NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh Visits Peterborough To Show Support For Local Candidate
/Jagmeet Singh paid a visit to Peterborough - Kawartha NDP Candidate Jen Deck at the campaign office, on Tuesday.
Peterborough Blogs
Peterborough City Councillor Henry Clarke Files Nomination For Mayor
/Peterborough City Councillor Henry Clarke filed for election to the office of Mayor of the City of Peterborough, on Thursday.
Clarke filing for nomination at City Hall. Photo by Angela O’Grady.
Clarke was elected as Monaghan Ward councillor in 1998, then re-elected five times.
He sat as deputy mayor from 2004 until 2018, and was also chair of the city’s finance committee from 2007 - 2018.
Clarke is the second resident to announce a campaign for Mayor. Northcrest Ward Stephen Wright also announced he would be seeking the office.
Current Mayor, Diane Therrien, announced in November that she would not be seeking re-election.
The Municipal Election will take place on Oct. 24.
City Releases Guide For Candidates Running In Upcoming Municipal Election
/A Municipal Candidate Guide for candidates in the upcoming municipal election on October 24, is now available on the City website at peterborough.ca/election.
Photo by Luke Best.
The Municipal Candidate Guide includes:
nomination procedures
election sign guidelines
campaign expense limits
ward boundary maps
mandatory submission forms
other information for candidates
In addition to the City’s Municipal Candidate Guide, the Province provides a 2022 Candidates’ Guide for municipal council and school board elections. The Province’s guide includes general information on nominations, campaigning, third-party advertising, and campaign finance.
The Nomination Period for candidates to file to run in the upcoming municipal election is open from May 2 to August 19. Candidates must obtain 25 endorsement signatures on the Provincially prescribed form from eligible electors in the City of Peterborough, which are filed with their nomination form. Electors may endorse more than one candidate. The requirement for signatures does not apply for candidates running to be school board trustees.
In the City of Peterborough, positions for election are Mayor and two ward Councillors for each of the five wards (Otonabee, Monaghan, Town, Ashburnham, and Northcrest) for City Council as well as trustee positions for the local school boards:
Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board
Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board
Conseil Scolaire Catholique MonAvenir
Conseil Scolaire Viamonde
Teacher Jen Deck Introduced as NDP Candidate For Peterborough-Kawartha In Provincial Election
/Teacher Jen Deck joins the NDP for the Ontario Provincial Election as she was introduced by party leader Andrea Horwath at the Peterborough Lift Lock Tuesday afternoon.
Jen Deck (left) with her dog Niko (middle) and NDP leader Andrea Horwarth (right) at the Peterborough Lift Lock. Horwath toured the Peterborough Tour Guild following the announcement. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
Deck will be chosen as the NDP’s candidate for Peterborough-Kawartha at a nomination meeting this Thursday.
"We need change now," she said after being introduced. "The system has failed us. Covid has taught us that we need to in our public services, in our healthcare, in our public education so that we can survive the bumps in the road."
LIVE - Excited to be in Peterborough welcoming education leader Jen Deck as our NDP candidate in Peterborough—Kawartha! Together, we'll start fixing what matters most so folks can build their best lives. #onpoli https://t.co/PdCbrUwqtN
— Andrea Horwath (@AndreaHorwath) April 26, 2022
Deck has been a teacher for 19 years in Peterborough. She has taught the Young Mom’s Program at Peterborough Alternative & Continuing Education; Medically Fragile Learning and Life, Science and Family Studies at Crestwood Secondary School and served as president of the Elementary Occasional Teachers.
"Education was poorly funded going into the Covid pandemic," said Deck. "Our classes are overcrowded, we do not have enough support staff to help deal with dysregulation.
With her experience in the classroom, Deck has made education a priority if elected.
“We have students who struggle to regulate their behaviour more so now after Covid, after two years of chaos but this was in place before that,” she said. “This was a problem. We need more teachers, we need more education staff, we need to fund public education and we can't be playing with this idea of moving to vouchers or some kind of privatized education system because it will fail everyone."
Deck addressed healthcare and caring for small and medium businesses as other major areas of focus.
She will run against the following candidates for the June 2 election:
MPP Dave Smith, incumbent Progressive Conservative Party
Greg Dempsey, Liberal Party
Robert Gibson, Green Party
Tom Marazzo, Ontario Party
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Ontario Government Offering Individuals Up To $28,000 Towards Tuition For In-Demand Work
/The Ontario Government is launching a new training program, Better Jobs Ontario, on Friday which will pay up to $28,000 in tuition and other costs for short-duration training programs that allow job seekers to match their skills with the needs of hiring employers in the community, they announced at Fleming College on Monday.
Photo by Angela O’Grady.
Better Jobs Ontario will be open to anyone looking to train for in-demand work, including those on social assistance, who are self-employed, gig workers, youth, and newcomers to the province.
“To build a stronger Ontario, we need all hands on deck. Our government is on a mission to help everyday people earn bigger paycheques and we’re leaving nobody behind,” said Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development. “Whether you are a young person struggling to break into the job market, a gig worker hustling to make ends meet, or unemployed and on social assistance, our government is here to give you a hand up to building a better life and stronger province for us all.”
Starting on Friday, this program will pay up to $28,000 in tuition and other costs for short-duration training programs that allow job seekers to match their skills with the needs of hiring employers in the community. Expanding on the current Second Career program, more applicants will now be eligible for up to $500 per week in financial support for basic living expenses.
“This funding opens doors for underemployed workers, new students and anyone looking to pursue a new career that requires a specific skillset,” said Fleming College President Maureen Adamson. “It expands job training and education to those who need it the most.”
Green Party Candidate Hosted A 'Policy Walk & Roll” For Earth Day
/Robert Gibson, Green Party Candidate for Peterborough-Kawartha, held a walk through downtown Peterborough to speak about current issues on Friday afternoon.
He addressed issues such as climate change, public health, the opioid crisis, natural heritage protection, housing, basic income, public transit and workplace safety reform.
“Doug Ford’s sprawl agenda and failure to protect wetlands has serious local consequences in Peterborough – Kawartha, including severe, expensive flooding,” Gibson said in a press release. “Ontario Greens are the only party with a real plan to protect the nature that protects us.”
Gibson was announced as the Ontario Greens candidate in Peterborough-Kawartha on Thursday. He has a bachelor's degree in environmental science from Trent University, a freelance journalist and frequent contributor to the Arthur; Trent University's student newspaper.
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Ontario Government Invests $2.7 Million In New Jobs Program For Peterborough
/The Ontario Government is investing $2,714,847 for Pathways to Prosperity to provide workers with training for in-demand and well-paying jobs announced at the Venture North Building on Tuesday.
Rhonda Keenan, PKED President & CEO (pictured) speaking alongside MPP Dave Smith who was there on behalf of Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
The project is administered by Peterborough and the Kawarthas Economic Development (PKED).
PKED is focusing on workforce development over a 12-month period. The project’s goal is to have those employed or unemployed into sustainable well-paying jobs according to PKED. The program has three pillars:
Pre-Employment Support: readiness, participant supports, referral to training, long-term retention support, including any mental health support.
Job Seeker Training: 15 cohorts of job seekers will receive comprehensive training designed for four sectors: line cook, manufacturing, agriculture, and construction
Business Recruitment: recruit 50 local businesses or more to participate and offer job placements for the job seekers at the end of their training.
“We laser-focused on job creation in our region; creating opportunities for workers and families to enter the middle class through well-paying local jobs,” MPP Dave Smith said. “This jobs program will see hundreds of people receive the training and skills development needed to upgrade their careers and earn more money for their families.”
“Creating a collaborative partnership that not only supports the job seeker, but the businesses in this community that are facing a critical skills shortage, was the focus of this program,” said Rhonda Keenan, PKED President & CEO. “Businesses will have greater support to successfully hire people with the skill sets that are most in demand in the City of Peterborough, Peterborough County, and the City of Kawartha Lakes region.”
This initiative is supported by the government’s Skills Development Fund. They have provided over $200 million in funding for innovative projects that address challenges to hiring, training, or retraining workers during the pandemic according to the Ontario Government.
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Ballots Are Filling Up For Peterborough Kawartha Provincial Election
/Ahead of the June Provincial election, most major parties in Peterborough-Kawartha have announced their candidates.
Queens Park. Stock Photo.
The Peterborough-Kawartha riding association of the Ontario NDP has announced Jen Deck as nomination candidate for the upcoming election.
Deck is a teacher and the Occasional Teacher President of the Kawartha Pine Ridge Teachers’ Local of the Elementary Teachers Federation Ontario (ETFO).
A nomination meeting will be held on Thursday to confirm Deck as candidate.
Robert Gibson has been announced Green party candidate.
Gibson is a regular contributor to The Arthur, Trent Universities newspaper, and also hosts a show on Trent Radio called “Environmental Soup”. His show focuses on both environmental and social issues.
Gibson studied environmental science and environmental studies at Trent University from 2018 to 2020.
Greg Dempsey was announced the Liberal Party candidate in November 2021.
Dempsey is a Peterborough native, has served in the Canadian Foreign Service, represented Canada at the UN in New York, at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, and in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Tom Marazzo, a spokesperson during the Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa and former Canadian military member is the candidate for the Ontario Party.
Dylan Smith, a pension administrative assistant, is running in Peterborough-Kawartha for the None of the Above Party. The None of the Above party was formed as a response to party members displeasure with all political parties.
Progressive Conservative Incumbent Dave Smith will also be on the ballot.
Ontario Expands Access to COVID-19 Antivirals As Canada's Top Doctor 'Strongly Recommends" Masking Indoors
/Ontario's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Kieran Moore, updated the public on Monday about how the province is managing COVID-19 and the expanding access to antivirals at announced Queen’s Park on Monday afternoon.
This was Dr. Kieran Moore’s first media appearance in five weeks. Screenshot.
Moore thanked the public for continuing to adopt the public health measures in place and strongly recommended to continue wearing a mask indoors. He stated the province will not be reintroducing a mask mandate at this time but to be prepared for those measures to return if a new variant of concern emerges or if the healthcare system is threatened due to rising cases.
“I ask everyone across Ontario to continue doing their part to keep their communities and loved ones safe by staying up to date on vaccinations and wearing masks,” said Moore. “I am pleased that we will be able to offer more accessible antiviral treatment options to more people across Ontario.”
Effective immediately, the following higher-risk groups are eligible to be tested and assessed for antiviral treatments such as Paxlovid, in Ontario:
Individuals aged 18 and over who are immunocompromised (have an immune system that is weakened by a health condition or medications);
Individuals aged 70 and over;
Individuals aged 60 and over with fewer than three vaccine doses; and
Individuals aged 18 and over with fewer than three vaccine doses and at least one risk condition (e.g., a chronic medical condition)
Anyone eligible for an assessment is also eligible for a PCR test at any testing centre in Ontario.
In most cases, treatment for antivirals must be started within five days of symptoms. A list of pharmacies dispensing Paxlovid will be available at Ontario.ca/antivirals as of Wed. 13 at 8:00 a.m. and will be updated as the list of participating pharmacies expands.
“Thanks to the millions of Ontarians who were vaccinated, we have been able to cautiously and safely reopen our province,” said Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. “By expanding access to antivirals and PCR testing, in addition to recently expanding eligibility for fourth doses, we are using every tool available to us to ensure Ontarians have the best protection available while we adapt to managing and living with COVID-19.”
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Liberal Candidate to Host Virtual Town Hall Providing Campaign Updates
/Greg Dempsey, Peterborough-Kawartha’s Liberal candidate, is hosting a virtual town hall on Zoom this Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Dempsey won the nomination over Dane Bland on Nov. 8 last year. Photo courtesy of Greg Dempsey.
Author and historian John Boyko is joining Dempsey for the upcoming public meeting to discuss politics, the UN and give campaign updates.
In November, Dempsey was nominated as the Peterborough-Kawartha Liberal candidate and was welcomed by the Liberal Party leader, Steven Del Duca.
“Greg is truly committed to improving life for those in Peterborough— Kawartha and brings a lifetime of experience advocating on behalf of Canadians to the table,” said Del Duca.
Photo courtesy of Greg Dempsey.
