One of the young people who participated in the youth entrepreneurship showcase at Staples in Cobourg in 2024. The showcase returns in 2025 on Wednesday, August 13 featuring youth participants from both the My Future My Career program and the Summer Company Program offered by Business & Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland (BECN). Some of the young entrepreneurs from the two programs will also be selling their products at the Cobourg Farmers' Market on Saturday, August 23. (Photo: BECN)
Northumberland County residents can sneak a peek at the next generation of business through an upcoming opportunity to shop locally made artisan products and services created by area youth and young adults.
The Business & Entrepreneurship Centre of Northumberland (BECN) presents its annual BECN Staples Youth Entrepreneurship Showcase from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday (August 13) at Staples in Cobourg at 1025 Elgin Street West.
Rob Day, Northumberland County’s economic development manager, highlighted for kawarthaNOW the significance of the event for young entrepreneurs and the community alike.
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“The BECN Staples Youth Entrepreneurship Showcase is more than just a market — it’s a launchpad for dreams,” Day said.
“The youth entrepreneurship programs offered through the BECN give young people the opportunity to turn their passions into businesses, while building their confidence and enhancing valuable skills like problem-solving, communication, and financial literacy.”
The showcase features youth entrepreneurs from two BECN youth programs: the My Future My Career program for kids aged eight to 14 and the Summer Company Program for those aged 15 and older.
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Attendees can explore a wide range of innovative product and service-based businesses, all created and operated by local students.
With more than 20 businesses showcased, some of the products and services will include photography and videography services, window washing services, T-shirts and branded apparel items, lawn care, artistic painted prints and designs, hand-crafted items, jewellery and accessories, home décor, and face painting services.
“What makes this showcase so special is the energy and creativity the young entrepreneurs bring to our community,” Day said.
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“Each year, we see so many unique ideas, one-of-a-kind handcrafted products, and innovative services,” Day noted. “It’s inspiring to see what the next generation of local business owners have to offer, and we’re inviting the whole community to come out and support their efforts as they begin their entrepreneurial journeys.”
For those unable to attend the free showcase, the BECN noted some of the young entrepreneurs from the two programs will be selling their products at the Cobourg Farmers’ Market on Youth Day, which runs from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, August 23. The farmers’ market is located on Albert Street at 2nd Street in Cobourg.
The Summer Company and My Future My Career programs are initiatives supported by the BECN. They provide students and young entrepreneurs with access to mentorship, business coaching, and microgrants, aimed at empowering them to launch and run their own small businesses.
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The BECN is a key source for business information, strategy, resources, and education for entrepreneurs and small business owners in Northumberland.
A service delivered by Northumberland County in partnership with the Province of Ontario, the BECN offers micro grants, free consultations, training, information and resources, and workshops and seminars for community members thinking of starting or expanding a small business in Northumberland County.
To learn more about the BECN, the young entrepreneurship programs, and to view upcoming events, visit becn.ca.
Sarah Quick in a promotional photo for the 2021 restaging of Willy Russell's one-woman play "Shirley Valentine" at Globus Theatre in Bobcaygeon. For the fourth time in her career, Quick is reprising the role of the working-class housewife from Liverpool who goes on a life-changing trip to Greece when Globus Theatre presents the play once again by popular demand for 11 performances from August 13 to 23, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Globus Theatre)
“I can see it changing people’s lives as I’m performing it.”
That’s what Sarah Quick, co-founder and artistic director of Globus Theatre in Bobcaygeon, says about the play Shirley Valentine. It’s evident she holds the one-woman show and its heroine, who she will be portraying for the fourth time in her career this month, near and dear to her heart.
“Even if you’ve seen it before, it’s a story that you want to see again because it resonates differently with you depending on where you are in your life,” Quick says. “It can spur you into making a big life change, it can make you feel good for having made those big changes in your life, or it could just make you feel very happy with what you have. Either way, it resonates with you.”
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Directed by Globus Theatre co-founder and artistic producer James Barrett, Shirley Valentine will transport audiences first to a 1980s kitchen in Liverpool and then to the sunny climes of Greece for 11 performances from Wednesday, August 13 to Saturday, August 23 at the professional theatre company’s venue at 2300 Pigeon Lake Road in Bobcaygeon.
Written by widely celebrated British playwright Willy Russell in 1986, Shirley Valentine takes the form of a monologue by a middle-aged working-class housewife in Liverpool before and after a life-changing trip abroad.
The award-winning play was also turned into a hit British romantic comedy-drama film in 1989, directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring Pauline Collins and Tom Conti.
Globus Theatre co-founder and artistic director Sarah Quick performing as “Shirley Valentine” in the 2023 Upper Canada Playhouse production of Willy Russell’s play in Morrisburg. For the fourth time in her career, Quick is reprising the role of the working-class housewife from Liverpool who goes on a life-changing trip to Greece when Globus Theatre presents the play for 11 performances from August 13 to 23, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Globus Theatre)
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The play opens with Shirley talking to the wall while cooking the popular British dish of eggs and chips, offering the audience a glimpse — with an edge of English humour — of the dread and stagnation she is experiencing from working a job she doesn’t enjoy and living with an emotionally distant husband. Shirley longs for adventure.
“It is a life that a lot of people can relate to in either one of those aspects or all of them, and the difference with Shirley is that instead of just moaning and wishing for something to change, she makes it happen and the change is enormous,” Quick says.
When Shirley gets the chance to swap the grey skies of Liverpool for the sunshine of Greece on a two-week trip with a friend, she jumps at the chance. What she finds is a whole lot more that she expects — including a new zest for life and a new love interest.
While Quick describes the story as a “girl-power piece of feminist literature,” she adds “everybody over the age of 14 should see it” because of its universal themes.
“Shirley Valentine” playwright Willy Russell in 2024. During the play’s premiere run in Liverpool in 1986, the six-foot-tall bearded Russell stepped in to perform as the female character for three weeks after lead Noreen Kershaw was hospitalized. (Photo: Paul Cox Photography)
In a Shakespearean-style substitution, Russell himself has even stepped into Shirley’s shoes. Shortly after the play premiered at The Everyman Theatre in Liverpool in 1986, lead Noreen Kershaw landed in the hospital due to peritonitis. With no understudy, Russell played Shirley for three weeks to sold-out audiences.
“It became this bizarre theatrical event,” reads a statement from Russell on his website. “I was going on every night playing to packed houses and just asking them to believe that this six foot, bearded male was a forty two year old woman.”
Quick — as a woman and one hailing from northern England near Liverpool, no less — is obviously more suited to the role, and it’s one she continues to relish playing.
“Shirley is such a heroine and empowering of women,” says Quick. “Our humour, our sensibility, our turns of phrase — those are all very similar, so I enjoy playing her and it comes quite naturally to me. I also enjoy representing northern England.”
Like the lead character in “Shirley Valentine,” Sarah Quick also hails from northern England and is very familiar with the humour, sensibility, and turns of phrase of Willy Russell’s heroine. For the fourth time in her career, she will perform the role of the working-class housewife from Liverpool who goes on a life-changing trip to Greece when Globus Theatre presents the play for 11 performances from August 13 to 23, 2025. (Photo: Dahlia Katz)
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Quick’s comfort in the role has led her to perform in three previous productions, including at Globus Theatre in 2013 and 2021 and for the 40th anniversary season at the Upper Canada Playhouse in Morrisburg in 2023. The restaging of the production at Globus Theatre during 2021’s pandemic-restricted season resulted after a survey of patrons determined it was the most requested show.
“The reason we keep on revisiting it is that it’s just such a fantastic piece of theatre that really resonates with people,” Quick explains. “What happens is people come and watch it and they want to bring people back to see it. Every time we do it, we have people travelling from all across Ontario that follow the show almost wherever it is.”
While Quick maintains that Shirley Valentine is “definitely up there as people’s favourite show” over Globus Theatre’s 22 years of providing professional theatre in the Kawarthas, she doesn’t take the credit. She instead attributes the play’s success to the story, where her character offers humorous, heartfelt anecdotes, and observations that make even the secondary characters — who never appear on stage — come to life.
“Although it’s a one-woman show, she paints the other characters so clearly and tells their stories,” says Quick. “As I’m chatting about them, they’re taking shape as well. Shirley’s recounting anything from the most mundane stories to these wonderful life-changing moments. It’s a whole gamut of experiences.”
Globus Theatre co-founder and artistic director Sarah Quick performing as “Shirley Valentine” in the 2023 Upper Canada Playhouse production of Willy Russell’s one-woman play in Morrisburg. When the play is staged at Globus Theatre from August 13 to 26, 2025, audiences will be treated to an immersive experience as the set includes a fully functioning kitchen where Quick will, at the beginning of the play, wash and peel potatoes just steps away from the audience. (Photo courtesy of Globus Theatre)
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In the first scene of the monologue, the audience is immersed into Shirley’s home life as Quick literally washes, peels, and chops potatoes on a set complete with running water and a deep fryer. It evokes the nostalgic kitchen sink drama, a popular genre from the 1980s and earlier that focused on working class life.
“It feels very natural, like we are literally letting people into our kitchen and we’re just having a conversation with them,” Quick says. “In such an intimate theatre, the front row is just a couple of feet away, so it’s like we are making chips and eggs for them. That all adds to the reality.”
“We want to take people out of the theatre and into that kitchen in 1980s Liverpool and hear a story from Shirley, who represents so many people of that era of that geographical location — a story that continues to be so relevant today.”
Though they will not be dining on chips and eggs, patrons who purchase pre-show dinner tickets can expect to enjoy some English and Greek cuisine amongst the three-course dinner of appetizers, entrée, and dessert, which will be paired with a themed cocktail.
Globus Theatre co-founder and artistic director Sarah Quick performing as “Shirley Valentine” in the 2023 Upper Canada Playhouse production of Willy Russell’s play in Morrisburg. The play, which takes the audience from a 1980s kitchen in Liverpool to the sunny climes of Greece, runs for 11 performances at Globus Theatre in Bobcaygeon from August 13 to 23, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Globus Theatre)
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For those who have already seen Shirley Valentine, Quick assures there’s always a reason to see it again
“Even ten years later, all of a sudden you’ve made some changes in your life — you’re at a different age or a different stage of your relationship, and you see the story differently,” says Quick. “It’s also one that people will come back to within the same week.”
Shirley Valentine runs at 8 p.m. from Wednesday, August 13 to Saturday, August 16 and again from Tuesday, August 19 to Saturday, August 23, with additional 2 p.m. matinee performances on Saturday, August 16 and Thursday, August 21. An optional dinner is available at 6 p.m. before the evening performances.
Tickets are $50 for the show only or $100 for dinner and the show, plus tax and fees, and can be ordered online at www.globustheatre.com/shows-all/shirley-valentine or by calling the box office at 705-738-2037 (toll free at 1-800-304-7897).
This branded editorial was created in partnership with Globus Theatre. If your organization or business is interested in a branded editorial, contact us.
According to Experts in Residence at the Innovation Cluster, tech entrepreneurs facing difficulty growing or repeating sales for their small and medium-sized enterprises might need to shift their mindset to solving the customer's problem instead of pitching features and products. The Innovation Cluster offers workshops, bootcamps, and mentorships to help tech entrepreneurs develop the skills needed to grow and repeat sales. (Photo courtesy of the Innovation Cluster)
If you’re a tech entrepreneur having difficulty growing or repeating sales in your small and medium-sized enterprise (SME), it’s likely that the problem lies not in closing but rather in what comes before — including how you’re identifying your market and how you’re approaching your customers.
That’s the consensus of sales experts Brandy Old and Craig Elias, two of the Innovation Cluster’s 30-plus Experts in Residence who lend their knowledge and expertise to the organization’s clients through mentorships and skill-building workshops and bootcamps.
According to Old and Elias, the initial step for SMEs to achieve growing and repeatable sales involves a fundamental shift in mindset.
Brandy Old and Craig Elias, two of the 30-plus Experts in Residence at the Innovation Cluster, help small and medium-sized enterprises grow and repeat sales by encouraging tech entrepreneurs to focus on the problems they are solving and build propinquity with clients. (Photo courtesy of the Innovation Cluster)
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“One of the first and biggest issues that startups have is there’s no existing need for their product on the market, so they can’t find customers,” Old explains. “Learn what the problem your customers have first and then figure out how to solve it, because if you don’t have a problem to solve, no one is going to buy what you have to sell.”
She says that involves researching the problem you’re solving, who has the problem, how they are currently solving it, and how your product better solves the problem.
“When entrepreneurs are starting out, they say ‘Everyone could be my customer’ because they don’t want to miss out on an opportunity,” Old points out. “But the research shows you’re likely to grow two times faster if you start with a niche market than if you try to be more general.”
“You need to change your mindset first. We can give you the tools, but if all you’re thinking about is your solution or that you have to sell it to everyone, it’s not going to work.”
Henrique Dias, a serial entrepreneurial and one of the 30-plus Experts in Residence at the Innovation Cluster, is the founder of BudTrainer, which helps home gardeners grow high-quality cannabis. Dias suggests picking one target market, focusing on it, and building momentum before moving on. (Photo: Henrique Dias / LinkedIn)
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Fellow Expert in Residence and serial entrepreneur Henrique Dias learned this firsthand when launching his most recent startup BudTrainer, which helps home gardeners grow high-quality cannabis. While there are now over 200 retailers across three continents selling his products, Dias initially struggled to find customers.
He began with an e-commerce platform selling products to home gardeners but when his website was not getting much traction, he focused instead on B2B sales by connecting with garden stores and other businesses selling cannabis products. Distribution through retailers kept the business running until the website gained more traction, and then BudTrainer launched its products on Amazon. Now, he uses this experience to show entrepreneurs the importance of starting with the right market.
“Find the one small market you think needs your solution the most and focus on that,” Dias says. “Put all your eggs in the basket and, if it doesn’t work, then find a new basket. If you have a big team, then you can go for multiple markets, but most startups don’t have a lot of resources so it’s best to narrow in on one market.”
When first connecting with retailers, Dias noticed that he had double the sales success when meeting with potential buyers in person than just sending samples. Now, when consulting with entrepreneurs he often encourages them to pitch “proof over promise” when speaking to clients.
“If you’re going to sell, stop thinking about what you promise people and start talking about what you’ve done in the past, even if you’ve never sold before,” he says. “In a job interview, they don’t ask you about what you will do in the future — they ask what you’ve done in the past. Clients are just like recruiters: they are hiring you for whatever you have to sell.”
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As for Old and Elias, they suggest the personal connection an entrepreneur makes with a client is foundational for making sales, noting propinquity is a critical skill for entrepreneurs.
“Startup entrepreneurs are often afraid to call or talk to their initial customers and ask questions, so we have to teach them that those first customers are early adopters and want to work with them,” Old says. “They have their own motives for buying and working with startups, so we have to change the mindset so that it’s not scary to talk to customers.”
“If you create a relationship with a potential customer, they’re more likely to actually become your customer and stick around for a longer relationship. You’re solving problems for people and you’re working with people, so you have to talk to people.”
“Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care,” adds Elias, emphasizing the importance of building the customer relationship.
Waun Broderick, co-founder and chief technical officer for Gyroscopic Inc. one of the 30-plus Experts in Residence at the Innovation Cluster, says it’s as important for tech entrepreneurs to pitch themselves and their experience as well their products when approaching potential investors. (Photo: Waun Broderick / LinkedIn)
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The same is true when it comes to attracting investors, according to Innovation Cluster board member and Expert in Residence Waun Broderick. He explains that, for most investors, getting a sense of the person behind the product is as essential as knowing the product itself.
“When we’re talking about any kind of private equity — whether venture capital or angel capital or any other type of private capital — they invest in people,” says Broderick, who is co-founder and chief technical officer for Gyroscopic Inc. “They want to buy the future of an individual.”
“Nowadays, any investor portfolio will have an AI company, a cleantech company, and a greentech company, but very often they’re only getting one of them. They’re turning down multiple other companies that are doing the same thing. More than anything else, the differentiator is the individual behind the company. Entrepreneurs need to double down on who they are and tell their story.”
For sales, he adds, entrepreneurs need to establish connections and relationships first, before their product is built and ready for market.
“Always sell before you build,” Broderick advises. “Go out, talk to people, get design partners, and entrench yourself in the world that you’re hoping to sell this product to, so you can truly understand what the issues are. Even if you work in that industry, any company has a hundred other perspectives that also have to be a part of a solution you deliver.”
The Innovation Cluster offers client mentoring and accelerator programs, skill-building workshops, bootcamps, and mastering series designed for soft and hard technology small and medium-sized enterprises. (Photo courtesy of the Innovation Cluster)
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Entrepreneurs can begin building their industry connections and sharpen essential skills by leveraging the knowledge and experience of the Innovation Cluster’s Experts in Residence like Old, Elias, and Broderick.
“What we want to do with the Innovation Cluster is ensure that we can bring some of the learnings from individuals who have been through this experience,” says Broderick. “As they say, smart people learn from their mistakes — and smarter people learn from other people’s mistakes.”
“A lot of entrepreneurs wait until they get into really hot water to come and ask for help, and by then they need crisis management,” Elias adds. “Reach out for that help sooner rather than later and just build that relationship, because sometimes there are things you don’t even know that you need to know.”
Hiawatha First Nation entrepreneur Barry Payne is one of the 30-plus Experts in Residence at the Innovation Cluster who can offer their expertise and experience to clients. The Innovation Cluster has several programs to help tech entrepreneurs build their selling skills. (Photo courtesy of the Innovation Cluster)
The Innovation Cluster offers several programs to help tech entrepreneurs build their selling skills, from client mentoring and accelerator programs to skill-building workshops, bootcamps, and mastering series designed for soft and hard technology SMEs.
One program is Elias and Old’s five-week “How to Go From $0 — $100M Sales” Mastering Series beginning on Tuesday, October 7 and running every Tuesday morning from 9 to 11 a.m. Through the virtual series, the two sales experts will take an intensive deep-dive into sales fundamentals and provide entrepreneurs with hands-on experience and personalized coaching.
“If you feel like you’re having a hard time closing your sales, this series will be helpful for you,” says Old. “It’s usually not about closing. It’s actually all this other stuff, and that’s what we teach and dive into over the five weeks.”
To register for the Mastering Series and other skill-building events and workshops offered by the Innovation Cluster, visit innovationcluster.ca/events.
This branded editorial was created in partnership with the Innovation Cluster. If your organization or business is interested in a branded editorial, contact us.
In 1952, legendary country musician Hank Williams got so drunk at The Pig's Ear Tavern in downtown Peterborough before a concert at the old Brock Arena that he could hardly hold his guitar, fell down while on stage, and had to be escorted out of the city by police to protect him from the angry crowd. Toronto-based singer-songwriter and lifelong Hank fan Jerry Leger, who released a 13-track album of Williams covers last year, will be singing the songs of Williams at The Pig's Ear on Saturday night, accompanied by Nichol Robertson. (Photo: Katie Methot)
Every Thursday, kawarthaNOW publishes live music events at pubs and restaurants in Peterborough and the greater Kawarthas region based on information that musicians provide directly or that venues post on their websites or social media channels. Here are the listings for the week of Thursday, August 7 to Wednesday, August 13.
If you’re a musician or venue owner and want to be included in our weekly listings, email our nightlifeNOW editor at nightlife@kawarthanow.com. For concerts and live music events at other venues, check out our Concerts & Live Music page.
With the exception of karaoke, we only list events with performing musicians. Venues may also host other events during the week (e.g., dancing, DJs, comedy shows).
Saturday, August 23 8:30pm - Port Hope Jazz presents Oakland Stroke ($35)
Saturday, September 6 8pm - Brooks & Bowskill
Sunday, September 7 2pm - Brooks & Bowskill
The Granite
45 Bridge St. W., Bancroft
613-332-1500
Wednesday, August 13
5-8pm - Andrew Irving
Haliburton Highlands Brewing
15543 Highway 35, Carnarvon
705-754-2739
Friday, August 8
7-9pm - Chad Ingram
Saturday, August 9
12-2- Chris Smith; 2-4pm - Vince Aguano;
Sunday, August 10
2-4pm - Gerald Van Halteran
Wednesday, August 13
7-9pm - HailUkes Ukulele Jam
Jethro's Bar + Stage
137 Hunter St. W., Peterborough
705-931-0617
Thursday, August 7
8-10pm - The Space Heaters with Jeanne Truax; 10pm-12am - Meteor Heist
Friday, August 8
8-10pm - Blue Sky Joker, Christian Lief; 10pm-12am - Crocky's Star Band
Saturday, August 9
8-10pm - Peter Graham Band; 10pm-12am - Bouche & Smitty
Sunday, August 10
3-6pm - Blues jam
Wednesday, August 13
8-10pm - Siobhan Bodrug & Caitlin Currie; 10pm - The Space Heaters
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The John at Sadleir House
751 George St. N., Peterborough
705-742-3686
Coming Soon
Friday, August 15 8:30pm - Peterborough Folk Festival presents Nixon Boyd (of Hollerado) w/ VanCamp and I, The Mountain ($25 in advance at https://www.ticketscene.ca/events/55033/)
Kawartha Country Wines
2452 County Road 36,, Buckhorn
705-657-9916
Sunday, August 10
1-4pm - Bread & Soul (no cover)
Kelly's Homelike Inn
205 3rd Street, Cobourg
905-372-3234
Friday, August 8
7-10pm - Kat Lovett
Saturday, August 9
4-8pm - Harley and the Howlers
The Locker at The Falls
9 Lindsay St., Fenelon Falls
705-887-6211
Saturday, August 9
5-8pm - Gunter Meyer
Sunday, August 10
1-4pm - Kelly Burrows
Mainstreet Bar & Grill
1939 Lakehurst Road, Buckhorn
(705) 657-9094
Friday, August 8
8pm - Jay Ezs
Saturday, August 9
8pm - Jay Ezs
McGillicafey's Pub & Eatery
13 Bridge St.. N., Hastings
(705) 696-3600
Thursday, August 7
7-11pm - Karaoke
McThirsty's Pint
166 Charlotte St., Peterborough
(705) 743-2220
Friday, August 8
9pm-1am - Jordan Thomas
Saturday, August 9
9pm-1am - Ryan Scott
Sunday, August 10
8pm - Karaoke and open mic
Tuesday, August 12
8pm - Joanna & Danny Bronson
Wednesday, August 13
8pm - Kevin Foster
The Mill Restaurant and Pub
990 Ontario St., Cobourg
(905) 377-8177
Thursday, August 7
6-9pm - Monkey Mountain
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Muddy's Pit BBQ
3247 County Rd. 2, Keene
(705) 295-1255
Sunday, August 10
3-6pm - Al Black & The Steady Band
Murphy's Lockside Pub & Patio
3 May St., Fenelon Falls
(705) 887-1100
Thursday, August 7
7:30pm - Open mic
Pattie House Smokin' Barbecue
6675 Highway 35, Coboconk
(705) 454-8100
Saturday, August 9
8pm - Irish Millie
Pig's Ear Tavern
144 Brock St., Peterborough
(705) 745-7255
Friday, August 8
9pm - Wax Mannequin
Saturday, August 9
4-7pm - Little Fire Collective w/ Lucy Ferrill (no cover); 9pm - Jerry Leger sings Hank Williams accompanied by Nichol Robertson ($5)
VIDEO: "Jumped In The Humber" - Jerry Leger
AUDIO: "Why Should We Try Anymore" by Hank Williams performed by Jerry Leger
Tuesday, August 12
9pm - Open stage
Wednesday, August 13
9pm - Karaoinke
Puck' N Pint Sports Pub
871 Chemong Rd., Peterborough
(705) 741-1078
Friday, August 8
7pm - Andy & The Boys
Saturday, August 9
8pm - KC Carter
Rolling Grape Vineyard
260 County Rd 2, Bailieboro
705-991-5876
Thursday, August 7
5:30-8:30pm - Homestead Elite
Sunday, August 10
2-5pm - Deanna Earle
Royal Crown Pub & Grill
4 King St. E., Colborne
905-355-1900
Saturday, August 9
8pm - Organ Eyes Kaos (no cover)
Scenery Drive Restaurant
6193 County Road 45, Baltimore
905-349-2217
Saturday, August 9
5-7:30pm - Darren Bailey
The Social Pub
295 George St. N., Peterborough
705-874-6724
Coming Soon
Saturday, August 16 1-4pm - PMBA presents Al Black & The Steady Band w/ Melissa Payne and Maddy Hope & Parker Farris (no cover, donations appreciated)
Tap & Tonic Pub & Bistro - Campbellford
18-22 Bridge St. W., Campbellford
(705) 947-2333
Thursday, August 7
7-10pm - Nighthawk
Saturday, August 9
7-10pm - Bobby Cameron
Tap & Tonic Pub & Bistro - Marmora
16 Forsyth St., Marmora
613-666-9767
Thursday, August 7
7-10pm - Ky Anto
The Thirsty Goose
63 Walton St., Port Hope
Friday, August 8
8pm-12am - MJ Hazzard
Saturday, August 9
8pm-12am - Will O'Neil
Wild Blue Yonder Pub at Elmhirst's Resort
1045 Settlers Line, Keene
(705) 295-4591
Tuesday, August 12
7pm - Tuned Up Tuesdays ft Keene Country ($10 cover for show only, $39.95 for BBQ & show)
Coming Soon
Tuesday, August 19 7pm - Tuned Up Tuesdays ft Nicholas Campbell ($10 cover for show only, $39.95 for BBQ & show)
A rendering of TVM Group's proposed 17-storey residential-commercial building at 90 Hunter Street East beside Mark Street United Church in Peterborough's East City, which includes a four-storey parking garage. (Graphic: RAW Design Inc.)
Community opposition to a proposed 17-story building in Peterborough’s East City is heating up in advance of a public meeting in late August when Peterborough city council will consider an application for a zoning-by law amendment.
The proposed mixed-use building, which would be built at 90 Hunter Street East just west of the Mark Street United Church, would be the tallest building ever constructed in Peterborough. It would have 205 market-rent apartments with 201 parking spaces.
According to a flyer shared with kawarthaNOW, two “peaceful” protests against the proposed building will take place “at the scene of the crime” at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday (August 10) and at the same time the following Sunday (August 17).
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Developer Toronto-based TVM Group acquired the property from the board of trustees of Mark Street United Church is exchange for four rental condominium units in TVM Group’s nearby East City Condos development valued at $2 million, as well as the construction of a new hall on the north side of the church building at no cost to Mark Street United Church.
In June 2024, TVM Group held a community consultation about a proposed 10-storey mixed-use building at the site. Almost a year later, the developer submitted a notice of application to the City of Peterborough for a building that was seven stories taller.
“There’s an effort everywhere to intensify, and it’s not just in East City,” TVM Group CEO Amit Sofer told kawarthaNOW in May. “Intensification has been directed by the city, and we’re simply responding to that.”
At the time, Sofer said the rental costs of the units in the proposed building — which would include 66 one-bedroom units, 110 two-bedroom units, and 29 three-bedroom units — would range from $1,650 to $2,700 monthly.
A flyer distributed to residents in the East City neighbourhood around the proposed 17-storey residential-commercial building at 90 Hunter Street East beside Mark Street United Church. (Photo: Bruce Head / kawarthaNOW)
Organizers behind the website at 90hunter.com, co-created and maintained by East City resident Courtney Claessens, have also distributed a flyer to local residents advising them of the upcoming public meeting and outlining concerns with the proposed development.
Those stated concerns are:
No real public input: Plan jumped from 10 to 17 storeys without formal community consultation.
Massing and heritage impacts: The heritage assessment warns the tower could significantly modify the historic church setting.
Doesn’t respect city guidlines: Proposal doesn’t meet Urban Design Guidelines for property transitions.
Climate impact: High-rises produce much higher carbon emissions than 4-10 storey buildings.
Missed community benefits: Proposal comes in advance of new zoning rules (CPPS) that would require public amenities (affordable housing, green space etc) in exchange for extra height.
This would be the tallest building in Peterborough, setting a precedent for future development on Hunter and across the city.
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“We’re asking Council to reject this zoning amendment proposal, limit the building to 10 storeys, and require real community benefits — like affordable housing or green space,” the flyer states.
The flyer asks residents to visit 90hunter.com and sign a petition against the development (which currently has 457 signatures) and to contact city council.
An application to sever the development site from the Mark Street United Church property was on the agenda for the city’s committee of adjustment on July 22. kawarthaNOW has learned the committee deferred approving the severance application at that meeting due to various concerns.
The public meeting on the application for a zoning-by law amendment will begin at 6 p.m. on Monday, August 25 in council chambers at Peterborough City Hall, where public delegations will also be heard. A staff report on the application will be posted on the city’s website by noon on Thursday, August 21.
Bringing Irish Week to a close at Peterborough Musicfest, The Celtic Tenors (George Hutton, Daryl Simpson, and Matthew Gilsenan) will perform a free-admission concert in Del Crary Park on August 9, 2025. (Publicity photo)
On July 7, 1990, a global television audience estimated at 800 million was treated to a jaw-dropping music spectacle when tenors Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, and José Carreras collaborated for the first time.
That performance, given at Rome’s Baths of Caracalla on the eve of the 1990 World Cup, marked the birth of The Three Tenors. Over the next 13 years, the celebrated trio headlined sold-out stadium concerts around the world, the recording of their debut concert still the best-selling classical album of all time.
Among those inspired by The Three Tenors’ inaugural performance was Irish native Matthew Gilsenan. Born and raised in Kells in County Meath, Gilsenan’s love of music was forged at a young age. The Three Tenors’ remarkable debut proved a springboard for what was to come, and remains very much with us, in the form of the trio he remains a part of more than 25 years after its founding.
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Peterborough Musicfest presents The Celtic Tenors
When: Saturday, August 9, 2025 at 8 p.m. Where: Del Crary Park (100 George St. N., Peterborough) How much: Free admission
Bring your own lawn chairs or blankets (lawn chairs are available to rent). VIP seating available for sponsors. No smoking, alcohol, or pets permitted. There’s no public parking at Del Crary Park, but there’s neighbourhood street parking nearby and ample parking in downtown Peterborough.
On Saturday (August 9) at Del Crary Park, The Celtic Tenors — Gilsenan along with Daryl Simpson and newest member George Hutton — will headline Peterborough Musicfest.
It’s the last of three concerts presented as part of Irish Week in commemoration of the bicentennial of the arrival of Irish emigrants to this region. Last Saturday, U2 tribute band Acrobat and Mudmen, joined by Peterborough fiddler Irish Millie, kept the Celtic party going this past Wednesday.
Admission to the 8 p.m. concert is, as always, free, thanks to the ongoing support of a number of longtime sponsors, kawarthaNOW among them.
VIDEO: “Forever Young” – The Celtic Tenors (2017)
In an August 2023 interview with Beyond the Curtain, Gilsenan recounted how The Celtic Tenors began “as Ireland’s answer” to The Three Tenors.
“It was initially as simple as jumping on the bandwagon to make a few extra quid,” he joked, adding “We really thought it would be grand for a year or two, and we would lose interest, or fall out, and it would all be over quickly.”
As things turned out, Gilsenan and his fellow founding members James Nelson and Niall Morris “got on very well together” and, come 1999, anchored by their harmony-rich sound, came together as The Celtic Tenors.
The following year saw the trio’s debut self-titled album climb to number one in Ireland and number two in the United Kingdom as their harmonic blending of opera, classical, Irish traditional, and pop music influences clearly resulted in a huge audience yearning for more.
In 2002, the album So Strong satisfied that hunger, and eight more albums have followed, the latest being An Irish Songbook released in 2019. In total, album sales have totalled more than one million.
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Over the years, Gilsenan has been a constant, but Morris went his own way in 2006 and was replaced by Daryl Simpson. Earlier this year, Nelson retired and was replaced by Hutton.
Both Simpson and Hutton have very impressive musical resumés of their own.
Simpson is a native of Omagh in Northern Ireland, where he founded the Omagh Community Youth Choir. Trained as an operatic tenor, he has performed with orchestras around the globe. Off stage, 2018 saw him bestowed the British Empire Medal for his commitment to community relations and peace in Northern Ireland.
Hutton, meanwhile, calls Derry in Northern Ireland home. His music career began as a chorister, and gained traction through collaborations with other artists and ensembles, including Hozier of the vocal ensemble Anúna and legendary Irish composer Phil Coulter. His solo work, best exemplified by acclaimed albums and sold-out tours, has earned him recognition as one of Ireland’s most exciting young tenors.
VIDEO: “Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears” – The Celtic Tenors (2020)
In his 2023 interview, Gilsenan described the past 25 years-plus as “a tornado of travel.”
“It has always been about the live performance,” he said. “From absolutely crazy nights at massive festivals in the States, to the time Bono (of U2) hired us to sing for Kofi Annan right after we had a magical evening with (former American president) Bill Clinton in Dublin, to singing with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and myriad of other orchestras, it has been a blast so far.”
“We have toured China with a wonderful Chinese orchestra, we have recorded at Abbey Road, and in Los Angeles, Dublin, and New York. The list goes on. We have a massive bank of memories and, at the same time, we still feel like we are only starting.”
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Asked what audiences can expect from a typical Celtic Tenors’ show, Gilsenan quickly answered “An accessible evening of great music.”
“The three of us will take you on a journey through our story. We will share with you our harmonies and some of arrangements of greats songs Ireland shares with Scotland, and some of our many arrangements (of songs by other artists), from Ed Sheeran to Bob Dylan to Nessun Dorma.”
Still, for all The Celtic Tenors have accomplished, Gilsenan remains most in awe of the ongoing chemistry that forms the foundation of the trio’s success.
VIDEO: “Red is the Rose” – The Celtic Tenors (2020)
“Almost immediately, we were not only singing the classic tenor belters, but we were harmonizing, bringing in Irish and Scottish music,” Gilsenan recalled. “This continued to evolve, and we continued to bring in even more diverse ideas. Our basic core mission evolved into a real eclectic mix.
“The three of us are all quite different. Wicked humour unites us, and we really bring that to the performance.”
This Saturday’s concert will be preceded at 6:30 p.m. by rock music artist Jason Dunn performing under the Cogeco tent near the George Street entrance to Del Crary Park. He is appearing as part of Musicfest’s new Future Sound Series featuring the talents of local performers this summer.
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Peterborough Musicfest is presenting 16 free-admission concerts during its 38th season, each staged on Wednesday and Saturday nights until Saturday, August 16th.
Overseen by executive director Tracey Randall and staff, a board of directors, and numerous volunteers, Peterborough Musicfest’s stated mission remains “to provide diverse, affordable live music to enrich cultural and economic prosperity in our community.”
For more information on this concert or the 2025 season, visit www.ptbomusicfest.ca or phone the Peterborough Musicfest office at 705-755-1111.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a headline sponsor of Peterborough Musicfest’s 2025 season.
The HOPE Learning Centre of the Canadian Mental Health Association Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (CMHA HKPR) is hosting free drop-in "Art Splash" events at Millennium Park in Peterborough on August 8, 2025 and in Victoria Park in Lindsay on August 15, 2025. The aim of Art Splash is to brighten the day of passersby with encouraging chalk art and inspiring messages from members of the community, celebrating creativity, promoting community connections, and raising mental health awareness. (Photo: CMHA HKPR)
Amidst today’s increasingly uncertain and stressful times, messages of hope are welcome now more than ever.
On that note, the Canadian Mental Health Association, Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge (CMHA HKPR) is hoping to help spread some words of encouragement through two uplifting community events in August.
Hosted by CMHA HKPR’s HOPE Learning Centre, the annual Art Splash events are intended to celebrate creativity, promote community connections, and raise mental health awareness. The free drop-in events take place in Peterborough on Friday (August 8) and in Lindsay the following Friday (August 15).
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The Art Splash initiative kicked off in Lindsay around 10 years ago, according to CMHA HKPR peer support specialist Melody Dunn.
“Our team at the time realized that often when people are struggling, they’re walking with their heads down,” Dunn told kawarthaNOW.
“They imagined how great it would be if all the things that person needed to hear in that moment were written on the street in front of them — a way to help them lift their head back up. Art Splash was born.”
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The aim of Art Splash is to brighten the day of passersby with encouraging chalk art and inspiring messages from members of the community. Chalk will be provided to those who wish to participate, but people are welcome to just enjoy the art and messages.
“The goal is to remind our communities that hope and healing are always possible,” according to a CMHA HKPR media release.
Each of the two events also features a water station and an information table where attendees can learn more about the HOPE Learning Centre’s free mental health and wellness courses.
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“Not only is Art Splash a fun, all-ages, family-friendly activity, it is a great way to reduce stigma surrounding mental illness and uplift those struggling in our community,” Dunn said.
She added that the events can also “help those that may have fallen through the cracks (to) learn how they can get on a path to accessing mental health care.”
The Peterborough event on August 8 runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Millennium Park, nearby the Silver Bean Café, in downtown Peterborough. The Lindsay event on August 15 runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Victoria Park at 190 Kent Street West.
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The HOPE (Helping Others Through Peer Education) Learning Centre provides educational courses about mental health and well-being that promote recovery, hope, empowerment, possibility, and connection.
The free courses are collaboratively designed, developed, and delivered with individuals who have lived experience.
For more information about the HOPE Learning Centre and available courses in Peterborough, Northumberland, Kawartha Lakes, and Haliburton County, visit cmhahkpr.ca/h-o-p-e-learning-centre/.
Schoolyard greening projects led by GreenUP include playful, hands-on, educational opportunities for students to plant trees, shrubs, and fruit at their school. As part of the "Reconciling with the Land" initiative, students at St. John Catholic Elementary School in Peterborough were eager to work as a class, adding compost and mulch to areas where they planted trees, shrubs, and berry bushes. (Photo: GreenUP)
Imagine if every person gave over just a little patch of their land — to plant a tree, build a pollinator garden, restore a bit of wetland, or create a corridor for wildlife. With each small act of restoration, fragmented landscapes could begin to heal.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s story is by guest author Jacob Rodenburg, Executive Director of Camp Kawartha.
Yards, school grounds, boulevards, and backlots could become part of a living mosaic — threads in a growing tapestry of biodiversity. Butterflies would return. Songbirds would find safe places to rest and feed. Frogs would sing again in backyard ponds. And children, growing up in these renewed spaces, would witness firsthand the power of giving back to the Earth.
In this, Indigenous communities can lead the way.
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While working hard to implement the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, it is important to also consider another form of reconciliation: reconciling with the land that humans have damaged.
Thanks to the generous support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation and The Monarch Ultra group, this vision is starting to become real for Camp Kawartha and partners.
In collaboration with the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board (PVNCCDSB), GreenUP, and knowledge holders from Curve Lake First Nation, Camp Kawartha is helping three schools — Curve Lake First Nation School, St. John in Peterborough, and St. Paul in Lakefield — transform their school grounds by adding green infrastructure where Indigenous ways of knowing can be taught.
Students at St. Paul Catholic Elementary School in Lakefield prepare the soil for planting while learning about caring for the land as part of the “Reconciling with the Land” initiative. Together, students will plant the site with a patch of berry bushes which include haskap and raspberry for kids to enjoy, and serviceberry and chokeberry for birds to enjoy. (Photo: GreenUP)
In the West, there is a general sense of helplessness so widespread that it has been given a name: eco-anxiety or eco-phobia, a paralyzing fear in the face of overwhelming environmental problems. Many children, and adults too, fall into apathy, convinced the challenges are too vast, too far gone to make a difference.
What’s often missing is agency — the belief that one can do something meaningful right where they live. That’s where real change begins.
Every place of residence, work, and learning offers a choice: make it worse, leave it as it is, or make it better.
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Environmental education often focuses on reducing harm: turn off lights, recycle, bike instead of drive, pick up trash. These are good habits, but they fall into the mitigation trap of trying to be “less bad.” What does doing good look like?
It looks like bringing nature home: rewilding schoolyards, planting native gardens, creating pollinator corridors, installing birdhouses and bee hotels. It looks like transforming paved spaces into vibrant ecosystems rich with life.
In partnership with staff and students, knowledge holder and Indigenous education advisor to the PVNCCDSB Board Anne Taylor, learning consultant Mike Mooney, educators Glen Caradus and Theo Jacobs, along with GreenUP’s neighbourhood and residential programs coordinator Laura Keresztesi, the team is working together to bring these spaces to life.
Students at St. John Catholic Elementary School in Peterborough participated in a co-design process as part of the “Reconciling with the Land” initiative, helping to decide what plants should be planted where in their school greening project. Shown here are two students on planting day last spring, putting blackberry and haskap bushes into the ground. (Photo: GreenUP)
The Reconciling with the Land initiative will teach students about the living world — soil, plants, water, animals — through “two-eyed seeing,” combining Western science and Indigenous knowledge. These grounds also serve as places to revitalize Anishinaabemowin, the traditional language of the Michi Saagiig Anishnaabeg.
“This language is not just a human invention — it arises from the land itself,” Anne says. “When spoken, the land understands.”
Fewer and fewer people speak Anishinaabemowin fluently. By teaching students the words of the living world around them, this beautiful language is kept alive, while deepening their relationship with the Earth at the same time.
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These reshaped schoolyards are a reminder that sustainability is no longer enough. It’s essential to regenerate — to give back to the land, and to show children that people and nature can thrive together.
Reconciling the Land represents a movement rooted in hope, reciprocity, renewal, and First Nations ways of knowing.
GreenUP is currently recruiting volunteers to help care for plants at local schoolyards. To join the efforts or learn more, email christina.balint@greenup.on.ca.
Founded in 2024 by Susan Williamson, Women's Adventures in Golf is a Peterborough-based volunteer group dedicated to making a welcoming space for women to learn and play golf in a noncompetitive environment while raising funds for local charities. The group is inviting both new and experienced female golfers of all skill levels to participate in the final two events of the 2025 season: "Jettsetter" taking place at Heron Landing Golf Club in Peterborough on Sunday, August 24 and "Mystery at the Club" at Katchiwano Golf Club on Sunday, September 14. (Photo courtesy of Women's Adventures in Golf)
Whether you’re PGA-ready or don’t know the difference between an iron and a wedge, Peterborough-based Women’s Adventures in Golf (WAG) is inviting you to a fun and inclusive morning spent on the greens in support of the community at the final two events of their second season.
Since only 25 per cent of golfers are women and women often feel intimidated getting started in the sport, Susan Williamson founded the volunteer group in 2024 to create a welcoming and relaxed space where women can connect and play golf for a good cause.
“There are many reasons golf can feel intimidating for women,” says Williamson. “WAG aims to create a fun space with zero pressure. We’re women supporting women in golf and in the community.”
Every month, WAG hosts a themed round of noncompetitive golf in support of a local charity and has to date donated over $8,000 to community organizations. WAG supports charities that directly serve women, including sexual assault centres, child and family services, and other local organizations working to uplift and empower women.
To reduce the intimidation factor, WAG events are played in a relaxed scramble format, where teams play the best shot with no pressure to keep score unless you want to. Shotgun starts keep everyone moving together and allow for great post-round social time.
Registration is now open for WAG’s “Jetsetter” event taking place on Sunday, August 24 at Heron Landing Golf Club in Peterborough, with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. Every hole will be a different European destination, and you’ll be required to compete to collect WAG Airmiles. But be warned: not everyone will have enough Airmiles to make it home!
For an extra edge in the game, make an optional donation of any amount to Dnaagdawenmag Binnoojiiyag Child & Family Services. Bring proof of the donation on the event day, or bring cash to donate at the registration table. The registration deadline for “Jetsetter” is Thursday, August 14.
Each golfing event hosted by the Women’s Adventures in Golf includes a theme for participating golfers, like the “Murder at the Club” event held at the Warkworth Golf Club in September 2024. For 2025, a game with a similar theme called “Mystery at the Club” takes place on Sunday, September 14 at Katchiwano Golf Club north of Lakefield, where golfers will collect clues that help GM Mavis Mustard solve a mystery. A donation made to the Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre earns participants an edge in the game. (Photo courtesy of Women’s Adventures in Golf)
In the final event of the season on Sunday, September 14, participants will help GM Mavis Mustard solve a “Mystery at the Club” by collecting clues. The game takes place at Katchiwano Golf Club north of Lakefield with a 9 a.m. shotgun start. For an advantage, participants can show proof of having made a donation to the Kawartha Sexual Assault Centre, or they can make a cash donation on the spot. The deadline to register for “Mystery at the Club” is Thursday, September 4.
As an architect of your own WAG experience, you can choose whether you want to walk throughout the morning or book a cart, and whether you want to be entirely noncompetitive or keep score. For all WAG events, there is always an option to join the group for a meal afterwards. For the season finale, participants are encouraged to gather after the game for a gourmet meal at Cheeky Duck Vineyard (reservations must be made in advance).
Williamson is encouraging women to think about other active women in their life who might be looking for connections or to learn a new activity. Bring a new or “new-ish” golfer to one of WAG’s final events and they will be given welcome packages and sweet surprises. You can register with three friends to make a foursome, or you can sign up as a solo player and be put into a group of three others to form a foursome — a great way to make some new friends.
“My advice would be, come out to enjoy a fun game while getting more comfortable with golf,” says one WAG participant. “It’s a great, fun time with like-minded women.”
All participants will be entered into a season-end draw for a few prizes including, among others, a handcrafted silver WAG bracelet from jeweller Chantel Stovell of Olive Cedar Studio in Peterborough and products from Layin’ Divots, a new Peterborough-based apparel line for days spent on the greens.
Whether you’ve been swinging for years or are just learning to tee off, join WAG for connection, laughter, and a final round of golf or two to close out the season. For more information and to register for upcoming events, visit www.golfwithwag.ca. To stay up-to-date on future events, follow WAG on Facebook and Instagram.
Know Your Locals™ is a branded editorial feature about locally owned independent businesses and locally operated organizations, and supported by them. If your business or organization is interested in being featured in a future “Know Your Locals” branded editorial, contact Jeannine Taylor at 705-742-6404 or jt@kawarthanow.com or visit our Advertise with kawarthaNOW page.
Lesley Heighway, president and CEO of the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation, speaks to media during an event on August 6, 2025 to celebrate the opening of the donor-funded Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) courtyard, a $1.5 million purpose-built outdoor healing space that will support the recovery and well-being of some of the regional hospital's most vulnerable mental health patients. During the event, Heighway also announced the PRHC Foundation has expanded its Campaign for PRHC by another $10 million to $70 million. (Photo: Jordan Lyall Photography for kawarthaNOW)
At an event held at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) on Wednesday (August 6), the PRHC Foundation celebrated the opening of a $1.5 million donor-funded Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) courtyard and also announced a $10-million expansion of the foundation’s Campaign for PRHC.
“To our donors, you are helping reimagine mental health care in our region, and you’re even helping to influence a reimagination across our province,” said PRHC Foundation president and CEO Lesley Heighway. “Mental health is one of our Campaign for PRHC pillars because we know that where we heal determines how we heal.”
The new purpose-built PICU courtyard will support the recovery and well-being of some of the hospital’s most vulnerable mental health patients by giving them the opportunity to receive treatment and spend time outdoors.
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With PRHC president and CEO Dr. Lynn Mikula not in attendance, the hospital’s president of finance and corporate services and chief financial officer Jen Taylor called the courtyard a “visionary innovation,” noting that one in three Canadians indicate their mental health has significantly worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic.
As with hospitals across the country, PRHC has seen an increase in patient volumes with over 31,000 mental health visits last year alone.
“Our mental health and addictions department has worked hard under the weight of stigma associated with mental illness within a hospital building that was designed way before mental health was a priority,” Taylor said.
Jen Taylor, president of finance and corporate services and chief financial officer at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC), addresses the crowd during an event on August 6, 2025 to celebrate the opening of the donor-funded Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) courtyard at the regional hospital. She said the space is a “game-changer” for patients in PRHC’s six-bed PICU, who had previously never had access to the outdoors even though their stay could be weeks or even months long. (Photo: Jordan Lyall Photography for kawarthaNOW)
“While attitudes are changing, PRHC’s mental health patients continue to be treated in spaces that aren’t designed to support their healing,” Taylor added. “Patients in our six-bed psychiatric care unit have never had access to the outdoors, even though their stay could be weeks or even months long. This remarkable PICU Courtyard is a game-changer for our hospital and patients.”
PRHC’s PICU provides care to individuals who are experiencing a severe episode of mental illness. It serves a regional population of up to 300,000 people, taking referrals from feeder hospitals without a crisis unit or with limited mental health support staff.
Designed not only by those who work in the mental health field but by those who have lived experience with mental illness, the new courtyard is specifically designed and constructed using materials and a layout that support therapeutic practices.
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Research has shown that access to safe outdoor spaces, natural light, and fresh air improves recovery outcomes, reduces length of hospital stays, and lowers the need for antidepressants.
The courtyard includes colourful native vegetation to attract butterflies, which aid in mindfulness, as well as seating areas that offer patients solitude or space to connect with loved ones.
There is also an open gathering space for group activities and connection building, a shaded area to accommodate patients who are sunlight-sensitive due to their treatments, and a tactile recreation surface for yoga and other physical activities.
An attendee during an event on August 6, 2025 to celebrate the opening of the donor-funded Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) courtyard at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) looks at renderings for the second phase of the courtyard, which will see additional landscaping including a rock wall and gardens. (Photo: Jordan Lyall Photography for kawarthaNOW)
“When (we’re) feeling like things are not so great in our lives, one of the first things we do is reach out to somebody and go for a coffee or go for a walk,” said PRCH’s director of mental health and addictions Jennifer Cox. “This just provides (PICU patients) the ability to be able to do those things that you and I would do.”
“In mental health care, it’s a toolbox of things that we use to help folks, and so our patients can learn themselves, when they come out here with their staff member, to build their own toolboxes. It provides staff with that extra resource, but it provides patients with the awareness of what works for them.”
Over the coming months, the surroundings of the courtyard will continue to be improved with more landscaping work. A rock wall and gardens full of shrubs, trees, pollinators, and perennials swaths, as well as seed mix, will be added to the hill leading to the hospital’s south entrance behind the courtyard.
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Cox said the new courtyard is now considered the new “gold standard in mental health care,” and hospitals around the province have been showing interest in designing a similar space.
“PRHC is a large regional centre and some of the work that is happening here is truly groundbreaking,” said Heighway. “I know that the team here, since announcing the opening of this courtyard, has had inquiries from some other major hospitals in the Toronto marketplace where their psychiatric intensive care unit patients don’t have access to the outside. They’re looking at what we’ve done here, in some cases, and just saying ‘Wow’.”
“Our community has stepped forward, and how remarkable that we were able to bring this to fruition.”
Jennifer Cox, director of mental health and addictions at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC), speaks to media during an event on August 6, 2025 to celebrate the opening of the donor-funded Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) courtyard at the regional hospital. Cox said the new courtyard is now considered the new “gold standard in mental health care,” and hospitals around the province have been showing interest in designing a similar space. (Photo: Jordan Lyall Photography for kawarthaNOW)
The completion of the courtyard gardens is not the only thing PRHC has in the works over the coming months. During the event, Heighway shared that the hospital has brought forth “extraordinary visionary future-focused projects,” that will change the delivery of patient care across all areas of PRHC.
To meet that need, the PRHC Foundation announced they have altered the $60 million Campaign for PRHC into the $70 million Campaign for PRHC. Kicked off in June 2024, the campaign is the largest in the hospital’s history, and approximately $55 million has already been raised.
“We’re ready to rise to the occasion once again, and we know that our incredibly generous community is ready too,” said Heighway. “That’s a $10 million expansion that will allow our hospital to move forward with cutting-edge initiatives that directly respond to the specific healthcare needs of our community.”
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One such innovation is to invest in a digital command centre — a centralized operating system which will have the entire digital realm of the hospital integrated under one hub in one location. Still in its early stages of planning, the investment will make PRHC among the first community and regional hospitals in Ontario to invest in a digital command centre of this kind.
“It’s a unique, regionally specific part of the solution to some of the common issues hospitals are facing, including wait times to access care, patient volumes and capacity challenges, and inefficient patient flow-which all contribute to our perception of patient and quality care,” said Heighway.
“This is a bold transformational project, and we’re excited to say, ‘Yes, let’s support this, let’s reimagine health care’ — just like donors have done through the PICU courtyard we’re celebrating right now.”
Kathryn Hildenbrand (right), gift processing and database officer for PRHC Foundation the Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation, speaks to two attendees during an event on August 6, 2025 to celebrate the opening of the donor-funded Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) courtyard at the regional hospital. As with hospitals across the country, PRHC has seen an increase in patient volumes with over 31,000 mental health visits in 2024 alone. (Photo: Jordan Lyall Photography for kawarthaNOW)
The additional $10 million will also support surgical innovation projects that are still being deliberated, as well as a “buffer” to fund projects that come up and require the hospital to be responsive.
Heighway said the PRHC Foundation will continue working with donors of all levels, including monthly donors and those hosting fundraisers, to raise the total remaining $15 million in the Campaign for PRHC.
“It’s our hospital — it’s mine, it’s yours, it’s our friends, our families, and our loved ones,” Heighway said. “We need that care to be fantastic and world class when we need it. People rally behind that and see themselves in some of the pillars of our campaign. If their lives have been touched by cardiac care, cancer care, vascular care, they see themselves in that and we’re very grateful.”
Representatives from Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) leadership and the hospital’s mental health and addictions services team joined the PRHC Foundation and donors on August 6, 2025 to celebrate the opening of the donor-funded Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) courtyard. Pictured from left to right are PRHC president of finance and corporate services and chief financial officer Jen Taylor, PRHC director of mental health and addictions Jennifer Cox, PRHC outpatient mental health manager Miriam McCann, PRHC RN Erica Earl (kneeling), PRHC mental health and addictions chief and medical director Dr. Raj Baskar, PRHC PICU manager Dakota Forsyth, PRHC RN Shayne Luangvisa (kneeling), and PRHC Foundation president and CEO Lesley Heighway. (Photo: Jordan Lyall Photography for kawarthaNOW)People gather to celebrate the new donor-funded Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) courtyard at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) on August 6, 2025. The $1.5 million purpose-built outdoor healing space will support the recovery and well-being of some of the hospital’s most vulnerable mental health patients. The courtyard includes colourful native vegetation to attract butterflies, seating areas that offer patients solitude or space to connect with loved ones, an open gathering space for group activities and connection building, a shaded area to accommodate patients who are sunlight-sensitive due to their treatments, and a tactile recreation surface for yoga and other physical activities. (Photo: Jordan Lyall Photography for kawarthaNOW)
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