City of Peterborough Hosting Downtown Community Cigarette Butt Clean Up On Sunday Morning

The City of Peterborough and Peterborough DBIA is inviting the public to make things a little clearer in the Downtown Community Cigarette Butt Clean Up starting from Quaker Foods City Square on Sunday from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.

Gloves, pick-up pails and litter pickers are provided but the City is asking to bring your own upcycled container.

Cleaners can search for cigarette butts anywhere in the downtown area.

An entry draw and several prizes available for most butts collected are being held. Registration at the event will be required to be eligible.

At the end of the event, the City is launching a contest that will last for 42 days until September to see how many cigarette butts can be collected until that last day of Summer.

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Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area to Host Sidewalk Sale Aug. 31

The (DBIA) has announced an end-of-summer sidewalk sale event that will take place on Aug. 31.

Photo courtesy of the DBIA.

This event is held downtown with shops hosting their own sidewalk sales with George Street between Simcoe and Hunter Street being closed off for the day.

“The end of summer sidewalk sale event is a really wonderful and exciting opportunity for our community to come together and celebrate our downtown and all the unique businesses within the core,” said Nour Mazloum, DBIA executive director. “This event not only supports our local businesses by driving foot traffic into the area and encouraging people to explore and shop but also strengthens the sense of community by helping foster a lively downtown environment that everyone can enjoy.”

The DBIA is encouraging downtown businesses to participate. Contact the DBIA Marketing and Communications Manager by emailing amanda@ptbodbia.ca to be involved.

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Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area Appoints New Executive Director

The Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) has appointed Nour Mazloum as its new executive director, effective June 10, announced on Monday.

Mazloum has experience in marketing, communications and community engagement. Photo courtesy of DBIA.

Nour's appointment came after the former director Terry Guiel, stepped down last October.

During her tenure in Kingston, Mazloum spearheaded the launch of a Naloxone for Business program in collaboration with the Downtown Kingston BIA and established the Kingston Young Professionals Network, a platform for fostering collaboration and networking among emerging leaders in the community.

“I am excited to join the Peterborough DBIA as the new Executive Director,” said Nour Mazloum. “I am looking forward to working closely with the Board of Directors, downtown businesses and staff to advance the strategic priorities. Together, we will build on the momentum to ensure downtown Peterborough is a vibrant, inclusive and thriving urban space.”

As the new Executive Director, Nour Mazloum will oversee strategic initiatives, community engagement efforts, and placemaking projects further to elevate the vibrancy and appeal of downtown Peterborough according to a press release.

“We are thrilled to welcome Nour as our new Executive Director,” says Sacha Lai-Svirk, DBIA Chair. “Her proven leadership, innovative approach, and passion for community engagement make her the perfect candidate to lead the DBIA in its strategic revitalization initiatives. We are confident that Nour's appointment will mark a new chapter of growth and prosperity for downtown Peterborough.”

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Peterborough DBIA Brings Back Holiday Shopping Passport For Downtown Shopping Rewards

The Downtown Business Improvement Area’s (DBIA) shopping rewards are back, launching the Holiday Shopping Passport with a grand prize of a $1,500 Boro gift card, effective immediately.

Last year’s program saw shoppers stamp more than $2.3 million worth of Holiday Shopping Passports. Every $100 that you spend locally, up to $48 stays in our community, compared to just $14 when you shop at big box stores according to the DBIA. Photo courtesy of the Peterborough DBIA.

The Passports are available at over 140 participating shops, boutiques, salons, restaurants and cafes in downtown Peterborough. A passport stamp is earned for every $10 spent at participating locations. Free stamps are available at the Peterborough Public Library, Peterborough & the Kawarthas Visitors Centre and the DBIA office.

Early Bird prizes of $500 Boro gift card are available with the draw dates on Dec. 6, 13 and 20. The final grand prize draw is on Jan. 10 with a $1,500 Boro gift card shopping spree grand prize.

New this year, the DBIA is hosting a Holiday Boro Card Bonanza where 12 shoppers will be gifted a $25 Boro gift card just for shopping downtown. The DBIA will randomly draw 12 downtown shop locations to host weekly Boro card giveaways this week.

“DBIA is hyper-focused on incentivizing downtown shopping this holiday season. We understand that supporting local requires intention and effort, and this year we are finding new and delightful ways to attract and retain holiday shoppers,” said Hillary Flood, DBIA vibrancy manager. “Holiday shopping in The Boro offers a one-of-a-kind shopping experience filled with historic charm and hospitality that you just can’t replicate on Amazon. Now more than ever we need to shop with intent, because when you shop locally your money directly supports our community rather than a big corporation.”

Shop owners are challenged to design a store window in honour of the Aurora Borealis for a chance to win Top Window of the season during this year’s annual Holiday Window Contest.

Downtown patrons can vote online for their favourite storefronts from Nov. 20 to Dec. 31.

The City of Peterborough is providing free two-hour parking downtown beginning on Nov. 24 to encourage downtown holiday shopping until the end of December (courtesy of Wolfe Lawyers).

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Pescatarian Restaurant The Vine Takes Home the First-Ever Peterborough DBIA Caesar Fest Title

Less than a year into the restaurant’s opening, pescatarian restaurant The Vine has already claimed the title of Peterborough Downtown Business Area Improvement (DBIA) inaugural Caeser Fest crown announced on Thursday.

Tyrone Flowers, Co-owner of The Vine (left); Naomi Duvall, local performance artist and Chelsea Day-Ross, front of house manager at The Vine (right) receiving the award for the inaugural Caeser Fest. The Vine opened on May 30. Photo courtesy of the DBIA.

The DBIA launched the competition on July 13 and ran until Monday.

There were 11 restaurants, cafés and pubs competing for the title and featured a specialty Caesar creation on their menus for restaurant-goers to enjoy and vote for their favourite. Over 800 votes were cast and The Vine won the top prize with their Papa Tom’s Classic Virgin Caesar.

The The El P’s Kimchi Caesar took second place with The Dirty Burger taking third with their Dirty Muddy Caesar.

“Who knew that the new kids on the block would be taking home the trophy for the very first Caesar Fest,” says Tyrone Flowers, The Vine co-owner. “We’re so humbled and we want to say thank you to everyone who came out to try our Papa Tom’s Caesar.”

The Caesar Fest was heavily promoted by local performance artist, Naomi Duvall. She was hired by the DBIA to play ‘Julia Caes-her’ to act as a town crier for the festival. She generated interest on the streets and in participating restaurants engaging the unsuspecting public on the festival's iconic drink.  

"Congratulations to The Vine on championing Caesar Fest,” said Duvall. “I appreciate how the community has been so engaged with my character and this program. I had a lot of fun developing the persona.”

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First-Ever Peterborough Caesar Fest Launches July 13

A contest of cocktail and culinary prowess begins in Peterborough this week with the launch of the first annual Peterborough Caesar Fest starting July 13.

Terry Guiel (left) and Julia Caes-her (right) showing off their Caesar creations. photo courtesy of the peterborough dbia.

Eleven restaurants, pubs and cafes are featuring their own unique and savoury homage to the classic Canadian cocktail, and will all be vying for glory in this spicy competition.

From July 13 to the 31, a variety of Caesar cocktails and Caesar-inspired dishes will be featured on local menus throughout the downtown just in time for summer patio season. During Caesar Fest, participating restaurants will seek to please the masses and gain votes to claim the title of Caesar Fest victor. Festival goers will vote online for their favourite ‘Caesar’ and at the end of July, only one will reign supreme. 

With a variety of versions available, foodies and cocktail lovers alike will be able to explore a world of innovative caesar-inspired menu exclusives. The Caesar Map will help participants scout out their favourite spots for sips and snacks over the course of the Caesar Fest program.

The winning restaurant will receive a hand-crafted Caesar Fest trophy and the adoration of their patrons and competitors.

“Caesar Fest is a really fun and new way to bring the continuous, multi-site food fest model into the summer patio season”, says Shivaan Burke, programs and engagement coordinator for the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area. “Involving numerous businesses from across the downtown delivers benefits to multiple neighbourhoods at the same time, all while giving patrons the chance to explore some unexpected creations based on a Canadian classic. Downtown revellers can spice things up by making this a cocktail crawl and feel good about getting home safely thanks to our partnership with Y-Drive. We hope that Caesar Fest will give folks the opportunity to discover some new downtown favourites and enjoy the summer on some great patios.”

The Peterborough DBIA has also contracted local performance artist Julia Caes-Her to animate the program. They will be downtown Peterborough promoting Caesar Fest, toasting the competition and partaking of the spoils. 

For more information on how to participate in the first annual Peterborough Caesar Fest visit the website.

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Peterborough DBIA’s Golden Goose Chase Winner Catches $1,500 in Boro Gift Cards

The Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) congratulates winner Susan Donald who took home $1,500 in Boro gift cards from the Golden Goose Chase Scavenger Hunt.

Donald, the winner, photographed at Bhojan Grocery - a new Indian grocery store located on George Street.  photo courtesy of the peterborough dbia.

This spring, the DBIA led a brand new downtown retail incentive program which took locals on a “wild goose chase” in search of golden eggs for a chance to win a $1,500 Boro gift card shopping spree.

The focus of this initiative was on bringing the magic and excitement back into in-person shopping experiences. 200 participants joined the hunt with over 100 active scavenger hunters.

“I love supporting small businesses and shopping locally because you’re supporting families above all else. You get to know the people who you’re buying from, which is so much more meaningful than buying from large corporations,” says Donald.

Many participating businesses noticed an increase of foot traffic to the downtown retail shops as locals explored the downtown in search of golden eggs. 

“We had one group of friends come into our store, a couple of whom had just moved here from Toronto. They had learned about the scavenger hunt and told us they were visiting about six different stores looking for the golden eggs, making purchases along the way as they discovered businesses,” says Andrew Damiany, owner of Gentry Apparel. 

Throughout the program, golden eggs were strategically hidden inside a variety of downtown retail locations on a rotating schedule. This whimsical downtown scavenger hunt utilized a mobile app called Goosechase, where participating players would take an image of each individual egg they found to increase their number of entries into the draw. All 20 eggs were hand-painted by local artists with each egg showcasing their own unique style. 

“It’s been really nice to see people getting excited for the summer and also getting out to explore small businesses and local retailers while having fun in the process,” says Bhojan co-owner Aniket Khera.

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DBIA Offering Free De-Escalation and Harm Reduction Training for Local Businesses

The Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) in partnership with Peterborough & Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce are bringing back their free series of Narcan Training Sessions for local businesses and their employees.

Sarah Budd the new President, CEO of Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce (left) posing with Terry Guiel Executive Director of the Peterborough DBIA with life-saving Naloxone kit to treat overdose. photo courtesy of the dbia.

This year the training program will be adding another important element to the sessions that will include mental distress recognition, response, and communication strategies.

When the DBIA began hosting Narcan training sessions back in 2019 and 2020- they were the only BIA in Ontario offering this level of support to its members. Now the program has expanded to reach more businesses and to help tackle the stigma of opioid use.

“Our community, like many around the province, is dealing with an addiction crisis. This crisis is hitting the workplace,” says Sarah Budd, president and CEO of Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce. “Businesses where there are risks of overdoses are encouraged, and soon will be required, to have a naloxone kit on hand with staff trained in its use. These workshops are a good opportunity to get familiar with this life-saving medication and learn how to save lives.”

While Canadian Red Cross will be providing the Narcan training sessions, the Canadian Mental Health Association and Haliburton Kawartha Pineridge District Health Unit will be offering a separate group of sessions to educate business members of the Chamber and DBIA on how to recognize and respond to someone in mental distress.

Mark Graham, CEO of Canadian Mental Health Association and Haliburton Kawartha Pineridge District Health Unit is happy to support the initiative as well.

“CMHA HKPR is pleased to partner with the local business community in providing owners and their staff with the skills and tools necessary to recognize and respond to mental distress,” says Graham.

This year the DBIA and Chamber of Commerce have extended an invitation to members of the Peterborough Home Builders Association and the Peterborough & District Construction Association.

New Provincial laws coming into effect this June will make it a requirement for ‘at risk’ businesses to be trained in Narcan administration. 

The Canadian Red Cross has played a vital role in local harm reduction with their Opioid Harm Reduction Project. The Canadian Red Cross is committed to helping communities reduce opioid-related deaths by increasing Canadians’ access to response training and naloxone, a life-saving medication that temporarily reverses the life-threatening effects of opioid poisoning.

The Canadian Red Cross’s Opioid Harm Reduction project is creating additional access for Canadians to learn how to save lives in opioid poisoning situations. The Opioid Harm Reduction Project was funded by a contribution from Health Canada’s Substance Use and Addictions Program (SUAP).

Narcan Training Sessions will take place March 23 with 3 schedule choices: 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., 11 a.m. to noon and 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. and March 24 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., 11 a.m. to noon and 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

CMHA HKPR Sessions will also take place on both the 23rd and 24th at the same times, featuring working sessions on Communication Strategies from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Mental Distress: Recognition and Response Session from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The sessions will happen at Venture North (270 George St. N) Parking is available at the King Street Parking Garage. Participants are asked not to park in the Venture North parking lot.

For more information and training options visit the website, or sign up using this link.

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Agave by Imperial Claims First Top Hot Chocolatier Title of DBIA's Inaugural Hot Chocolate Fest

Agave by Imperial has been crowned the first-ever Top Hot Chocolatier after 10 days of fan voting during the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area’s (DBIA) inaugural Hot Chocolate Fest competition announced on Wednesday.

Agave by Imperial opened back in early December last year owned by cousins and partners Manesh Chowdry and Jim Grover who also own The Imperial Tandoor on 554 Lansdowne St. W. Photo courtesy of the Peterborough DBIA.

The winning entry from Agave was their ‘Hot Churro-late’ consisting of Mexican hot chocolate made with cocoa and dark chocolate. It was served with two cinnamon and sugar-topped churros.

“We are so grateful to have won Top Hot Chocolatier with our authentic Mexican entry,” said Jennifer Gutierrez, Agave chef. “Chef Pablo Olvera and I worked on the recipe together and we are really proud of the recipe. In Mexico, hot chocolate is part of our culture, it's part of our everyday life. We love that this festival allowed us to bring a bit of Mexico to Peterborough.”

Hot Churro-late bested 13 other businesses with 14 other entries to claim the title. Photo courtesy of the DBIA.

Agave has received a hot chocolate-themed trophy and bragging rights for the year as a reward for their efforts.

Milk + Tea was the runner-up with their Bubble Pudding Chocolate followed by The Speak Easy Café’s Breakfast of Chocolate.

The first annual Ptbo Hot Chocolate Fest featured 15 over-the-top hot chocolate creations, hand-crafted by downtown chocolatiers, bakeries, cafes and restaurants. Cocoa creations were available to the public for both dine-in and takeout.

The inaugural festival ran from Feb. 17 - 26 where chocolate lovers voted online for their favourite creations by 14 businesses totalling 15 entries.  There were more than 1,000 votes cast during the 10 days of competition.

“Over the span of just 10 days our Hot Chocolate Trail map surpassed 11k views,” said Hillary Flood, DBIA communications and marketing manager.” The success of our very first Ptbo Hot Chocolate Fest lies heavily on the imagination and passion of our Hot Chocolatiers.”

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Peterborough DBIA Hosting Inaugural Free 'Catch the Leprechaun' Scavenger Hunt For March

A mischievous band of pint-sized Leprechauns are invading local downtown pubs as Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) has launched its ‘Catch the Leprechauns’ free scavenger hunt announced at Crook and Coffer on Tuesday.

Crook & Coffer co-owner John Clarke getting the Irish spirit on early pouring green beer for the DBIA’s inaugural “Catch the Leprechauns” free scavenger hunt. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Residents are encouraged to visit one of 13 participating pubs — with help of a Leprechaun Pub Map — to find five different leprechauns scattered throughout on a rotating schedule for the month of March. The first 100 people to complete the hunt will win “pints of gold” that include a piece of glassware from a local brewery, swag and even a few tricks according to Hillary Flood, DBIA communications and marketing manager.

“We have these historically charming pubs that are rebounded for their hospitality and their atmosphere so if we can bring people in for our Leprechaun hunt, it will tether people back to the community and celebrate the community pride of our local pub scene,” she said.

The following are the participating downtown pubs:

• The Black Horse Pub

• One Eighty Sports Pub

• The Dirty Burger Company

• Crook & Coffer

• The Only Café

• Jethro’s Bar + Stage

• Champs Bar And Grill

• McThirsty’s Pint

• Maple Moose Pub

• The Social Pub

• Bijoux Bar

• Dr. J’s BBQ & Brews

• Riley’s Pub

The leprechauns were crafted by local artist Brooklin Stormie. They were hand-felted and made to have their own look and personality.

“Working on this project was so much fun,” explained Stormie. “It was a nice re-entry into the world of textiles. I let each Leprechaun reveal themselves to me organically throughout the process. I can’t help but feel a motherly connection to these five little Faye creatures. I’m excited to see what adventure await these little chaps - my wayward sons.”

Each Leprechaun has its own backstory steeped in folklore and mischief and named after local breweries.

• Persian Murphy - Persian Empire

• Bobby McCaygeon - Bobcaygeon Brewery

• Petey O’Haven - Haven Brewing Co.

• Feilhem Falls - Fenelon Falls Brewing Co.

• Publican O’Leerie - Publican House Brewery

(from left to right) Persian Murphy, Publican O’Leerie, Petey O’Haven, Bobby Mc’Caygeon and Feilhem Falls having a grand ol’ time at Crook and Coffer while causing mischief. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Anyone of legal drinking age can join the scavenger hunt for free by downloading Goosechase, a mobile scavenger hunt app. Search “Catch the Leprechauns” or use the game code ‘5W9B4Z’ to join in on the hunt. Players earn points, by submitting live-capture photos of each Leprechaun they find along their travels.

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