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Peterborough Blogs
Public Information Centre for Proposed Organics Facility in Peterborough to be Held January 26
/A public information centre on the proposed Peterborough organics facility will be held on Jan. 26 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Gold Room of the Otonabee-South Monaghan Memorial Centre (24 Fourth St., Keene)
photo courtesy of the city of peterborough.
The City of Peterborough expects to launch a City-wide organic waste collection and composting program GROW (Green Resource Organics Works) in the fall of 2023 to help Peterborough achieve the goals of the Waste Free Ontario Act. This Act aims to divert 100% of organic material from landfill.
The federal government is contributing $6.1 million toward the $15.3-million project over a four-year period, ending Mar. 31, 2024
As part of the GROW Peterborough program, the City proposes to develop a facility to accept and process leaf and yard waste and source separated organic materials.
The proposed facility will be next to the Peterborough County/City Waste Management Facility in Otonabee-South Monaghan Township, on land jointly owned by the City and County of Peterborough.
The Jan. 26 meeting will be the third of four planned public information centres about this project.
The first public information centre was held on Nov. 4, 2020, and introduced the proposed Peterborough organics facility project. The second was held on Feb. 24, 2021, and provided an update on the project’s progress as well as an opportunity to provide input.
On Jun. 16, 2022, a virtual meeting was held to further inform members of the public and stakeholders. This meeting provided rationale for the need of a leaf and yard waste and source separated organic waste processing facility in Peterborough County, providing details about the approvals required prior to constructing the facility, an overview of the development, engineering design, construction, operation and monitoring of the proposed facility.
Information presented at the meeting will be available on the City’s website. Those who are unable to attend the meeting can review the updated and past information, as well as provide feedback to the project team. Members of the public, agencies, Indigenous communities and other interested persons are encouraged by the City of Peterborough to participate in the project by attending meetings and/or contacting them directly with comments or questions at GROW Peterborough (500 George St. N) or by email.
Ukrainian Christmas Celebration Held at Peterborough Square This Saturday
/The Ukrainian Community of Peterborough and the Kawarthas (UCPK) is holding a free Ukrainian Christmas celebration at Peterborough Square this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
City Hall was lit in yellow and blue as a symbol of unity and support for Ukraine on March 1. Photo by David Tuan Bui.
The celebration also known as Rizdvo falls every Jan. 7 every year according to the Julian Calendar and Orthodox Church.
The free family-friendly event features authentic Ukrainian food, music, carolling, colouring books for children and traditional craft workshops.
Performing at the event is a joy string quartet playing music with children and adult volunteers singing carols throughout. ‘Carol of the Bells’ is one of the featured songs and is based on the famous Ukrainian Christmas Carol ‘Shedryk’ by Nikolai Leontovich.
A fundraiser is being held to support UCPK during the event. Vendors are selling items such as fresh baked goods by Ukrainian community members, candles and Ukrainian-themed goods. Donations can also be made online by emailing ucpk.ca@gmail.com.
Nominations Open For Kraft Hockeyville To Win $250,000 In Arena Upgrades
/The annual Kraft Hockeyville contest nominations are open to anyone to select their city and arena to win $250,000 and host an NHL pre-season game announced on Sunday.
File Photo.
Last year, Douro-Dummer reached the final four to get upgrades for the Douro Community Centre. While they did not succeed in winning, they did win $25,000 for arena upgrades. Last year, Sydney, N.S. won the top prize, beating our Douro-Dummer; Princeton, B.C. and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que.
The cooling plant at the community centre located in Warsaw failed last year so the Douro Dukes Hockey Association — comprising 19 teams — operated out of one arena and four dressing rooms during that time.
The alternative dressing rooms often used for girls playing on mostly boys’ teams, we inadequate, practically considered closets according to Kerri Riel, Douro Minor Hockey Association (DMHA) secretary in a prior PTBOCanada interview.
The Kraft Hockeyville competition begins with the ‘Nominate and Rally’ phase, where community members take actions like sharing on social media and submitting photos’ on the Hockeyville site to earn points.
Nominated communities can earn ‘Rally Points’ in order to help qualify for the top four and ultimate winner. They account for 20 per cent of the community’s score.
Submit a nomination story - 10 points
Share on Twitter using the share button - Five points
Add photos of your arena - Three points
Add a note - One point
React with emojis to nominated stories and photos - One point
Nominations can be done at Kraft Hockeyville’s official website with the deadline at Feb. 19 at midnight. The grand prize winner is being announced on Apr. 1.
PTBOCanada's Top 10 Stories of 2022
/2022 marked the first full year since owner Kirtus Evoy bought the business from Neil Morton early last year. It was a fantastic year that PTBOCanada hopes to keep rolling into 2023.
Here are the top stories that were the most read, engaged and liked by the PTBOCanada community in chronological order.
"‘Coach Cal’ HAS MADE APPEARANCES ON OTHER AMERICAN SHOWS SUCH AS ABC’S GOOD MORNING AMERICA AND FOX LOS ANGELES. PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL ROZMAN/WARNER BROS.
Callan Perks aka ‘Coach Cal’became a viral sensation in late 2021 with the Peterborough Petes and took his stardom to the City of Angels as he was a guest on the Ellen DeGeneres Show that aired on Jan. 5.
He gave a pep talk to DeGeneres for having her show run for 19 seasons as it was her final year.
As a gift, Degeneres gave Perks a tracksuit, clipboard and megaphone to continue his motivational speaking.
THIBAULT WAS BORN IN MONCTON, N.B. HE LEAVES BEHIND HIS FIVE-YEAR-OLD SON RYDER (RIGHT). PHOTO COURTESY OF ANNIE THIBAULT.
It was an unfortunate incident for 32-year-old Donnie Thibault whose body was found at Jackson Park on Jan. 5 last year.
A GoFundMe was created, raising $3,555 to help with funeral costs and family support for his tragic passing. He leaves behind his six-year-old son Ryder who was born on July 14, 2016.
Thibault would have celebrated his 33rd birthday this past Sunday.
PERKS IS A STUDENT AT LAKEFIELD DISTRICT PUBLIC SCHOOL. HIS FAVOURITE NHL TEAM IS THE EDMONTON OILERS WITH CONNOR MCDAVID AS HIS FAVOURITE PLAYER. PHOTO COURTESY OF LARA PERKS.
Coach Cal strikes again as he got to open up the Jan. 22 edition of Hockey Night In Canada with his signature motivational pre-game speech encouraging kids to remain strong during the temporary closure of hockey.
He previewed the night’s matchups of all the Canadian teams playing and gave a motivating speech for the hosts of Hockey Night in Canada in Ron MacLean, Kelly Hrudey, Jennifer Botterill, David Amber and Elliotte Friedman.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIANNA GILL.
High school sweethearts Brianna and Josh Gill were seeking out a surrogate to help them start the family that they’ve always wanted.
Brianna was around 16 she was diagnosed with Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome which left her born without a uterus but still had her ovaries intact.
Eventually, they found a surrogate in mid-June that reached out on Facebook. Their last update was posted in late November saying they’ve had four failed frozen embryo transfers with one remaining for now.
File Photo.
Peterborough was part of the May 2022 Canadian derecho that saw a huge storm knock over powerlines, uplift trees and caused tremendous amounts of damage.
The City declared a State of Emergency on May 25 as a result of the storm as most of Peterborough was without power.
The Havelock Jamboree was cancelled after 30 years of operation and hadn’t run since 2019 from COVID-19.
The organizers announced on social media that the 2022 festival has been cancelled and plans for 2023 are uncertain.
Regarded as one of the big country music festivals in Peterborough and the Kawarthas, its cancellation left a stinging feeling to those who frequent what has been a Peterborough County mainstay for three decades.
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PETERBOROUGH PETES.
It was an unfortunate incident for Peterborough Petes prospect Eli Palfreyman who passed away during a Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League preseason tournament game on Aug. 30.
He passed out in a locker room during an intermission and medical staff were unable to resuscitate him.
Palfreyman was selected by the Petes 223rd overall in the 12th round from the Cambridge Hawks in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection.
GOFUNDME PHOTO.
A fatal car crash on Hwy. 7 killed four people including three MacHart family members, leaving one with critical injuries on Nov 22.
A GoFundMe was created with a $10,000 goal to help care for Rowghan MacHart, the lone survivor and cover any incidentals. The community rallied and raised over $90,000 for the cause.
The driver of the other vehicle involved in the collision was also killed as a result of the incident.
Peter BOUZINELO’S BRAND OF OLIVE OIL AVAILABLE AT THE PIZZA FACTORY CAME FROM HIS HOME VILLAGE OF KOUTSI, GREECE. THE TREES WERE PLANTED OVER 50 YEARS AGO THAT MADE THE OIL. PHOTO BY DAVID TUAN BUI.
What a ride for Peter Bouzinelos and The Pizza Factory as they are closing their doors since opening in 1980.
Bouzinelos is retiring and is closing the restaurant on Jan. 29.
In addition to his food, he is known for his brand of signature Caesar dressing and olive oil under the name ‘Peter’s Famous Foods.’
We all with Bouzinelos the best in retirement and we’ll miss the in-house pizza and pasta.
(FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) JOHNATHAN MACDONNELL, ROWGHAN MACHART, RIDDICK HART AND STEFPHANIE HART. THE FAMILY ACCIDENT OCCURRED NEAR THE BLUE JAY MOTEL IN OTONABEE-SOUTH MONAGHAN TOWNSHIP. PHOTO COURTESY OF KATHRYN WILSON.
Actor Ryan Reynolds sent Rowghan MacHart a video of encouragement following the aforementioned Hwy. 7 crash.
During that time, we learned that Rowghan endured five major surgeries over three weeks during her recovery process. Doctors fear she may never be able to walk again but Rowghan remains hopeful.
As we enter 2023, PTBOCanada is proud to have 88,000+ followers and counting across all our platforms.
A big thank you to everyone who continued to support us and we will strive to continue giving great local coverage of Peterborough and the Kawarthas. 2023, here we come!
“The Cookie People”; Peterborough Family Deliver Holiday Cheer Through Thousands of Homemade Cookies
/Local family the Hurlingtons spread kindness and cheer through holiday baking, delivering 3,000 cookies in their Tudor Crescent neighbourhood.
They moved to Peterborough 17 years ago and became known as ‘The Cookie People,’ distributing the baked goods as a way to get acquainted with their neighbours in the Beavermead Park area.
Six different cookies were baked for the occasion, such as pumpkin spice shortbread, coconut washboard, wholesome jam thumbprints, mango apricot oatmeal, cocoa butter cookie and chocolate crinkle.
The homemade treats were delivered in 200 hand-decorated boxes.
“We bought plain white boxes in bulk and each took some time to decorate them. My little brother Yzedro especially loved drawing unique designs on the boxes,” said Alvea Hurlington, the eldest child of the family. “I’m recently engaged so this might be the last year we're all together over the Christmas break making cookies so it was a little bittersweet but lots of fun.”
Alvea says that new faces and long-time neighbours always enjoy the cookie delivery, which has been a family tradition since moving to the community.
“They've (neighbours) seen our family grow and they've watched each of us grow up. We're so grateful for the friendship and good energy that they bring to our community,” she said. “Every year we deliver to some new neighbours for the very first time. They always look at us a little funny when the group of us show up at the door and hand them a free box of cookies but they are always excited to see us back the next year!”
Alvea says the tradition brings her family together as they listen to music and dance around the house while baking. Photo courtesy of Alvea Hurlington.
Last year in the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hurlington’s put together flyers, offering various services for their neighbours who were isolating such as picking up groceries, mail, emergency childcare or even a friendly phone call free of charge.
“We want to inspire people in every community to do something kind for their neighbours. Whether it's cookies, cupcakes, bread, a painted rock or just a friendly hello, every little act of kindness or service allows us to be a blessing to each other and make our City a better place to live,” said Alvea.
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.
Hometown PTBO: Pete Dalliday Recapping the Peterborough Community Members of 2022
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This week on Hometown PTBO, we recap some of the wonderful people that Pete Dalliday has talked to over 2022. Community members, athletes, artists and more are showcased as we wrap up the 2022 edition of Hometown PTBO.
David Tuan Bui's Top Five Stories of 2022
/Another year has come and gone at PTBOCanada and there have been some fantastic stories I was able to cover in 2022. The impact this community can make is nothing short of remarkable and I feel honoured and privileged to cover some of Peterborough and the Kawartha’s stories.
Bui was hired as the PTBOCanada Editor for Mar. 1, last year. Photo by Autumn Nadeau.
These are my top five stories — in chronological order — that I truly enjoyed covering in 2022.
PERKS HAS MADE APPEARANCES ON OTHER AMERICAN SHOWS SUCH AS ABC’S GOOD MORNING AMERICA AND FOX LOS ANGELES. PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL ROZMAN/WARNER BROS.
Eight-year-old Callan Perks (better known as Coach Cal) took his viral motivational speeches to the City of Angels as he made an appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show in early January.
He gave his own pep talk to DeGeneres on her final season which brought her to tears.
I had the honour of interviewing Coach Cal after his original video went viral and I will always be proud of what he has done with himself since. What a kid!
ASTROM HAS PLAYED HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL WITH NHL’S VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS INSIDER AND PETERBOROUGH NATIVE GARY LAWLESS. PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDREW ASTROM.
I mentioned when Pete Dalliday first interviewed me live when I had got the job for PTBOCanada that I had a Grade 7 science teacher who nicknamed me “Ziggy Stardust.” It was in reference to my name’s pronunciation being similar to famed rock star David Bowie.
The man who gave me that nickname? Former teacher Andrew Astrom who taught me at Immaculate Conception School and later became my offensive coordinator for the Holy Cross Catholic School football team in their second year. He retired after 30 years of teaching and was diagnosed with medullary thyroid cancer.
Astrom discovered his cancer on May 4 last year and had surgery on Aug. 5 where his thyroid and several lymph nodes were removed. He has lost most of his voice, has side neck pain and suffers nerve pain when he eats.
He is a realtor now just like his wife Tammie Astrom. He was always a great teacher and coach to me and he’s quite skilled at playing the guitar.
‘Water Bacon’ is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the City of Peterborough’s logo of water waves that resembles blue bacon. Photo by Luke BEst.
Okay, I admit it, this was the first ‘fake news’ story that I had published professionally…
For April Fools Day, I came up with a story that ‘Kevin the Water Bacon’ had become the new mascot of Peterborough. ‘Water bacon’ is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the City’s logo of blue and white horizontal wavy stripes that launched in the spring of 2018.
We saw Kevin had both an Instagram and Tiktok account so we reached out and collaborated on this funny hoax. The hoax was well-received as even the City and Fresh Radio played along with the fun. It’s nice to see that Peterborough also has a humourous side to them.
So… Why ISN’T Kevin the official mascot for The City of Peterborough?
Surprise! We turned on the Centennial Fountain early today to welcome Kevin the Water Bacon. Happy April Fool's Day #Ptbo!
— City of Peterborough (@CityPtbo) April 1, 2022
With @Ptbo_Canada and @WaterbaconKevin pic.twitter.com/pH3lVgfPtX
ECFC PLAYERS LUKE GREEN (MIDDLE) AND CONNOR WILSON (RIGHT) CELEBRATING THE TEAM’S FIRST FRANCHISE WIN WITH FANS, SCORING THREE GOALS IN 14 MINUTES. PHOTO BY DAVID TUAN BUI.
If you were at the Electric City Football Club’s (ECFC) men’s home opener, you would understand the amount of hype this night delivered for Peterborough.
It was the team’s inaugural year and the game did not disappoint as ECFC got the franchise’s first win against 3-0 against Windsor TFC on May 7.
The team scored three goals in 14 minutes and clamped down defensively since then. They also broke the League1 Ontario men’s game attendance record with 1,565 fans (the women’s team also did that for their respective league).
Watching this game live and reporting it had me entrenched in the soccer atmosphere and seeing the team hit several high points made it a pleasure to witness.
TUNG AND HER NEWBORN DAUGHTER HUNTER OUTSIDE THE HUNTER STREET LOCATION THAT SOFT OPENED ON VALENTINE’S DAY IN 2020. TUNG’S FAMILY FORMERLY OWNED THE GOLDEN WHEEL CHINESE RESTAURANT LOCATED NEAR SPRINGVILLE. PHOTO COURTESY OF SUSAN TUNG.
This one hits home to me as I am of Vietnamese descent.
Susan Tung, owner of Vietnamese restaurant Hanoi House — and a friend of mine — decided to close down her Hunter Street location and consolidated her business into the Lansdowne Street spot.
I’ve eaten at her establishment at least 50 times since she opened on Valentine’s Day in 2020. I helped proofread her initial menu before opening day and was cordially invited to try her pho (Vietnamese beef noodle soup) and critique it after the grand opening.
Thankfully her business is running and doing quite well and it wasn’t the end of great Vietnamese food outside of my mother’s kitchen. It just means I’ll have to take a longer drive than usual if I wanted to grab a bowl of pho on my lunch break.
2022 is almost over and there was no shortage of great stories to cover in Peterborough and the Kawarthas.
Old and new faces were seen covering this year’s news and I eagerly await seeing what 2023 has in store for me.
I have to bid farewell to former employees Angela O’Grady and Luke Best who have moved on to other endeavors but that leaves the door of opportunity for new people to join the PTBOCanada family.
I am blessed to be working with Felicia Massey, Samantha Bianco and Brad Wood who are all hired within the same few weeks in early September and eagerly await to see what is in store next year with them!
On a personal note, I will have to push back my wedding to 2024 as my fiancée Autumn and I will be expecting our first child in late June. Big news for the Bui household and I’m sure 2023 is going to be another spectacular year for Peterborough!
