With a goal of enhancing its health and wellness program for new mothers and their babies, YMCA Northumberland is gearing up for a big fundraiser.

YMCA Northumberland’s annual Strong Kids Duathlon takes place on Thursday, August 22.

“The Strong Kids Duathlon at the beautiful Cobourg Waterfront is not just any race; it is an uplifting, action-packed event that combines running and swimming challenges that showcase the spirit of young athletes,” YMCA Northumberland stated in a media release.

“This event promises to leave everyone smiling as young participants complete the course in Centennial Pool and Victoria Park with their hearts pounding and their faces beaming. Friends and family can join by cheering on these youngsters as they dash across the finish line.”

The YMCA Strong Communities Campaign helps children, teens, adults, and seniors in the community. YMCA Canada is one of the longest standing and largest charities nationally, with a presence in Canada since 1851 and now serving more than 2.1 million people annually across 1,700 program locations.

YMCA Northumberland’s 16th instalment of the Strong Kids Duathlon will support the non-profit organization’s “Mothers of Newborns” program. The free program aims to empower new mothers to stay active, build vital connections, and create a strong support network during their baby’s first year. Since 2017, it has positively impacted more than 1,800 mothers, providing essential tools for health and wellness, the release noted.

“We are thrilled to host the Strong Kids Duathlon and provide a platform for our young athletes to shine,” said Eunice Kirkpatrick, YMCA Northumberland CEO.

“This event is about encouraging kids to stay active, build confidence, and, most importantly, have fun. We are committed to ensuring that every child feels like a champion while also raising vital funds for our program. The support from our community has been wonderful, and it’s heartwarming to see everyone come together to make this event so special.”

YMCA Northumberland noted that, with inclusivity and celebration in mind, every participant will receive a medal, recognizing his or her effort and achievement. “This result ensures that all children leave the event with a sense of accomplishment and pride, regardless of their performance.”

The event garners support from many Northumberland families and businesses. YMCA Northumberland gives a shout-out to its current sponsors and partners — myFM 93.3, Kay & McCourt Barristers and Solicitors, Cameco, Lauria Auto Group, PJ’s Custom Outfitting, Moore’s Orchards, Vandermeer Toyota, and Lakeland Multitrade. There are still a few sponsorship spots left for this year.

“So, lace up your sneakers, wear your cheer gear, and get ready for the Strong Kids Duathlon. Whether you are participating in the race, volunteering or cheering from the sidelines, your presence will help positively impact our community.”

The starting line begins at Centennial Pool and Victoria Park. Check-in starts at 5 p.m., and races begin at 5:45 pm. Registration is $15 per child. Any child aged three to 15 can participate. Keepsake towels are available to purchase for $15 per towel.

“This event has many goals and thus, many outcomes would drive the event’s success,” Kathryn Harrison, manager, marketing communications and media relations for YMCA Northumberland, told kawarthaNOW.

“What is the best thing that could happen? We achieve a blend of key successes in participation, fundraising, youth empowerment, and community support.”

Harrison outlined four outcomes the organization would like to see from the event.

High participation: “We aim to see a large turnout and would be thrilled if attendance met or exceeded participation last year — which was just (more than) 100 children. Reaching more community members spreads the positive effects further.”

Fundraising success: “We would be celebrating if we met or exceeded our fundraising goal of raising $5,000 for the Mothers of Newborns program. The funds raised will enable us to welcome more new mothers and their babies from the community into our special health and wellness program going forward.”

Positive energy for the children: “We would be very happy if this event was deemed a summer highlight by any of the participating kids, where they felt empowered and excited by their achievements. This emotional uplift can have lasting effects that extend beyond the event itself.”

Community spirit: “We hope to create an atmosphere filled with positive energy where participants, families, spectators and volunteers come together to celebrate an active lifestyle and enjoy a strong sense of community and connection.”

The overall YMCA campaign targets raising the money needed to support children, youth and families in the community by giving them the opportunity to participate in programming, membership and day camp opportunities, regardless of their financial situations.

For more information and to register for the Strong Kids Duathlon, visit ymcanrt.org/duathlon2024/.

Since the Civic Holiday is not a statutory holiday in Ontario and is not listed in Ontario’s Employment Standards Act or Retail Business Holidays Act, most businesses are open on Monday (August 5), although they may have reduced hours. Almost all grocery stores, malls, and big box stores are open on Monday. Selected liquor stores and beer stores are open. However, all government offices are closed and many government-operated services are unavailable.

For your convenience, we provide this list of holiday hours for 302 selected businesses, services, and organizations across the Kawarthas. This information comes from their websites and social media accounts, which may or may not be up to date, so please always call them first to confirm their hours (we’ve included phone numbers), especially where you see “call” or “call to confirm” (which means we couldn’t find or confirm holiday hours) or if you are travelling any distance.

If your business or organization is listed and the hours are incorrect, please let us know by using our content feedback form. We do not have the hours for restaurants in this list as there are far too many to include.

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Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement for the southern Kawarthas region for thunderstorms with heavy rain on Friday (August 2).

The special weather statement is in effect for southern Peterborough County, southern Kawartha Lakes, and Northumberland County.

Slow-moving thunderstorms could produce locally heavy rainfall from late Friday morning into the evening.

Torrential downpours could result in rainfall amounts of 30 to 60 mm, with locally higher amounts possible.

Environment Canada may issue rainfall warnings.

Heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads. Localized flooding in low-lying areas is possible.

Almost eight months after she was involved in a two-vehicle collision in Warkworth that killed an elderly couple and their family pet, a 34-year-old woman has been charged with careless driving causing death.

At around 1:20 p.m. on December 8, the Northumberland Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Northumberland Paramedics, and the Trent Hills Fire Department responded to a report of a collision between a pickup truck and a car on Dominion Road in Warkworth.

The occupants in the car included two people from Hastings, aged 76 and 70, along with a family pet. The 76-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene. The 70-year-old was transported to a local hospital, where they were later pronounced dead. The family pet also succumbed to its injuries.

The driver of the pickup truck, a 34-year-old woman from Carrying Place south of Trenton, suffered minor injuries in the collision.

On Friday (August 2), Northumberland OPP announced they had charged the woman with two counts of careless driving causing death

The accused woman is due to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Cobourg at a future date.

A new pedestrian crossover on Hunter Street East at the Rotary Trail is one of the items for consideration when Peterborough city council meets as general committee at City Hall after the long weekend.

Council will meet in chambers at 6 p.m. on Tuesday (August 6). Below is a summary of what’s on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting.

Along with the Hunter Street pedestrian crossover, the first council meeting since June 24 will also see councillors consider an official plan amendment and three zoning by-law amendments, a verbal presentation from the city’s external auditors about their audit of the city’s 2023 financial statements along with a letter summarizing their findings, various financial reports for 2023, a summary of the impacts on the 2025 draft budget, two proposed cell towers in the city, and a proposal for a new by-law for Peterborough Transit.

City staff are recommending that the contract to construct a new pedestrian crossover on Hunter Street East at the Rotary Trail be awarded to Drain Bros. Excavating Limited at a total cost of $633,311.02.

According to the staff report, the new pedestrian crossover would introduce new traffic signals at the trail crossing and will include improvements in the vicinity of the crossing, including improvements to accessibility such as tactile walking surface indicators, a new paved road surface, realignment of the trail to be perpendicular to Hunter Street, lighting improvements, and pavement markings and signage.

“The Rotary Trail Crossing at Hunter Street East is currently (a non-signalled) trail crossing linking the Rotary Trail through East City,” the report states. “The mixed-use development of lands along the Rotary Trail south of Hunter Street, which will include four multi-unit residential buildings with approximately 97 new units, will result in increased pedestrian and cycling demand on the crossing.”

If council approves the recommendation, work could begin in August with completion expected in the fall.

Council will also consider a staff report for an amendment to the city’s official plan to permit the construction of a seven-storey 76-unit apartment building at 1180 Armour Road, as well as staff reports for a zoning by-law amendment for 838 Lock Street to permit two additional dwelling units that already exist on the property, a zoning by-law amendment for the development of a 26-unit stacked townhouse development on vacant land at 245 Spillsbury Drive, and a zoning by-law amendment to allow Rowan Tree Children’s School to operate a school and a day nursery at 780 Argyle Street.

Joanna Park of Baker Tilly KDN LLP, the city’s external auditors, will present to council a verbal audit findings report for the year ending December 31, 2023. As part of the city’s annual audit process, the auditors draft a letter for the use of general committee to assist in the review of the financial statements and to raise issues for management’s consideration and potential action.

Baker Tilly KDN LLP has also prepared an acknowledgement letter for its audit of the city’s 2023 consolidated financial statements that summarizes the results of the audit to date. The letter does not identify any significant issues.

In other financial matters, council will receive the city’s treasurer report, 2023 consolidated financial report, and 2023 trust funds financial statement and five-year review, with staff recommending the reports be submitted to the Ontario government.

City staff will also present a summary of the impacts of the city’s 2025 draft budget which, at this initial stage, would see a property tax increase of 8.44 per cent if the status quo is maintained or an increase of 10.28 per cent if other items are included, such as an additional $1.8 million for housing and homelessness and $1 million for operating costs for the expansion of the municipally operated Fairhaven long-term care home.

City council will review city staff reports advising that the public and municipal consultation process has been completed for proposals for two 30-metre tall telecommunication towers to be constructed by Spectra Point on behalf Rogers Communications at 708 Hawley Street and at 780 Argyle Street. The city will provide the results of the consultation process to Innovation Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada, which regulates the construction of cell towers.

City staff will also recommend to council that the city’s outdated 1978 public transportation by-law be repealed and replaced with a new by-law. The existing by-law includes specifies service schedule requirements and specific routes that have not been followed in decades. The new by-law would provide Peterborough Transit with exclusive rights to operate a paid bus service within the city’s boundaries (the by-law would not apply to inter-city bus carriers or to school board or other organizations operating buses to transport students) and would give Peterborough Transit the authorization to operate outside of city boundaries.

Items endorsed by general committee on August 6 will be considered by council for final approval the following Monday, when public delegations will be heard.

Council meetings are streamed live at www.peterborough.ca.

The village of Colborne could be home to additional affordable housing units if Northumberland County council approves a proposal from the Northumberland County Housing Corporation (NCHC).

Council will review a proposal at its August 14 meeting that suggests expanding the number of affordable housing units at 123 King St. E.

The decision will be before council following a recommendation that came forward during a meeting on Tuesday (July 31) of the county’s social services committee. After hearing a presentation from the NCHC, the committee is recommending county council approve the release of funds for NCHC to proceed with preliminary designs for the redevelopment of rental units at this location.

Mandy Martin, mayor of Cramahe Township and county councillor, said an approval would be good news for Colborne.

“This development builds on not only our Cramahe Township municipal commitment, but also our partnership with the seven municipal members of Northumberland County, to consider housing needs across the spectrum of needs,” Martin told kawarthaNOW.

“Cramahe is a small municipality with ‘can-do’ determination to honour and welcome all who understand strength in community.”

Northumberland County, in partnership with NCHC, purchased the King Street East property in 2023, when it came up for sale, to preserve the local stock of “deeply affordable housing” in Colborne.

The redevelopment proposal is for construction of up to 60 units at this location — 38 more than are currently on site — “to address the escalating need for affordable and attainable housing in Northumberland,” Northumberland County noted in a media release.

The new units would be a mix of rent-geared-to-income and market rent housing, serving residents with low-to=moderate incomes, including seniors and people with special needs.

“The release of funds being recommended by the social services committee will support pre-construction activities, including preparing a building design and budget,” the release noted. “The redevelopment will aim to replace the 22 aging rental units currently on site, while increasing density.”

“A phased approach to construction will ensure current tenants are able to continue living in their existing units until the new units are built, at which time all tenants in good standing will transition to the new accommodations.”

NCHC chair Victor Fiume said, “the approval of funds for preliminary planning for the King Street redevelopment will be a critical milestone in our ongoing efforts to increase the stock of affordable housing in Northumberland.”

“This effort will not only enable us to replace aging units for the benefit of current tenants but also expand the number of affordable rental units available, meeting broader community need,” Fiume added. “As the largest provider of community housing in Northumberland, the NCHC continues to assess new opportunities to sustain and increase affordable housing options, building a stronger, more inclusive community.”

Like elsewhere, Northumberland is seeing a growing need for affordable housing supports. County residents face one of the lowest rental vacancy rates in Ontario, at just one per cent, and higher rental costs compared to neighbouring communities, the county noted.

An initial feasibility study at 123 King St. E. determined the site could support construction of up to four three-storey buildings. The county said the new development will offer a variety of unit types, including smaller and larger apartments to accommodate different needs.