Peterborough Blogs
New Reduced Speed Limits and Community Safety Zones in Peterborough School Areas
/City Council approved reduced speed limits and Community Safety Zones for all City elementary and secondary school areas in the City of Peterborough at its meeting on June 26.
photo courtesy of the city of peterborough.
Speed limits will be reduced to 40 kilometres per hour on major roads fronting schools and 30 kilometres per hour on minor roads fronting schools and local roads leading to a school driveway. Local roads with walkway access to school property will receive a 40-kilometres-per-hour speed limit.
Work will begin this summer to install the new speed limit and Community Safety Zone signs in accordance with Highway Traffic Act regulations and the road safety treatments for five pilot school areas are expected to be in place this fall. A public education campaign will take place in time for back-to-school travel.
“School area safety is a priority for Council. We want our children to be safe,” said Mayor Jeff Leal. “Reducing the speed limit on the roads around our schools will create a safer environment for children and families walking or cycling to school. Watch for new signage and public education to be rolled out for the next school year.”
“Community Safety Zones in school areas will add another layer of safety, in addition to the City’s effective Crossing Guard program and school bus safety laws,” said Peterborough Police Chief Stuart Betts. “These important reduced speed limits will be enforced through doubled fines set out by the Highway Traffic Act. Reduced vehicle speeds help save lives.”
The school area safety project comes from key infrastructure policy initiatives established through the Transportation Master Plan that was approved by Council in March 2022. This project implements several of the measures recommended in the Safe School Zones section, including education, engineering and enforcement measures to improve the safety in school areas.
Peterborough Pathway of Fame Announces Class of 2023 Inductees
/Pathway of Fame has announced the most recent group of Inductees for the Class of 2023 in Peterborough and District.
photo courtesy of pathway of fame, facebook.
The Pathway of Fame Peterborough & District is a not-for-profit organization first formed in 1997 to honour community citizens and individuals in the Arts and Humanities. The first class of honourees were inducted, with stone markers placed into the Pathway of Fame at Del Crary Park in 1998.
Recent inductees include:
John Ambrose (Jack) Doris (Community Builder)
First elected to Peterborough City Council in 1967, John Ambrose (Jack) Doris subsequently represented his Monaghan Ward constituents for 39 years and served another six years as Mayor before stepping back from politics in 2014 – his legacy secure as someone who always had your back, and treated all with equal kindness and compassion.
Courtney Druce (Cultural/Community Betterment)
Before cancer tragically cut short her life at 27, Courtney Druce made it her mission to inspire and provide hope for others fighting their own battles – raising funds for, and bringing awareness to the important work of the Canadian Cancer Society and the Heart and Stroke Foundation, to name but a few benefactors of her empathy for others. Courtney Druce died April 27, 2016 just shy of her 28th birthday.
Sean Eyre (Cultural/Community Betterment)
From his radio broadcasting heyday as ‘Sunshine Sean’ to his co-founding of Rocklands Entertainment, to his relentless promotion of local artists – Sean Eyre’s love of his community has also encompassed service as a City alderman, not to mention one of the driving forces behind the 1998 founding of the Peterborough & District Pathway of Fame.
Charlie Gregory (Barb Bell Humanity Award Recipient)
Charlie Gregory’s photographic essays of the homeless have not only afforded the viewer a window into the harsh realities of the unhoused, but his images reveal the humanity of those who exist on the fringe. A self-described “watcher of folks who live on the edges of society,” Gregory has made it his selfless mission to both document, and offer support for the marginalized. As part of his advocacy, the proprietor of ‘Lumpy Bikes’ donates refurbished bicycles to those in need. His only ask: “That I take your picture.”
Stephanie and John MacDonald (Cultural/Community Betterment)
This Peterborough couple’s compelling, and vast contributions to the betterment and well-being of their community run the gamut, with the list of organizations having benefitted from their involvement, drive and passion as long, as it is impressive – all while serving as selfless and dedicated lifelong educators who each rose to the position of school principal. John MacDonald passed away at the end of 2022, in his 83rd year.
David McNab (Samaritan)
Having fully earned his status as global citizen, retired Peterborough County OPP constable David McNab continues to play a key role in the settlement and integration of Syrian refugees into the Peterborough community, displaying the same selfless compassion for others that fuelled his long involvement with Cops For Cancer and countless local organizations and initiatives.
Mike Melnik (Media)
As the popular morning host for ‘KRUZ’ AM and FM before his retirement from the airwaves in 2012, Mike Melnik’s welcoming and distinctive voice started the day for thousands of listeners. His passion for the community, and his capacity for instantly putting his guests at ease was a gift that translated into a coveted spotlight for countless events, causes and organizations – Easter Seals, and its annual telethon among them.
Cathy Rowland (Dramatic Arts)
A staunch champion of the Peterborough arts scene and in particular the involvement, and creative works of our community’s youth, Cathy Rowland founded the Integrated Arts Program at PCVS and served as lead writer of the Ontario Applied Design and Arts curriculum – in addition to writing, producing and directing numerous theatrical productions.
Jeannine Taylor (Media)
A self-made entrepreneur of close to 30 years, KawarthaNOW founder, CEO and publisher Jeannine Taylor was first out of the gate locally in terms of recognizing, and acting upon the emergence of the Internet as a media communications platform, having since leveraged her experience and influence to mentor other women in business.
Greg Wells (Entertainment)
As a two-time Grammy Award winner and one of the most sought-after record producers in the world, Los Angeles-based Greg Wells has never forgotten his Peterborough roots – honouring and celebrating the City’s rich musical heritage by devoting his time and considerable skills to the furtherance of homegrown talent.
Inductees are chosen from a list of nominations submitted from the community at large by an anonymous committee comprised of community citizens having no current association whatsoever with, or connection to, The Pathway of Fame. The Nominations Chair is tasked with appointing a new Selection Committee each year, the members of which are confidential and never revealed to The Pathway of Fame.
Induction ceremonies are held each September at the Showplace Performance Centre. This years’ induction for the Class of 2023 will return to the main stage Saturday, September 9 at 10 a.m. and is open to the general public as well as families, friends and supporters of the inductees. Past inductees are welcome. Admission is free and reservations are not required.
City of Peterborough Community Activities for National Indigenous History Month and Pride Month 2023
/Activities are being held throughout the community, including at City of Peterborough facilities, for residents to take part in National Indigenous History Month and Pride Month in June.
photo courtesy of the city of peterborough.
Highlights from the activities at City of Peterborough facilities:
Art Gallery of Peterborough
250 Crescent St.
Exhibition: Special Project: Tea with the Queens, June 7 to June 29, 2023
Opening reception for new exhibitions, June 7, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Afternoon Tea with the Queens, June 11 and 14, 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and June 11, 13, and 22, 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Indigenous Day Celebrations at Hiawatha First Nation: Art Gallery of Peterborough tent; June 17, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Peterborough Public Library
345 Aylmer St. N.
PA Day Family Movie: Indigenous Cinema Shorts for Children, June 9, 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
Crafternoon: Beaded Rings with Malinda Gray, June 10, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Teen Book Club: Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley, June 13, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunset Story Time with Betty Baker, June 16, 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Non-fiction Book Club: Unreconciled: Family, Truth, and Indigenous Resistance by Jesse Wente, June 20, 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Summer Solstice Story Time, National Indigenous Peoples Day at Millennium Park, 130 King St., June 21, 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
10 Indigenous Titles You Should Read this Month featured at the Seniors Showcase, Peterborough Sport and Wellness Centre, 775 Brealey Dr., June 21, 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
Tween Book Club: Barren Grounds by David Robertson, June 22, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Friday Film & Discussion: Voices Across the Water, June 23, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Adult Book Club: A Minor Chorus by Billy-Ray Belcourt, June 27, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Legacy Space, open during library hours
Peterborough Museum and Archives
300 Hunter St. E.
‘To Honour and Respect: Gifts from the Michi Saagiig Women to the Prince of Wales’ exhibit, open during museum hours until mid-November
Quillwork Workshops, June 21, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., registration required
Pride Flag Scavenger Hunt, during open hours all through June
Pride Craft based on the book ‘My Rainbow’ and Stories station, during open hours all through June
Indigenous Day Kids Crafts, June 21, during open hours
Interpretive tours of the ‘To Honour and Respect: Gifts from the Michi Saagiig Women to the Prince of Wales’ exhibit, available June 21, watch for details on the Museum website and social media
The City of Peterborough’ s Public Art Program invites you to visit The Nogojiwanong Project
The Nogojiwanong Project, located at the south end of Millennium Park, was a collaboration undertaken in the spirit of kinship between local First Nations, Indigenous peoples, and the City of Peterborough in recognition of the 200th anniversary of Rice Lake Treaty No. 20. Through the collaboration, this gathering space was created to encourage learning and reflection with a series of interpretive panels highlighting the evolution of local treaties and inherent rights of Indigenous peoples. The “Gathering” provides the focal point for the space.
Michael Belmore’s, entitled “Gathering,” complements the panels and anchors the space. It consists of a grouping of glacial erratic boulders, carved, lined with copper, and fitted so that they sit slightly apart and seemingly radiate heat. The stones are embellished with the Treaty 20 Clan Totems or Dodems as they are called in Anishinaabemowin.
Nogojiwanong is an Anishinaabe word meaning “place at the foot of the rapids” and the name given to the gathering place, at the bottom of a turbulent stretch of the Otonabee River, renamed Peterborough by European settlers.
Millennium Park forms the present-day landfall and eddy along the western shoreline. It is also the site of the trailhead to the Chemong Portage – a six- or seven-mile historic footpath between the Otonabee River and Chemong Lake.
The Nogojiwanong Project location acknowledges these ancestral lands and the thousands of years the Michi Saagiig navigated this route between their winter camps and traditional fishing grounds at the mouth of the Ganaraska River on Lake Ontario.
Knights of Columbus 45th Annual Police Appreciation Night Recognizes Heroic Citizens and Officers
/The Peterborough Police Service and the Knights of Columbus Ernest J. Wolff Council 798 gathered Wednesday to present awards to citizens and officers who displayed acts of courage and commitment to the community.
photo courtesy of peterborough police service, facebook.
This year’s commendations were presented to citizens and officers for their assistance over the past three years.
Citizen Commendations:
Rob Reynolds
Matt Cooper
Hunter Hoey
Justin Schaude
Molly Touzel
Kaylynn Delong
Nikki Casey
Jeff Lustig
Chris Formosa
Amy Gosland
Britney Graham
Michelle Scheeters
Kelly Lahay
Leslie Cangas
Francis Joseph Edwards
Jake Hartjes
Mariah Hartjes
Madison Sargent
Natalie Jennings
Kelli McNamara
Tim McNamara
Star Hodge
Nichole Bartley
Timur Abdrakhmanov
Carol Winter Humanitarian Award – awarded to a member of the Police Service who has contributed to the needs of the vulnerable in our community.
Staff Sergeant Daniel MacLean
Robert Lewis Bursary Award – awarded to the graduating constable with the highest achievement at Ontario Police College.
Constable Lily Gamble (Class of 2019)
Constable Brandon Bigelow (Class of 2019)
Constable David Wickham (Class of 2020)
Constable Kristopher DiClemente (Class of 2021)
Constable Suzanne Szafran (Class of 2022)
Service Pins for Civilian Members:
Mary Lee – 30 years
Jennifer Tippin – 20 years
Knights of Columbus Meritorious Service Awards:
Sergeant John Townsend / Constable James McIntyre
Constable Robert Cowie & K9 Isaac
Detective Constable Brian Urquhart / Detective Constable Mark MacDonell (former)
Sergeant Kirk Kelly
To read about the actions of these heroic community members, visit the link.
$1.2 Million Gift to Double Number of Trent Students Participating in Community-Based Research
/A $1.2 million gift to Trent University – announced immediately after the launch of the new $100 million Campaign for Momentous Change – will support Trent’s community-based research by doubling the number of students and community organizations able to participate in the program.
photo courtesy of trent university.
This four-year commitment to the Trent Community Research Centre (TCRC) will develop training for students and employers, enhance hands-on learning opportunities, provide funds for primary research and cover travel and other expenses for students to complete research.
“Momentous change happens when students are not just motivated, but supported, to do outstanding work with local organizations, deepening the connection between Trent University and local communities,” says Julie Davis, vice-president External Relations & Development at Trent University. “This generous donation, from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous, benefits both the community and students.”
For more than 25 years, the TCRC has facilitated community-based research projects in Peterborough City and County, the City of Kawartha Lakes, Durham Region and Northumberland County.
Community-based research brings together the research expertise of Trent University faculty and students with the knowledge and research needs of a wide range of community groups and organizations including municipalities, social service agencies, conservation authorities and interest groups.
“Thanks to this generous donation, even more students will become engaged in local causes that fuel their passions, and in many cases, shape the trajectory of their life and career,” said Kevin Whitmore, director of Careerspace at Trent. “Community-based research showcases the power of collaborative learning and the value of work-integrated opportunities for students to make a positive difference in their community.”
TCRC recently hosted its annual Celebration of Community-Based Research where more than 50 Trent students presented their groundbreaking research projects and showcased the impact of research partnerships between students, faculty and community partners including Five Counties Children’s Centre and the Brain Injury Association of Peterborough Region.
Learn more about Trent’s community-based research and the Campaign for Momentous Change.
Community Care Grandparent of the Year Submission Deadline Extended
/Community Care Peterborough has extended the deadline for ‘Grandparents of the Year’ submissions to May 9, encouraging children from Grades 2 through 6 to recognize a grandparent, elder or a special older person in their life as ‘Grandparent of the Year.’
photo courtesy of community care peterborough.
For the past 35 years, Community Care says they are amazed by the scope of stories/nominations they receive annually. Many of the honourees are indeed grandparents or great grandparents of the students; however, there have been a number of entries that highlight a special senior friend or an Elder who has shared their knowledge with the child.
Students are instructed to submit both a hand-drawn picture of themselves with their nominee as well as a piece of writing that answers some of the following questions:
What is important about your relationship with your Grandparent, Elder or special older person?
What kinds of activities do you enjoy together?
What kind of knowledge have they shared with you?
Describe a happy occasion you shared together.
How does your nominee make your feel when you are together?
Why are you proud of your Grandparent, Elder, or special older person?
Why do you think they should win this award?
Optionally, students can submit a recorded video of them reading their story. This is not required, and will not affect judging.
Entries in both English and French are selected.
A committee will select one winner and one honourable mention from each group of grades; primary and junior. Primary is Grades 2 & 3. Junior is Grades 4, 5 & 6.
Eight Awards Will Be Presented to Children:
• Certificates for all participants
• One winner for primary level, grade 2 and 3, in each English and French categories
• One winner for junior level, grades 4, 5, and 6, in each English and French categories
• Honourable Mentions selected in each category
8 Awards Will Be presented to the nominated Grandparents.
Parents and/or guardians can submit their children’s entries online or use a downloadable entry form and mail/drop off them at Community Care Peterborough (185 Hunter St. E.).
For more information, contact Pamela at (705) 742-7067, ext. 221.
Ravenwood Drive Christmas Display Invites Public For "Fill the Sleigh" Food Drive
/Extravagant Christmas displays are back at the Glasbergen’s as they are inviting the public to tour their grounds and support their “Fill the Sleigh” food drive in support of St. Vincent de Paul this Friday.
Photo courtesy of Braden Glasbergen.
Their Christmas display, known as ‘Seasons on Ravenwood’ is one of four larger-than-life exhibits — with Easter, summer and Halloween as the other displays — the family does annually.
Walkways are created to guide visitors through their front lawn to view the display filled with ornaments, lights, signs and more. The family has requested everyone not to touch the decorations because of its fragility. Anyone driving by is also requested to stop and see the display to not disrupt traffic flow and for everyone’s safety.
Jenn (left) and Braden Glasbergen (right) with their Halloween ghost ship as one of thier biggest displays of the year. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
Visitors are encouraged to take photos of the displays and with Santa who will make an appearance.
“We love expressing the joy of the Christmas season through lights and decorations and getting to experience visitors' faces when they come to visit makes it worthwhile,” said Braden Glasbergen. “Everyone shows their love of the displays in different ways, the excitement that the little ones share when they run towards the lights or point out Santa on the balcony to the seniors who slow down in their cars and smile at the nutcrackers and reindeer.”
The family is collecting non-perishable goods for St. Vincent de Paul and encourages anyone who visits to bring items to their drop-off box.
“Sharing our seasons with the community and having the community share back with their food donations allows the feeling to go full circle, helping others while having some fun,” said Glasbergen.
The Glasbergen’s display is on 1723 Ravenwood Dr. and is open to the public from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday.
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Construction Set To Begin For Morrow Park Community Centre
/Construction crews are expected to begin preparations for a $65.5M community centre with an arena, aquatic complex and library at Morrow Park within the next two weeks.
Photo courtesy of Connect Peterborough.
The first phase of the project outlines two 500-seat pads, an elevating running/walking track, landscaping, public washrooms and storage, team change rooms and two multipurpose rooms.
The complex will include an aquatic centre with an eight-lane pool and warm-up therapy pool once all phases are completed.
A 5,000-square-foot Peterborough Public Library branch will replace the permanently closed DelaFosse library branch on Park Street South.
The twin-pad arena will replace the Northcrest Arena, which was torn down due to structural issues last year.
Construction is set to be completed by the fall of 2024.
"Our new community centre is a much-needed project anticipated by many community members with multiple uses included for all ages,” said Coun. Lesley Parnell, arenas, parks and recreation advisory committee chair. “A major silver lining is (an) addition of a new library branch to replace the outdated DelaFosse building. All conveniently located as a hub for local citizens and sports tourism.”
In a July meeting, Peterborough City Council approved Morrow Park at Lansdowne Street and Park Street as the location for the complex.
A pre-planned reconstruction of a section of Lansdowne Street West running next to Morrow Park is being timed to align with the construction of this new community centre.
Site preparation is said to take six to eight weeks.
2023 Community Grants Program Open to Applicants This October
/Not-for-profit groups can get a little boost as the City of Peterborough 2023 Community Grants Program is open to applications as of Oct 14 at noon.
Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.
Any not-for-profit group or association is invited to complete an online application for a Community Project Grant or a Community Investment Grant through the grants program.
The Community Grants program provides financial assistance to non-profit, community-based organizations that provide direct programs, services or activities that enhance the quality of life for Peterborough residents in areas of social services and health, arts, culture, heritage, recreation or the environment.
Applications will be open for the following Community Grants streams:
Community Project Grants – support for a specified project for which the requested amount is $250 to $1,000.
Community Investment Grants – support for projects and special events, specific programs or operating budgets for which the requested amount is $1,000 to $15,000.
