"The Messenger" documents the human impact on songbirds, including their most common cause of death in urban areas: severe head trauma from hitting the glass windows of high-rise structures. Michael Mesure, founder and executive director of the Fatal Light Awareness Program, will be attending the Lindsay screening on October 1 along with the film's director Su Rynard.
Everyone knows the saying “canary in a coal mine”, which is actually based on historical fact. Well into the 20th century, miners took canaries into coal mines as a way to detect toxic gases like carbon monoxide. If the canaries became sick or died, it was an early warning to the miners to leave the mine or to take protective action.
The 2015 documentary The Messenger — which screens at 2 p.m. on Sunday, October 2, 2016 at the Glen Crombie Theatre at Fleming College’s Frost Campus (200 Albert St. S., Lindsay) — takes the idea to the global scale.
The film chronicles the struggle of songbirds worldwide to survive in turbulent conditions brought about by humans, and argues that the decline of songbirds could signal the crash of the global ecosystem — similar to the disappearance of honey bees and the melting of the glaciers.
The October 2 screening of “The Messenger” is a a fundraiser for a migratory bird monitoring project in the constructed wetland being developed at the Frost campus this fall
The Messenger screened earlier this year at the ReFrame Film Festival in Peterborough, but the October 2nd screening in Lindsay is special for several reasons.
Fleming College graduate Joshua See — who was in the first cohort of students to graduate from Fleming College’s Environmental Visual Communications Post Graduate Certificate in 2012 — collaborated closely with the film’s director Su Rynard.
Rynard will also be on hand following the screening for a discussion session, along with Michael Mesure, founder and executive director of the Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP), a non-profit organization committed to dealing with the issue of migratory birds dying from collisions with buildings (which the documentary also examines).
Finally, the screening is a fundraiser for a migratory bird monitoring project in the constructed wetland being developed at the Frost campus this fall. The wetland construction is being funded by Mason Homes to offset the loss of wetlands with ongoing development of their property at Highway 35 and Colborne St. The new wetland will not only provide much needed wildlife habitat but also provide Fleming students, from earth movers to environmental technicians, a vital hands-on learning experience.
There will also be an opportunity to view the new wetland, just south of the Trans Canada Trail.
Admission to The Messenger is by donation (a $5 minimum being suggested), with all proceeds going towards the migratory bird monitoring project.
The City of Kawartha Lakes Environmental Advisory Committee is presenting the screening of The Messenger in partnership with Fleming College. The Environmental Advisory Committee is committed to making public education opportunities available for the protection, conservation, and enhancement of the natural world in the City of Kawartha Lakes.
Some of the butter tarts entered in the 4th annual Butter Tart Taste-Off, hosted by Kawarthas Northumberland Butter Tart Tour in Peterborough on September 24 (photo: Kawarthas Butter Tart Tour / Facebook)
On Saturday (September 24), the Kawarthas Northumberland Butter Tart Tour hosted the 4th Annual Butter Tart Taste-Off at the Peterborough Farmer’s Market in the Morrow Building.
“We were delighted with the turn-out at this year’s Butter Tart Taste-Off”, says Brenda Wood, Kawarthas Northumberland Butter Tart Tour Executive Director. “It was a perfect autumn day, with so many of our Butter Tart Tour partners coming out to showcase their locally produced butter tarts. It’s a real testament to how much Canadians love their butter tarts!”
Winners were selected in each of five categories: Best Overall Plain Butter Tart, Best Alternative Tart, Best Gluten-Free Tart, Best Locally Sourced Tart, and People’s Choice (photo: Kawarthas Butter Tart Tour / Facebook)
Nineteen bakeries entered butter tarts of all flavours in the competition. Here are the winners in each of the five categories:
Best Overall Plain Butter Tart
1. Doo Doo’s Bakery, Bailieboro
2. Black Honey Dessert & Coffeehouse, Peterborough
3. Burnham Family Farm Market, Cobourg
Best Alternative Tart
1. Buns & Sweets, Bridgenorth – Pecan Butter Tart
2. Doo Doo’s Bakery, Bailieboro – Pumpkin Cheesecake Butter Tart
3. Kawartha Shortbread, Fenelon Falls – Coconut Butter Tart
Best Gluten-Free Tart
1. Doo Doo’s Bakery, Bailieboro
2. Black Honey Dessert & Coffeehouse, Peterborough
3. Black Honey Dessert & Coffeehouse, Peterborough
Best Locally Sourced Tart*
1. Kawartha Shortbread, Fenelon Falls – Maple Pecan Butter Tart
2. Whistle Stop Café, Peterborough – Blueberry Butter Tart
3. Doo Doo’s Bakery, Bailieboro – Apple Crumble Butter Tart
* must include ingredients local to the Kawarthas Northumberland region
Kawartha Shortbread of Feneon Falls took first place in the Best Locally Sourced Tart category and third place in the Best Alternative Tart category (photo: Kawarthas Shortbread / Facebook)
The Butter Tart Taste-Off competition was hosted by the Kawarthas Northumberland Butter Tart Tour, Ontario’s largest food tour dedicated to butter tarts with over 50 bakeries, restaurants, and cafes located across the Kawarthas and Northumberland County. The tour operates year-round and is self-guided, allowing visitors to explore the offerings at their own pace.
Bakeries at the Taste-Off could compete in up to five different categories of butter tarts. Judges for the event included local media personalities, politicians, Food Network Canada chef David Adjey, along with four community judges chosen randomly from a contest on the Butter Tart Tour social media pages.
Attendance at this year’s Taste-Off was double the previous year according to organizers and the participating bakeries — all locally owned small businesses — quickly sold all of their butter tarts.
Attendance at this year’s Taste Off was double the previous year and participating bakeries quickly sold out of their product (photo: Kawarthas Butter Tart Tour / Facebook)
For more information about the the Kawarthas Northumberland Butter Tart Tour, visit www.buttertarttour.ca.
Lett Architects is renovating 138 Simcoe Street in downtown Peterborough with plans to move in early 2017 (photo: Peterborough DBIA / Facebook)
Lett Architects moving
Congratulations to Lett Architects on their upcoming move.
Lett purchased the building at 138 Simcoe Street in downtown Peterborough, next to the Bank of Montreal, and are busy renovating the entire building to make room for the growing firm.
Bill Lett plans to gut the building and transform it into an inspiring space, using local trades for all of the construction.
Lett Architects is currently located on King Street. The new space will be triple the size of their current location. Watch for an opening early in the new year.
Catalina’s Salon has opened a second location, a vintage store, on Water Street in downtown Peterborough (photo: Catalina’s)
Catalina’s Salon has opened a second location, a vintage store, on Water Street in downtown Peterborough (photo: Catalina’s)
Catalina’s has opened a second location, a vintage store on 383 Water Street in downtown Peterborough called Catalina’s on Water.
Catalina’s Salon on 131 Hunter Street West is described as a “smorgasbord of awesome.” Purveyors of fun/funky vintage items with a fully licensed bar, they have now captured all of that cool in the vintage store in the former Dixon’s Book Store on Water Street, where you’ll find furniture, fashion and retro home décor.
Sharps Performance skate sharpening and hockey shop opens
Sharps Performance is a skate sharpening and hockey pro shop located at 675 the Queensway in Peterborough (photo: Sharps Performance / Facebook)
Sharps Performance is a skate sharpening and hockey pro shop located at 675 the Queensway in Peterborough (photo: Sharps Performance / Facebook)
Sharps Performance is a skate sharpening and hockey pro shop, recently opened at 675 the Queensway.
Owners Jeff Drimmie and Bond Bjorgan have equipped the store with two Blademaster profiling machines, which can handle regular, flat bottom, contouring, custom, blade replacement and holder replacement.
Plus, they offer a pick-up and drop off service for local teams.
Open Monday to Friday from 3 to 9 p.m., stop in or call 705-741-3343, or find them on Facebook.
Kawartha Dairy expanding in Bobcaygeon
Kawartha Dairy is expanding with a new freezer and cooler storage facility in Bobcaygeon (photo: Kawartha Dairy / Facebook)
Kawartha Dairy is expanding with a new freezer and cooler storage facility in Bobcaygeon (photo: Kawartha Dairy / Facebook)
Kawartha Dairy, which was founded in 1937 and has grown rapidly recently, is expanding with a new 3941 square metre freezer and cooler storage facility in Bobcaygeon.
The project is being led by Dick Crawford of Crawford Building Consultants.
Crawford has international experience as a project manager for the construction of pharmaceutical, food service plants, and industrial buildings.
A love letter to the supernatural classics of the '80s, the wildly popular Netflix original series Stranger Things tells the story of a young boy who vanishes into thin air (photo: Netflix)
Nostalgia is overwhelmingly trendy in pop media at the moment. Is it that many consumers are reaching a certain age where they pine for their glory years, or is it genuinely harder to access contemporary products of any actual quality?
Well, frankly both. As we all have to face the fact that 1990 was almost 30 years ago, we can all find a safe space in the cushy glory of Netflix.
Here are some of the inescapable streaming site’s best offerings. Happy watching!
Danny Boyle’s kinetic vision of disenfranchised Scottish youth has lost none of its authentic cool in the subsequent 20 years since its release.
Unlike so many of its ’90s counterparts celebrating their China anniversaries (think Hackers), Trainspotting remains remarkably fresh and fortunately encapsulates many of the era’s defining attributes: ID-certified heroin chic, frenetic editing, and what is truly the staple of any self-respecting counter-culture youth film: a propulsive hit-laden soundtrack.
Even when he’s losing control of his bowels in exaggeratedly grimy slums, Ewan McGregor’s star has never shone brighter. So much more than mere nostalgia.
2. Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion
On the other hand, sometimes we crave things purely for their evocation of a specific time and place. If, like me, you hold some of the more deliberately tacky elements of the ’90s in very high esteem, then Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion will be an abject paradise for you.
The film’s sharp yet affectionate humour possesses all the appeal of the golden era of The Simpsons — director David Mirkin wrote and produced many episodes of the once-great series.
Mira Sorvino and the great Lisa Kudrow play two washed-up valley girls who concoct an elaborate lie to impress their former peers at their impending 10-year high school reunion. Beneath the bubblegum veneer lies a surprisingly astute portrayal of societal expectations and the failure to meet them, but the charisma of its two extremely likeable stars keep the situational comedy increasingly absurd and the laughs at a rapid fire pace.
Janeane Garofalo cemented her cynic icon status as Heather Mooney, the deeply sarcastic inventor of a cigarette women can smoke in one drag. You may never look at Post Its the same way again.
3. Stranger Things
I couldn’t concoct a Netflix list without including the most popular show in the world now, could I? Thankfully, it is a nearly flawless piece of entertainment.
Appealing to the inner child’s sense of wonder and discovery, Stranger Things achieves the vintage vibe of hallowed ’80s franchises that so many endeavours strive for yet fail to capture. Envision The Goonies if was written by Stephen King and directed by John Carpenter.
But there is much more to this spellbinding yarn than precocious tots and things that go bump in the night. The most justly celebrated aspect of the series is the long-awaited commercial resurgence of Winona Ryder. The coquette goddess of the ’90s has endured a ropey decade of lifetime roles and bargain-bin dreck.
Now, in a culture of looking back, Ryder’s great body of work can be introduced to a new audience and those who grew up idolizing her (myself included) can look to the future with the gamine girl now a mature woman. As film mercilessly grinds through youth, television continues to be a lottery for actresses of a certain age.
And here we have the central theme of a great show: the specific and unbreakable bond between mother and son. Bonus points go to the excellent synth score.
4. 45 Years
Europe, however, continues to afford mature actors much more generous scripts to showcase a lifetime’s worth of honed craft. Andrew Haigh’s sophomore effort 45 Years is a glittering showcase for the great Charlotte Rampling.
Haigh’s supremely intelligent adaptation of David Constantine’s short story “In Another Country” depicts the saga of Kate and Geoff Mercer (Rampling and Tom Courtenay). The retired couple’s simple, bucolic existence is thrown into chaos when the corpse of Geoff’s ex-lover is finally discovered in an iceberg. The potentially sensationalist subject is exceptionally well-observed and allows its two venerable stars a huge space to deliver a masterclass in chemistry and charm.
A fascinating exploration of what it means to really love and commit to someone. Rampling received her first and probably only Academy Award nomination for her role.
5. Volver
With cinemas rapidly declining, international art house narratives achieving mainstream crossover success are an increasingly rare breed. Though, somewhat ironically, these exotic yet utterly digestible pleasures are granted a second life on streaming sites.
Sensualist supreme and keen social commentator Pedro Almodovar’s most accessible — and arguably best — film Volver is required viewing for anyone with even a passing interest in film. The Spanish auteur’s main muse Penelope Cruz is perpetually wasted in American films and cosmetic campaigns, but in her native Spain she is allotted considerably more substantial characters. Here, her tempestuous Raimunda towers over any onscreen matriarch in recent memory.
Simultaneously hilarious, spooky, and life-affirming, it is genuinely unclassifiable. In my top five films of all time.
6. The Others
The Sixth Sense may have turned the tide in horror towards the de rigeur shock/twist ending, but M. Night Shamalammadingdong’s one trick was perfected by Alejandro Amenabar’s unlikely blockbuster hit, The Others.
Equal parts nursery rhyme and Turn of the Screw, the film relies on the power of suggestion and a meticulous sense of dread to ensure that its eventual jump-scares are satisfyingly earned. This elegant ghost story’s dreamy aesthetic owes largely to Amenabar’s native Madrid standing in for the post-WW2 English countryside.
As star turns go, Nicole Kidman has arguably never been better. Kidman is never acknowledged for her terrific range and here she slyly feeds into this publicly projected ice queen status. Prophetically channelling the Edith Head heyday of Grace Kelly imbued with the barely repressed hysteria of Deborah Kerr, it is clearly evident why Kidman owned Hollywood at the turn of the millennium.
Smart and scary.
7. The Master
Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master may be set in the ’50s, but it is the kind of observational dissection that could only be made upon decades of distance from the subject at hand. That subject being more so a critique of the post-war decade itself than the red herring angle of Scientology that was highly publicized during the film’s somewhat hopeless marketing campaign.
Hopeless in the sense that no mere poster or trailer could possibly convey the layers of mystery enveloping The Master‘s dark heart: a spiralling saga of two duelling archetypes rather than straight-ahead characters. In his last great role, Philip Seymour Hoffman portrays the titular figure of power; a icon for the culture of industry and capitalism as represented by debatably sinister behemoths like Orson Welles and L. Ron Hubbard.
Joaquin Phoenix’s unhinged everyman evokes the great larger-than-life alcoholism of Montgomery Clift. His PTSD strangely in sync and the emerging on-the-road counter culture mentality. And Amy Adams as the Lady Macbeth Svengali behind the entire operation.
This is about as odd as Hollywood gets and is indisputably one of the great films of the decade.
8. The Wolf of Wall Street
Marty and Leo have had a checkered collaborative partnership. From the great (Gangs of New York) to the decidedly mediocre (Shutter Island), the two have continued to keep each other’s careers afloat.
Scorsese’s best work may be behind him and DiCaprio’s Oscar eluded him for years (for good reason), but they can still help the other hone their skills. Like Goodfellas and Casino before it, The Wolf of Wall Street sees Scorsese once again mining his best subjects: power, corruption, and downfall. The excess of the ultra-materialistic ’80s feels depressingly prescient to current sensibilities. Indeed, that incarnation of the true American Dream is one we have yet to wake up from.
It is strangely gratifying watching Leo play such a total a-hole. Margot Robbie impresses as the ultimate self-aware trophy wife who wields her perfect body like a weapon. This obviously feminist angle in a overtly masculine film went completely over the head of many viewers, who viewed the film’s generally hideous treatment of women as misogynistic.
Well, of course it is. That is clearly the point. But it is crucial to remember in today’s increasingly totalitarian climate towards media that the depiction of unsavoury activity is not an endorsement of it.
"Show", a short experimental film by local filmmakers Mary Holley and Michael Morritt shot at Showplace Performance Centre, was screened recently at the Canada-China International Film Festival where it was nominated for Best Short Film. Two screenings of the film will take place at Galaxy Cinemas in downtown Peterborough on September 26 and 28 as part of Artsweek (supplied photos)
As Michael Morritt clearly recalls some two years later, it was an eureka moment.
“I had never heard of an idea like what she proposed,” recalls the longtime Peterborough-based filmmaker of his initial meeting with Mary Holley at the Silver Bean Café.
“She proposed a project that was going to be a challenge to me as well as to her, and that seemed like a really fruitful endeavour.”
Holleyfilms presents Show
When: Monday, September 26 at 5 p.m. and Wednesday, September 28 at 7 p.m. Where: Galaxy Cinemas (320 Water St., Peterborough) How much: free
A film by Mary L. Holley and Michael Morritt. Original concept: Mary L Holley. Director: Mary L. Holley. Director of Photography: Michael Morritt. Cinematographer: Andy Guthrie. Sound Recordist: Alex Unger. Surround Sound Mixer: Alan Tully. Cast: Derek Bell, Ryan Cartwright, Linda Driscoll, Kenn Gibb, Briagh Hoskins-Hasbury, Di Latchford, Sarah McNeilly, Susan Newman, Katie O’Rourke, Kate Story, Mathew Vandenbosch, and Hilary Wear.
Fruitful indeed.
Their locally produced short experimental film Show — the tangible result of that initial meeting and their eventual collaboration as filmmakers — premiered at the Canada-China International Film Festival staged September 16 to 19 in Montreal.
While a private screening was held this past Thursday (September 22) for cast members and their guests, local film aficionados will also have the opportunity to enjoy the film during Artsweek — with two free-admission screenings scheduled on Monday, September 26 at 5 p.m. and Wednesday, September 28 at 7 p.m. Both screenings take place at Galaxy Cinemas (320 Water Street, Peterborough, 705-749-2000).
The 10-minute film, the result of multiple takes shot in a single day in March 2015 at Showplace Performance Centre in Peterborough is, according to Holley, “an immersive experience.”
The film explores the minutes before the screening of a film at a film festival through the eyes and ears of an audience member. It is, she says, “a moment in time captured” that sees film intersect with theatre.
“Show explores the seemingly simple concept of performance in everyday life,” Holley writes in the director’s statement she prepared for the Montreal premiere of the film. “How the ritual of a film or play results in an unintended performance, commencing the moment audience members enter the theatre space, attempt to take their seats under the dim lights and are themselves transformed into actors.”
Filmmaker Mary Holley came up with the original concept and directed the film (supplied photo)
A native of Ottawa who studied art history, film, and theatre while working in the health care field, Holley explains that it was while attending a screening at TIFF Lightbox in Toronto that “a clear vision” for this project came into focus.
“That was when the absolute moment of knowing I wanted to do this film happened,” she says, noting audience members arriving for the screening caught her rapt attention and kept it. That set the stage for that initial meeting with Morritt.
“I needed somebody with really advanced technical skills,” she says.
On Morritt’s part, Holley’s proposal provided the opportunity to mentor a first-time filmmaker — something he’s made it a practice of doing. Having just finished working with Jessie Pilgrim on the film Shakeup, the timing was perfect to absorb Holley’s vision and, with her, make it a cinematic reality.
“She wanted some advice on how to proceed with producing it, not really knowing that I might be looking for someone new to mentor,” recalls Morritt.
“The project took a long time to get off the ground. That was because of the need to find favours, to get things going in an affordable manner. Our collaboration wasn’t necessarily a contract or anything. It was ‘Let’s get together and see if we can make this happen.'”
Michael Morritt, a filmmaker who also runs White Bulb Animation Studio, supplied the technical skills that helped Holley turn her concept into reality (supplied photo)
That’s exactly what the pair proceeded to do, enlisting production team members as well as number of local theatre actors. Rehearsals followed as well as careful detailing of challenging technical processes.
“We worked for a year in advance to make sure everyone was ready to do their job on the day of the shoot,” says Morritt.
“The crew had never done anything like this before. To have 12 microphones all patching to individual inputs is very weird. The day of the shooting was the proving day. Everything could have failed. In hindsight, it was probably more likely than not that it wouldn’t materialize — but it did.”
Holley is equally in awe of how well the shoot went.
“I’m monitoring everything on camera and all the audio and Michael is the cameraman using quite an apparatus that mimics eye movements,” she says.
“We did a dry run first and it was good. We did a total of 10 takes and, every second, I was doing the pacing and everything from upstairs. We had some solid takes but the eighth take was magical.”
The cast of “Show” as seen from the stage at Showplace Performance Centre in Peterborough, where the film was shot in a single day (photo courtesy of Michael Morritt)
The post-production process, notes Merritt, was even more of a challenge.
“From our preferred take we took all 12 audio recordings and sent them to a friend of mine in Ireland (Alan Tully) who’s an audio engineer and cinematographer,” explains Morritt.
“He did the surround sound mix. This film is nothing without the surround sound mix because the whole point is you are a person in a theatre and, when that camera turns your head, the audio needs to rotate around the camera.”
“If you can imagine, you’re sitting in the middle of a cinema experiencing what it’s like to sit in a crowd of people, so when that camera rotates, the audio field has to rotate around you as well. That’s only achievable in a surround sound environment.”
Depending on where one sits in the theatre, the dialogue between actors is heard much differently. Snippets of conversation not heard from one vantage point are heard crystal clear from another.
The film finished, Holley dipped her toe in the festival screening waters. She heard back from the Canada-China International Film Festival that Show was one of 150 films selected from thousands of entries for the debut event.
“Then, in August, I got this beautiful message saying the film had been nominated for an award (in the Best Short Film category),” adds Holley.
As of this writing, the award recipients haven’t been announced. Meanwhile, Holley is waiting to hear back from a few other festivals she applied to.
“To see your film on the big screen, that is really something on its own,” enthuses Holley.
“It’s a non-linear narrative but the stories are there. You have to listen. When Show was chosen and then put in the short film section in Montreal, it was chosen because of the different interpretations. It was also chosen because it pushed the boundaries of sound and using sound in a more original way.”
For his part, Morritt describes Show as “an unconventional short film.”
“We’re waiting to see the audience reaction. We have no clue what people will say.” The film will have two free screenings at Galaxy Cinemas in downtown Peterborough on Monday, September 26 at 5 p.m. and Wednesday, September 28 at 7 p.m.
“The story is the story of the theatre itself as a character,” he says. “What we’re doing is creating an experience that hopefully isn’t too short and hopefully isn’t too long. It’s in part an installation work as well as a film because, without the audience playing the part of observer, the film doesn’t exist. The story is almost made up in part by the experience of the audience member who’s watching. It’s less about a story. What we’re saying here is life is a cacophony of stories and you can’t experience them all at once.”
Morritt expects some people won’t understand the film.
“They will arrive hoping for a narrative-based film and they’ll wonder why they didn’t get that,” he admits. “But that’s also part of the experience.”
Besides the obvious appeal and subsequent satisfaction of producing a truly unique film, both technically and conceptually, Morritt is grateful to have worked with “some of the best people I’ve ever had the fortune of working with all in one place.”
“All were willing to come along on his crazy journey with us and create this hodgepodge of a story. It means a lot to be able to show our creation to the Peterborough community. We’re overwhelmed by the generosity of the organizations that have rallied behind this project.”
“We’re waiting to see the audience reaction. We have no clue what people will say. In Montreal, it sounds like it was very well received. In Peterborough, it might have a completely different reception.”
“It’s an experimental film. If you’re interested in a change to the art form, if you’re interested in seeing a new approach to the medium, this is an opportunity.”
Holley is equally anxious to garner feedback from the Artsweek screenings.
“My hope is to provoke some type of thought on what our everyday life really is and how much performance there is in our everyday life,” she says.
“Everyday performance can be anywhere. People do act differently when they’re in a different situation. What I’m trying to capture is the real essence of the ritual of theatre-going.”
Looking ahead, Holley and Morritt are collaborating on another project. A documentary, the hope is it will be completed come February 2017.
“She proposed a second project that I found equally enticing,” Morritt says. “We are most of the way through the production of that project. It feels kind of effortless; we work well together.”
“I’m so lucky that I wonder when the other shoe is going to drop,” he adds. “I get to do what I love all day long and I am so grateful. I run an animation company (White Bulb Animation Studio) that employs wonderful human beings. We work on great projects. We only work with organizations that try to better humankind. How can any of that be bad?”
Holley is in an equally good place.
“I have been here over a decade but you still don’t meet people in the community. That’s where Michael was absolutely pivotal. I have now met veteran actors and sound engineers and filmmakers. It was magical working with these actors. I wish the shoot had been longer.”
Peterborough's Linda Kash, whose mother was the renowned opera singer Maureen Forrester, exercises her own vocal talents in the new one-woman musical You Are Here, running until October 16 at Gananoque's Springer Theatre
While it’s prudent to be careful what you wish for, Linda Kash is here to tell us it’s good manners to be thankful when your wish comes true.
“Around my birthday (January 17), I made a wish that I’d really like to use my singing voice before it dries up,” recalls the longtime actress and improv comedy performer.
“I did sing a little bit with Second City and did a little bit of musical theatre stuff but not very much. Lo and behold, not a month later, I got an offer to audition for this one-woman show that’s a musical.”
So it is when the curtain rises today (September 23) for the world premiere of You Are Here: A New Musical at Gananoque’s Springer Theatre, the Peterborough resident will be front and centre, her wish fully realized and then some.
You are Here, produced in association with Toronto’s Acting Up Stage Company, will also run at Toronto’s Berkeley Street Theatre in spring 2017
“They said, ‘We really would love you do to this but there’s a lot of music. It’s very challenging and we’re not sure your voice can sustain the show,” says Kash.
“I felt the same but I thought, ‘Man, I want to do this show so badly.’ I worked with Elaine Overholt, the singing teacher for people like Richard Gere in (the film musical) Chicago; people who are not singers but actors. Then they got me involved with Marie Barron, who used to be the singing teacher at Sheridan College. She basically taught me how to sing properly, which was weird because I thought I knew how to sing.”
“There are little tricks technically — your mouth structure, how you’re standing and how you’re breathing — that really make a big difference. I ain’t no Maria Callas but I can certainly sing this show.”
Based on the book by Brian Hill with music and lyrics by Neil Bartram, and produced in association with Toronto’s Acting Up Stage Company, You Are Here follows an ordinary housewife who, on the night of the first moon landing on July 20, 1969, walks out on her husband and embarks on what Kash describes as “a middle-aged love adventure. He (her husband) represents a life of safety and complacency. She walks out her door and decides she’s going to mix it up a bit.”
In other words, like Neil Armstrong, she takes a huge step that she hopes will be life-changing.
Kash is a veteran actor; here she appears with Eugene Levy in a scene from the 1996 film Waiting for Guffman
“They (Hill and Bartram) are heavyweights. I knew I was in good hands; I knew I would never have to Band-Aid anything,” says Kash.
“Memorizing 71 pages is no easy feat but when the writing is great, it’s not hard. Robert McQueen is also a heavyweight director and is a big part of why this works.”
Kash also has high praise for pianist David Terriault, who leads a quintet that backs Kash’s singing voice.
“He is a frigging prodigy,” she says of the 24-year-old musician.
“This is really Kilamanjaro for me. It’s really nice at my age to have a challenge like this. You get to a certain point where you either take it easy or you keep going. I’ve been through a lot in my life. I’ve learned a lot of lessons from loss in my life. I think you reach a crossroads where ‘OK, I’m going to live safely and not going to make any waves’ or ‘Screw this, I’m going to have a very, very interesting and challenging life for myself and my children.’ I would like to be a model for my children; to be brave and take on challenges like this.”
Born in Montreal, the daughter of renowned opera singer Maureen Forrester and violinist/conductor Eugene Kash, the 55 year old has never shied away from a challenge with numerous television and film roles dotting her resumé. Many still remember her fondly for her television commercial role as the Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese Angel. And many, both near to her and distant, mourned with her when her husband Paul O’Sullivan died suddenly in May 2012.
Kash is perhaps best known for her role as the Philadelphia Cream Cheese Angel in a series of commercials in the early 2000s
“I hear Paul every single day; people that are important in your life don’t go away,” says Kash.
“I am in good company in that theatre with my mom, my dad, my Paul … I’ve got a lot of good spirits around me. I’m not doing it for them but I feel they would be very proud. Paul was a huge influence on my comedy. I can feel some of his choices in my performance. He’s ever present as are all the people that mean the world to me.”
As she prepares for the premiere of You Are Here, Kash knows the spotlight will be on her and, in particular, her singing. But with 30 years of live performance to her credit, she’s well past having any jitters.
“The thing about being my age, and the thing about having gone through some pretty horrendous stuff, is you put in perspective what real fear, and what real anxiety, is,” she says.
“There’s this door and if I open it, I could get really scared and I could talk myself out of it but I’m not opening that door. You’ve got to be this tall to ride this ride. This is excitement. I want this to go well and I want to tell the story and I want to enjoy myself.”
In the Seinfeld episode The Lip Reader, Kash performed as George’s ex-girlfriend Gwen (here she reacts after George uses a lip reader to find out what she was saying from across the room)
With You Are Here being staged until October 16, Kash says the Springer Theatre “is a great place to figure this out … it’s a very supportive community; it’s really nice to stage it regionally where I feel the audience is there for all the right reasons.”
In spring 2017, the musical will commence a run at Toronto’s Berkeley Street Theatre.
But be it in Gananoque or Toronto, Kash wants audiences to come away satisfied.
“I want them to say they heard a fantastic story and were inspired by the courage of the main character. I don’t really want them to come and say ‘Wow, look at how many characters you did.’ I know that I’m doing a bit of a circus act and I think that’s kind of interesting but I don’t want that to be the thing they leave with. If they say ‘I forgot that it was one person,’ that would be the best compliment. Then I know I did it.”
Kash recently directed a season of Love It or List It Vacation Homes, a spin-off of the popular real estate reality show on the W Network (photo: Linda Kash)
Beyond this venture, Kash is far from idle. She recently returned from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where, with her close friend and improv comedy star Colin Mochrie, she was involved with Hyprov, which sees audience members, under hypnosis, play scenes with Mochrie.
And then there is her continued teaching of acting and improv techniques to kids and teens through her Peterborough Academy of Performing Arts and, later this fall, at Fleming College.
Linda Kash as Fay Berman in the 2000 mockumentary Best in Show
But Kash’s primary focus remains her three daughters. One is at Queen’s University studying to be a nurse, another is at Fleming College enrolled in Early Childhood Education, and the youngest, a high school student, is living at home.
“All my kids have brilliant voices but none of them want to be performers,” says Kash.
“There’s a lot of the arts in my family but I think everyone needs to rebel in some way. My kids are doing their own thing, which I’m very, very proud of.”
“One day I will stop and smell the roses a little more often but I’m still in a mode where I love what I do. So I’m going to keep doing it as long as my health will allow and still juggle the most important part of my life, which is my kids.”
“There is life after Philadelphia Cream Cheese. I still eat the stuff.”
For more information on You Are Here: A New Musical, including staging dates and ticket details, visit www.1000islandsplayhouse.com.
Students at Prince of Wales School (Mariah Dalzell, Paige Dalzell, and Sabrina Dalzell) enjoy a healthy snack of local food (photo: Peterborough Public Health)
This week as part of Local Food Month this September, the first of more than 500 food boxes featuring local foods made their way to area schools to support student nutrition programs run by Food For Kids.
“Connecting schools with our local food producers not only nourishes students so they learn better, but it teaches them where our food comes from and how important farming is to our community,” said Lauren Kennedy, Public Health Nutritionist with Peterborough Public Health. “It feels great knowing this important program is also benefiting local farms that produce some of the healthiest foods out there.”
Now in its third year, 48 schools in Peterborough City and County received a school food box this week which happens to coincide with Local Food Month, a celebration of local food and the local farm community. Each food box supports school breakfast programs and the ones distributed this week included 20 lbs of apples, 5 lbs of carrots, 2 heads of celery, and a 2.5 lb brick of cheese.
Food is sourced from local growers and producers such as Martin’s Fruit & Vegetable Farm, Allin’s Orchards, and Empire Cheese. RJ’s Fresh Produce packs the boxes and delivers them to schools in the city and county.
Food for Kids aims to include more local food in programming. Since starting the initiative in 2013, breakfast programs have noted a significant impact.
“The school food box helps stretch our food budget so that we can serve a greater variety of healthy food,” said Deb Strain, coordinator and principal from Kawartha Heights Public School. “It saves precious volunteer time, otherwise spent purchasing and driving food to the school. Plus, it allows our program to serve more fruits, vegetables, and cheese to students.”
Research has shown student nutrition programs are a positive way for all students to start their day with the good nutrition they need. In 2015-2016, 588 school food boxes helped to feed breakfasts and snacks to 17,364 students who ate over 2.5 million healthy breakfasts and snacks.
School food boxes delivered 20,470 lbs of Ontario grown and produced food to student nutrition programs. These programs were supported by more than 1,000 volunteers who gave an average of 1,100 hours each week to local programs.
This school food box initiative is made possible by community donations to Food for Kids. If you are interested in volunteering at a breakfast program or making a donation, visit www.FoodforKidsPtbo.ca or call Lauren Kennedy at 705-743-1000 ext. 233.
Peterborough's Chris Culgin performs on Friday, September 23 at Marley's Bar & Grill in Buckhorn and on Saturday, September 24 at The Arlington in Maynooth (publicity photo)
Every Thursday, we publish live music and performance events at pubs and clubs in Peterborough and The Kawarthas based on information that venues provide to us directly or post on their website or social media channels. Here are the listings for the week of Thursday, September 22 to Wednesday, September 28.
If you’re a pub or club owner and want to be included in our weekly listings, please email our Nightlife Editor at nightlife@kawarthanow.com.
Saturday, October 29 8pm - Halloween Party ft The Inside Outs; 11pm - DJ Chrome
The Garnet
231 Hunter St. W., Peterborough
(705) 874-0107
Thursday, September 22
little me, little you; Motherhood
Friday, September 23
9pm - Severed Feathers, Television Rd., Jesse Fostex ($5 or PWYC)
Saturday, September 24
8pm - Mysterious Entity: Act On It! w/ Em Glasspool, Charlie, Cathy Petch, Jennifer Holub, motley collective, amy cummings, Monica Lewhiskey, and Michaela Washburn ($10 at door)
Sunday, September 25
9pm - Keyboards! A Live-Writing Monthly (and WTF)
Monday, September 26
Odanah
Tuesday, September 27
8pm - Jazzmaniacs; 10pm - Keith Hallet, Emily Burgess Band
Wednesday, September 28
Friendly Rich and The Lollipop People, J. Swinnerton
Coming Soon
Thursday, September 29 Weekend At Bernie Martin's
Friday, September 30 Alun Pigguns
Saturday, October 1 6pm - Wax Mannequin, Makkela, Sean Conway, Steelburner
Gordon Best Theatre
216 Hunter St. W., Peterborough
(705) 876-8884
Friday, September 23
9pm - The Citiots Improv Back to Fool ft Danny Bronson, Luck Foster, Ray Henderson, Mike Judson, Paul Nabuurs, Andrew Root, Daniel Smith ($12 adults, $10 students)
Coming Soon
Friday, September 30 7pm - Hollerado w/ The Kents ($15, tickets at www.thegordonbest.ca or in person at The Only Cafe)
Wednesday, October 19 7pm - Peterborough Folk Fest presents Jadea Kelly, Sweet Alibi (all ages, $15, tickets at www.peterboroughfolkfest.com)
Saturday, October 22 24 Hour Project
Sunday, October 23 7pm - Peterborough Folk Fest presents Donovan Woods w/ Joey Landreth ($15, tickets at www.peterboroughfolkfest.com)
Saturday, November 5 7pm - The Wooden Sky ($20, tickets at www.thegordonbest.ca)
Saturday November 12
7pm - Kevin Kane of Grapes Of Wrath & Bryan Potvin of The Northern Pikes ($20, tickets at www.thegordonbest.ca)
Saturday, November 26 7pm - Peterborough Folk Fest presents Andy Shauf w/ Chris Cohen (all ages, $20, tickets at www.peterboroughfolkfest.com)
Tuesday, November 29 7pm - Plants And Animals ($15)
Friday, December 2 8pm - Tommy Youngsteen ($20 at www.thegordonbest.ca)
Junction Nightclub
253 George St. N., Peterborough
(705) 743-0550
Friday, September 23
10pm - Nothing But the 90s w/ DJ Bill Porter (no cover)
Saturday, September 24
10pm - Pure Saturdays 14th Birthday Celebration (no cover)
Marley's Bar & Grill
17 Fire Route 82 Catalina Bay, Buckhorn
(705) 868-2545
Friday, September 23
6-9pm - Chris Culgin
Saturday, September 24
6-8:30pm - Sean Conway
McThirsty's Pint
166 Charlotte St., Peterborough
(705) 743-2220
Thursdays
10pm - Jan Schoute
Fridays
10pm - Brian Haddlesey
Saturdays
10pm - Brian Haddlesey
Mondays
10pm - Trivia Night
Wednesdays
9pm - Cody Watkins
The Mill Restaurant and Pub
990 Ontario St., Cobourg
(905) 377-8177
Thursday, September 22
7pm - Andy Earle
Coming Soon
Thursday, September 29 7pm - Detour
Oasis Bar & Grill
31 King St. E., Cobourg
(905) 372-6634
Thursday, September 22
6:30pm - Mike Francis
Sundays
5:30pm - PHLO
Wednesdays
6:30pm - Live music
Pastry Peddler
17 King St., Millbrook
(705) 932-7333
Friday, September 23
5:30pm & 7:45pm - Jazz Dinner Weekend ft Rob Phillips & Marsala Luklanchuk ($40 per person)
Saturday, September 24
5:30pm & 7:45pm - Jazz Dinner Weekend ft Rob Phillips & Marsala Luklanchuk ($40 per person)
Pig's Ear Tavern
144 Brock St., Peterborough
(705) 745-7255
Fridays
Pingo
Saturday, September 24
9pm - BA Johnston, Spruce Invaders, Beef Boys ($3)
Mondays
Pool Night
Tuesdays
Open stage (second Tuesday of each month: 5-7:30pm - Family Friendly Open Mic)
Wednesdays
Humpday Karaoinke
Puck' N Pint Sports Pub
871 Chemong Rd., Peterborough
(705) 741-1078
Fridays
Live music
Saturdays
9pm - Live music
Tuesdays
Live music
Red Dog Tavern
189 Hunter St. W., Peterborough
(705) 741-6400
Thursday, September 22
10pm - Michael Bernard Fitzgerald ($8 in advance at www.ticketscene.ca/events/16091/, $10 at door)
Friday, September 23
9pm - Silver Hearts
Saturday, September 24
9pm - Dub Trinity
Tuesday, September 27
10pm - Electric Six w/ In The Whale
Coming Soon
Thursday, September 29 The Canadians
Saturday, October 1 9pm - Elvyn w/ The Alpacas ($10)
Saturday, October 15 10pm - Justin Rutledge
Thursday, October 20 Emily Burgess
Friday, October 21 Burlesque
Saturday, October 22 Bastard Son
Thursday, October 27 TUNS w/ Young Rivals
Friday, October 28 8pm - Bobby Watson CD Release w/ Greg Wells (no cover)
Saturday, October 29 Express and Co.
Thursday, November 3 Lauren Mann
Saturday, November 5 8pm - The Sadies w/ Union City ($15 in advance at www.ticketscene.ca/events/16294/, $20 at door)
Thursday, November 17 10pm - Bif Naked ($25 at www.ticketscene.ca/events/16296/)
Riley's Olde Town Pub
257 George St. N., Peterborough
(705) 750-1445
Thursdays
Travis Berlinbach
Fridays
Travis Berlinbach
Saturdays
Josh Gontier
Sundays
Josh Gontier
Mondays
Josh Gontier
Tuesdays
Josh Gontier & Cale Gontier
Wednesdays
Guest performers
Shots
379 George Street K9H 3R2, Peterborough
(705) 749-9315
Wednesdays
10pm - DJ Muddler's House Party
Southside Pizzeria
25 Lansdowne St. W., Peterborough
(705) 748-6120
Fridays
9am-12pm - Open mic ($2); 8pm - Karaoke
Tuesdays
9am-12pm - Open mic (free); 8pm - Karaoke
Spanky's
201 Hunter St. W., Peterborough
(705) 874-5078
Coming Soon
Friday, September 30 9pm - Hott-Oberfest - Head of The Trent Friday Kickoff w/ Washboard Hank and the Gezundheits and DJs
The Spill
414 George St., Peterborough
(705) 748-6167
Thursday, September 22
8pm - Peterborough Poetry Slam presents Peterborough Pride Spoken Word Spectacular ft Bassam and Kathleen Driscoll, hosted by Sasha Patterson ($5-10/PWYC)
Friday, September 23
Goodnight, Sunrise; Callfield
Saturday, September 24
3pm - Repair Cafe; 9pm - Jennifer Holub, Brian Dunn, Sean Conway
Monday, September 26
Ukelele Night
Tuesday, September 27
Fun 'N' Games w/ Matt Jarvis
Wednesday, September 28
9pm - Carpe Noctem
Coming Soon
Thursday, September 29 Rain Over St. Ambrose
Friday, September 30 Kayko (formerly Juice)
Saturday, October 1 9pm - Crazy Bomber, WLMRT, Deathsticks ($5 or PWYC)
Tank House
295 George St. N, Peterborough
(705) 743-2717
Friday, September 23
5:30pm - High Waters Band
Saturday, September 24
1-4pm - Uncle Malt Memorial Euchre Tournament ($5 entry); 3pm - The Cadillacs
Sunday, September 25
3pm - Dean James Band
Coming Soon
Friday, September 30 5:30pm - Randy Hill; 9:30pm - Retro Rewind
The Trend
110 London St., Peterborough
(705) 750-1265
Wednesday, September 28
8-11pm - Trent Film Society Pajama Party & Retro Toon Night (free)
Coming Soon
Thursday, September 29 7-9pm - Trent University Music Society Open Mic
The Venue
286 George Street North, Peterborough
(705) 876-0008
Saturday, September 24
8pm - Honeymoon Suite (sold out)
Coming Soon
Saturday, October 1 7pm - Quest Muay Thai Kickboxing, MMA Fights ($35, call 705-749-9056 for tickets)
White House Hotel
173 Charlotte St., Peterborough
(705) 741-2444
Thursdays
7pm - Red Hot Poker Tour (registration opens at 6pm)
Mondays
7pm - Red Hot Poker Tour (registration opens at 6pm)
Wednesdays
7pm - Red Hot Poker Tour (registration opens at 6pm)
Coming Soon
Thursday, September 29 10pm - Canada's Most Wanted Male Revue Show ($8 in advance, $10 at door)
The King Street Pulse Pop-Up on September 17 featured a bike show highlighting unique bikes such as cargos, commuters, hybrids, and fixed gears. Pictured here is a unique kid-sized bike add-on that attaches to the rear of an adult bike, which help kids to build confidence in riding and to learn the rules of the road.
If you keep your eyes on the newly painted bike lanes on George Street, you may notice some interesting bicycles rolling along beside you. More citizens are looking for alternative ways to travel to work and get the kids to soccer practice, and are leaving the car behind.
Each week, GreenUP provides a story related to the environment. This week’s story is by Karen Halley, GreenUP Communications and Marketing Specialist.
Hopping on two wheels is an efficient way to travel in Peterborough, as paved trails and increasing numbers of bike lanes allow for safer travel to more locations around the city. And, as more people turn to bikes to get around, we are seeing more unique bicycles around the community with customized frames for specialized purposes.
This past weekend, neighbours at the King Street Pulse Pop-Up hosted a “classic car” style bike show highlighting unique frames such as cargos, commuters, hybrids, and fixed gears.
The display of unique bikes showcased how creative and inspired citizens are to make their everyday travels possible without the use of a car.
Yuba Mundo xtracycle with a Motoreno electric assist; an extended flat piece over the back wheel allows up to three children to sit comfortably with pannier-style cargo bags alongside the wheels that claim to carry, “everything from a backpack to a load of lumber.”
One of the frames that immediately caught my eye was the extended frame of a longtail bike, also known as an xtracycle. An extended flat piece over the back wheel allows up to three children to sit comfortably with pannier-style cargo bags alongside the wheels that claim to carry, “everything from a backpack to a load of lumber.”
Lindsay Howell has customized her xtracycle to fit the needs of her family of four. It is equipped with an electric assist to help with Peterborough’s many hills, and to help with heavy loads on the way back from trips to the grocery store.
“The xtracycle allows our family the convenience of having two vehicles without having to own two cars,” Howell says. “It allows our children to know their neighbourhood and connects us all to not only our surrounding area but to pockets of Peterborough that we would never have known existed — and to experience that as a family is a phenomenal gift.”
Howell also shares that this bike regularly carries their families groceries along with giant bags of dog food and has even carried loads of garden soil.
Once children get a bit bigger, they may like to feel the independence of riding their own two wheels but may not have the energy to travel longer distances or the experience to be riding on the road.
John Hauser, owner of a Bullitt cargo bike, takes two children for a ride at the King Street Pulse Pop-Up on September 17. The cargo bike can be adapted with tubs, lockable boxes, canopies, flat boards, or child seats, depending on personal needs.
There are unique kid-sized bike add-ons that attach to the rear of adult bikes, which help kids to build confidence in riding and to learn the rules of the road. Frames like these allow kids to transition from being towed to being independent, while the whole family gets to pedal and enjoy a healthy, active lifestyle.
Cargo bikes are gaining in popularity, as well. Many manufactured styles are available that feature large wooden boxes or bamboo buckets for carrying your kids to school, transporting tools to the garden plot, or to even help a friend move their couch! Bike vendors are showing up at the local farmer’s market to sell everything from popsicles and bread to meat from their cargo boxes.
The Bullitt cargo bike was a show-stopper at this weekend’s Pulse Pop-Up. It can be customized to carry your unique cargo items and can be adapted with tubs, lockable boxes, canopies, flat boards, or child seats, depending on your needs.
Owner of the Bullitt, John Hauser says that his cargo bike can carry up to 400 lbs. and that with its versatility, he hardly uses his car anymore.
Bike vendors are showing up at the local farmers’ markets to sell everything from popsicles and bread to meat from their cargo boxes. Peterpops sells popsicles from their custom cargo tricycle at the Harvey Street Pulse Pop-UP earlier this year.
Another bicycle that was catching lots of attention at the show was a grey, single speed bike with orange rims and a belt drive in place of a chain.
A single-speed bike with orange rims and a belt drive in place of a chain; a simple, clean design that requires less maintenance while the sleek lines make it easy to modify and customize, and without all the added gears, this is a cheaper to purchase.
Single-speed and fixed-gear bikes, also known as “fixies”, have a simple, clean design and therefore require less maintenance while their sleek lines make them easy to modify and customize and, without all the added gears, they are cheaper to purchase.
Fixies are often used by commuters and are without a freewheel. That means the rider is unable to coast.
Avenues-area resident Jay Ireland owns two fixies and has recently started commuting to work each day on his bike. Ireland says, “Riding a fixie gives me a better workout and a more intense ride when I’m traveling shorter distances.”
When asked why he has recently made the switch to commuting by bike, Ireland shares: “Cars are convenient but they disconnect you from your surroundings. Commuting to work is an opportunity for exercise that I can work right into my daily routine and it’s a great way to decompress after work.”
Ireland went on to explain that he thinks people may be reluctant to make the change because they believe it will take them much longer to get to work, “I travel over 10 kilometres to work on my bike and it only takes me 10 more minutes compared to driving a car — that surprised me.”
The costs of car payments, fuel, insurance, and upkeep are also becoming big incentives for many families to make their second car, a bike. Eco-conscious citizens make the switch to people-powered transportation to reduce their footprint. And, anyone who rides a bike experiences the health benefits of being active on a regular basis.
These are all great reasons to ride, but aside from the financial, environmental, and healthful rationale for choosing two wheels over four, I believe there may be another secret reason switching — the sheer bliss of riding a bike!
A Trek R200 recumbent bicycle spotted on the Trans Canada Trail in November 2015 (photo: Bruce Head / kawarthaNOW)A Surly “fatbike” spotted on the Trans Canada Trail in November 2015. A fatbike is a mountain bicycle with extremely large volume tires for deep snow and sand riding; in this case, the owner has equipped the bike with a Bion pedal assist. (Photo: Bruce Head / kawarthaNOW)
There is a certain happiness that radiates from people’s faces when they’re pedaling a bike; perhaps it is the joy one experiences when transporting their kids, meals for the week, or new fridge using their own people-powered momentum with the wind in their hair and a “weeeee” in their heart.
Check out the GreenUP Calendar for upcoming bike-related and environmental events in the Peterborough area, at greenup.on.ca.
Under a new animal control by-law, cats are treated similar to dogs in the City of Peterborough. New requirements for cat owners include keeping cats on their own property (with a leash or harness if necessary), obtaining an annual licence from the Peterborough Humane Society, and picking up after their cats.
Back in June, the City of Peterborough passed a controversial animal by-law governing the registration and licensing of cats.
The new comprehensive animal by-law includes a number of new requirements for cat owners that essentially treat cats in the same way as dogs.
Effective immediately, residents of Peterborough are allowed to keep a maximum of three cats (except where cats are less than four months of age).
This requirement is grandfathered for residents who already owned more than three cats prior to the passing of the by-law on June 27th. However, those residents must register their cats by September 27th with the Peterborough Humane Society to legally keep them.
Effective January 2017, all cats in the City of Peterborough must be registered with the Peterborough Humane Society. There will be an annual license fee for each cat, and current proof of immunization will be required.
There are some additional responsibilities for cat owners under the new by-law:
Owners of more than one cat must have all cats spayed or neutered, with the exception of registered cat breeders.
Owners of cats must not permit their cats to be off their own property, or on the property of anyone else without their consent. A leash or harness may be required to comply with this requirement.
Owners must remove their cat’s excrement from any land in the City.
The Peterborough Humane Society is contracted by the City of Peterborough to provide animal control services, education of responsible pet ownership, and enforcement of animal by-laws.
For more information, or for any concerns for animal welfare (including enforcement of the by-law), residents can contact the Peterborough Humane Society by phone at 705-745-7676 or by email at animalcontrol@ptbohs.com.
The City of Peterborough is also encouraging residents who own animals are encouraged to review the new animal by-law, which is available at the Peterborough Humane Society, in the City Hall Lobby, or online at www.peterborough.ca.
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