value)

  • Food and drink

    • Snacks

    • Fruit

    • Protein shakes/bars

    • Water/Juice/Pop

The modules were proposed to be built in August by City Council, with off-site construction of the units starting in September. Council was diligent in streamlining the process to get the units up and running as soon as possible, according to Councillor Alex Bierk.

“Usually, the bureaucracy of the system really slows things down but this has been something that has come together really quickly and we've worked out a lot of details,” he explained. “At the end of the day, what we have here is so much better and different than what we had last winter.”

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Peterborough Police Service to Launch Community F.I.R.S.T. Program to Address Increasing Property Crime

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In response to increasing property crime in the city, Peterborough Police Service has announced the Community F.I.R.S.T. (Community-Focused Investigation & Response Support Team) program launching in January, announced on Thursday morning.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The program consists of four frontline officers to primarily address and investigate property crimes. The officers’s workload is generated through calls for service and reports made through the online reporting portal according to Chief Stuart Betts, Peterborough Police Service.

“This program is in response to what we have been hearing from the community for several years when it comes to property crimes,” he said. “We know property crimes have adverse effects on residents and business owners and we want to do a better job in responding to these types of calls.

Crimes to be investigated by the unit will include mischief, thefts, stolen property and shoplifting.

Over the past five years, Peterborough’s non-violent crime severity index, including property crimes, has increased just over 28 per cent. This increase is by far the highest of all comparator services according to the Peterborough Police.

“Our officers are busy responding to high-priority calls each and every day which means that these types of calls get lower priority,” Betts continued. “It is frustrating for victims of crime, and it is frustrating for our officers who want to serve the community. Each of us knows it’s what the community expects and deserves.”

Community F.I.R.S.T is a year-long pilot program, after which its effectiveness and sustainability will be assessed.

Our officers will wear high-visibility clothing, be deployed in pairs and conduct investigations related to break-and-enters, thefts, mischief and stolen property throughout Peterborough, Cavan-Monaghan, and Lakefield.

In the third quarter, the Peterborough Police Service received the following calls:

SCreenshot.

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