In the Kijiji-based rental scam, fraudsters ask victims to send a rental deposit for a property that is not actually for rent.
Peterborough police are warning residents about an online rental scam circulating in the area.
Police have recently received several calls from people reporting they had responded to a Kijiji ad regarding a potential rental unit, or had been contacted by someone claiming to be a landlord after they had posted an ad looking for a rental unit.
The complainants were asked to provide personal information and then asked to send a rental deposit through an email money transfer or Western Union money transfer.
In all of the instances, the complainants did not provide any money. Instead, they went to visit the rental address in person. In each instance, the property had been listed for sale and, when the complainants spoke to the current residents, they discovered the property was not for rent.
The Peterborough Police Service reminds residents to follow these tips before providing any personal information or funds online for a rental property:
When searching for rentals, go to the address. Schedule a showing and confirm its availability.
Request a lease or contract. Review it thoroughly.
Complete open source searches on rental addresses to ensure it’s not a duplicate post.
Do not send funds to strangers.
Contact Equifax and Transunion if you’ve provided sensitive information on applications.
Go with your gut. If it seems fishy, it probably is.
If you want to report a fraud or a scam, contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre toll free at 1-888-495-8501.
If you have been the victim of a scam — meaning you have provided money or personal information to fraudsters — contact the Peterborough Police Service’s non-emergency line at 705-876-1122 or online at www.peterboroughpolice.com/report/a-crime/.
The Peterborough Agricultural Society has put together a sponsorship package for businesses for this year's Peterborough Ex.
Active Chiropractic & Wellness Centre
TLC Chiropractic and Laser has changed their name to Active Chiropractic & Wellness Centre and are looking to expand.
If you are a practitioner looking for clinic space, they are looking to grow the team, which includes Jeff Lustig, Janet Hogeboom, Ann Eriksson, and Maura Lustig.
TLC Chiropractic and Laser is now Active Chiropractic & Wellness Centre and is looking to expand the team.
Offering classic chiropractic care, nutritional systems, laser therapy, lumbar spinal stenosis, sport injury treatment, and stress management, there is an open house this Thursday (May 18) from 4 to 7 p.m.at 401 McDonnel Street in Peterborough.
On May 13th, Team Fido Dog Training held the grand opening of its new training facility located in the Creekside Plaza just south of Lakefield. (Photo: Team Fido Dog Training / Facebook)
Team Fido Dog Training has a new training facility located in the Creekside Plaza just south of Lakefield.
Owner Cindy VanFrankfoort says the new facility offers both indoor and fenced outdoor training areas for obedience, play groups, beginner flyball, workshops, and more.
Custom Clean, owned by Miranda Morrow, is now offering services to home owners selling their homes and to realtors and landlords.
Custom Clean is expanding its services in Peterborough.
Owner Miranda Morrow specializes in post-construction cleaning of new homes for many home builders in the area. Miranda is now offering Custom Clean services to home owners who might be listing to sell their home this year, and to realtors and landlords to help quickly change over residents. Miranda’s team can take on last-minute jobs and is detailed, efficient, and reliable.
Peterborough & the Kawarthas Tourism Visitor Centre
The Peterborough & the Kawarthas Tourism Visitor Centre is now open at its new downtown Peterborough location.
And congratulations to the team at Peterborough & the Kawarthas Tourism on the opening of the new visitor centre in the VentureNorth building at 270 George Street in downtown Peterborough.
Open seven days a week, the new facility looks great, so stop in. And watch for the rest of the team at Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development to join them soon.
Writer and comedian Deborah Kimmett is performing her new one-woman show "The Year of The Suddenly", directed by Linda Kash, at Catalina's in downtown Peterborough on Saturday, June 3. (Publicity photo)
While teaching a writing workshop, Toronto-based writer and comedian Deborah Kimmett received a message that her younger brother Kevin had been diagnosed with cancer. The unexpected journey that followed has become the basis for Deborah’s brand new one-woman show The Year of The Suddenly.
Directed by Linda Kash, the show is being called part standup comedy and part eulogy. Deborah, a Second City veteran and a regular on CBC Radio’s The Debaters, will perform her monologue at Catalina’s in downtown Peterborough for one night only on Saturday, June 3rd.
“I was in the middle of teaching a writing class about the word ‘suddenly’ when suddenly my whole life changed,” Deborah recalls. “So, as a writer, I was trying to write this story in my head as it should go. But as I started getting closer, it didn’t go that way at all.”
“The Year of The Suddenly is this journey of how I got the news that my brother had cancer, and I thought I was going to bring the casseroles and be a good sister. But I ended up having this other thing happen with my brother.”
Deborah admits that, despite knowing her brother his entire life, she really didn’t know him at all. The show she has written is about the new relationship created between herself and her brother at the end of his life.
“The premise is that this is a love story with a person who I didn’t know very well my entire life,” Deborah says. “One of the lines I use is ‘I found the brother I didn’t know I had.’
“You have this incredible love for your family, but you think you have enough time to be indifferent. It’s not that you hate anybody, but you put them in a category and they put you in a category. And then, a lot of people move around now, so you may have moved away twenty years ago, but your family still thinks of you the same way you were when you left.
“You just think you have time to not work this stuff out. I didn’t think in a million years this story would evolve the way it did. It was a surprise to me as a person that I could feel the way I felt towards my brother, in terms of the way it shifted in our relationship.”
Although the show deals with her brother’s illness, Deborah stresses that The Year of The Suddenly is not a show about cancer: it’s about the relationship that formed between two siblings in a backdrop where time is running out.
“At first I was just writing about what that process was all about because it was absolutely epic,” Deborah explains. “But as I got into it more, I realized it was about a brother-sister journey and not a cancer story at all. I really don’t deal with my brother’s treatments.
“It’s also about that idea of when are you going to show up for life as it is. It was like there was a time limit, so we had to make our peace. But I had no idea of the things that were going to happen that were going to challenge me.”
Part of the development of the show came from notes that Deborah kept after having phone conversations with her brother during his illness. It was through these conversations that she began to get to know Kevin in a way she never had before.
“We got to know each other through a series of phone calls, and after we’d get off the phone I’d write these things down that he’d say because they were so profound,” Deborah says. “I asked him if I could write them down and he said yes, because he wanted people to know what he could see now that he couldn’t see before in his life.
“He was an engineer and he was just an amazing guy. He was very smart and very funny and had a lot of wisdom. Even at the very end, he had a lot of insight into life. That was a surprise for me — not knowing him at that level until the end.”
For the past few months Deborah has been traveling to Peterborough to develop the show with Linda Kash, and she performed an excerpt in April at Linda’s annual fundraising event for Hospice Peterborough called “Paul’s Left Ball”, which also celebrates the life of Linda’s late husband Paul O’Sullivan, who died in a tragic car accident in 2012 at the age of 48.
“Linda has been good to work with because she lost her husband and we just knew the sensibility that we wanted to have about it,” Deborah says. “This is not just some sort of ‘precious piece.’ When these things happen it brings out the best and the worst in people. It’s been fun to develop it with Linda because she has that same sensibility.”
Tickets for “The Year of The Suddenly” are $25, available from Deborah Kimmett’s website at kimmett.ca
Although cancer and loss are sensitive topics, Deborah has also been able to find comedy in the story.
“This show walks that tightrope between humour and drama because everything is heightened by what’s going on,” Deborah says. “Where the comedy comes in is when life doesn’t happen as you plan it. We have expectations of ourselves when someone is sick, and we also have expectations of how a dying person should act. It never goes the way you thought, and life is often very messy.
“I don’t think you can make jokes at the expense of a person, but I think it’s always funny that in the middle of something so tragic there can be the most ridiculous behavior that happens. I make fun of how badly we treat things. The humour comes in the human condition butting up against something serious. There’s humour in how we are all incompetent in how we soothe and comfort each other at the time that we need it the most. As a comedian, I find the humour in my own incompetence and then I laugh at that.”
Deborah will be premiering the show in Toronto at Second City’s John Candy Box Theatre on May 27th and 28th before bringing it to Peterborough on June 3rd. There are possible plans in the works to continue performing it in other cities as well.
All proceeds from the Toronto performances of The Year of The Suddenly will be going to The Kensington Hospice in Toronto. So that Deborah can donate all the ticket proceeds to Kensington Hospice, she has created a crowdfunding campaign to raise $2,500 to help her cover the fixed costs of doing the Toronto shows. You can donate to her campaign at www.gofundme.com/kevin-suddenly.
“Linda says I’m very brave for telling this story,” Deborah says. “I don’t feel brave. I don’t know if it’s brave or not. It’s just got a lot of nice conversation going on about it already. I just want to work it out and see what we have.”
The Peterborough performance takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 3rd at Catalina’s (131 Hunter St. W., Peterborough) and will also feature musician Jack Nicholson providing accompaniment. This is a rare opportunity to see a newly developed show in our community before it travels to larger cities.
The first Deluxe Blues Jam at Dr. J's BBQ and Brews takes place on Saturday, May 20 from 2 to 5 pm. (Photo: Don McBride)
The third Saturday this month, May 20th, marks the first time ever the Peterborough Musicians Benevolent Association (PMBA) Deluxe Blues Jam takes place at its new home, Dr. J’s BBQ and Brews.
After almost four years of hosting the monthly jam, the Pig’s Ear Tavern closed its doors for good on April 22nd.
The PMBA are very much looking forward to their new partnership with Dr. J’s and are hoping for a great turn out for the inaugural jam at this new location. Dr. J’s is located on the corner of Aylmer and King in downtown Peterborough (the location of the former Montreal House).
The May Jam is being hosted by Al Black with friends Gary Peeples, Andy Pryde, Dough Hewie, and Sean Daniels — which is reason enough to come. And let’s not forget the uber talent of the local musicians who come out to jam!
If you don’t already know, the late Phil Marshall was the inspiration and founding member behind the PMBA. As part of the musical community in Peterborough, he perceived a need to assist local musicians. And hence his idea of ‘musicians helping musicians’ sprang to life.
One of Phil’s beefs was that he often felt musicians weren’t paid enough. He also liked to point out that, when musicians gave up their time and effort freely to do benefits and fundraisers, they were often the only ones not paid. Servers, venue owners, kitchen staff, etc. were all getting paid and all the funds raised were given to the worthy cause. At the end of the night, it was only the musicians who didn’t get paid, so Phil thought someone should be throwing benefits for the musicians.
Singer and keyboardist Phil “Mr. Deluxe” Marshall, founder of the Peterborough Musicians’ Benevolent Association, died of a heart attack in 2013. (Photo: SLAB Productions)
As a result, Phil’s idea for the PMBA was born and he began informally hosting a blues jam on the third Saturday of every month at the Pig’s Ear, his favourite pub. A donation jar was put out and the funds collected were given to a local musician that needed some financial assistance in tough times due to unforeseen circumstances.
Phil hoped to continue to grow this idea into something even bigger and better: he wanted it to be able to reach out to the entire community of musicians. He was just beginning along this path when he passed away suddenly from a heart attack while shovelling snow in December of 2013.
His partner wanted to keep his PMBA dream alive so she talked to me about assisting her to make Phil’s ‘musicians helping musicians’ idea become a reality. We approached well-known local musician Al Black, Pig’s Ear owner John Punter, and retired banker Norm Kastner about forming a PMBA committee. The rest is now history.
Norm Kastner, John Punter, Al Black, and Don McBride (not pictured) continue to carry on the work of the Peterborough Musicians’ Benevolent Association, founded by the late Phil “Mr. Deluxe” Marshall. (Photo: SLAB Productions)
The PMBA provides a temporary hand up for local musicians when it’s needed the most. Musicians often do not have medical and dental benefits and are sometimes unable to work due to a broken bone, surgery, etc. So they need temporary financial assistance to help them pay the bills.
Musicians hear about the PMBA word of mouth because they, like most people, are reluctant to request assistance on their own behalf. At the Monthly Blues Jam, we let people know who and what the PMBA is, so word continues to spread. The four committee members are very entrenched in the local music scene so as their mission grows, more and more people hear about it, and will contact any one of them if they perceive a need.
After appropriate discussion, the PMBA will then approach the musician to offer financial assistance. Everything is confidential — only the four members know who receives funding. They have a bank account at BMO and keep careful records of donations and amounts given to recipients. To date, the PMBA has assisted 31 musicians to the tune of $12,300.
“They’re just taking the dance to a new ballroom.” Paul Rellinger at the final Deluxe Blues Jam at The Pig’s Ear on April 15th. The monthly PMBA fundraiser will now be held at Dr. J’s BBQ and Brews. (Photo: SLAB Productions)
The monthly Deluxe Blues Jam has become THE place to be on the third Saturday of every month from 2 to 5 p.m. If you haven’t been there yet, you don’t know what you’re missing. The jams average close to 100 people who come out to support this cause.
You need to come and experience this event to see what the excitement is all about. Be prepared to have some fun, while enjoying an excellent afternoon of music featuring the best of our local entertainment. As always, all jammers and music lovers are welcomed.
If you’d like to help share Phil’s dream and support our local music community, come out on the third Saturday of every month to Dr. J’s BBQ and Brews from 2 to 5 p.m. Listen to some great blues music, throw a little something into the donation jar, and have an enjoyable afternoon.
Col. Chris Hadfield began the day with a surprise visit with members of Community Living Central Highlands. (Photo: United Way CKL)
Thanks in large part to retired astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield, the United Way for City of Kawartha Lakes (United Way CKL) has raised $40,000 for community programs and services.
On Thursday (May 11), the United Way CKL hosted a full day of speaking engagements with Hadfield as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations, culminating with Hadfield’s keynote address at the Academy Theatre in Lindsay.
Hadfield, who was welcomed with a standing ovation, gave a candid, humorous, and engaging presentation about his experiences as an astronaut.
— United Way Kawartha (@UnitedWayCKL) May 12, 2017
Hadfield and his wife Helene began the day with a surprise visit with members of Community Living Central Highlands, who had produced a space video invitation.
Later, Hadfield spoke to 1,600 students from the Trillium Lakelands District School Board, Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board, and Heritage Christian School.
“This has been an incredible opportunity for our youth, community and United Way,” says Penny Barton Dyke, Executive Director for United Way CKL. “Colonel Hadfield is a true Canadian hero who has been so gracious throughout the busy itinerary.
“He is an incredible, natural teacher who skillfully delivers messages that inspire students to embrace lifelong learning and he encourages all of us to know that the future for this and upcoming generations will go beyond Earth.”
Sponsors for the day included Hydro One, Celebrations, Economy Wheels, Homestead Oxygen, Happy Days House Boats, The Pyle Group, Mariposa Dairy, and Ruth Tait Creations. Kawartha Lakes Community Futures Development Corporation provided grant funding
“Our campaign Co-Chairs, Barb Truax, Sherry Giltenan and Tim Truax dreamed big this year for our 50th anniversary,” Barton Dyke says. “They enlisted a highly talented team that included Pat Twohey, Ruth Tait, Marlene Wood, Shantal Ingram and Jennifer Bell. This, coupled with sponsors, created an incredible event.”
Earlier today (May 12), Trent University announced it would create 25 new faculty positions, including 21 new teaching-intensive positions.
The positions will be distributed across a number of departments in the humanities, social sciences, sciences, education and nursing, as well as Trent’s Durham – GTA campus in Oshawa.
With a focus on teaching and research on teaching, the positions will include four tenure-track positions. The University is also extending limited-term positions from nine to 12 months.
The Trent University Board of Governors approved a balanced budget that include tje 25 new faculty positions, recognizing that enrollment has increased for the third year in a row,
“Now and in the future, (the university) plans to create new faculty positions as the budget allows,” said Dr. Leo Groarke, president and vice-chancellor of Trent University. “This year we are focusing on initiatives that will promote teaching and learning at Trent.”
In addition, the university will appoint an associate dean of teaching and learning, who will oversee the Centre for Teaching and Learning and Trent Online.
Trent University also announced that an alumnus donation of $1.25 million would be used to create the Distinguished Visiting Teaching Scholar Endowment. Through the funds, the Centre for Teaching and Learning will annually host a visiting teaching scholar.
This announcement is part of Trent University’s ‘$50 Million Campaign: Unleash the Potential’. It builds on two significant gifts to the Centre for Teaching and Learning last year: the Deborah Berrill Teaching Excellence by Design Studio ( a state-of-the-art studio in the transformed Bata Library) and the addition of four new Trent Teaching Fellowships.
“The teaching-intensive visiting scholar endowment will allow teaching fellows to research, develop pedagogy, and share new models and practices,” said Dr. Cathy Bruce, dean of Education and director of the Centre for Teaching and Learning.
Two roots music duos are performing at the Market Hall on back-to-back days: Mairi Rankin and Ailie Robertson on May 26 and Max Gomez and Rick Fines on May 27
Fans of Celtic and Americana music are in for a double treat this month at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in Peterborough with back-to-back concerts featuring two outstanding roots music duos.
On Friday, May 26th, Cape Breton fiddler Mairi Rankin and Scottish harp player Ailie Robertson perform together and then, on Saturday, May 27th, New Mexico singer-songwriter Max Gomez and Peterborough’s own bluesman extraordinaire Rick Fines get together for an evening of song and story called “South Meets North”.
Fiddler Mairi Rankin and Celtic harpist Ailie Robertson, fresh off a European tour with The Outside Track, are touring together as a duo and plan to record an album together this fall. (Photo: Rankin/Robertson / Facebook)
Cape Breton fiddler Mairi Rankin and Scottish harp player Ailie Robertson have just launched their first-ever Canadian tour this month, after returning from a tour of Europe as members of the Scottish-Irish-Canadian supergroup The Outside Track.
Mairi and Ailie will be performing at the Market Hall at 8 p.m. on Friday, May 26th, with Peterborough singer-songwriter Missy Knott opening.
VIDEO: “Brandy” by Mairi Rankin and Ailie Robertson
After their recent tour in the five-piece band The Outside Track, Mairi and Allie have joined forces for a new duo project. They are touring together in May and June and are hoping to record their first album as a duo in the fall.
Mairi, who is best known as a member of Canada’s Rankin Family, plays fiddle, sings, and also step dances. Now living in Vancouver, she was born in Nova Scotia and has been influenced by some of the best Cape Breton traditional musicians and instructors on the island.
As well as performing in The Outside Track, she is a member of the Cape Breton Celtic group Beolach and has performed with the Rankin Sisters, Unusual Suspects, Bruce Guthro, and more. She has recorded one solo album, two each with Beòlach and The Outside Track, and been featured on numerous compilations and recordings.
VIDEO: “Set You Free” – The Outside Track featuring Mairi Rankin and Ailie Robertson
Ailie Robertson has been living in Montreal for the last year, but she’s a native of Edinburgh and is considered one of Scotland’s leading young traditional musicians. A master of the clàrsach (the Celtic harp), she began playing when she was 11 years old and, through training in both clàrsach and piano, developed a love for both classical and traditional music.
Ailie fuses Irish, Scottish, and contemporary harping technique into her own unique style, which earned her a 2009 nomination as Up and Coming Artist of the Year in the BBC Alba Scots Trad Music Awards. Not only is she a harp virtuouso, composer, arranger, and improviser, but she’s a much-in-demand teacher who has published six books of harp music.
VIDEO: Swerving for Bunnies – Ailie Robertson
General admission tickets are $20 plus fees ($17 plus fees for students) and assigned cabaret-style table seating is $25 plus fees.
Tickets are available in person at the box office (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough), by phone at 705-749-1146, or online at tickets.markethall.org. Tickets are also available (cash only) at Moondance (425 George St. N., Peterborough, 705-742-9425).
South Meets North: Max Gomez and Rick Fines
New Mexico songsmith Max Gomez joins Peterborough’s award-winning bluesman Rick Fines at the Market Hall on at 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 26th for an evening of song and story.
At this concert, the two singer-songwriters will perform separately … but Rick says they’ll also be playing a few songs together too.
New Mexico singer-songwriter Max Gomez (Photo: Paul Moore)
Max Gomez hails from the hamlet of Taos, the most northern of the New Mexico pueblos, about an hour and half drive north of Santa Fe. The son of an artisanal furniture craftsman, Max grew up watching and learning the tools of the trade from his father, while also learning how to play guitar.
A blues enthusiast from an early age, Max immersed himself in the Delta and traditional folk blues of Lead Belly, Big Bill Broonzy, and Robert Johnson. Having honed his chops on the blues, he then turned his interest to traditional American folk music, and then became influenced by master songwriters like John Prine, Townes Van Zandt, Kris Kristofferson, Guy Clark, and John Hiatt.
VIDEO: “Ball and Chain” – Max Gomez
Max began performing his original tunes along with country and blues classics in bars around Taos when he was 15 years old. After high school, he moved to Los Angeles to study music and pursue his musical career.
At 24 years old, he released his debut album Rule This World in 2012. The 10 songs on the record cover themes of heartbreak, regret, young love, desperation, and redemption.
“The songs I write are not real straightforward,” Max says. “You have to decode them. I like when the listener has to create their own story, rather than be told what’s happening.”
VIDEO: “Run From You” – Max Gomez (directed by Kiefer Sutherland)
While local music fans may not have heard of Max before, there is a local connection. Canadian-born actor Kiefer Sutherland — who himself has embarked on a music career and played at Peterborough Musicfest last summer — directed the video for Max’s song “Run From You”.
“The thing that I seem to gravitate most to in music is the basic fundamental of the telling of the story,” Sutherland says. “When I heard this record, not only did I find it unbelievably beautiful and melodic, but there was such a rich tapestry of storytelling that I couldn’t help but gravitate to it.”
Rick Fines (left) with Al Black and Gary Peeples as Jackson Delta. (Photo: Jackson Delta)
Local music fans don’t really need an introduction to Peterborough’s own Rick Fines. A veteran of the blues and folk circuits, Rick is well known both for his captivating songs, his signature vocal growl, and his diverse guitar playing.
He’s also familiar to many for his 15-year membership in the legendary acoustic blues trio Jackson Delta and his collaborations with singer-songwriter Susie Vinnick. As part of Jackson Delta (along with Gary Peeples and Al Black), Fines received both Juno and Handy award nominations. With Susie, he earned a Maple Blues Songwriter of the Year Award.
As a solo artist, Rick has won two Maple Blues Awards for Solo Act of the Year, and eight other nominations.
VIDEO: “No Expections” – Rick Fines
Aside the songwriting chops that won him a 2003 International Songwriting Competition, he is a master of the guitar. He has played for legendary blues piano player Pinetop Perkins, songstress Colleen Peterson, folk icon Penny Lang, and many others.
Rick is also an enthusiastic teacher, and is often found sharing the transformative power of music with students across Canada, including work with the Blues In The Schools programs in Ottawa, Saskatoon, Toronto, and Yellowknife.
VIDEO: Driving Home CD Release – Rick Fines
Rick has recorded 14 albums with Jackson Delta, Suzie Vinnick, with others or on his own, with his latest solo record Driving Home released in 2015.
He has performed almost everywhere, from the National Gallery and Governor General’s Garden Party to Montreal Jazz, Ottawa BluesFest, the Edmonton Folk Festival, and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Internationally, he has toured France, Italy, Scotland, Newfoundland, BC’s Gulf Islands, and even the Northern Arctic.
VIDEO: “Back Up From Zero” – Rick Fines performing with Jackson Delta
General admission tickets are $30 plus fees. Assigned cabaret-style table seating is $40 plus fees.
Tickets are available in person at the box office (140 Charlotte St., Peterborough), by phone at 705-749-1146, or online at tickets.markethall.org. Tickets are also available (cash only) at Moondance (425 George St. N., Peterborough, 705-742-9425).
A new iOS and Android app called Zatiq, locally developed by Sultan Moni, will make restaurant recommendations based on your mood. (Photo: Junaid Amjad)
This month, Eva Fisher uses artificial intelligence to find local food, explores the connection between food, theatre, and history with the Globus Theatre, enjoys lunch with a tea sommelier at Bumbleberry Bistro, learns more about Mexican spreads and sauces from La Mesita Catering, and celebrates the flower moon with South Pond Farms.
New locally developed app uses artificial intelligence to recommend food based on your mood
Sultan Moni has developed a new app that will recommend local restaurants to you based on your mood and preferences.
Sultan first got the inspiration for Zatiq from another app that you might have on your phone.
“I was lying down in bed one day listening to Spotify, and I was hungry but I didn’t know what I wanted to eat. So I thought — what if there was Spotify for food? That was the first lightbulb.”
Tech entrepreneur Sultan Moni created Zatiq to be the Spotify of food. (Photo: Eva Fisher / kawarthaNOW)
You can choose from mood options, like moody, bored, or happy. Maybe you know you want curry, but you’re not sure where to go. Click the curry button.
The app also makes suggestions for specific situations, like date night or for when you are particularly hungry. Zatiq will recommend the top five restaurants based on what you choose.
Hungry? Bored? Want something sweet? Now there’s a locally developed app for that. (Photo: Junaid Amjad)
The app begins by making generic suggestions but, as you use it, it becomes more attuned to your culinary preferences. That means when you click that moody button, Zatiq will take you to a restaurant, cafe, or nightclub that is specifically selected to boost your mood. The app will use information from people who have similar culinary preferences to you to make a customized suggestion.
Zatiq will also include social features. You can connect with people who have similar dietary preferences. You can also post reviews of the restaurants that you visit, and browse reviews from other users.
Sultan grew up in Abu Dhabi. He moved to Canada in 2013 for grade 12 and then began studies at Trent University. He began in Business, but ultimately decided to pursue Computer Science because he realized that he would need computer skills to develop Zatiq.
Zatiq will debut in Peterborough towards the beginning of June. Sultan has plans to eventually expand it globally.
For more information about Zatiq and the launch date, visit the Zatiq website at zatiq.com or follow Zatiq on Facebook and Twitter.
Globus Theatre in Bobcaygeon celebrates agricultural history with Canada’s 150th events
Globus Theatre is celebrating local food with a Culinary Celebration until May 13. (Graphic: Globus Theatre)
What better place to enjoy local farm fresh food than a barn? Globus Theatre (2300 Pigeon Lake Rd., Bobcaygeon, 705-738-2037) is celebrating Canada’s 150th with a culinary and musical celebration this week.
Until Saturday (May 13), they are hosting their Culinary Celebration, which features local food, art by Lorraine Thayer, and live music.
Globus co-founder and artistic producer James Barrett says that the barn is a perfect place to pay homage to local producers.
“We are in a barn. It was an actual working cattle barn, so it’s an ideal space to celebrate working farms in the area.”
James Barrett and Sarah Quick, founders of Globus Theatre and Lakefield Arts Barn in Bobcaygeon, with their son Cue
The Culinary Celebration features an eight-course tasting menu. Sponsor Grant’s Butchershop, a Bobcaygeon butcher that uses all Ontario meat, will provide their housemade sausage. There will be smoked trout from Linwood Acres Farm in Campbellcroft, cheeses from Mariposa Dairy, ice cream from Kawartha Dairy and honey from Kawartha Lakes Honey.
Apart from the Culinary Celebration, many of these producers are regularly featured on Globus Theatre’s menu. Theatre-goers can opt for a three-course meal before they take in a play, with three options to choose from per course. The menu changes every two weeks with each new play, and is sometimes even themed to the play.
For example, for the Irish play Stones in his Pocket, they featured a Stilton and Guinness pâté. The menu has also included red wine braised lamb shank, roast beef with yorkshire pudding, and tempting dessert options such as their limoncello lemon sorbet. The bar features selections from local breweries.
This year the barn will celebrate its 50th anniversary as a dance hall. James says that the barn was built in the 1930s to replace one that had burned down on the property. It was a working cattle barn with property extending right to the lake until the 1960s. It was then that the owner at the time, Fabian O’Neill, got the inspiration to create a dance hall. He severed the lots near the lake and used the money to build the dance hall.
In June, the Lakeview Arts Barn is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and Canada’s 150th birthday, with an old-fashioned barn dance. (Graphic: Globus Theatre)
In June, to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday and the barn’s 50th anniversary, the Lakeview Arts Barn will hold a dance in the style of the old barn dances. There will be 150 tickets available and the only way to get a pair will be to tell a story about the barn. With 50 years of dances, proms, weddings, award ceremonies, and of course live theatre, James is hoping for a variety of responses.
“We’re trying to create an archive of the past fifty years of the building.”
Winners of the Barn Dance contest will be announced on Saturday, May 20th.
For more information about the Culinary Celebration, the Barn Dance (and how to win tickets), and Globus Theatre’s summer theatre season, visit lakeviewartsbarn.com.
Tea sommelier buys Dancing Blueberries, creating new Bumbleberry Bistro
Heather Morse bought Dancing Blueberries in November of 2016. She began to rebrand in late February to Bumbleberry Bistro (360 George St. N., Peterborough, 705-536-2697), creating a fresh take on the downtown cafe.
A graduate of Fleming College’s Culinary Management program, Heather worked for Dancing Blueberries following graduation. She enjoyed the creative opportunity offered by the cafe.
“I was able to exercise my creativity designing drink and dessert specials.”
Bumbleberry Bistro is located at 360 George Street North in downtown Peterborough, the former location of Dancing Blueberries (Photo: Bumbleberry Bistro)
Fans of Dancing Blueberries will be happy to learn that Heather is planning to keep many of their menu items.
“The plan for the restaurant right now is to make small changes to the menu to ensure that everything is of the best quality.”
Tea sommelier Heather Morse is bringing a wide selection of loose leaf teas to complement the desserts available at Bumbleberry Bistro. (Photo: MossWorks Photography)
That being said, Heather is planning to put her own spin on the downtown cafe.
“We are hoping to shift away from ‘homestyle’ to offer slightly more specialty items.”
As a tea sommelier trained in Vancouver by the Tea Association of Canada, the tea menu was one of the first things on Heather’s list.
“One of the changes I am most excited about is the introduction of a variety of specialty loose leaf teas.”
To those new to the cafe Heather recommends the “Brie’s a Crowd” sandwich, which features brie, sundried tomatoes and candied walnuts.
For more information on Bumbleberry Bistro, visit their Facebook page.
Take authentic Mexican flavour home with La Mesita Catering
Chef Martin Carbajal Mendoza of La Mesita Catering brings authentic Mexican food to the Peterborough and Lakefield farmers’ markets. (Photo: La Mesita Catering)
Martin Carbajal Mendoza of La Mesita Catering moved from Mexico in 2006 and brought with him a culinary tradition that he wants to share.
“I want people to know what real Mexican food tastes like.”
La Mesita Catering offers salsas and spreads, burritos and Mexican food at the Peterborough and Lakefield Farmers’ Markets. Their salsas are also available at Chasing the Cheese and The Bridgenorth Deli.
Here’s how Martin recommends serving his sauces:
Pico de gallo
This standard mild salsa is very versatile. Martin suggests trying it on steak, eggs, hotdogs, and tacos — “It’s pretty much like a Mexican ketchup. It goes on everything.”
Tomatillo and avocado salsa
This salsa is a blend of tomatillos (which are tart and fruity and taste somewhat like a green tomato) and avocados. Martin recommends trying it on nachos, quesadillas, sausages or steak. He also recommends layering corn bread dough with a layer of this salsa and some chicken, then another layer of dough.
“It’s delicious. It tastes so close to a tamale.”
Chipotle hummus
Hummus isn’t traditionally a Mexican dish, but when Martin first tried a hummus he liked it but felt that there was something missing.
“Because I’m a crazy Mexican, I had to put chipotles in it.” He says that it’s been popular with his customers.
Black bean and corn salad
Black beans, tomatoes, onions, cumin, corn, avocado and lime juice come together in this salad which is a great side dish on its own.
Martin also suggests blending it with lettuce to make an instant green salad, no dressing required.
Pickled onions with habanero peppers
Martin says that these are particularly versatile.
He suggests that you try it “to top off salsas, to top off burgers, on hotdogs, and almost any kind of meat.”
Chipotle maple cream cheese
Spicy and sweet, Martin jokes that “this is the perfect marriage between Canada and Mexico.” The cream cheese can be made into a delicious frosting for cakes and cupcakes.
Chef Martin suggests using his tomatillo and avocado salsa on deep-fried tortillas (tostadas) with eggs over easy for a delicious breakfast. (Photo: La Mesita Catering)
In addition to sauces, Martin also creates weekly specials which he sells at local farmers’ markets. These have recently included tamales, ceviche, and Mayan pulled pork.
Martin encourages people to try his sauces, even if they’re not spice fans.
“Many people are afraid of Mexican food because of the spices. We have many customers that at the beginning I had to beg to try the salsas, and now they love them, and they’re loyal, and they have learned to eat a bit more spicy. People will be surprised by how much they can actually handle.”
South Pond Farms launches Full Moon Supper series with Flower Moon
South Pond Farms Full Moon Supper series allows guests to dine under the full moon. This month’s Flower Moon Supper featured Crosswind Farm’s Kenzie, a bloomy rind crottin style cheese. (Photo: Eva Fisher / kawarthaNOW)
South Pond Farms (1020 Gray Rd., Pontypool, 705-277-1649) has launched a new “Full Moon Supper” series that invites guests to dine under the full moon.
The first of the series, the Flower Moon Supper, was held on May 10th. Guests were invited to wander the farm, enjoying canapes in the herb garden, a cheese course by the goat shed, and a springy asparagus and quail egg soup by the fire.
There was also wild leek and maple smoked pork and spatzle cooked on the fire by Chef Kevin McKenna, and a rhubarb cake with cardamom chantilly cream served in the barn. The dishes were adorned with edible flowers.
Guests of the Flower Moon Supper were treated to maple wild leek pork with sumac jus, spatzle, spring onions and fresh fiddleheads. (Photo: Eva Fisher / kawarthaNOW)
Future Full Moon Supper events will include the Strawberry Moon in June, the Buck Moon in July, and the Green Corn Moon in August.
Two Peterborough men are facing numerous charges, including robbery and assault, after police responded to various incidents in the Barnardo Park area in Peterborough on Thursday night (May 11).
At around 8 p.m. on Thursday night, police received several complaints about two men in the area of Barnardo Park at Shelbourne and McLennan Streets.
Two teenagers were walking along the trail in the park when they were approached by two unknown men who asked them for money. During the incident, one of the teenagers had water thrown on his face while the other victim was struck in the face and had his backpack stolen. The victims were able to leave the area.
Shortly after this incident, a woman in her late 40s was walking her dog through Barnardo Park when she witnessed the same two males littering. When she attempted to confront the men, she was assaulted and the males threatened her dog.
Following these incidents, police received another call about two men who attempting to enter a vehicle parked in the driveway of a Shelbourne Street home.
Officers were dispatched to the area and found the two men in the driveway of a Hilliard Street residence.
As a result of the investigation, the two men were arrested on scene. During a search officers located stolen property on the co-accused, as well as illicit drugs and a large amount of cash.
Peter Michael Pople, 20, of Aylmer Street North, is charged with robbery with violence, robbery with theft, assault with a weapon, assault, possession of a schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking (cocaine), possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000, possession of proceeds of crime under $5,000, uttering threats to damage or injure animal, theft under $5,000, four counts of failing to comply with a probation, and failing to comply with a recognizance.
Corey Laine Beeke, 20, of Stewart Street, is charged with robbery with violence, robbery with theft, two counts of assault, possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000, uttering threats to damage or injure animal, theft under $5,000, obstructing a peace officer (he provided officers with false name), and three counts of failing to comply with a probation order.
The co-accused were held in custody and are scheduled to appear in court later today (May 12).
Make your summer in the Kawarthas even better by enjoying a farm-to-table meal at Elmhirst's Resort (pictured), enhancing your garden with sustainable and pesticide-free plants from The Greenhouse on the River, or building your custom dream home with help from Apsley Home Hardware Building Centre. (Photo: Justen Soule)
Are you ready for summer in the Kawarthas? Spend summer nights dancing on the boardwalk, peaceful mornings tending to and admiring garden blooms, retiring to your custom built dream home on the lake (for the same price as a house in the city). These three businesses provide inspiration to live the summer of your dreams.
All three of the businesses profiled below — Elmhirst’s Resort, The Greenhouse on the River, and Apsley Home Hardware Building Centre — are proud members of the Kawartha Chamber of Commerce & Tourism.
The chamber represents members in Curve Lake First Nation and the municipalities of Douro-Dummer, North Kawartha, Selwyn, and Trent Lakes. Visit kawarthachamber.ca for more information.
You don’t have to be staying at Elmhirst’s Resort to enjoy farm-to-table meals and live music on the boardwalk
Greg Elmhirst (right) tries out the fish fry shore lunch available with new guided fishing experiences. (Photo: Justen Soule)
The Al Black Trio playing to the crowd on the boardwalk for Tuned Up Tuesdays, a free weekly concert series. (Photo: Justen Soule)
Collecting fresh greens from Elmhirst's own garden. Elmhirst's Resort is known for fresh farm to table cuisine. (Photo: Justen Soule)
A couple enjoys Elmhirst's Resort's dining room overlooking Rice Lake. The menu emphasizes local and farm to table. (Photo: Justen Soule)
Elmhirst’s Resort, a fourth generation family-owned and operated resort on the north shore of Rice Lake (1045 Settlers Line, Keene, 705-295-4591 or 1-800-461-1940), offers plenty of options for a quick, stress busting getaway close to home. With 30 cottages, 85 bedrooms, a full-service spa, a working farm, and a boardwalk music venue, Elmhirst’s Resort is a great Kawarthas destination easily accessible from the GTA.
Brunches, farm to table cuisine, and a legendary wine cellar
From farm to table cuisine to a wine cellar stocked with exclusively Canadian vintages, Elmhirst’s Resort is a culinary destination known for local food. General Manager Greg Elmhirst explains that “it tends to be better and fresher food, it has a lower carbon footprint, and it sustains people and businesses in our own community.”
Since the summer of 1981, they have served their popular Sunday brunch, which has become a local institution. Greg notes that “it has evolved a lot over time.”
The brunch menu reads like a local foodie’s fantasy. They offer a comprehensive buffet, with fresh salads, farm raised beef, a carving station that rotates weekly, and a variety of hot foods and specials. There’s homemade soup, made to order omelettes and crepes, a fish and seafood table, freshly baked bread, homemade desserts and fresh donuts.
Greg says that the donuts have created a stir on social media.
“The donuts tend to be one of the food items that end up on Instagram the most often from guests that visit our brunch.”
Elmhirst’s also offers a Monday lunch, originally envisioned for seniors, known as Lakeside Lunches.
“We wanted to provide affordable lunches and pleasant restaurant experiences for seniors,” says Greg, but he quickly found that it had a broader audience than he had anticipated. “It was a hit right away, and people who weren’t seniors began to call and say I know it’s a seniors’ lunch, but can I come too?”
The lunches are offered every Monday from the first weekend after Easter and continuing until Thanksgiving Monday. They start at 12 p.m.
Tuesday evening music on the boardwalk overlooking Rice Lake
Elmhirst’s Resort is also a great place to catch live music. Every Tuesday night musicians perform on their scenic boardwalk for Tuned Up Tuesdays. The free musical evenings begin on June 6th this year and last throughout the summer.
Elmhirst’s has become known as a place to see a high calibre of musicians. The first act ever to perform was Peterborough’s own Mayhemingways, who recently performed at Massey Hall as part of their cross-Canada tour with Joel and Bill Plaskett.
Greg notes that Tuesday nights have become popular with the local community.
“The boardwalk is a place where resort guests and community members can mingle.”
You can order food and beverages to enjoy while watching the entertainment.
Relaxing and exciting weekend retreats
For those looking to get away for a little longer, Elmhirst’s Resort offers kiteboarding weekends, yoga retreats, and weekends planned specifically for women’s getaways.
Recently they offered a Wine Women and Canvas weekend. Guests were treated to wine sampling with a local wine consultant and a painting lesson with artist Paul Teleki and the Land Canadian Adventures.
For more weekend adventures, you can visit Elmhirst’s packages page on their website.
The Greenhouse on the River grows plants the green way
The Greenhouse on the River offers a vibrant selection of annuals, perennials and planters. (Photo: The Greenhouse on the River)
The greenhouse offers a variety of beautiful and unusual succulents alone and in pleasing planters. (Photo: The Greenhouse on the River)
Hanging baskets are a specialty with options in a variety of colours for sun and shade. (Photo: The Greenhouse on the River)
Elyn and Peter Green have owned and operated The Greenhouse on the River since 1989. (Photo: The Greenhouse on the River
Tucked in steps away from the Otonabee River, The Greenhouse on the River sells a variety of annuals, perennials, succulents, tropicals, shrubs and trees nurtured on site. Owners Peter Green and Elyn Saar-Green have created a greenhouse space that fosters healthy and beautiful plants, baskets and containers with an emphasis on sustainability.
The variety of plants offered at The Greenhouse on the River is inspiring. Bright Gerber Daisies thrive atop a backdrop of lush tropicals. Hardy perennials brave the spring weather while inside the greenhouse unusual succulents like lithops, which look like living stones, thrive.
A Lakehead graduate with a BscH in Forestry, Peter’s background in biological science helps him to optimally manage the greenhouse. Elyn says that Peter keeps a close eye on the health of the plants, leading to a variety of different fertilizer applications throughout the season.
A planter for every space
The Greenhouse on the River has a vibrant and well thought out selection of planters. Peter says that the diverse selection of planters allows him to find something to suit almost every porch or patio.
“If you have a unique situation, we’re going to have an answer for you in terms of appearance, colour, and your sun or shade requirements. The variety allows people to find something that appeals to them.”
Eco friendly practices and safe pest management
Peter and Elyn have adopted many eco-friendly practices to keep their greenhouse running efficiently and sustainably. They collect rainwater for irrigation, which Peter says is also a better quality of water for the plants. They have energy curtains, a retractable layer of insulation that keeps the heat in the greenhouse, allowing them to use less energy to heat. They use cardboard trays instead of plastic, and they take back and reuse pots and containers from previous years.
They also use beneficial insects to control pests instead of insecticides. Peter says that the benefits of integrated pest management (IPM) outweigh its higher cost.
“It costs us a lot more than running around spraying insecticides, but it’s better for us, it’s better for the environment, it’s better for me who applies it, and it’s better for our staff and our customers.”
The Greenhouse on the River is proudly neonicotinoid free.
The art of the plant
The Greenhouse on the River also supports the local arts community. They were an exhibit location for the SPARK Photo Festival, and they currently display sculpture by Chaka Chikodzi.
The Greenhouse on the River is a grower garden centre created out of a passion for plant quality, refreshing choice, and innovative design. Elyn says that when it comes right down to it, Peter and she have created their business based on one basic principle.
“Our love of plants drives who we are and what we do. Always.”
They are open this year until December 6th. Business hours change throughout the season, so check here for hours.
Anyone can design their own home with Apsley Home Hardware Building Centre
Beaver Homes and Cottages offers design options like The Cariboo, with plenty of outdoor deck space for those who would rather be on the patio. (Image: Beaver Homes and Cottages)
Beaver Homes and Cottages floor plans are fully customizable. Anything can be altered to suit the client's preferences, including materials used. (Image: Beaver Homes and Cottages)
Now is a great time to build. With plenty of beautiful and affordable lots on the market, you can build your dream home on budget. (Photo: Apsley Home Hardware Building Centre)
Building Consultant Adam Dragisic will support your build from beginning to end, ensuring it stays on budget and according to plan. (Photo: Apsley Home Hardware Building Centre)
Have you ever dreamed of designing your own home or cottage?
Apsley Home Hardware Building Centre (18 Tucker St., Apsley, 705-656-4295 or 1-877-455-0707) offers everything you need to create the home that you’ve been imagining, even if you’ve never even built a shed before. With their Beaver Homes and Cottages Program, you can build the home of your dreams.
Beaver Homes and Cottages offers limitless design options
The Beaver Homes and Cottages program allows you to choose from hundreds of home and cottage designs. Communications Manager Amber Dunford explains.
“You can essentially pick a model based on what you want to do, whether you want to build a home or cottage or maybe a garage with an apartment over top. Your local store will put together an entire package of materials for you.”
The store won’t just sell you the materials, they will be there to make sure the build proceeds as planned. Amber says that they are involved in the process from start to finish.
“You’re in control of your build, but you have a consultant working with you the whole time making sure that everything goes smoothly, making sure that you stay on budget, and making sure that everything is done exactly how you want it.”
Building your home from scratch
When designing your home or cottage you don’t have to stick with what’s available on the Beaver Homes and Cottages website. Amber says that all designs are fully customizable.
“Literally any change that you can dream of can be made.”
That includes building a home from scratch.
“Let’s say you have a vision of a home and you haven’t been able to find anything like it, but you know what you want. Our design consultant will sit down with you and draw up a sketch. If you like what you see, you can go forward to the blueprint stage.”
All materials are also fully customizable. That means you can upgrade to premium insulation, add a steel roof or even install solar panels. It’s your home to design as you see fit.
A space that is all yours
Amber says that designing your own home allows you to create a space that’s entirely yours.
“I think nowadays a lot of people want to have their own personality in their home.”
It’s also an economical option, especially in cottage country.
“There’s so much vacant land available, people are building because they have the freedom to build. In a rural area such as ours, for the price of a home in the city you can buy a piece of land and build your own brand new custom home.”
You can visit the Beaver Homes and Cottages website to see the many houses available. Amber says that once you start looking, it can be addictive.
“I’ve now designed so many of my own houses at home just for fun.”
Apsley Home Hardware Building Centre is a family-owned and operated business and is proud to be among one of over a thousand independent Home locations across Canada.
“Home Hardware is not a franchise as a lot of people believe,” says Amber. “Our independent ownership allows us to have some freedom and create a special niche to better serve the needs of our customers.”
In addition to the Beaver Homes and Cottages Program, Apsley Home Hardware Building Centre features hardware, home expressions, housewares, a seasonal garden centre, and an outdoor power equipment shop with rentals. They are are Certified STIHL, Husqvarna, and Honda dealers, and they offer a wide selection of lumber including premium western red cedar, pine, spruce, and Micro Pro Sienna pressure-treated lumber.
You can visit Apsley Home Hardware Building Centre on their website at apsleyhhbc.ca or on Facebook. You can also visit their Beaver Homes and Cottages Facebook page to get inspired to build your dream home.
You can also contact Beaver Homes and Cottages Building Consultant Adam Dragisic directly at 289-925-2226 or by email at adam@apsleyhhbc.ca.
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