Although the big story on everyone’s mind at the end of the year was the so-called “bomb cyclone” over the Christmas weekend, which disrupted holiday travel plans and knocked out power to thousands of Ontarians including in Cobourg, there were a lot of other significant news stories over the past year.
We no longer had to deal with pandemic mandates and lockdowns in 2022, but our healthcare system faced continuing challenges and we struggled with high inflation and interest rates, partially caused by the war in Ukraine, along with homelessness and other social issues. And, as the May derecho storm and Christmas winter storm reminded us, the climate crisis is worsening.
As with every year, 2022 brought local stories of inspiration, sadness, controversy, and tragedy. kawarthaNOW’s publisher and managing editor have chosen a selection of our most-read, most-shared, and most interesting stories from the past 12 months.
We’re presenting them below, in chronological order.
1. Peterborough-area veterinarians and staff ditch New Year’s Eve plans to help overwhelmed emergency vet clinic
On New Year’s Eve 2022, the Kawartha Veterinary Emergency Clinic (KVEC) — which normally operates 24 hours a day all year long — was at full capacity by mid-afternoon and was forced to close its doors to new patients. After learning of the crisis, veterinarians and staff at Sherbrooke Heights Animal Hospital and Norwood Veterinary Hospital cancelled their New Year’s Eve plans to help pets that were unable to be seen at KVEC.
According to Dr. Kristy Hiltz Sherbrooke Heights Animal Hospital, the clinic’s capacity crisis was an example of the staff shortage and mental health crisis in veterinary medicine.
“Prior to COVID, we were experiencing a shortage of veterinarians Canada wide,” she explains. “Then COVID hit, and that really precipitated an enormous crisis in terms of our ability to provide services, and also in terms of mental health and burnout amongst veterinarians.”
2. Lakefield’s famous 7-year-old ‘Coach Cal’ appears on The Ellen DeGeneres Show
Seven-year-old Callan Perks of Lakefield brought talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres to tears when he appeared on her show on January 5, 2022.
The enthusiastic young hockey fan rose to fame after he delivered a rousing speech to the Peterborough Petes before their game against the Ottawa 67’s the previous November. Callan had been selected to act as head coach as part of the OHL Team’s “Next Gen” promotion where kids five to 12 were invited to audition to shadow various roles with the organization.
The Petes went on to win the game and, after the organization shared a video on social media of “Coach Cal” giving the speech, it went viral. Callan and his family were flown to Los Angeles to appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. After talking with Callan, Ellen presented him with a personalized “Coach Cal” tracksuit, clipboard, and megaphone.
“I think you’re going to go on to do big, big things,” Ellen told him.
3. Peterborough residents come together on Facebook to show their support for Dr. Thomas Piggott
On January 15, 2022, anti-vaxxers protested in front of the home of Peterborough’s medical officer of health Dr. Thomas Piggott.
Then, less than a week later, anti-vaxxers accosted Dr. Piggott after they knocked on his front door pretending to be friendly neighbours, resulting in two people being arrested and charged with criminal harassment and intimidation of a health official.
After Peterborough physicians issued a statement supporting Dr. Piggott, and Peterborough’s police chief warned anti-vaxxers against intimidating health professionals, a group of Peterborough residents came together to create the ‘Nogojiwanong Peterborough Stands With Dr Piggott’ Facebook group, attracting over 1,400 members who posted messages of support for Dr. Piggott, Peterborough Public Health, and all healthcare workers.
4. Mike Dalliday carries on his late wife’s entrepreneurial vision by launching redesigned Pilates on Demand website
When Jessica (Jess) Dalliday — owner and operator of Pilates on Demand in Peterborough — passed away suddenly and unexpectedly at the age of 32 on April 6, 2021 due to a rare complication of childbirth, five days after the death of her newborn daughter Angeline, Jess’s husband Mike and their two-year-old daughter Rachel were devastated along with the Peterborough community.
The outpouring of support from the community, including a GoFundMe campaign that raised more than $200,000 within two weeks in support of the Dalliday family, inspired Mike to honour Jess’s legacy. He eventually decided to step away from his career as a physician assistant in emergency medicine at Campbellford Memorial Hospital to become CEO of Pilates on Demand and carry on the family business.
“When Jess passed away, I knew I wanted her story and passion to continue on and be passed along to our two-year-old daughter,” Mike said. “And while learning to operate a business, single parenting and grieving the loss of a spouse and child has made for an exceptionally challenging year, it has always felt like the right decision.”
5. Teacher at Fleming College in Peterborough leading effort to send hundreds of first aid kits to Ukraine
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, more than 42,000 people have been killed, more than 54,000 people have been injured, at least 140,000 buildings have been destroyed, and around 14 million people have been displaced.
Within a couple of weeks of the beginning of the war, countless Canadians showed their support for the people of Ukraine by donating their money, time, and effort. That included a teacher at Fleming College in Peterborough, who led an effort to send hundreds of first aid kits to the war-torn country.
Victor Waselenko, who has ties to Ukraine, enlisted the help of his family to assemble the kits, each of which contained $40 worth of bandages, gauze, and off-the-shelf painkillers. Waselenko asked members of the community to donate $10 to help cover the cost of the kits, with local Shoppers Drug Mart locations in Peterborough covering three-quarters of the cost of each kit.
6. Peterborough-Kawartha MP comes under fire on social media for calling herself a ‘single mom with six children‘
No stranger to controversy, Peterborough-Kawartha MP Michelle Ferreri found herself under fire in March after she described herself as a “single mom with six children” in the House of Commons.
The Conservative MP made the comment during a debate on an opposition day motion for tax reduction on gasoline and diesel on March 22, 2022. After Mark Gerretsen, Liberal MP for Kingston and the Islands, said that a tax rebate would also apply to people like himself and Ferreri who can afford to pay higher prices for gas, Ferreri said “it is unfortunate the honourable member does not know my situation as a single mom with six children.”
Ferreri, who receives an annual salary of $185,800 as an MP, is mother to three children between the ages of 12 and 17 from a relationship with her former spouse, and is currently in a relationship with Ryan Moore, who is father to three children from a relationship with his former spouse. After Ferreri’s comment drew the ire of many people, including actual single mothers, she later “clarified” in the House of Commons that “I’ve been a single mother, and I now care for up to six children at a time.”
7. Quaker Oats announces ‘The Official Scent of Peterborough’ plug-in air freshener
On April 1, 2022, kawarthaNOW broke the news that Quaker Oats — which celebrated the 120th anniversary of its Hunter Street plant in 2022 — had announced a new plug-in air freshener called “The Official Scent of Peterborough.”
“The smell of baking oatmeal from Quaker Oats has long been the unofficial scent of Peterborough,” said Avril Sloof, a brand manager for PepsiCo Canada, the parent company of Quaker Oats. “We’re now making it official and sharing it with the rest of Canada.”
In case it’s not already obvious, this story was our April Fool’s joke for 2022.
8. Port Hope student Sarah Patterson throws ceremonial pitch at Blue Jays game
In April, Sarah Patterson — a Grade 4 student at St. Anthony Catholic Elementary School in Port Hope — received a very special reward for her participation in the game of baseball: she threw the ceremonial pitch at the April 25th Blue Jays game at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
The announcer first introduced Sarah, who has Down Syndrome, to the 20,981 attendees at the game, the first of a four-game divisional series against the Boston Red Sox, as her teacher Allison Jacques proudly looked on.
“Sarah has been participating in her school’s Girls at Bat and Challenger Baseball program,” the announcer said. “She was nominated by her teacher to be celebrated for her great participation with their Jays Care affiliate school program.”
9. Protester harassment of federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh puts Peterborough in national spotlight
In May, Peterborough was in the national spotlight and not in a good way, thanks to the actions of a small group of protesters who aggressively accosted federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh during his stop at provincial NDP candidate Jen Deck’s campaign office.
While Singh was leaving the George Street office, protesters yelled and screamed at him, calling him a “f**king traitor”, a “lying piece of sh*t”, and told him to “go f**k yourself,” with some showing him their middle finger. The protest was organized by Roy Asseltine and Nicole Comber — owner of Peterburgers, a burger restaurant that was shut down last December for four months for violating public health restrictions — shortly after they found out Singh would be arriving at Deck’s campaign office.
The protesters’ behaviour was widely condemned, including locally by then-mayor Diane Therrien, but police did not lay any charges. Three weeks later, Singh returned to Peterborough two days before the Ontario election to show his support for provincial NDP candidate Jen Deck. He was warmly welcomed, with no protesters in sight.
10. Parts of Peterborough remain without power after brutal long weekend storm
2022 was the year when we all became familiar with the weather term “derecho.” On May 21, at the beginning of the Victoria Day long weekend, a wind storm ripped through southern Ontario and Quebec. Winds over 130 km/h toppled hydro transmission towers and broke utility poles, damaged homes, and uprooted trees, with broken branches also taking down power lines and damaging property. At least four people in the greater Kawarthas region were killed by falling trees.
Four days later, around 28,000 Hydro One customers in the Peterborough area were still without power and the City of Peterborough declared a state of emergency. Representative of the damage caused by the storm, the Ganaraska Forest in Port Hope — southern Ontario’s largest forest — was closed to the public.
A week before the provincial election, then Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath visited Peterborough to survey the damage and call on the provincial government to provide urgent support and relief
11. Police find body of missing 11-year-old autistic boy in Scugog River
When 11-year-old Draven Graham went missing from his Lindsay home on June 12, 2022, police and members of the community conducted an extensive search to locate the autistic boy. They discovered his discarded clothing and believed Draven, who had limited verbal skills, may have been hiding from rescuers. A day later, the search ended in tragedy when members of the OPP’s Underwater Search and Recovery Unit found Draven’s body in the Scugog River.
Draven’s death prompted more than 90,000 people to sign a petition calling for the creation of a new alert system for missing vulnerable children. Similar to the Amber Alert for abducted children, the Draven Alert would be for autistic, vulnerable, and special needs children who go missing.
According to the U.S. National Autism Association, accidental drowning accounted for 91 per cent of deaths in the U.S. from 2009 and 2011 that were reported in children 14 and younger on the autism spectrum who wandered or eloped, with 68 per cent of these deaths happening in a nearby pond, creek, lake, or river.
12. Peterborough city council votes to allow demolition of former Montreal House
In July, Peterborough city council voted to permit the demolition of the former Montreal House, at the corner of Aylmer and King streets in downtown Peterborough, to allow a residential and commercial development to proceed.
The vote came despite a review in June by the Peterborough Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (PACAC) of a request by property developer Ashburnham Realty to demolish the building, which was constructed in the 1850s and later became a residence for French Canadian lumbermen working the forests north of Peterborough under the ownership of a French Canadian named Joseph Brault. Although Ashburnham Realty had originally intended to incorporate the building into the new development, unanticipated requirements meant that was no longer possible.
While the committee recommended that the building receive a heritage designation, which would have prevented its demolition, a city staff report to council recommended against providing a heritage designation to allow the development to proceed, and city council voted to accept the staff recommendation.
13. Peterborough’s Peterburgers restaurant, known for defying pandemic public health measures, is closing for good on August 5
Peterburgers restaurant in Peterborough closed its doors for good in August, only four months after it reopened following a four-month closure by Peterborough Public Health for defying COVID-19 public health measures.
Owners Nicole Comber and Roy Asselstine first opened their 25 George Street restaurant in late 2019. During the pandemic, they became vocal anti-lockdown advocates and continually defied public health measures. The couple later also participated in the “Freedom Convoy” protests in Ottawa in February.
In November 2021, Peterborough Public Health served Peterburgers with a section 22 order requiring them to comply with public health requirements or close. The restaurant continued to operate while ignoring the requirements of the order, and the health unit closed the restaurant in December. The restaurant was allowed to reopen four months later, and held a grand reopening celebration with a large crowd gathered to support the restaurant, leading to a charge under the city’s noise by-law.
14. Curve Lake First Nation, Trent University mourn passing of Elder Douglas Williams (Gidigaa Migizi)
In August, highly respected and much-loved Curve Lake First Nation Elder, knowledge keeper, and former chief Douglas Williams (Gidigaa Migizi) passed away.
Williams was one of the first graduates of Indigenous Studies at Trent University in 1972 and went on to become associate professor and director of studies for the PhD program at Trent’s Chanie Wenjack School of Indigenous Studies. One of Williams’ last public appearances was on September 30, 2021 — the inaugural National Day for Truth and Reconciliation — for the unveiling of a ‘treaty rock’ installation in recognition of the treaty lands upon which the university is located.
A prolific writer, Williams wrote Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg: This Is Our Territory with Leanne Betasamosake Simpson. Published in 2018, the book recounts key moments of Williams’ personal history, connecting them to the larger history of the Anishinaabeg and other Indigenous communities. In 2021, the Peterborough Historical Society honoured Williams with its Thomas H.B and Christine Symons Heritage Award, which is annually presented for an outstanding or one-time contribution to local, regional, provincial, national or international heritage causes.
15. Peterborough mayor Diane Therrien’s f-bomb tweet goes viral
On August 16, 2022, then Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien tweeted about a group of around 30 followers of self-proclaimed “Queen of Canada” Romana Didulo who had arrived at the Peterborough police station with the intent of “arresting” police officers — only to see four members of their own group get arrested.
“I hate giving airtime/spotlight to these imbeciles,” Therrien wrote in part on her personal Twitter account. “Here is my comment: fuck off, you fuckwads.”
By the next afternoon, that tweet had received almost 16,000 likes, over 2,500 retweets, and over 1,800 quote retweets, with “Mayor of Peterborough” trending on Twitter in Canada and the story appearing on the home page of Reddit. As well as local media, the National Post, CTV News, the Toronto Sun, BlogTO, and more reported on the tweet. She was also interviewed by guest host Susan Bonner on CBC Radio’s As It Happens, and appeared on The Dean Blundell Show to talk about the reasons for, and reaction to, her tweet.
16. A young entrepreneur has just opened her second sunflower farm, located in Lindsay
As the national flower of Ukraine, sunflowers received some extra attention in 2022.
That included young entrepreneur Ursula Kressibucher, who opened a sunflower farm in Lindsay in August. The four-acre farm, named The Little Sunflower Farm, is Kressibucher’s second sunflower farm. The 29-year-old opened The Sunflower Farm, comprised of two 10-acre fields, in Beaverton in 2022.
Kressibucher grows black oil sunflowers for birdseed, and also opens her farms for photographers. As well as running a successful business, she gives back to the community, creating mason jar bouquets and donating them to Lakeview Manor in Beaverton. On Ukraine National Independence Day in August, she also earmarked 50 per cent of all her Beaverton farm ticket sales for the Canada Ukraine Foundation to assist ongoing humanitarian efforts.
17. Peterborough’s CTS site making a difference in opioid crisis, one saved life at a time
When Peterborough’s new Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) site first opened in June at the Opioid Response Hub at 220 Simcoe Street at Aylmer Street in downtown Peterborough, it was unclear how many substance users would use it and what its effect would be on the surrounding neighbourhood.
In its first three months of operation, the supervised substance use site recorded 1,435 visits by 125 people. “That’s far more than we expected in the first three months,” said CTS program manager Kerri Kightley, With a paramedic on site at all times during the its hours of operation, “a number of overdoses” have been responded to almost immediately, Kightley said.
According to community impact report released in September, there has been a positive effect of the CTS site.
“I’ve certainly noticed a decline in public use and discarded needles in and around the downtown,” said Terry Guiel, executive director of the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area. “I’ve noticed nothing that could be tied to the site in any negative way. I haven’t received one call or email in association with the CTS site and I’ve noticed a great improvement in the downtown in the last several weeks.”
18. Fenelon Falls community devastated by unexpected passing of beloved Randy Meredith
In September, the community of Fenelon Falls in the City of Kawartha Lakes was devastated by the unexpected passing of Randy Meredith, the popular owner of Grr8 Finds Market and a LGBTQ+ champion. Meredith passed away peacefully at his Fenelon Falls his home on September 3, 2022 at the age of 56.
Meredith opened Grr8 Finds Market in downtown Fenelon Falls 13 years ago, initially as an indoor vendors market at 27 Colborne Street, and then expanding to include 29 Colborne Street. With an eclectic mix of antiques and upcycled, recycled, and retro collectibles and home decor, it was voted as Best Antique Shop in Kawartha Lakes six times and also appeared on HGTV’s “Scott’s Vacation House Rules.”
Grr8 Finds Market became a pillar of love and acceptance in Fenelon Falls with Meredith, who identified as gay, offering a safe and inclusive space for anyone, including those in the LGBTQ+ community and especially youth who needed support.
Meredith was also known for the often-outrageous outfits he wore for “Wacky Wednesdays,” with photos shared on the store’s social media accounts. Members of the Fenelon Falls business community paid tribute to Meredith with a village-wide “Wacky Wednesday,” when everyone was invited to wear wacky clothing in his honour.
19. Silver Bean Café will operate the café at Peterborough’s new Canadian Canoe Museum
Peterborough’s popular Silver Bean Café, located in Millennium Park on the shores of the Otonabee River, will have a second location at the new Canadian Canoe Museum, currently under construction at 2077 Ashburnham Drive on the shores of Little Lake.
‘The Silver Bean Café on the Lake’ will offer drinks (including alcoholic beverages), light lunches, treats, and grab-and-go options to museum visitors and local residents. The café will have seating for 30 people inside the museum’s café lounge and 32 outside on the terrace. The café is expected to be open seven days a week, year round, during the museum’s hours of operation.
In March, the museum issued a request for proposals from qualified vendors for the supply of café services at the new museum, which is set to open in summer 2023.
“We were searching for an energetic, warm, and welcoming team with proven experience to manage and operate the museum’s new café, that was also community minded and would work with us to enhance our visitor experience,” said the museum’s executive director Carolyn Hyslop. “The Silver Bean Café was a natural fit. We cannot wait to sip on an Americano by the outdoor fireplace on the lakefront terrace or enjoy an ice cream while walking along the trail and shoreline.”
20. Newly elected mayors include Jeff Leal in Peterborough and Doug Elmslie in Kawartha Lakes
The municipal election on October 24, 2022 saw a number of new and not-so-new faces being elected to serve in communities across the greater Kawarthas region, including some victories for former politicians attempting comebacks.
In Peterborough, former city councillor and former Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Jeff Leal was elected mayor. In the City of Kawartha Lakes, previous councillor and deputy mayor Doug Elmslie was elected mayor in a six-way race.
In the Municipality of Port Hope, Olena Hankivsky was elected mayor, defeating two current councillors to take over from outgoing two-term mayor Bob Sanderson who did not seek re-election. In Cobourg, newcomer Lucas Cleveland defeated incumbent mayor John Henderson.
21. Three members of Peterborough family among four who lost their lives in Highway 7 crash
The most tragic local news of 2022 was the November collision just east of Peterborough that claimed the lives of four people — including three members of the same family — and left the only survivor without her parents and brother and with life-altering injuries.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, November 22nd, 46-year-old Jonathan MacDonnell, 52-year-old Stephanie Hart, 18-year-old Riddick Hart, and 14-year-old Rowghan Hart — who called themselves the “MacHart” family — were travelling on Highway 7 when their SUV collided head-on with a pickup truck driven by 42-year-old Jason Schmidt of Hastings. Rowghan, the sole survivor, was airlifted to SickKids Hospital in Toronto in critical condition.
Two GoFundMe campaigns have raised almost $100,000 in support of the MacHart family, as Rowghan recovers in a Toronto hospital with life-altering injuries. As well as finding out she lost her parents and her brother, Rowghan was also told she may never walk again, prompting actor Ryan Reynolds to send her a video of encouragement.
22. New Peterborough city council votes down two motions to address city’s homelessness crisis
At its inaugural meeting in December, the new Peterborough city council voted down two motions brought forward by first-time councillor Alex Bierk to address the city’s homelessness crisis over the winter months, one of which was for the city to support a proposal for an emergency winter response from a partnership of community organizations and for the city to provide a grant of $100,000.
Despite the city’s lack of support, a partnership of community agencies is moving ahead with an overnight drop-in centre, with the partnership including Fourcast, the Canadian Mental Health Association of Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge, Mobile Support Overdose Resource Team (MSORT), United Way Peterborough and District, John Howard Society of Peterborough, Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough, Research for Social Change Lab (Trent University), Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough, and One City Peterborough.
“City council’s recent decision to deny funding to a much-needed winter-drop in came as both a disappointment and a shock,” said Mark Graham, CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association of Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge. “We are proud to be among the partners rising to the occasion to respond to this serious need in the community.”
One City Peterborough will provide staffing and oversight of the drop-in program, which would operate at the former Trinity United Church between the hours of 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. The one-time emergency response program will begin in mid-January and operate until April 30, 2023.
“People who are unhoused deserve the dignity of being sheltered and included in our community,” said Christian Harvey, co-executive director of One City Peterborough. “Until that is possible, we want to ensure no one dies in the cold.”
