City Of Kawartha Lakes And Peterborough County Enter Into Shared Service Agreement For Chief Of Paramedics

Kawartha Lakes and Peterborough County Councils recently received presentations in their closed sessions by their Paramedic Services Review Team which consists of senior staff and the Chiefs of both Paramedic services.

The Team has collaborated on a Review to understand how the two services could work together for greater efficiencies. The Review is in line with the Provincial mandate to look at synergies of operations. It was also prompted by the forthcoming retirement of Chief Rafton, the Kawartha Lakes Paramedic Chief.

Kawartha Lakes is currently undertaking a paramedic service 10-year resource and facilities master plan and with the need for paramedic chief expertise, have chosen to enter into a shared service agreement with Peterborough County. This agreement will see Randy Mellow, Chief, Peterborough County-City Paramedics, take on a dual leadership role within both services while further review and the master plan is completed. Both Councils have granted approval to execute a Chief Shared Service agreement.

Chief Mellow and Chief Rafton

“Kawartha Lakes and Peterborough County-City Paramedic Services have enjoyed a long history of collaboration that has positioned our teams well to examine and establish strategies of efficiency and modernization to meet the evolving role of paramedicine in Ontario,” says Randy Mellow, Chief, Peterborough County-City Paramedics.

“I’m very pleased to have an opportunity to serve in a coordinating role with two incredibly talented Paramedic Service Leadership Teams under the direction of visionary municipal leadership as we seek opportunities to meet the specific needs of the Peterborough and Kawartha Lakes areas.”

Both Councils have directed the Review Team to explore a detailed analysis of additional opportunities including shared efficiencies of purchasing, human resources, facilities and specialized fleet such as a bariatric transport ambulance. Pending the review, a recommendation for any additional shared service agreements will be brought forward to the Councils in 2021.

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Local Community Agencies To Distribute Thousands of Face Coverings To Clients Thanks to New Joint Initiative

A joint City-County-Peterborough Public Health initiative to provide reusable face coverings for people who may not be able to buy them is being supported by local community groups.

With face coverings now mandatory in various public settings, Kinsmen Club, Peterborough County Federation of Agriculture, and Kawartha Food Share are making donations to support the bulk purchase of face coverings. The United Way of Peterborough and District is accepting financial donations for the project through its COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund.

Peterborough Public HEalth Medical Officer of Health Dr. ROSANA Salvaterra took to the streets to hand out cloth masks to those who need them in downtown Peterborough. (Photos by Peterborough Public Health)

With the support of these groups, Peterborough Social Services will be providing about 5,000 face coverings to community agencies for distribution to clients. Anyone who wants to contribute new, unused face coverings, including homemade face coverings, can drop the items off at the Peterborough Public Health office at 185 King St.

”Working together has kept our numbers down,” says Warden J. Murray Jones. “I am so proud of our full community for following the new policies and procedures Peterborough Public Health has put in place.”

“We’re working with our community partners to make sure that anyone who needs a face covering can get one,” adds Mayor Diane Therrien. “Once again, community groups such as the Kinsmen Club and organizations such as Kawartha Food Share are stepping up to help our fellow residents through this pandemic.”

“I’m extremely proud and grateful to see community members help each other stay safe by not only wearing face coverings, but ensuring those who need one are getting one,” says Dr. Rosana Salvaterra, Medical Officer of Health for Peterborough Public Health. “Evidence shows that this kind of collective action helps prevent the spread of COVID-19 when we can’t keep two metres apart.”

Wearing a face covering is an added measure to the other public health measures that are in place, including:

• Physical distancing
• Staying home if sick
• Washing your hands
• Coughing and sneezing etiquette
• Not touching your face
• Cleaning commonly touched surfaces

To make a financial donation toward providing face coverings for people in the community, donate to the COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund online here or by calling 705-742-8839.

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The Bullocks Wins Peterborough County 2015 Farm Family Of The Year

The Peterborough County Federation of Agriculture and the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce announced that the Bullock family—owners of Cedarvilla Holsteins at 2334 Northeys Road in Lakefield—are the 2015 Farm Family of the Year.

The Bullock Family

Cedarvilla Holsteins is a second generation family farm. Randy and Tara Bullock started dairy farming together in 1999 with Randy’s parents, and took over a couple of years later. Now with the help of their three children—Lily, Aidan, and Liam—they run the 200 acre dairy farm and crop an additional 400 acres.

Randy and Lily

Randy and Tara are active volunteers in the farming community, and they are also involved in numerous other farm organizations and committees, as well as local community groups—including the Lakefield United Church and both Peterborough and Lakefield Minor Hockey.

In the past 5 years, the Bullock children have become increasingly involved in the daily operation of the farm. Lily milks the cows, registers all the calves on the farm, and looks after any applications for shows the farm attends. Aidan and Liam make all the feed during the evening chores, do much of the haying during the summer, and are extremely helpful with anything mechanical.

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Warsaw Public School Participates In Plow Painting Program

Peterborough County has a neat plow painting program that area schools participate in...

The plow painting program has taken place for the past few years, and is in line with celebration of Public Works Week in Canada (which is May 16th to May 23rd this year). The program is to raise awareness in schools of municipal public works and what they do—maintaining roads for the safety of the travelling public.

One of the latest schools to participate is Ms. Tibbles Grade 8 class at Warsaw Public School.

**Plows were also sent to Havelock Belmont Methuen School and Ridpath Junior Public to paint.

The plows are used again the next season by the County—and then sent out again to be painted by more schools.

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