Five Counties Children's Centre CEO Scott Pepin argues that while words matter, how we use them can matter even more, especially in how they can be used to build someone up or bring them down. A term used in the mid-20th century to refer to people with intellectual disabilities, the R-word has seen a resurgence on social media, where it has been weaponized as a slur and term of ridicule and exclusion. (Photo: Five Counties Children's Centre)
Every month, Five Counties Children’s Centre provides a story about the work of the charitable organization. This month’s story is by Scott Pepin, CEO, Five Counties Children’s Centre.
As a social worker by training, I’ve always been struck by the power of words.
Whether spoken, written or shared visually, words help to shape our thoughts, influence our actions, and impact the lives of those around us.
Words can also inspire, as those in the iconic bestseller The Alchemist do for me. Written by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho and released in 1988, The Alchemist is a philosophical fable that follows Santiago, a young shepherd boy, on a journey to discover his “personal legend.”
Santiago travels to the Egyptian pyramids in search of worldly treasure, only to discover a profound spiritual journey about listening to his heart and following his dreams. Along the way, Santiago learns that words can either limit or expand us. He sees that speaking fear strengthens fear, while speaking about hope strengthens courage.
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The Alchemist is a profound reminder that every person — especially every child — carries a unique purpose waiting to be discovered. Santiago’s journey teaches us that, with encouragement, belief, positivity, and the right support, even the biggest dreams become possible.
Words matter, but even as they inform and inspire, they can also injure and do harm.
I’m reminded of this when it comes to one word in particular. The “R-word” originates from the Latin verb retardare (to hinder or make slow), appearing in English as early as 1426. It historically meant delayed or slowed, and in the mid-20th century, became a clinical term for intellectual disability.
Five Counties Children’s Centre staff have been taking part in the Time in My Shoes program, offered by the Peterborough Council for Persons with Disabilities. The program’s aim is to help participants explore accessibility and inclusion through discussion and hands-on experience. At a recent session, program facilitator Jordie (also a former Five Counties client) shared a bliss (or communication) board that he used as a child to express his words, thoughts, and likes. Whether spoken, written, or shared visually as symbols, words have the power to inform and inspire and do injury if not used properly. (Photo: Five Counties Children’s Centre)
Today, the R-word has been weaponized as a slur and term of ridicule and exclusion. It doesn’t help when influential figures like U.S. President Donald Trump freely use the term to describe political opponents, or that one of today’s most popular podcasters, Joe Rogan, declared “victory” that the R-word is back.
Nowhere is its presence felt more than on social media platforms. New research conducted for Special Olympics, as part of its Spread the Word to End the Word advocacy campaign, finds seven in 10 social media posts are negative towards people with intellectual disabilities. Six in every 10 posts contain a slur, using the R-word or other words combined with “-tard”.
In its campaign, Special Olympics wants us to pledge to change the conversation by eliminating the use of the R-word and replacing it with another word starting with that letter: “respect.”
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The Just Evolve public advocacy campaign, championed by the Canadian Down Syndrome Society and other Down advocacy groups around the world, approaches the same problem from another angle: not statistics, but story. The centrepiece of the campaign is a short, clever, tongue-in-cheek video that suggests some words and expressions belong in the past and shouldn’t be part of the way we speak today.
In the video, a young man with Down syndrome serves as a time-travel guide, leading a man who insists on using the R-word into the past and challenging him with customs that were once accepted as normal but are now clearly cruel — or simply absurd. Customs like washing clothes in urine, putting animals on trial, throwing garbage off your balcony, or selling one’s spouse at the market.
The video is witty, but the message is blunt: societies do evolve. And so should we.
VIDEO: “Just Evolve” – CoorDown
Advocacy campaigns can’t fix culture alone, but in both of these cases, we’re reminded that inclusive language isn’t about being “polite.”
It’s about deciding who gets to feel fully human in public, not inhumanely degraded on X or Facebook.
When we spell it out, we see that words matter — and why our choice on how we use them matters even more.
Kat Senyk in front of her upgraded home in Port Perry. Through her work experience leading exterior insulation and finish system (EIFS) overcladding projects, she was inspired to retrofit her own home's exterior insulation, contributing to a nearly 50 per cent reduction in energy use. (Photo: Adrian Merrit Smith)
When Kat Senyk purchased a house in Port Perry a few years ago, she knew that it would need some work — a challenge that didn’t put her off.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s story is by Clara Blakelock, Energy Program Manager, GreenUP.
“I had an EnerGuide inspection completed right away,” explains Senyk.
“The energy modelling report estimated that my house consumed 191 per cent more energy than a typical new house of a similar size.”
With a career in building science, Senyk understood the importance of insulation and air sealing to creating an efficient and comfortable home.
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“The exterior paint on the wood cladding was peeling, and the walls were cold to touch in the deep-winter months,” says Senyk. Other than a bit of sawdust, the walls were uninsulated. “The building was the opposite of airtight.”
Through her work managing capital projects for a non-profit organization, she had led several exterior insulation and finish system (EIFS) overcladding projects, and opted to install an EIFS to completely reclad and insulate her new home from the outside.
“I discovered and fell in love with EIFS while in Germany in 2017,” she says. “I was confident that cladding improvements paired with full-wall insulation would benefit both the aesthetics of my home while improving occupant comfort.”
When Kat Senyk purchased her house, the EnerGuide inspection revealed the home consumed 191 per cent more energy than a typical new house of a similar size. The walls were mostly uninsulated, the building was drafty, and the exterior wood siding was in need of updating. During the installation of the exterior insulation and finish system (EIFS), scaffolding was placed around the house for about a month, as each layer of the system was applied. Since the work was done from the outside, the house was livable during the entire process. (Photos: Kat Senyk)
Adding insulation to walls is one of the biggest challenges when retrofitting existing buildings. Buildings built before the 1970s were often constructed with little or no insulation.
While insulating from the interior is an option, it can be disruptive to occupants, and limited by factors like the wall cavity size. Exterior insulation like EIFS avoids these issues.
At Senyk’s home, the insulation and exterior cladding were added right on top of the existing wood siding on the home.
“I wanted my home to retain its historic traits while blending a clean, contemporary look,” says Senyk.
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The finished home has an off-white stucco finish with window frames in black, and retains the existing finials and soffits.
Scaffolding was installed outside the house for more than a month as the layers of the EIFS were applied one by one, yet since the work was all done on the exterior, Senyk was able to occupy the home and even work from home while the insulation was being installed. Being present allowed her to keep on top of decisions that needed to be made during the project.
A sudden onset of winter presented some challenges to the installation. For example, some materials had limited temperature ranges for application and had to be stored in a climate-controlled location. However, with the crew working over a few weekends to catch up, the project was completed on time.
Kat Senyk’s retrofitted home retains the home’s historic traits while adding exterior insulation, sealing air leaks, and reducing energy use. The home is finished in an off-white stucco with window frames in black and retains the existing finials and soffits. (Photo: Kat Senyk)
In addition to the EIFS exterior insulation, Senyk also installed a heat pump, added attic insulation, and replaced three exterior doors in her home. The post retrofit EnerGuide modelling report estimates that these measures will reduce her home’s energy use by nearly 50 per cent, and GHG emissions by 79 per cent.
“I love my new old house,” says Senyk. “The project was significant, but worth the investment. I’m looking forward to the summer months to monitor the energy use of the heat pump to provide cool-conditioned air.”
City of Peterborough homeowners are invited to attend a free in-person workshop on do-it-yourself air sealing on Wednesday (April 1) at the GreenUP office from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The workshop is presented by Better Homes Peterborough in partnership with GreenUP. Register at greenup.on.ca/event/better-homes-peterborough-diy-air-sealing/.
Peterborough Petes left-winger Leon Kolank takes control of the puck during the 17th annual Pink in the Rink game on February 7, 2026, where the Petes defeated the Sudbury Wolves 4-1 before a sold-out crowd at the Peterborough Memorial Centre. (Photo: Kenneth Anderson Photography)
On the eve of heading into the OHL playoffs, the Peterborough Petes have announced that the 17th annual Pink in the Rink campaign has raised $43,486 in support of Survivors Abreast, a local group of breast cancer survivors at various stages of treatment and recovery.
The organization is best known for hosting Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival, which has raised more than $4.9 million toward cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment at Peterborough Regional Health Centre.
“We are beyond grateful that the Petes chose to support our organization this year,” said Survivors Abreast president Janice James in a media release. “These funds will go a long way in supporting our mission. Recovery after a cancer diagnosis doesn’t just end with surgeries and treatments. Survivorship is a journey of its own and Survivors Abreast plays a huge role in this.”
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Presented by Paris Marine, this year’s Pink in the Rink featured a month-long fundraising campaign that included customized Pink in the Rink merchandise and jersey replica sales, ticket sales through Survivors Abreast, as well as selling names for a special Pink in the Rink rinkboard.
At the annual Pink in the Rink game on February 7 at the Peterborough Memorial Centre, which saw the Petes defeat the Sudbury Wolves 4-1 before a sold-out crowd, multiple other fundraising activities took place, including a silent auction, an on-ice game worn jersey auction, a pass the bucket, and Pizza Hut Chuck-A-Pep, all adding to the overall total.
The OHL’s largest ongoing fundraiser for cancer research and support, Pink in the Rink has raised almost $1.1 million over the past 17 years.
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“We are incredibly grateful to our fans, partners, community members, staff, volunteers, and Survivors Abreast whose generosity and support made the 17th Annual Pink in the Rink campaign a success,” said Petes general manager and vice president of operations Michael Oke.
“Initiatives like Pink in the Rink continue to demonstrate the power of our community coming together to support an important cause.”
The Petes will face off against the North Bay Battalion in the first game of round one of the OHL playoffs at 7:05 p.m. on Thursday (March 26) at the Peterborough Memorial Centre.
Lakelands Public Health is the unified health unit serving the Kawarthas region that was formed by the merger of Peterborough Public Health and the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit on January 1, 2025. (Graphic: Lakelands Public Health)
Residents across the Kawarthas region will have an opportunity this spring to help shape the future of public health, as Lakelands Public Health launches a series of community town halls.
Lakelands Public Health, created through the voluntary merger of the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit and Peterborough Public Health, serves communities across Haliburton County, Northumberland County, the City of Kawartha Lakes, and Peterborough, as well as the Alderville, Curve Lake, and Hiawatha First Nations and urban Indigenous populations.
The community town halls, announced Wednesday (March 25), are designed to create an open forum where residents, community organizations, healthcare providers, and others can discuss the health issues that matter most to them and help inform future public health priorities.
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The feedback will help guide health unit planning and future initiatives.
“Public health affects nearly every aspect of our daily lives,” said medical officer of health Dr. Thomas Piggott in a media release. “We want to hear directly from residents about what challenges they’re seeing in their communities and what supports would make the biggest difference.”
Each town hall will begin with an overview of Lakelands Public Health services, followed by interactive discussions with staff. Participants will also be invited to complete a survey to share additional feedback on how to strengthen programs and services.
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The town halls will be held on the following dates and locations:
Haliburton County: Tuesday, April 14 at 4 p.m., Minden Community Centre, 55 Parkside St., Minden
Northumberland County: Wednesday, April 15 at 7 p.m., Office Linx, 115 Toronto Rd., Port Hope
City of Kawartha Lakes: Wednesday, May 20 at 7 p.m., Days Inn, 134 Angeline St. S., Lindsay
City and County of Peterborough: Tuesday, May 26 at 4 p.m., McDonnel Street Community Centre, 577 McDonnel St., Peterborough
Additional sessions will be held in Alderville First Nation, Curve Lake First Nation, and Hiawatha First Nation, along with a virtual session for urban Indigenous residents, with more details to be shared directly through those communities.
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“These conversations are an important part of ensuring public health services reflect the evolving needs of the people we serve,” Dr. Piggot said. “Community voices are essential in shaping what comes next as we build Lakelands Public Health for generations to come.”
Emerging Canadian flutist Gillian Derer will be joining the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra for its "Inspired" concert on April 12, 2026 at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough, where she will be the featured soloist for Mozart's "Flute Concerto No. 1 in G Major." Originally from Tillsonburg and now studying at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Derer is a soloist, orchestra musician, and educator with almost 42,000 Instagram followers. (Photo: Stuart Lowe)
It will be a full-circle moment for emerging flutist Gillian Derer when she joins the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra (PSO) as a soloist for the “Inspired” concert at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 12 at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough.
The PSO was one of the first orchestras for which she was a substitute while studying at the Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory in Toronto. She subbed as a second flute and piccolo player during the PSO’s 2023-24 season.
“We played Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony in my first concert with the PSO which, for the flute player, is an insane gymnastics piece,” Derer says. “It’s so difficult. It’s famously difficult. So, I was so nervous as a student coming to join the orchestra to play that piece because it’s just so challenging, and we had the best time. It means a lot to be coming back to play as a soloist.”
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Originally from Tillsonburg in Ontario, located southeast of London, Derer is currently studying at the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in pursuit of her Master of Music degree. Recently named a Burkart Emerging Artist by the Boston-based flute and piccolo maker, Derer has worked under a variety of acclaimed mentors and has earned first prizes in competitions internationally, including the Canadian International Music Competition, the Schubert International Music Competition, and the Charleston International Music Competition, among others.
With a passion for mentoring the next generation of musicians, she maintains a private teaching studio, gives guest lectures around North America, and uses her platform of almost 42,000 Instagram followers to make classical music more accessible to new audiences. This passion stems from her appreciation for teachers who immersed her in music education despite limited access to the arts while growing up in a small community.
“I think there are so many people in my position who, growing up, either didn’t have the right teacher to help them fall in love with music, or they just don’t have an arts presence in their communities to have a look into what this world is like,” Derer says. “For me, to help keep our industry relevant and meaningful in the 21st century, I definitely use social media as a way to pull back the curtain and help reach new audiences — both people wanting to study and people wanting to just fall in love with what we do.”
Gillian Derer playing Mozart’s “Flute Concerto No. 1 in G Major” with the Niagara Symphony Orchestra in October 2025. The emerging Canadian flutist will be playing the piece as a soloist with the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra during the “Inspired” concert being held on April 12, 2026. The Sunday matinee performance at Showplace Performance Centre will also see the orchestra perform works by Stravinsky, Mozetich, Respighi, and Buhr. (Photo: Dahlia Katz)
The PSO’s matinee concert on April 12 will be welcoming spring with a varied program that explores music inspired by nature, tradition, and visual art and spotlights some of the orchestra’s own soloists. Canadian composers Marjan Mozetich and Glen Buhr will be featured, with the former’s 1998 Postcards from the Sky, a tribute to watching the clouds paired with the latter’s atmospheric and expansive Akasha/Sky, which first premiered in 1990.
The PSO will also perform Ottorino Respighi’s 1927 Botticelli Triptych which pays tribute to three paintings by Sandro Botticelli, a leading artist of the Italian Renaissance. Each of the three paintings honoured in Respighi’s work explores themes of birth, awakening, and arrival, making it a good fit for a spring concert.
The PSO will also explore Igor Stravinsky’s love letter to Italy, Pulcinella Suite, which premiered in 1922. The suite is a pared-down version of his one-act ballet and has both a playfulness and old-school music with a slightly mischievous twist.
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During the concert, Derer will make her solo debut with the PSO for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s 1778 Flute Concerto No. 1 in G Major. Derer says it’s one of the first concertos a flutist typically learns, as it’s an “important educational piece” to learn Mozart’s style and how to perform a concerto with an orchestra. She refers to the composition as a “lifelong labour of love.”
“I’ve been playing this piece since I started my undergraduate studies about eight years ago, and every single time I return to the music, there’s something new that I notice — whether it’s a repeat over here, he’s quoting himself here, or Mozart’s being a little bit silly over here,” she says.
This will be her third time playing the piece accompanied by an orchestra, and her second time this season, which she notes is “the dream.” She played it last October with the Niagara Symphony Orchestra, and with the National Academy Orchestra of Canada in 2024.
VIDEO: “Movin’ On” by Rhonda Larson performed by Gillian Derer
“I’m always going to be able to bring something new to the piece and, in return, I think Mozart always brings something new to me every time I get to return to it,” Derer says. “It’s very fun. The third movement is very cheeky, which I like a lot about Mozart. He’s kind of mischievous in that way. The second movement is just completely beautiful. It’s lullaby-esque and really stunning. And the first movement is one of the most iconic things that we, as flute players, play. So, it is really the most special flute concerto to me for all of those reasons.”
Derer explains that she’ll be reflecting on how her life experiences have changed her reading of the concerto and how she can represent that by focusing on a specific minutia or other adjustments depending on the orchestra.
“Sometimes that minutia maybe doesn’t work when you’re playing with an entire orchestra behind you rather than by yourself, so there’s always a little bit of flexibility and living on the edge,” she says. “I think that even in Mozart, you have to live on the edge a little bit. And that flexibility piece always comes in the first rehearsal. You have to make adjustments and that’s really fun too. It keeps the music alive all the time.”
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Derer says she’s excited to make these adjustments alongside PSO music director and conductor Michael Newnham and in front of an audience she says has “always been good to me.”
“It’s a really, really special community that it always feels like I’m returning home, even though I’m not even from Peterborough,” she says. “I’m just so excited to be able to come back in this different role and make music with them. It’s going to be such a special career highlight for me, for sure.”
The “Inspired” concert on April 12 will follow a “Meet the Maestro” pre-concert talk beginning at 2:15 p.m., where Newnham will take to the stage for an intimate chat with the audience about the afternoon’s program. Audience members are also invited to the lower-level Cogeco Studio during intermission to join Maestro Newnham and the musicians.
Tickets for the concert are $36, $50, or $57, depending on the seat you choose, with student tickets costing $15 for all seats. Tickets are available in person at the Showplace Box Office from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, and one hour before the concert, or online anytime at showplace.org.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor of the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra’s 2025-26 season.
A 13-year-old Peterborough boy is facing 12 charges in connection with three separate assault incidents on Tuesday (March 24), with four other teenagers also facing charges.
The first incident involved a 15-year-old boy who was assaulted around 5:30 p.m. near the food court at Lansdowne Place Mall.
Around an hour later, a second incident also took place at Lansdowne Place Mall, when a different 15-year-old boy was lured outside the mall where he was struck by a suspect and bear-sprayed in the face by another, while other teens watched and recorded the incident. The victim was taken to Peterborough Regional Health Centre for treatment.
Through a police investigation, five teens were identified as suspects and charged in that incident.
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The third incident happened around 9 p.m. in a parking lot of the Shoppers Drug Mart on Chemong Road, where police were called to respond to a report of two masked suspects assaulting a 15-year-old boy with brass knuckles, who was treated at the scene by paramedics.
During the investigation, police determined the victim was the same boy who was assaulted in the first incident, and that the two masked suspects were involved in the previous two assaults. Police went to the homes of the suspects and took them into custody.
As a result of investigations into all three incidents, police have arrested and charged five teenagers.
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A 13-year-old Peterborough boy who is accused of being involved in all three incidents has been charged with two counts of assault with a weapon, two counts of assault, two counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, assault causing bodily harm, two counts of disguise with intent, and unauthorized possession of a weapon.
He was also charged with two counts of failure to comply with a probation order, as he is currently bound by two probation orders not to be in contact with one of the other accused suspects and to not possess any weapons.
An 18-year-old Peterborough man who is accused of being involved in the second and third incidents has been charged with assault, assault with a weapon, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, assault causing bodily harm, disguise with intent, and unauthorized possession of a weapon.
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A 15-year-old Peterborough boy who is accused of being involved in the second incident has been charged with assault, disguise with intent, and failure to comply with a probation order as he is currently bound by a probation order not to be in contact with one of the other accused suspects.
The three accused teens are being held in custody and will appear in court on Wednesday (March 25).
In addition, a 14-year-old Peterborough girl and a 15-year-old Peterborough boy who are accused of being involved in the second incident have both been charged with being party to assault with a weapon. They were released from custody on an undertaking and are scheduled to appear in court on May 4.
The 2026 PTBO Home, Garden and Cottage Show on Saturday, April 11 and Sunday, April 12 will take over the Healthy Planet Arena with over 200 vendors. Show hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Admission and parking is free. The annual spring tradeshow is hosted by Oldies 96.7. Freq 90.5, and PTBOToday.ca of My Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and presented by title sponsor Forest Hill TK & Co Real Estate. (Photo courtesy of MBC)
Despite this stubborn winter season refusing to release its icy grip, spring is finally here and its arrival will see many people turn their thoughts toward that long-planned home or cottage renovation or upgrade.
But with those plans comes some homework, and for a third year, the PTBO Home, Garden and Cottage Show will provide ample opportunity to research ideas, receive expertise, and score great deals on the latest in home, cottage, and garden upgrade products and services.
On Saturday, April 11 and Sunday, April 12 at the Healthy Planet Arena, more than 200 local vendors will come together under one roof to help you get your project started on the right foot. Presented again by title sponsor Forest Hill TK and Co Real Estate, this marks the third year that Oldies 96.7, Freq 90.5 and PTBOToday.ca of My Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) has organized and hosted the show.
The PTBO Home, Garden and Cottage Show at the Healthy Planet Arena on April 11 and 12, 2026 is hosted by Oldies 96.7. Freq 90.5, and PTBOToday.ca of My Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and presented by title sponsor Forest Hill TK & Co Real Estate. (Graphic: MBC)
According to Jef Dueck, General Manager and General Sales Manager for MBC in Peterborough, when a previous local home and cottage show met its demise, MBC quickly stepped in to fill the void and meet the demand from local residents.
“My Broadcasting has always had local in its DNA,” says Dueck. “Although our company stretches far and wide across the province, in each market that we are in there’s a very strong commitment to serving our communities with local news and support. That also extends into events, and supporting not-for-profits with their events and charities.”
“If there’s a need, we ask if it’s something we can take on and use what our media resource tools to support it, lift it, and make it bigger and better. When the home show became available, it was definitely a quick conversation to determine that’s something we could do and, with some commitment, take to a new level.”
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MBC has grown the show in each of the past three years, with last year’s show resulting in a waitlist of almost 40 vendors for the 2026 edition. According to Dueck, vendor space for this year’s show also sold out quickly.
“The renewal rate for the last two years has been very high,” Dueck says. “We’ve heard from a number of vendors that what we’ve been able to do with this show has exceeded anything that was done in the past.”
With over 10,000 people attending each of the last two shows, Dueck says, “results from the show for most vendors have been fantastic,” not to mention the reaction from attendees.
“Visitors love the variety of vendors, and are in awe about the size of the show for our market. It’s packed to the brim — both arena pads and the lobbies are full. The multi-purpose room is full too, and the hallways have vendors in them as well.”
Well before “elbows up” became a rallying cry for proponents of Canadian-made products and services, MBC was walking the talk by supporting local businesses and services through the PTBO Home, Garden and Cottage Show — and that extends to marketing the show.
“We spend a ton of money advertising and promoting the show, but we don’t directly give money to Meta or Google for advertising,” Dueck explains. “We have some organic exposure on those platforms, but our marketing and promotion includes using our local competitors in radio, print, television, digital media, and outdoor advertising. It’s a win for the entire community when you think about it through that lens.”
Asked how he will gauge the success of this year’s show, Dueck points to the obvious — a smooth and efficient set-up and tear-down and a well-attended show on each day of the weekend — and adds that MBC is committed to making the show better every year.
The 2026 PTBO Home, Garden and Cottage Show on Saturday, April 11 and Sunday, April 12 will take over the Healthy Planet Arena with over 200 vendors. Show hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. Admission and parking is free. The annual spring tradeshow is hosted by Oldies 96.7. Freq 90.5, and PTBOToday.ca of My Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and presented by title sponsor Forest Hill TK & Co Real Estate. (Photo courtesy of MBC)
“We always want to try and get better and improve,” Dueck says. “That doesn’t necessarily mean more vendors or even more guests — it means facilitating better services and variety.”
The PTBO Home, Garden and Cottage Show runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 11 and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 12 at the Healthy Planet Arena at 911 Monaghan Road in Peterborough. Admission is free, with free parking also available.
For more information, visit www.ptbohomeshow.ca and, for the latest updates, visit the Peterborough Home, Garden & Cottage Show on Facebook and Instagram.
This branded editorial was created in partnership with MBC – My Broadcasting Corporation. If your business or organization is interested in a branded editorial, contact us.
Lisa Couture of Couture Candy PTBO has transitioned her small business at 386 George Street North in downtown Peterborough from a traditional storefront into a full-time live selling model, whereby she hosts a livestream on social media to present products that viewers can purchase online. Couture says the increasingly popular marketing strategy could be the "resurgence" that small businesses need, and is hosting consultations to help other small business owners use and benefit from the new trend. (Photo: Couture Candy PTBO / Instagram)
If there’s one thing small business owners have done over the past several years, it’s learn to adapt and innovate. The latest pivot among Peterborough’s retailers is responding to the customer demand for live shopping.
An emerging marketing strategy, live shopping — also known as live selling — is a combination of e-commerce and a home shopping TV channel. Over a livestream, a host will present products and respond to questions and comments so viewers can buy in real time. Live selling increased by 76 per cent since the pandemic, and while standard e-commerce websites typically convert at two to three per cent, live selling often sees nine to 30 per cent conversion.
According to Lisa Couture, owner of Couture Candy PTBO, the success of live selling comes from the combination of online shopping convenience with the experience of purchasing from a brick-and-mortar small business.
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“When people come into my store, the number one question is ‘What’s your favourite candy?’ or ‘Why did you start a candy business?'” Couture says. “When you’re live, you can talk to people about your ‘why.’ Nobody cares what the CEO of a giant candy company did before, but in a small business, we have a ‘why’ behind our brand. To have a conversation with 30, 18, or 54 people online about it really curates that connection almost immediately.”
Couture was introduced to live selling in the fall of 2024 as she was closing her second Couture Candy PTBO location. At the time, she was noticing how the economy and rising cost of living were affecting how customers were spending money in the store.
“I was on TikTok and I just watched this woman in Asia live selling clothing and jewellery, and she wasn’t doing anything crazy. She was just pulling it out of the box, putting it back in the box, pushing it to the side, then grabbing another one. The next day I read that she had made a million dollars in a matter of minutes,” Couture says, adding that while she couldn’t find any livestreams in Canada, she began watching them from candy stores in the U.K. and U.S.
VIDEO: Couture Candy PTBO Live Selling on Instagram
“Right then and there I thought ‘This is going to be my second location,'” Couture says. “My quote-unquote second location would be this live selling, and it was the very next day I tried it for the first time.”
Couture says that while she remembers that first “live” only converting to a few sales, there was so much engagement that she felt she was just talking to a group of friends.
“People have just changed the way that they’re able to shop, and they don’t have time to go and stroll downtown so we’re seeing foot traffic on the decline,” she says. “What it could take to make X amount of dollars in a day, I could make in one online order. I may only have 80 or 90 people watching my live, but imagine the sales you would make if 80 or 90 people came into your shop (at the same time). The odds of that happening are so few and far between, but for me, it happens several times a week on my lives.”
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That’s why in January, Couture Candy PTBO switched from a traditional storefront to sell live full-time with at least two TikTok and Instagram lives per week on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. This business model allows Couture to have a more flexible schedule while raising her young kids and can result in more sales in the same amount of time (or less) working.
“I honestly just can’t believe how tremendously it’s helped my business,” Couture says about live selling. “It could be the resurgence that small businesses need right now.”
Couture Candy PTBO was featured in a June 2025 report from TikTok on the platform’s economic impact in Canada, which noted that some of her twice-weekly TikTok Live shopping events have produced 50 sales in a single night.
VIDEO: Live Shopping Replay + Styling Tips – DJC Modern Apparel
For Nancy Wiskel, owner of DJC Modern Apparel, it was this draw that inspired her to begin doing lives every other week since the end of January. Wiskel was looking for new ways to connect with her audience and when she saw that Couture Candy PTBO had gone entirely live, she contemplated if live selling would be beneficial for her business as well.
Wiskel says she had “mixed feelings” after hosting a live on social media last year but, after doing some research, she found the live selling platform LiveMeUp, an add-on for her Shopify website at djclothing.ca. The program allows her to break the lives down into clips for social media and automatically uploads the full live to her website, so it can be forever available. With this format, she says she easily doubles or even triples the views through replays.
“I’ve noticed we only get one or two purchases through the live, but the week following, the store is noticeably busier,” Wiskel says. “Clothes can be a bit of a difficult purchase sometimes online, just with the fit and feel, so when they’re in store it gives us that chance to interact with customers a little more. I’ve been really surprised at how many people have mentioned to me, ‘Oh, I saw this on the live.’ It’s just another point of contact and another conversation that you can have with someone.”
Wiskel says livestreaming also allows sellers to speak more “personally” about an item in a way that can’t be done through a simple social media post.
“Especially if you have some interesting products that require more knowledge to talk about, I think a live would be really valuable because some products or some services don’t necessarily translate through a photo,” she explains. “When an audience sees you get super excited about something or about some feature, then it makes them excited as well.”
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After many people reached out to ask questions, Couture decided to launch one-on-one consultations to help other small business owners overcome their doubts and get the most from live selling.
“I think my biggest advice is that going live works best when you treat it like opening your store door, not like posting online,” Couture says. “It’s not curated, there’s no trending sound, you don’t need to put the text on screen — you’re just opening your store door and whatever comes in, comes in.”
“I think that really resonates with them (small business owners) because they already do that every day. They unlock the door and welcome the world into their store, and when you press that ‘go live’ button, to me, it’s the same experience — just maybe 100 people will show up!”
Nancy Wiskel of DJC Modern Apparel in Peterborough has starting using live selling to complement her brick-and-mortar women’s clothing boutique. After hosting live selling events every other week, she noticed an increase in foot traffic in store with customers asking about items they were introduced to during the events. Wiskel uses the live selling platform LiveMeUp, an add-on for her Shopify website, which allows her to break each “live” into clips for social media and automatically uploads the full live to her website for replays. (kawarthaNOW screenshot of DJC Modern Apparel website)
While Wiskel says, in her opinion, live selling will stick around a while, even if the formats change, she does see the brick-and-mortar storefront as being a place to begin to build an audience for the livestreams. She says the benefit for her is how the two approaches complement each other.
“It (the brick-and-mortar store) is a way that people get to know you and get to know your inventory, so I think it would be hard to just start from scratch live selling. I think you do need to have a good customer base to begin,” she says.
“I think people like to get that information, see things that they maybe wouldn’t have thought of on their own, and then they can come into the store and touch and feel and try on. I think for my business, it’s important to have the brick-and-mortar at least for a while.”
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As for Couture, she agrees that live selling is here to stay and, given that she has new customers finding her store every single day, sees it as a great opportunity for small business retailers.
“This is definitely one way that small business can win over big business because you’re connected to the person who bears that brand,” says Couture. “I just think it can be something so magical for small business.”
With Courture’s move to a full-time live selling business model, Courture Candy at 386 George Street North in downtown Peterborough is no longer a traditional storefront. Instead, the space is now a live selling studio and fulfillment hub, and is only open at limited times for local online order pick-ups and special shopping events. For more information and to order online, visit couturecandyptbo.ca.
A rendering of an Alto high-speed train. The proposed high-speed rail network linking Toronto and Quebec City with a stop in Peterborough would see up to 72 trains per day running on dedicated electric tracks at speeds 300 kilometres per hour or more, cutting current travel times in half. (Image: Alto)
Peterborough city council has unanimously passed a resolution expressing its strong support for Peterborough being one of the seven stops on the proposed Alto high-speed rail project.
The resolution was brought forward by councillor Kevin Duguay at council’s general committee meeting on Monday night (March 23).
That happened to be the same day that the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) — chaired by Peterborough County warden Bonnie Clark — released an unanimous resolution from March 19 that opposes Alto “in its current form.”
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Councillor’s resolution backs Alto stop in Peterborough as regional opposition continues
“The City of Peterborough has been selected by a nation-building project to be one of the three train stations in Ontario, one of seven between Toronto and Quebec City,” councillor Duguay said when introducing his motion. “We didn’t ask for this, we didn’t apply for it, but we were selected.”
After noting that Brockville city council passed a resolution “saying that that part of the province, Brockville, they deserve an Alto train station, and not my city,” he said “It’s time to be blunt.”
“I’m very, very disappointed with a resolution from the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus,” Duguay said. “I’ve read it very carefully and it’s my interpretation that the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus, including our county warden, has said that Peterborough does not deserve an Alto train station.”
“If you follow their wording, it’s saying the route’s going to go somewhere else, and it’s going to disrupt another part of this province, apparently, but Peterborough would be bypassed. I simply cannot support that. The Alto train station brings a unique opportunity to the city. The closest example that I can think of that we’ve ever experienced was when (our city) was awarded the MNR office building. That’s a major employer, and it’s had a major impact on our community.”
Eastern Ontario wardens cite rural impacts and lack of details in opposing Alto
Alto’s official map for the study corridor in Ontario, with two scenarios being considered between Ottawa and Peterborough: a northern option that reduces travel distance and community impacts but involves complex work in remote and sensitive areas, and a southern option that is less direct but simplifies construction and operations. (Map courtesy of Alto)
In part, the EOWC resolution states “there is only currently one proposed stop across the (EOWC’s) 50,000 square kilometre region, benefiting urban residents at the cost of rural residents and lands” and “advocates that the federal government and Alto fully explore train route options along existing infrastructure corridors, such as VIA Rail and/or Highway 401.”
kawarthaNOW has confirmed the resolution was unanimously supported by all EOWC board members, including chair and Peterborough County warden Bonnie Clark, vice-chair and Lennox and Addington County warden Nathan Townend, Hastings County warden Robert Mullin, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville warden Corinna Smith-Gatcke, Northumberland County warden Robert Crate, Haliburton County warden Dave Burton, Lanark County warden Richard Kidd, Frontenac County warden Bill Saunders, City of Kawartha Lakes mayor Doug Elmslie, Renfrew County warden Jennifer Murphy, United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry warden Francois Landry, and United Counties of Prescott and Russell warden Mario Zanth. One EOWC board member, Prince Edward County mayor Steve Ferguson, was not present at the meeting and did not vote.
The EOWC resolution also states that “portions of the proposed project will traverse and impact eastern Ontario communities, infrastructure, residential and agricultural lands, municipal trails, and environmentally sensitive areas, and with no long-term economic benefits” and that “Ontario municipalities and residents have not received sufficient detailed information regarding potential local impacts, including land use, environmental effects, municipal infrastructure interfaces, and long-term financial or operational implications.”
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Peterborough County warden explains her support of EOWC motion
In response to a question from kawarthaNOW, Warden Clark provided a statement in email to clarify her position.
“I have consistently supported improved passenger rail and recognize the importance of nation-building infrastructure that strengthens connectivity across Canada especially when Peterborough is included as a station,” she writes. “That position has not changed. However, the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus board of directors voted to formally oppose the Alto high-speed rail project in its current form, and I supported that motion because the proposal, as it stands today, raises significant concerns for counties across our region.”
“As municipal leaders, our responsibility is to ensure major projects are implemented in partnership with rural communities. Eastern Ontario currently lacks critical details on local impacts, including land use, municipal infrastructure, emergency service risks, and long term costs, while seeing limited regional benefit from a project that crosses the region with only one stop. This vote is not anti-investment or anti-rail; it is a call for meaningful, two-way consultation, transparency, and a fairer approach that includes exploring alternative routes along existing corridors. Like the EOWC, I remain open to this project if these concerns are addressed, but today, standing up for Eastern Ontario means being clear that more work is needed.”
Councillors voice support for Alto’s ‘transformative’ impact on Peterborough
At Monday’s council meeting, councillor Duguay concluded the introduction of his resolution by asking council for “unanimous support of this motion” and to “convey this motion to all decision-makers, to our community, to remind the Prime Minister and others that Peterborough is firmly behind the entire program, including the Peterborough station.”
In his remarks, councillor Matt Crowley said he “was incensed when I read about communities close and far that were coming out against Peterborough having a stop, whether it’s Brockville, Kingston, or somewhere closer” — an apparent reference to a resolution against Alto recently passed by Douro-Dummer Township council.
Crowley called Alto “a transformative project” that is “going to change Peterborough.”
“It is a financial boom for us. It’s a population boom. It brings infrastructure. It brings business and industry. It rebuilds our city. It is a generational good for our city, and to have people stand up against us and line up against us and say that we shouldn’t get it, we shouldn’t have it — whether you are in the city, or just on the outskirts — it’s inexcusable, really.”
“As a member of this council, I will fight to ensure that they know that I am in full support and that we are in full support of this. If there are cities and municipalities closer to the 401 that feel like they want a high-speed rail train, talk to the province and extend the GO train, but we are getting this high-speed rail Alto train and I’ll fight for it as long as I’m on this council.”
Mayor Jeff Leal said he was “very disappointed” with the wardens who supported the EOWC resolution.
“Every elected official from Toronto to Quebec City should be standing up and supporting it,” the mayor said, pointing out that the “coded language” in the EOWC resolution that states that only urban residents would benefit from Alto. “It’s not political leadership in my view to pit one region against the other. Every community from Toronto to Quebec City is going to benefit from this project.”
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Councillors highlight economic benefits and environmental benefits
Councillor Don Vassiliadis noted Peterborough’s history in advocating for the return of passenger rail service, from the Shining Waters Railway initiative to the VIA Rail high-frequency project that eventually led to Alto.
“It’s no fluke, it’s definitely not a mistake that that we’re getting the passenger service here,” Vassiliadis said. “Those cities that aren’t getting it should have been paying attention in the past few years like we were. We believed in this, we constantly said ‘Yes, we want a stop, we want a stop,’ so we’re getting a stop and that that’s based off of a lot of hard work and people paying attention.”
“Peterborough sits in the heart of rapidly growing region, so we serve as an economic anchor for communities across the Kawarthas and Eastern Ontario. Having this high-speed rail will increase work mobility, enhance access to employment across Toronto, Ottawa, and the Montreal corridor. That will boost tourism too … I think it’s a great benefit for the region, and I do want to emphasize again, we are an economic anchor for the communities around us so that can only benefit those communities around us.”
Councillor Joy Lachica also spoke in favour of the motion from an environmental perspective, noting that high-speed rail “is going to lower our greenhouse gas emissions exponentially.”
“We’re getting people out of cars,” she said. “We’re getting them moving quickly to places they need to be, and we are not burning the fossil fuels that we would be if individuals were driving to Quebec City.”
Councillor Keith Riel said “this is the closest that I have seen the realization of high-speed rail” after years of announcements about bringing passenger rail service to Peterborough, and speculated that the reason Peterborough was chosen as one of the seven stops was its catchment area of “probably 300,000 people” where people could use high-speed rail.
“It wasn’t just that they put a name in the hat and picked out Peterborough and said ‘Geez, that’ll be a great spot for train station’ — they did their homework.” Riel said. “Is there going to be some disruption when they build the rail? Absolutely, and I guess if I was a farmer or whatever and I would think it was going to impact my land, I would be upset. But at the end of the day, the federal government will make a decision on what is the best thing for the country, and that is the Alto rail going here.”
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Councillor calls for collaboration with neighbouring communities
While councillor Alex Bierk said he supported the motion, he added that “I don’t believe this needs to be in a fight.”
“I believe that we need to have an understanding and tolerance of their viewpoints,” he said of communities objecting to Alto. “They’re our neighbors and the people that I’ve talked to that live in outside of Peterborough, they have valid concerns — mostly based on misinformation. They’re worried about their family farm being expropriated for this and that, and I’ve had people come up to me thinking they were they were going to be on that line.”
Bierk said the city’s economic development department should “plead the case” to the region around Peterborough about “what an economic driver this is going to be for everyone.”
“I want us to make the right steps and right choices as we see this decision through, and not to alienate ourselves from other communities that we could find to help us advocate for this if need be.”
In response to Bierk’s comments, councillor Duguay said the intent of the motion was “not to be adversarial,” but that “there are others who have started matters that position us where we almost have to be defensive.”
Mayor Leal echoed Duguay’s point, saying that Peterborough is not “picking a fight with somebody,” but added that Alto CEO Martin Imbleau has made it clear that Peterborough is going to be one of the seven stops and that, as mayor, he will continue to advocate for that.
“If anybody’s dumping on Peterborough, I’m going to defend the interests of the city of Peterborough,” Leal said. “If that means picking a fight, well, there will be a fight to pick.”
After councillor Gary Baldwin also expressed his support for the motion, council voted unanimously 10-0 to support councillor Duguay’s motion (councillor Lesley Parnell was absent from the meeting).
Items endorsed by general committee will be considered by city council for final approval on Monday (March 30) when registered delegations will be heard.
Located in the Township of Otonabee South-Monaghan, Duff Acres is a small-scale family farm that produces poultry, beef, pasture-raised eggs, and more through environmentally sustainable and humane practices. Since its beginnings in 2021, the farm has grown and developed local connections through agricultural and business programming supported by Peterborough County. (Photo courtesy of Duff Acres)
By participating in agricultural programming led by Peterborough County, Duff Acres family farm has been able to significantly scale up and sell to more families across Ontario.
In 2021, Chris Duff and Ashley Foreman began a small-scale farm on their 50-acre property in the Township of Otonabee South-Monaghan. Now, after over five years in business, Duff Acres has transformed from a hobby farm into a small-scale producer of environmentally responsible and humanely raised food.
Duff Acres now sells pasture-raised eggs, whole chicken, turkeys, ducks, pork, lamb, and some pasture-raised beef. Raising their animals as naturally as possible, Duff Acres is transparent with customers and encourages them to explore the farm, interact with the animals, and learn where their food comes from.
In addition to selling online for pick-up, last fall Duff Acres opened a new farm stand featuring their own products as well as other locally made products like honey, soap, dog treats, crocheted items, and premade foods.
Duff and Foreman credit their rapid growth to their social media presence as well as the Kawartha Choice FarmFresh initiative, delivered by Peterborough County, the City of Peterborough, and the City of Kawartha Lakes. The initiative provides a brand identity for local producers, a network for members to share and access resources, and an online database for buyers to find local producers.
“It’s been a real driving force for people to find us from all over,” says Duff, noting customers come from Port Hope, Cobourg, Bowmanville, and even Toronto for their products. “They’ve made the connection by searching through the Kawartha Choice Farm Fresh and getting connected to us. It’s a great hub for consumers to find local producers.”
After participating in the 2024 Starter Company Plus program delivered by Community Futures Peterborough through the Business Advisory Centre, funded in part by Peterborough County, Duff Acres transitioned from buying bottle calves to building herds to produce their own beef. When they have the capacity to sell to larger buyers, they will participate in the Kawartha Local Food Wholesale project, supported by Peterborough County, which connects local buyers with local food producers. (Photo courtesy of Duff Acres)
The two farmers also credit the Starter Company Plus program delivered by Community Futures Peterborough through the Business Advisory Centre, funded in part by Peterborough County. Duff Acres’ 2024 participation helped them network with other producers as well as buyers in the region.
“Peterborough County is such an agricultural community. There are so many farms around here and we need to keep that going,” says Duff. “The way Peterborough County is supporting us and other farmers through the programs like Community Futures and Kawartha Choice FarmFresh keeps everybody here making a viable business.”
After participating in the program, Duff Acres transitioned from buying beef as bottle calves to building a herd of females and a bull so they can begin to produce their own beef. This will allow them to produce at a higher capacity in the coming years, opening up the opportunity to work with larger buyers like restaurants, resorts, and golf courses.
When that time comes, they are interested in participating in the Kawartha Local Food Wholesale project, which aims to increase the capacity for local food wholesale in Peterborough County, the City of Peterborough, and the City of Kawartha Lakes. The program includes the development of the Green Circle Food Hub to streamline connections between local producers and local buyers.
“I’m born and raised in Peterborough County, and I like to see the economy grow, especially the farmers and small local businesses,” Duff says. “We’re going to keep trying to use the programs that the County offers us to try and make this lifestyle that we love a little more sustainable for our family.”
Duff Acres is located at 784 Serpent Mounds Road in Keene. To learn more, visit www.duffacres.ca.
The Local Advantage in Peterborough County is a branded editorial feature series celebrating the farmers, food producers, food retailers, and agri-tourism businesses that make The Kawarthas thrive, created in partnership with Peterborough County’s Economic Development & Tourism Division.
Agriculture is a key economic driver and a point of pride for Peterborough County, with local farms producing a wide variety of high-quality goods, from traditional crops and livestock to organic and specialty products, reflecting the strength and diversity of this vital sector. With a growing focus on sustainability, local food systems, agri-innovation, and agri-tourism, agriculture offers strong potential for growth and diversification.
The Local Advantage with Peterborough County series spotlights the Kawartha Choice FarmFresh and Kawartha Local Food Wholesale initiatives, which aim to strengthen connections from farm to table across our region.
For more information about economic development and tourism in Peterborough County, visit www.ptbocounty.ca/ecdev and The Kawarthas Tourism at thekawarthas.ca.
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