Rotary Club of Peterborough Funds Environmental Innovator Projects

The Rotary Club of Peterborough awarded five environmental innovators with funding through its Rotary Environmental Innovators Fund (REIF) for proposed local projects at the McDonnel Activity Centre on Monday afternoon.

In its third year, REIF has already awarded more than $20 thousand dollars. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The funding is for projects designed by environmental entrepreneurs that advance local environmental innovators working in biodiversity, water and wastewater technologies, climate change, sustainable living, pollution, waste disposal and more.

The following were the funding recipients:

$3,000 Top Awards:

• Wildrock Outfitters / Kawartha Land Trust – Native Plant Horticulture for Invasive Species Control

• Woodleigh Farms – Catching Carbon

• Clean Energy Generation – Sanostrategy Wind Turbine Installation

$1,000 Runner-Up Awards:

• Taproots for Tomorrow – Carbon-Positive Air-Prune Beds

• Second Nature Studio – Plastic Waste to Purpose

This year’s REIF committee has received 16 applications for local projects.

The applications are judged based on how they might impact the local climate and environment, how innovative the project is compared to existing solutions, the project's practicality, expected benefits and how the funds would be used.

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Curve Lake First Nation Receives $20,000 From Ontario Government For Annual Pow Wow

The provincial government is investing $20,000 in the Curve Lake First Nation Pow Wow, which will be held Sept. 20-21, through the 2025 Experience Ontario program, announced on Monday.

Experience Ontario 2025 is supporting more than 350 festivals and events across the province. Photo by Evan Holt.

The money is part of a nearly $20-million investment in festivals and events across the province to help organizers expand programming and draw visitors to stay longer in local accommodations, eat in restaurants, shop at local retailers and support main street businesses according to Dave Smith, Peterborough-Kawartha MPP.

“The Curve Lake First Nation Pow Wow is a significant gathering that offers a space for cultural expression, connection, and healing,” he said. “This funding allows the teaching of history, honours traditions, and celebrates community in a way that truly shines a spotlight on Indigenous culture.”

“Our Pow Wow is a meaningful celebration of Anishinaabe culture, identity, and community,” said Keith Knott, Chief, Curve Lake First Nation. “We are grateful to Experience Ontario for recognizing the importance of supporting First Nation-led cultural events. This funding helps ensure that the people who carry these traditions are respected and compensated for their contributions.”

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City of Peterborough Seeking Public Input Sought for Otonabee River Trail and Shoreline Improvement Project This Wednesday

The City of Peterborough invites residents to provide feedback and share ideas on the Otonabee River Trail and Shoreline Improvement Project during an open house at the Holiday Inn Waterfront, 150 George St. N., on Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.

The project area is along Crescent Street between Haggart Street and the entrance to Del Crary Park.

The project is currently in the conceptual planning stage. At 5:30 p.m., a brief presentation will provide a background overview.

Enhancements could include options such as:

• New active transportation facilities in alignment with the Transportation Master Plan

• Shoreline erosion protection

• Shoreline naturalization

• Improvements to aquatic habitat and native replanting

• Better recreational access to Little Lake for water-based activities

• Traffic calming measures to improve safety

• Creation of enhanced public gathering spaces

The City seeks community input to inform design development and ensure the project reflects community needs and values.

Residents are encouraged to share input on:

• Current use of the area

• Identify challenges and opportunities within the corridor

• Offer ideas for potential improvements

• Help shape priorities for circulation, safety and public space

Feedback gathered at the open house will help guide the development of concept options and inform future phases of the project.

This project is the first phase of the broader Little Lake Loop, a key objective of both the Central Area Master Plan and the Little Lake Master Plan. The City has retained CIMA+ through a competitive RFP process to lead the engineering and design work.

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Check Out The Business Beat This Week Featuring One Fine Food, Literary Festival, Wild Rock Outfitters and The Play Spot PTBO

PTBOCanada is delighted to be running the Business Beat columns each week here, spotlighting new businesses and startups in Peterborough and the Kawarthas. Here is this week’s edition…

One Fine Food has been recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Restaurants for Outdoor Dining by OpenTable.

The list is made by analyzing more than 1 million diner reviews and metrics to help Canadians make the most of dining out this patio season. One Fine Food offers a unique dining experience that caters to everyone from shoppers taking a break while checking out their delicious market to foodies seeking a delicious meal in a casual setting. The restaurant sources authentic Italian flavours and recipes. The open kitchen, interactive dining experience, and wood-fired pizza oven add to the ambience. Drop by 800 Erskine Ave. in Peterborough and check out one of Canada’s best patios.

The Lakefield Literary Festival is back July 18 to 19 at Lakefield College School with a children’s tent in downtown Lakefield.

New this year is a shuttle service sponsored by Selwyn Township, which runs from Trent University and stops in Lakefield before reaching Lakefield College School. Once again there’s an impressive lineup and a meet the author reception. The Lakefield Literary Festival showcases Canadian authors and promotes the joy of reading and writing among children and adults. Tickets are available at LakefieldLiteraryFestival.com or drop by Happenstance Books and Yarns in Lakefield.

Wild Rock Outfitters have launched Wild Again, a trade-in and resale program designed to extend the life of outdoor gear while fostering community and environmental stewardship.

The in-store phase one is up and running while the national online platform will launch this summer. Wild Rock invites customers to declutter and trade in lightly used apparel and equipment in exchange for store credit. Participants can also choose to donate their credit to Wild Rock’s ComPassion Project, which supports local social justice and environmental organizations. Check out the basement at Wild Rock for some quality pre-loved gear.

Looking for a place to take your kid where they can explore, play and socialize? The Play Spot PTBO offers just that.

Located at 1524 Lansdowne St. W. Unit 1B in Peterborough, The Play Spot PTBO offers an innovative and safe environment for children to engage in physical, cognitive and social development through play. The aim is to provide a sense of community among families. Daily, weekly, and monthly passes are available. They also offer party packages.

If you want to have your business featured on the Business Beat or know of a business doing something new and interested, shoot an email to joel@pkchamber.ca.

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Premiere Studio of Dance Celebrates Milestone With 25 Years In Peterborough

Premiere Studio of Dance is under the spotlight again as they hit a milestone, celebrating their 25th anniversary this year.

Photo courtesy of Sara Connelly and Premiere Studio of Dance.

To mark the occasion, the studio is hosting year-end recitals from May 28 to 31 at the Showplace Performance Centre. The performances showcase talent from across the region.

Premiere Studio of Dance was founded in June 2000 by Robyn Carter, owner and artistic director. The business began as a dream while she was attending Trent University.

“Our studio has always been about more than just dance,” said Carter. “We’ve grown with our students and our community. Watching young dancers grow in confidence, artistry, and resilience has been the greatest reward.”

Photo courtesy of Sara Connelly and Premiere Studio of Dance.

Over the past two and a half decades, the studio has grown alongside the Peterborough community, serving thousands of families and nurturing generations of dancers.

“I’m most proud of all the dancers and all the families that I’ve gotten to be a part of and share a part of their kids growing up,” explained Carter. “With social media, you can see the kids dance together.”

Premiere students have gone on to achieve remarkable success in both professional and academic arenas — performing on cruise ships, in major cities like New York City, Toronto, London (UK), and Chicago. They have also been accepted into prestigious post-secondary dance programs such as those at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson), York University, George Brown College and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City. Several have gone on to become award-winning choreographers, teachers and artists.

“I love Peterborough and the surrounding community,” said Carter. “We continue to grow and we continue to offer great classes for all our communities and continue on and enjoy the journey.”

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Trent Excalibur Rowing Brings Home Two Gold Medals at U.S. Regatta

Trent Excalibur Rowing is coming home with hardware at the Jefferson Dad Vail Regatta in Pennsauken, N.J., with two gold medals and one bronze, which took place on May 10-11.

Trent was one of three Canadian universities competing in this year's event and the only institution to medal. Photo courtesy of Trent University.

The three-day event featured 288 entries from 61 rowing clubs and is considered the largest collegiate regatta in the United States.

Trent saw all its varsity boats advance to the A Finals and both novice crews qualify for the B Finals during Friday’s time trials and semifinals. 

“Our athletes were given an experience unlike anything we have for university rowing competitions in Canada,” said Ugette Vanderpost, varsity rowing coach. “It was a lot of planning, training and driving paired with tremendous resilience against strong winds. I couldn't be prouder of these athletes and coaches. It was an honour to be part of this team's journey.”  

The Excalibur finished second overall in the women’s sculling championship, narrowly missing first place by just three points. 

The following are the results for Trent Excalibur: 

Gold medals: 

• Women’s Single (1x): Tess Friar – 8:20 finish (25 seconds ahead of second place)  

• Women’s Quadruple Sculls (4x): Friar, Emilie Mirfield, Kendall Rose, and Hannah Kavanagh – 7:16 finish (25 seconds ahead of the next shell) 

Bronze medals: 

•  Women’s Double (2x): Caitlyn Cox and Lillian Terpstra – 8:28 finish  

Additional standout performances:  

• 5th Place – Men’s Double (2x): Jessy Kenny and Luke Sullivan  

• 5th Place – Women’s Novice Coxed Four (WF/N 4+): Sam Moss, Danie Green, Elly Hutt, Rebecca Davis, and Daniella Rodrigus  

• 5th Place – Men’s Novice Coxed Four (Novice 4+ racing in Varsity 4+ event): Gus Suddard, Joseff Zwetko-Neher, Braydon Walsh, Sam Farrer (with Hannah Kavanagh substituting as cox in finals). 

Friar was the most successful Trent athlete, walking away with two gold medals. She completed her second year in the Trent Nursing program.

“The level of competition pushed us in new ways and winning both the women's varsity single and the quad this year felt like the perfect reward for all our hard work,” she explained. “The support from our coaches and teammates made it even more meaningful. I’m proud to represent Trent and be part of a team that always strives to raise the bar.”

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Hunter Street West to Undergo Nightly Micro-Surfacing Operations In June

Weather permitting, overnight micro-surfacing work is scheduled on Hunter Street between Aylmer Street and Queen Street from June 2 to 13, announced by the City of Peterborough on Friday.

File Photo.

Night work operations are anticipated to take place for four to five nights. The City says the night work aims to minimize disruptions to the area's businesses, pedestrians, and traffic. 

Parking restrictions will be enforced during construction hours, from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. ‘No Parking’ signage will be posted accordingly.  

Vehicles parked in prohibited locations that interfere with the work done during construction hours will be subject to enforcement actions, which may include issuing a penalty notice, towing and impoundment of the vehicle or a combination of these measures.  

Those with towed or impounded vehicles can call the City of Peterborough Municipal Law Enforcement and Security Services Division at 705-707-3969 on the following business day for information on the towing provider and impound yard location.

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Peterborough Lakers Defeat Defending-Champion Six Nations Chiefs in Home Opener, 7-6

A rematch of the Major Series Lacrosse Championship did not disappoint as the Peterborough Lakers won their home opener against the defending-champion Six Nations Chiefs, 7-6, at the Peterborough Memorial Centre (PMC) on Thursday night.

Photo courtesy David Pickering and the Peterborough Lakers.

While the first period was low-scoring, all goals were scored on special teams. Ryan Smith opened the game with a shorthanded goal for the Chiefs. Peterborough immediately responded three minutes later with a shorthanded goal thanks to Brad McCulley. Taite Cattoni got a power play goal for the Lakers just 73 seconds before the period’s end and it was 2-1 after the first stanza.

The Chiefs produced more offense in the second, with four goals, including two on the power play and a last-second goal from Tyson Bell. Koleton Marquis and Mike Robinson salvaged goals for the Lakers to keep it close at 5-4 for Six Nations after two.

It took 59 seconds for the Lakers to tie the game thanks to Holden Cattoni for a 5-5 game. Davin Bonberry got the go-ahead goal for the Chiefs but Robinson netted his second of the game just under four minutes later.

Peterborough had a power play in the latter stages of the period and Holden got his second third-period goal of the contest to take a 7-6 lead for the Lakers. Peterborough was able to hold against the defending champions and have the fans leave happy with a 7-6 win to move to a 2-0 record.

“Any wins early in the season against (any team is) big. They’re the benchmark, the back-to-back Mann Cup champs with a pretty incredible roster they have there,” said Nick Rose, Lakers goaltender. “We know we have to get better come August. To start off the season with two wins is a great week, but there’s a lot ahead for us.”

Rose was acquired in a trade from the Oakville Rock on March 17 and made his Lakers debut, stopping 38 saves, including blanking the Chiefs in the final 8:34 of regulation.

“We came with a purpose,” he said. “Most of the boys played last night so a little tired but I think some of the fresh legs, myself included, brought a little energy and tried to really dig in for the guys that went back-to-back.”

The Lakers get a week’s rest before hosting the 0-1 Brampton Excelsiors next Thursday at the PMC.

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Suspects Sought After Police Discover Man Assaulted With a Hammer

Peterborough Police Service’s Investigative Services Unit officers are searching for suspects after an assault last Saturday morning. 

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Officers were notified about a man taken to the hospital after he had been assaulted with a hammer on Saturday afternoon. The victim was taken to a Toronto-area hospital by helicopter for treatment.

Police believe the incident occurred between 5:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. in the Reid Street and Simcoe Street area. They also believe it was not an isolated incident.

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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Photos: Trent Valley Archives Brings Peter Robinson's Story On Bicentennial Anniversary to Princess Gardens

On the bicentennial anniversary of Peter Robinson's Settler Emigration Scheme, Trent Valley Archives Theatre brought the production of his story to Princess Gardens Retirement Residence on Wednesday night.

Eddy Sweeney (left), Abba Koshka (middle) and Kaza Hesselink (right) in their respective roles as David, Mary and Tim in the third act. All photos by David Tuan Bui.

Commemorating the bicentennial of the Peter Robinson immigration, the story takes place on one of the nine ships. It depicts the events at the end of a six-week voyage off the Quebec shore in the St. Lawrence River.

The production showed its third act for the seniors of the residence. Andrew Mills directs the play.

Roughly 2,024 Irish settlers were sent to Peterborough as part of the British government’s assisted emigration program for destitute Irish families.

Live productions are available to the public at the Market Hall Performing Arts Centre on May 29, 30 and 31 at 7:30 p.m. and a 2 p.m. matinee on the 31st.

Tickets can be found on Market Hall’s website.

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