Seeing the new CT scanner on the sidewalk awaiting its delivery into the Haliburton hospital was a memorable start to the work week for Melanie Koldt Wong.

The executive director of the Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS) Foundation told kawarthaNOW the poignant moment for her represented a significant milestone in the foundation’s “Here for You in the Highlands” fundraising campaign.

The CT scanner was delivered to the Haliburton site of HHHS at 7199 Gelert Road on Monday (June 17). Koldt Wong and others gathered to celebrate the arrival, along with news of a substantial donation and donor-matching initiative for gifts made to the foundation’s campaign.

“It was a momentous morning,” Koldt Wong said.

“The HHHS Foundation has been involved in bringing this to Haliburton County for over a year, but for many it has been a lot longer. This equipment has been needed for a long time. What a wonderful day to start a matching campaign to ensure this wonderful and life-saving equipment is fully funded.”

The campaign received a significant boost courtesy of a gift and a pledge from long-time hospital supporters Scott and Chere Campbell. The pair made an initial donation of $500,000, and have now committed to matching community donations to the campaign of up to $500,000.

“This campaign is very important to improve health services locally for full and part-time residents, so we wanted to support the campaign with a significant gift personally,” said Scott Campbell in a media release.

“Our experience is that when people know their gift will be doubled with a match, it really encourages people to give. We also wanted to work with the foundation to make this matching opportunity available.”

The HHHS Foundation is raising money to bring both CT and advanced mammography equipment to Haliburton County, along with other tools such as a new ultrasound unit and an upgrade of the Picture Archiving Communications System (PACS).

This equipment will significantly improve the quality and speed of access to diagnostic imaging services locally, the foundation said, noting it is an important step forward “in building a modern complement of health care services in the county.”

“This is a real milestone for the foundation,” said David Blodgett, chair of the HHHS Foundation, referring to the Campbells’ donation. “When the matching portion is achieved, this will be the largest gift by individuals ever received by the foundation.”

With the gift from the Campbells, the HHHS Foundation has reached 78 per cent of its $4.3-million goal. The HHHS Foundation will continue its Here for You campaign to raise money for additional needed technologies, such as a new x-ray suite.

While the provincial government provides operating funds to hospitals, it does not fund equipment or technology. Through their foundations, hospitals count on communities to raise the capital funds for new equipment.

“We are asking everyone across the county — full-time residents, part-time residents, cottagers, businesses, visitors — to open their hearts as the Campbells have done to contribute now,” said Tayce Wakefield, lead volunteer for the Here for You campaign. “If we all give at the level that we can, we will raise the funds the HHHS team needs to enhance care for us all.”

HHHS CEO Veronica Nelson said she hears from community members about “an overwhelming desire for better access to health services locally.”

“We are profoundly grateful for the generous support from Scott and Chere Campbell,” Nelson said. “We also need your support and appreciate every contribution to the enhancement of wellness and care at HHHS.”

For more information about the fundraising campaign, visit the website at hhhs.ca/foundation.

The HHHS Foundation is an incorporated registered Canadian charity that financially supports the hospital and health care facilities in Haliburton County for capital projects, equipment, education programsm and community support services.

HHHS, in collaboration with community partners, strives to promote wellness and provide access to essential clinical programs including primary care, acute, inpatient and emergency care at the Haliburton hospital site, long-term care, end-of-life care, mental health and addictions services, physiotherapy, community support services for the residents, cottagers, and visitors of Haliburton County and the surrounding areas.

Environment Canada has issued a special air quality statement for the southern Kawarthas region for Tuesday (June 18).

The special air quality statement is in effect for southern Peterborough County, southern Kawarthas Lakes, and Northumberland County.

With hot and sunny conditions expected to cause increasing ground-level ozone concentrations north of Lake Ontario, high levels of air pollution are possible Tuesday afternoon and evening.

Moderate-risk Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) values are expected throughout the day, with the potential of short-term high risk AQHI values in the afternoon and evening.

People may experience symptoms such as increased coughing, throat irritation, headaches, or shortness of breath. Children, seniors, and those with cardiovascular or lung disease, such as asthma, are especially at risk.

People with lung diseases, such as asthma and COPD, can be particularly sensitive to air pollution. They will generally experience more serious health effects at lower levels. Pollution can aggravate their diseases, leading to increased medication use, doctor and emergency room visits, and hospital visits.

Peterborough city council has unanimously voted to endorse a staff report that would see the city 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.

Both the city and county of Peterborough decided not to renew a multi-year tri-party agreement to fund PKED to provide economic development and tourism services on behalf of both municipalities. With the city having provided most of PKED’s core funding, the not-for-profit organization announced that it would be dissolving when the existing agreement expires on December 31.

The city’s decision not to renew the agreement stems from a closed session of city council held last June, when council unanimously approved giving city staff “a series of directions relating to alternatives for the delivery of economic development services.”

Meeting as general committee on Monday evening (June 17), councillors asked questions of city CAO Jasbir Raina about the proposed plan, which would see the city establish a new economic development services division as well as create “Experience Peterborough” branding for tourism promotion and marketing, with three city divisions supporting tourism functions.

In response to a question from councillor Don Vassiliadis, Raina said the division would be initially be located at city hall but the city would explore the “best location,” potentially including “that building which currently exists” — presumably a reference to PKED’s current location at Venture North in downtown Peterborough, which also houses other economic development organizations including Community Futures Peterborough, the Innovation Cluster, and the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA).

Raina also revealed that Community Futures Peterborough would be assuming initial responsibility for PKED’s Business Advisory Centre, a largely provincially funded operation that provides support and resources for small businesses.

“Currently, because also provincial funding is involved in this, we have committed to (the Ontario government) that we will be doing this service through the Community Futures,” Raina said, adding that the service would eventually be brought in-house.

While Mayor Jeff Leal had no questions of Raina, he made several comments to council.

Leal said he met last Friday “with the 10 largest locally owned businesses in our community” and was “extremely frank with them that we’re about to hit the wall,” noting the Peterborough has the lowest gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate in Ontario and an assessment base that is 80 per cent residential and 20 per cent commercial/industrial.

The mayor said that whoever is hired at the city’s new economic development director should be given a target to raise the city’s commercial and industrial assessment base by 10 per cent, from 20 per cent to 30 per cent, and to increase the city’s GDP growth rate from 15 per cent to 30 per cent.

“I believe the director’s compensation should be tiered compensation — 75 per cent of it should be fixed (and) 25 per cent of it should be based on performance, bringing new businesses to the community and expanding local businesses that are already here,” Leal said.

Leal added the city needs “closer collaboration” with organizations such as the Peterborough DBIA and the Innovation Cluster, as well as with Trent University and Fleming College, and pointed out the city has never had a marketing plan for the Peterborough Airport.

The mayor showed council a copy of a recent edition of the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) magazine and issued what appeared to be a veiled criticism of PKED.

“You would have thought that somebody would have had the initiative to have a story front and centre about The Canadian Canoe Museum,” he said. “Isn’t that one of the great destinations that we want here in Ontario and Canada? I’m not a marketing guy but it seems to me that would be a pretty elementary thing to do, to get your story in a magazine that is probably on more kitchen tables than any other magazine that we have here.”

It should be noted that the May opening of the new Canadian Canoe Museum was not only featured in The Globe and Mail — Canada’s most widely read newspaper — but the museum was also named as one of the best cultural spots in the world by National Geographic magazine. In addition, Mayor Leal attended a May 15 event organized by PKED where Water Ways, a Canadian-made television show for boating enthusiasts, named Peterborough and the Kawarthas as the inaugural winner of its “destination of the year award” for both the opening of the new museum as well as the opening of international houseboat rental company Le Boat’s new base on the Otonabee River.

“This is probably the most important decision that we are going to be making, because we can’t do the things we want to do unless we have the dollars to make that happen,” Leal said, referring to the city’s decision to take on economic development and tourism. “So we got to pick an A team — we got to pick an A team that can get and deliver that message far and wide.”

Leal then shared an anecdote about George Hees, a businessman and minister for trade and commerce in John Diefenbaker’s government in the 1960s, who had a business card with the acronym Y.C.D.B.S.O.Y.A.

“You can’t do business sitting on your ass,” Leal said, spelling out the acronym. “That’s the message we got to give to our economic development agency.”

In response to a question from councillor Keith Riel, Raina said the city’s new economic development positions jobs will be posted, interviews will be held, “and we will pick the best candidate who comes with a vision to move us forward.”

As for tourism, Raina said there’s a possibility of existing staff in the three city divisions that will be responsible for tourism — arts and culture, recreation and park services, and strategic communications and Service Peterborough — filling the required positions.

In assuming responsibility for economic development, Riel said, the city has “taken a giant step forward” in bringing jobs to the city of Peterborough.

“It’s a little heartbreaking for some people, but it was necessary to do it and I think we are on the cusp of doing some great things here,” Riel said, adding that councillors should be “ashamed” by the mayor’s “stunning remarks” that Peterborough has the lowest GDP in Ontario. “We were the paramount city for industry for years.”

It should be noted that, according to Statistics Canada, Peterborough’s low GDP is nothing new — it has consistently been among the lowest in Ontario census metropolitan areas for at least the past two decades.

Councillor Alex Bierk expressed some concerns with the “bureaucracy of the city” making decisions without sufficiently consulting with small businesses, particularly in the downtown. He also has expressed concerns with the proposed tourism branding.

“I don’t like the name Experience Peterborough,” Bierk said. “I think that the titling of this division, and in some ways the structure of it, should be decided by the subject matter expert that we hire — the new director. I don’t want us to be set in stone with this idea Experience Peterborough. To me, it sounds old fashioned, and it should be built by the new director that’s going to come in collaboration with business.”

After noting the staff report states there was consultation with businesses and the broader community, Bierk asked Raina “How was that done and who were those people?”

In response, Raina said the bureaucracy does not make decisions, but follows the direction of council. He also said that Experience Peterborough will not be part of the new economic development division.

“Experience Peterborough is out of economic development — that’s the part of tourism,” Raina said. “Marketing, sponsorship, and tourism will become Experience Peterborough. Economic development will be a single-source entity, because they have better things to do.”

Raina did not answer Bierk’s question about who was consulted, although he said there would be “extensive engagement” on tourism with outside organizations such as the Peterborough and Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce.

Bierk also asked for clarification of the 2025 budget for economic development and tourism, which the report states would be the same amount the city provided to PKED in 2024 — just over $1.4 million, which includes $1,015,112 in core funding plus an estimated $425,000 in municipal accommodation tax.

“By bringing this in-house, are we going to find efficiencies because we’re doing it in-house?” Bierk asked.

“Currently there are 17 people (at PKED), so we are starting with the three (in the new economic development division), so definitely there are efficiencies,” Raina said.

It should be noted that PKED currently has 12 full-time staff positions, with students hired during the summer, to support economic development and tourism in both the city and county of Peterborough. A media release from the City of Peterborough issued last Thursday (June 13) stated that there would be a total of 10.5 staff positions to support economic development and tourism within the City of Peterborough under the proposed plan.

In his comments, councillor Dave Haacke spoke about the “20-year cycle” where businesses and municipalities run services in-house and then contract out to external agencies before taking operations back in-house, referring to the fact the City of Peterborough was responsible for economic development prior to the founding of PKED in 1998 as the Greater Peterborough Area Development Corporation.

He then pointed out that the biggest obstacle to economic development in Peterborough is the absence of commercial and industrial land.

“You can’t build a city without land — that’s what we’re missing,” Haacke said. “Not only land; its location.”

“I don’t think it’s a solution by itself, having (economic development) in-house,” he added. “Somebody can show me that I’m wrong, but without the land, without the location — that is the biggest impediment I believe that we have.”

“Maybe it’s better having it in-house, but I’ll bet you we’re sitting here a year from now without land experiencing the exact same plight that we’ve got. We can shuffle the chairs — I’m not going to say Titanic — but in the end does it change anything? That’s what I’m not sure of. I don’t think that it will. I think our hearts are in the right place, for sure — we want the same thing.”

“To councillor Crowley’s remarks, I think Rhonda (Keenan) and the group at PKED deserve a big round of applause,” Haacke said, referring to earlier comments by councillor Matt Crowley’s comments thanking PKED for their work. “They were frustrated too with land.”

Haacke also said that red tape is an issue in economic development.

In response to Haacke’s comments, Mayor Leal suggested a councillor be designated to look at red tape that is hindering development.

In response to comments from councillors Bierk and Kevin Duguay regarding economic development downtown, the mayor said he believed there would be unanimous council approval “when we bring forward the concept of a $200-million new entertainment sports centre for the downtown.”

General committee voted 11-0 to endorse the staff report. Items endorsed by general committee will be considered by council for final approval on Monday (June 24) where public delegations will be heard.

One person suffered life-threatening injuries in a head-on collision on Highway 7 west of Norwood late Friday afternoon (June 14).

At around 4 p.m. on Friday, Peterborough County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and emergency crews responded to the scene of a serious collision between two passenger vehicles on Highway 7 between County Road 38 and Asphodel 4th Line.

According to police, an eastbound grey Kia crossed the centre line and collided head on with a westbound white Toyota. Both drivers had to be extricated from their vehicles by the fire department.

The driver of the Kia was taken to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and was later transported to a trauma centre in Toronto. The driver of the Toyota was taken to to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries. A third vehicle suffered damage as a result of debris from the head-on collision, but the driver of that vehicle was uninjured.

Police closed Highway 7 for several hours on Friday while they investigated and documented the scene.

Anyone who may have witnessed the collision or who has video or dashcam footage and has not yet spoken to police is asked to contact the OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

Seven non-profit organizations in the Kawartha Lakes are taking a “leap” forward with grants from Invest Kawartha’s new funding stream.

From the Bobcaygeon branch of the Royal Canadian Legion to the Lindsay Agricultural Society, the grants are distributed by Invest Kawartha through its newly developed LEAP program.

LEAP is an acronym that represents the mission and goals of the program: Locally based support for not-for-profit organizations (NFPs); Empowering projects through local and regional economic development; Access to capital, talent, resources and business advisory services; and Projects that are incremental, scalable, and results-driven.

Invest Kawartha said the funding targets contributing to the growth, resiliency, and vibrancy of the community in the Kawartha Lakes.

“LEAP has been designed to strengthen Kawartha Lakes and its surrounding communities,” said Vince Killen, executive director of Kawartha Lakes Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC) and CEO of Invest Kawartha, in a media release.

“The program supports strategic community projects, social innovation, and NFPs by building capacity to design and scale initiatives. These new projects are a great example of the impact programs like LEAP can have to nurture non-profits, amplify impact, and elevate our local community.”

In its inaugural year, LEAP has distributed more than $90,000 to seven projects:

• Bobcaygeon Royal Canadian Legion Branch 239 – A $12,709 grant will support improvements to the legion’s banquet hall. It targets increasing the community’s use of, and access to, the legion, and the creation of a new “Remembrance Wall.”
• Globus Theatre – A $20,000 grant will help fund new equipment and technology that aims to support sustainability and growth at the Bobcaygeon theatre company. The purchases include a new point of sale system and cloud-based customer relationship management software to support marketing and event management.
• Grove Theatre – A $20,000 grant will support the Fenelon Falls theatre company’s marketing and advertising costs, help it secure permanent signs, and fund regional marketing initiatives to increase attendance and brand awareness.
• Lindsay Agricultural Society – The agricultural society is using a $6,000 grant to support strategic planning development initiatives in the upcoming years.
• Lindsay Lawn Bowling Club – A $7,078 grant will support the purchase of a weatherproof sound system and public announcement system for its facility, with the goal of significantly improving communication during public events.
• Ottawa Huron Tract History Association – The association will use a $10,713 grant to design, develop and host a “Heritage Stories Festival” in Lindsay in August. It will include exhibits on historical buildings, local artist showcases, various writing and photo contests, and more.
• Lindsay and District Chamber of Commerce – A $14,000 grant will help fund the purchase and support of five new GPS-enabled bicycles as part of the chamber’s ongoing bikeshare program, with the goal of contributing to the vibrancy of the community.

LEAP is designed to contribute to the growth, resiliency, and vibrancy of the community by providing NFPs with the funding for projects that support and promote community economic development in Kawartha Lakes, develop and deliver their strategic priorities locally, support the development of partnerships that build capacity to deliver services in the local community, and support the development of opportunities for a healthy, active lifestyle and contribute to a positive quality of life in the region.

Invest Kawartha noted the intake process for 2024 is now closed and it will reopen later in 2025.

Based out of Launch Kawartha in Lindsay, Invest Kawartha is described as an innovation-focused entrepreneurial and economic development ecosystem organization that provides funding, business advisory and support, and incubation and acceleration services to entrepreneurs. It is considered to be a key economic development and strategic partner to multiple NFPs and non-governmental organizations within the City of Kawartha Lakes and beyond.

Launch Kawartha is an innovation and entrepreneurship centre, which is centrally located in the heart of downtown Lindsay in the Scotiabank building. The 5,000-square-foot facility provides free services and fully furnished incubation workspaces for new entrepreneurs.

Anchored by Kawartha Lakes CFDC and Invest Kawartha, along with multiple strategic partners and entrepreneurs in residence, Launch Kawartha provides entrepreneurs with access multiple funding streams, innovative programming, expertise, guidance, mentorship, and professional services all in one location.

For more information about Invest Kawartha and LEAP, visit www.investkawartha.ca.

Environment Canada has issued a heat warning for the entire greater Kawarthas region beginning on Monday (June 17) and continuing for most of the week.

The heat warning is in effect for Peterborough County, Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, Haliburton County, and Hastings Highlands.

A prolonged heat event will begin on Monday, with dangerously hot and humid conditions expected through most of the week.

Daytime highs on Monday and through much of the week are expected to be 30 to 35 degrees Celsius, with humidex values of 40 to 45.

There will be little relief overnight, as lows are expected to be 18 to 23 degrees Celsius with humidex values of 26 to 30.

Hot and humid air can also bring deteriorating air quality and can result in the Air Quality Health Index approaching the high-risk category.

Though Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival has come and gone, the community is not yet done raising funds for Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC).

Peterborough’s viral sweet tooth destination Tastely Box has launched a months-long fundraiser with the goal of raising $10,000 in support of the PRHC Foundation. Over the next five months, a portion of proceeds from select in-store and online purchases will support the fundraiser, while in-store events will encourage community involvement.

“We just hope we can bring a community together and recognize what PRHC does,” says Polly Laneville, who owns Tastely Box with her husband James. “What they provide is far more than just health care. They provide love, comfort, and so much more to these families and we just want to be able to be a part of that as much as we can.”

After Laneville and her husband launched the sugar-coated business as mostly a hobby in 2021, it grew rapidly with the help of viral TikTok videos (Tastely Box currently boasts 2.3 million followers on TikTok and an additional 55 thousand on Instagram). Currently sharing a unit alongside Modern Makers Shop, Tastely Box is one of the first businesses in Peterborough with a freeze-dried candy pick ‘n’ mix and gummy pick ‘n’ mix where customers can curate their own mixes.

But while the business was making sweet steps, a lot was changing in Laneville’s personal life as well, as her mother was diagnosed with stage four cancer in late 2021 not long after Laneville and her husband launched Tastely Box. While Laneville’s mother immediately sought treatment, the cancer did not slow, and she passed away in January of 2023.

“She was spunky, had a very loud personality, was very funny, and was a great person,” Laneville says, noting that her mother encouraged her from a young age when teachers were impatient with Laneville, who has been diagnosed with autism and ADHD.

“My mom was very supportive of me and always said, ‘You’re going to be successful. You’re going to show them all what you’re capable of and show yourself, and you can do more than what people think you can’, and I’ve done that,” she says. “I’ve proved that to myself.”

Lanesville’s mother was treated at PRHC throughout her treatments and end-of-life care.

“I know that my mom and my dad both really appreciated what PRHC did for them, and they really appreciated what the local hospice did for them,” she says. “Everyone was just so kind, so gentle, so sweet, and had great, uplifting personalities. They were just a joy for her, my dad, and even us to be around.”

Laneville is hopeful to provide support for other families dealing with cancer through the Tastely Box fundraiser.

“It’s an awful thing to have to deal with,” she says. “I want to find some way to bring sunshine to those families and show them that there are people that know what they’re going through or have gone through, and we’re here to support them and the people who support them as well.”

Over the next few months while the fundraiser is in progress, 20 to 40 per cent of sale proceeds of nearly everything in store — except for limited commercial items — will be donated to the PRHC Foundation, including the freeze-dried candy pick ‘n’ mix, the gummy pick ‘n’ mix, and the recently re-launched rolled ice cream.

To encourage customers to shop in store, Tastely Box has many new items in the works to be launched over the coming months, including a gourmet marshmallow “fluff,” and the return of the “crackle candy” — a highly in-demand, in-house special. Also on the horizon is the creation of a grab ‘n’ go station with dipped cheesecakes and dipped ice cream sandwiches for those who don’t want to wait for rolled ice cream.

“We’ll have freezies that are just a dollar or even less, and things that are quick for kids and in their little budgets,” says Laneville. “We’re trying to stay within everyone’s budget, so it makes it easier for people to come in and still enjoy a treat and have a little bit of fun in a candy shop,”

Those who make donations to Tastely Box’s fundraiser through in-store purchases will also automatically be entered in a raffle to win a gift basket with products from a collection of local businesses, including Bowmanville-based Blazing Bombs and Lindsay-based plant shop Country Tropics. The aim is to have one raffle per month of the fundraiser, for a total of five prizes.

“We know the economy makes it difficult to run a small business, so anybody that is able to donate, we appreciate that,” she says. “Chantelle (Coyle of Modern Makers Shop) has such a great community of small businesses that she works with, so we know we’re going to be able to make some great baskets.”

Colouring contests for adults and children and a city-wide scavenger hunt will also be part of the fundraiser.

“That’s going to help kids get included into everything and get them to know about what the story is behind this and talk about PRHC just to open the conversation,” Laneville says. “But it’s also a way to encourage kids to learn about and be part of their communities.”

There will also be opportunity for those outside the region who are unable to step into the store to contribute to the fundraiser. A portion of the sale proceeds of selected limited edition gummy mixes, freeze dried mixes, and more on the Tastely Box website will be donated to the PRHC Foundation.

Taking advantage of Tastely Box’s large online following, Laneville will be posting games and activities through the company’s social media accounts to engage participation in the fundraiser.

“It’s just a fun way to encourage people to interact and help grow the knowledge about this fundraiser,” she says. “A lot of people are connected to knowing how it feels to be touched by cancer in some way, so I feel like it’s a good way to encourage that following of mine to just be part of it and learn about how valuable and strong an asset these hospitals and these support workers, nurses, and doctors are to all of our communities.”

Above all, Laneville hopes to help others experiencing the same loss and grief that she knows first-hand.

“I’m excited to finally be in a place for ourselves and for our family to be able to do this and honour my mom in this way, while also honouring the people who cared for her,” says Laneville.

“It’s just a drop in the bucket, because we just want to give thanks back. No matter how much we try to thank them, it’s never going to truly show the gratitude in which we truly feel for the care that they provided her.”

Tastely Box is located at 651 Chamberlain Street, Unit 1, in Peterborough.

The shop is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesday, noon to 6 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, and noon to 4 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

You can shop online anytime at tastelybox.ca and follow Tastely Box on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.

Peterborough police are searching for a suspect after a woman suffered gunshot wounds.

Just after midnight on Saturday (June 15), a woman went to Peterborough Regional Health Centre with two gunshot wounds.

She was transported by air ambulance to a Toronto hospital for further treatment.

According to police, the woman’s injuries are not life-threatening.

Police are searching for a suspect in what they believe is a targeted incident.

No further details were released about the suspect.