Petebrorough Man Arrested For Domestic Assault After Allegedly Pushing and Choking a Woman

A 30-year-old Peterborough man is facing charges involving a domestic assault on a woman.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

On Wednesday, Police learned that the man pushed and choked the woman during an argument. The victim attended Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) for treatment of her injuries.

The man was arrested and charged with:

• Assault (domestic)

• Assault Cause Bodily Harm - Choking (Domestic)

The accused was released on an undertaking and is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 13.

To protect the identity of the victim, Police are not releasing the name of the accused.

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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Couple Become Cavan's Newest Millionaires In Lotto 6/49 Gold Ball Draw

Dawn and John Shields are Cavan’s newest millionaires after winning LOTTO 6/49 Gold Ball Draw on the April 13 draw, announced on Wednesday afternoon.

Photo courtesy of OLG.

The married couple have played the lottery together for 20 years. They play weekly each week and always play Encore with their tickets.

The winning ticket remained in John’s wallet for two months before the two discovered the big win.

“I had to check the ticket twice and went straight home to tell Dawn,” said John. “Dawn said, ‘We better triple check it to make sure we are seeing it correctly.’”

“When we told our kids, there was a lot of excitement. They told us they had never been happier for us,” said Dawn. “They are great kids and they shed a few happy tears for us.”

The married couple say they plan to pay some bills, invest and have a nice family dinner to celebrate.

“It feels surreal to win the lottery,” said John.

“It’s everything! One day you’re living your life and then next, everything changes,” said Dawn.

The winning ticket was purchased at Pioneer On the Run on Lansdowne Street.

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Elizabeth Fry Society's Tearing Down Walls On Drug Addiction For Anti-Stigma Day

Elizabeth Fry Society kickstarted dialogue for those suffering from drug addiction as it held its fourth annual Anti-Stigma Day at Millennium Park on Wednesday afternoon.

Kayla Farewell, Elizabeth Fry housing case manager (left) and Mourin Moyen, Elizabeth Fry volunteer (right), hold anti-stigma rocks that were hand-painted at the event and available for attendees. This is the fourth annual event by the Society which began in 2021 and runs every June 26. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The event is always held on June 26 and runs alongside the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s ‘International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.’ It supports the war on drugs and helps destigmatize those who are struggling while using substances.

Anti-Stigma Day is one way of creating awareness and dialogue. Understanding those suffering from drug addictions is one way to destigmatize the notion according to Kayla Farewell, Elizabeth Fry housing case manager.

“It's not always a choice. Addiction can be really hard to come out and mostly what we ask for is just understanding,” she explained. Everyone is walking their own path. All of these organizations believe in walking alongside people as they walk their own path and it's just showing that compassion, understanding and a willingness to learn. A lot of the stigma comes from not knowing from ignorance whether that's purposeful or not.”

The YES Shelter, One City PTBO, Moms Stop the Harm, John Howard Society, Peterborough Action for Tiny Homes, Peterborough AIDS Resource Network, Peterborough 260 Nurse Practitioner-Left Clinic, Peterborough Public Health and Canadian Addiction Treatment Services were in attendances with tables to offer information sessions during the event.

Farewell says being open about having a conversation and not shying away from it, whether you are suffering or hearing out someone else, is a huge step towards ending the stigma.

“Starting dialogues with people, even people that you love, that you know have an addiction in the past, making sure you're not afraid to talk about it and making sure that you're not afraid to look away,” she said. “It is very present in our community and the instinct for a lot of people is just to look the other way but it's very important to come together as a community to help the people who live here who use substances.”

A community effort of having sympathy and empathy for those who are suffering from drug addiction is vital to destigmatization.

“They are just people,” said Farewell. “We are all a bad event from being in that position ourselves so having that sympathy, having that love and approaching it with open arms is really the key to all of it. It's takes community to come to get to help lift people up out of the tough spots.”

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Wanderlight Alpaca Experience Launches First-of-its-Kind ‘Quest’ That Combines Escape Room and Dining Experiences

Wanderlight Alpaca Experience has launched a first-of-its-kind ‘Wanderlight Alpaca Quest,’ combining an escape room-like and dining experience announced on Tuesday.

Photo courtesy of Wanderlight Alpaca Experience.

This on-farm experience combines the team-building aspects and intellectual challenges with alpacas.

Guests are given a backpack with a map, compass, lockbox, and instructions left by the time-travelling Incans to help them solve the mystery. They follow the map along on-farm trails to stations where they solve challenging puzzles. Once the hiding place has been discovered, the guests lead the alpacas to the safety of the farm and end with a local al fresco dining experience.

“Guests always comment on the sweet personalities of the alpacas and the beautiful serenity of the farm - this new experience allows guests to interact with the herd in an innovative and unforgettable way. People are making a visit to Wanderlight a family tradition and the Quest gives them a new adventure” said Katie Jackson, Wanderlight Alpaca Experience founder. “Alpaca walks are popular on-farm experience in Ontario, the Quest brings it to a different level. It is great for groups who like to embark on an adventure, have fun and work together towards a common goal.”

Jackson developed this idea with support from the ‘Spark’ Innovation grant – which assists new tourism ideas with funding and mentorship.

"Developing new, bookable tourism products in collaboration with other local business operators offers visitors a unique and memorable experience in our region," explains Jaimie Eastabrook, PKED’s tourism development officer. "This ultimately supports the region’s goals of increasing visitor spend and length of stay while ensuring guests have a rave-worthy experience they’ll want to come back to and share with family and friends."

The Wanderlight Alpaca Quest has been custom-designed by local experts from another Peterborough County business – Millbrook Escape Maze – based in Stewart Hall according to a press release. It continues to state that the story incorporates an element of magic by leaning into Earth elements and Incan mythology as the ancestral homeland of the modern-day domesticated alpaca.

“As a solo entrepreneur, it is invaluable to have support, mentorship, and accountability to make an idea happen,” said Jackson. “Consultations with Peterborough & the Kawarthas Tourism and fellow tourism business operators helped me to feel like I was not alone and that there were people invested in my success.”

While the traditional elements may be a nod to South American culture, the adventure culminates in a truly local culinary experience according to Jackson.

“Guests at Wanderlight have the option to add on an al-fresco dining package with a table set with locally-sourced artisanware and delicious local food and drink,” she said. “It is a great way to celebrate solving the Quest.”

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Peterborough Lakers's Offense Erupts Early And Takes Commanding 13-7 Win Over Owen Sound

The Lakers never had to look back after the first period and held the lead for a 13-7 win over the Owen Sound North Stars at the Peterborough Memorial Centre on Tuesday night.

The night also honoured the 1984 and 2004 Mann Cup champion Laker teams.

Photo courtesy of David Pickering and the Peterborough Lakers.

Holden Cattoni kicked off the scoring for the Lakers, 8:42 into the game. Owen Sound quickly countered with two goals of their own in 11 seconds for the 2-1 lead. A pair of Turner Evans goals and one from Thomas Hoggarth had Peterborough regain the lead 4-2 and never fell behind since. After a Tyler Halls unassisted goal for Owen Sound, Peterborough capped off a six-goal period thanks to scores from Joe Resetarits and Cattoni to make it 6-3 after one.

The second stanza was all Peterborough. They blanked Owen Sound and scored four goals to extend their lead to 10-3. Koleton Marquis tacked on a pair while Resetarits and Hoggath netted their second score of the game.

Members of the 1984 and 2004 Mann Cup-Champion Lakers at Tuesday’s game. Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Lakers ALumni.

Peterborough continued their run as Hoggath got the hat trick to mark the Lakers’s seventh-straight goal of the game. Owen Sound finally found the back of the net again as Tanner Buck rang off back-to-back goals including a power-play score.

Cattoni got his hat trick with an unassisted goal to make it 12-5. Buck got a hat trick of his own on the power play. Dante Kulas added another goal for Owen Sound but with 90 seconds left, it was too little too late. Taite Cattoni added an extra goal for good measure and Peterborough earned back-to-back wins over Owen Sound in the home-and-home series that started Saturday.

The Lakers will have a heavyweight bout as they host the defending Mann Cup-champion Six Nations Chiefs on Thursday.

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Two-Car Collision Leads to One Vehicle Crashing Into House; One Driver Charged, Other Treated With Minor Injuries

The Peterborough Police Service is investigating a two-vehicle collision in which one vehicle crashed into a house on Monday morning.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

At roughly 10:15 a.m., officers were called to Rubidge Street and Murray Street about a two-vehicle collision.

Officers learned that one car had made an unsafe lane change and struck another, hitting the side of a house.

One driver was taken to Peterborough Regional Health Centre with minor injuries. Under the Highway Traffic Act, the other driver was charged with unsafe move, lane or shoulder.

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City of Peterborough Releases 2024 Lifeguard Training Program Details

The City of Peterborough will conduct staff training for this summer’s lifeguard program from June 25 to 28 at Beavermead and Rogers Cove beaches ahead of seasonal lifeguard supervision.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF PETERBOROUGH.

Additional in-service training will occur every Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. from July 3 to Aug. 21.

All staff will adhere to provincial health and lifesaving society guidelines for training. Members of the public are asked to give them space to complete their training safely.

City of Peterborough’s lifeguard program runs from June 29 until Aug. 25 with lifeguards at Beavermead and Rogers Cove beaches seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Beavermead beach has an access mat in place from June 29 until August 25. The mat provides a stable surface across the sand into the water, improving accessibility for everyone.

Peterborough Public Health monitors the water quality at our beaches from June until the end of August and posts the reports online. When lifeguards are present, a flag or sign at the beaches indicates the water quality status. For more information on water quality reporting at the public beaches, please contact Peterborough Public Health at 705-743-1000.

Lifeguards supervise the City’s four wading pools from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., seven days a week, from June 29 until Aug. 25. The wading pools are small, shallow pools for children up to about eight years old. Children must be accompanied by an adult when using the wading pools.

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PRHC Foundation Launches $60 Million Campaign Publicly For Enhancing Healthcare

Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation has officially launched its $60 million campaign publicly to enhance healthcare which was announced at the facility on Tuesday morning.

(Left to right) Dr. Heather Cox, PRHC vascular surgeon; Dan Moloney, PRHC Foundation Board Chair; Jennie Ireland, PRHC Foundation campaign ambassador and grateful patient; Lesley Heighway, PRHC Foundation President & CEO; Dr. Lynn Mikula, PRHC President & CEO and David Morton, PRHC Foundation campaign ambassador. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The money is to ‘reimagine healthcare delivery at the hospital, propelling innovation and elevate care for patients from across the region' according to Lesley Heighway, PRHC Foundation President and CEO.

“Our hospital is at a crossroads,” she said. “Our hospital and the communities we serve are facing severe problems. We need creative, inspired, efficient solutions to tackle them. Without advancements in technology and increased capacity, we risk leaving our patients behind. Today, we choose to design our healthcare future.

The following are the PRHC’s campaign key objectives:

• Empowering World-Class Care: Bringing advanced medical care closer to home

• Fuelling Innovation: Introducing new lifesaving services and pioneering treatments

• Attracting Top Healthcare Professionals: Cultivating an environment that attracts the brightest minds in medicine

• Inspiring Solutions: Addressing critical hospital challenges head-on

“The hospital, they identify for us the hospital's priority needs that link to their annual planning but also link to their strategic plan and their bold vision for the future,” said Heighway.

“The Foundation and the hospital work really closely,” said Dr. Lynn Mikula, PRHC President and CEO. “We're in conversation all the time about what are the needs of today, what are the needs of the future and what do we need to fundraise for in the immediate term and then what can we do in the middle of the road. It's that kind of collaborative planning with the needs of our community and our patients at the forefront that lead to the goal that has been set.”

The campaign started in 2020 and the funds were acquired through donor support. Already, the Campaign has totalled $45.5 million of its $60 million goal.

The money has already seen improvements in the hospital, such as upgraded Cath Lab suites, state-of-the-art CT scanners, a second MRI machine, the new Scotiabank Youth Eating Disorders Day Treatment Program, and ongoing renovations to enhance patient care facilities.

According to Heighway, the campaign will be heavily marketed to attract attention and garner donations to complete the final 25 per cent.

“Over the summer months, you'll start to see some additional awareness being raised and as we head into the fall, we'll have a large community kick off and we'll be hoping to inspire people through third-party events,” she explained. “We'll be appealing to the community in a variety of ways: digitally, by mail, TV, radio. Just a number of different ways that we hope people will engage with us.”

The following is a list of the investments of the $60 million:

• $11 million for cardiac care, unlocking new opportunities and ensuring the people, infrastructure, systems and programs are in place to allow world-class cardiac care across the spectrum

• $12 million for cancer care so our experts can treat more patients with more types of cancer, supporting earlier diagnosis, and ensuring safer, more effective treatments are available close to home

• $14 million in minimally invasive surgical and interventional radiology services to treat more urgent and chronic conditions – safely, quickly, so patients can go home sooner

• $4 million in support for mental health will help address the surge in demand for emergency mental health services in our region, while making hope & recovery possible through new, innovative therapies and modern, healing environments

• $2 million endowment fund to support the Physician Innovation Accelerator, fostering a culture of innovation and empowering PRHC to invest in physician-driven research and ingenuity that will result in game-changing advances in patient care

• $17 million will continue to fund PRHC’s top emerging priorities as they’re identified by the hospital, with many millions of dollars in lifesaving investments already made

The remaining money, once obtained, will be used to fund projects such as expanding PRHC’s cardiac labs to include the introduction of electrophysiology, improving the Emergency Department’s mental health and addictions Crisis Response Unit, establishing a hybrid operating room for vascular disease, and introducing digital pathology to expedite cancer diagnosis.

“Our community has stepped behind us,” said Heighway. “They've really rallied and has supported us across the spectrum of care, Our donors have helped us fuel innovation, bring new life-saving services to PRHC and really help the hospital attract the best physicians and staff for our hospital.”

“One of the reasons I am so honoured to be the CEO of this hospital is because this community is unbelievable in their support, in their generosity and their willingness to engage with us and looking to the future,” said Dr. Mikula. “There's no community I'd rather be working in as a hospital CEO and I'm so proud of Peterborough and the region.”

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Rotary Club of Peterborough Introduces New President; Organization Donates Final $25,000 of $100,000 to Camp Kawartha Centennial Health Centre

The Rotary Club of Peterborough has announced Ken Seim as its new president, taking over the role from Betty Halman-Plumley at the organization’s meeting at the McDonnel Street Community Centre on Monday afternoon.

All ‘Breakfast Cup’ groups volunteer groups that special breakfast for the young Breakfast Club Patrons. The ‘Thursday Club’ were declared the winners. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Halman-Plumley had her last meeting with the club as president before passing the torch to Seim. She was the fifth woman to become Rotary president in the organization’s history since its founding in 1921.

“It was an honour but it felt to be a big responsibility too,” said Halman-Plumley. “I wanted to be a great role model for other women, paving the way for them hopefully to be presidents and leaders of this club for years to come.”

“Filling Betty's shoes is not going to be an easy task,” explained Seim. “She's accomplished a lot in this year.”

The club is in the middle of a three-year plan on year two initially set up by Halman-Plumley. Seim says he wants to carry on the plan to aid the community.

“Part of is the growth of our club but we are to embark on a process to what's the next legacy project of what the Rotary Club is going to do for the community.,” he explained. “We've got the Rotary Greenway Trail, Rotary at the Five Counties Children's Centre so we're just looking for what our next big project is going to be.”

Betty Halman-Plumley honours Tony Grady, Rotary treasurer as one of two Rotarians of the year.

Catherine Hanrahan, Rotary director of public relations, is named the other Rotarian of the year.

Atul Swarup, Rotary Volunteer (left) and Halman-Plumley (right) present the last $25,000 of their $100,000 donation to Jacob Rodenburg of Camp Kawartha for its Health Centre.

Representatives of the Thursday's Club were declared winners of the Rotary's 'Breakfast Cup' as one of the five groups of volunteers who served breakfast at Prince Of Wales from June 17 to 21.

The rotary welcomes Tim Maloney (second from left) and Myrlene Sundberg (second from right) as new members of the Rotary Club.

Betty Halman-Plumley, Rotary outgoing president (left) passing the torch to new president Ken Seim. All photos by David Tuan Bui.

The Rotary Club donated its final $25,000 of a $100,000 pledge to Camp Kawartha. It was part of the Rotary Club of Peterborough’s Centennial Celebration Project with the money going towards the construction of the new Camp Kawartha Health Centre; an eco-friendly straw bale building completed in 2021.

The meeting also gave the award for the Breakfast Cup to one of the five Prince of Wales Breakfast Club volunteer groups. Every morning last week, each group prepared a special breakfast for the young Breakfast Club Patrons.

Meals were judged by a panel of school staff and students with points for presentation, nutrition and taste. The ‘Thursday Team’ captured the trophy and bragging rights after serving up a deluxe breakfast buffet that consisted of homemade Mac and cheese, devilled eggs, heart-shaped watermelon pops and more.

The club named Catherine Hanrahan, Rotary director of public relations and Tony Grady, Rotary treasurer were named Rotarians of the Year.

Tim Maloney and Myrlene Sundberg were welcomed as new members.

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Peterborough Man Drowned at Beavermead Park Sunday; Pronounced Dead At PRHC On Monday

A 22-year-old Peterborough man has died after going into the water at Beavermead Park on Sunday. 

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF PETERBOROUGH.

At roughly 5:15 p.m., officers and first responders were called to Beavermead Park. According to Peterborough Police, three people had entered the water but only two could get out. 

Peterborough Fire Services activated their water rescue team and located a male in the water. He was resuscitated and taken to Peterborough Regional Health Centre but was pronounced dead on Monday.

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