While Peterborough’s annual Pride Week celebration takes place in September instead of during Pride Month in June, Pride will get an early start in Peterborough with the launch of a new series of community events presented by DJ Roxxy Waters.

The first event, “Pride + Boba: A Community Dance Party,” will take place on Saturday, June 13 at Milk + Tea at 360 George Street North in downtown Peterborough, in support of Peterborough AIDS Resource Network (PARN).

“Having more spaces for queer folk to meet up, to feel accepted, to feel seen, is huge,” said Waters in an interview with kawarthaNOW.

According to a media release, Pride + Boba will feature DJs, board games, artists, and a charity raffle aligning with the series’ values of inclusivity and neurodiverse-friendly activities.

Waters said ensuring the event is accessible and inclusive was a central focus for herself and the organizing team as they work to build community and connection among LGBTQ2S+ individuals in and around Peterborough.

“You are accepted for who you are, you come as you are, be your authentic self,” said Waters.

Speaking to her own experience entering community events and spaces as someone who is intersex, Waters said she is often met with judgment, discrimination, and rejection.

“I haven’t felt welcome everywhere I’ve been — I’ve haven’t really fit into this society,” she said.

Through involvement in the Peterborough music and arts scene, Waters has built a community of LGBTQ2S+ individuals and allies who share a goal to promote inclusion and access. She said her goal is to “just make a difference” by being an intersexism activist and educating others.

“It’s four of us that are making a difference in Peterborough and in the world,” said Waters of the group organizing these events.

In what Waters considers her “professional” life, as Nikki Lawrence, she works in part with Egale Canada and Intersex Canada, writing policy recommendations regarding healthcare for intersex infants.

As a DJ herself and a member of Otonabeats Radio, a collective of DJs playing electronic-style music, Waters is excited to host her first headlining event and have the opportunity to connect people through dance and music.

“Dance and music has connected me to people from all walks of life and I believe in the power of connection when we move our bodies together despite our differences,” said co-organizer and local artist Bodhi Chiasson in the media release. “Celebrating each other is part of what makes life as a queer person so beautiful. I deeply value contributing to fun and safe community events.”

For her part, Waters thanked Kathy Song and the team at Milk + Tea for their willingness to get involved in hosting Pride + Boba, and for designing a custom drink menu for the occasion that includes both non-alcoholic and alcoholic options.

The event is free for attendees, but Pride + Boba is featuring an online raffle with proceeds supporting PARN, a charitable organization that provides education and resources for people living with or impacted by HIV/AIDS as well as offering education to the community at large.

The raffle features donated prizes from local downtown businesses, including Iceman Games, HiHo Silver, Needle in the Hay, Turnbull Cafe, The Food Shop, Watson and Lou, Chumleighs, Art School of Peterborough, Blue Streak Records, Statement House, and Boardwalk Board Game Lounge. The raffle continues until 8 p.m. on June 13, with winners announced at the end of the Pride + Boba event.

Speaking about the decision to raise funds for PARN with this event, Waters shared her own story of participating in LGBT meetups hosted by PARN’s social connections group where she would help facilitate and coordinate events and activities.

“This is my meetup — this is where I get to meet other intersex people,” she said.

PARN currently runs a social group for people aged 13 to 23 called Rainbow Youth Group which meets weekly at PARN’s office at 60 Hunter Street East. The group provides young LGBTQ2S+ people a space to do activities, receive safer sex supplies and information, and socialize.

In addition, PARN has developed a new program, Rising Rainbows, for LGBTQ2S+ youth aged 13 and under which aims to help young people “connect, build friendships, and explore identity in a supportive and affirming space.” This group meets monthly at PARN’s office on the second Monday.

However, when social connections opportunities became limited, Waters was inspired to begin the Pride event series this summer, as she identified a need for spaces where LGBTQ2S+ people of all ages could gather without barriers or judgment.

Although most Pride-related events in Peterborough take place during Pride Week in September, Waters said she would like to see more Pride events and initiatives happen throughout the year and is excited to be able to contribute to hosting events such as these.

Waters has already begun planning for a drag brunch event in July, a third event in August, and a big celebration in line with Peterborough Pride, all of which will raise funds in part for charitable organizations.

Peterborough-Nogojiwanong Pride, which is a program of Rainbow Service Organization, a non-profit dedicated to promoting, advocating, and celebrating the interests of LGBTQ2S+ people in Peterborough and the Kawarthas, hosts an annual Pride week celebration in September. This year’s celebration is scheduled for September 18 to 27.

Throughout the year, Peterborough-Nogojiwanong Pride and Rainbow Service Organization support the facilitation of a number of community-led events and initiatives that bring together LGBTQ2S+ people in the region.

This includes two events in downtown Peterborough: a monthly Queer Coffee social mixer hosted on the last Saturday of each month at Dreams of Beans at 141 Charlotte Street and a monthly board game night on the second Wednesday in partnership with Boardwalk Board Game Lounge at 261 George Street North.

For 80-year-old Allan Saltern, having a hybrid operating room at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) would have meant less time spent recovering in hospital and more time doing the things that are important to him.

Saltern was born and raised in Peterborough before spending 35 years working for General Motors and living in Oshawa. Upon his retirement at the age of 55, he moved to Chemong Lake before returning to Peterborough to be closer to care services for his wife and 100-year-old mother.

A lifelong sports enthusiast, Saltern spent decades refereeing hockey and playing in old timer’s tournaments. He’s also a passionate angler who enjoys participating in fishing competitions.

“Nothing is like a day on the water because you have no worries,” he says. “You go out, whether you catch fish or whether you don’t. There’s an old saying: a day on the water is better than a day working. It just relieves all your stress.”

A hybrid OR means smaller incisions, fewer complications, faster recovery, and safer care

Saltern knows about stress as well as anyone. While in Tennessee in 2023 for his 50-year wedding anniversary, he began experiencing leg pains and could not walk very far.

When he returned home, his doctor referred him to vascular surgeon Dr. Sajjid Hossain at PRHC, who informed him he was at risk of leg amputation due to restricted blood flow. Saltern underwent a successful double bypass on his left leg and had balloons inserted into arteries in the right leg.

Unfortunately, he experienced a severe reaction to the complex vascular surgery.

“I spent 21 days in the hospital, and I was only supposed to spend five,” Saltern says. “I had to learn to walk all over again.”

According to Dr. Hossain, Saltern’s complications could have been avoided if PRHC had a hybrid operating room, which combines a fully equipped surgical suite with advanced medical imaging, allowing physicians to attend to vascular patients who often face multiple serious conditions at once.

A hybrid OR at PRHC will be the most innovative surgical suite in the region

With the ability for healthcare professionals to perform multiple minimally invasive procedures and open surgeries, a hybrid OR means safer and more cost-effective care with less impact on patients and better outcomes.

“A hybrid operating room will mean smaller incisions, fewer complications, faster recovery, and ultimately safer care for patients, especially in those emergency situations,” says Dr. Hossain. “This is what vascular surgery should be.”

A priority for the PRHC Foundation’s $70 million Campaign for PRHC to keep world-class care close to home at the regional hospital, the hybrid OR will be the most innovative surgical suite in the region.

“PRHC is serving a population with increasing rates of vascular disease, yet it is one of only a handful of Ontario’s Level 2 vascular centres without a hybrid operating room,” says PRHC Foundation president and CEO Lesley Heighway.

“When having one is the standard of care, not having a hybrid OR presents real challenges. It means difficulty recruiting surgeons who’ve trained on the technology and sending patients elsewhere for care where they’ll wait longer to receive it.”

A hybrid OR will transform vascular care and attract young healthcare professionals to PRHC

Vascular disease is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in Canada. PRHC’s regional vascular program serves a population greater than 600,000 including patients from Peterborough City and County, City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, the Haliburton Highlands, and the region of Durham.

“A lot of the patients that I serve don’t live close to the hospital — they’re from rural communities and they already have to travel to access care,” Dr. Hossain says. “Having a hybrid operating room would allow our community and all of these communities to have access to the same level of care that they’re getting in a major city. They don’t have that at the moment here in Peterborough.”

PRHC has just four surgeons performing more than 1,000 vital vascular surgeries in two dedicated operating rooms per year — that is a patient volume equivalent to six surgeons. Dr. Hossain, who trained in a hybrid operating room, knows it would not only “transform” patient care but also attract more young healthcare professionals to PRHC.

“At their core, physicians want to help individuals, and they want to be able to work somewhere where they can help others to the best of their abilities,” Dr. Hossain says.

“Investments in advanced technologies, clinical programs, and support from the community really help show these young physicians — who are considering somewhere to put down roots and build their career — that this is a place where everyone is behind you, and everybody is going to support you to do what you were trained to do.”

Since government doesn’t fund equipment or technology, donor support is essential to bring a hybrid OR to PRHC

For patients like Saltern, a hybrid OR would mean less time spent in the hospital and away from caregiving for his aging mother, who he says also receives “excellent care” from PRHC.

“If Peterborough would have had a hybrid OR when I had my operation, it would cut down my stress level and made my family less worried about me,” Saltern says. “The care that I received at PRHC was excellent.”

“For vascular patients and their families, timely access to advanced surgical care close to home is vital — preventing strokes, loss of limbs, and death,” Heighway adds.

“We’re so grateful that patients like Allan, who’ve experienced great vascular care at PRHC but want even better for the next patient, are willing to share their stories to help everyone in our community understand just how essential it is to have a hybrid OR. Because of stories like Allan’s, we can all appreciate a hybrid OR’s crucial impact and get behind it with our support.”

Since learning that the government does not fund hospital equipment and technology advancements, Saltern has been vocal about encouraging donations to the PRHC Foundation, to ensure future patients are treated faster, with less risk, and have quicker recovery time so they can get back to the people and things they love most.

“We really need to have this hybrid OR to help people recover from their surgeries faster, relieve a lot of stress, and make it easier on the families involved,” he says. “Thanks to you, the donors, this will support Peterborough and the surrounding areas who rely on Peterborough Regional Health Centre.”

To learn more about bringing a hybrid operating room to PRHC and to make a donation, visit the PRHC Foundation website at prhcfoundation.ca or call 705-876-5000.

This branded editorial was created in partnership with the Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation. If your organization or business is interested in a branded editorial, contact us.

With a $2.1 million investment by the Ontario government, over 4,500 more residents of the city and county of Peterborough will have a permanent primary care provider within the next year.

On Friday (May 29), Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith announced the funding as part of the province’s Primary Care Action Plan and a commitment to connecting every Ontarian to primary care by 2029.

The funding followed a successful application led by the Peterborough Family Health Team, with support from the Peterborough 360 Degree Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, Peterborough Community Health Centre, Peterborough Street Medicine, Peterborough Newcomer Health Clinic, and the New Canadians Centre, in partnership with the Peterborough Ontario Health Team.

Funding will support Connect Clinic expansion to move 2,700 unattached patients to primary care

“Family medicine and primary care are the keys to keeping a cost manageable, compassionate system,” said Peterborough Family Health Team CEO Duff Sprague in a interview with kawarthaNOW following the announcement.

As part of the second round of funding under the Ford government’s Primary Care Action Plan, the Peterborough announcement came a little over one month after news from the City of Kawartha Lakes Family Health Team that it was the recipient of $1.834 million under the plan.

The largest portion of the Peterborough funding, $1.16 million, will go towards the Peterborough Family Health Team’s Connect Clinic, which operates from two downtown locations at 185 King Street and 555 George Street North.

The Connect Clinic provides transitional support and wraparound care to currently unattached patients while they are waiting to be matched with a family physician or nurse practitioner.

According to a media release from the Peterborough Family Health Team, the Connect Clinic has supported 6,600 patients since its launch, with over 1,000 successfully transitioning to permanent primary care providers within the region.

Sprague told kawarthaNOW that the new provincial funding will expand resources at the Connect Clinic through the recruitment of one nurse practitioner, two registered practical nurses, one registered nurse, three administrative staff, and one pharmacist.

He said the additional staff capacity is intended to enable the Connect Clinic to serve more patients and increase the number of attachments made to permanent primary care providers.

“We have agreed to move 2,700 patients through the Connect Clinic between now and the end of March 2027,” Sprague said

Sprague said that, during the Peterborough Family Health Team’s discussions with the government, the province agreed the Connect Clinic may act as a “transitional attachment” for patients, but the long-term goal must be to move them from the clinic on to a longer-term relationship with a family physician, nurse practitioner, or primary care team, as opportunities become available.

Approximately 90 physicians are supported by the Peterborough Family Health Team through the provision of nurse practitioners, nurses, mental health workers, dietitians, pharmacists, and administrative staff.

Sprague said that a key goal of the Connect Clinic is to build a complete medical record to support patients transitioning to a new physician, or as they go through the medical system at large.

“You’re not going to be starting from scratch, and it’s going to be a far easier transition into the practice,” he explained.

Funding will also support those facing barriers to healthcare, including newcomers and unhoused or precariously housed people

Many of the partner organizations receiving the new provincial funding work with individuals who face barriers to care and may not have had regular care or supervision by a physician in a number of years.

For instance, the Peterborough Newcomer Health Clinic, which operates from the Peterborough Family Health Team space at 185 King Street, supports patients in their first year as newcomers to Canada.

In a past interview with kawarthaNOW, clinic founder Dr. Madura Sundareswaran said that many refugees have a history of fragmented healthcare and typically arrive in Canada with little to no medical documentation.

Both Sprague and Dr. Sundareswaran said the Newcomer Health Clinic’s recent integration with the Connect Clinic has already begun the process of streamlining patient-provider attachment services.

In addition to expanding services at the Connect Clinic, the Peterborough Family Health Team will use the provincial funding in part to provide a designated nurse to Peterborough Street Medicine, a physician-led organization that provides care to unhoused and precariously housed individuals.

Peterborough Street Medicine offers services at locations such as Brock Mission, Cameron House, the YES Shelter, and the modular housing community on Wolfe Street, without requiring participants to enrol with a family physician.

Nurse practitioner-led clinic aims to attach 1,825 patients, and community health centre will hire two physicians to train medical students

As for the Peterborough 360 Degree Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic, it will receive $688,000 in provincial funding to enable the clinic to attach 1,825 new patients to nurse practitioner-led primary care.

“It’s a really ambitious target — it’s going to take a lot of dedication from my team,” said Danielle Howson, executive director and nurse practitioner lead at the Peterborough 360 Degree Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic. “But, as ambitious as it is, I’m really excited to see what we can do with that.”

To enable them to meet this goal, the clinic will add two nurse practitioners, retain one registered nurse following the closure of Peterborough’s Consumption and Treatment Site, and add two administrative support team members.

For Howson, this investment will better allow the Peterborough 360 Degree Nurse Practitioner-Led Clinic to attach patients in a timely manner through collaboration with the Connect Clinic. She explained that the communication and transition support provided by the Peterborough Family Health Team allows patients to match with care teams that suit their needs.

As part of its ongoing work to recruit more physicians to the family medicine sector, the Peterborough Family Health Team is working in partnership with the Peterborough Community Health Centre to provide training for medical students.

The centre will receive $207,000 in funding to be enable the recruitment of two salaried family physicians who will provide direct training for students. This differs from the fee-per-service model that physicians engage with under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP).

Sprague explained that this funding model allows physicians to focus on education and training without concerns regarding the number of patients they see.

“A physician is not going to be able to clear off a lot of patients in the day when they’re training a medical student,” he pointed out.

Healthcare sector still facing challenges with recruitment and compensation

However, Sprague noted that the Peterborough Family Health Team does not only focus on recruiting new physicians, but also works with many retired family doctors who provide services on a part-time basis at the Connect Clinic.

“The funding is intended to help strengthen long-term healthcare capacity in the region and support the development of future healthcare providers through collaborative primary care initiatives,” a spokesperson for Peterborough Community Health Centre wrote in an email to kawarthaNOW.

While Sprague said he is grateful for the investment and identified MPP Smith as a strong partner in the application process, he recognizes there are still challenges faced across the family medicine sector.

“Family health teams used to be the employer of choice, but now we have a little more trouble filling positions than we used to,” he said.

Speaking to trends across the province, Sprague said that significant investment must be made to ensure that compensation for primary care clinicians is comparative and competitive across the healthcare sector.

Further to this, Sprague said that work must be done to make family medicine more appealing to medical students and graduates, saying that those leaving school in the current healthcare market are often looking elsewhere.

“I can’t help but think, if we start having med students come in and get exposed to family practice, more of them will choose that route, and more of them might choose Peterborough or Peterborough County,” he said.

The Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre (OTCC) in Peterborough has appointed a new executive director to take over the role from Dr. Sue Carstairs after 16 years.

Glenn M. Cunnington, a conservation scientist and senior program leader, will join Canada’s premier facility for turtle conservation, rehabilitation, and research as of Monday, June 15.

“Glenn brings with him all the qualities that OTCC needs to continue moving forward,” said Dr. Carstairs, who has held the role of executive and medical director since 2009, in a media release. “He is an expert in Ontario’s turtles, having been on the Committee On the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario for five years.”

Under the leadership as Dr. Carstairs, who was named to the Order of Ontario in 2020, the OTCC has evolved from a grassroots and volunteer-driven initiative into a world-renowned conservation centre.

By splitting her two roles into separate positions, the non-profit organization’s board of directors is marking a significant milestone in its strategic succession plan by allowing each position to become more specialized, increasing the organization’s scope and impact as it continues to grow.

While Dr. Carstairs will continue in a co-leadership position as medical director, long-standing OTCC veterinarian Dr. Kristen Janke will gradually assume the full medical director role. When that happens, Dr. Carstairs will still remain involved with OTCC, but at a slower pace.

As for Cunnington, he holds a Ph.D. focused on Road Ecology from Carleton University, an M.Sc. in Watershed Ecosystems, and a B.Sc. in Conservation Biology from Trent University, as well as a diploma from Fleming College in Fish and Wildlife. He is a published author in road ecology and brings deep experience in stakeholder engagement, grant writing, and financial stewardship.

He most recently worked as watershed programs manager with the District Municipality of Muskoka, a position he has held for the past four years. Prior to that, he worked at the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources in Peterborough as a species at risk permitting coordinator and in Bancroft as a field biologist, and has also worked for Parks Canada.

“It is a tremendous honour to join the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre as its next executive director,” Cunnington said. “I want to thank Dr. Sue Carstairs for her extraordinary leadership over the past 16 years. I am stepping into a healthy, growing organization with a remarkable culture, world-class clinical care, and an ambitious path towards 2030 already in motion.”

A registered charity, OTCC rehabilitates injured turtles at its specialized turtle hospital, conducts field research, and leads comprehensive educational programs to foster environmental stewardship.

“The OTCC remains dedicated to protecting and conserving Ontario’s native turtles and their habitats,” reads the media release. “Core operations — including healing injured turtles, incubating eggs, and releasing healthy turtles and hatchlings back into the wild — will continue uninterrupted through this transition.

For more information about the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre, visit ontarioturtle.ca.