The Rotary Club of Peterborough has followed through on its commitment to donate $100,000 to Camp Kawartha in Douro-Dummer.

During the club’s meeting on Monday (June 24), outgoing president Betty Halman-Plumley presented a final cheque for $25,000 to Camp Kawartha’s executive director Jacob Rodenburg.

The $100,000 pledge was made in 2021 as part of the Rotary Club of Peterborough’s centennial celebration project. The money specifically supported the construction of the new Camp Kawartha Health Centre, an eco-friendly straw bale building. Rodenburg told the club the goal was to create a building that was healthy inside and out.

“The centre not only serves the health needs of Camp Kawartha kids, it also demonstrates what’s possible in regenerative green building,” Rodenburg said in a media release.

Camp Kawartha is located on the shores of Clear Lake in Douro-Dummer. The health centre is a 1,200-square-foot structure that was designed to have net-zero energy costs, zero toxins, zero fossil fuel use and zero waste output — all adding up to a zero-carbon footprint. The health centre has a fully equipped clinic with first aid supplies, over-the-counter medications, as well as patient assessment tools — including a blood pressure cuff, a thermometer, stethoscopes, an oxygen saturation probe, and more. The camp nurse or paramedic lives in the health centre throughout the summer. There are three wellness rooms for campers who need rest or require a quiet space to decompress.

The centre supports the health care needs of campers and day visitors and also serves as a “teaching building,” enhancing the environmental education programming offered annually to some 16,000 campers, students, and adults.

The Rotary Club has a long history of supporting Camp Kawartha, which was founded by Rotary more than a century ago.

“Rotary has always been involved with programming to develop the youth of today to be the leaders of tomorrow and that is what Camp Kawartha programming is all about,” said Rotarian Jim Coyle, a past president.

Also during the recent meeting, Halman-Plumley handed over the chains of office to incoming president Ken Seim.

The term-end celebration also included awarding the “Breakfast Cup” to one of the five Prince of Wales Breakfast Club volunteer groups. Every morning last week, each group prepared a special breakfast for the young breakfast club patrons. The meals were judged by a panel of school staff and students with points for presentation, nutrition, and taste. The “Thursday Team” took home the trophy for their deluxe breakfast buffet that consisted of homemade macaroni and cheese, devilled eggs, heart-shaped watermelon pops and more.

Meanwhile, two Peterborough residents were voted as Rotarians of The Year during the June 24 meeting. Former radio personality and current real estate agent Catherine Hanarahan and Grady’s Feet Essentials owner Tony Grady “have made significant contributions to the success of our club,” the Rotary Club of Peterborough noted in a social media post.

Hanarahan and Grady are both on the board of directors and are dedicated volunteers with bingo and the Prince of Wales Breakfast Club program.

Hanarahan chaired the Rotary Spelling Bee committee, which organized the popular media vs Rotarians spelling bee and the televised spelling bee finals for students. She was also actively involved with the Carl Oake Rotary Swim and, in her role as communications chair, used her media skills to spread the word about Rotary.

Grady took on the roles of both treasurer, ensuring the books were balanced and streamlining coordination with Rotary’s foundation and fundraising committees, and sergeant at arms, finding a new venue for Rotary meetings and ensuring the meetings ran smoothly including the food.

The Rotary Club of Peterborough was established in 1921 and currently has just more than 70 members.

Throughout its history, the club has supported many local and international activities and events, from its early sponsorship of Five Counties Children’s Centre, The Rotary Spelling Bee, and The Prince of Wales Breakfast Club programs, to worldwide efforts in polio eradication, clean water, world peace, and literacy.

The Rotary Club of Peterborough, which usually meets for lunch two Mondays per month, is one of more than 46,000 clubs, with 1.4 million members around the world. The club celebrated its 100th anniversary on April 1, 2021.

– with files from Paul Rellinger / kawarthaNOW

If you see workers taking down some trees at Bonnerworth Park, the City of Peterborough wants you to know the work is not part of the controversial Bonnerworth Park redevelopment.

The city issued a media release on Thursday (June 27) explaining that three trees that are either dead or dying will be removed along the perimeter of Bonnerworth Park at Monaghan Road and McDonnel Street, with the work expected to be completed on Thursday.

“The tree removals are necessary for safety reasons as it is likely that the whole tree or tree parts will fail as the trees deteriorate,” states the release. “The trees pose a significant risk of harm to the public and/or personal property in the vicinity.”

According to the release, the removal of the trees is part of the city’s urban forest management program, which each year sees the city removes trees that have reached the end of their safe life expectancy.

The city says it is also planting around 1,000 new trees in the community as part of its various initiatives to maintain the urban forest canopy, including tree plantings to respond to the loss of tree canopy from the May 2022 derecho storm and the loss of ash trees due to the emerald ash borer.

Approved by city council in April, the $4.4-million Bonneworth Park redevelopment includes the construction of 16 pickleball courts, an expanded skate park, a bike pump track, and an 80-vehicle parking lot.

The first phase of the plan would see construction begin this fall on the pickleball court complex, including any landscaping and sound attenuation.

A group of residents neighbouring Bonneworth Park are protesting the redevelopment plan, with their primary objections the noise impact that the 16 pickleball courts will have on their quality of life, the loss of their neighbourhood greenspace, and what they claim was a flawed process in terms of how the plan has been developed and communicated.

“The tree removals at Bonnerworth Park are not related to the upcoming changes to the park,” the city’s release states.

The Haliburton, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland (HKLN) Drug Strategy is recognizing June 26 as “Anti-Stigma Day,” in the hopes of decreasing the amount of stigma experienced by people who use substances.

The HKLN Drug Strategy is ultimately aiming to instead increase the amount of compassion and understanding extended towards people who use drugs.

In recognition of Anti-Stigma Day, the Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough is hosting a community event with several other organizations on Wednesday (June 26) from 1 to 4 p.m. at Millennium Park, outside the Silver Bean Cafe, in Peterborough.

The goal of the event is to educate community members about the impact of negatives attitudes, beliefs, or behaviours about or towards a group of people because of their circumstances.

“We encourage everyone to be kind, and consider the language you may be using or encountering which can be extremely stigmatizing against those who use substances,” said Dane Record, chair of the HKLN Drug Strategy, in a media release about the event.

“Reducing the stigma associated with substance use is a huge goal for us and we commend the leadership and team at The Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough for their active involvement each year.”

In addition to raising awareness, organizers aim to equip community members with tools to combat stigma.

“Addiction is not a choice,” the release noted. “It is a treatable medical condition, yet many people affected by addiction face stigma.”

Stigma includes discrimination, prejudice, judgment and stereotypes, which can isolate people who use drugs, the release noted.

“People struggling with addiction face discrimination and barriers to getting help.”

The HKLN Drug Strategy said the impact of stigma can result in the following scenarios:

• Lead a person to avoid getting help because they are afraid of judgment or getting in trouble with work, their loved ones or the law
• Cause a person to hide their drug use or use drugs alone
• Affect a person’s ability to find housing and jobs, which affects their health and quality of life
• Contribute to people who use drugs receiving a lower quality of care from the health care system when they access services.

The community event at Millennium Park features educational activities, listening and information sessions, giveaways, and games.

The HKLN Drug Strategy said community members can help by changing how they speak about drug use. Language choice has a direct and deep impact on people who use drugs. “Using kind words can make it easier for someone to speak up, to feel understood or to receive help.”

The group suggests the following strategies:

• Use “person-first language,” for example, say “person who uses drugs” instead of “drug user”
• Use neutral, medically accurate words when describing drug use
• Avoid slang such as “addict” and “junkie”
• Use language that shows care and concern, rather than judgment
• Speak up when you hear someone being treated or spoken to in a disrespectful way
• Use language that acknowledges and promotes the fact that recovery from addiction is possible and looks different for everyone.

The HKLN Drug Strategy suggests these additional ways to help reduce stigma: do not define any person by their drug use; be respectful, compassionate and caring towards those who use drugs; and educate friends and family by passing on facts and challenging stereotypes.

The Elizabeth Fry Society of Peterborough began hosting its annual Anti-Stigma Day community event in 2021, selecting June 26 because the day has been earmarked by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as “International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking” to support the so-called “war on drugs” through social media campaigns, information, and more.

According to the society, UNODC’s and similar campaigns “serve to further stigmatize and ostracize our peers who use substances, and the information put forward by campaigns like these can be harmful in many ways, which we unfortunately often see locally, at an alarmingly increasing rate.”

Canada continues to experience an opioid crisis, which has seen increases in hospitalizations and deaths due to heroin, fentanyl, and other opioids, according to Statista, a global data and business intelligence platform.

As of 2020, around 25 per cent of Canadians stated they felt opioid addiction, overdose, and death in Canada was a crisis, while 44 per cent believed it to be a serious problem. Almost 18 per cent of Canadians report that they have used an illegal drug at some point in their lifetime, according to Statista’s findings. For more information, visit www.statista.com/topics/4533/drug-use-in-canada/.

The Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation has launched the public phase of a $60-million fundraising campaign — the largest ever in the hospital’s history — in response to system-wide health care challenges.

PRHC Foundation president and CEO Lesley Heighway announced the campaign at an event at the hospital on Tuesday morning (June 25), which was attended by donors, foundation and hospital leadership, and dignitaries including Peterborough mayor Jeff Leal and Peterborough County warden Bonnie Clark.

With the tagline “reImagine. Health. Care.”, the campaign for PRHC is an effort to position the hospital to meet the demands of the changing health care system, including a growing and rapidly aging population, increased patient volumes, an increasing need for complex care, and increased rates of chronic disease and mental illness — all of which will require continued investment in PRHC, which itself is more than 15 years old.

“Our hospital is at a crossroads,” Heighway said. “Our hospital and the communities we serve are facing serious problems. We need creative, inspired, efficient solutions to tackle them. Without advancements in technology and increased capacity, we risk leaving our patients behind. Today, we choose to design our health care future.”

Led by a volunteer council that includes local philanthropist and PRHC donor David Morton and patient Jennie Ireland as campaign ambassadors, the campaign aims to empower a world-class standard of care at the hospital that allows people to continue to receive care close to home, to fuel innovation including new life-saving services, to attract top health-care professionals to work at PRHC, and to inspire and support solutions to critical challenges facing the hospital.

The focus of the campaign is to raise funds for substantial investments at the hospital in the areas of cardiac care, cancer care, minimally invasive surgeries, interventional radiology, and mental health and addictions services, as well as a physician-driven “innovation accelerator.”

According to PRHC president and CEO Dr. Lynn Mikula, the support of donors is critical to the success of the campaign’s goals.

“PRHC is a thriving organization that’s home to incredibly dedicated and compassionate professionals, but the present and future are not without their challenges,” Mikula said. “We simply can’t move forward without the partnership of individuals, families, and organizations who share our vision for this hospital and what we can achieve together.”

Dr. Heather Cox, PRHC vascular surgeon and a member of the PRHC Foundation board, also emphasized the importance of donors to the campaign’s success.

“Your generosity fuels innovation, enabling us to redefine patient care and bring cutting-edge treatments to our community,” said Cox, speaking on behalf of the hospital’s health care professionals. “By supporting our hospital, you keep patients closer to home, easing both financial and emotional burdens.”

“Your commitment not only enhances patient care with faster recoveries and personalized treatments, but also attracts top medical talent, enriching our ability to serve. Most importantly, your contribution is a catalyst for progress — a symbol of hope and dedication to improving health care for everyone we care for.”

For the past four years, the PRHC Foundation has been quietly working with donors to garner support for the campaign, with these efforts already raising an astounding $45.5 million.

“We’re thrilled to announce that, thanks to donor generosity, we have already achieved 75 per cent of our $60 million goal,” Heighway told the event’s attendees.

The funds raised to date have already supported completed projects such as upgraded cath lab suites, state-of-the-art CT scanners, a second MRI machine, the new Scotiabank Youth Eating Disorders Day Treatment Program, and ongoing renovations to enhance patient care facilities.

Future plans for funds raised through the campaign include projects such as expanding the hospital’s cardiac labs to include the introduction of electrophysiology, making improvements to the emergency department’s crisis response unit, establishing a hybrid operating room to treat vascular disease, and introducing digital pathology to expedite cancer diagnosis.

With another $14.5 million to raise during the public phase of the campaign, Heighway thanked existing campaign donors for their commitment to PRHC and the future of health care in the region.

“As we move into the public phase of our campaign for PRHC, your generosity will inspire others to join us,” Heighway said. “Together, we will confront health care challenges head-on, building on the momentum you’ve generated as we reimagine health care at PRHC and create a healthier, stronger community for all.”

For more information about the campaign and how to provide support, prhcfoundation.ca/the-campaign-for-prhc/.

A 22-year-old Peterborough man has died after being rescued from Little Lake late Sunday afternoon (June 23).

At around 5:15 p.m. on Sunday, police and first responders were called to Beavermead Park for a potential drowning incident.

Upon arriving, officers learned that three people had entered the water but only two got out.

The Peterborough Fire Services water rescue team subsequently located the missing man in the water.

Although he was resuscitated at the scene and taken to Peterborough Regional Health Centre, he was pronounced dead at the hospital on Monday.

Police have not released the name of the victim.

Despite three councillors changing their mind, Peterborough city council approved a plan to assume responsibility for economic development and tourism services on Monday night (June 24), in the last regular council meeting until August.

During the meeting, council also passed a motion to encourage the federal and provincial governments to increase support for college boards.

While council debated both of these items, other items that were previously endorsed by council at its general committee meeting the previous Monday were approved without further discussion, including transferring responsibility for water operations and the Riverview Park & Zoo from Peterborough Utilities Commission to the city, and a new licensing system for taxi, limousine, and ride share services following the transfer of responsibility for these services from the Peterborough police to the city.

At Monday’s meeting, council discussed the plan presented by city staff to bring economic development and tourism services in-house for the first time in over 25 years, with Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development (PKED) dissolving at the end of the year.

PKED announced it would be dissolving after the city — which provides most of the core funding to the non-profit economic development organization — decided it would not renew its funding agreement, leaving the organization with insufficient revenue to continue operating after December 31.

While councillors had voted unanimously to support the plan at the June 17 general committee meeting, three councillors — Joy Lachica, Alex Bierk, and Dave Haacke — changed their mind and their vote about the plan.

Haacke reiterated comments he made at general committee that the lack of serviceable land in a desirable location is at the root of Peterborough’s inability to attract large employers to the city, not the efforts of PKED.

“To (PKED CEO) Rhonda Keenan and their team, I think they have taken the brunt of something that I don’t think that they deserve,” said Haacke. “Last week, I didn’t agree that we were doing the right thing but I supported the outcome. This week I am going to change that. I am going to vote against the motion to move it in-house at this time because, as I said, I think just moving from A to B doesn’t add a lot to the conversation at this point. And I hope I am proven wrong.”

For his part, Bierk said he could not support the plan because he believes it sets the city along a “very strict and rigid path” — including naming the city’s tourism branding as ‘Experience Peterborough’ — which should instead be determined by the staff the city hires to deliver economic development and tourism services.

“I don’t find anything special about and necessarily groundbreaking about how this is being presented, even to the point where other municipalities have a plan like this, that looks extremely similar,” Bierk noted. “And when I say that, I think of Experience Brampton. It’s almost a carbon copy of what we’re being presented here.”

Lachica also said she was changing her original vote after having further conversations and upon more reflection. She also noted that she and Bierk toured PKED and she was “really impressed by the expertise and all that they have offered.”

“I feel torn about our loss of PKED, and I’m grateful and appreciate for the wake that they leave the City of Peterborough,” Lachica said. “We do need to look and hard with consultants on what is the branding that we need, what is the scope and array of expertise that we need to hire to make this template effective and efficient, because that is the purpose of bringing it in-house in the first place.”

The remaining councillors all indicated they would vote in support of the plan, including councillor Duguay.

“I might remind my colleagues that the County of Peterborough has also agreed to break away from economic development (PKED), and I don’t hear criticism of that entity as far as their intentions,” he said.

It should be noted that the county’s decision to take economic development in-house was not made independently of the city. The county’s decision to not renew its agreement with PKED only followed the city’s decision not to do so, as the county would not be able to provide sufficient funding to allow PKED to continue operations without the city also providing funding. The city’s core funding share for PKED in 2024 is $1,015,112, while the county’s core funding share is $790,038.

For her part, councillor Parnell — who was not present at the June 17 general committee meeting although she watched it online — acknowledged the issue of the lack of serviceable land was the main challenge for PKED in bringing large employers to the city.

“I do also need to speak up for (PKED CEO) Rhonda Keenan and her team,” Parnell said. “As part of the (memorandum of understanding between PKED and the city), she appeared before this council in these chambers, not just this term of council but previous, every time giving us solid data — which I know Mayor, you appreciate data — as to how many contacts they had, how much work they had done within tourism, how much work they had done to support local businesses that exist, how many new businesses they were helping to develop as well.”

“Of course, they were always looking for that big catch — the big business to attract to Peterborough to bring all the big jobs. And every single time, why haven’t we done that? And it was because we did not have the large piece of serviced land, so (Rhonda Keenan) couldn’t really bring that to us because we didn’t provide the facilities, the infrastructure, to accommodate that. That was a huge hang-up for their success in that area, but they certainly did very well in many other areas.”

Parnell also said the city will need the help of Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith and will need to work with partners such as Trent University, pointing to the city’s $12-million investment in Cleantech Commons at the university, which has yet to attract a single research company to build on that land, partly because of its location.

Parnell added that she was supporting the city’s plan, earlier implying that it is too late to reverse course, “but we need to get some results out of this.”

Councillors voted 8-3 to support the plan to move economic development and tourism in-house, with councillors Lachica, Bierk, and Haacke voting against it.

In relation to a motion from councillor Lachica about Fleming College’s decision to eliminate 29 programs, council began the meeting by hearing from four registered delegations that expressed concerns about the impact of the college’s decision.

Lachica’s motion calls for the city to encourage the federal and provincial governments to increase support to college boards, “by establishing metrics and direction around maintaining courses where cohorts offer a return on investment in the local economy, in small business and in filling jobs vital to a college’s immediate region.”

One of the delegations was Jamie Malloy, owner and president of Fraserville-based Iron Equipment, one of southern Ontario’s largest heavy equipment repair and service providers. Malloy, who himself graduated from Fleming College’s heavy equipment maintenance course in 1999, expressed his concern about the college’s decision to discontinue its Heavy Equipment Techniques and Generator Service Technician programs.

“From the perspective of someone who’s trying to cut costs, I can understand where the decision to cut this program may have come from,” Malloy said. “However, the return on investment to the community is something that the board (of Fleming College) did not consider, nor was the board provided with appropriate figures that demonstrate this information.”

On May 21, Malloy made the same presentation to Kawartha Lakes city council, which at that meeting passed a resolution similar to Lachica’s.

Councillors also heard from Mark Ryckman, manager of policy at the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, who expressed concerns about Fleming College’s decision to eliminate the Conservation and Environmental Law Enforcement and Fish and Wildlife Technology programs.

Nigel Lister, regional manager of market development at Cambium Inc., also spoke before council, expressing concerns about the impact of Fleming College’s decision to eliminate its environmental programs on the skilled workers that would be available to the consulting and engineering company, which specializes in the environment.

Councillors also heard from two Fleming College graduates who expressed their concerns that many of the programs eliminated by Fleming College were pathway programs to university, specifically mentioning the General Arts and Science – University Transfer Program, which the students stated has also been eliminated although it is not on the list of 29 programs.

Later in the meeting, council debated Lachica’s motion. Councillors Gary Baldwin, Duguay, and Parnell all spoke about their belief that Lachica’s motion was not within council’s jurisdiction and was questioning the internal decisions of Fleming College’s board, with Parnell noting the board did not request council’s support in advocating to the federal and provincial governments.

In response, Lachica outlined the economic impact of Fleming College on the local community and said city council’s role is to show leadership in issues that affect the local community.

“If that is not my responsibility as a municipal counsellor, I don’t know what it,” she said. “The economic health, well-bring, and life of this community is my responsibility, and one of the primary reasons I was elected … We don’t have to ask permission to advocate for our community.”

Councillor Matt Crowley (who voted against the motion at general committee) indicated he would support the motion after having several conversations with different people. Along with Lachica, Bierk, Riel, and Haacke spoke in support of the motion.

“I did support this last week and I continue to support it, particularly after hearing tonight from a lot of the local people, some of which I know,” Haacke said. “I don’t understand why we’ve spent a half an hour on this, really, when I think it’s that simple.”

In the end, Lachica’s motion passed 7-4, with Mayor Jeff Leal and councillors Baldwin, Duguay, and Parnell voting against it.

From working in the emergency department to practising community medicine and chronic disease management, Vlad Padure is bringing his experience from the city to a more rural setting at Ross Memorial Hospital (RMH) in Lindsay.

RMH announced Padure is the new vice-president of clinical and chief nursing executive for the Kawartha Lakes hospital. Padure started his new role on Monday (June 24).

“Ross Memorial is thrilled to welcome Vlad to our hospital’s senior leadership team,” said RMH president and CEO Kelly Isfan in a media release.

“With his extensive and varied experience both as a frontline clinician and in leadership roles overseeing the effective and innovative delivery of services, we are confident he will be a tremendous asset to our organization and community.”

Padure hails from the Scarborough Health Network (SHN), where he served as director of emergency medicine, critical care, and respiratory services since 2021. In that position, he provided operational and strategic leadership to a network of emergency departments, urgent care clinics, and intensive care units spanning three hospital sites.

“I look forward to bringing my nursing experience, leadership, and passion for quality and efficient patient care to the organization and community,” Padure said.

“Through a commitment to system-wide partnerships, innovation, and consumer-centred service creation, I believe we can enhance the access and quality of health care for the community we serve. I am excited to get to work with my new colleagues and partners in joining RMH’s mission of delivering on the promise of a better health care experience.”

Padure has worked in several nursing roles and led a large portfolio of clinical programs across various academic and community organizations over the past two decades, the release noted.

His nursing career started at the Toronto Metropolitan University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in nursing and subsequent a Masters in nursing and primary health care nurse practitioner certificate.

He later expanded his management and nursing leadership by completing an executive master of business administration at the University of Fredericton.

Early in his career, as a clinician, Padure practised as a registered nurse in the emergency department in 2008 at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. He then shifted his clinical focus to community medicine and chronic disease management, working as a nurse practitioner at Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital and Michael Garron for nearly a decade.

In 2017, Padure transitioned into an administrative leadership role at Humber River Hospital in Toronto where he eventually served as the program director for medicine and nephrology. He was also seconded to the Ontario Renal Network as the regional director with an Ontario health mandate to implement key strategic, quality, and regional service priorities for patients on dialysis.

He joined SHN in 2021 to lead the pandemic effort and post-pandemic workforce and service stabilization in the emergency department and critical care.

In Lindsay, Padure is taking the reins from Janice Raine, who joined RMH in February 2023 when Anne Overhoff, who had held the role for the previous 14 years, retired. Raine is also retiring in the near future.

Located in the heart of the City of Kawartha Lakes, RMH is an active, acute-care community hospital serving more than a combined 100,000 local residents and seasonal visitors.

Among its acute and continuing care services, RMH operates a 24/7/365 emergency department, a 15-station dialysis unit, and a level three intensive care unit. The hospital provides orthopedics, ophthalmology and general surgery, restorative seniors care, rehabilitation and palliative care. It offers a women’s health clinic and mental health programs. The most recent expansion at the hospital included the addition of an MRI service, allowing for a full range of diagnostic imaging at RMH.