Peterborough Blogs
Clear Garbage Bag Program In Township of Douro Dummer Has Been Great Success
/Since the implementation of the Clear Bag Program on January 2nd, the Township of Douro-Dummer has seen a 121 metric ton decrease in garbage sent to the landfill.
This represents a 40 percent reduction in tonnage over the same period last year. To put 121 metric tons in perspective, that would be approximately 25 full truckloads of garbage (based on 2017 numbers).
An increase in recycling and compostable materials dropped off at the Hall’s Glen Transfer Station has also been noted for the same time period.
The Township of Douro-Dummer is appreciative of residents and businesses for their tremendous efforts in transitioning to using clear garbage bags and removing recyclable and compostable materials from their garbage.
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Peterborough Police Participating In Gun Amnesty Program
/The Peterborough Police Service is participating in this year’s Gun Amnesty program in April. The service is one of many police services across the Province, including the OPP, participating in the Gun Amnesty program.
The Gun Amnesty is for any Ontario resident who wants to voluntarily surrender unwanted or illegally-owned firearms, weapons, accessories or ammunition. The Amnesty is a way to provide citizens with a safe way to surrender weapons and enhance public safety.
During the Amnesty, Police will not recommend weapons-related Criminal Code charges that might otherwise apply to people who are turning in these items. (Please note there is no Amnesty offered for people who turn in weapons that have been used in the commission of a crime. Also, no anonymous submissions will be accepted.)
"The safest way to handle an unwanted or illegally-owned firearm is to turn it in for destruction,” says Chief Murray Rodd of Peterborough Police Service.
Interested gun owners are strongly urged to call the Peterborough Police Service’s Alternative Response Unit (ARU) non-emergency number at 705-876-1122, ext. 274 to arrange for officers to attend and safely retrieve the weapons.
NOTE: Under NO circumstances should anyone deliver guns or ammunition directly to police facilities.
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Daylight Savings Time Begins March 11th
/This will take a little of that chill out of your bones: It's Spring Forward time on Sunday, March 11th—a sure sign of spring!
Remember to turn your clocks ahead an hour, not back or you'll be two hours behind the rest of us and your life will be confusing. Sunrise and sunset will be about one hour later that day. And don't forget to change your smoke alarm batteries as well!
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Selwyn Township Posts Scam Notice Regarding People Going Door To Door
/Selwyn Township has posted to their social media accounts warning the public about someone going door-to-door in Lakefield claiming they are from the “water company” checking water quality and chlorine levels and advising people that they pay to install a filter.
Selwyn Township advises the public that this is a scam, and not to comply with these door to door requests.
If you are ever unsure whether someone is legit, do the following:
-> do not allow them entrance into your home
-> request identification
-> remember you can always call Peterborough Utilities Group or Selwyn Township to confirm if there are any staff members working in your area
Please share on your social channels...
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YWCA Crossroads Shelter Opened In 1983: Marks 35th Anniversary In Peterborough
/The YWCA's Crossroads Shelter—a 25 bed state-of-the-art, secure facility providing physical safety, support, and well-being services to hundreds of women and children annually—marked its 35th anniversary in Peterborough on Wednesday (February 14th) with a love letter from its Executive Director Lynn Zimmer about the community support over the years. Read it below...
“We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together these past 35 years and so grateful to our community partners who help us protect women and children and make it possible for them to overcome the barriers they encounter when seeking safety and well-being.
There’s no denying that a great deal has changed since 1983, but the issue that drove us to open our first shelter 35 years ago—violence against women—continues to exist and change shape.
Community support makes it possible for us to provide expert support to women facing mental health and addiction issues, women escaping human trafficking and sex trade exploitation, and refugee families as well.
We’re taking today to thank our dedicated staff, our generous community and our steadfast partners for helping women and children safely escape violence and successfully rebuild their lives.
We love you for making this possible, Peterborough!”
—Lynn Zimmer, YWCA
[Related: Wendy's Story: Watch This Powerful Video From YWCA Peterborough On Survivor Of Abuse]
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Help Peterborough's Mark Steel Get A New Prosthetic Leg
/On October 4th 2017, Peterborough's Mark Steel was diagnosed with Osteogenic Sarcoma, the same type of bone cancer that Terry Fox (his hero) had.
Due to the size, aggression and location of the tumour, Mark, 21, had his right leg amputated and now requires a prosthetic leg. Even though he's getting some help from the government to pay for it, there's still a long way to go to cover that cost.
Mark Steel
So Mark has set up a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for a new leg. His older sister, Jamie, tweeted about it here...
Mark used to love running in Terry Fox runs as a kid, and now hopes to run across Peterborough some day—and perhaps further—with a new leg and do his part to raise awareness for cancer research.
Watch his heartfelt plea below in a video he posted to YouTube, and please give what you can here...
Trent University United Way Campaign Raises $103,400 For Those in Need
/Trent University’s faculty, staff and retirees came together to crush the University’s previous records for both fundraising goal and total funds raised for the annual United Way campaign, raising a whopping $103,400 for those in need locally.
“Each year, I’m blown away by the Trent community’s response to our United Way campaign," says Julie Davis, vice-president, External Relations & Advancement at Trent University, and education sector chair of the United Way cabinet. "Building on the success of last year’s $77,000 record-breaking campaign, we posted a challenge to go even further and raise $80,000 this year."
Julie Davis at far left
Retirees, faculty and staff smashed that $80,000 goal by more than $23,000, capping off a plaidtastic campaign.
Launched in October with a kick-off BBQ, Trent’s United Way campaign was supported by many employee-led special events, including a chili cook-off, white elephant tables, and a gift basket raffle before the holidays. These special events were paired with donations from retirees and employees.
United Way Campaign Chair Neil Morton (Co-Founder of PTBOCanada.com) and his Vice Chair Robert Gauvreau—both Trent alumnus—were on also on hand for the big announcement, where Gauvreau issued a 5k challenge to community and business leaders as part of UW's close campaign to hit their target of $1.85 million.
“Trent University’s 2017 campaign achievement is both humbling and awe inspiring," says Jim Russell, CEO of United Way of Peterborough and District. "The leadership and commitment of this organization is a shining example of indefatigable spirit to build community. We congratulate the Trent University community on this accomplishment.”
Robert Gauvreau (middle) announcing his 5k challenge and thanking Trent University
Trent’s campaign committee is made up of Linda Smith, staff co-chair; Dr. Susan Wurtele, faculty co-chair, Kathy Fife, retiree co-chair; and Alison Scholl, campaign coordinator.
Trent University was also well represented on the United Way cabinet: In addition to Julie Davis, recent Trent alumna Dorcas Mensah filled the youth ambassador position, and Marcus Harvey—executive director of the Trent University Faculty Association—served as the cabinet’s Labour representative.
Trent University has supported the United Way since 1965 and has raised more than $1.9 million for the organization.
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Deputy Police Chief Tim Farquharson Spending Night On The Streets Of Peterborough
/Peterborough's deputy police chief Tim Farquharson is hitting the street on Friday (January 26th) for twelve straight hours to drive awareness about the issue of homelessness in Peterborough and raise money for three local homeless shelters: Warming Room, YES Shelter for Youth and Families, and Brock Mission.
Farquharson traces his commitment to giving back to this community he loves to his parents, who acclimated his family to volunteerism when they moved to Peterborough decades ago.
Tim Farquharson (Photo courtesy Peterborough Cares Facebook page)
Farquharson knows there are no easy answers to homelessness but is trying to do his part to raise awareness about it:
"I don't know what the answer is," he says. "It's not one issue. You can't pin it on just one thing. Everybody has a different story. But I know we can do something about homelessness in Peterborough."
"Where would we be without these organizations and the services they have in place?" adds Farquharson in regards to the Warming Room, YES Shelter and Brock Mission. "If it wasn't for groups like these, what would the homeless do?"
Peterborough Cares team with Farquharson (Photo courtesy Peterborough Cares Facebook page)
The event, billed as "Stand with Tim", takes place at the corner of George and King from 4 p.m. Friday until 4 a.m. Saturday. The fundraiser is being organized by Peterborough Cares, a community group that works with local not-for-profits around social issues that affect Peterborough, of which homelessness is certainly one.
Photo courtesy Lauren Gilchrist, Peterborough Police Service
