Summer Living Local Box Gives Back To Community, Donating Portion Of Proceeds To Hospice Peterborough

The Summer edition of Living Local Box—a local startup which has been a hit with consumers since launching earlier this year—was delivered to doorsteps this past week, spreading cheer and support across Peterborough and the Kawarthas.

This box of locally sourced products contained a collection of seasonal items produced by area entrepreneurs, artisans and small businesses. At a time when supporting local has never been so important, this one little box also has a big impact for local charities such as Hospice Peterborough.

Living Local Box creator Alicia Doris delivers a (socially distanced) Summer box to Hospice Peterborough Past Chair Shelley Barrie.

Since COVID-19 began, Hospice Peterborough has continued to care for people in the community at the end-of-life, or living with a life-threatening illness and grief.

Five dollars from each Summer Living Local Box sold will support the purchase of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to keep residents, their families, staff and the community safe.

"The work of Hospice Peterborough—especially in its residence—doesn't pause for a pandemic,” says Living Local Box founder Alicia Doris. “We are very pleased to be able to contribute $500 to help offset the increasing cost of providing safe, quality care at this trying time. Everyone who purchased a Summer Box is to thank for this show of support.”

To learn more about Living Local Box, click here.

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Peterborough Public Health Issues First Heat Warning of the Season

Peterborough Public Health is issuing the first Extended Heat Warning of the season. A long duration heat event is expected Thursday, July 2 through Sunday, July 5, and potentially into early next week.

Daytime high temperatures in the low thirties with overnight lows near 20 degrees Celsius are forecast, providing little or no relief from the heat. 

Peterborough Public Health continues beach water testing throughout the City and County of Peterborough and at Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations. Results are regularly updated here.

Refillable water bottles and bottled water are being distributed by One Roof through its community meal program. Peterborough Public Library is also providing refillable water bottles and are able to refill water bottles during its curbside pickup hours detailed below.

The City of Peterborough offers water refill stations at the following locations:

• Peterborough Marina, 92 George St. N.

• Eastgate Memorial Park, 2150 Ashburnham Dr.

• Beavermead Park, 2011 Ashburnham Dr.

• Peterborough Public Library, 345 Aylmer St. N., during its curbside pickup hours:

-> Wednesdays, 10 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
-> Thursdays, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
-> Saturdays, 10 a.m. to noon and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

In addition to the water refill stations, the tap water in public washrooms at municipal parks, including King Edward Park and Millennium Park, is from the City’s normal water supply.

Peterborough Public Health asks that you remember to call family, friends and neighbours, especially seniors who live on their own, to make sure they are alright.

In addition, they advise to drink plenty of water, even if you don’t feel thirsty. This decreases your risk of dehydration. Thirst is not a good indicator of dehydration.

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Turtle Crossing Signs Installed At Curve Lake First Nation To Raise Awareness For Conservation

Anishnabemowin and English language turtle crossing (Mikinaak Aazhga aatigong) signs have been installed at Curve Lake First Nation as part of a project funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada, in partnership with Otonabee Conservation and Curve Lake First Nation. Elders from Curve Lake worked together to translate the signs into Michi Saagig, the local dialect of Anishnabemowin, and graphics for the sign were provided by the Toronto Zoo Turtle Island Conservation Program.

“Installing signs in areas where mikinaak [turtles] have been observed crossing the roads is a simple way to remind residents and visitors to Curve Lake First Nation to be aware and take steps to avoid turtles when driving,” says Lorenzo Whetung, Curve Lake First Nation Community Member who initiated the project.

“There are eight species of turtles in Ontario, all of which are listed as Species at Risk by Environment and Climate Change Canada,” says Meredith Carter, Manager, Watershed Management Program for Otonabee Conservation. “Reducing road mortality is an important step in the conservation and protection these important species.”

Mikinaak (Turtle) nesting season is end of May to early July. Females are vulnerable to collisions with vehicles during this time as they travel to and from nesting sites, which often requires crossing roads. Mikinaak (Turtles) can hatch and dig themselves out of their nest chambers from August to October and will then move to water, which may also require crossing roads so be aware of turtles during these times, too.

Staff from The Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre remind everyone that if you do stop to assist a mikinaak (turtle) crossing the road, ensuring your own safety is critical.

Make sure you are safe from other vehicles and be sure to wash your hands after touching a mikinaak (turtle). Only lift a snapping turtle from the behind, as they can bite, but please never lift a mikinaak (turtle) by the tail! It is also vitally important to help the mikinaak (turtle) continue in the direction it was originally heading.

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The Next Phase Of Downtown Street Modifications Has Begun

The City of Peterborough says in a release that the next phase of implementing the downtown street modifications to help people stay safe with physical distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic will be completed by Friday, June 26th, with the installation of signage currently underway.

Delineators marking the new divide between roads, on-street parking and expanded pedestrian space were installed last weekend. By modifying the road layout, the City is creating more space for pedestrians to provide an opportunity for physical distancing—staying at least two metres apart from others—in the downtown, where narrow sidewalks would typically make that challenging.

Photo by Neil Morton, PTBOCanada

To do this, some former parking lanes have been converted to temporary sidewalks and new parking bays have been created in the closed through lane. Signs being installed this week will clarify the parking bay locations, the locations where new loading zones have been established, and new accessible parking spaces.  

The changes are temporary during the pandemic. They were designed in collaboration with Peterborough Public Health and the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area. Along with the road design modifications, the speed limit in the affected areas has been reduced to 30 kilometres an hour.

Photo by Neil Morton, PTBOCanada

Even with the changes, there are still about 385 on-street parking spaces in the downtown, with 100 of these spaces located within areas affected by the downtown street modifications. 

In addition, there are almost 1,200 parking spaces in municipal parking garages and about 400 parking spaces in municipal parking lots in the central area. Click here to view the parking map.

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When A Marathon Was Cancelled, Two Peterborough Men Created Their Own And Raised Vital Funds For One Roof

When the Ottawa marathon they were slated to run in was cancelled due to Covid-19, Peterborough friends Peter Laurie and Javier Bravo (Peter teaches at Fleming College, and Javier is Student Recruitment Coordinator there) turned all their training into something positive for the community.

They ran their own marathon on Father’s Day from Peterborough to Omemee and back, and turned it into a fundraiser for One Roof Community Centre, raising more than $2,300 so far. Supported by family and friends, they were able to run the marathon on one of the hottest days. (It was the 2nd marathon for Peter, and first for Javier.)

Javier & Peter (photo by Cathy Bolan)

"We were already well into training for the Ottawa marathon by the time it was cancelled, and there was no question about whether we would keep running,” Laurie tells PTBOCanada.

“We decided that if we were going to train through a pandemic and then run a marathon, it should also be about giving back. When we contacted One Roof, they were thrilled that we were taking them on as the focus of our fundraising. In little more than a week of publicity via Facebook and Instagram, we had raised over $2,300.”

Photo by Cathy Bolan

"The day of the run itself was forecast to be brutally hot, and it truly was, with a high somewhere north of 30 C,” Laurie tells PTBOCanada. “Even though we started early Sunday morning, things got hot very quickly. The last half of the marathon, which involved running back from Omemee on the Trans Canada Trail, felt like a war of attrition as we worked hard to stay hydrated.”

Photo by Cathy Bolan

Given the extreme heat, the friends say without the help they received from family and friends, it's unlikely they would have been able to complete it.

One friend, Bill Templeman, served as their nutrition and hydration support, riding his bike alongside Javier and Peter for the entire route and setting up mobile drink stations every few kilometres. In addition, Laurie’s son drove to Omemee to meet them at the halfway point, where he dumped cold water over their heads to help cool them off. Other family members and friends were also out on their bikes to cheer the men on at different stages of the route.

It was truly a team effort—and a community effort with the vital funds raised for One Roof—turning this into a marathon of creative ingenuity these men will never forget.

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100 Women Peterborough’s First Virtual Meeting Raises Funds For Community Care Peterborough

On June 16th, the powerful 100 Women Peterborough group came together for their first ever virtual meeting to raise funds for an organization in need.

Community Care Peterborough was chosen by majority vote to receive the funds and 100 Women Peterborough is anticipating the total donation to be upwards of $5,000 to $6,000 based on feedback from the membership. 

More than 40 women joined the call to hear from three organizations—Community Care, Alternatives Community Support Services and Kawartha Food Share—which were selected during a special call for nominations. 

“The 100 Women Peterborough organizers decided to call out for new nominations from members to specifically support organizations that were in need during this difficult time,” says Rose Terry, one of the founding members of the group. “We knew that a special meeting was needed to support not-for-profits that had been severely impacted by the pandemic.”

Charities and not-for-profits in Canada have faced billions in lost revenue. Since many rely on donations and events in order to raise the funds necessary to do their work, COVID-19 has impacted their fundraising in an unprecedented way.

Photo of virtual meeting courtesy 100 Women Peterborough

“Community Care was deemed an essential service and remained open throughout the pandemic as we serve seniors and adults with disabilities in the City and County of Peterborough,” says Alicia Vandine – Donor Relations and Communications Lead for Community Care. “We saw a surge in the need for our supports during the COVID crisis, particularly in our Meals on Wheels program. We also grew this program to include grocery and pharmacy delivery for our clients so that we could keep them home and out of harm’s way.”

“One of the largest misconceptions about Community Care is that we are 100% funded by the Ontario government, this is simply not the case. With many of our fundraising events cancelled in the spring and summer, we are grateful to 100 Women Peterborough for choosing us for their June 2020 funds,” adds Vandine. “These dollars will support our Meals on Wheels program throughout the City and County of Peterborough.”

One hundred percent of the funds raised by the 100 Women Peterborough membership are donated to four non-profit organizations determined by the membership throughout the year. 

Women that are interested in joining the group are encouraged to reach out via the website here.

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Here Are The New Hours For The Kinsmen Drive Through COVID-19 Testing Clinic

UPDATED POST (June 19th):

Peterborough Paramedics, Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) and Peterborough Public Health announced today that the drive-through COVID-19 testing clinic at the Kinsmen Civic Centre will continue from Monday, June 22 to Friday, June 26 until further notice. 

Those wishing to be tested on the weekend (with or without symptoms) can call the COVID-19 Assessment Centre at PRHC at 705-876-5086 to book an appointment. The PRHC Assessment Centre operates by appointment only from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, seven days a week.

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ORIGINAL POST

Hours of operation are changing for the drive-through COVID-19 testing clinic at the Kinsmen Civic Centre.

The drive-through clinic at the Kinsmen Civic Centre for residents without symptoms will operate from Monday to Friday only from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and continue until at least Friday, June 19th. This clinic is regularly evaluated and may adjust operations based on demand.

Those wishing to be tested on the weekend (with or without symptoms) can call the COVID-19 Assessment Centre at PRHC at 705-876-5086 to book an appointment. The PRHC Assessment Centre operates by appointment only from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, seven days a week.

Photo courtesy PRHC

One-day drive-through COVID-19 testing clinics continue throughout the County of Peterborough until June 17th. For a list of upcoming clinics, visit peterboroughpublichealth.ca and click on the link for Testing.

Testing clinics are led by the Peterborough Paramedics with support from PRHC, the City of Peterborough, the County of Peterborough and Peterborough Public Health. Remember to bring along your Ontario Health Card with you.

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Local Student Wins $10,000 For Habitat For Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region

The Meaning of Home is a national writing contest in support of Habitat for Humanity Canada that asks students in Grade 4, 5 and 6 to share what home means to them.

More than 10,200 students entered this year’s Meaning of Home contest, and Peterborough student Siena Hopkins-Prest is one of three Grade 6 runners up in the national contest—read her winning entry “What Does Home Mean To Me” here—helping win a $10,000 grant that will go towards Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region.

These much-needed funds will go towards Habitat Peterborough’s innovative new 41-unit affordable condo building to be built at 33 Leahy’s Lane in Peterborough. Construction of the condo building is set to begin in September, and will help local families, singles, couples, and seniors in need of a safe and secure place to call home.

Siena Hopkins-Prest

“Too many families and individuals in our Region are struggling without access to a decent, affordable place to call home,” says Christina Skuce, Director of Philanthropy & Communications with Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region. “Siena’s winning entry and the key support of our local youth means that we can help more local families build strength, stability, and self-reliance through affordable homeownership.”

The Meaning of Home contest would not be possible without the generous support of founding sponsor, Genworth Canada. “I’d like to congratulate each of the contest winners and thank all the students who submitted entries on what home means to them,” says Stuart Levings, President and CEO, Genworth Canada. “Since 2007, the Meaning of Home contest has been empowering youth to become engaged and compassionate members of the community while educating them on the importance of affordable housing. We’re proud to be a founding sponsor of this initiative.”

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The Future Canadian Canoe Museum Build Impacted By Environmental Contamination

The Canadian Canoe Museum (CCM) has announced that the results of its own independent investigations confirm that the designated site for the future building of the new Canadian Canoe Museum has been found to contain an industrial solvent, the chemical compound trichloroethylene (TCE). 

The ground water at 353 Hunter Street East, owned by Parks Canada, is believed to have been contaminated by chemicals seeping from an adjacent property. The 83,400 square-foot facility museum was to be located alongside the Peterborough Lift Lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway.

“All of us at the Canoe Museum, our project partners and supporters, are highly concerned and extremely disappointed by the situation,” says Carolyn Hyslop, executive director, The Canadian Canoe Museum, in a media release.

The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) this week issued a Provincial Officers Order, under the Environmental Protection Act (EPA), to the owner at an adjacent property directing it to undertake air quality, ground water and additional onsite investigations and to provide associating remediation plans.

“We are working with all parties including the MECP, Parks Canada and our community and funding partners to evaluate the overall impacts of these findings to our operations and our new museum build,” adds Hyslop.

“While the full implications of this environmental interruption are not yet fully known, we are fully committed to building a new world-class museum that will deliver on its vision and serve the needs of its patrons and local community while honouring and preserving this unique cultural asset of national significance.”

A Canadian Canoe Museum representative tells PTBOCanada in an email that they are “evaluating the situation to understand the full impacts to its operations and future new museum build, and further announcements will be made once a direction has been determined.”

[UPDATE: The Canoe Museum representative clarifies to us in a subsequent email that “testing was undertaken as part of the regular environmental assessments required for any build project. The museum relied on experts and consultants to do this testing and to provide the necessary reporting. The results reported today are the outcome of recent independent testing undertaken by the museum confirming the presence of the industrial solvent.”]

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Peterborough Police Open Satellite Office At Simcoe Street Bus Terminal

The Peterborough Police Service has opened a satellite office located at the Simcoe Street Transit Terminal in downtown Peterborough.

“Our downtown office will increase our visibility in the downtown core, increase security at the bus terminal and also allow for even more engagement opportunities with our community and stakeholders,” says Inspector John Lyons, Operations Division, Peterborough Police Service.

The office will be used primarily by officers working in Area 1, which includes the downtown core. It will also provide more meeting space for the Service when hosting meetings with community partners or stakeholders.

Photo courtesy Peterborough Police Service

A TV display will be located outside the office that will broadcast a wide range of police-related messaging and information, including crime prevention tips, upcoming events and recruiting or volunteer opportunities.

The office will not be staffed 24/7/365, so members of the public are asked to not use the office to report an incident and not attend if they need police assistance. If the public require police assistance or need to report a crime, they are asked to call 9-1-1 in an emergency or in a non-emergency call the Service’s non-emergency line at 705-876-1122.

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