This week’s round-up of business news includes Jo Anne’s Place officially revealing its newly renovated store on Lansdowne Street in Peterborough, the federal government announcing $1.5 million in funding for Peterborough-based Charlotte Products Ltd. for technology to detect healthcare-associated infections, The Canadian Canoe Museum receiving a $1.25 million donation from an anonymous donor, Bobcaygeon Brewing Company acquiring Beard Free Brewing in Peterborough, and Peterborough online farmers’ market Locavorest shutting its virtual doors at the end of February.
Also featured is the City of Peterborough calling on contractors and tradespeople to participate in heritage trade show and seeking land for a new transit storage facility, regional tourism organization RTO8 seeking input on its Waterway Trail Town initiative, the Town of Cobourg winning a marketing award for its Armistice18 campaign, and the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) launching a redesigned website.
New regional business events added this week include the Workforce Development Board’s labour market workshops in Cobourg, Lindsay, and Peterborough on February 19th, 21st, and 22nd, the Peterborough DBIA breakfast network meeting with Peterborough police chief Scott Gilbert on February 20th, and the Peterborough Emergency Management and Safety Forum on April 4th and 5th.
Jo Anne’s Place reveals newly renovated store on Lansdowne Street in Peterborough
Popular health food store Jo Anne’s Place held the official ribbon-cutting of its renovated headquarters at 1260 Lansdowne Street West in Peterborough on Friday (February 8).
The event was attended by founder Jo Anne Fallaise and her husband Murray, current owners Margo and Paul Hudson, Peterborough Mayor Dianne Therrien (also a long-time customer), Otonabee Ward city councillors Kim Zippel and Lesley Parnell, new and returning customers, and more.
As well as the newly renovated space, Jo Anne’s Place revealed its new beverage bar called ’76 Sips.
The beverage bar’s name refers to the founding of Jo Anne’s Place in 1976 by namesake Jo Anne Fallaise. Fallaise opened her first store in the living room of her Lindsay home, eventually moving the store to its current location at 84 Russell St. W. (Queen’s Square Plaza) in Lindsay.
In 1985, she opened her first store in Peterborough, which moved to its current location at 904 Water Street North in 1996.In 1998, Fallaise’s daughter and son-in-law Margo and Paul Hudson took over daily operations of the business, eventually purchasing it in 2003 when Fallaise retired.
In 2008, the Hudsons opened another Peterborough location at 1260 Lansdowne Street West, which became the head office and warehouse and distribution centre for the other two locations.
For more information about Jo Anne’s Place, visit www.joannesplace.ca.
Federal government announces $1.5 million for Peterborough-based Charlotte Products Ltd. for technology to detect healthcare-associated infections
Last Thursday (February 7), Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef announced $1,485,816 in federal funding through Genome Canada to support Peterborough-based business Charlotte Products Ltd., along with Dr. Shana Kelley from the University of Toronto, to develop technology that will allow health care institutions to rapidly detect and identify infectious agents like C. difficile.
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are the fourth leading cause of death in Canada. While attention to cleanliness and disinfection of surfaces plays a large role in the reducing infectious agents, it is difficult to measure cleaning effectiveness and improve practices.
Charlotte Products Ltd., a family-owned Peterborough company, has developed an environmental monitoring system and optical sensor technology called Optisolve Pathfinder to complement its cleaning products. Dr. Kelley is working with the company to further enhance Optisolve Pathfinder to allow for recognition and identification of specific pathogen species.
Dr. Kelley and her team will combine novel nano technology with a genomics-based approach to allow for precise identification of pathogens that cause HAIs. The resulting technology, Optisolve Insight, will allow hospitals, long-term care facilities, and more to rapidly detect and identify infectious agents, such as MRSA, C. difficile, and influenza, with the resultant benefits of proactive prevention and quick interventions.
Charlotte Products Ltd. is also investing more than $1.4 million into the project with Dr. Kelley. The total budget for the project is $4,493,000.
The Canadian Canoe Museum receives $1.25 million donation from anonymous donor
Last Thursday (February 7), The Canadian Canoe Museum announced it had received a donation of $1.25 million from an anonymous out-of-province donor.
With the world’s largest collection of canoes, kayaks and paddled watercraft, The Canadian Canoe Museum is moving from its 1960s-era former factory building to an 85,000-square-foot-facility to be built alongside the Peterborough Lift Lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway in Peterborough.
The $1.25 million gift is the first of its size to be received by the museum from a donor outside of Ontario. The new museum is supported by a $65 million capital campaign, and has received foundational financial support from municipal, provincial and federal governments. The W. Garfield Weston Foundation recently invested $7.5 million.
“We are grateful for this generous gift, and the donor’s appreciation for the national nature of the new museum project,” says Bill Morris, chair of the museum’s capital campaign. “This donor recognizes the canoe as a national icon, and sees its potential and power to connect Canadians.”
The new museum, which will make accessible all 600 watercraft, thousands of small artifacts and an archive, is designed by an award-winning team of Heneghan Peng Architects (Dublin, Ireland) with Kearns Mancini Architects (Toronto, Canada). The museum has partnered with world-class exhibition design firm GSM Project to create one-of-a-kind visitor experiences.
Bobcaygeon Brewing Company acquires Beard Free Brewing in Peterborough
Bobcaygeon Brewing Company has acquired Peterborough microbrewery Beard Free Brewing.
This spring, the Beard Free Brewing location at 649 Unit 4 The Parkway in Peterborough will be rebranded and will become Bobcaygeon Brewing’s Innovation Lab, with a focus on small batch and unique brews. It will also feature a taproom and retail store.
Beard Free Brewing first opened in March 2018 and closed in January 2019.
Bobcaygeon Brewing also plans to open a full production facility, retail store, and taproom at the former post office on Bolton Street in Bobcaygeon by the end of 2019.
Peterborough online farmers’ market Locavorest shutting its virtual doors at the end of February
Peterborough online farmers’ market Locavorest is shutting its virtual doors at the end of February.
Founded in 2016 by Megan Boyles, Mark Kirton, and Vinay Viswanathan, the online business has partnered with about local farms, bakeries, cheesemakers, and more, all sourced within 75 kilometres of Peterborough.
They originally delivered goods to community drop-off points and, in May 2018, began to offer home delivery by bicycle and car.
The three founders announced in an e-mail that they have been unable to make the business model sustainable and are ceasing operations as of February 28, 2019.
The last day to submit orders is Tuesday, February 19th, with the final delivery date on Friday, February 22nd. Any subscriptions will be automatically cancelled after the final February 22nd delivery.
City of Peterborough calling on heritage contractors and tradespeople to participate in trade show
The City of Peterborough is looking for contractors and tradespeople to participate in the second annual heritage trade show, which takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 27th at St. James United Church (221 Romaine St., Peterborough).
The purpose of the trade show, hosted by the Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee in conjunction with the city’s Heritage Preservation Office, is to connect contractors and tradespeople with experience working on heritage buildings with owners of heritage properties in the city.
Tradespeople with relevant experience are encouraged to fill out the application form available online at www.peterborough.ca or at the Heritage Preservation Office at 210 Wolfe Street.
Interested tradespeople must be able to demonstrate that they have experience working with heritage buildings and that their work complies with the standards and guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada. A space at the event will cost $15.
Completed forms must be submitted by Friday, March 8th by email to heritage@peterborough.ca or in person at the Heritage Preservation Office.
City of Peterborough seeking land for new transit storage facility
The City of Peterborough is looking for options to partner with, or acquire land from, interested parties for the construction of a new transit storage facility to replace the existing facility on Townsend Street.
The project requires a property that is at least five acres of developable land, has enough street frontage for two access points (preferably on two different collector or arterial roads), is relatively flat and relatively square in shape, is close to municipal sewer and water services, and is within six kilometres of 182 Townsend Street.
Potential partners or property owners that want to be considered as part of this project can review the Expression of Interest at peterborough.ca/tenders. The Expression of Interest closes at 3 p.m. on Thursday, February 21st.
Regional tourism organization RTO8 seeking input on Waterway Trail Town initiative
Regional Tourism Organization 8 (RTO8) is seeking input on its “Waterway Trail Town” initiative, a cross-regional effort to promote tourism in communities across the Kawarthas along the Trent-Severn Waterway.
RTO8 is developing a strategic communications plan to engage communities and to prepare for launch, and is looking for input on the plan through a survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/TrailTownComms. The survey, which takes five to seven minutes to complete, will be available until 5 p.m. on Friday, February 15th.
It’s open to anyone with an interest in the Waterway Trail Town initiative, including community residents, business owners, volunteers, and more.
RTO8 is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport to promote regional tourism activity in the area that is now branded as Kawarthas Northumberland. The agency works with the existing tourism offices in Peterborough & the Kawarthas, Kawartha Lakes, and Northumberland County.
Town of Cobourg wins marketing award for Armistice18 campaign
The communications department and community services division of the Town of Cobourg has won an AVA Digital Gold Award for the town’s Armistice 18 digital marketing and communications campaign.
The AVA Digital Awards is an international competition recognizing outstanding work in digital marketing communications by creative professionals involved in the concept, direction, design and production of media contributing to the evolution of digital communications. There were 2,500 entries from throughout the United States, Canada and 23 other countries, with just under 500 organizations receiving the award.
Last fall, the Town of Cobourg launched Armistice 18, a two-month commemoration by the Town of Cobourg of the signing on November 11, 1918 of the armistice that ended fighting in World War I between the Allies and Germany. It was Canada’s largest commemorative WWI centennial event.
Cobourg’s Armistice 18 campaign won the award for its use of social media platforms, digital banner ads, promotional video, and online advertisements that resulted in national media coverage.
Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) launches redesigned website
The Peterborough DBIA has launched a redesigned website at downtownptbo.ca.
The redesigned mobile-first website has a new look and feel and new features, including an event submission form where community members can submit events directly into the website and help further promote what’s happening downtown.
“One of the things we really wanted to emphasize with the new site is people,” says DBIA Executive Director Terry Guiel. “It’s the people that make the downtown experience something we look forward to, whether we’re shopping, dining, or enjoying a night out with friends. You’ll see a lot of familiar faces on downtownptbo.ca.”
The website includes listings for downtown businesses, upcoming events, news, and information about downtown initiatives and projects.
Peterborough Chamber hosts breakfast meeting with Dr. Doug Lukinuk in Peterborough on February 12
The next Peterborough Chamber of Commerce “Chamber AM” breakfast meeting takes place from 7 to 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, February 12th at Carousel Restaurant & Tavern (116 Lansdowne St. E., Peterborough).
Dr. Doug Lukinuk of Peterborough Max Living Chiropractic Centre will speak on the topic “Stress Overload and the Entrepreneur”.
Networking begins at 7 a.m., with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. (when you can make your best 30-second elevator speech to the room), followed by the speaker at 8 a.m.
There is no cost for the event (order what you like and pay for what you order).
Peterborough Chamber presents Power Hour with local elected officials on February 12
The Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce is presenting its annual “Power Hour” featuring Peterborough’s elected officials from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 12th at The StoneHouse Hall (2195 Lansdowne St. W., Peterborough).
The Power Hour is a lively interactive dinner and question-and-answer session with Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef, Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith, Peterborough County Warden J. Murray Jones, and City of Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien.
Peterborough City and County councillors, along with the Chief Administrative Officers of the City and County of Peterborough and First Nations leaders, will be invited to join individual tables.
The event will be recorded for broadcast on Cogeco’s YourTV Peterborough/Lindsay.
Tickets are $65 per person or $450 for a table of seven for Chamber members, and $75 per person or $525 for a table of seven for non-members.
For more information and to register, visit peterboroughchamber.ca.
Kawartha Chamber annual general meeting in Lakefield on February 13
The Kawartha Chamber of Commerce and Tourism is holding its annual general meeting from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 13th at The Village Inn (39 Queen St., Lakefield).
The meeting will feature highlights from 2018 and the election of the 2019 board of directors. The 2017-18 annual report will be circulated to members before the meeting.
For more information, visit kawarthachamber.ca.
Nomination deadline for Haliburton Chamber’s Business & Community Achievement Awards on February 14
Nominations are being accepted for the Haliburton Highlands Chamber of Commerce’s 13th Annual Business & Community Achievement Awards until Thursday, February 14th.
There are awards in 11 categories: Business Achievement, New Business, Customer First Business, Customer First Employee, Tourism & Hospitality, Innovation & Creativity, Skilled Trades & Industry, Young Professional of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Not-For-Profit of the Year, and Highlander of the Year.
Nomination forms are available at www.haliburtonchamber.com.
The awards gala will be held on Saturday, March 30th at the Pinestone Resort & Conference Centre.
Workforce Development Board hosting labour market workshops in Cobourg, Lindsay, and Peterborough on February 19, 21, and 22
The Workforce Development Board / Local Employment Planning Council (WDB/LEPC) is hosting three upcoming labour market workshops entitled “Top Industries: Understanding Key Business Sectors.”
The Northumberland workshop takes place from 8 to 9 a.m. on Tuesday, February 19th at Venture13 (739 D’Arcy St., Cobourg), the Kawartha Lakes workshop takes place from 8 to 9 a.m. on Thursday, February 21st at Days Inn & Suites Lindsay (134 Angeline St. S., Lindsay), and the Peterborough workshop takes place from 3 to 4 p.m. on Friday, February 22nd at the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce (175 George St. N., Peterborough).
Bringing together employers and service, each workshop is intended for individuals and organizations looking to further understand the workforce respectively in Northumberland, Kawartha Lakes, and Peterborough. Andrew Bell, WDB/LEPC’s Labour Market Information Analyst, will be on hand to walk attendees through the latest report.
The workshops are free, but registration is requested at www.eventbrite.ca/o/workforce-development-boardlocal-employment-planning-council-7347888677.
Innovation Cluster hosts tax preparation workshop with Gauvreau & Associates in Peterborough on February 19
The Innovation Cluster is hosting “Hands-ON: Tax Prep with Gauvreau & Associates” from 12 to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 19th in the large ground floor boardroom at VentureNorth (270 George St. N., Peterborough).
Tyler Powers CPA of Gauvreau & Associates will provide attendees with information on business structures (sole proprietor vs. corporation), structure of the tax return for sole proprietors, and the importance of bookkeeping in preparing the Statement of Business Activities for your tax return. The workshop will also cover accrual vs. cash, recording revenue, deductible business expenses, capital assets, and more.
The workshop is free, but registration is requested at www.eventbrite.com/e/hands-on-tax-prep-with-gauvreau-associates-tickets-54858590521.
Peterborough DBIA breakfast network meeting with Peterborough police chief Scott Gilbert on February 20
The Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA)’s next breakfast network meeting takes place from 7:30 to 9 a.m. on Wednesday, February 20th at Empress Gardens (131 Charlotte St., Peterborough).
Chief Scott Gilbert of the Peterborough Police Service will be the guest speaker.
Breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m. with the guest speaker at 8 a.m.
Tickets are $5 at the door, and the meeting is open to everyone.
Port Hope Chamber holds its annual general meeting in Port Hope on February 26
Port Hope & District Chamber of Commerce is holding its annual general meeting from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, February 26th in the Sculthorpe Theatre at Cameco Capital Arts Centre (20 Queen St., Port Hope).
Trevor McPherson, vice president of member services at the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, will be the guest speaker.
The meeting will also feature the election of new board members, review and approval of by-law revisions, new style guidelines and marketing materials, and more.
A light lunch will be provided. To RSVP, email admin@porthopechamber.ca or call 905-885-5519.
Agilec hosting spring hiring fair in Peterborough on February 26
Employment services company Agilec is hosting a multi-employer hiring fair from 1 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, February 26th at Northminster United Church (300 Sunset Blvd., Peterborough).
Numerous employers looking to hire part-time, full-time, and seasonal positions will be in attendance.
For more information, contact Arlayna Curtin at Agilec at 705-740-2577 ext. 5210 or acurtin@agilec.ca.
Trent University’s Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation Centre presents Drew Dudley in Peterborough on February 28
The Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation Centre (ESIC) at Trent University is presenting leadership guru Drew Dudley from 7 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, February 29th at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough).
Dudley is the founder and chief catalyst of Day One Leadership, Inc., which helps organizations around the world increase their leadership capacity. His clients have included some of the world’s most dynamic companies and organizations, including McDonald’s, Dreamworks Animation, JP Morgan Chase, and over 75 colleges and universities.
This event is run in collaboration with the Royal Bank of Canada and the Innovation Cluster.
Doors at 6 p.m. The event is free, but you must reserve your seats by registering at www.eventbrite.com/e/trent-university-esic-presents-drew-dudley-live-at-market-hall-tickets-54553981427.
Harvest Haliburton hosts Food and Agriculture Economic Development Forum in Minden on March 5
Sustainable food association Harvest Haliburton is hosting the Food and Agriculture Economic Development Forum from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5th at the Minden Community Centre (55 Parkside St., Minden).
The forum is a chance for interested residents, food producers, farmers, retailers, restauranteurs, elected politicians, municipal staff, and others to learn about the exciting food and agriculture-related projects underway in Haliburton County. Participants can also discover how they can support and shape the future of the local food sector.
Staff from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs will deliver a keynote address on the tools and strategies available to help the area’s local food sector thrive. There will also be discussion topics including selling and branding local food, culinary and food tourism, municipal food planning, and more.
The forum is free to attend and includes a lunch showcasing ingredients from many of the area’s primary food producers.
For more information and to register by February 20th, visit www.harvesthaliburton.com.
Lindsay Chamber hosts its annual general meeting in Lindsay on March 6
The Lindsay & District Chamber of Commerce is hosting its annual general meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6th at The Auk’s Lodge on Fleming College’s Frost Campus (200 Albert St. S., Lindsay)
You can view the Chamber’s activities and successes of the past year, learn about Chamber initiatives for the year ahead, and review the 2018 financial statement. A motion will be passed for member to accept the next slate of board members.
Refreshments will be provided by The Olympia Restaurant and a cash bar will be available.
For more information, contact Colleen Collins at 705-324-2393 or colleen@lindsaychamber.com. To register, visit events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07eg23a1s2f0dd87e6
Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development hosts inaugural Business & Entrepreneurship Conference in Peterborough on March 28
Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development is bringing together business owners from across Peterborough & the Kawarthas for the inaugural Business & Entrepreneurship Conference from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 28th at the Peterborough Golf & Country Club (1030 Armour Rd., Peterborough).
This is a must-attend event for entrepreneurs looking to learn from industry thought leaders, network with like-minded professionals to develop partnerships and collaboration, and grow and improve their business. Keynote speakers are Nikki Pett on the topic “Relationship Marketing” and Darrell Keezer on the topic “Digital Disruption”, wiht special guest speaker George Anastasopoulos.
There will be an afternoon panel on customer service in the digital age features local business people include Katie Dempsey of Blind Ambition, Bob Gauvreau of Gauvreau & Associates, Mike Watt of Providence/S.O.S./Flavour Fashion, Scott Murison of Wild Rock, and Nicole Truman of Fox Law.
Early bird tickets $40+HST until February 15th ($55 after February 15th) and include breakfast and lunch.
For the complete program and to register, visit www.eventbrite.ca/e/2019-business-entrepreneurship-conference-tickets-54945307895.
Peterborough Emergency Management and Safety Forum on April 4 and 5
The Peterborough Emergency Management and Safety Forum is taking place from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 4th and Friday, April 5th at Stonehouse Hall (2195 Lansdowne St. Peterborough).
This two-day event is an opportunity to learn from leading experts in the field of emergency management and safety planning and execution. The forum will cover incident management and mitigation, emergency planning and responses, public safety, business continuity planning, interoperability in times of crisis or serious event, and coordinated collaborative response.
There will be guest speakers from Orlando, Florida speaking on lessons learned from the Pulse Night Club shooting, Peterborough Police Chief Scott Gilbert speaking on the 2018 Toronto van incident, Sgt. Kerry Schmidt of the O.P.P. speaking on communications and the media in a crisis, Tom McKay (President of the International Society of Crime Prevention Practitioners), and an expert panel on cyber security.
Early bird tickets are $75 until Friday, February 15th and $100 thereafter. For tickets, visit www.eventbrite.ca/e/peterborough-emergency-management-and-safety-forum-2019-tickets-53587643083.
For more business-related events in the Kawarthas, check out our Business Events column.