Selwyn Township Receives $100,000 Grant to Enhance Local Tourism

Selwyn Township receives a non-repayable contribution of $100,000 from the Regional Tourism Organization 8 (RTO8) towards the enhancement of there downtown, announced Monday.

File photo.

This funding will go towards the enhancement of the public realm within the downtown area of the Village of Lakefield, and include the replacement of neglected, aged and cracked interlocking brickwork with stamped concrete and the installation of metal art banners on streetlights along Queen Street.

“Investments in public spaces within our community help create a memorable experience for visitors and residents alike. With tourism being an integral part of our local economy, this project will ensure Lakefield remains a top destination in Kawarthas Northumberland.,” says Andy Mitchell, Mayor of Selwyn Township.

The $100,000 contribution for Selwyn Township is through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), as part of the RTO8.

RTO8 supports the regional tourism industry, supporting them in attracting visitors, generating economic activity and creating local jobs. They received $3 million from FedDev Ontario to help local tourism organizations and businesses safely welcome back visitors, recover from the impacts of the pandemic and prepare for future growth.

FedDev Ontario is contributing approximately $120 million across southern Ontario through the Tourism Relief Fund.

“With this funding, southern Ontario’s Regional Tourism Organizations and Indigenous Tourism Ontario are providing hundreds of local businesses and organizations with the support they need to create jobs, attract more visitors and grow local economies, now and into the future,” says The Honourable Filomena Tassi, Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Local Artists Receive Funding Through New Grants For Individual Artists Program

20 local artists have been awarded a total of $47,720 through the Grants for Individual Artists program from the City of Peterborough and the Electric City Culture Council.

File photo.

The program’s open call is said to have received 40 applications. A peer assessment jury awarded grants to 20 artists, including 11 artists in component one (totalling $16,500) and nine artists in component two (totalling $31,220). This program is funded by both EC3 and the City of Peterborough and is designed and administered by EC3.

The Grants for Individual Artists program is divided into two components. Component one is mini development grants of up to $1,500 for for individual professional artists’ research, development, workshopping etc. of original new works, as well as for professional development and mentorship opportunities.

Component two is project production and presentation grants of up to $3,500 for the production and presentation of specific projects, and supports costs such as artist fees, production materials, venue rentals, technical equipment, costumes, publication etc. for individual professional artists. Artists working in every discipline and medium were eligible to apply.

“We are grateful to the City of Peterborough for their ground-breaking support of this program. These investments in the work of our very talented and hardworking artists means more artists can realize their visions, contribute to our cultural and social well-being and make Peterborough a more vibrant, dazzling city for all of us,” said Su Ditta, executive director at EC3.

Grants for Individual Artists 2022 grant recipients:

Component One: mini development grants for individual professional artists

• Kim Blackwell - The Auction

  Development of a theatrical new work exploring hording, difficult relations between a father and daughter set against a backdrop of 1970s nuclear proliferation, the Cold War and the soundtrack to "Jesus Christ Superstar."

• Kathryn Durst - First Lady of the Accordion: Mine White Research Project

  Biographical and visual research about Canadian folk music icon Minnie White of Newfoundland, with the goal of illustrating a new book based on her life.

• Lesley Givens - Moving: Beyond Comfort Zones

  Veteran arts educator revives her personal practice, building upon her body of work as a visual artist with dance and movement to create a new performance work. “To occupy space with my 50-year-old body is an authentic and powerful expression of freedom.”

• Sarah Elise Hall - Stacks

  An accomplished sculptor and installation artist explores the state of our environment, pollution, climate change and our global future, using recycled and discarded plastic containers to create large sculptural pieces that reflect natural minerals and erosion.

• Jon Hedderwick - One City Community University: Storytelling and Spoken Word as Advocacy

  Outreach to those experiencing homelessness, precariously housed and economically marginalized members of our community to engage in writing, storytelling and recording.

• Julia Huỳnh - nhạc xuân, ở đây và ở đó (Spring Music, Here and There)

  Exploring Vietnamese migration and cultural preservation through re-imagined archives, photography, sound, and plants, leading to the creation of sound and video works.

• Nicole Malbeuf - Aerial Arts: Hair Suspension Practice

  Circus artist explores techniques in ‘hair suspension,’ acts flying high in the air suspended only by the performer’s long hair, through professional instruction, culminating in a workshop performance of a new performance piece.

• Justin Million - Carry It All (Poetry Manuscript)

  Following years of performing and releasing chapbooks with the Show and Tell Poetry Series, the artist will research and write their first book-length poetry collection of unpublished work.

• Ireni Stamou - Media, Medusa, Cassandra Unearthed

  Experimenting with texts and devised theatre for a new choreographic creation inspired by feminine archetypes found in Ancient Greek theatre and mythology.

• Kate Suhr - Grace

  Development of a new autobiographical show that uses music and storytelling to describe the effects of addiction on children in the home.

• Ziysah von Bieberstein - Manuscript Mentorship

  Engaging professional edits, revisions and consultation for the artist’s next manuscript and publication process, while simultaneously mentoring an emerging poet to develop their first self-published chapbook.

Component Two: production and presentation grants for initial professional artists

• Brad Brackenridge - The Lear Project

  Dance, puppetry, and song come together for a theatrical production based on the life and work of Victorian nonsense poet Edward Lear (for presentation at the Market Hall).

• Jennifer Elchuk - Weathering and Waiting

  Evolving their work with the flying ‘aerial canoe,’ including expansion of technical and narrative techniques, culminates in a circus arts performance at the Canadian Canoe Museum's grand opening.

• Karol Orzechowski - Enantiodromia

  Local musician Garbageface (Karol Orzechowski) releases a new album, exploring the polarized nature of our society, with a unique, one-time, live performance at The Theatre On King in Fall of 2023, which will be documented for later digital release.

• Kaz Rahman - Experimental Documentary Film: Digital Dervish (working title)

  An experimental documentary featurette that mixes performance footage of the internationally touring Digital Dervish dance performance, with interviews, verite-style sequences and animated shots.

• Elisha Rubacha - Loop

  Workshop process and work-in-progress performance at The Theatre on King for a stage play about ambiguous family history, intergenerational trauma, mental illness, and fascism.

• Matt Snell - Fortune Cookie

  In this unique and comedic short film, a man attempting to live without a smartphone, finds himself increasingly addicted to fortune cookies instead. A new work from this award-winning director.

• Kate Story - Anxiety

  A one-person devised theatre/dance performance work from this GG nominated artist exploring the Old English epic poem “Beowulf,” the current rise of white supremacy, language, the artist’s childhood and her father’s work as a Newfoundland lexicographer

• Lynda Todd - Tap: Please Touch (Tactile Art Project)

  Creating accessible, tactile art designed for diverse audiences, including blind and visually impaired audience members, with a live exhibition at The Mount Community Centre, online, and on social media.

• Gillian Turnham - Interlaced

  Visual artist shares her explorations of traditional Islamic geometric art with three non-gallery popup exhibitions, connected to an online gallery with instructions on drawing each pattern using ruler and compass.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Peterborough DBIA Receives Over $96,000 In Tourism Support from The Government of Canada

Peterborough’s Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) received $96,100 from the Government of Canada’s Tourism Relief Fund to attract visitors and support future growth in the community.

Photo courtesy of the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area.

The money came from Regional Tourism Organization 8 (RTO8) through FedDev Ontario, a system through the Government of Canada that delivers programs and services to support the growth of local economies.

The DBIA is a not-for-profit organization that represents downtown businesses, with focus on promoting and advocating for the downtown and it’s businesses. According to a press release, this investment will help the DBIA adapt and recover to attract new visitors and drive economic growth in downtown Peterborough.

“Guided by our strategic plan, we are always working to create and maintain a vibrant and attractive downtown area for locals and visitors,” said Terry Guiel, DBIA executive director. “With the help of the Tourism Relief Fund, we are able to implement several new projects that will enhance the visitor experience when visiting Downtown Peterborough.”

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Ontario Investing Over $450,000 For Hiring Staff to Address Ambulance Offload Times at PRHC

The Ontario Government is investing $450,683 to support fast ambulance response and turnaround times for the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC).

Warden J. Murray Jones (left), Chief Randy Mellow (middle) and MPP Dave Smith (right) during Jones’s final days as warden before retiring from a 24-year political tenure. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

This is part of the province’s ‘Plan to Stay Open: Health System Stability and Recover’ where $16.1 million is being invested in 20 communities across the province through the Dedicated Offload Nurses Program.

This results in more hired additional nurses and health care workers including paramedics, respiratory therapists and physician assistants, who are dedicated to offloading ambulance patients to receive care in emergency departments according to the press release.

“Too often, ambulances are stuck at PRHC caring for patients when they should be out on service calls throughout the community,” MPP Dave Smith said. “This funding will help ensure that Peterborough Paramedics are where they belong, helping those who need it, when they need it.”

In addition to this $16.1 million, Ontario is investing an additional $7 million in the program for 2022–23 as announced in the 2022 Ontario Budget: Ontario’s Plan to Build.

“As a recipient community of offload delay funding for years, we are pleased that this funding will continue in our community and pleased to see that the Province is expanding to include other hospitals and communities,” said Warden J. Murray Jones. “This additional funding will expand the program to new municipalities while providing additional support to previously funded communities where this program has already been regarded as a success.”

“Peterborough County-City Paramedics have worked closely with PRHC for years identifying and implementing strategies to assist with systemic offload delays,” said Chief Randy Mellow. “The continuance of this funding is critical to our entities and our community.”

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Ontario Government Receiving Over $8.5 Million in Funding for Peterborough County-City Ambulance Services

Peterborough County-City Paramedics is receiving $8,701,551 from the Ontario Government to support the hiring of additional paramedics, wage and cost of living adjustments and general ambulance services operations announced at the Peterborough Paramedic station on Friday morning.

Warden J. Murray Jones (left), Chief Randy Mellow (middle) and MPP Dave Smith (right) during Jones’s final days as warden before retiring from a 24-year political tenure. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The funding is part of the Ontario Government investment of nearly $764 million in the province’s Land Ambulance Service Grant (LASG) to help municipalities facing increased cost pressures in their emergency departments.

“When people call 911, they need to know that paramedics will arrive quickly to meet their needs. A delay in a service call of just minutes can lead to drastically different results,” said MPP Dave Smith. “This investment will help all of us receive better service when our loved ones pick up the phone at that critical time.”

Through LASG, municipalities receive funding for 50 per cent of the costs of their land ambulance operations. This funding is part of the government’s commitment to building a modern, sustainable and connected emergency health system that supports every Ontarian on their health care journey according to a press release.

“The Province has supported our response to COVID-19 and recognized the need for support continues as we emerge from the Pandemic in order to provide stability required for our Paramedic Service to ensure we meet the community’s needs,” said Chief Randy Mellow. “In addition, the Ontario government is also continuing to fund 100 per cent of costs for Central Ambulance Communications Centres.”

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Ontario Government Announces Ontario’s Clean Home Heating Initiative

The Ontario Government is providing up to $4.5 million to bring hybrid heating to as many as 1,000 households in the community, said Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith on Thursday.

Photo courtesy of the City of Peterborough.

Through the Clean Home Heating Initiative, funding will support the installation of electric heat pumps with smart controls by providing local homeowners in Peterborough, St. Catharines, Sault Ste. Marie and London with incentives of up to $4,500 to pair with their existing natural gas furnaces.

This initiative, in collaboration with Enbridge, will allow households to leverage Ontario’s world-class clean electricity grid which is more than 90 per cent emissions free.

Electric heat pumps replace existing air conditioners in the summer and can operate in reverse in cooler seasons to provide home heating. With the addition of smart controls, a hybrid heating system automatically switches to a home's existing natural gas furnace depending on weather and which source is least expensive.

“Switching to hybrid heating could save homeowners up to $80 dollars every year on energy bills – an annual savings that would increase over time - and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 30 per cent,” said Todd Smith, minister of energy. “Investing in these types of transformative energy models is how we are building a pathway to a clean energy future that will protect the environment and keep costs down, all while creating new high-quality jobs across the province.”

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

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.

All applicants will be evaluated and approved by the City of Peterborough Council.

The deadline for both the Community Project Grant and Community Investment Grant applications is Dec. 2 at 3 p.m.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Couture Candy PTBO Celebrates Grand Opening on Saturday

Couture Candy PTBO’s second location on Lansdowne Place hosted its grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday.

Lisa Couture and Family cut ribbon in opening ceremony of their new location. Photo by Luke Best

The new storefront is located between Journeys and Claire’s at the bottom of the escalator. Couture Candy PTBO has been donated the space from the mall until Oct. 3 to aid in their ‘Cancer Care is Sweet’ fundraiser.

$1 from select products will go towards the Peterborough Regional Health Center Foundation for cancer care with a goal of $10,000.

Before the new location opened on saturday, they had already raised $8,500 according to Couture. Photo By Luke Best

“We're gonna crush it. I know we will,“ said owner Lisa Couture. “We actually have some fun challenges for the community to get more donations. There's a cool hair-cutting challenge that's will be coming up.”

Donations can also be made at both stores or online.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

Late Historian Honoured With $250,000 Gift to Canadian Canoe Museum

The Canadian Canoe Museum (CCM) is celebrating a $250,000 gift to honour late local historian and avid canoer Shelagh Grant announced on Thursday.

File Photo.

The gift came from Grant’s family to celebrate her 25 years as a volunteer and member since the museum’s inception. The Grant family's gift will be recognized in the Loft of the new museum, a central community gathering space on the second floor just outside the Knowledge and Research Centre in the Atrium.

Grant passed away in 2020 and is known for her love of the North and passion for canoeing according to a press release. She was known as an internationally acclaimed expert, historian and author on the Arctic. She with her husband Jon, paddled many of Canada's northern rivers together.

"The Grant family honours Shelagh Grant's love of the North, its land, peoples, rivers, and rapids with this $250,000 gift. Shelagh's vision and committee work helped to guide The Canadian Canoe Museum in its early stages," said Jon. "This gift recognizes the canoe as a unifying legacy, from the First People's travel to today's recreation, which is an important part of our rich and unique heritage."

In the 1980s, through her work as an adjunct professor of Canadian Studies at Trent University. Shelagh became part of an instrumental Advisory Committee that helped establish the CCM and bring Kirk Wipper's Kanawa canoe collection to Peterborough.

"Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-coast are engaged and giving to the campaign – but to see such strong local support here in our community is heartening,” said Kevin Malone, campaign chair.

The CCM has raised 93 per cent of the $40 million capital costs for the new museum which is scheduled to open next summer. The community is invited to donate to the new museum or to support the move of more than 600 canoes and kayaks and small artifacts.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.

GreenUP Celebrates $25,000 Grant For Urban Greening With Tree-Planting Ceremony

Peterborough GreenUP celebrates their $25,000 Green Space Grant to grow urban mini-forests in town with a fruit tree planting at Dominion Park on Wednesday.

Laura Kersztesi juggles apples in dominion park after announcing the green space grant . Photo by Luke Best

The grant was from TD Bank Group and the Arbor Day Foundation. Peterborough is one of just 20 North American cities to receive the grant this year.

“It's really wonderful to see this come together and have the support from these types of grants to put trees in the ground,” said Laura Kersztesi, Greenup program coordinator.

GreenUP and Nourish are creating five neighbourhood-based mini-food forests and educating how to care for fruit within urban spaces. The mini-forest locations include Keith Wightman Park, an urban farm on Highland Road, Jackson Creek and a to-be-named retirement residence.

Three apple trees such as Royal Gala and Golden Delicious were planted at Dominion Park to kickstart the campaign.

All photos by Luke Best

Kereztesi says GreenUP will plant perennials and berry bushes in the fall including currents and elderberries. She is unsure if more planting will continue past the winter season due to funding and volunteer status but wants to if possible.

“New and experienced gardeners alike have been asking frequently about integrating fruit production into their gardens, and as a community of growers, we have been dreaming about collectively planting fruitful food forests for years,” said Jill Bishop, Nourish community food cultivator.

The five mini food forests support over 10 people in becoming certified in Beginner Fruit Tree Care according to GreenUP.

The staff will help anyone who signed up to help care for the mini food forests in each neighbourhood.

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tiktok. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here.