Peterborough Bigs In Need of Big Brothers/Sisters; At Least 60 Children In Program Needing Mentors

Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Peterborough (Peterborough Bigs) are dire need of mentors to join their organization as at least 60 to 70 kids involved in the program are without a mentor.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The number of children entering the Bigs program has doubled over the past year according to Brent Shepard, Peterborough Bigs executive director.

“It's an ongoing need,” he explained. “We found that there has been an increase in the number of children requesting to come into our programs and waiting for a mentor.”

Children in the program are entered into a waiting pool and get matched based on what best fits both the mentor and the child.

As a result of the matchmaking system, children can wait from roughly six months to a year before being paired up with a Big.

“Because we want the child's interest to be matched with the volunteer's interest, it can sometimes take longer depending on what volunteers come in,” said Shepard.

Shepard also encouraged potential suitors to join Peterborough Bigs, citing several testimonials from mentors who are getting more than what they bargained for but in a positive way.

“We hear over and over again that someone that wants to mentor with us will come to the program and want to give back to the community,” he explained. “What they always underestimate how powerful of an experience it is for them once they start mentoring. They realize how much impact they make for how little investment they need to make and they'll talk to their friends about how it's a highlight of their month.”

The program allows flexibility for mentors, as they spend, on average, two to four hours a month seeing their ‘little’; however, the time spent can be increased at the request of the ‘big.’

Children in the waiting pool remain active with Peterborough Bigs, with several activities offered.

Activities include sports tickets, event tickets, holiday parties, a children’s camp and more.

Mentors can volunteer online at Peterborough Bigs’s website.

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Peterborough Curling Team Clinches Rotary CanAm Curling Championships In Wisconsin

The Rotary Club of Peterborough Curling Team has captured the Rotary Can-Am Curling Championships hosted by the Rice Lake Curling Club in Wisconsin from last Thursday to Saturday.

(Top row, Team USA) Paul Matzke, Rich Lepping, Jim Sirianni and Mike Pfiffner. (bottom row) Ken Seim, Nick Avlonitis, Joe Kapron and Bill Crins. Photo courtesy of Rotary Club of Peterborough,

Peterborough defeated the USA team (representing Madison, Wa.) in the championship match to capture the title.

The winning team consisted of Ken Seim (skip), Nick Avlonitis (vice), Joe Kapron (second) and Bill Crins (lead).

The team's victory allowed them to qualify for the Rotary Worlds Curling Championships in Scotland in 2026.

The Rotary Club of Peterborough Curling Team now plans to attend the 27th Rotary World Curling Championships which will take place at the Peterborough Curling Club from April 6 to 12.

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Hometown PTBO: Former Pete Chris Pronger Making His Return to Peterborough and His Whiskey Brand, 'JRNY'

This week on Hometown PTBO, Bradley Wood talks with former Peterborough Pete Chris Pronger about coming to Peterborough, his hockey career and 'JRNY,' his brand of whiskey.

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Peterborough Police Service Issue Warnings After Increase of Cryptocurrency Scams

The Peterborough Police Service has warned residents to be aware of cryptocurrency scams after increased reports. 

Last year, victim losses from cryptocurrency-based fraud reported to the Peterborough Police Service were over $550,000.00.

These frauds come in various forms but investment scams are becoming increasingly prevalent according to the police.

These frauds typically begin with an advertisement on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube. They make it appear that a public figure or celebrity is promoting a crypto-currency trading platform.

The victims are then directed to an official-looking website where they provide their contact information. They are then contacted by a ‘representative’ of the company who walks them through setting up an account. The victim is directed to fund the account in Bitcoin or other crypto-currency. The victim is then shown that their trading account appears to be doing very well and is encouraged to transfer more crypto-currency.

When the victim attempts to withdraw funds, they are locked out of their account and the company representatives stop communicating.

Be mindful of the following when dealing with crypto-currency:

• If something appears too good to be true it probably is

• Unlike frauds involving bank transfers crypto-currency frauds are extremely difficult to trace to determine who has the victim’s funds

• Be wary of investment advice from an unknown online company

• Be mindful that anything you see online can be faked

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Former Peterborough Pete Suspended Indefinitely From OHL For Undisclosed Reasons; Durham Police Investigating Matter

Former Peterborough Pete Connor Lockhart has been indefinitely suspended by the Oshawa Generals and the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) after the forward is being placed under investigation by the Durham Regional Police Service, announced on Wednesday evening.

Lockhart was originally selected by the Erie Otters in the first round, third overall, in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection. Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Petes.

Lockhart was placed under investigation as both the Generals and OHL were made aware of the situation on Tuesday. The details of the investigation have not been disclosed to the public at this time.

The OHL released a statement regarding Lockhart’s suspension:

“He has been indefinitely suspended by the team and the League until the matter is resolved. This follows the team and League suspending Lockhart following a League and team Code of Conduct matter. Given that the matter is now under police investigation, the team and League will have no further comment at this time.”

Lockhardt was acquired by the Peterborough Petes on Aug. 8, 2022, from the Erie Otters for Sam Alfano, a 2025 third-round pick (originally from Hamilton) and a 2026 second-round pick.

In 73 games spanning under two seasons with the Petes, he had 30 goals and 56 assists for 86 points during the regular season. He won an OHL Championship with the Petes with seven goals and nine assists in 23 games. He scored twice in the 2023 Memorial Cup and added an assist for three points in five games.

The Petes dealt Lockhart to the Oshawa Generals for a 2025 third-round pick (originally from London) and Oshawa’s 2027 fifth-round pick in 2027 on Nov. 3.

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Fleming Phoenix Roundup: Feb. 7

The Fleming Phoenix came up short in several sports but the cricket team made good impact as finalists at the Centennial Extramural Cricket Tournament last Thursday.

The Fleming Phoenix logo was unveiled for the college on Sept. 8, replacing the Fleming Knight. Photo courtesy of Fleming College.

The team won two of their three matches and beat Cambrian 1 in the semi-final to advance to the finals. Fleming fell to Cambrian 2 in the finals by 19 runs. 

Phoenix’s Helin Minesh Patel had the highest number of runs in the tournament, with 182. He earned 262 points which placed him third overall. Teammate Aryan Panwar placed sixth overall in the ranking of tournament players with 194 points and second in fielding with 100. 

The Phoenix men’s cricket team plays next on Feb. 28 at Georgian College. This is the RECCup regional, and the top two teams from this tournament will move on to the RECCup which will take place on March 7 at Fanshawe College in London.

The men’s basketball team lost another close game as they were defeated 87-80 by the Seneca Sting during their game on Friday.

The Phoenix's high scorers were Orlando Carias with 19 points, Shawn Blackwood with 19 points and Jason Diaz with 14 points.  

They play their final two games of the regular season at home. The Phoenix will welcome the La Cite Coyotes to the Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre (PSWC) on Friday. It is a special Youth Night for the Peterborough Youth Basketball Association (PYBA) and fans will receive Phoenix swag and cheerstixs. 

On Saturday, the Phoenix welcome the Algonquin Wolves to the PSWC for their final regular-season game at 3 p.m. 

The Phoenix men’s volleyball team will kick off their playoff run on Sunday. They travel to Kitchener to face the Conestoga Condors. Game time is 1 p.m. 

The two Phoenix mixed doubles curling teams are heading to Sault Ste. Marie to participate in the OCAA championship from Thursday to Saturday.

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Wolfe Lawyers Two-Hour Free Holiday Parking Raises Over $12,000 For Kawartha Food Share

Downtown shopping has paid off in a big way as the Wolfe Personal Injury Lawyers Two-Hour Free Holiday Parking raised $12,625.58 for Kawartha Food Share (KFS) at a cheque presentation at the latter’s facility on Wednesday afternoon.

(From left to right) Mayor Jeff Leal; Ashlee Aitken, KFS general manager; Councillor Alex Bierk and Bill Wolfe, Wolfe Personal Injury Lawyers. Kawartha Food Share currently assists more than 9,000 people every month through its 36 member agencies. It supports four meal programs, seven city food banks, six housing projects, seven county food banks and over 20 food cupboards across the City and County of Peterborough. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

From Nov. 25 to Dec. 31, Wolfe Lawyers sponsored Downtown Peterborough's free parking. This includes all downtown municipal parking spaces such as on-street parking, municipal parking lots, the King Street Parking Garage and Simcoe Parking Garage.

Any optional parking fees paid through parking meters or the HotSpot App went towards KFS during that time.

“The Two-Hour Free Holiday parking promotion is a true win-win scenario that collects much-needed donations for the Kawartha Food Share while encouraging people to enjoy the shopping, dining and entertainment of downtown businesses,” said Mayor Jeff Leal.

“We appreciate the support and generosity of shoppers and residents making voluntary donations during the holiday season,” said Bill Wolfe of Wolfe Personal Injury Lawyers. “These funds, through the support of Kawartha Food Share, will help to put food on the tables for people.”

“We are so thankful for the continued support of the City of Peterborough and the local shoppers for donating to Kawartha Food Share each and every December,” said Ashlee Aitken, KFS general manager. “This year, more than ever before, we needed this donation to help us restock our shelves.”

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New Chief Announced For Peterborough County-City Paramedics

Patricia Bromfield has been appointed as the new Chief of Paramedics for Peterborough County-City Paramedics (PCCP), taking over Randy Mellow, whose tenure finishes at the end of the year, the county announced on Wednesday.

Photo courtesy of Peterborough County.

Bromfield assumed the Deputy Chief of Operations role at Peterborough County in the fall of 2022. Before her tenure with the County, she served as the Deputy Chief of Operations at the City of Kawartha Lakes and had a substantial paramedic career with the City of Toronto.

Mellow will provide mentorship and guidance throughout 2024 to Bromfield as she takes on her new role and responsibilities.

"I would like to congratulate Patricia Bromfield and welcome her to the role of Paramedic Chief,” said Mellow. “Patricia possesses a wealth of experience and knowledge having progressed through various frontline and leadership roles throughout her career. Her experience and passion for supportive leadership and innovation will be an asset to our team and community.”

“I am honoured to be following in the footsteps of our decorated Chief of Paramedics, Randy Mellow, as he embarks on his retirement at the close of 2024,” said Bromfield. “I am forever grateful to have the opportunity to learn from an industry leader who has played a key role in advancing the Paramedic profession. I look forward to collaborating with Peterborough County's robust leadership team and our partners in the coming years.”

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Peterborough Woman Facing Impaired Driving Charges After Swerving On Lansdowne Street and Struck Police Cruiser

A 21-year-old Peterborough woman is facing impaired charges after an incident on Tuesday evening.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

At roughly 10 p.m., a motorist called 9-1-1 regarding a possible impaired driver travelling eastbound on Lansdowne Street in the Monaghan Road area. Reports say the vehicle was going excessively slow, swerving and almost hit several vehicles. 

Meanwhile, another officer was conducting a traffic stop in the eastbound lanes of Lansdowne Street near Sherburne Street. The police cruiser, with emergency lights activated, was struck by a vehicle matching the description of the possible impaired driver call. The officer was able to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle that had struck the cruiser. While speaking to the driver, the officer noticed signs of impairment.

The woman was arrested and charged with:

• Operation while impaired - alcohol  

• Operation while impaired - blood alcohol concentration (80 plus)

The accused was issued an automatic 90-day license suspension and a seven-day vehicle impoundment.

The accused was released on an undertaking and is scheduled to appear in court March 5.

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Second-Annual I ❤︎ Beer and Taco Festival Returns to the Peterborough Memorial Centre

In what could be a flawless combination, the second-annual I ❤︎ Beer & Taco Festival has returned to the Peterborough Memorial Centre on April 13.

photo courtesy of the peterborough memorial centre.

The festival will contain beer, cider and spirit sampling, games, dancing and tacos.

Tokens are $2.50 and can be purchased on-site or online. They are used for food and drinks.

All general admission tickets include an official 10-ounce I ❤︎ BEER sampling cup. Session one will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. and session two will take place from 5 to 10 p.m.

Tickets start at just $9.99 for Session one and $14.99 for Session two (plus HST and Ticket Fees) and slowly make their way up to our regular ticket price of $18.01/$23.01 (plus HST and Ticket Fees)

The Peterborough Memorial Centre notes that this is a 19+ event. Please drink responsibly.

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